A Digest of Newsbriefs and Upcoming Events

• The Center for Lifelong Learning at Phoebe Needles offers monthly seminars to adults 55+.
  The next topic is the “Military Chaplaincy,” with Col. Dan Agee, a Southern Baptist retired Army Reserves chaplain, on November 7.
  Cost is $7 or $14 including lunch. Individual annual memberships are $40 per person or $60 per couple.
  To register, contact the Phoebe Needles Center in Franklin County at 540-483-1518.

• The diocesan Fall Youth Event will be held November 17-19 for grades 9-12.
  The theme is taking time to uncover God’s plan for each of us in the middle of the busy-ness of school, boyfriends/girlfriends, practice and whatever is coming next.
  Bring your dreams (and a clue, if you have one to spare), sleeping bag, toothbrush (at least pretend to bring it for your mom’s sake), etc. to Camp Bethel in beautiful Botetourt County.
  Cost is $60 and you know they want to know if you’re coming so let interim youth coordinator Dick Willis know by November 4. Download the form at www.dioswva.org or email youth@dioswva.org.

• The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy has prepared a study guide for faith groups and book clubs on “The Innocent Man,” a new book by John Grisham.
  Grisham’s publisher, Doubleday, called on the Interfaith Center to prepare a guide for a six-meeting process that raises questions about the state of the justice system in America, highlighting some of the broken aspects of how capital punishment is administered. The study guide is free and available from VICPP at www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org.

• St. John’s, Roanoke performance series “Music on the Corner” will be sponsoring a visit by The Raleigh Ringers. The Raleigh Ringers perform many kinds of music with drill-team precision on hundreds of beautiful bells in motion.
  Music selection ranges from Bach’s “Little Fugue” and Karen Buckwalter’s “Psalm 42” to “Pinball Wizard” and “Freebird.”
  See the Raleigh Ringers at the Jefferson Center on Saturday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m.
  Tickets are $20.00. Call the Jefferson Center at 540-345-2550 or 866-345-2550.

• David Dixon, a candidate for the vocational diaconate at St. John’s, Roanoke, has been named chairman of the diocesan Global Reconciliation Committee.
  The committee’s goals are to work on implementing the Millenium Development Goals, as passed by diocesan Annual Council and General Convention this year.
  The goals, known as MDGs, aim to encourage the U.S. government to spend an additional one percent of its budget on fighting worldwide poverty. They also encourage individuals and churches to give 0.7% of their incomes to help eradicate poverty.
  The committee’s first meeting will be in November and they will explore what churches are currently doing and what resources and inspiration can be provided to get others on board.
  “Some may think what we already give is satisfactory but what we’re doing now are just finger-in-the-dike, stop-gap measures,” said Dixon.
  Other members of the committee are Scott Derks, Christ, Martinsville; Robin Claytor, St. Mark’s, Fincastle; David Denny, St. Thomas, Christiansburg; Nina Salmon, St. John’s, Lynchburg; Julian “Pete” Hickman, Trinity, Staunton and Drew Barker, Gay Eure and Stephen Stanley of Christ, Roanoke.
  To find out more about the committee, contact David Dixon at 540-989-6095.