Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Winter 2012 Issue | Page 2

THE NEW VIRGINIA EPISCOPALIAN WHO WE ARE A letter from the editor THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF VIRGINIA Dear Friends, We’re excited to unveil a project that’s been a long-time coming: the new Virginia Episcopalian magazine. The decision to transition from a bimonthly black-andwhite newspaper to a quarterly full-color magazine was not taken lightly. We’ve spent the past two years researching how other dioceses have made this transition, and gathering feedback – via electronic surveys and more anecdotally – that has helped shape both the format and the content of the new publication you hold in your hands. In particular, we want to draw your attention to a few important updates: • The magazine will contain less news and announcements,  more features and stories. Please look to thediocese.net and the e-Communiqué weekly electronic newsletter for expanded online coverage. • The new Virginia Episcopalian will arrive in your mailbox  four times a year, with the Winter issue in January, the Spring issue in April, the Summer issue in July and the Fall issue in October. • The magazine will be available online at thediocese.net. We  do encourage our readers to receive a paper copy, though. Once you’re done reading it, share it with your friends! • Subscriptions will continue to be managed primarily via  churches, through a voluntary financial contribution asking system. We hope that the diocesan budget will be able to fully absorb these costs in the years to come. • As always, we’d love to hear your ideas for stories  and receive submissions. Please keep in mind that the deadline for submissions is the first of the month prior to publication, so please contact me well in advance of that deadline to discuss your idea. Why make this change? Well, we thought it was time for our publication to have a fresh look while simultaneously playing to our strengths. We know that the Virginia Episcopalian has a lot of competition in your mailbox. And we think it’s important, particularly for a diocese as large and robust as ours, to help build our diocesan community by sharing stories, and sharing them well in a high-quality publication. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the new format, and as always we welcome suggestions for story ideas. I look forward to hearing from you, and to seeing this publication continue to improve with each and every issue. Sincerely, Emily Cherry Editor, Virginia Episcopalian Communications Officer, The Diocese of Virginia [email protected] FOR CHRIST. FOR THIS TIME. FOR ALL TIME. The Mayo Memorial Church House: 110 West Franklin St. Richmond, VA 23220-5095 800-DIOCESE 804-643-8451 Fax [phone] The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia is a part of the world-wide Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church. We are a community of more than 80,000 baptized members and 425 clergy in 38 counties of central, northern and northwestern Virginia, serving the world through 183 congregations, six diocesan schools, two diocesan centers and six diocesan homes, and home to the largest Anglican seminary in the world. Our episcopal seat is the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration, Orkney Springs. Organized 1785. How to Reach the Diocesan Staff: Paris Ball, Director of Christian Formation: [email protected] ex. 1042 Austin Bartenstein, Bishop’s Clerk: [email protected] 1038 Buck Blanchard, Director of Mission and Outreach: [email protected] 1016 Mary Anne Bryant, Assistant, World Mission: [email protected] 1017 Henry Burt, Secretary of the Diocese, Chief of Staff: [email protected] 1030 Joy Buzzard, Financial Administrator: [email protected] 1022 Frances Caldwell, Dir. of Development and Stewardship: [email protected] 1035 Emily Cherry, Communications Officer: [email protected] 1021 Laura Cramer, Benefits Administrator: [email protected] 1040 Tyler Fox, Asst. to Bishop Jones & Bishop Gulick: [email protected] 703-824-1325 The Rev. Canon Susan Goff, Canon to the Ordinary: [email protected] 1011 Kathlyn Jones, Asst., Office of Christian Formation: [email protected] 1031 Wilbert “Skeet” Jones, Sexton 1028 Ed Keithly, Assistant to the Canon to the Ordinary: [email protected] 1015 Michael J. Kerr, Treasurer: [email protected] 1020 Mildred Lofton, Bookkeeper: [email protected] 1023 Anna Moncure, Assistant to the Secretary: [email protected] 1025 Lindsay Ryland, Transition Ministry Officer: [email protected] 1013 Karen Smith, Receptionist/Assistant: [email protected] 1010 Michael Wade, Asst. to the Director of Christian Formation: [email protected] 1027 Amy Williams, Assistant to Bishop Johnston: [email protected] 1012 VIRGINIA EPISCOPALIAN WINTER 2012 Published by The Diocese of Virginia–Circulation 20,000 Bishop: The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston Bishop Suffragan: The Rt. Rev. David Colin Jones Assistant Bishop: The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick Jr. Editor: Emily Cherry Design/Layout: John Dixon Advertising Assistant: Karen Smith Virginia Episcopalian (ISSN 15353621, USPS 019711) is published quarterly by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, periodicals postage paid in Richmond, 23232-9998. Copyright 2011. Contact the editor for reprint permission. Views expressed in this newspaper are not official statements of policy by the Diocese.