Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Winter 2012 Issue | Page 30

CULTURAL EXCHANGE: NAVAJOLAND KEITH NELSON STROUD Grace Church, The Plains put cultural exchange into action at its third annual Navajo Dinner on November 12, when they hosted Rt. Rev. David Bailey, bishop of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland; the Rev. Chan O. Anaya, vicar of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Mission in Ft. Defiance, Ariz.; and the Rev. Paula Henson, newly ordained to the vocational diaconate and serving in Navajoland. Navajoland is an area carved from three separate dioceses in the late 1970s that functions like a Diocese, but with more oversight from the presiding bishop. The area includes portions of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Bailey was ordained bishop of Navajoland in 2010. Grace Church has been engaged in cultural exchange, mission and fellowship with the members of Good Shepherd Mission for six years, bringing members of that community to Virginia for two years and sending several members of the congregation every summer. On the evening of the dinner, Henson shared her spiritual journey leading to ordination. The 30+ dinner guests were then able to see pictures of her ordination, which was a blend of the Episcopal liturgy and traditional Native American spirituality. The move to increase the number of clergy available to serve and develop ministry in this huge and divergent population is one of Bailey’s central focuses. Over dessert, Bailey discussed his long range plan for ordaining Navajo to serve Navajo and explained some of the complexities connected with doing God’s work in this The Rev. Chan O. Anaya and the Rev. Paula Henson. beautiful but difficult environment. He explained about the geographically disparate population and the plethora of “house churches” in which members of one extended family will worship together. During the course of the dinner, Anaya lead guests through a series of hymns and prayers in English and Navajo. If you are interested in more information about Good Shepherd Mission or Grace Church’s cultural exchange program or model, please contact Keith Nelsen Stroud at [email protected]. t DOV Q&A Diocesan staff provide answers to frequently asked questions about life in the Diocese. Q: How can I share news about my church or ministry with the rest of the Diocese? A: The diocesan Communications Office works to share stories, news and events from the 183 churches across our Diocese. We work hard for a balance in our communications, featuring stories from every corner of the Diocese and across a broad and varied spectrum of ministries. To effectively share these stories, we need your help. Here’s how to share your news with the Diocese. • Submit your event to the online calendar by completing  the online form at thediocese.net/events. • We’ll pull events off the online calendar and publish them  in the e-Communiqué weekly newsletter, which hits inboxes every Wednesday. • Contact the Communications Office with story ideas for  the Virginia Episcopalian. The deadline to receive articles 28 VIRGINIA EPISCOPALIAN / Winter 2012 is December 1 for the Winter issue, March 1 for the Spring issue, June 1 for the Summer issue and September 1 for the Fall issue. Contact us well in advance of those deadlines so we can reserve the appropriate space. It’s always best to contact us before writing and submitting an article. • Submit press releases, photos and articles for the online  News Room. • Share your photos and announcements on our Facebook  page at facebook.com/episcopaldioceseofvirginia. Are you interested in sharing your stories with the secular media? Visit thediocese.net/Resources/Communications for a brief primer on media relations. Questions? Please contact Emily Cherry at [email protected].