Rector’s Messages

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What does it mean to be a member of Manakin Church?

Dear Friends,

I am often asked about membership in Manakin Church. With Bishop Haynes visiting us on September 8, this is a good opportunity for us to address this question and to discuss what it means to be a member. Please note that whether or not you are an official member of the Church, you belong by worshiping and participating in the life of the congregation with us.

Here is some general information about membership in the Church:

  • Baptism makes us members of the Universal Church. The Episcopal Church recognizes all persons who have been baptized with water in the name of the Holy Trinity. We then live into the meaning of our baptism within specific congregations. I
  • If you were baptized in the Episcopal Church and have been a member of another congregation, you can become a member of Manakin Church by having a letter of transfer sent to the church office. Wendy, our parish administrator, can take care of facilitating this.
  • Those who were baptized and confirmed in another denomination can become a member by being received by the Bishop.
  • All baptized members are encouraged to receive the sacrament of confirmation. In confirmation ‘we express a mature commitment to Christ and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.’ After confirmation, the person is a member of the congregation.
  • A communicant in good standing is one who for the previous year has been faithful in corporate worship, unless for good cause prevented, and has been faithful in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God. Communicants over the age of 16 years who are members of the church may serve on the vestry and vote in elections.

Now is the perfect time to explore being a member of the Church. The youth are completing their confirmation preparation. Several adults are finishing up the Inquirer’s Class and will be confirmed or received as well. Please keep them all in your prayers as they journey through this important time.

Lenora Goodwyn
Martha Grace Harrison
Sally and Jim Dunn
Emily Ellinghausen
Margaret and Bobby King
Valarie and Jacques Riviere
Kathy and John Watkins

If you have any questions about membership, confirmation or being received in the Episcopal Church, please let me know so that we can discuss your specific situation. In general, membership in Manakin Church is a sign of commitment to the community that is dedicated to serving God and you.

Blessings,
Gini+

The Good Samaritan Fund

Dear Friends,

Following the Burial service for Lee Showalter, many folks have asked me about the Good Samaritan Fund. This fund was established by Janet and Lee Showalter almost ten years ago to benefit Manakin Church. A monetary gift from a trust that they had established was sent to the Diocesan Composite Fund to be invested on our behalf. The earnings from this fund come to Manakin quarterly and at the request of the Showalters, they are divided equally between operational needs and outreach.

The model for the establishment of this gift came from the church where Lee worshipped in Roanoke, Virginia. He liked how the fund could sustain the day-to-day needs of the church, but equally look beyond our walls to those we can support through outreach in the community.

We often wonder about our legacies and who will be impacted after we are gone. The Good Samaritan Fund will long live on to support our church and community. Donations to this fund will help it to continue to grow and benefit Manakin Church.

Last year, funds from this trust helped with our donations to the following charities and non-profits in the area:

Backpacks of Love
Bon Secours Community Hospice House
Boys Home of Virginia
Families of the Wounded
Family Lifeline
Fine Creek Volunteer Fire Department
Free Clinic of Powhatan
Good Samaritan Ministries
Grace Inside
Lonesome Dove Equestrian Center
NAMI (Suicide Prevention) Virginia
Powhatan Christmas Mother
Powhatan Coalition of Churches
Powhatan County Rescue and EMS
Powhatan Habitat for Humanity
Powhatan Animal Shelter
Powhatan Social Services
Rebuilding Together Richmond
Richmond Christmas Mother
Richmond Friends of the Homeless
Shalom Farms
St. Joseph’s Villa
Virginia Sexual Domestic Violence Action

Blessings,
Gini+

Welcoming Aidan Stoddart

Dear Friends,

Please join me in welcoming Aidan Stoddart to Manakin Episcopal Church. Aiden will join us as a lay pastor, preacher and teacher starting on June 9. He will be with us full-time through the summer and will start a resident chaplaincy program through Bon Secours in the fall.

Aidan grew up in Charlottesville. He went to college in Boston, where he first discerned a call to ordained ministry. From Boston he went to New Haven, CT, where he completed a master’s degree at Yale Divinity School. He comes to Manakin directly from Yale. He is excited to be ordained in 2025, and in the meantime is looking forward to serving at Manakin Church. He is also excited to return to Virginia after being based up north for seven years.

Aidan previously served St. Paul’s Parish, Brookfield, CT and St. Barnabas Church, Greenwich, CT. He also had a stint as a hospital chaplain in Bridgeport, CT, and once spent a summer living with Trappist monks in South Carolina.

Aidan’s academic background is in Christian theology and he is particularly interested in ancient and medieval theology, the theology of prayer and liturgical theology. His favorite theologian is Julian of Norwich. Aidan also has a fondness for all sorts of church vestments and will be happy to talk to you about it.

In addition to Jesus, Aidan has many interests, including: reading fantasy novels; going on long walks with his partner, Peyton, and her dog; journalling; playing games; and practicing guitar. Aidan also loves visiting tea shops and microbreweries, and he always welcomes recommendations.

I look forward to having Aiden with us this summer and for all that we will be doing together in ministry.

Blessings,
Gini+

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