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+

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+

Dear Friends,
“Let us welcome the newly baptized.” (BCP p. 308)

We will have the opportunity many times over the next few months to welcome the newly baptized into our community. Through June, we have six baptisms that will take place in our congregation. Each time you will hear me state what an exciting day this is for our congregation. As we increase our fold, the entire church celebrates.

What does it mean to welcome the newly baptized? I believe that it starts with our commitment to these persons who have made vows to do all in our power to support them in their life in Christ. (BCP p. 303)  We will be their church family in every sense in that we will lift them up in prayer, encourage their Christian formation and growth, offer support in times of need and be a listening friend as desired. When absent from our presence, we will inquire as to their well-being and when present, we will thank them for all that they offer.

These baptism services will also give us the opportunity to renew our own Baptismal Covenant. (BCP p. 304) We will be reminded of the five promises that we made or that were made on our behalf. We can assess how we are lining up in keeping our covenant and see what areas may need refreshing.  All the while we will remember that in keeping these, “we will, with God’s help.” Alone we cannot possibly do it all and with God’s help we can.

Yes, this is an exciting time for our congregation and for the body of Christ. Please join me in the celebration.

Blessings,
Gini+