Announcements
Bishops' Statement on Full Inclusion of Transgender Persons in All Aspects of Our Common Life
July 28, 2017
The Bishops of the Diocese of Virginia continue our commitment to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in all aspects of our common life as a Church and as a nation. We are proud to be in community with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and concur with his statement (below) in response to our President's decision to exclude transgender persons from military service. We also stand by the guidelines for the inclusion of transgender persons in our camps and schools, which we developed last year. Be assured of our unwavering support for God's beloved children, no matter their gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.
The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston
The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff
The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick
Advent Reflections 2016
From Presiding Bishop Curry on our call to prayer and action after the election
"The Episcopal Church Welcomes You" is not just a slogan, it's who we seek to be and the witness we seek to make, following the way of Jesus.
A Prayer for the Elections
From Presiding Bishop Curry on our call to end the hate
Jesus tells us to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves - Letter to the Episcopal Church From Presiding Bishop, President of House of Deputies
This age-old cycle of fear and hatred plays out again and again in our broken world, in sickening and shocking events like the massacre targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Orlando, but also in the rules we make and the laws we pass. Most recently, we’ve seen fear at work in North Carolina, a state dear to both of our hearts, where a law called the “Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act” has decimated the civil rights and God-given dignity of transgender people and, by extension, drastically curtailed protections against discrimination for women, people of color, and many others. We are thankful for the prayerful and pastoral public leadership of the North Carolina bishops on this law, which is known as House Bill 2.
