Upcoming Opportunities
The Spiritual Resilience Working Group Invites You to a Lenten Book Journey
Each Lent, the Spiritual Resilience Working Group (SRWG) of the Creation Care Committee offers a virtual book journey to members of the Diocese of Virginia and beyond. This year’s journey will focus on St. Benedict.
The world was in chaos in the year 500 CE. The Roman Empire, which had held a firm grip as the world’s superpower, was unraveling. People felt that the ground beneath their feet was shifting so rapidly that they could not see the future. Benedict wrote his Rule to give guidance for keeping the way of faith. You are invited to join the SRWG in reading his Rule in daily meditations using THE RULE OF BENEDICT: INSIGHTS FOR THE AGES by Joan Chittister, OSB. We will gather weekly via Zoom at 7 PM to share insights from the reading on March 6, 13, 27, April 3, and 10. Please join us on this journey and share this invitation with your own congregation. Space is limited. Register via email by March 1 with your name and preferred email. (NOTE: Used copies of this book can be found on eBay or AbeBooks.)
Creation Care Committee Open House (Via Zoom) on March 18 at 7pm
The Diocese of Virginia’s Creation Care Committee (CCC) was established by Bishop Peter Lee several decades ago as a way to bring awareness to parishes of God’s gift of creation. During the subsequent years, our world has changed. While the CCC continues to celebrate God’s gift of creation, it also encourages both parishes and individuals to increase energy efficiency of their properties, reclaim and restore the native habitat around them, and consider spiritual resilience in a climate-changed time. Our work unifies us because of our common faith. We offer worship resources, educational experiences, and safe places for discussion–always focusing on loving Jesus, embodying justice, and trying to serve as disciples. The CCC meets monthly and has two working groups: Habitat Restoration and Spiritual Resilience. We invite you to join us on March 18, 7 PM, to learn more about the Committee and consider offering your gifts toward these goals. Please share this invitation within your own congregation. Register by March 15 by emailing <creationcare@
Being Prepared: Spiritual Resilience in Disaster on April 9 at 4pm
With increasing extreme weather events, how can we prepare and respond with spiritual support? What does discipleship look like in such a time?
The Spiritual Resilience Working Group of the Creation Care Committee invites you to a conversation with the Rev. Dr. Caroline Mitchell, Senior Program Manager, Disaster Spiritual Care for the American Red Cross, National Headquarters. Responsible for training and directing the Red Cross’ 500 interfaith chaplains, she coordinates response to a major disaster—both natural and man-made—every thirteen days. Caroline has over 15 years of field experience in public safety, law enforcement, fire, EMS and emergency management, and graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2023. She was ordained on Feb. 1 of this year and serves as assisting clergy at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, McLean, Va.
Please join us at 4 PM, Wed., April 9, for this hour-long conversation. Given the unpredictable nature of Caroline’s job, May 7 will be the substitute date should she be called away in April. Register via email to receive the zoom link. Please share this information with your congregation.
Love God, Love God’s World: A Curriculum Review
Love God, Love God’s World is a nine-session, film-based curriculum designed for Episcopalians at any stage of engagement with creation care and environmental ministry – from those taking their first steps to experienced leaders seeking a transformative small-group experience. Sessions follow a structure similar to the Sacred Ground curriculum, incorporating compelling films, podcasts, readings, faith-based reflections, and discussion questions. Each session is authored by different contributors who draw from their own contexts and experiences. Participants explore opportunities to learn, pray, advocate, and conserve.
The curriculum aims to equip participants to:
- Speak confidently about their faith, environmental stewardship, and climate change.
- Experience personal transformation and engage at various levels in creation care and eco-justice.
- Identify and utilize available resources for creation care initiatives.
Several members of the Creation Care Committee have participated in small-group sessions of Love God, Love God’s World and have found them engaging and thought-provoking. The committee encourages churches to incorporate this curriculum into their programming.
Churches interested in offering Love God, Love God’s World to their community can contact Libby Witt, Creation Care Committee Member, for guidance on content or logistical considerations. Individuals interested in joining a group but lacking sufficient numbers to create a group at their individual church can contact the Creation Care Committee, where efforts will be made to form virtual groups with participants from across the diocese.
This story was updated on March 10, 2025 to include new event information.