This is a communication from Diocesan House, to be distributed usually on a bi-weekly basis to clergy and lay leaders in the Diocese of Southwest Florida.

Your contributions are important. Send items to share with the diocesan community to Jim DeLa, director of communications.

For Nov. 9, 2007:

Please leave a message at the tone: A reminder the diocesan office will be closed Monday, Nov. 12 in observance of Veteran’s Day.

Did she say free lunch? Begin the season of Advent by helping to prepare/repair the Chapel Center @USF.
Chaplain Denise Guinta is holding a volunteer work day Dec. 1, beginning at 8 a.m. Activities of the day will include rug pulling, installing electronics, cabinet removal, paint prep, ceiling tile removal, furniture moving, window installing and general carpentry work. And that’s just the inside.
Outside, there’s major hedging, pruning, heavy-duty lawn mowing, weed-wacking and power-washing to do. A small chain saw would be handy as well, if anyone has one. And if you’re not mechanically inclined, “gophers” are needed, too.
Please e-mail Denise Gunita for more information. Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
There are several notable events coming up in the diocese:

The Episcopal Church Women will hold their annual meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at DaySpring Conference Center near Ellenton. The keynote speaker is the Rev. Jo Bailey Wells, an associate professor at Duke Divinity School in North Carolina. She was one of the first women ordained as a priest in the Church of England and once served as the Dean of Clare College in Cambridge.

Celebration of new ministry: The Rev. Douglas Scharf will be installed as rector of Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church on Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. at the church, 604 North Valrico Rd., in Valrico. Call Holy Innocents at (813) 689-3130 for information.

Upcoming ordinations:
Dec. 5: Deacon Charles Jonathan Roberts will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests at 6 p.m. at Church of the Good Shepherd, 1115 Center Rd., in Venice. Clergy should vest in cassock, surplice and white stole. Contact Good Shepherd at (941) 497-7286.

Dec. 9: Deacon Charles Connelly will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests at 10 a.m. at St. John's Church, 906 S. Orleans Ave., in Tampa. Clergy should vest in cassock, surplice and red stole. Contact St. John’s at (813) 259-1570.

A bereavement support group is held every Tuesday from 3-5 p.m. at St. Andrew's, 2301 Deltona Blvd. in Spring Hill, It is free and open to the public. The group is for anyone who has lost someone close to them through death. For information, contact Sally Cloughly at (352) 666-8806.

2008 dates:
Believe in a Miracle 2008 is a day of renewal for women and their friends, sponsored by Women’s Ministry of the diocese. It’s set for Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Venice Community Center. Keynote speaker will be the Rt. Rev. Nedi Rivera of the Diocese of Olympia. The guest performer will be Elisabeth von Trapp.

Registration is required. Forms are available through your church office or can be downloaded from the diocesan web site Cost for the day is $12.50 and must accompany your registration form.

Hotel rooms can be reserved for Friday night, Feb. 8, at the Hampton Inn (941) 488-5900, or at the Best Western (941) 480-9898. Be sure to say you are attending Believe In A Miracle when you call to make reservations. It is recommended that you do this as soon as possible.

And, for 2009: St. Mary's in Bonita Springs will host an all-day Order of St. Luke Healing Conference on Saturday Feb. 21, 2009, featuring the Rev. Nigel Mumford, director of the Healing Ministry at Christ the King Spiritual Life Center in Greenwich, N.Y.

The day will begin at 9:30 a.m., with lunch at noon, an afternoon program and culminate with a Eucharist at 5 p.m. Fr. Mumford will also be a part of the Sunday Services at St. Mary's on the Feb. 22. For further information contact Cherrill Cregar at (239) 498-1925.

2008 vestry retreat is still a possibility: Contrary to information received for the last e-mail, the annual DaySpring retreat for all vestries in the diocese may not be completely dead yet. While at this point it looks as if the conference center won’t have the money in its budget to host the event, DaySpring’s executive director, Rosemary Benoit, says the center’s Board of Directors will be meeting this month to try and find the funds to make the retreat happen. Stay tuned.

Worth repeating:
(These items were in last week’s e-mail but are still notable).

Does your ministry need money? There’s still time to get your United Thank Offering grant application packets. Please submit your request for a packet via e-mail only to Jan Nothum.

Once your e-mail is received the packet will be put in the mail to your church. There are specific instructions and dates which must be adhered to in order for the applications to be accepted.

Please send your completed grant application to the Office of the Bishop, 7313 Merchant Court, Sarasota, FL 34240 Attn: Jan Nothum. The application must be received by Jan. 4, 2008.

Get involved nationally: The Joint Standing Nominating Committee of General Convention is seeking applications from persons willing to be nominated for five elections that will take place at General Convention 2009, in Anaheim, Calif., July 8-17.
Applications must be received on or before Feb. 1, 2008 for the following panels:
Court for the Trial of a Bishop
Board Members of The Church Pension Fund
Members of Executive Council
Members of the General Board of Examining Chaplains
Trustees of General Theological Seminary
To learn more about what is expected for each assignment, to learn how to apply, and to get a copy of the application form required, visit the committee's website at http://tinyurl.com/2dv9fr