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| Duke DuTeil leading the "Verger 101" training class at the 2013 VGEC Annual Conference in Nashville |
Under the leadership of chair Bill White and with assistance from Training Course Registrar Kate Pendzuk and other members, our Training Committee's collective ear has heard your comments. What you told us revealed we needed to find ways to improve our training process without changing the valuable result of the VGEC training experience.
We found the highest value changes we could make would address the training resources available to the student, the mentor and the training committee, the pricing of the course, and the method of course delivery to the participants.
As a result, effective July 1, 2014, we are digitizing course delivery, making the course more affordable, and adding an experienced verger training advisor to be available for our students, their mentors and the parishes and dioceses in which they serve.
Letters from VGEC President, Scott Smith, are on the way to all current Fellows (those who have completed the course) and to all current students taking the course, with our reasoning for these changes.
Now some details, starting with how the pricing will change:
WAS: The Course price, including Training Course Virge was previously $215.
WILL BE: For new course registrations as of July 1, 2014 the VGEC Training Course, without a Virge will be $65 and will include your formal Training Course Certificate. The "Fellow's Virge" will be available for purchase in the Guild Shop by all students who successfully complete the course, becoming a "Fellow of the VGEC", and thus qualifying for that purchase privilege.
Next, here's how the course delivery will change:
WAS: The course was delivered in a 3-ring notebook produced by VGEC volunteers (thank you Kate!) and shipped via a shipping service.
WILL BE: For new course registrations as of July 1, 2014, the course will be delivered immediately on order processing via an email with an attached PDF file containing the complete course. A printed version and binder with the course, if desired, will be available for additional purchase from the Guild Shop for a small (TBD) charge (to cover reproduction and shipping costs only).Or you can print the PDF file yourself or take it to Kinko's (or equivalent) and have them print and/or bind it for you. The VGEC is dedicated to being more environmentally responsible and these new steps help achieve that goal.
If you are CURRENTLY ENROLLED in the course, these changes will not affect you. You will become a "Fellow of the Guild" and receive your "Fellow's Virge" and course certificate upon completion.
For all (current and new) course participants, the following remain as they always have:
1. The course participant's clergy is responsible for certifying that the coursework has been successfully completed.
2. Each participant shall submit their completed course responses to the VGEC Training Course Registrar for review and final certification. We recommend that everyone produce an electronic copy of their materials so that the submission back to the VGEC may also be performed via email. Contact [email protected] with any questions or if you need help.
The final change is because we found urgent need for several functions to be performed as an on-going activity, by a very senior, experienced verger trainer. Here is what the new (very busy) Training Advisor will be doing:
The Training Advisor, as a member of the Training Committee, will serve to advise those currently enrolled in the VGEC Training Course. The Training Advisor will also serve as a consultant to Clergy / Mentors of current enrollees, and a resource for training questions from Guild members. The Advisor will edit the VGEC Training Course, develop and maintain a "Mentor or Clergy" handbook, and will support the Training Course Registrar to assure student data updates and accuracy. The Training Advisor will participate, with the Training Course Committee, in exploration of next-generation verger training means and content. Lastly, the Training Advisor will aid in the introduction of Verger training concepts, and will coordinate with and advise Parish and Diocesan training efforts as requested.
And the new VGEC Training Advisor is... the recently-retired Head Verger at the Washington National Cathedral, Claude "Duke" DuTeil. Please join us in welcoming Duke to this new role which will be in addition to his current position on the VGEC Board as Treasurer.
Register for the 2014 Annual Conference being held September 25th through 28th in Burlington, Ontario by clicking on the big red button below. You'll have a great time and bring home a ton of memories that cannot be had any other way.
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| Register online today and call 905.681.5400 for hotel reservations with VERG as the discount code! |
Abstract: Learn about significant changes in the VGEC Training Course delivery format, a new, more flexible, reduced price structure, and the addition of a new VGEC Training Advisor to our training process, all effective on July 1, 2014.
Please send your story ideas, anecdotal notes on your verger experiences or fully developed stories about your own verger ministry to [email protected]. There are more than a thousand stories out there. We'd like to publish yours.
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