News & Upcoming Events
Find more EDWM news on our News & Events and Video pages.
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Michael Bruce Curry - Our Next Presiding Bishop (and how you can watch his installation)

Festivities surrounding the  installation of the 27th Presiding Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, will begin on Saturday, October 31st at 11:00 a.m. with a Vigil Celebration and Eucharist sponsored by the  Union of Black Episcopalians . The live webcast of the vigil is available  here .

Bishop Curry's formal installation will take place at the Washington National Cathedral on Sunday, November 1st at 12 noon. The live-streaming broadcast is expected to be available on the National Cathedral's website, available  by clicking here.

Bishop Curry was elected and confirmed to be the next Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church at the 78th General Convention on June 27th in Salt Lake City.
Click here to read the press release from The Episcopal Church issued October 19th.

Read an interview with Bishop Curry here.

Prayers for those who travel

The 141st Convention of the Diocese of Western Michigan will open on Friday, November 6th and conclude Saturday afternoon November 7th. Delegates, clergy and guests from all over the diocese will come together to do the business of the diocese. In addition, 27 people will be confirmed or received Saturday morning at the convention Eucharist. We offer this prayer for travellers:

Oh God, our creator, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go: Preserve those who travel, in particular the delegates, alternates and clergy at the EDWM convention, as well as those being confirmed and received, and their family and friends. Surround them with your loving care, protect them from every danger; and bring them in safety to their journey's end; through Christ our Lord. AMEN.

NOTE: registration for convention and confirmation is now closed. You may follow convention news on Twitter using the hashtag #edwm, or check our news and video pages for updates on convention in the coming weeks.



Domestic Missions Team seeking donations of school supplies and hoodie sweatshirts 

The Domestic Missions Team is seeking donations for their two major missions projects next year. Donations may be brought to the 141st Diocesan Convention November 6-7, 2015 in Grand Rapids.

They are seeking donations of school supplies for three Reading Camps next year (Albion, Benzie  County and Kalamazoo). Reading Camps are for struggling students in grades 2-4 to help improve their reading skills.

Reading Camps are also seeking volunteers. Click here to learn more.

Our Domestic Missions team is also seeking donations of hoodies for the people of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Click here to read more about the issues affecting people on the reservation.

If interested, contact Tami  Varricchio-Drehle at countontami@gmail.com, or Cindy Nawrocki at rocki@att.net.
From EDWM's Ecumenical and Interfaith Officer, the Rev. Mike Wernick.

Three Little Words
Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem which was first published in 1889mentitled The Ballad of East and West. Although I don't remember it ever being read to me, I do remember from childhood the first line... it goes "East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet." I wonder if I heard it in an arrogant western attitude of superiority, because it seemed to say that the ways and cultures of the east and the west were somehow so different and incompatible as to be totally irreconcilable.

The poem has been greatly collected and anthologized since. And its first line is often [mis]used as an example of Kipling's attitude to race and to the British Empire; but those who quote it often completely miss the third and fourth lines; so it's worth quoting all these lines (which seems to me to reflect Galatians 3:28) in full ...

November is Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia where memory and other important brain functions are destroyed. Alzheimer's disease ranks as the sixth leading cause of death. Experts believe more than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. Some of the signs and symptoms include memory loss, poor judgment, problems speaking, and mood changes.   

Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, but the good news is symptoms can often be minimized using medication and strategies. Tapping into the supportive services network early can be quite helpful for persons with the disease and caregivers.

Building Ecumenical Relationships

On Wednesday, October 21st, Bishop Hougland attended a luncheon with other Grand Rapids-area clergy with the hope of fostering ecumenical relationships and goodwill. They also  encouraged one another in their preaching and pastoral ministry. Pictured here is Roman Catholic bishop of Grand Rapids, David Walkowiak,  bishop of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Craig Alan Satterlee and Bishop Hougland.
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