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{e}Connections | November 26, 2024

Life and Ministry in Southern Ohio:

All Saints, New Albany recently installed new rooftop solar panels and Bishop White blessed them during a recent visitation, surrounded by the congregation (via Facebook); Trinity, Newark has supported Ben Franklin Elementary School in Newark for over twenty years through material donations, connections through the social worker, and more. ECW members Bonnie and Tickie show the beginning of their annual blanket collection; just one part of their efforts at the school where 91% of students qualify as below the poverty line; the tartans process during the recent Kirking of the Tartans Scottish heritage celebration at Trinity, Troy.

To contribute a photo of the life and work of the church from your local community, please send your submission to communication@diosohio.org.

A complete list of diocesan events can be found on our diocesan calendar.

The Columbus Dispatch - Ohio legislature mulls mandating schools to allow LifeWise as Worthington to debate policy

"Rev. Vicki Zust, rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Upper Arlington, said during her testimony that the reason groups like LifeWise want to use school time to provide religious instruction is 'to attempt to recruit and coerce other children into participating.'...Zust said the coercive nature of the programs impedes on the religious freedoms of other students."

ABC5 - Ohio educators, parents and religious leaders testify against reglious release time bill

"'My concern with religious release time programs during the school day is the rights of the children who do not participate in those programs,' said Rev. Vicki Zust, rector of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Upper Arlington."

Dayton Daily News - Waffle Shop is back, and it's so, so good

"...Waffle Shop at Christ Church in downtown Dayton, has been sparking breakfast love for 94 years in what has become one of the oldest and continuous holiday charitable events in Dayton."

Oxford Observer - Brazilian band to perform at the Red Door Concert Series

"Cincinnati-based band, Estrada do Sol will perform Brazilian Music at [Holy Trinity, Oxford] Friday, Nov. 22. This concert is the third of the Red Door Community Concerts’ 4th season."

The 150th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio gathered over the weekend at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington centered around the theme, “Gather, Transform, Send.” The convention was Bishop Kristin White’s first among the diocese as bishop.

The weekend kicked off on Friday with an opening plenary led by Bishop White and Archbishop Melissa Skelton exploring the Gather, Transform, Send model from the College for Congregational Development. They then sent the body off into a series of three sets of workshops, each set centered around one concept in the model. The day concluded with a social hour and celebratory dinner. 

Saturday’s business sessions began with prayer before digging into the agenda of the day, which included elections, resolutions, two canonical amendments, and the passing of the budget. The Most Rev. Melissa Skelton, founder of the College for Congregational Development, offered our keynote on Saturday morning digging further into the College and our call to develop faithful, future-thinking communities of faith.

Bishop White chairs her first convention as bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio.

Leaders from Mechanicsburg and Urbana celebrate their status change from mission to parish.

As part of our work, the two congregations of the Northern Miami Valley Episcopal Cluster — Church of our Savior, Mechanicsburg and Church of the Epiphany, Urbana — celebrated a huge moment in the life of their congregation, a change from “mission” to “parish” status. This change reflects their growth and development as communities of faith. 

The convention also took a moment to honor the work and ministry of Canon Jon Boss, a longtime lay leader who has given many decades of service to the diocese as part of the diocesan staff, as a part of our diocesan governance, and especially most recently as President of the Diocesan Trustees. As he rolls off and “retires” from his work on the Trustees, Bishop White honored Jon with an award and words from the dais. 

The convention concluded with Eucharist, including a sermon and convention address from Bishop White.

The following people were elected to diocesan bodies: 

Drew Abbot (Christ Church Cathedral) - Church Foundation Trustees

The Rev. David Burman (St. John’s, Worthington) - Diocesan Council 

The Rev. Jason Emerson (St. Patrick’s, Dublin) - Budget Committee

Judith Grant (St. Mark’s, Columbus) - Diocesan Council

Larry Haas (Christ Church, Glendale) - Diocesan Council, two-year

Ericka Hall (St. Philip, Columbus) - Diocesan Council

The Rev. Phil Hooper (St. Anne, West Chester) - Diocesan Council

Mike Kennedy (St. Patrick’s, Dublin) - Diocesan Trustees

The Rev. David Pfaff (Christ Church, Glendale) - Diocesan Trustees

Jean Schelhorn (St. Luke’s, Granville) - Church Foundation Trustees

Katherine Wagner (St. Mark’s, Dayton) - Diocesan Council

Meghan Western (St. Edward, Whitehall) - Procter Board of Advisors

Resolutions 2024-01, 02, and 04 passed along with two canonical amendments and the diocesan budget. Details about the vote totals will be available on the convention page by the end of this week.

Click here for a photo album / Livestream recording / Procter Center Video.

In 2019, the murder of a 16-year-old Guatemalan boy on the US border shocked parishioners of St. Mark's, Upper Arlington who had been welcomed and befriended by Guatemalans during a series of mission trips to Guatemala over the preceding decade. Led by Joyce Acton, mission trip veterans formed St. Mark's Migration Ministry to raise awareness of the perils endured by immigrants seeking safety in the US, and to discern how parishioners could help.

What they learned moved the parish to put neighbor-love into action in difficult but deeply-rewarding ways. St. Mark's is now simultaneously helping two families--one from Mexico and the other from Colombia-- to build new lives in Columbus. That means showing up and standing with these families in myriad practical ways, from figuring out a bus route to finding an immigration lawyer... Keep reading.

A Ugandan bakery owner and her daughter participate in St. Marks' annual Culture and Artisans Fair.

OPEN LAY POSITIONS

St. Philip's, Columbus - Parish Administrator

Bethany School (Glendale) - Teacher

Indian Hill Church - Director of Hospitality and Communication

St. John's, Lancaster - Organist/Pianist



OPEN CLERGY POSITIONS

St. Philip's, Columbus - Rector

St. James, Zanesville - Rector

Visit our Job Opportunities page for the most up-to-date listing of open lay and clergy positions and application instructions.

Transfiguration Spirituality Center, a ministry of the Community of the Transfiguration in Glendale, invites adults who identify as transgender, non-binary, or gender queer, their families, and their allies, for a three-day retreat focused on honoring and celebrating their authentic selves and exploring their relationship with the divine.

The cost to attend is $100/person, which includes meals, lodging with private rooms and baths, and all retreat materials. Financial assistance is available.

Click here to register. Click here to download a flyer.

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