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Highlights:
- Opening Prayer
- Province V Job Postings
- Interim Body application
- Creation Care Retreat
- Love God, Love God's World
- The Brood
- Trafficking: Faithful Response and Support
- Engaging Gender Complexity
- A New Day Draws Near
- Spirit & Truth
- Fitness Challenge
- Season of Creation 2024
- Book Corner
- Farm to Forest Retreat
- Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice
- Using Picture Books for Racial Healing
- Episcopal Parish Network
- TryTank Zoom meetings
- DeKoven Retreat
- Ex Board Secretary
- Networking Conversations
- Affiliated Organizations
- Upcoming Events and Webinars
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Opening Prayer
August is International Peace Month. Let us pray for peace.
Prayer for Peace
For peace in your country
For the victims of violence everywhere
For those struggling for peace and justice
For churches in conflict situations
For a world without war and violence
Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth,
Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace,
Let peace fill our beings, our world and our universe.
Amen.
(World Prayer for Peace from the Vancouver Assembly, Aug. 6, 1983, World Council of Churches)
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Featured Articles and Events | |
Province V job postings!
Province V is posting to fill two positions! Please review and share the descriptions below and contact Heather with any questions. voice/text: 574.366.2288 or email
TECH ASSISTANT (PT) available immediately with Province V of the Episcopal Church. Responsibilities include social media calendar, creating posts, and helping with the website and newsletter. Fully remote, generally 5 hrs./wk. $18-20 hrs. Bilingual Spanish/English preferred, students welcome to apply.
Full description at: https://www.provincev.org/
Apply to: provinceVcoordinator@gmail.com
CAMPUS MINISTRY DEVELOPER (FT)
- Do you have a passion for connecting worshiping communities with nearby local institutions of higher learning?
- Do you dream of a network of Episcopal worshiping communities who actively and confidently reach out to nearby local institutions of higher learning and who support each other in this work? Do you want to help make that a reality at a provincial level?
- Would you enjoy coaching, mentoring, and advising leaders of worshiping communities, helping them to form cohorts and plan programming so as to share wisdom and strengthen an Episcopal presence to local institutions of higher learning?
- Are you excited about organizing structures (databases and other digital resource centers) to help local communities connect with each other and find the support they need?
If you responded yes to those questions, we'd like to meet you! This new grant-funded position is designed for a clergy or lay leader residing in Province V with a target start date of Jan 1, 2025.
Full description at: https://www.provincev.org/
Apply to: provinceVcoordinator@gmail.com
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Applications open for Episcopal Church interim bodies
The Episcopal Church has opened applications for appointments to various interim bodies created by General Convention. These committees, commissions, and task forces are essential in carrying out the church’s work between conventions and addressing key priorities for the 2025-2027 triennium.
Applications are due by Aug. 5 and can be found online in English, Spanish, and French (click language links to open).
Members are appointed by Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe and President of the House of Deputies Julia Ayala Harris. The first batch of appointments will be announced in September.
“Serving on an interim body is a vital way for Episcopalians across the spectrum of our church to actively participate in our governance,” Ayala Harris said. “We believe in the importance of diverse voices and perspectives, which is why these opportunities are open to all members of The Episcopal Church, regardless of their background or level of experience.”
Appointments to standing commissions typically last two triennia, while other appointments, including those to task forces, often last one triennium. The appointment process for some task forces may continue through the fall as additional committees are formed.
Ayala Harris added, “Whether you’re a seasoned church leader or a newcomer with fresh ideas, we warmly welcome and strongly encourage you to apply. This is your chance to help shape the future of our church and make a meaningful impact on its mission and ministry.”
The application form allows candidates to select areas of interest and highlight relevant skills and experience. All interested Episcopalians are encouraged to apply.
For more information or to submit questions, please contact the General Convention Office at gc.support@episcopalchurch.org.
Full press release with application instructions
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Creation Care Retreat
Spiritual Resilience in Days of Trouble
September 12-15, 2024
Nazareth, KY
Registration is open until Aug 29!
Schedule outline and retreat leader biographies are published here.
Margaret's book is available to participants of this retreat for just $10. THANK YOU to Church Periodical Club for subsidizing the cost of these books and providing some additional resources to our gathering!!!
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Love God, Love God's World - Fall 2024
ALL ARE WELCOME - AND - the target audience are those who would like an overview of the program before leading themselves. Be ready - we will be going quickly through the curriculum so that we can get a good flavor of the content and flow to help us prepare to lead future groups.
Mondays, 7-9 pm ET / 6-8 pm CT
Dates of the session are as follows:
Sept 23, Sept 30, Oct 21, Oct 28, Nov 4, Nov 11, Nov 18, Nov 25, Dec 2
You do not have to attend all, but should plan for most.
To sign up for this group, contact Jeanette Ettin, Creation Care convener.
This page has all of the information about the program! See all of the details there, and register a group when you are ready to begin.
Love God, Love God’s World is a nine-session, film-based curriculum, ideal for Episcopalians anywhere on the journey with creation care and environmental ministry—from newcomers looking to take their first step to seasoned leaders seeking a transformative small-group experience.
Sessions have a similar structure to the popular Sacred Ground curriculum and include compelling films and readings, faith-based reflections, and discussion questions—each written by different contributors who draw from their own contexts and experiences. Participants will also discover ways to learn, pray, advocate, and conserve.
We hope everyone who participates in the curriculum becomes:
- Comfortable speaking about their faith, care of creation, and climate change
- Personally transformed and invited into different levels of personal and collective engagement on creation care and eco-justice
- Confident about where to find creation care resources and information
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The Brood: An Inclusive Ministry for Foster, Adoptive, and Kinship Families
In October 2021, with the support of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, "The Brood" launched. The Brood is a community of joyful belonging for foster, adoptive, and kinship families. We meet in-person and online, and families from anywhere and everywhere are invited to join us for our virtual caregiver support groups, book groups, and spiritual retreats. To learn more, contact Rev. Olivia Hamilton at olivia@calvaryclifton.org or sign up for our newsletter here!
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Trafficking: Faithful Response and Support
Province V's new initiative to help inform people about and train people to fight trafficking is called "Trafficking: Faithful Support and Response" and is currently under development. We are looking for some team members to help with the development and sharing of this resource across the province and the church.
Here are some areas that we have identified:
- course creation - Total Life Wellness has the majority of the plan, but we will want some conversations with a team about things to make sure that we include
- document creation - what we need to have for handouts to church leaders
- “pilot” course - the first group to participate in a session - to help review and give feedback
Send an email to provinceVcoordinator@gmail.com if you would like to help with any of these pieces. If not your area of ministry or you are unable to help yet, please pray for this program's development and watch for additional information. We hope to launch the first session in the fall.
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Engaging Gender Complexity
Thanks to the United Thank Offering and the Constable Fund, this new program will be developed to help individuals and churches create welcoming space for all people.
You are invited to be part of the process of developing and launching this new initiative! Please review the various options below.
1) Send an email to provinceVcoordinator@gmail.com with:
- helpful resources you hope we will consult regarding either understanding gender or supporting/ allying around gender
- stories about churches already doing a good job of welcoming all people (what have you chosen to do as a parish? Or, what has a church done that made you and yours feel welcomed?)
2) Volunteer to be part of the program development process by joining one of the following:
- curriculum development team
- Resource curation committee
- Proofreading / curriculum review
3) Volunteer yourself or recommend someone else to be interviewed on video. We are looking for people who can speak to the following issues:
- Experience identifying outside of the gender binary
- Experience as a trans adult at any stage of transition
- Experience as a family member or friend of gender nonconforming persons
4) Volunteer to be trained as a facilitator: people trained to consult with worshipping communities to help them develop their local practices.
More information about this initiative will be included in upcoming newsletter!
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Spirit & Truth releases new resources
Spirit & Truth Publishing recently introduced two new products: elementary-age Mini Lessons for both the Revised Common Lectionary and Narrative Lectionary.
These shorter lessons are intended to support congregations who provide children’s faith formation time for a portion of a worship service, so we include three activities as opposed to the normal eight to ten activities in our full-size lessons. The RCL Mini Lessons curriculum is also our first RCL resource specifically for children beyond our intergenerational classroom curriculum. I have attached a PDF file that includes links to evaluation copies of each of our products, including these two new Mini Lessons.
See the flyer with more details.
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Annual Fitness Challenge
St. John's, Youngstown, Ohio
Each summer, the parish members of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Youngstown, Ohio embark on a virtual journey to various destinations and return to their home church at the kick-off of their fall season. They work together to track their milage and compile the distance to reach stops along their way. This year the journey was across Province V with the goal of visiting each Diocesan cathedral.
Parish members are informed they’ve reached their destination with a write up about the Diocese and Cathedral’s history, its mission, and several photographs. This is a way to connect St. John’s to the wider Episcopal church, reminding us that we are all united in our faith and that we can accomplish anything when we work together.
Keep up with our journey by following on Facebook, or subscribe to our weekly emails to see what is coming next!
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Season of Creation Coming soon!
Creation Season begins on September 1. It gives us, as people of faith, a unique opportunity to pray what we believe, to learn what can be done for the precious creation of which we are a part, to act to reduce our burden on the Earth, and to advocate for just solutions – all for the love of God. This year, we invite your participation in new ways. As you make your way through the four pillars of this work, I pray that you will see something that stirs your imagination and lifts your heart. We need the moral imagination and prophetic power of religious leaders and communities as we lend our faith to the fight. God's creation is at risk. Every day must include consciousness of our interdependence with the rest of the natural world. May this intentional linking of the work to liturgical time be a blessing for your congregation. May we be a blessing for God's creation.
Many Episcopal bishops have given permission to use the Season of Creation materials. Review the website and check with your bishop about using these materials this fall.
The Episcopal Church also has resources as you plan.
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Book Corner
A collection of fresh, inspiring Prayers of the People that connect to the Sunday lectionary.
Based on the pattern for the Prayers of the People in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, the prayers in Hear Our Prayer: Prayers of the People for the Revised Common Lectionary retain the familiarity of liturgical tradition, while offering a call to action to congregations in the present. Suggestions for customizing each prayer for the needs of individual worshipping communities appear throughout the book, and a concluding section includes prayers that respond to current events such as natural disasters, mass shootings, and elections.
Order from any Episcopal bookstore, Amazon, Bookshop, or your favorite bookstore.
Paperback | 9781640656949 | List Price: $29.95
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Farm to Forest 2024
Creation Care Leader Retreat
September 3-5, 2024
Procter Center, London Ohio
(35 minutes from Columbus airport)
Join guest mentor the Rev. Pamela Dolan, author of Contemplative Gardening and Creation Care, and agarian ministry leaders Jerusalem Greer, the Rev. Craig Foster, and others for this unique creation care experience.
Whether you are attending for the purposes of continuing education, expanding your current creation care ministry, or simply exploring what it would take to start a formation-based creation care ministry in your context, this retreat is for you!
Farm to Forest at Procter is an annual Good News Garden’s Field Day Gathering, co-sponsored by the Faith and Life Commission of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, and the Commission on Creation Care and Environmental Justice.
See all of the details and registration here.
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Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice
The Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice is a voluntary association of Episcopal dioceses, parishes, organizations, and individuals dedicated to the work of becoming the beloved community. The Coalition welcomes participation from all groups and individuals at every level of the church who faithfully engage in the work of truth-telling, reckoning, and healing for racial equity, justice, and the dismantling of white supremacy.
Learn more and connect:
https://episcopalcoalition.org/
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Using Picture Books for Racial Healing
Picture books offer an excellent way to discover, discuss, and share stories about topics that many people did not study in school but that are crucial to the work of repairing, healing, and seeing God in each other. Registration is open for Dismantling Racism training sessions taking place in the coming months. Miriam McKenney leads the trainings, which take place on Zoom.
A training course occurs during one month, so you only need to sign up for one.
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August (14, 21, 28 from 6 to 8 p.m.). Sign up here.
Email the Diocese of Southern Ohio's Director of Dismantling Racism Miriam McKenney to learn more.
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BPG Sponsor: EPN Upcoming
Workshops
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Braver Angels: Providing Resources to Deal with Polarization as We Approach the November Election and Beyond 8/6, 3pm EDT
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Church Security Mini-Summit 8/12, 11am EDT
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Haiti: Hope Amidst Challenge 8/13, 3pm EDT
Thanks to EPN for sponsoring Big Provincial Gathering 2024!
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TryTank Regional Innovation Hub
Zoom Meetings
St. Barnabas, Bay Village, Ohio is hosting TryTank Regional Innovation Hub Zoom meetings quarterly on August 19, and November 11. All events will be held at 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT. This is an opportunity for those who are curious about innovation, participated in last year's Innovation Day, or are actively experimenting with new ideas. In every meeting, an innovation method that can be used in experiments will be shared, there will be an opportunity to share what is or is not working, and there will be a Q&A for anyone interested in applying for TryTank funds for an experiment. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact Hally Marsh or the Rev. Alex Martin.
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The Summer Retreat returns to the DeKoven Center
Registration Deadline extended to 8/8/24!
Chris Arnold and Tyler Richards, two Episcopal Church priests from northeastern Wisconsin, will offer meditations on the Holy Eucharist as a sacrament of union with Christ and the healing of the world. Opportunities include Morning and Evening Prayer, Compline, Eucharist, Centering Prayer, the Rosary, and one-on-one spiritual direction. Find rest for your souls in the summer.
The retreat is open to all. It begins Monday, August 26th and ends Thursday, August 29th. To register or learn more, please visit: http://dekovencenter.org/summer-retreat-2024/
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Prov V Executive Board Secretary
Note from President Rick Stanitis: Unfortunately, our secretary needed to resign, so we now have an opening on the Province V Executive Board. If you are interested in talking with us about the role and responsibilities, please contact our Coordinator, Heather: voice/text: 574.366.2288 or email
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Province V's work in the world is to "Connect. Network. Support." Networks exist for people to gather around areas of interest and share resources with each other. Sometimes networks host webinars to share information and sometimes they develop new resources to support leaders in their local contexts.
ALL are welcome to attend these Zoom conversations. Please share the information with friends, colleagues, and in your parish newsletter. Most network meetings last about 60 minutes. See their webpages or email their contact for more information. For a full list of Networks and other Affiliated Organizations, visit the Province V website.
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Archivists
Date of next meeting:
Sept 9, 11 am ET / 10 am CT
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89950734030 (password: 5)
Convener: Brian Wilbert, Ohio
webpage: https://www.provincev.org/archivist.html
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Dismantling Racism
Date of next meeting:
Aug 1, 1 pm ET / 12 noon CT
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88215961535 (password: 5)
Convener: Margaret D'Anieri, Ohio
webpage:
https://www.provincev.org/dismantlingracism.html
Summer gatherings will be wisdom circles. Felicity Thompson will host.
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Lay-Led Congregations
Date of next meeting:
Aug 17, 11 am ET / 10 am CT
Join the network as we work with a leadership coach to develop a plan for the network going forward.
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81619667819
(password: 5)
Convener: Jim Mogensen, Michigan
webpage:
https://www.provincev.org/layledcongregations.html
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Youth
Date of next meeting: TBD
Zoom link:
Convener: Carmen Piggins, Michigan
webpage:
https://www.provincev.org/youth.html
Look for changes coming to this network! Exciting updates will be announced this summer!
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Young Adult / Campus Ministry
Date of next meeting:
Aug 20, 1:00 pm ET / 12:00 noon CT
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88386235160
(password 5)
Convener: Matthew Lukens, Michigan
webpage:
https://www.provincev.org/yacm.html
If this is your ministry area, make sure that you're part of the Google Group!
province-v-yacm@googlegroups.com
This is a new group name, so please update in your address book.
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Creation Care
NO AUG GATHERING
Date of next meeting:
September 9, 1 pm ET / 12 noon CT
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82932843412
(password: 5)
Convener: Jeanette Ettin, Eastern Michigan
webpage: https://www.provincev.org/creation.html
Love God, Love God's World - Fall Preview Event
Join with leaders from Provinces IV and V to walk through the new curriculum to familiarize ourselves with it so that we can facilitate future groups.
Love God, Love God’s World is a nine-session, film-based curriculum, ideal for Episcopalians anywhere on the journey with creation care and environmental ministry—from newcomers looking to take their first step to seasoned leaders seeking a transformative small-group experience.
If you are interested in being part of a group, the province is talking about starting a group, especially for those who would like an overview before hosting your own group. Email provinceVcoordinator@gmail.com to be added to the list.
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Migration Ministries
Date of next meeting:
Sept 17, 8 pm ET / 7 pm C
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81246380265
(password: 5)
Conveners: Silvia Huth, Michigan and
Jack Lloyd, Chicago
webpage: https://www.provincev.org/migration.html
To get a reminder for Migration Ministry Network events, reply to this email. A special reminder will come before the Zoom meeting.
We invite everyone in Province V who is interested in helping to address immigration, refugee and asylum issues to be part of our network of mutual support. We can accomplish more by working together! We also encourage you to join Episcopal Migration Ministries' Migration Response Network. (See information below.)
Episcopal Migration Response Network
Episcopal Migration Ministry hosts an Asylum and Detention Ministry Network that meets virtually on the fourth Wednesday of every month. The Ministry Network’s collaborative work and conversation focus on best practice-sharing in areas of direct service, organizing, advocacy actions, Christian formation and worship resources, and community education to protect asylum, promote humane and dignified alternatives to detention, and to support asylum seekers and those harmed by the immigration detention system. Learn more and register to attend meetings here.
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There are a number of organizations affiliated with the Episcopal Church and working across Province V. These groups have a "structure" that is more organized than a network. They have resources and information that are useful in your local ministry contexts.
For a full list of Affiliated Organizations, visit the Province V website.
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Church World Service
CWS Kits (Period Packs/School Kits/Cleanup Buckets). Compassion is at the heart of CWS Kits, and because of our dedicated volunteers and donors, each kit is filled with hope, packed with love and shared with our neighbors in need at just the right time. Find a Kit Drop-Off location nearest you or more details at CWSKits.org. We have an extensive network of Drop-Off Locations across Province V (some seasonal and others year-round).
Welcome to one of our newest Affiliated Organizations!
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Helping Deacons impacted by a Declared-Emergency
Episcopal Deacons impacted by a declared emergency may apply for a grant to assist with financial loss of income and/or housing. A “Declared Emergency” is issued by the President, state, local or Indian tribal government leaders and can include floods, public health crises, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, etc. https://www.fundfordiaconate.org/emergency-grants.html
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Sermon Roundtable, a small group offering for congregations and their clergy and/or lay preachers from the Episcopal Preaching Foundation, is now accepting applications for its Fall 2024 Cohort.
This 12-week program is available at no charge to you or your parishioners, thanks to a grant from The Compelling Preaching Initiative of the Lilly Endowment.
Find out more and register here: https://www.preachingfoundation.org/conferences-programs/sermon-roundtable/
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Upcoming Events and Webinars | |
Province V Executive Board | |
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Do you have questions about Province V? Would you like to be more involved in planning the events that are offered at the provincial level? The Executive Board of the Province meets monthly on fourth Tuesdays at 3 pm ET / 2 pm CT via zoom.
Contact your diocesan representative to the Executive Board:
Mr. Rick Stanitis, Northern Michigan, President
The Rt. Rev. Matthew Gunter, Wisconsin, Vice President
(vacant), Secretary
Ms. Rebecca Elfring-Roberts, Chicago, Treasurer
Ms. Louisa McKellaston, Executive Council Representative
The Rev. M.E. Eccles, Executive Council Representative
Ms. Laura Jackson, Chicago
Dr. Elizabeth Jordan, [Great Lakes]
Ms. Lesley MacKellar, Indianapolis
Mr. Luke Thompson, Michigan
Ms. Betty Bowersox, Missouri
The Rev. Dr. Terri Bays, Northern Indiana
(vacant), Northern Michigan
The Rev. Rachel Harrison, Ohio
Mr. Edward Lasseigne, Southern Ohio
Ms. Jan Goossens, Springfield
The Rev. Marlene Hogue, Wisconsin
Heather Barta, Province V Coordinator
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