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We wish you a Merry Christmas!

You can view a livestream of the Cathedral's Christmas Services here.

Western Kentucky has suffered the largest natural disaster in Kentucky history. The map included here outlines the areas impacted by this immense and deadly tornado—a huge swath covering the entire length of our diocese. At least 74 Kentuckians have died, including 12 children, over 100 are missing, thousands have lost their homes, and many have no power, clean water, or phone service. Many communities are decimated.

We are relieved that none of our congregations has reported the death of a parishioner. All of our church buildings are intact. Many parishioners, though, are grieving family and friends lost in the storm, or who were significantly injured. Parishioners have lost their homes, car, and possessions, as have their family, friends, and neighbors. The amount of loss is overwhelming.

If you have been directly impacted by the storms, know that you are not alone. We are praying with and for you, and we can assist in connecting you to resources. Your neighbors, your Christian family, care for you.

We have created a tornado response webpage with various resources and are meeting with clergy of the diocese and leadership of Episcopal Relief and Development’s US Disaster Response Program. All Saints Center is in contact with emergency management officers in case we could offer emergency shelter or provide housing for relief workers and volunteers.

14 counties in our diocese are under Federal Disaster Assistance—if you live in these counties you may be eligible for federal assistance. You can learn more on FEMA’s Kentucky disaster declaration website. Additional counties may be added to the disaster designation.

Pray for everyone impacted. If you have a prayer request, please submit it via email here. Members of the Daughters of the King across the diocese will pray for you.

If you are nearby but not impacted, work to connect your congregation to the needs you learn about in your communities. While big response organizations will begin meeting the larger needs of shelter, food, and clothing, they will need help connecting to the people in your area. Often churches can also connect with individuals and families to address smaller, more specific needs of their communities.

For those outside the area, the most effective way to help right now is to send a financial contribution that can be used for local needs. Unless you are already trained and connected to a response organization, it is not helpful to go into the affected area.

Click here to read an article from the Episcopal News Service about relief efforts in the diocese.

Click here to read a statement from Episcopal Relief and Development. Episcopal Relief and Development has already dispersed a $24,000 grant to the diocese that was shared between 8 churches doing direct relief work.

The Bishop’s Discretionary Fund : Donate here.

The Bishop’s Discretionary Fund can get funding to our congregations quickly, and is an easy way to get funds to churches in the path of the tornado that are not currently able to accept online donations. Some of these congregations have parishioners living in Mayfield. We are already beginning to distribute funds for urgent needs.

Click here for more ways to donate.

St. George's is currently being painted in preparation for Christmas Eve services.

The Commission for Racial Healing is pleased to announce that workshops on Dismantling Racism will be offered for clergy and laity beginning in January. The General Convention of the Episcopal Church has stipulated that all diocesan and parish leaders are required to participate in such training. This was affirmed by our diocese in the 2021 Diocesan Convention. The training is an all day event offered from 9:30 EST(8:30 CST) until 3:30 EST (2:30 CST). To foster optimum learning and conversation, the number of persons will be limited. Please sign up to be sure to get the time you want. Click here for more details. Click here to register.

You can find the 2022 weekly Cycle of Prayer here.

Enrollment for an EfM class is open now for all years of the program from now until November 15, 2021. The class offers a great opportunity to study scripture, church history and theology in a deep and meaningful way.

EfM is a four-year course that meets weekly via Zoom and from time to time in person. It is a great way to learn about the Christian faith with a group of fellow Christians, to study scripture, and have the opportunity to think and discuss things that matter today from the perspective of our faith tradition.

While the curriculum covers four years of study, students can sign up for a year, take time off if needed and pick up their studies when it makes sense for their lives. Classes are held from January through May, with the summer off, and again from August through November. Because this course is presented on Zoom, it is open to anyone throughout the diocese. If you would like additional information, please contact Harvey Roberts either by phone or by email.

By phone:  502-744-6830

By email: harveyrobertsky@gmail.com

On Tuesday December 7th Bishop White secularized the consecrated building and all objects remaining at St. Thomas Church in Campbellsville. That same day the building was sold to a local business. A few previous parishioners of St. Thomas gathered for the prayers and secularization where words of gratitude were offered for the life and ministry of the congregation. For over twenty years many blessings, help, and comfort were offered through the ministry of the congregation, but after years of prayerful consideration it was discerned it was time for a faithful closing of the congregation. Many of the church items have been distributed to other congregations throughout the diocese for continued use in ministry.

The Living Church Podcast featured our UofL

Campus Minister and Urban Missioner, the Rev. Valerie Mayo, in an interview about the shape of Episcopal campus ministry. Click here to listen.

The diocesan office will be closing for Christmas on Thursday, December 23rd at 2:00 PM. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, January 3rd.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Diocesan Staff continues to work remotely much of the time. We are available by email, and check the office landline phone messages periodically.

We have seen an increase in fraudulent email scams. Please know that no one on the diocesan staff will ever reach out to you for financial assistance. If you receive such an email, please report it as spam and delete it.

Submissions for materials to be considered for the January General Newsletter are due by January 4, 2022. Please send your submissions to katie@episcopalky.org.

Read online here or listen here.

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