Cathedral's "Ministry of the Steps" takes the church's welcome to the street
|
|
Dean Amy McCreath (right) enjoys a game of Bingo as part of the "Ministry of the Steps" now in its second summer at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul.
Photo: Bridget K. Wood
|
|
A police officer and a person who is homeless playing chess together isn’t something you would necessarily expect to see while walking down Tremont Street in downtown Boston. On the portico of the
Cathedral Church of St. Paul, however, this has become the new normal during the summer months thanks to the cathedral’s “Ministry of the Steps.”
The Ministry of the Steps officially launched as a pilot program last summer, with just a tent canopy and some AstroTurf from Costco, and an invitation to others to join cathedral staff and volunteers in offering various outdoor activities in order to engage the community and those walking by.
The activities range from chess, checkers and Bingo games to art projects, drum circles, musical performances and chanting. Last year’s Ministry of the Steps included voter registration drives as well as a witness against gun violence by the
B-PEACE for Jorge Campaign. The Ministry of the Steps has now begun its second summer of programming with activities happening outside the cathedral on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning at 9 a.m.
Eva Ortez serves as a Life Together fellow for the
MANNA ministry at the cathedral, a ministry of and with the homeless community in downtown Boston. Ortez experienced a powerful moment during a recent day of chess and checkers under the Ministry of the Steps canopy.
“I took a step back and just wanted to take it all in, and in that moment I noticed the amount of joy everyone there was experiencing. The group of people there was so diverse. There was a cop and an unhoused person playing, a young student and a recently housed person playing, and in the background there was a group of MANNA community members playing music, singing and dancing,” Ortez said. “Watching all of this and being part of something so beautiful almost brought tears to my eyes.”
While the Ministry of the Steps is still new, it’s in keeping with the intent behind the decision to make St. Paul’s Church in downtown Boston the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts in 1912, according to the cathedral's dean, the Very Rev. Amy E. McCreath.
“Bishop Lawrence chose St. Paul’s Church as the location for the cathedral of the diocese very much intentionally, wanting it to be in a place that was in the downtown area, where people from lots of different backgrounds were coming through,” McCreath explained in an interview. “Being on Boston Common is just perfect for that.”
“Jesus encountered people in the marketplace, on the road and over meals, and a lot of Jesus’ style was to do something familiar but in a different way,” McCreath said. “People know about chess, they know about voter registration drives, they know about labyrinths, but they’re not expecting all of that to be kind of on the sidewalk and presented by somebody in a [clerical] collar, so it shakes things up a bit.”
|
|
20s & 30s Task Force asks questions about church and invites answers from young adults via an online survey
|
|
Last year's Diocesan Convention called for a task force to be formed to examine successful models of engagement of adults in their 20s and 30s, within and beyond the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
The resulting 20-person task force is made up of people from across the diocese and has divided into two subcommittees as it continues its work: The first subcommittee is charged with hearing and gathering personal stories from people in their 20s and 30s through one-on-one interviews about their views on religion, faith and spirituality. The second subcommittee is studying successful models of programmatic and parochial engagement with people in their 20s and 30s, both within and outside of the Diocese of Massachusetts.
One of the co-chairs of the task force, Sarah Neumann, said in an e-mail that she believes that many young adults long for a spiritual community, and the church needs those voices.
"I know that the church needs these voices, not to fill a pew or check a demographic box, but to allow ourselves to change and be changed by the fullness of God's human community," Neumann said. "I'm hopeful that in the course of doing this work, we are challenging ourselves to ask hard questions about culture, community and welcome, as well as dream about what is possible."
The task force has created a
video highlighting some of its members' most important questions, as well as an
online survey in order to hear from as many people in their 20s and 30s as possible. The task force invites the diocesan community to share the survey with young adults in their networks.
The Rev. Suzanne Wade, the other co-chair of the task force, said in an e-mail that too many of the church's conversations about ministry with young adults are carried on by people who have not been young adults for many years.
"If we are going to hear and share the whole Gospel with a world in desperate need of it, young adults must be part of the conversation, and it must be a conversation that truly values the experiences and faithfulness of all people," Wade said.
The task force plans to complete the listening and learning portion of its work by the end of the summer, so as to come together at a September retreat to compile recommendations and a report to be presented at Diocesan Convention in November.
The diocesan youth missioner, the Rev. H. Mark Smith, helped the bishops to convene this task force, and is excited about hearing directly from young adults.
"What excites me so much about this process is that it is focused so much on listening to young adults," Smith said. "From their vantage point, they have so much wisdom to offer the rest of the church, if we are willing to listen."
Read story online here.
|
|
Ready to run? Diocesan election season is coming up
|
|
Do you or others in your congregation have leadership skills to share and a desire to serve the Diocese of Massachusetts and wider Episcopal Church?
This year's Diocesan Convention will be electing deputies to the Episcopal Church's 2021 General Convention, as well as members of numerous diocesan governing bodies and groups: the Standing Committee; the Diocesan Disciplinary Board that carries out certain requirements of the clergy disciplinary canons; officers of the diocese, including secretary and treasurer; the Cathedral Chapter; the Provincial Synod; the Barbara C. Harris Center Board of Directors; and the Trustees of Donations.
"It is vital that we have a diversity of voices and perspectives as part of diocesan leadership," Sister Kristina Frances, SSM, who serves as secretary of the diocese, explained by e-mail. "We realize that there is a time commitment involved, but the work is meaningful and important. We urge you to prayerfully consider running for one of these positions, and thank you for your consideration."
More information about open positions, as well as the official nomination form, are available online at
www.diomass.org/diocesan-convention-2019. Nominations for diocesan elections are due by Friday, Sept. 6, as are proposed resolutions and amendments to the diocesan constitution and canons.
|
|
Documenting "a holy moment in history": A documentary film is in the works about the "Philadelphia 11," the Episcopal Church's first female priests whose "irregular" ordination in 1974 defied church tradition and, along with the subsequent ordinations of the "Washington Four" in 1975 in Washington, D.C., led to the General Convention's eventual vote in 1976 to explicitly authorize women's ordination.
|
|
Filmmaker Margo Guernsey at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul on June 9
Photo: Tracy J. Sukraw
|
|
Watertown resident and documentary filmmaker Margo Guernsey was at the
Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston on June 9, along with photography director Nikki Bramley, to promote and raise funds for the project.
They showed a preview of some of the archival and interview footage collected so far. It includes Bishop Barbara C. Harris serving as crucifer during the historic Philadelphia service, and Harris's recollection of how the procession had to be cut short for safety reasons, despite her desire to lead it "like Joshua, seven times around the walls of Jericho."
|
|
New podcast explores "Way of Love": A new podcast, "The Way of Love: with Bishop Michael Curry," launched on Pentecost. Weekly episodes featuring Curry and podcast hosts Kyle Oliver and Sandy Milien explore the "Way of Love" theme and way-of-life practices that Curry has invited Episcopalians to take up: turn, learn, pray, worship, bless, go, rest. Podcast episodes invite listeners into deeper engagement with each practice as the hosts share their insights and offer questions for reflection or small group discussion. New episodes air on Tuesdays through July 30.
"The Way of Love: with Bishop Michael Curry" is available on all podcast apps, or visit the
Way of Love podcast webpage to subscribe and to sign up for notifications of new seasons and additional content.
|
|
New bishop news in New England: The Episcopal Church in Vermont on May 18 elected on the first ballot the Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown, the interim rector of St. Thomas Church in Franklin, Ind., as its 11th bishop. Pending consent of a majority of Episcopal bishops with jurisdiction and a majority of diocesan standing committees, MacVean-Brown will be ordained and consecrated on Sept. 28 at Ira Allen Chapel in Burlington, to succeed the Rt. Rev. Thomas C. Ely who has served as Vermont's bishop since 2001 and will retire in October.
|
|
The Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown, Bishop-elect of Vermont (left); and
The Rev. Thomas James Brown, Bishop-elect of Maine (right)
Courtesy photos
|
|
The Diocese of Maine will celebrate the ordination and consecration of the Rev. Thomas James Brown, former rector of the
Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester, as its 10th bishop on Saturday, June 22 at 11 a.m., at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Portland. The service will be live-streamed via
www.episcopalmaine.org. Brown succeeds the Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane who has served as the bishop of Maine since 2008 and retires this month.
Shannon MacVean-Brown and Thomas James Brown are among the 10 women and three men elected and/or consecrated bishops in the Episcopal Church so far this year.
|
|
“May We Forever Stand”: Events this year are marking 400 years since enslaved Africans were first landed in North America, in what is now Virginia, and Episcopal News Service (ENS) reports that Episcopal Church commemorations are in the planning stages, in coordination with the Diocese of Southern Virginia, which includes Jamestown. The Rev. Charles Wynder Jr., the staff officer for social justice and engagement, said in the ENS story, "It will be a significant offering to the church and the world alongside numerous ecumenical, regional and national commemorations."
Read more.
Locally, the
Massachusetts Council of Churches is coordinating "May We Forever Stand," an ecumenical worship service on Friday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m., at the Greater Framingham Community Church. The preacher will be Bishop Claude Alexander, the senior pastor of the Park Church in Charlotte, N.C. All are welcome. An afternoon preaching seminar, "Preaching Black Resiliency," with the Rev. Dr. Leslie Callahan of St. Paul's Baptist Church in Philadelphia, is also being planned that day (location to be announced). For information contact the Massachusetts Council of Churches at
council@masscouncilofchurches.org or 617-523-2771.
|
|
“No small thing:” 20 years of B-SAFE and time to celebrate: By the numbers,
B-SAFE is nearly 700 city children and youth learning and having fun together in a safe community environment over five weeks in July and August at six Episcopal school and church sites in Boston's South End, Roxbury, Mattapan and Dorchester neighborhoods and in Chelsea--all with the support of 50-plus Episcopal churches from eight of the diocese's 12 deaneries, whose volunteers provide daily lunch and snacks, read books with the kids and organize Friday field trips. It's also 150 teen jobs for counselors and junior counselors in training.
But the big number this year? Twenty. B-SAFE--short for Bishop's Summer Academic and Fun Enrichment program--turns 20 this year and plans to celebrate in July with a day of fun and games at Carson Beach in South Boston for everyone involved with B-SAFE.
Twenty was also a big number back in 1999, when what would become B-SAFE was still a start-up day camp at
St. Stephen's Church: That first summer, St. Stephen's gathered 20 children who needed a safe place to go at a time when the neighborhood was a hot spot for gang violence.
In a word: "Amazing," said the Rev. Tim Crellin in a recent conversation about B-SAFE's 20 years. He is the vicar of St. Stephen's Church (where he got his own start in 1991 as a youth worker) and the executive director of the now year-round St. Stephen's Youth Programs of which B-SAFE is a critical component.
A lot has changed over the past two decades, with gentrification in and around his mission church's South End neighborhood, but the gap between rich and poor in the city has only grown, Crellin said, and summer is still a problem for low-income families. "All of our sites are full and we have a huge wait list for teen jobs, so I think the need for safe, meaningful summer programming is as strong as it's ever been," he said.
Crellin credits the many partner churches from across the diocese for helping to make 20 years of B-SAFE possible and, in turn, its exponential impact on the lives of vulnerable children and youth. It's also mission strategy in action, he said, as it continues to draw Episcopalians together across geography and difference to build relationships, engage the world and, in the process, reimagine what church can look like.
"It's not a small thing," Crellin said of the time, energy, money and care that Episcopal churches offer to B-SAFE every summer. "We're just so grateful that people continue to take that on and see it as an important part of what they do. For a lot of partner churches, it is one of their main outreach activities for the year, and they do it, I think, because they love it. That's one of my favorite things about it, and has been since the beginning."
His words of advice for those who feel a call to new mission? “Open the door, invite people to come in, and listen to them, hear what they think they need and see where you can work with people. We started with 20 kids.”
Amazing.
|
|
Boston Pride:
Bishop Alan M. Gates and Tricia Harvey (upper right), and Bishop Barbara C. Harris and Dean Amy E. McCreath of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (upper left) were among the many Episcopalians who made a colorful witness at Boston's Pride Parade celebrating the LGBTQ+ community on Saturday, June 8.
Photos: Bishop Alan M. Gates
|
|
Vigil to commemorate Stonewall uprising: On Friday, June 28, at 6 p.m.,
Grace Church in Salem is hosting a
vigil, put together by LGBTQ+ members of the congregation, on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn uprising. During the vigil, there will be readings of first accounts from that weekend and a time for those present to share their experiences. All are welcome.
|
|
New deacons ordained:
From left: The Rev. Sarah Brock; The Rev. Susan Correira; The Rev. Hilary Greene; The Rev. Eric Fialho; The Rev. Katie Ernst; Bishop Gayle E. Harris; The Rev. Paul Shoaf Kozak; The Rev. Maria Kano; The Rev. Isaac Martinez; The Rev. Mary Beth Mills-Curran; and The Rev. Olivia Hamilton.
Photo: Bob Greiner
|
|
Two vocational deacons and eight transitional deacons were ordained by Bishop Gayle E. Harris on Saturday, June 1 at the
Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston.
|
|
Diocese of Western Massachusetts Photo: Vicki Ix
|
|
|
“It was deeply encouraging to be with others from across the Commonwealth with whom we are making common cause in this vital and urgent work,” Gates said after the meeting. “Such networking enables us to be more effective together than we can be separately, and reminds us that we are not alone in this daunting but crucial endeavor. I am grateful to our B-PEACE leaders for their organizing, and to Bishop Doug Fisher for hosting us.”
|
|
SSJE re-elects its superior: The
Society of St. John the Evangelist announced May 25 that Brother James Koester, SSJE has been elected to serve a second term as superior of the community.
|
|
“I am honored and delighted to have this trust bestowed upon me by my brothers,” Koester said in the
SSJE announcement. “It is a daunting, but exciting challenge.”
The Regina, Saskatchewan, native was ordained in the Anglican Church of Canada in 1984. He served in parish ministry for five years prior to making his way to SSJE, where he was life professed in 1995. He had filled a variety of roles within the community prior to his election to his first term as superior in 2016.
During Koester's first term, SSJE has continued its online ministry which includes the daily meditation, "
Brother Give Us A Word," and partnered with the Virginia Theological Seminary to produce several specially focused six-week study series.
|
|
Brother James Koester, SSJE
Courtesy photo
|
|
Simultaneously, Koester has made the next generation of SSJE his primary focus. “Half of my brothers are over the age of 60, while the other half are age 50 and under," he said in the SSJE announcement. "It is essential for our future that we properly nurture our younger brothers so that they may confidently and capably assume the leadership roles into which they are now moving. With this broad spectrum of ages, it is also important that our life together in community is nurtured. Just as we rebuilt the physical infrastructure of the monastery 10 years ago, we must now ensure our human infrastructure is stable and secure. It is for that reason that we will be working on our community’s foundations and our vision for the future.”
SSJE has launched “
Catch the Life,” a website designed to introduce SSJE to those considering a monastic vocation.
|
|
ECM social justice award recipients, pictured from left: The Rev. Elizabeth Nguyen of BIJAN, with fellow volunteer Marius, a former detainee helped by donated bond funding; Bishop Alan M. Gates, Bishop Barbara C. Harris and ECM's board chairperson, the Rev. Tim Crellin, with the Rev. Ema Rosero-Nordalm; and Rosalyn Nazzaro and Pam Chester of Epiphany, Winchester.
Photos: Matthew Cavanaugh
|
|
Hopeful disruption: About 400
Episcopal City Mission (ECM) supporters, advocates and activists gathered for the organization's annual celebration on June 11 at Boston University to raise money for the
Beyond Bond Fund and to hear a galvanizing and convicting message on disrupting hope from keynote speaker Dr. Miquel De La Torre. (
Audio available here.)
De La Torre, a professor of social ethics and Latinx studies at Iliff School of Theology, said that for most people of color, the struggle is to decolonize their thinking from exclusionary white Eurocentric world views and theologies in order to see with the eyes of their own experiences and to understand God using their own cultural symbols.
Hope gets in the way of transformation, he said, when it is used as a means for avoiding recognition of one's complicity in injustice. A virtue of desperation--hope's opposite--is that it "propels you to radical praxis," he said. "If I could get people to the point of desperation, that's where revolutionary change begins."
|
|
Jackson Humphreys
Courtesy photo
|
|
Massachusetts youth to represent Province I on EYE20 planning team: Every three years, hundreds of Episcopal Church youth come together for the
Episcopal Youth Event (EYE), an international gathering for worship, learning and fun. The next EYE will be hosted on the campus of Howard University, July 7-11, 2020, in partnership with Washington National Cathedral and the Diocese of Washington.
One of the notable things about EYE is that it is planned and implemented by volunteer youth and adult mentors who are selected through an application process. Jackson Humphreys of the
Church of Our Saviour in Milton has been selected to represent the New England dioceses of Province I on the EYE20 planning team.
|
|
Humphreys, a rising senior at Thayer Academy in Braintree, is a youth representative to the vestry at Our Saviour. He also is an Eagle Scout and will serve as the vice chair of the High School Democrats of America next year.
|
|
"I'm deeply honored to represent Province I and the Diocese of Massachusetts at the 2020 Episcopal Youth Event," Humphreys said by e-mail. "Now more than ever, it is important to be constantly bringing new people into the church. I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to engage with Episcopal youth from around the world to make this event a success!"
Registration for EYE is coordinated through diocesan registrars. In the Diocese of Massachusetts, young people who are interested in attending may contact the diocesan youth missioner, the Rev. H. Mark Smith, to be added to the notification list:
hmsmith@diomass.org or 617-482-4826, ext. 215.
|
|
Parishioners of St. James's Church in Cambridge and passers-by add to the murals on the construction fence.
Courtesy photos
|
|
Noah's ark art project connects Cambridge church with neighborhood during construction project: At
St. James's Church in Cambridge, work has begun to build a new parish hall as part of the preservation and redevelopment project underway, which, according to its
website, will transform the church property while preserving the historic church sanctuary. Right now there is a big excavation hole next to the church, surrounded by a construction fence.
Anne Read, a Sunday school teacher at St. James's, said via e-mail that she didn't want people in the neighborhood to think the church hadn't noticed how intrusive it is as people walk down Massachusetts Avenue, so she decided to do something about it.
"I wanted a visible reminder that we, as a congregation, love our neighborhood and want to be active participants in the life of the community," Read said.
|
|
Read decided that an art project would be a great way to try and make the construction less obtrusive, while also bringing people together from both the congregation and the community, so on Sunday, June 2, parishioners and passers-by, young and old, stopped to help paint murals of Noah's ark on boards attached to the construction fence. Though the project was Read's idea, the suggestion to depict the story of Noah's ark came from her middle and high school Sunday school class.
"God sustained Noah as he built his floating home and as they sailed through stormy times. God is sustaining St. James's as we do the same," Read said.
The priest-in-charge at St. James's, the Rev. Matthew Stewart, said in an e-mail that he hopes this project is a step in the direction of becoming more connected to the church's Porter Square neighborhood.
"We painted Noah's ark wall murals on the construction fence hoping it will be a baby step towards our vision of being more embedded in, connected with and enlivening to our Porter Square neighborhood," Stewart said.
|
|
A new home for the Jesse Tree mural: In the
April E-news, readers learned about a 16-foot mural that was painted by artist Martha Bancroft in 1971 for the chancel wall of the former Parish of the Messiah in Auburndale. When Messiah merged with Trinity Church in Newton Centre in 2015, the mural was removed and was in need of a new home.
After seeing the April E-news article about the mural, the senior warden of the
Church of Our Saviour in Middleborough, Lisa Govoni, e-mailed Bancroft to see if Our Saviour might be the new home for the painted Jesse Tree. Bancroft was thrilled, and after visiting the church, it was decided that the mural would go in the parish hall.
The mural was originally finished in time to be dedicated at Pentecost, and has been installed in its new home 48 years later during the same time of year.
"I am so pleased with the results of finding a home for my mural; it is exactly the way our community should operate," Bancroft said in an e-mail. "By that I mean creatively helping each other, and with an awful lot of kindness going on as well."
|
|
Bancroft's Jesse Tree mural in its new home at the Church of Our Saviour, Middleborough.
Courtesy photo
|
|
Govoni said she knew that the mural belonged at Our Saviour because the church had already been considering ways to change the messaging of the parish hall, so that it said something about who the congregation is as a community of faith. Govoni said that meeting Bancroft and deciding on a place for the mural together was "like meeting an old friend."
"I certainly believe that the messaging [in the space] has changed," Govoni said. "On both sides of this story, we were open to the presence of the Holy Spirit and have a great story to tell."
The rector of Our Saviour, the Rev. David Milam, was on sabbatical when the mural was installed, and upon his return was delighted with the new addition to the parish hall.
"I hope it will achieve what most parishes would hope when someone visits them," Milam said. "It invites a question not only about the painting, but who put it up: 'Who are these people?' We pray and hope as a community that they will want to find out more."
|
|
North Attleborough police officer Julie Lowe participates in an anti-bullying educational event at Grace Church.
Photo: Max Bowen
|
|
Community Conversations in North Attleborough: On May 29,
Grace Church in North Attleborough held an anti-bullying panel discussion as part of its "Community Conversations," a project to hold conversations of relevance at the church, intended for the entire community.
Laura Orcutt, one of the organizers of the event, said via e-mail that this event was a way to educate the community about the reality of bullying that children today face.
"Many are aware of children being bullied, but few if any are informed about bullying and what to do about it," Orcutt said. "Children are taught in school how to handle it, but parents are not informed. So, we provided the opportunity for parents and concerned adults to become informed."
The panel of guests at the event included school social worker Kathy Schlecht, child psychologist Denise Barber, lawyer Austin McHoul and North Attleborough police officer Julie Lowe.
|
|
Senior warden Kay Standifer said that the hope with these "Community Conversations" is to turn Grace into a community resource on discussion topics such as bullying, Alzheimer's and dementia care, the opiod crisis and elder concerns.
"We want to turn Grace into a community resource. We have this beautiful building and we want to find ways to use it to serve the greater community and not just our members," Standifer said. "God loves everyone in our community and we want to make sure we live out our beliefs for everyone."
|
|
Wicked Local Stoughton:
Youngster looks to spread food boxes around town:
Trinity Church in Stoughton is sponsoring a “Blessing Box.” Like the “Little Library” boxes, these are popping up around communities to help those who struggle with food insecurity. They are designed for neighbors to support neighbors in the community.
Recognizing that food insecurity affects millions of individuals per year, including individuals from her own community, Adalina Tucker, 10, brought this heartfelt ministry to Trinity, Stoughton. A Blessing Box is a small, often handmade structure in which people leave donated goods for others to pick up anonymously. Located in a common area, people are filling them with items that will help those in need--everything from non-perishable food to toiletries.
Read more here.
|
|
Summer scheduling note:
E-news takes a summer break, and returns in September with all the fall news.
|
|
Jun 20
: "Honoring Refugees Among Us: Share a Meal, Share a Story" Event, Church of the Holy Spirit, Mattapan, 5:00pm
Jun 20
: Diocesan Council Meeting, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 5:30pm
Jun 22
: Consecration of 10th Bishop of Maine, Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Portland, 11:00am
Jun 22-23
: Massachusetts Indaba 2019 Encounter Weekend #2
Jun 22
: Barbara C. Harris Camp Alumni Picnic, Boston Common, Boston, 1:00pm
Jun 22
: Saturday Night in Marblehead Concert with Cindy Kallet, St. Andrew's Church, Marblehead, 8:00pm
Jun 23
: Bishop Harris visits St. Peter's Church in Buzzards Bay
Jun 24-29
: Salem Bay Collaborative Choir Camp, St. Peter's Church, Salem
Jun 28
: Stonewall Uprising Vigil, Grace Church, Salem, 6:00pm
Jun 29
: Ordination to the Priesthood: Chris Jones, Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, 11:00am
Jun 30
: Bishop Gates visits Trinity Church in Stoughton
Jun 30
: Bishop Harris visits St. Andrew's Chapel in Hyannis Port
Jun 30-Jul 5
: Summer Camp Session 1, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, NH
Jul 4
: Lobster Lunch, St. Michael's Church, Marblehead, 11:00am
Jul 6
: Lobster Lunch, St. Michael's Church, Marblehead, 11:00am
Jul 7
: Lobster Lunch, St. Michael's Church, Marblehead, 11:00am
Jul 7-12
: Summer Camp Session 2, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, NH
Jul 12-14
: Open Guest Weekend, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, NH
Jul 14
: Bishop Gates visits St. David's Church in South Yarmouth
Jul 14-19
: Summer Camp Session 3, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, NH
Jul 21-26
: Summer Camp Session 4, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, NH
Jul 28-Aug 2
: Summer Camp Session 5, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, NH
Aug 17
: Caribbean Festival, Trinity Church, Stoughton, 12:00pm
Sep 6
: Deadline for Diocesan Convention nominations, resolutions, amendments, reports
Sep 7
: Diocesan Council Meeting, Location to be determined, 9:00am
Sep 8
: Bishop Harris visits All Saints' Church in West Newbury
Sep 8
: Bishop Gates visits Grace Church in Vineyard Haven
Sep 14
: Charles River Deanery Confirmation Service, Location to be determined
Sep 15
: Bishop Harris visits Trinity Church in Rockland
Sep 15
: Bishop Gates visits St. Peter's Church in Weston
Sep 20
: Massachusetts Council of Churches "Preaching Black Resiliency" Class
Sep 20
: Massachusetts Council of Churches "May We Forever Stand" Worship Service, Greater Framingham Community Church, Framingham, 7:30pm
Sep 22
: Bishop Harris visits Grace Church in Salem
Sep 24
: Clergy Day, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9:00am
Sep 28
: Diocesan Resource Day, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9:30am
Sep 29
: Bishop Gates visits Grace Church in North Attleborough
Sep 29
: Bishop Harris visits Ascension Memorial Church in Ipswich
|
|
Stay connected with our diocesan community:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
