June 9 , 2020
ECCT eNEWS
Witness in this Moment: The Church’s Response
CEEP Webinar - June 10, 3:00 p.m.

With the recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, our member institutions and the church broadly are called to witness and respond. Many churches - both lay and clergy leaders - are seeking guidance on how to to respond to recent events. There is yearning for guidance to provide congregations and communities with gospel-centered direction, raise and answer meaningful questions, and take meaningful action. 

Facing moments like those we are in now, we often find ourselves paralyzed, thinking, “This is too big, this is too complicated, we don’t know where to start, we don’t know what’s the right thing to say or the right thing to do.” Join our panelists for their thoughtful reflections and insights on where to start, what path to take, and what a roadmap or a framework might look like. 

ECCT's the Rev. Ranjit Mathews of St. James', New London will be one of the seven panelists for this webinar. 
Sexual Misconduct and The Episcopal Church - an online survey for the whole church

Released June 8, 2020 (Read full letter here) : In early 2018, we issued a call for The Episcopal Church to come to a fuller understanding of how it has handled or mishandled cases of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse through the years. That work began to take shape at General Convention 2018 when the House of Deputies Special Committee on Sexual Harassment and Exploitation submitted more than twenty resolutions and the House of Bishops held a Liturgy of Listening to lament and confess the church’s role in harassment, exploitation and abuse.

Since General Convention, several task forces have been hard at work carrying out the resolutions of convention that address gender-based discrimination and violence. Today we are asking you to assist one of those groups—the Task Force on Women, Truth and Reconciliation—by taking an online survey designed to assess patterns of church-based harassment and abuse and the effect that it has on victims.

“We Cannot Be Silent” Statement from ECCT's Bishops

"Racism and the resulting violence against people of color perpetrated by those who have power in our nation and state has led recently to the tragic and inexcusable deaths of George Floyd in Minnesota, Jose Soto in Connecticut, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. Such violence is unacceptable and contrary to the will of God and the promise of justice and freedom central to our country’s ideals. Continue reading the bishops' statement here.
We commend to you this compiled list of Black Lives Matter resources & lists of organizations to support by ECCT's Racial Justice Resource Coordinator, Kelli Ray Gibson: episcopalct.org/blm. The list will be regularly updated with new resources.
Coffee Hour at the Commons

Highlighting episode: Episode 76 - "Are You Yet Free?" Rooting Racial Justice Work in Scripture. Listen to this episode from last season with guests Kelli Ray Gibson and Peter Levenstrong. Peter preaches a sermon, and all engage in discussion afterwards.

COFFEE HOUR AT THE COMMONS
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ECCT EVENTS
ECCT Region Town Hall Meetings
Join Bishop Douglas, Bishop Ahrens, our Region Missionaries and Region Leadership Teams for one hour conversations to explore What are we learning?  and  What is God saying to us?  During the coronavirus pandemic.

South Central Region Town Hall Meeting
June 9, 2:00 p.m.
Southwest Region Town Hall Meeting 
 June 9, 6:30 p.m.

All are welcome. No registration required.
Links to each individual meeting available here.
Thu, Jun 11, 2020 9:00 AM EST
Clergy Day - Clergy Vocations in Difficult Times
Sun, Jun 14, 2020 4:30 PM EST
Second Sunday at Camp Washington - ONLINE
Fri, Jun 26, 2020 9:30 AM EST
Bishop's Book Discussion at Camp Washington - ONLINE
Camp Washington: the Home Edition!

Join Camp for four weeks of amazing activities with some of the 2020 staff planned for campers to learn from and have fun with. They even have a few special guest appearances and activities you can do together as a family.

Registration is open now and will close on June 19, to allow time for videos and materials to be distributed. Learn more at CampWashington.Org.

Also, did you know Camp Washington has a fantastic feeding program going on all throughout quarantine? Camp chef extraordinaire Ben makes and distributes (with Bart) frozen meals to neighbors nearby -- learn more on their website!
Digital Communications Office Hours! Thursdays, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Join Canon for Mission Communications and Media Jasree Peralta and Digital Media Coordinator Alli Gannett for online office hours via Zoom. Bring your specific questions regarding all things communications and media. Registration is required, no limit on sessions. For June dates, please register here.
Other Upcoming Events
Free webinars offered by NYDIS (New York Disaster Interfaith Services)

Webinars include crisis spiritual care for congregations, public health emergency planning, and pandemic plan writing. More information and registration can be found on Eventbrite here.
From the Interreligious Eco Justice Network: Webinar Modern Environmental Politics: Why Voting Is Your Superpower, June 9 at 6:30 PM

"Environmentalists aren't voting as much as they ought to, but recent advances in data analytics and behavioral science offer hope for 2020 and beyond. With fresh data from recent elections and mobilization experiments, voter turnout expert Nathaniel Stinnett will discuss how modern political campaigns identify and mobilize voters, and how that impacts environmental policy at the local, state, and federal level." Register here.
Webinars throughout June

The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations and Episcopal Migration Ministries: Love God, Love Neighbor: Episcopal Month of Action , a series of webinars to learn and advocate with and on behalf of immigrants, DACA recipients, refugees, and asylum seekers.

Hey! You made it this far into the eNews! Gold star for you ⭐️
This is you friendly reminder to participate in the 2020 U.S. Census!
RESOURCES
New Racial Healing, Justice & Reconciliation Resources

In the midst of ECCT’s second year of the Season of Racial Healing, Justice and Reconciliation, the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racism have shone a bright light on a sad truth about life for those on the margins in the United States:People of color live in a society that is systematically biased against them. Black people are three times more likely to be killed by police than white people, and they do  not have  equal access to quality healthcare, nutritious food and the economic opportunity they need so they and their families can thrive and grow. As Christians, we are called to speak out when we witness injustice, and each month, the Racial Healing, Justice & Reconciliation Ministry Network will share a new resource that provides timely information about the situation on the ground as well as how we can work together to eradicate the sin of racism.
This month, we’d like to offer two upcoming webinars hosted by Christ Church, Cranbrook (MI) for your consideration. We are also committed to hosting additional events like the Time of Reflection and Prayer we hosted last Thursday and we hope you will be able to join us.
 
 
Description: 
The harassment of Christian Cooper and the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery provide compounding reminders of systemic racism and inequity in the United States. It is imperative for religious leaders to speak about and address issues sounding systemic racism and inequity in a way that builds bridges and makes connections in a fractured nation. It is also imperative for religious leaders to understand the role that protests play in positive social change. Bringing back two brilliant panelists from our previous discussion with New York Times’ columnist Charles Blow, Dr. Angela Dillard, and The Rt. Rev. Rob Wright, along with Professor Ivy Forsythe-Brown, we are hosting another webinar to explore these and other connected issues. 

 
Description: 
All Art, Nina Simone famously said, "reflects the times.” Whether by design or default, COVID-19 challenges the way art is made, the issues it takes up, the community it gathers, and the public it engages. Bringing together a writer, an artist, and a leader of arts organizations, we will look at the emerging duties and opportunities that artists face now and in the future.
GRANT & SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
OPEN POSITIONS
Parochial Reports were due March 1. If your parish has not completed their parochial report, please do so ASAP.

Questions? Contact Karolyn Nicolaides .