Each Sunday in Lent and throughout the Fifty Days of Easter, Bishop Doug will share a video related to the Baptismal Covenant and the Five Marks of Mission.

For the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Bishop Doug takes a look at the fifth of the Five Marks of Mission, "to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth." Watch the video here.

The Iona Collaborative at Seminary of the Southwest is thrilled to announce the recipients of micro-grants through its Locally Grown Leaders program, made possible by the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative.

Through Locally Grown Leaders, 19 grantees from 21 Episcopal dioceses will receive grants of up to $25,000 per year for the next five years, along with site visits and personalized support from the Locally Grown Leaders staff team. Areas of focus include curriculum design, diocesan school planning and evaluation, and student assessment protocols—all aimed at fostering local formation, student success, and the vitality of small congregations.

The Rev. Canon Terri Bays, PhD shared:

As a micro-grant recipient, the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana School for Faith and Ministry (ESFM) plans to adapt our current model of traditional coursework in areas such as Scripture, Church History, Theology, Liturgy and Pastoral Care. The goal of these adaptations is for ESFM to become a center for the types of learning communities that not only sustain but grow the faith of our people. Our first area of focus is to provide students with the means for growth in self-awareness as learners before they confront the full curricular demands of the traditional curriculum. The second is to expand our curriculum, providing courses aimed at deeply necessary but spiritually neglected ministries. We envision a space where growth in the kind of thoughtful and nuanced faith which continues to draw people to the Episcopal Church is available to all the baptized, not only to those with the time and money to attend a residential seminary. We envision a community where deacons and lay leaders join their priests in fostering such faith within the parish. We envision them taking that faith with them into a world where ministry informed by such faith is badly needed.

Join us to discuss "What we Love About our Diocese and our Hopes for the Future."

At our recent clergy gatherings we began conversations regarding 

• what we love about our diocese 
• what might be important to bring with us into a reunified diocese
• what might we reinforce in our current diocese if we decide to remain separate
• what possibilities might we hope for in a reunified diocese.

 We are inviting you to be part of these conversations by attending in-person deanery meetings as detailed below. 

The meetings are not designed to answer specific questions about budgets, staffing, insurance, etc. We leave that important work in the hands of the Reunification Discernment Committee. Rather, we hope to gather in order to celebrate and name what makes the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana special to each of us: what we love, what we might miss, what has helped to make us who we are, and our hopes for the future. To accomplish this, we will begin our conversations with the following three questions using an Appreciative Inquiry approach:

1. How and where have we encountered God in our recent life within this diocese? (What do we love about our diocese?)
2. Where do you think God is calling us as a diocese?
3. What might we have to change in order for us to reunify into one diocese?
4. What possibilities or opportunities might be revealed in a reunified Diocese of Indiana?

The schedule of remaining meetings is detailed below. We want to encourage you to attend in-person if that is possible. Being in the same room will allow for the best connection and sharing. If you can’t make any of the in-person meetings, please join us for our Zoom meeting. We want to hear from everyone.

Eastern Deanery

• Sunday, June 1, 1:30 p.m. (EDT), St. Andrew (Kokomo)

Zoom session for those unable to attend in-person

• Saturday, June 7, 10/9 a.m. (EDT/CDT)

God has abundantly blessed the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana. We know that whether we continue as a separate diocese or reunify into one, God will continue to bless and guide us on the way. Join us to discuss these blessings and prepare ourselves for the next steps in Reunification Discernment.

Blessings,

Your Diocesan Deans

The Rev. Cathy Carpenter, St. Andrew’s, Valparaiso (Western, to be elected)

The Rev. T.J. Freeman, Trinity, Fort Wayne (Eastern)

The Rev. Jen Fulton, St. Michael and All Angels, South Bend (Central)

The Very Rev. Brian Grantz, The Cathedral of St. James, South Bend

Please take some time to review the draft models in support of this ongoing, collective discernment. Think of them as tools to help us all begin to see and better understand how a reunified diocese could look. These models also function as a means by which members of our dioceses can actually participate in shaping a reunified diocese (or help current dioceses improve themselves) by entering into conversation and offering feedback on these models.

The Reunification Discernment Committee requests your prayers as it continues its work. Click here for options from which to choose.

Date: June 8-14, 2025

Where: Camp Alexander Mack (Milford, IN)

Who: Campers entering third through ninth grade in Fall 2025

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana Summer Youth Camp is one week away! Please keep all of our campers and staff in your prayers. Please pray for a transformative experience for all, for safety, and for good weather.

Date: July 6-12, 2025

Location: St. Barnabas-in-the-Dunes Episcopal Church (Gary)

Who: Teens entering grade 10-graduating seniors

Cost: $350

If you are a teen entering grade 10 through a high school senior who just graduated, we would love to have you join us for our Diocesan Sr. High Mission Team!

We are excited to have the Sr. High Mission Week serving again in the Western Deanery the week of July 6-12. We have been invited back to St. Barnabas in Gary, Indiana, party of the Calumet Episcopal Ministry Partnership, for some landscaping. We plan to go to Sojourner Truth House, a homeless shelter for women and children in Gary, and a local retirement home for bingo and visiting. Other opportunities are still in the works.

We will sleep and eat some of our meals at the home of Kim and Larry Frank. Evening activities being considered include Stations of the Cross, dinner at a hibachi grill, a night on Lake Michigan, and a trip to Brookfield Zoo or Deep River Water Park.

The cost for Sr. High Mission Week is $350. To join our mission team, please use the link below to register and mail your payment to:

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana

117 N. Lafayette Blvd.

South Bend, IN 46601

Please write your teen’s name and Mission Week on the memo line. The registration deadline is June 15. Following this date, registration will be on a first come, first served basis if space is available.

If you have any questions, please call or text Canon Carol Bianchini at 574-551-3087.

You are beloved. You belong. No exceptions. Watch the video above.

(Video created using customizable 60-second video provided by The Episcopal Church. More info below. Use template to create one for your own faith community!)

Pride Eucharist with Blessing and Commissioning

Date: June 1, 6 p.m. (EDT)

Where: Chapel of Christ the Lord (NYC) and online

Join Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe as we kick off Pride Month with a service to bless and commission Episcopalians who will share God's love at Pride events across the church. The Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge will preach and Bishop Sean will preside.

Join us at 815 Second Avenue in New York or online (The Episcopal Church on Facebook or The Episcopal Church on YouTube) to celebrate the dignity, love and lives of LGBTQ+ people!

Volunteer for Diocesan Booth at South Bend Pride

Date: June 21

Time: Two-hour time slots between 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (EDT)

Where: Potawatomi Park

Please join us at the family-friendly South Bend Pride in the Park! We are looking for people to volunteer for two-hour shifts at the diocesan booth. We'll once again have buttons and stickers to pass out to attendees as well as opportunities for conversation and prayer with those who wish. This has been a great evangelism experience the past few years and we hope that you'll join us this year!

The Episcopal Church offers free Pride resources for June

Find special resources, including a downloadable Pride shield, customizable 30- and 60-second videos highlighting the church’s LGBTQ+ advocacy and support, social media graphics, and more. Check listings for available languages.

Trinity Episcopal Pride

You're invited to join Trinity Episcopal Church for two Pride celebrations in the Eastern Deanery.

Fort Wayne Pride

Date: July 26, 2025

Time: 12-7 p.m. (EDT); Setup at 11 a.m.

Where: Headwaters Park (East side)

333 S. Clinton St., Fort Wayne

Whitley County Prism Fest

Date: September 20, 2025

Time: TBD

Where: TBD, Columbia City

Email Trinity with any questions.

The Rev. Canon Terri Bays, PhD Named a Leader's Way Fellow

We are proud to announce that The Rev. Canon Terri Bays, PhD has been selected to be a 2025 Leader’s Way Fellow at Yale. The Leader’s Way is a year-long certificate program from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale that explores leadership, innovation, and resilience in ministry. Berkeley Divinity School at Yale selects leaders who are poised to be catalysts for change, inspiring their communities to bear witness to the Gospel more effectively.

The program begins this June with a week in residence at Yale University. This summer, fellows will learn from faith leaders and Yale faculty such as Bishop Carol Gallager, Dean Andrew McGowan, the Rev’d Dr. Carolyn Sharp, Professor Donyelle McCray, PhD, and the Rev’d Dr. Willie Jennings. After meeting in person, fellows continue learning through cohort-based online learning. Through the program, leaders grapple with the greatest challenges of ministry today and pursue faithful innovations to meet them. Each fellow develops an innovative ministry project as a part of the program, with the support of their cohort. Peer groups and mentors support Fellows personally and professionally to apply the learning from the program to the practical and ongoing needs of daily ministry.

The Leader’s Way program is just one dimension of a larger Transforming Leaders initiative at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, which exists to catalyze innovative leadership in the church. The initiative also includes online courses and workshops and The Leader’s Way podcast, resources available to the whole church. The Transforming Leaders initiative has been made possible through the support of Trinity Church Wall Street and the generosity of donors at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale.

Please join us in congratulating Canon Terri.

Ordinations to the Sacred Order of Deacons and Priests

Date: June 28, 10 a.m. (EDT)

Where: Cathedral of Saint James (South Bend)

By the Grace of God, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks will ordain Cyd Baumgardner Sunday to the Sacred Order of Deacons, the Rev. Nolan Ryan McBride to the Sacred Order of Priests, and the Rev. Jordan Andrew Trendelman to the Sacred Order of Priests. Your prayers and presence are requested. A reception will follow. The festal color is white.

2025 Fall Clergy Retreat - Save the Date

Date: October 13, 1 p.m. (EST)-October 15, 1 p.m. (EST)

Where: Lindenwood Retreat and Conference Center (Donaldson, IN)

With great excitement we invite you, Episcopal clergy from both dioceses in Indiana, to a joint clergy retreat focused on the spiritual practice of iconography. Our Fall 2023 EDNIN offering was such a success we thought it would be a great event to offer again and share with our fellow clergy from Indianapolis. Registration will open in August. If you prefer to attend the event but would rather not test your artistic abilities in the writing of an icon, there will be an optional track offering a book study based on icons available at the time of registration.

$151,404 in grants to help fund capital improvements have been awarded to a total of nine Episcopal churches in the first round of capital grants of Church Buildings for

Collaborative Partnerships Phase 2. Each church must match its grant award dollar-for-

dollar. The top criterion for a grant is how the proposed capital project will improve or

modify space to better align a church’s property (buildings and/or grounds) with its

mission. Read more on the CBCP blog.

NEXT GRANT DEADLINE APPROACHING

Any Indiana Episcopal congregation may apply for one CBCP Phase 2 matching capital

grant and must do so online using a Google form. To learn more about the grant

program and how to apply, click here.

Grant applications will be accepted each quarter of 2025. Remaining deadlines for

applying are:

• June 30, 2025
• September 30, 2025
• December 31, 2025

 Information provided by Linda Buskirk, CBCP Project Director.  

Capital Campaign Webinar - Save the Date

Date: June 25, 7/6 p.m. (EDT/CDT)

Join Partners for Sacred Places for a webinar about capital campaigns. This webinar has tentatively been scheduled for Wednesday, June 25 at 7/6 p.m. (EDT/CDT). CBCP and Partners for Sacred Places will share the basics of planning and launching a capital campaign to fund improvements to help your church property be more welcoming and ready for new community partnerships. Additional information will be shared once the details have been confirmed.

Pop-up Webinar: Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Date: June 5, 10-10:45 a.m. (EDT)

Where: Zoom

Join The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations for a conversation with the Very Rev. Canon Richard Sewell, dean of Saint George’s College in Jerusalem.

He will speak about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, ongoing violence and oppression in the West Bank, and the plight of Palestinian Christians.

Action Alerts

The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations (OGR) identifies opportunities for Episcopalians to participate in our democracy. Click this link to find an action alert that you are passionate about and send a message to your members of Congress.

Transforming Community:

Leading Contemplative Spiritual Groups & Retreats

Date: Sept. 2025 – July 2026

Transforming Community is designed to equip, encourage, and support those called to create and facilitate contemplative spiritual groups and retreats. Through experiential learning, seminars, reflection, and a sacred learning community, participants will expand their contemplative awareness of the Divine and grow in their contemplative leadership and skills.

Free Zoom Info Session June 18, 3pm (EDT)

Need-based tuition assistance is available. For more information, contact Katy Gaughan, katy@shalem.org.

Big Provincial Gathering 2026

Province V will be hosting another Big Provincial Gathering in the summer of 2026. If you are interested in being part of the planning for this event, please contact Heather Barta: provinceVcoordinator@gmail.com.