Following Jesus in Province II

The International Atlantic Province

March 2022

News from the Province

Pre-Synod Workshops Set /Conjunto de talleres previos al Sínodo/Ateliers pré-synodaux

The workshop by Program, Budget, and Finance Committee (PB&F) originally scheduled for April 20 has been postponed due to the PB&F meeting that will be happening in May. The workshop will, hopefully, be rescheduled for a date chosen by PB&F later in May or June. It is hoped that the date and time will work for most deputies, but every effort will be made to make a recording and any materials available soon afterward for those who cannot attend.

Save the Date!

The next meeting of the Provincial Synod will be on May 5, 2022. Plans are being made for this synod to take place on Zoom. Check the website to see the information as it becomes available: https://www.province2.org/synod-2022.html

In order to accommodate the widespread Province II, stretching across 12 dioceses, two continents and the Caribbean, Synod will be conducted via Zoom. Registration will open soon. The firm deadline for registration will be April 25, 2022. After that date, registration will be closed. Anyone who misses the deadline will need to contact Jan Paxton directly and will not receive voting credentials.

Resources from Previous Workshops

On Wednesday, February 16, the Province II representatives to Executive Council addressed the important role of Executive Council at General Convention and throughout the triennium. Here is the link to the Zoom recording of the workshop. Pre-Synod Workshop - Noreen Duncan and the Rev. Lillian Wilson presenters: Feb 16, 2022 08:45 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) ID: 863 6158 5221 The actual workshop begins at minute 15 of the recording and lasts about an hour.
On March 9, the workshop focused on topics in the Blue Book. Materials from the workshop have been posted. The recording is not available. The recording is not available.

General Convention News

The 80th General Convention is scheduled for July 7–14, 2022, at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

The February 2022 Newsletter from the General Convention Office:

An Important Update about the 80 th General Convention from the Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, Executive Officer
COVID-19 Policies
Deputy Changes
Nominees for the Next President and Vice-President of the House of Deputies
Resolutions and Memorials for the 80 th General Convention
Legislative Committee Hearings
Legislative Committee Training for Hearings
Joint Standing Committee on
Program Budget & Finance
Requests Feedback on 2023-2024 Budget (deadline: April 8)

News from our twelve dioceses

The Diocese of Albany

Deeper Walk With God Retreat Held at Christ the King Center - People from all over the Diocese of Albany and beyond, clergy and laity, enjoyed the Deeper Walk with God: Foundations of Benedictine Spirituality Retreat. The group experienced excellent teaching based on St. Benedict's Rule of Life, sacred worship and prayer and the excellent hospitality offered at Christ the King Center.

The team is already planning for another offering of this kind in February 2023 for those who couldn't attend or for those who did and want to go even deeper. Stay tuned for a save the date announcement.

Diocese of Central New York

Four Episcopalians are serving in professional healthcare chaplaincy roles during the current pandemic: the Rev. Perry Mouncey, Deacon Chuck Stewart, Kathryn Bell, and the Rev. Kate Day. Here are some chaplain voices from the bedside. (The Rev. Perry Mouncey, Chaplain Intern at Upstate, feels that the others speak to her experience, as well.) Read their stories >

Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe

Zero Waste Lent is the FIRST ever Convocation-wide conversation about climate change.

This is an opportunity to build unity through loving dialogue that explores the steps we can take to develop sustained, contemplative action practices in our daily lives, our congregations, and our communities. Each Thursday from March 10th – April 7th at 7:00 PM CET (10:00 PM – 11:00 PM Georgia-in Europe- Standard Time, 2 PM EDT), we will meet on Zoom for an hour of prayer, listening, and encouragement through shared stories. Conversations will be lively and include fun activities, and suggestions for creative actions that answer God’s call to preserve and protect our planet. Find out more >

La Iglesia Episcopal en Cuba

Young adult ministry grants provide seed money to help in the startup of new, innovative young adult ministries or enhance existing ministries.The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church has awarded 13 grants to young adult and campus ministries from dioceses across the U.S. and Cuba. The recommended grant applications were approved during the council’s January 2022 meeting. This year’s recipients include "Jovenes Episcopales De Cuba," (“Young Resurrection”) a project in the Episcopal Diocese of Cuba designed to strengthen lay and clergy ministry and the role of young people in creation care, as well as evangelism leadership. This was an $8,000 grant.

Diocese of Haiti

Hometown Heroes - Haiti school started by Lake Charles church - Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - It was 30 years ago that Good Shepherd Episcopal began their “Tend My Lambs” Education Mission in Haiti. The need for a school in a small village was great, so the church helped fund five classrooms. Read the story and see the video >

Diocese of Long Island

The Reparations Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island launched a scholarship program for Black, African American, or Caribbean American descendants of enslaved people seeking to pursue higher education or vocational training.

The committee formed the scholars program at the request of Bishop Provenzano to foster equity in education. Find out more >

VIDEO: BISHOP PROVENZANO ANNOUNCES BISHOP BARBARA C. HARRIS SCHOLARSHIPS

The Diocese of Newark

The Diocese of Newark has a series of videos titled Hidden Black History. Each of the four (and there may be more by the time you see this) features an interview with a member of one of the historic congregations of the diocese, Incarnation, Jersey City, Epiphany, Orange, St. Philip's Church, Newark and Trinity & St. Philip's Cathedral, Newark. All four videos can be found on the diocesan website under "News". https://dioceseofnewark.org/news

Diocese of New Jersey

Reparations: My Take by Canon Noreeen Duncan

Merely suggesting that the United States owes the descendants of formerly enslaved Africans on this land recompense for unpaid labor over several centuries causes some of us to push back from the table and go to watch television in another room. Just saying the word “Reparations” triggers some of us. We protest and argue blamelessness, denial: “My people did not own slaves, did not come to the US until recently.” So I am going to use the word, repeatedly, forcefully: Reparations.

Read what Canon Noreen has to say >

Diocese of New York

Hey yall it's Emma, right outside of my site placement Trinity Church Wall Street! Here at Trinity I'm a member of the Neighborhood Support Team, working specifically with Community Outreach. Neighborhood Support is a relatively new team at Trinity, and being able to participate in discussions about how to expand our programming and create new initiatives has been so amazing. Read the whole post >

For more updates on our time in New York, check out our insta @nyserviceandjustice

Diocese of Rochester

E.D.E.N. Gardens - Changing the world one tomato at a time

St. Mark’s & St. John’s is proudly located in the Beechwood neighborhood in the city of Rochester. Dismal statistics have made Beechwood and our adjoining neighborhood, EMMA, a focus area of the Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI). There have been many talented and caring people from all corners of our city and surrounding county who have met, strategized, mapped, and then met some more in hopes of stopping the downward spiral of oppressive forces that are at play in our neighborhood. The issues are complex and Rochester, as is true with so many other places in our country, did not get here overnight. Read their story>

In addition to growing food, the E.D.E.N. Gardens serve as a learning space and volunteer opportunity for our Kid's Club Growing Academy, our S.O.O.P. Interns, and hundreds of community volunteers each year.

Diocese of the Virgin Islands

The Diocese of the Virgin Islands has elected a Bishop Provisional. During the First Special Meeting of the 65 th Diocesan Convention, held virtually on Saturday, March 5th, clergy and lay delegates overwhelmingly elected The Rt. Rev. Scott Benhase to the position. The former Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia has agreed to serve for six months initially with a provision for extension. He is expected to begin his first official visit on April 6th. Read more >

The Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania

The Rev. Luke Fodor, rector of St. Luke's, Jamestown, recently spoke with WRFA-LP about refugee resettlement.

"Fodor said Saint Luke’s is working with refugee resettlement agency, Journey’s End, which is located in Buffalo, 'The timeframe is still being negotiated because they are overwhelmed. We’re still working out many of the details as far as when we might start seeing some families coming down and who that would be. Initial conversations have talked about two families and then we would just kind of build this program out.'"

Read the news article >

Opportunities, Grants and Resources

See the complete listing and information >

This is just a partial list of what you will find if you go to the webpage!

Opportunities

Aid for Ukraine
From TryTank: 1 big thing: Training new evangelism mentors
Upcoming ONLINE Offerings through VTS

Grants

See the list on the ENS Website >

Resources

Holy Week and Easter Quick Links
Resourcing Adults Who Work with LGBTQIA+ Youth and Supporting Parents of LGBTQIA+ Y
Gender Inclusive Children's Ministry: Where to Start by Rowan Larson offers a handful of low-bar