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Issue #33 | Advent 2015
Hi all!
Diocesan Convention season is in full swing. Many of you are using this opportunity to connect with other clergy and lay leaders to spread the word about disaster preparedness, and we want to know what you did! Send Lura an email describing your creative outreach activities, and be sure to include photos!
In Peace,
Katie, Lura, Sara and Tamara
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We are excited to announce
A Season of Resilience! A
Season of Resilience is a new resource designed to encourage individuals and families to practice disaster preparedness in small steps. Each week for five weeks, folks are asked to take on small tasks or small purchases to build up their emergency kits. Every bit helps in disaster preparedness! We would like to extend a special thank you to Canon Bruce Linsenmayer of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles for his vision for this project.
These resources can easily be printed and added to a worship bulletin, and Advent is a great time to start the program. We encourage you to share them among your congregations as we celebrate the Season of Advent. Contact us if you would like a modifiable version to co-brand with your diocesan shield.
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During the Season of Advent, we anxiously await the coming of Christ's light in our world. Waiting can sometimes feel like a passive process, but we invite you to prepare actively for
Christ.
As we become absorbed by planning for the year ahead, it is easy to become overwhelmed by all that is happening. It can be tempting to focus exclusively on our scarcities.
The Episcopal Asset Map is a wonderful way to help engage communities in a conversation about gifts, rather than deficiencies. Perhaps your neighbor church or community group knows exactly what you are going through, and perhaps they have gifts of time or expertise or materials that you can exchange. The best way to get connected with your neighbors is the
Episcopal Asset Map!
The Episcopal Asset Map is a joint project of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and Episcopal Relief & Development that showcases the abundance of resources present within The Episcopal Church.
During this season of Advent, often seen as the Church's New Year, we would like to offer you a gift of renewal: Take measure of your gifts and resources through this innovative platform and share them with the world. Here are some simple steps that you can take during the weeks of Advent in preparation for the Christmas season:
- Visit www.episcopalassetmap.org
- Find your community's pin: Church, School, Nursing Home, Camp, etc...
- Click the link: "Take the Survey" and each week take a different section of the survey (this is great work for a Bible study group)
- Week 1: Basic information: contact info, service times, general church description, worship languages.
- Week 2: Go to the section on property assets. Click all that apply and write in others.
- Week 3: Ministry Projects: Think about all the many ways your group is living Christ in the world. Add each of these as a separate ministry project, i.e., food programs, housing, tutoring programs, etc...
- Week 4: Add in tags for local and Episcopal Church partners. Search the map for other congregations or institutions doing similar projects or a project you dream for your community.
- Make Connections: Contact other Episcopal Assets that you might want to learn from.
The goal of the map is to continually step out of our own understanding of what church is in our location and to see the many gifts that we all bring to the Jesus Movement!
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Join "Ready to Serve":
Sign up here
to offer your services to your vulnerable neighbors after a disaster.
Episcopal Relief & Development-supported Projects:
Disaster Response:
Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan
Due to lead contamination in the water system making city's water unusable, the Diocese of Eastern Michigan is supporting the residents of Flint, MI, by distributing water filters and gallons of water to those affected.
Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
The Diocese of Northern California is responding to the needs of evacuees after deadly wildfires have displaced thousands of people and burned hundreds of homes, through a gift card ministry, housing assistance and spiritual care for affected persons.
The Episcopal Church in Navajoland
Due to a dam burst near the Animas River causing the water supply to become contaminated, The Episcopal Church in Navajoland is responding to those affected by providing water to the community near Buff, Utah.
Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas
The Diocese of Arkansas is providing financial, emotional and spiritual aid by identifying and caring for underserved populations affected by the April 2014 tornadoes.
Episcopal Diocese of Colorado
The Diocese of Colorado is helping people recover following flooding that swept the state's Front Range in the fall of 2013 through direct assistance, long-term recovery groups and a "Year of Resilience."
Episcopal Church in Connecticut
The Episcopal Church in Connecticut is supporting Ben's Lighthouse, a ministry of Trinity Episcopal Church in Newtown, to promote the long-term mental health of the community's children, youth and families and to nurture a culture of non-violence and caring.
Episcopal Diocese of Easton
The Diocese of Easton is hosting volunteer groups to repair homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy and construct new ones where existing homes cannot be repaired.
Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey
The Diocese of New Jersey is aiding vulnerable individuals and communities by providing direct assistance, partnering with various long term recovery groups and working with parish-based programs following Hurricane Sandy.
Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma
The Diocese of Oklahoma is working with congregations and long-term recovery groups around the state to meet the needs of vulnerable people following tornados in the spring of 2013.
Resources for Disaster Preparedness and Response:
Visit Episcopal Relief & Development's online
Resource Library
for numerous case studies and best practices in disaster response at the diocesan and congregational level.
Contact Us:
Katie Mears,
Program Director
Lura Steele,
Training Coordinator
Sara Lowery,
Program Associate
Tamara Plummer,
Asset Map Coordinator
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