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NORTHEAST REGION MISSIVE
February 2021
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Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, collect for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, pg 215)
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An Important Note: when registering for a ZOOM event via EVENTBRITE, please SAVE the confirmation email you get - the ZOOM link will be found WAY AT THE BOTTOM of that email. |
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A Word of Encouragment from your NE Region Missionary |
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Hello dear siblings in Christ,
We are through the first month of 2021, can you believe it? For Christmas this year, one of the gifts I was given was a daily devotional by Walter Brueggemann (thanks Bishop Laura!) called Gift and Task. This devotional follows the Episcopal lectionary (with some helpful hints in the back to update to whatever the current year is) and provides four readings for each day: a Psalm, Hebrew Scripture, Epistle & Gospel. So every day, since 26 December, I have been steeping myself in a daily practice of reading and meditating on scripture.
Of course, with the welcoming of our new puppy Laverne, this time is a lot less "quiet" now! Still, Laverne adds a lovely and comforting dimension to studying scripture that is often not comfortable. The Psalms, particularly, I am finding uncomfortable. With the turning of the calendar to 2021, we are also seeing a turning of our government with a new President and Vice President and many others. This change is welcome for some and uncomfortable for others. The Psalms offer the entire breadth and depth of human emotions, including discomfort.
Particularly, I am thinking of Psalm 37. These many verses seem to alternate between the psalmist realizing that difficulties won't last forever and appeals to God to remember the promises made. In between those two places is hope. As we enter into our liturgical season of Lent, and as we watch and see what our new administration will do, can we recognize hope and dwell in that place? And let's not forget, our hope and our faith are not passive things - we are called to be engaged in the world, while working towards building the Kingdom of God.
Photo by Maggie Breen
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Connecting to the Wider Body of Christ:
calendar of events
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FEBRUARY
2 - NE Region Wardens Gathering, 7pm
8 - NE Region Parish Liaisons, 7pm
13 - ECCT Clergy Day, 9am
15 - NE RLT Meeting, 7pm
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MARCH
2 - NE Region Wardens Gathering, 7pm
4 - Faithful Futures, 6:30pm
11 - NE Region Parish Liaisons, 7pm
13 - ECCT Leadership Gathering, 9am
15 - Crafting in Proximity, 5:30pm
15 - NE RLT Meeting, 7pm
20 - ECCT Mission Council, 9am
30 - ECCT Renewal of Vows, 9am
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Be on the lookout for some special NE Region Announcements with information on ways you can join with other folks from across ECCT during Lent! |
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Ben and his wife Linda along with their sons Will and Nathan were members of St. Mark's, Storrs, at the time of his ordination, now more than thirty years ago. At that time Ben was a member of the English Department at UConn, where his teaching and research focused on Shakespeare, medieval English and European literature, and historical children's literature. After six years serving as both a professor at UConn and a part-time assistant to the rector in Litchfield, Ben and Linda moved to Fairfield, where he served as rector of St. Paul's for fifteen years while Linda taught ethics at Fairfield University. After retirement in 2008 Ben served as interim rector or priest in charge in parishes in Stafford Springs, Westport, Vernon, and Hartford. Ben and Linda live in Vernon. Will and his family live in Newton, MA and Nathan and his family live in Philadelphia. My hobbies and retirement activities include chair re-caning and re-rushing, fly fishing, bicycling, gardening, and of course reading.
More specifically about the chaplaincy:
My mission as one of the six regional chaplains is to be in touch with retired priests and surviving spouses who reside in northeastern Connecticut, on behalf of Bishops Douglas and Ahrens and the Church Pension Group (CPG).
The bishops host semi-annual retiree gatherings that include worship, time for catching up with each other over coffee and lunch, along with discussions and workshops that help retirees deal with issues of retirement and aging. Of course these gatherings are currently virtual as the pandemic protocols require.
My aim is to keep in touch with retirees in this district by phone calls, emails, and notes and cards, checking on their health and on-going physical, spiritual, emotional well-being, and assisting them, as they may request, in dealing with problems they may be facing.
For over a hundred years CPG has received money from parishes to fund clergy pensions, investing these funds with integrity and success so as to provide both basic financial security to clergy retirees and support for their well-being more broadly. The goal is to reassure retired clergy that their work in service to the people of God, the beloved community, is not forgotten and continues to be appreciated.
Bishops Douglas and Ahrens heartily support the ministry of the regional chaplains, and I am blessed to represent them in furthering these aims. And as always my invitation to clergy retirees and spouses is to be in touch with questions, concerns, ideas, or matters I could be of help with: 860-512-0428 (home), 203-260-2583 (mobile), or [email protected].
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Being Disciples & Apostles:
resources for racial healing & justice
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If you are looking to get involved with Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation and/or Anti-Racism work but aren't sure where to start, below are a few good resources for you to check out that have been curated by either myself or the good folks involved in the Racial Healing, Justice & Reconciliation Ministry Network:
- The Episcopal Church (TEC) has created a resource called From Many, One: Conversations Across Difference. I would encourage you to CLICK HERE to learn more!
- The New York Times ran an article with some great photos called Hidden in Plain Sight: The Ghosts of Segregation, which was updated on December 1, 2020. Check it out HERE.
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HERE is a link to all of the meditations (to date) that the Racial Healing, Justice & Reconciliation Ministry Network have put together. I would encourage you to share these with your congregations.
- Our Black and Brown siblings are exhausted by how they are being treated in every aspect of their lives. HERE is a good personal article called I'm a High-Achieving Black Woman in Largely White Spaces. And I'm Exhausted.
- ICYMI: Governor Lamont announced in December that CT is the first state in the nation to require high schools to provide courses on Black and Latino studies (and it's well past time, too). You can read about it HERE.
- If you are on Facebook, you might have noticed some "Karen" memes going around. HERE is an article about how those memes are changing behaviors and showing how complicit White people often are.
- In political news, HERE is an article about how racism has affected Black farmers and what the government is trying to do about it.
- For more local news, The Hartford Courant ran an article in January about exclusionary zoning laws and how local authorities have failed to make necessary progress.
- Abington Press hosted a webinar based on the book I'm Black. I'm Christian. I'm Methodist. It was a really good webinar with strong voices speaking truth to power about how racism has affected and effected the (Methodist) church. I think we can all learn something from this. Watch it HERE.
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Expanding Our Capabilities as Disciples & Apostles:
resources, webinars, and good information (oh my!)
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There is a movement happening right now called The People's Inauguration, which is calling for all people to recognize that democracy is of the people and for the people, and as such we are called to participate. I would encourage you to GO HERE and check out their kick-off event, and perhaps even sign up to learn more!
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CT's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has a program available to help establish community gardens. Information can be found HERE. I know it says it expired July 2020, but word on the street is that this will be continued in 2021. So just something to think about as we look forward to Spring.
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Know some young people getting read for college? ECCT has some scholarships available! Click Here for more details!
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There is a second wave of grants available through the United Thank Offering. The deadline is 26 Feb. Click HERE for more information.
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Did you know that there is a Community Gardens Ministry Network? If you have ever been interested in starting up a Community Garden, HERE is a great How-To resource developed by Letty Naigles of St. John's, Vernon, and shared with permission!
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One of the ways we can be better disciples and apostles is to make sure we are caring for ourselves. We might consider borrowing the concept of Sabbath from our Jewish siblings. HERE is a great article on why Sabbath Rest is so important.
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You can find the most recent COVID-19 update from our Bishops HERE (lots of info here, with access to archived things, too)
The State of CT is offering small business grants through CT Cares. Churches qualify for this, but there are parameters. CLICK HERE for more information.
In case you missed the NE Region Convocation, HERE is a link to the slide deck we used!
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Here are some things I've found interesting lately: music, projects, art, articles, etc. May they be of service to us so that we can be in service to others.
- I love that there are so many awesome things on YouTube. Recently I came across something called "Bardcore" - the rearranging of modern tunes to medieval standards. It makes my little music nerd smile. Enjoy a version of Dolly Parton's JOLENE or check out PUMPED UP KICKS originally by Cornelius Link (the language is pretty neat in this one).
- The Montclair Art Museum has a number of VIRTUAL TOURS you can take from the comfort of your sofa (or bed, whatever - no one can see you!)
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HERE is an article with 30 interesting DIY projects that look like they could be done relatively easily with things you might already have at home!
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Bonus Content - THIS is a wonderful video about Hula dancing.
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STAY CONNECTED WITH NE REGION |
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You can reach Maggie Breen, NE Region Missionary, the following ways:
PHONE: 203-639-3501 x154
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