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NORTHEAST REGION ENEWSLETTER
APRIL 2019
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Mobile Food Share: St. George's, Bolton
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One of the joys of being the NE Region Missionary is going out to parishes and getting a little hands-on taste of what service can look like. In March, I went to St. George's, Bolton, and helped out during one of their twice-monthly Mobile Food Share events.
Mobile Food Share shows up to the parking at St. George's two times a month - a big truck full of fresh produce (fruit & veg!), a protein source, and tables to set everything up on. Quickly the volunteers set up the tables, put out the food, and stand behind a table to serve. Guests are lined up with their shopping bags and ready to pick up what we have when we give them the a-ok to begin.
I was delighted to hand out packages of green onions to guests, smiling and chatting despite the freezing cold temperatures. Other items the guests received that day were mini hot dogs, spaghetti squash, cantaloupes, apples, carrots and bananas. More than 50 people from Bolton, Andover, and other surrounding towns came that day; and I'm told that sometimes there can be as many as 90 guests at one of these days!
Click here to see a short video I created when we were finished for the day!
One of things I love about this program is that there are no "check-ins" or verification needed to come and get food. People who are hungry and come and get what they need. And, St. George's also supplies toilet paper one time a month during the Mobile Food Share day, as a supplement since paper/hygiene items are not provided for with Mobile Food Share.
Article & photo by Maggie Breen
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From Maggie, your Region Missionary
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What an interesting March we've been enjoying here in NE CT, huh? Today, as I write this, the sky is a gorgeous shade of pale blue and it's a brisk 33 degrees. The sun is shining and the bare tree limbs provide a lovely spot to gaze at as I write.
Spring is *almost* in the air around these parts. Beautiful sunshine and brisk mornings, with the occasional rain making sure the snow melts, which provides me with endless opportunities to practice patience as I sweep the mud off my kitchen floor. And earlier this month, I saw daffodils breaking the surface outside the door of St. Peter's in South Windsor. A sure sign that winter won't be with us forever.
Spring is *almost* in the air! I get a taste of it in these afternoons where temperatures reach 50 degrees and I'm looking forward to April and May, where the ground continues to soften, plants begin to bud, and birds start singing my morning wake-up song. Each year, around this time, I also reflect on how it is that Lent falls in this extraordinary transitional season here in Connecticut. What a blessing to experience the liturgical transitional season of Lent alongside the Earth's transition from winter to spring. For what we were before Lent started may not be what we are when the sun breaks over us on a glorious Easter morning.
Despite my anticipation of spring, I also lean into this time of transition. What an opportunity to reflect on what was and what may be! As winter gives way (slowly) to spring, I can feel myself growing and stretching - looking deep to my spirit to discover those parts of myself I've pushed into corners because I haven't had time to pay attention to them, and digging a path so that they can emerge back into myself. As we get closer and closer to Easter, what will emerge within me? What will I welcome back? What do I need to let go of to make room for things that are more meaningful and God-centered?
In these weeks leading up to Easter, I invite you to spend time quietly reflecting on what could be reintroduced into your life or what might be put aside for something new to emerge.
Photo by Bishop Laura Ahrens
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Introducing: Alli Huggins
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Meet Alli, the Digital Storyteller for the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. Alli has worked for ECCT since 2016 as the Digital Communications Associate. She is interested about all things digital, community development, and of course storytelling!
She is passionate about hiking, coffee, running (ish), mid-century modern furniture, and recently making pottery. She has lived in two National Parks – Bryce Canyon and Mt. Rainier – and has hiked over 1,400 miles of the Appalachian Trail. She holds degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Yale Divinity School. She lives in New Haven with her partner, Tim, and their delightful cat, Penelope.
Alli is excited to help folks around the Episcopal Church in Connecticut share their stories, embrace social media and online platforms to spread the Gospel, and bring a little bit of God’s love to this world.
Photo and bio information by Alli Huggins
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Disaster Relief & Recovery Opportunity
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Have you heard the saying, “build your bridges before you need them?” This is part of what the Disaster Response Ministry Network does for our communities. Using Episcopal Churches as hubs, the Disaster Response Ministry Network would like to engage with the Regions to ensure we are well connected and prepared to care of our communities when Mother Nature disrupts our business as usual.
If you would like to help the Northeast Region become a “Disaster Ready Region,” please email Mike Corey at
mpcorey@gmail.com
. For more information check out
the website
.
Our goals include:
·
Getting a point of contact for each parish, so if disaster hits there is a clear line of communication
·
Organizing Region wide trainings, including CPR/First Aide/AED/Stop the Bleed, and other basic first aid techniques
·
Identify public safety chaplains
Love isn’t always a warm and fuzzy feeling. Let us Love our Neighbors by being prepared to care for one another when things go awry.
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Carol's Closet: St. James, Glastonbury
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March was a busy month for me, providing me with a second opportunity to see what service looks like in a different parish in the Region! On a very Spring-like Saturday, I took a drive to St. James, in Glastonbury, to check out Carol's Closet - a paper goods distribution center based off a model a parishioner experienced in Cape Cod and brought back to her parish.
To say that this is only a paper closet would be wrong though. St. James opens their building to provide much needed assistance to people in Glastonbury - basics like paper towels, toilet paper and tissues are provided, but so are toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, incontinence and feminine hygiene products, and even coffee and light snacks! And, so our four footed friends don't feel left out, folks from South Church (UCC) in town provide a table for the needs of dogs and cats!
I was able to jump right in and help guests get what they need. The volunteers at St. James, and other community members, have a great system for checking in and preserving the dignity of each guest as they move through the line. Marie Dixon, of St. James, Glastonbury, was working the computer for the day and providing volunteers with the slips they need to make sure each guest gets what they need. What was wonderful is that each slip also had the guests name, so I could greet each person I helped by name. Marie sent an email out to those of us that volunteered stating, in part, that we saw 77 guests with a combined household total number of over 160! Incredible!
This Faith-In-Action opportunity has been happening since 2015, and the volunteers have developed wonderful relationships with many of the guests - even knowing who might need healing prayers or noticing when folks have been absent for a while. I know that many of the volunteers at Carol's Closet would be willing to travel and talk to your parishes about this kind of Faith-In-Action work. If you are curious, please let me know and I'll get you connected!
Article and photo by Maggie Breen

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The NE Region welcomes you to two exciting events coming up!
Saturday, March 30th, Crafting as Spiritual Practice - a day (or a few hours) where you can experience community and God while practicing a craft you love or learning a new one!
Please bring your lunch as well as an item for show & tell! If you have extra crafting materials you don't want, you can brings those too for your swap table! Please remember, you must bring home any leftovers that don't find homes elsewhere!
Saturday, May 4th, is our 4th Annual NE Region Convocation - a day where we can be together, all 18 parishes, worshiping, singing, playing & rejoicing in new and old friendships. We invite
each parish to bring
ONE SMALL item that represents that parish to be used as an icon and placed on or around our altar for the day.
The leadership team of the NE Region hopes that you will consider attending both of these events. . We look forward to seeing you!
Please be sure to click the links above to register! Walk-ins are always welcome, we just want to make sure we have enough materials for everyone.
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"God Delights in Who I AM" - a poem by Annette Embrich, ASC
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No matter where I may find myself...
Among the thickest of thistles and thorns in the dessert
Or, in the midst of heat or in darkness.
I can only open myself to be
Who I am called to be.
What difference is there if I sparkle in the light
Or lay silent in the silence of the night?
Whether I'm perfectly formed or stained lightly,
I am created very beautifully
An becoming who I'm meant to be.
No shadow can ever cloud my goodness.
No one's light can dispel my spark.
I am beauty. Ia m hope. I am light.
And that's who I'm called to be.
As I unfold with grace and integrity to the light
Of the full moon reflecting on me,
I discover there's a piece of light in all of us.
It may be hidden or sheltered for a short while.
But I have with me the power to illumine the dark
That's when I know I am who I'm called to be.
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From Our Friends in the NC Region
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3/27 & 3/29
Coltsville in Context: A Revolving Story.
Good Shepherd, Hartford lives with an interesting and challenging paradox. We are a Christian congregation in a community beset with gun violence and our church was built with wealth from the manufacture of guns used for war and the extermination of Native Americans. The connection cannot be ignored; it is carved into the walls of our building. We are challenged to ”make our peace” and to find ways to turn these particular swords into plowshares. The impending Coltsville National Historical Park will shine a spotlight on this challenge, and we welcome the attention of scholars who will help to explicate it. There are two opportunities for the public to engage in this important conversation.
A Public Session with Scholars on 3/27 at Good Shepherd
(155 Wyllys Street) and a
Public Plenary on 3/29 at Center Church
(60 Gold Street, Hartford). Click either link for more information.
Information taken from the NC Region Current Events eNews
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Good Friday Opportunity For Children: St. Peter's, Hebron
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St. Peter's church is hosting an ecumenical Good Friday service and program designed specifically for families and children. Details can be found on the flyer or on the ECCT calendar
HERE.
If you have children, or grandchildren, or know children that would enjoy this time, I encourage you to RSVP by calling 860-228-3244.
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MARCH:
3/23 - St. Peter's, Hebron: Polish Community Dinner, 4:30PM
3/23 - Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford: Cuatro Puntos Concert: The Curve with Iraqi musician/composer Ameen Mokdad, 7PM
3/30 - Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford: Faith Behind Bars & Beyond Forum - "Incarceration Imprisons the Whole Family", 8AM -
click here to register
3/31 - Women's Ministry Network presents "Telling Truth & Listening Deep: Storytelling as a Spiritual Practice", Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, 2PM -
click here to register
APRIL:
4/4 - St. John's, Vernon & Interreligious Eco-Justice Network present "Green Forum on Plastic Pollution", 6PM -
click here to register
4/5 - Grace, Stafford Springs: Men's Breakfast - Open to all men in the NE Region - Vernon Diner, 6AM
4/10 - St. John's, Vernon: Brotherhood of St. Andrew Chapter Meeting, 7PM
4/11 - Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford: Cuatro Puntos Concert - Sounds of Persian with Iranian santur master Dariush Saghafi and composer Reza Vali, 7PM
4/12 - NE Region Leadership Team Meeting - St. John's, Vernon, 6PM
4/16 - Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford: Clergy Renewal of Vows, 9AM
4/28 - Trinity, Brooklyn: Healing Service, 2PM
MAY:
5/3 - Grace, Stafford Springs: Men's Breakfast - Open to all men in the NE Region - Vernon Diner, 6AM
5/3 - NE Region Leadership Team Meeting - St. Peter's, South Windsor, 6PM
5/7 - NE Region Confirmation - St. John's, Vernon, 7PM
5/8 - St. John's, Vernon: Brotherhood of St. Andrew Chapter Meeting, 7PM
5/11 - "What it means to be church in Make America Great Again Times" - Christ Church, Hartford -
Click here to register
5/18 - St. Mary's, Manchester: 20th Anniversary of the Richard J. McElreavy Concert Series featuring pianist Paul Bisaccia, 7PM
5/19 - ECCT Celebrates 50th (or more) Wedding Annversaries! Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, 3PM -
click here for details
5/26 - Trinity, Brooklyn: Healing Service, 2PM
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STAY CONNECTED WITH NE REGION
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You can reach Maggie Breen, NE Region Missionary, the following ways:
MAIL:
Maggie Breen, NE Region Missionary, St. John's Episcopal Church, 523 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon, CT 06066
PHONE: 860-214-0085
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Cappuccino says you should tell all your friends to sign up for this very informative newsletter! And be sure to reach out and say hi to your NE Region Missionary, Maggie. Cappuccino gets a cookie every time you do! :)
Photo by: Karin Hamilton
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