NORTHEAST REGION MISSIVE

Weekly Check-In:
18 July 2020
You can find the most recent COVID-19 update from our Bishops HERE (plus, earlier letters if you are curious!)
A Word of Encouragment from your NE Region Missionary
Hello dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I've been thinking about the upcoming lectionary selections for Sunday a lot this week, and not just because I'll be preaching! If your parish is following Track 1 during Ordinary Time this year, then the Hebrew Bible reading we will explore is taken from Genesis and tells of Jacob's astonishment that God is in this new place that he finds himself in. Our Gospel lesson for Sunday is another parable from Matthew - this one about the good wheat and bad weeds.

In these two readings, what came to my mind was the lovely way in which God is patient with us. In the parable of the wheat and weeds, the landowner tells the laborers not to pull up the weeds for fear that the wheat will be destroyed in the process. The landowner knows that it will be easiest to discern what is wheat (thus what needs to be harvested) and what is weed (thus what needs to be destroyed) once the harvest is ready. Prematurely destroying what might be perceived as weed means that we might destroy either something that is good or something that might become good. But I don't like this binary of good and bad, and I don't think that God is talking about good and bad. I think this story shows how patiently God waits for us to grow up and be ready to taken on the work of Building the Kingdom. Only God knows what we will truly become, and I find it comforting that God has patience with me while I live into becoming what God has hoped for me.

Meanwhile, Jacob is having his own experience of God this week and we are invited to experience it with him. Jacob sets off for a journey, arrives in a new place, gets a little sleepy, and takes a nap. While he is sleeping, God shows up in an incredible dream, affirming that Jacob is on the right path. Jacob wakes up and declares "Surely the Lord is in this place - and I did not know it!" (Genesis 28:16, NRSV) Does this sound familiar? For Jacob, God showed up in a place that was unexpected. This was not the familiar place Jacob was used to encountering God. Perhaps this is where we find ourselves just now: in the middle of a long journey (COVID), exhausted by the news and the isolation. Maybe it's time to take a nap and see if we dream with God. Maybe when we wake up we can look around and say - God is in this place, too! This place that is uncomfortable, and hard, and lonely, and foreign.

God is in every place. Even the Psalm for Sunday supports that, asking where can we go to flee from the presence of God? If we can live into the knowledge that God is in every place, how does that inform our actions? Or words? Our behaviors? Not because we are worried that we are being "watched" and "evaluated", but instead because God is loving and patiently waiting for us to do all those things that will contribute to bringing the Kingdom here.

In the here and now, how are we to know what is wheat and what is weed? How are we to connect to God when our familiar ways are unavailable to us? How are we to interact with the world around us, when the world feels like it is burning? God is patient with us. We must be patient with ourselves, knowing that sometimes we mess up or say the wrong things. And all the while, we are charged with bringing the Kingdom closer. If we are to abide in Christ, then we are signing on for a lifetime of serving others as if they, too, are beloved creations of God. Because every single thing that God has created is beloved. Who are we to say what is wheat and what is weed?

Surely God is in this place too, and we did not know it. Amen.

Photo by Maggie Breen
Info You Might Find Useful
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:

  • The July ECCT Faithful Futures was on Racial Justice in CT: Police Accountability, Legislative Advocacy, and the Role of the Church. It was a great Faithful Futures, and you can watch it HERE.

  • A resource brought to our attention by the Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation Ministry Network comes THIS VIDEO - a one minute long and very thought provoking question from Jane Elliot, an educator, produced in 2016.

  • Here is an article from USA Today showing racial disparities across a variety of "groups" (i.e. income, education, health care, etc) also brought to us by the Racial Justice, Healing, and Reconciliation Ministry Network.

  • The Episcopal Church put THIS VIDEO together about an intentional community in Liverpool, England, working on "go", part of the Way of Love, working towards changing the Triangle of Despair into a Triangle of Hope.

  • An article, brought to us from the RHJR MN, from the Huffington Post that is a personal testamony written by a black man for a white audience about his encounters with police.

  • HERE is a 18 minute TedTalk about deconstructing racism by Baratunde Thurston. It is funny and tells the truth; it's about family, growing up, and the realities of being black in America. Many thanks to the RHJR MN for gathering up resources for us to share.
Social Isolation: Staying Connected & Having Fun
This is the space of possibility! A space where we have time to explore what we are curious about. A space where we can figure out how to find joy when we must be apart.

So..........here are some things I've found interesting in the past week: music, projects, art, articles, etc. May they be of service to us so that we can be in service to others.

  • One of my favorite icon writers is Janet McKenzie. You can check out her icons HERE. What do you feel when you look at these?

  • Are you into nature? Do you have small people that need something to do this summer? Do you enjoy the water? If you answered YES to any of these questions the Connectict River Conservancy wants you to volunteer to help clean up CT waterways. HERE is a page full of inforamtion about how and where you can help!

  • Watch the Westminster Community Gospel Choir sing I SMILE. A beautiful tribute to those that have been lost recently, and especially to those taken from us because COVID-19.

  • Our creativity can be, and often is, used for good. Check out The Violet Protest and see if there might be any opportunity for you to engage in a friendly protest through crafting.

  • Would it even be a proper weekly Missive if I didn't include a little ukulele? HERE is a great cover of I Can't Help Falling In Love With You, originally by Elvis and performed in this cover by Cynthia Lin. This is one of my favorite tunes to play.
Open Office Hours w/Jasree & Alli
Do you have specific questions about websites or social media or equipment? Is zoom driving you nuts or FB live being finicky? Come to the ECCT Digital Office Hours on Thursday afternoons at 1pm with Jasree & Alli - they will be happy to help answer your questions!

Registration required - click here
Help Your Region Missionary Help You:
Friends - I have created a VERY EASY and QUICK survey that will help me to better help you! Would you mind filling it out?

I hope to use this information to form future activities when I do parish visitations!

Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash
Resources & Important Information:
  • Governor Lamont issued a press release stating FREE infared thermometers for houses of worship. CLICK HERE to read the release and apply for yours!


  • If you are looking for resources to egnage in work around Racial Healing, Justice & Reconciliation but can't find what you need, consider THIS FORM to help ECCT curate resources that fit your needs!

  • Are you signed up for the ECCT eNews? CLICK HERE to get it delivered to your inbox!
Save The Date: Upcoming Events
Conversations on Convention
Please join South Central Region Missionary George Black and Secretary of Convention Adam Yates for a conversation about where we see God working in our Diocese, and where we want to see the move of The Spirit. This is a conversation specifically for Black, Indigenous and People of Color in the Diocese of Connecticut to voice their hopes and concerns, and to share those hopes and concerns by submitting questions to this year's Convention.
 
If you have any questions, please reach out to George or Adam at  [email protected]  and  [email protected] .


Please share this invitation widely with BIPOC Episcopalians you know within the Episcopal Church in Connecticut!
NE Region Warden Gathering
Our next NE Region Warden Gathering will be Tuesday, 4 August, at 7pm. Email Maggie for the zoom information if you are a warden and want to attend.
Food Insecurity Call
Join Rev. Jane Hale and Maggie Breen for another call about food insecurity in the NE Region. We've been discussing what programs/services we are involved in and digging deeper into more systematic reasons for hunger.

We welcome you to our next call on Tuesday, 18 August, at 6PM via zoom.

Lay Preaching Class 2020
The NE Region will be hosting another Lay Preaching Class, running on Thursday evenings beginning September 24 thru October 29. Participation in this class is contingent on getting consent from your priest/warden. Questions, or ready to sign up, please contact Maggie at [email protected] or 203-639-3501 x154
Convention Is Coming
Join ECCT for our annual convention, which will be totally on-line this year. Dates and information can be found  HERE. The full Call to Convention letter can be found HERE, with lots of detailed information.

*totally free to attend if you are a non-voting member and only $15 if you are a voting member!
You can reach Maggie Breen, NE Region Missionary, the following ways:
PHONE: 203-639-3501 x154