News & Updates | March 13, 2024 | www.dioala.org

“I have this great memory of working with your son at a youth retreat. We had a small group of young people who were misbehaving and they had become the main topic at one of our staff meetings. Numerous staff members were referring to these youth as the ‘bad kids’ and at one point your son spoke up and said, ‘How about we not call some of the participants bad and others good? How about we see them all as good and a few are making not the greatest choices?’”

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The Episcopal Church of St. Francis of Assisi

LISTENING AT THE CROSS:

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2024 – 7:00 PM

3545 Cahaba Valley Road

Indian Springs, AL 35124 www.saintfrancisindiansprings.org

“What Does Contemplative Spirituality Offer the 21st Century?”

Father Adam Bucko, Presenter 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Birmingham, AL

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

This conference features Father Adam Bucko, sponsored by Contemplative Outreach Birmingham, the Commission on Spirituality of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, and Metagem Institute.

Father Bucko serves at the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, New York, where he is a developer and director of the Center for Spiritual Imagination. He is a member of "The Community of the Incarnation," a new monastic community dedicated to democratizing the gifts of monastic spirituality. Their focus is on teaching contemplative spirituality in the context of responding to the needs of the poor and the environment.

Follow for information for this event and for registration

Real-World Dementia Care with Dr. Natali Edmonds

Vestavia Hills Methodist Church 

2061 Kentucky Ave, Birmingham, AL 35216

Tuesday, March 19 • 10:30-1:30pm

Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board-certified Geropsychologist and founder of Dementia Careblazers, is dedicated to improving the dementia caregiving journey. Her work emphasizes supporting both individuals with dementia and their caregivers, recognizing the caregiver's crucial role in creating a dementia-friendly society. This community event, hosted by Founders Place Respite at Saint Luke’s in Birmingham, is for family and paid caregivers, as well as anyone seeking to understand best practices for interacting with persons with dementia. CEUs are available. RSVP soon, as space is limited.

Click here to register

Stations of the Cross: Seeking the Suffering Jesus on the Streets of Birmingham

Good Friday, March 29

 Pilgrimage Begins at Noon in Linn Park

Ending at Kelly Ingram Park

Join us for a unique spiritual experience this Good Friday as we embark on a pilgrimage through the heart of Birmingham, seeking the suffering Jesus in the faces of those around us. The journey will begin at noon in Linn Park and will conclude at Kelly Ingram Park.

Wear comfortable walking shoes, as the pilgrimage will cover approximately 15 blocks and last about 90 minutes. Along the way, we will pause at various "stations" to reflect on the Passion of Christ and the challenges faced by our community today.

Sponsored by Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, Greater Birmingham Ministries, and The Episcopal Diocese of Alabama.

For more information:

Mark LaGory - [email protected]

Breanna Mitchell - [email protected]

A SERVICE OF 

LESSONS AND SPIRITUALS

for Good Friday

March 29, 2024 – 3PM

EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD 

493 S. Jackson Street, Montgomery, AL 36104

~~~~~YOU ARE WELCOME~~~~~

For more information, visit our Facebook page: 

Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd

Parish-Based Outreach Grants

Parish-Based Outreach Grants, offered by the Department of Mission and Outreach, enable parishes in the Diocese of Alabama to engage in new and creative ways of being Christ's hands and feet in the world. Parishes are invited to apply for new outreach programs, new projects within an existing program, or a new cost associated with an existing program. Grant applications are open now through March 31, 2024.

ONE DIOCESE ONE BOOK - A Diocesan-wide Lenten Study

The purpose of the Lenten study is twofold: 

• to offer individuals and parishes a reflective journey to increase awareness of the need for racial healing in ourselves, our churches, communities, and country; and,
• to encourage conversation within churches and throughout the Diocese about our shared stories of race and faith and offer practical ways to seek racial healing and justice.

The Book: THE NIGHT IS LONG BUT LIGHT COMES IN THE MORNING, by Dr. Catherine Meeks, executive director of the Absalom Jones Center in Atlanta, (centerforracialhealing.org) 

When: Ash Wednesday (February 14) – Holy Week Wednesday (March 27)

How to participate:

• In your local church – contact your priest or education director for group discussion opportunities
• Diocesan discussion groups on Zoom 
• Individual study 

For More Information

• Contact Breanna Mitchell, Missioner for Racial Healing and Pilgrimage, [email protected], (205) 358-9230.

The Cathedral Church of the Advent will host its annual Lenten Preaching Series and Lunches

Beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 14, through Maundy Thursday, March 28. 

During Lent, preachers from across the country and local speakers will visit the Advent to preach every weekday. Services start at 12:05 p.m. and last about 25 minutes, with livestream and audio recordings available on the church’s website.

After the services, attendees can enjoy lunch. A full-service lunch is served from 12:05-1:00 p.m., and the Express Line opens at 12:30 p.m. for a quick sandwich or salad. The menu includes a variety of soups, sandwiches, tomato aspic, bing cherry salad, and assorted desserts. The full slate of hot entrees, such as shrimp and chicken tetrazzini, will return after a hiatus. Additionally, a new to-go line will be available for attendees to pick up their favorite daily special or other menu item and return to work.

All proceeds benefit Bridge Ministries, which provides direct emergency assistance to individuals and families in the greater Birmingham area.

All are warmly invited to be spiritually and physically fed at the Advent this Lenten season. For more information, visit AdventBirmingham.org/Lent.

Riverside McCalla is a new Episcopal community which is starting worship on April 7th at 10am at McAdory Middle School in McCalla. The Bishop's Committee (the leadership team for a new church) needs help gathering supplies! CLICK HERE to see what is needed.

Contact Emily Evans with any questions: [email protected]

The Diocesan Youth Department’s Spring Conference Camp McDowell April 5-7

Join us for The Diocesan Youth Department’s Spring Conference, "Sensing the Spirit," at Camp McDowell from April 5-7. This event, open to all youth grades 9-12, offers a blend of program activities, camp fun, and a meaningful outreach project to help build a Sensory Garden. Led by Rev. Callie Plunket-Brewton from Trinity Florence, participants will enjoy a weekend of rest, play, and worship. Don’t miss this opportunity for a springtime gathering reminiscent of Christmas Conference!

Cost is $150/person and financial assistance is available. To register, click HERE. 

For questions or for more information, please contact YD Advisor and Spring Conference Registrar AG Passey at [email protected]. 

Grateful Dead Eucharist

April 10 at 5:30 PM

The Venue in Tuscaloosa

Join Christ Episcopal Church in Tuscaloosa and the surrounding community at The Venue in April 10 at 5:30 PM for a Grateful Dead Band Music-Inspired Eucharist! This special event will include music from All Saints in Birmingham's very own Danny Whitsett and friends. The night's worship will be a tribute to the music of the Grateful Dead band as well as an opportunity for evangelism. All are welcome! 

For more information on the event, please contact Kathleen Franklin at [email protected].

Registration is now open for Mother Daughter Retreat at Camp McDowell April 12-14! The event is open to all ages and combinations of mothers, daughters, grandmothers, sisters, nieces, and mother-like figures. Campers will stay in lower camp and enjoy camp classics such as hiking, canoeing, arts & crafts, and more. The program theme will be "Lift Up Your Hearts" led by the Rev. Sarah Smith Halloran. 

Register here

All Sr. Wardens, Treasurers and Vestry members are welcomed and encouraged to attend the Vestry Training Event hosted by Bishop Curry on April 13th at Church of the Ascension in Vestavia from 9am to Noon. This event will include teaching and conversation on leadership, parish growth, strategic planning, stewardship and best practices of parish governance. Facilitators will include Bishop Curry, Dara Miller (Director of Finance), Geoff Evans (Canon to the Ordinary) and Claire Cotton (Director of Development). Follow THIS LINK to register.

Inaugural Diocesan LGBTQ+ Retreat @ Camp McDowell

April 26-28, 2024

LGBTQ+ Episcopalians AND non-Episcopalians alike are invited to gather for a weekend of fellowship, fun, and faith at Wonderful, Wonderful Camp McDowell. Throughout the weekend we will have time to get to know each other, take part in campy activities (hiking, canoeing, etc.), learn a craft (pottery, painting, storytelling), and explore how our faith and queer experience are interconnected. What does it mean to come out as queer in a Christian community? What does it mean to come out as Christian in a queer community? This retreat is a time to forge new friendships, learn about ourselves, and experience the grace and love of Jesus in a sacred and healing place. Register HERE by April 12. Questions? Contact Jenny Snowden at [email protected]. 

WORK CREW NEEDED at CAMP McDOWELL

Camp McDowell is hosting 2 work weekends in 2024: 

May 3-5 and November 8-10. 

Come solo or bring the whole family! There will be no charge for lodging and meals for volunteers. We will have options to come earlier in the week if desired. 

We are looking for all levels of skill and talents! Please give us more details in the sign-up form. 

Our needs range from trail maintenance, construction, running machinery, landscaping, building repair, space clean out and organization, roadside clean up, and more! 

Click HERE to sign up now. If you sign up before February 29th, you will receive a free Camp t-shirt. 

House of Deputies Necrology

It is the custom of the House of Deputies to pray for deputies to General Conventions who have died during the previous triennium or who have not been memorialized at a previous convention. 

As deputies meet and prepare to convene in Louisville, we are asking your assistance in compiling this memorial list. Please consult with senior deputies, former deputies, and others (such as secretaries of diocesan convention or your diocesan historiographer/archivist), determine who from your diocese should be included, and to send me the following information: 

• Deputy’s Name and Order of Ministry 
• Diocese 
• The General Convention(s) at which he/she served as deputy (an approximation is acceptable) 

Please send information to The Rev. Seth Olson at  [email protected]. He will be accepting names by e-mail before the General Convention in Louisville.

Thank you for helping the house honor its deceased members.

ECW Scholarships are available for students who will be entering college or are currently attending college. Information regarding the application process along with applications are now available on the Alabama ECW website at alabamaecw.org and are due by April 30th. Questions, please contact the Diocesan ECW Scholarship Chair Kathleen Franklin at [email protected] or (205) 370-7055.

Common Ground - St. Paul’s Episcopal, Selma, Alabama

223 Lauderdale Street

Selma, Alabama 36701

Common Ground, the newly renovated space known to most as the Gamble House, is owned and operated by St. Paul’s, Selma. The mission of Common Ground is to serve as a comfortable, affordable, and safe home away from home for those traveling through Selma to contribute to, love on, and learn about our beloved city. For information about staying at Common Ground please contact [email protected], 334-874-8421.

Common Ground Details

The Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles seeks a part-time worker for our Little Apostles Infant Care Ministry. View the job description here.

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