News & Updates | November 22, 2023 | www.dioala.org

Dear Friends:

As we gather this week for Thanksgiving, we are on the eve of the last Sunday of our church year, something called the feast of Christ the King. This particular feast was established by pope Pius XI in 1925 just after the world had been ravaged by WWI and the Spanish Flu pandemic. Hitler had just published Mein Kampf and his political party was getting stronger. Mussolini became a dictator. Scopes was arrested for teaching Darwin’s theory of Evolution in Tennessee. As many as 40,000 KKK members marched in Washington. The Klan had 5 million members, making it the largest fraternal organization in the U.S. 

Planting a new Episcopal

church in McCalla

By Rev. Geoff Evans

If you have driven from Hoover toward Tuscaloosa recently then you have likely noticed a large new building being constructed just south of the Interstate. This is the Medical West Hospital. a new 200-bed facility that is part of the UAB Health System. The area around the hospital is developing rapidly with new homes being built in nearly all directions. Earlier this year Bishop Curry noticed this development and said to several of us “Why don’t we plant a church in McCalla?”

The 193rd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama will be held in Montgomery, Alabama, on Feb. 8-10, 2024. The meeting will be held at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Montgomery. The tentative schedule includes an optional visit to the EJI museum and Memorial on Thursday morning, followed by convention registration at the Renaisance from 3-6:00 pm. Convention will conclude at approximately noon on Saturday, Feb. 10.

Certification letters have been mailed and emailed to all parishes the week of November 13. Access the online certification form here. Registration and housing links for certified delegates will be available beginning November 27.

Click here for Preliminary Schedule and FAQs.

For questions regarding convention, email diocesanconvention@dioala.org or leave a voicemail at 205.358.9227.

From now until December 31st, the Thomas E. Jernigan Foundation is matching every gift to Sawyerville, dollar-for-dollar, up to $20,000 as a part of our Season of Sharing matching campaign!

We have a chance to raise $40,000 by the end of the year to support all of Sawyerville's programs: Summer Camp, Summer Learning, JumpStart, Mentoring, Person2Person, and Scholarships.

Throughout the coming weeks, we will highlight various types of sharing, beginning with 'Sawyerville alumni' sharing their testimonies and reflections on their time at Sawyerville. Stay tuned for more from our Season of Sharing. Until then, click here to become a fundraiser and/or give to see your generosity doubled!

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

St. Joseph's, Mentone is seeking a pianist to play on Sunday morning, and occasionally for other services. Please email office@stjom.church or 256-634-4476 for more information.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Huntsville is seeking an organist. View the job description here.

Nativity, Huntsville is seeking a full-time Director of Christian Formation. You can find more information here.

USE LINKTREE TO FIND US EVERYWHERE!