Weekly Check-In 07/25/2020
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North Central Region
Weekly Check-In
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Letter from your Region Missionary
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Dear Friends in Christ,
These past few weeks I have spent a lot of time in my garden. Now is the time of year when things start to get really exciting in there. Every morning I awaken to discover the gift of a new cucumber, squash or ever ripening tomato. When the day gets to be a bit too much, and Zoom meetings become stacked, I take little walks around the garden and remind myself that God is still present, helping us to stretch and grow. If God helps my string beans grow, how much more will God help me?
This week I was particularly awe struck by my blueberry bushes. One of the bushes came with the house, and is at least four years old. When we moved in it was the only bush we had, and it had only a few berries here and there. The next year there were more, but the harvest was far from impressive. I remembered from my parents garden that blueberry bushes need friends, and I immediately went out and bought three other bushes. Fast forward two years and our blueberry bush is bent over sideways,
full
of berries.
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The Rev. Erin Flinn
NC Region Missionary
Mobile: 860-966-3742
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For you see, blueberry bushes can produce fruit all by themselves, but they are far more abundant when they have company. If you'll forgive the sappy agrarian metaphor -- that's what the region is all about. We can bear good fruit all on our own --but how much more good fruit can we bear together?!
As we turn to the fall and continue to imagine new forms of worship, formation, and service -- I pray we look to each other for support and collaboration. I pray we worship together online with neighboring parishes. I pray we think of ways to serve God together, helping to alleviate hunger and homelessness by connecting our resources and needs in new ways. And I pray that we find ways to work together as we strive to be an anti-racist church that seeks transformation and justice.
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In the spirit of encouraging connection and collaboration
-- Starting in September the newsletter will shift back to being a bit more story focused and region centered. In the beginning of COVID-19 it was important to get up-to-date info and resources out quickly from the diocese and the state. The pace of information has slowed slightly, so we are going to try returning to a monthly format to allow more space for making connections and collecting stories.
If there is something that is particularly useful to have in the newsletter,
please reach out
. Your feedback is important and helpful.
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North Central Region Resources
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The next NC Region Newsletter will be published the week of August 17.
If you have opportunities to share before then,
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08/01 Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation Virtual Gathering from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. All members of our Ministry Network and others who share our passion for this work of anti-racism are invited to join us. We’ll spend time together in prayer, sharing our stories and celebrating our progress. Together, we’ll also finalize our goals and plans for the remainder of 2020. We’ll also talk about some of the resources that are available for parishes and discuss our upcoming events.
Register here
. Want to receive resources from RHJR? Please send an email to
[email protected].
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RHJR Speakers Bureau is a sub-sect of the Racial Healing, Justice and Reconciliation Ministry Network focused on beginning conversations with parishes about racism, and how to become an anti-racist church. The Rev. Don Hamer, convener of the RHJR Speakers Bureau, is willing to help any interested parish connect with a trained preacher and facilitator for a Sunday visit or series of visits. If your parish is interested in starting a conversation around racism and anti-Blackness, but don't know where to start, please reach out to Don at
[email protected].
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07/28-07/30 Becoming Beloved Community NOW
- Racial justice and healing leaders and practitioners across The Episcopal Church will gather to build community, craft strategy and equip each other for action during a series of “Becoming Beloved
Community
NOW” online gatherings at 4:00-6:00 p.m. EST on July 28-30.
Learn more & register here.
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Looking for More
RACIAL JUSTICE RESOURCES?
• Every week new resources are being shared in the ECCT Weekly eNewsletter
• JOIN the Racial Healing Justice and Reconciliation Ministry Network
Here.
To receive valuable resources from RHJR in your inbox, send an email to
[email protected].
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If you are engaging in the work of Racial Healing, Reconciliation & Justice in your communities or parish, and are willing to open those opportunities to others in the Region please email
Erin Flinn
so they can be included in our region newsletters.
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Resources for Getting Outside
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Come save some trees and/or pick up litter at one of our favorite state parks. Our fall invasive plant cleanups will be held on Saturday, Sept. 26, 9:00-12:00 noon (raindate October 3 ) and Saturday, Oct. 10 (raindate 17) at
Haddam Meadows State Park
. The September event will be held in conjunction with the CT River Conservancy’s Source to Sea annual cleanup. Social distancing practices will be upheld and registration is required. For more info and to sign up, email Cherry Czuba at
[email protected]
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Harvest Season has Begun. Many of Connecticut's farmers markets are now open and practicing social distancing. Farmers markets are a great way to support local businesses, and get some much needed outside time. SNAP is accepted at many of the markets. For more info on your local market visit the
CT Department of Agriculture website. There you will find a link to an up-to-date excel doc with hours of operation and websites with more info. When at markets please wear masks and practice social distancing.
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Priscilla Hooper reads a children's book online every week
.
This week's book is “In God’s Name,” by Sandy Eisenburg Sasso, illustrated by Phoebe Stone. This poetic book with vibrant illustrations poses the question, “Everyone and everything in the world has a name. What is God’s name?”
Watch here
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New Each Week
. The
Rev. Margie Baker, is making videos for Children’s Chapel. You can find
them
on
YouTube each Sunday
.
And congratulations to Margie and the St. John's community. St. John's VBS was featured this month on
Building Faith. Check it out
here.
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07/28 Parenting in the Wilderness: A Sacred Space for Connection & Fun at 9 am, Noon or 8:30 pm on the
2nd & 4th Thursdays of the month. ECCT invites you into a sacred space of compassion and grace, hoping to provide some support and fellowship to those of us struggling to make it all work, as we care for children. We hope to have a little fun together, too.
Join the Zoom conversations here! Please be sure your Zoom “square” displays your name & your parish affiliation, so that we can safely be in conversation.
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YOU CAN STILL SIGN UP FOR CAMP!
Come join some of your 2020 camp staff and chaplains for fun camp activities, Wake Up, Shake Up, and Compline during the weeks of July 20 to August 6. We even have a few special guests creating some fun activity videos that the entire family can do! You can register online and pick the weeks you and your campers want to participate!
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Region Resource Reminders
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- Looking for a place to try online worship? For an ongoing list of ECCT Parishes hosting livestream services click here
- Governor Lamont issued a press release stating FREE infrared thermometers for houses of worship. CLICK HERE to read the release and apply for yours!
- 2-1-1 is a one-stop connection to the local services folks in your community may need, from utility assistance, food, housing, child care, after school programs, elder care, crisis intervention and much more. For more info click here.
- 3-1-1 It is similar to 2-1-1 but region specific to the city of Hartford. More info here. If you need a ride to get tested for Covid-19 and you live in Hartford, you can call 3-1-1 for a free ride to your testing appt. For ride info in English & Spanish. ** Please note, you can’t reach 311 by dialing that number on a mobile phone. You need to dial 860-757-9311**
- Foodshare - (Serving Hartford & Tolland Counties) visit www.foodshare.org/coronavirus to learn more about locations or to donate. People who are in need of food can text FOODSHARE to 85511 to identify locations where food is being distributed near them.
- CT Food Bank - (Serving Middlesex County and 5 others) visit ctfoodbank.org to learn more about locations or to donate.
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REMINDER: ECCT Annual Convention
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As a part of our ongoing effort to broaden the work of Convention to include conversation and collaborative decision making, we
made a change to our process two years ago to give over time at Convention to a “world café” process, with each café being focused on a single question.
Any Episcopalian in Connecticut can submit a single question
for consideration at one of the three “world café” sessions that will take place.
Learn more & submit a question here
.
The deadline has been extended to JULY 30
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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW DEACONS!
Saturday, July 18 six people were ordained to
the Sacred Order of Deacon
s
at The Commons:
The Rev. Kathryn Elizabeth McKey-Dunar
The Rev. Stephen Raymond Nagy
The Rev. Shancia Ralna Jarrett
The Rev. Timothy Robert O'Leary
The Rev. Helena Elizabeth Lovier Martin
The Rev. Matthew William Handi
May God's blessings be upon them and their new ministry.
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The ECCT Young Adult Task Force has good news! At our last meeting we decided on one clear and simple course of action: focus our energies on creating a video, to be presented at Convention, that gives voice to the stories, perspectives, and ideas of young adult Episcopalians in Connecticut.
If you are a young adult Episcopalian in CT, we invite you to share your story! Contact Erendira Jimenez
[email protected] or John Kennedy
[email protected].
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Lots of Opportunities to Connect with Camp, including online opportunities making Camp closer than ever.
- Participate in Second Sunday Worship online
- Join in the Bishops' Book Discussion
- Schedule an outdoor worship at Camp for your parish community
- Make reservation to stay at one of the cabins or cottages for a night - for a mini summer get away.
- Support their vital food ministry
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Communications for the North Central Region
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Join the
NC Region Facebook Group
, a community bulletin board for the region. This is your place to share parish/community events, photos, videos and more.
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Like and follow the
NC Region Facebook Page
. This is where the Leadership Team will post news of upcoming Region events, gatherings, conversations, resources, etc.
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If you want to know what your Region Missionary is up to, follow her
Facebook Page
.
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