News from Province V

October 2025



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Highlights:

  • Opening Prayer
  • Hope and Healing Event
  • Trafficking: Faithful Response and Support
  • Big Provincial Gathering 2026
  • Leadership Coaching Project
  • Immigration Enforcement Hits Home
  • Women Clergy Retreat
  • The Episcopal Project
  • Roots & Wings Fellowship
  • Northern Michigan Visitor's Weekend
  • Episcopal Podcasts
  • Creation Care Compline
  • ERD: Working Together Toolkits
  • Book Corner
  • Advent Resources
  • Immigration Update Calls
  • "Sanctuary" Event
  • The Episcopal Coalition
  • Facing the Shadow Event
  • Faith Formation in 2025 & Beyond
  • Using Picture Books for Racial Healing
  • Public Affairs Updates
  • Sugarcane
  • GPS for Leadership
  • Gun Violence Prevention
  • Waycross Events
  • St. Gregory's Vocation Program
  • Networking Conversations
  • Affiliated Organizations
  • Upcoming Events and Webinars

Opening Prayer


God of love and compassion: may we always recognize your spirit:

  • in the refugee family, seeking safety from violence;
  • in the migrant worker, bringing food to our tables;
  • in the asylum-seekers, seeking justice for their families;
  • in the unaccompanied child, traveling in a dangerous world.

Give us hearts that break open whenever our brothers and sisters turn to us.

Give us hearts that no longer turn deaf to their voices in times of need;

Give us eyes to recognize a moment for grace instead of a threat.

Give us voices that fail to remain silent but which decide instead to advocate prophetically.

Give us hands that reach out in welcome, but also in work, for a world of justice until all homelands are safe and secure.

Bless us, O Lord...


- Fr. Dan Hartnett S.J.


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Featured Articles and Events

Hope and Healing:

Engaging Indigenous Cosmologies and the Gospel in Action

On-site and On-line options

Friday, October 17

Terrace Bay Hotel, 7146 P Rd, Gladstone, Michigan


Join Sarah Augustine and Sheri Hostetler, co-founders of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery and authors of So We and Our Children May Live: Following Jesus in Confronting the Climate Crisis for a day-long, participatory workshop.


This experience will guide you in embodying the dismantlement of the Doctrine of Discovery through hopeful and creative practice. We will engage with both the Gospel and Indigenous cosmologies, working in community towards restoration and healing.


Hosted by Episcopal Divinity School, the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan, and Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, this workshop is part of diocesan convention and also open to the public.


Learn more & register


LAST CHANCE!

Only 3 more opportunities to take this training!

Join this online course to learn how to recognize human trafficking and support those reentering our community after human exploitation.  This 90 minute course will introduce participants to the basics of trafficking, how to respond when trafficking is suspected, and how their community can help those on their journey from surviving to thriving.


Choose any of the following dates to participate in this course:

Tuesday, October 7, 7:30-9 pm ET / 6:30- 8 pm CT.  Registration

Mon, Oct 20, 7-8:30 pm ET / 6-7:30 pm CT.  Registration

Thurs, Nov 6, 7-8:30 pm ET / 6-7:30 pm CT.  Registration


Visit this page to learn more.

Big Provincial Gathering 2026

July 31 - August 1, 2026

Host: St. Luke's, Kalamazoo, Michigan


Province V will be hosting the fourth Big Provincial Gathering in the summer of 2026. Planning is underway. There will be information about leading workshops, participating in pre-event trainings, sponsorship, and exhibitors. If you're curious about any of those, please contact Heather. Additional information will be shared in upcoming newsletters and on this website!


Workshops!!!

There will be an official call for workshops coming later this year, and we know that everyone loves to offer and attend them. Workshops will be focused on intergenerational experiences, so if you're thinking about offering one, think about how youth and even children might be able to participate in your workshop.


Provincial Youth Event

There will be a Provincial Youth Event offered as part of this event. There will be some time that youth will have dedicated programming and then time that all are gathered together.

Leadership Coaching Project


The opportunity to sit with someone, and have that person really listen can be life changing for our lives. Coaching is the way that you can make small, steady steps to get the lasting change for your life or your work.


Interested in being a coach? Be trained and join the LCP cohort.

Apply for the cohort: LCP cohort

Full details and registration for the training: CAST Fall 2025 Signup.


Coaching is a dialogue between a coach and an individual, group, or team to find creative ways to solve challenging problems or improve team performance on key initiatives.


​The coach's role is to draw out expertise through inquiry, curiosity, and challenges so that clients can stretch into their best selves.


Lay leaders, deacons, priests, and bishops are all invited to consider coaching. The focus on coaching will always be generated by the coachee; the coach is a partner who listens deeply and asks powerful questions to help the coachee set attainable and timely goals. Learn More and Book a Coach.

Immigration Enforcement Hits Home

ICE Arrests and Detains Two Members of Episcopal Congregations – Province V Responds

  • Jack Lloyd, Co-Convener, Province V Migration Ministry Network


During September, two members of Episcopal churches in the Diocese of Chicago were arrested and incarcerated by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They are among more than 500 people arrested so far in the government’s increasingly aggressive campaign of immigration enforcement in Province V’s largest city, where hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants make their homes.


Both of the affected churches are currently going all-out to help their beloved members, with assistance from the Diocese and from Province V. One of the church members is incarcerated at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin Michigan while the other, after a brief stay in Michigan, has been transferred to Fort Bliss Texas. 


“These immigrants are faithful and active members of our church communities - they are our neighbors and friends,” said Jack Lloyd, a member of the Chicago Diocese Sanctuary Committee and the Province V Migration Ministry Network. “We are doing all we can to help them, working hard to make sure they know they are part of a Beloved Community,” The two churches and their supporters are providing pastoral care, family communications, and legal support for both of the detainees. Province V, through the Migration Ministry Network, has also reacted quickly to provide pastoral care onsite and help organize a legal team for the person being held at North Lake.


These will almost certainly not be the last Episcopalians to be swept up by ICE. If you would like to help respond to this crisis, here are two things you can do: join the Migration Ministry Network and contribute to the Diocese of Chicago’s Asylum Seekers Emergency Fund, which is now largely focused on helping to fund legal expenses. 

 

Province V and VI Women Clergy Retreat

May 31–June 3, 2026

Location: St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt, Michigan (near Lansing)

 

Greetings Women Clergy in Provinces V and VI,

Planning has just gotten underway! Save the date, share the event with others, and watch for more information on this webpage. Registration will open on Feb 1, 2026.

The Episcopal Project: Preserving History

Hosted by Episcopal Parish Network

Oct 7, 2025 3 pm ET / 2 pm CT 


Every parish holds a treasure trove of history—stories, artifacts, and sacred spaces that shape the legacy of the Episcopal Church. Yet many of these invaluable records are at risk, threatened by cultural change, demographic shifts, or environmental pressures.


The Episcopal Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is dedicated to protecting this heritage before it disappears. From safeguarding archives to preserving sacred spaces, the Project partners with congregations to ensure their history remains alive for future generations.



More information and registration

Northern Michigan Visitors Weekend

Oct. 16–20, 2025

 

Visitors Weekend is a longstanding tradition in the Diocese of Northern Michigan

welcoming guests to immerse themselves in an ecclesiology of baptismal ministry. Come learn about Mutual Ministry and the ways we have been intentionally promoting the Ministry of All the Baptized for more than 30 years. 


A schedule, airport & lodging options, and Visitors Weekend registration form are available at upepiscopal.org. If you would like to attend, please register now! Financial Assistance for travel and lodging may be available, especially for students. Anyone interested should register and indicate that request, and we will follow up. Contact Steve Godfrey (sgodfrey@upepiscopal.org) or Rayford Ray (rayfordray@upepiscopal.org) at 906-228-7160 with any questions.

A growing list of podcasts provide resources for devotion and contemplation in the Episcopal tradition. Here are a few.

Camp Ahead

Exploring the futurology of the summer camp industry. This information can be useful to you as your consider the future of your organization, regardless of industry.

More Info


Prophetic Voices

Hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church’s interim officer for Indigenous Ministries.

More Info

Good News and Gratitude

A New Podcast from the United Thank Offering

More Info


All Things . . . Episcopal

Diocese of West Missouri

More Info


Faith To Go Podcast

A Weekly, On The Go Resource for Parents and Non-Parents Alike

More Info


SpadeSpoonSoul

With Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows and author Jerusalem Greer

More Info


ChurchNext Podcast

More Info


The Moonshine Jesus Show

Progressive Christian perspectives on sci-fi movies and shows with an emphasis on theology and politics.

More Info

For People

With Bishop Rob Wright

More Info


The TryTank Podcast

More Info


Forward Movement Podcasts

Forward Day by Day; A Morning at the Office; Daily Prayer; An Evening at Prayer; Compline; Scripture Day by Day

More Info


The Priesthood of All Queer Believers

Church of the Redeemer Cincinnati

More Info


Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana

Join Bishop Shannon Duckworth and others to expore questions of spirituality today

More Info


Creation Care Compline

Monday, Oct. 6, 9 pm ET / 8 pm CT

 

Celebrate the Season of Creation and the Feast of St. Francis with an evening of prayer and meditation hosted by the church’s creation care ministry and the Green Caucus of The Episcopal Church.


Register for this event 

Learn more about The Episcopal Church’s commitment to creation care. 

Working Together for Lasting Change Toolkits


As a part of our extensive faith network, you are invited to partner with us directly, sharing the work and the blessing of making lasting change. We have created four free toolkits to help. They will expand your awareness of the expert and lifesaving work of Episcopal Relief & Development, help you invite others to financially support this work, and help you spread the good news of help and wholeness to your community by providing positive and practical ways for all of us to make a difference in the world. 


Created to support each of our priority areas: Early Childhood Development / Women and Girls / Climate Resilience / Disaster Response - the toolkits contain practical essentials for study, worship and action, and are designed to assist Faith Leaders across a variety of communities: in congregations, campus ministries, dinner churches, retreat centers and more.


Learn more

Book Corner


Deepen faith with weekly prayer bead meditations inspired by the saints


Saints have long been a source of inspiration and solace for Christians—from Ambrose of Milan of the early Church, to Hildegard of Bingen of the medieval period, to Frederick Douglass of nineteenth-century abolitionist renown—but few would say they truly know these sources of timeless wisdom. The prayers in Song of the Saints, intended for use in conjunction with Anglican prayer beads, offer a remedy: a tried and tested prayer practice designed to bring readers into a deeper communion with the saints throughout the liturgical year. Selected from various Christian liturgical calendars, the featured saints are accompanied by an icon-like image, an original prayer, and a brief spiritual biography, which offers readers a window into the context in which the saint lived. Ultimately, readers aren’t just learning about the saints—they’re engaging with them, actively exploring their lives, their teachings, and most of all, their hearts. 

 

"The saints found on its pages do not simply become companions walking alongside us, but rather inspirations dwelling within us."

The Anglican Digest

 

Order from any Episcopal bookstoreAmazon, or your favorite bookseller. 

Hardcover | 9781640657960 | List Price: $22.95


Advent Resources





  • Spotlight on Advent: Planning for 2026
    Members of the Forma Leadership Council will lead an online resource-sharing brainstorming session for Forma members. Wednesday, August 27, 2025, 4:00 PM
    
  • The Church Year: Advent
    Members of Forma have access to the extensive Forma Resource Library which includes an entire section on Advent.


Immigration Action Toolkit and Update Calls


The Migration Ministry Network urges everyone to understand the increasing threats facing our immigrant brothers and sisters and learn what we can do to help fellow parishioners and neighbors who may need support at this very challenging time. The Episcopal Church website offers a very helpful Immigration Action Toolkit, and everyone is invited to attend weekly. Immigration Updates offered on Zoom by Episcopal Migration Ministries and the Office of Government Relations.

Register here.


The above program is hosted by church-wide organizations. If you have questions or would like further information about the Province V Migration Ministry Network, please email one of the co-conveners: Jack Lloyd jack.lloyd@earthlink.net or Silvia Huth silviahuth@yahoo.com or visit the Migration Ministry Network webpage. 

2025 Hobart Lecture

Sanctuary: Space of Belonging and Thriving


Wed, October 15, 7 pm ET / 6 pm CT

Livestream Available


Register now for the 2025 Hobart Lecture featuring Bishop Marian Budde and Poet-Theologian, Pádraig Ó Tuama, moderated by Bishop Matthew F. Heyd. The Lecture will center on the theme of Sanctuary and will be delivered live from St. Thomas Fifth Avenue.


Registration is required

Coalition Invites Nominations

for Board


The Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice is recruiting individuals who may be interested in serving on the Coalition’s board (called the Steering Group). 

On behalf of the Coalition, we are writing to extend an invitation for your prayerful consideration to serve with us. The two-year term would begin in January 2026.


If you feel led to serve or if you would like more information, please email info@episcopalcoalition.org. Our Nominating Committee would be honored to discuss this further with you and answer any questions you may have.


If you would like to self nominate, we ask that you forward a brief bio or resume, along with a photograph of yourself by Friday, October 3rd at 5:00 pm to info@episcopalcoalition.org.


Learn more

Facing the Shadow: An Exploration of Personal Healing & Collective Responsibility

with Dr. Catherine Meeks

October 16 - November 20

Thursdays, 7-9pm ET / 6-8 pm CT


Each of us carries a hidden side - what Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung called “the shadow.” These are the parts of ourselves we’ve learned to hide: our anger, fear, shame, and unspoken desires. These unacknowledged parts show up in how we treat ourselves and how we treat others. They also lurk within the systems of violence that pervade our world.


In this six-week, public, virtual course, students will explore how our personal shadow shapes our relationships, our leadership, and our ability to confront evil in the world around us. We will look at how unexamined inner wounds can project outward as conflict, prejudice, and violence, and how healing the inner self can lead to transformation in our shared life.


Learn more and register

Using Picture Books for Racial Healing

Picture books offer an excellent way to discover, discuss, and share stories about topics that many people did not study in school but that are crucial to the work of repairing, healing, and seeing God in each other. Registration is open for Dismantling Racism training sessions taking place in the coming months. Miriam McKenney leads the trainings, which take place on Zoom. 


All sessions in the same month make up a complete course, so you only need to sign up for one month. See the full calendar for the year.


Email the Diocese of Southern Ohio's Missioner for Beloved Community, Miriam McKenney, to learn more.

Subscribe to receive Public Affairs updates

Subscribe to the Public Affairs Office’s email lists to receive the latest information about The Episcopal Church. “The Episcopal Church Weekly” arrives once a week and contains news, events, and resources from all Episcopal Church Center mission programs and offices. The “Daily Scan” (Tuesday through Saturday) is a brief compilation of news articles from media outlets and Public Affairs that mention the good work of Episcopal churches, clergy, and laity. 


Subscription Form

Sugarcane

Film Screening Opportunity: Award-winning Documentary Sugarcane Launches Faith Community Screening Tour

SUGARCANE, the award-winning debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, is a groundbreaking investigation into an Indian residential school, shedding light on years of forced separation, assimilation and abuse that Indigenous children experienced at the hands of Church and government. This urgent and timely film brings the hidden story of cultural genocide to audiences worldwide while celebrating the resilience of Native people as they work to overcome cycles of intergenerational trauma.


The SUGARCANE Faith Community Screening Tour offers free in-person screenings of the film to communities of faith to support conversations around truth and reconciliation. 

The goal of this program is to encourage Catholics, and Christians more broadly, to convene discussions focused on shared understanding, courage, and repair. Apply now to host a free screening of SUGARCANE for your community between now and January 31st, 2026. You will receive a screening toolkit with a conversation guide developed by Land Justice Futures, additional resources and promotional materials, as well as planning support from the SUGARCANE impact campaign team.


Apply to host: https://sugarcanefilm.com/faith-tour/

GPS for Leadership:

Finding One’s Way in the System

Healthy Congregations is offering a course that provides an introduction to Bowen Family Systems Theory, an exploration of each of the eight concepts and an opportunity to apply theory in work and life. This course consists of eight three-hour online sessions that meet twice a month February - May 2026. Learn more on the Healthy Congregations website. Scholarship money is available!

Gun Violence Prevention


Local gun violence prevention opportunities abound across our province. Please reach out if you would like to get connected, but haven't found local resources.


You can talk with St. Michael's - email or phone: 517-882-9733


You can check out Disarmory Ministries


You can read The Psychology of Gun Violence: How Smart Choices can Save Lives by Janet Shibley Hyde.


Here's Heather's email if you would like to be connected to local resources and can't find them.

Close Out 2025 at Waycross –

and Plan Ahead for 2026!

There’s still time to join us for our final programs of 2025! Don’t miss your chance to experience the beauty, community, and renewal of Waycross before the year ends.


Looking ahead? Our full 2026 program calendar has been announced, and registration is open for all programs. Visit our website to explore what’s coming next year and save your spot early!


Artists & Writers Retreat|November 14-16, 2025

Come spend a weekend at Waycross to work on new or in-progress projects. Bring supplies and set up throughout our campus, spending the days working independently or with others, however is most fruitful for your creative process. In the evenings, there will be space for sharing, collaborating, and asking for feedback.


Advent Retreat|December 5-6, 2025

This one-night retreat is for adults to come and find space for respite and reflection during Advent. Join us to enjoy the quiet of Waycross in the winter!


See all of the details on the website.

St. Gregory's Vocation Program

Listen … incline the ear of your heart

If you are thinking about becoming a monk or are wondering what it feels like to be a monk, then … come for the July vocation program at St. Gregory’s Abbey:

  • Worship & Pray
  • Work & Learn
  • with the monks

… if you are male, age 18 to 50, and if you can spend two weeks (or more) at the abbey in July. The only cost is $25 for registration.


Networks

To get a reminder for any of these events, reply to this email. A special reminder is sent for each network.


ALL are welcome to attend these Zoom conversations. Please share the information with friends, colleagues, and in your parish newsletter. Most network meetings last about 60 minutes. See their webpages or email their contact for more information. For a full list of Networks and Affiliated Organizations, visit the Province V website.

Archivists

Date of next meeting: 

Dec 8, 11 am ET / 10 am CT

Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89950734030 (password: 5)

Convener: Brian Wilbert, Ohio

webpage: https://www.provincev.org/archivist.html

Creation Care

Date of next meeting:

Oct 13, 1 pm ET / 12 noon CT

Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82932843412

(password: 5)

Convener: Jeanette Ettin, Eastern Michigan

webpage: https://www.provincev.org/creation.html


Creation Care and Church Culture – Confronting the Iceberg

A Follow-Up Discussion from the Episcopal Creation Care Gathering

 

The plenary speakers for the recent Episcopal Creation Care Gathering (ECCG) at Proctor Camp and Conference Center (Canon Meredith Day Hearn and Canon Katie Forsyth) introduced participants to some models of change useful in confronting the iceberg that is church culture. For this Monday gathering, some of those who attended those sessions will lead us in conversation about how these models might be of practical help to those of us on the Zoom call. We will first reintroduce the change models, so those who were not at the conference can participate freely. We will then discuss how these models could help explain our current ministry situations and identify possible ways forward.

 

Here is a preview of one them: Change = Dissatisfaction x Vision x First Steps > Resistance

 

This means that any change in a community must come from a multiplied combination of dissatisfaction with the present, vision for something different, and some practical first steps. The total of which must be greater than the resistance to change. If any one of the three is missing (zero), there will be no change. This is the Gleicher-Dannemiller change model. Can this and other models help us understand the barriers and opportunities in our creation care ministries?

 

Come join us for this conversation and exploration.

Migration Ministries

Date of next meeting:

Nov 18, 8 pm ET / 7 pm C

Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81246380265

(password: 5)

Conveners: Silvia Huth, Michigan and 

Jack Lloyd, Chicago

webpage: https://www.provincev.org/migration.html


Episcopal Migration Response Network

Episcopal Migration Ministry hosts an Asylum and Detention Ministry Network that meets virtually on the fourth Wednesday of every month. The Ministry Network’s collaborative work and conversation focus on best practice-sharing in areas of direct service, organizing, advocacy actions, Christian formation and worship resources, and community education to protect asylum, promote humane and dignified alternatives to detention, and to support asylum seekers and those harmed by the immigration detention system. Learn more and register to attend meetings here.

Young Adult / Campus Ministry

Date of next meeting: 

Nov 18, 11 am ET / 10 am CT

Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88386235160

(password 5)

Contact: Eric Richey, Province V Campus Min

webpage:

https://www.provincev.org/yacm.html


Oct 14-26, 2025

Campus Minister in-personal event!

Details and registration


If this is your ministry area, make sure that you're part of the Google Group!

province-v-yacm@googlegroups.com

This is a new group name, so please update in your address book.

Dismantling Racism

Date of next meeting: 

Oct 2, 1 pm ET / 12 noon CT

Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83673680882

(password: 5)

webpage:

https://www.provincev.org/dismantlingracism


Be renewed and get connected with other leaders during our Wisdom Circles.

Innovation Catalysts

webpage

Date of next meeting: Oct 15


What's Next for Prov V Innovation Catalysts (Prov V Rocks!)

The Province V Innovation Catalysts regular monthly zoom gathering will be on hiatus for spring and summer with an eye toward relaunching in the fall of 2025. Our initial gatherings were a great opportunity to pair names with faces and share about our ministries, and we are ready to move toward a more focused style of gathering. Beginning in the fall, each zoom meeting will be facilitated by a different Prov V Innovator on a volunteer basis. When you facilitate, you have two options: present a case study of a struggle or challenge you're facing and ask for input from the group, or teach a concept or practice you have found transformative in your work. We hope to continue our cross-pollination of expertise and experimentation in a more focused way through this model, and we anticipate that a number of potential workshops for the next Big Provincial Gathering will germinate through these gatherings. Please contact Heather at provincevcoordinator@gmail.com if you would be willing to lead a session, and mark your calendars for Sept 17, 2025 for our reconvening this fall!




If you are the contact from your diocese who should be in these conversation, contact Heather Barta for the meeting information.

Safe Church

webpage


Use this page to get connected to your diocesan contact for Safe Church training and information.

Youth and Children

Date of next meeting:

Faith Formation in 2025 (& Beyond)

October 29, 3 pm ET / 2 pm CT

Register for this event!

Convener: Carmen Piggins, Michigan

webpage:

https://www.provincev.org/youth.html


Join into conversations with others!


ALL Youth and Children Ministers

Events will be happening throughout the year. Check future newsletters for details.


Diocesan Youth Workers

If you are the youth minister for your diocese (or the main contact for youth work in your diocese), you are invited to join this conversation. Contact Carmen Piggins for the dates and details.



Affiliated Organizations

There are a number of organizations affiliated with the Episcopal Church and working across Province V. These groups have a "structure" that is more organized than a network. They have resources and information that are useful in your local ministry contexts.


For a full list of Affiliated Organizations, visit the Province V website.

Join the Episcopal Preaching Foundation for our first Gathering of Lay Preachers virtual gathering Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25. All lay preachers and those who support lay preachers are invited. Featured speakers include the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers and the Rev. Hershey Mallette Stephens. Learn more about the Gathering and register on our website: https://www.preachingfoundation.org/gathering-lay-preachers

Church Periodical Club


Announcing new guidelines for adult written materials including books can be found at Churchperiodical.com click on NBF guidelines.

Maximum grants will be $3000.00. Grants may be submitted between Oct 1, 2025 and Mar 1, 2026 for the 2026 granting session to be held June 2026.

GenOn Ministries: Advent, Christmas and Epiphany Resources

Curriculum to bring two or more generations together during the Advent and Christmas season. Resources will be emailed to you following selection. Visit this website to see the options

Grants for Deacons Impacted by a Declared Emergency


Episcopal Deacons may apply for a grant to assist with financial loss of income and/or housing, when the loss is due to a declared emergency. A “Declared Emergency” is issued by the President, state, local or Indian tribal government leaders for crises including floods, public health crises, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, etc.


https://www.fundfordiaconate.org/emergencygrants

United Thank Offering


Oct 28, 12 noon ET / 11 am CT

Each month, UTO Staff and Grant Committee members schedule time to meet with potential grant applicants one-on-one. This is a chance to ask any questions you have about the materials or get feedback on your project. Please note: we will let applicants into the zoom meeting one at a time from the waiting room and keep folks updated on when they will get to enter. We’ve selected a variety of dates and times to try and accommodate everyone. If none of the dates work for you, or if you have registered and can no longer attend, please email Heather at hmelton@episcopalchurch.org so she can find a time to meet with you or update your registration/application file.


2026 Grant Materials are now available.

Fresh Perspectives on Year-End Giving

Date: Tuesday, October 7 at 2 pm ET

Registration is required


As the calendar winds down, generosity heats up. Nearly a third of all charitable giving happens in December, yet many churches approach year-end giving as an afterthought or a scramble to close a budget gap. What if your church could approach this season with greater clarity, confidence, and impact?


Join our giving expert, Josh Anderson, from the Episcopal Church Foundation’s Endowment Management team for a fast-paced, practical webinar exploring three fresh perspectives on year-end giving. Whether you’re new to year-end appeals or looking to sharpen your strategy, this 30-minute session will help you shift from urgency to opportunity.


You’ll learn:

  • Why your donors are already making big decisions and how to show up at the right time
  • How to unlock bigger gifts by naming simple, overlooked giving options
  • How to frame year-end giving as a hopeful invitation to invest in the future

Participants will leave with ready-to-use ideas and messaging tips to inspire generosity this season.


Pre-registration is required to receive the webinar link. A recording of the webinar will be sent to registrants.


Episcopal Service Corps Opportunities


Plainsong Farm

Did you know that Episcopal Service Corps (ESC) offers service opportunities outside the academic year calendar? Plainsong Farm in Rockford, Michigan is now accepting applications for fellowships beginning in January 2026. Spend 10 months building community, growing spiritually, and working for justice in the Rogue River watershed of West Michigan. Plainsong fellows grow food for neighbors and food access sites. They host volunteers, care for the land, and walk alongside churches discerning how to steward their land and buildings for the common good. This is a great opportunity for young adults interested in grounding themselves and their communities in hopeful, life-giving rhythms.


Apply to Plainsong Farm today at www.episcopalservicecorps.org/apply.


And spread the word: applications for programs starting in August 2026 open on December 1!


The Commonage at Procter

A rich connection to place is part of our creational identity: we are embodied beings, and we yearn for roots. - Leonard Hjalmarson, No Home Like Place, A Christian Theology of Place 


The Commonage is a new hybrid intentional Episcopal Service Corps program at Procter Center. The aim of establishing The Commonage is to transform the farmhand program from simply an employment opportunity into an Episcopal Service Corps program, thereby giving it greater intentionality and meaning for participants and the wider Procter community, similar to the intentionality of faith and community that our Summer Camp Counselors experience.


The Commonage will be a hybrid intentional community with a shorter residential experience compared to most year-long ESC programs. Our ESC program will offer two tracks for our Farmhands: a long-season track and a short-season track. Long-season corps members will serve from March 1 through October 31, while short-season corps members will serve only for the summer months. 


Both tracks include residential intentional community experience with one another and others in the broader Procter Community. 


And once the residential experience has concluded, corps members will continue to gather monthly via Zoom and twice more in-person for formation retreats throughout the following year — a schedule that allows college students to participate while completing their academic studies.  


Sarah Alphin, an alumna of the Episcopal Service Corps and Farm Manager at Procter Center, will coordinate The Commonage under the leadership of the co-executive directors and with support from an advisory council. 


You can read more about the ethos and plans for The Commonage here.


Applications for The Commonage will open in late fall, for more information email info@proctercenter.org.


Association of Anglican Musicians

AAM's 2025 Episcopal Musician Compensation Survey Report is now available at www.anglicanmusicians.org/compensation.


This year’s report includes:

•A pay and benefits overview broken down by position time,

•wedding, funeral, and substitute musician per service rates,

•demographic data on gender identity, race and ethnicity, and age,

•job characteristic data broken down by education, experience, church budget, and average Sunday attendance,

•regional data including U.S. states with at least 5 respondents in any salary category,

•a chart that imitates the former “Salary Guidelines” by layering education and experience with position time,

•an interactive tool that can filter data specific to one’s employment status.


Thank you to all musicians who participated in the survey.

Upcoming Digital Workshops

All workshops are at 3:00 pm ET/2:00 pm CT

For more information and to register, Click Here

Learning Events from Invite Welcome Connect


Invite Welcome Connect Wednesdays Free Webinar Series

Oct. 15: Small Congregations Series: Hospitality as Our Compass. Register

Nov. 19: Small Congregations Series: Walking the Way of Love Together. Register

Dec. 10: Intro to Invite Welcome Connect. Register

Jan. 21: Small Congregations Series: Steps for the Future. Register


Guided by the gospel imperative to “Go and make disciples of all nations,” the ministry of Invite Welcome Connect equips and empowers individuals and congregations to practice evangelism, hospitality, and connectedness.


Through workshops, webinars, coaching, online resources, and On Demand training, Invite Welcome Connect makes it easy for dioceses and congregations to make this ministry their own.


Continue reading about this ministry

Join us for the very first Christmas at DeKoven! On Sunday, December 7th, our historic lakeside campus will be transformed into a sparkling holiday market filled with music, delicious food, artisan vendors, and seasonal fun for all ages. From a live nativity and gingerbread house competition to festive entertainment and cozy treats, this brand-new tradition is a joyful way to celebrate the season with family, friends, and community. Come be part of the very first chapter of what we hope will become an annual holiday favorite! Learn more about the event here: https://www.dekovencenter.org/christmas-2025


Download our flyer here

Upcoming Events and Webinars



Province V Executive Board

Do you have questions about Province V? Would you like to be more involved in planning the events that are offered at the provincial level? The Executive Board of the Province meets monthly on fourth Tuesdays at 3 pm ET / 2 pm CT via zoom.


Contact your diocesan representative to the Executive Board:

Mr. Rick Stanitis, Northern Michigan, President

The Rt. Rev. Bonnie Perry, Michigan, Vice President

The Rev. Garron Daniels, Springfield, Secretary

Ms. Rebecca Elfring-Roberts, Chicago, Treasurer

Canon Crystal Plummer, Executive Council Representative

The Rev. M.E. Eccles, Executive Council Representative

Dr. Laura Jackson, Chicago

Dr. Elizabeth Jordan, Great Lakes

Ms. Lesley MacKellar, Indianapolis

Mr. Luke Thompson, Michigan

Ms. Betty Bowersox, Missouri

The Rev. Dr. Terri Bays, Northern Indiana

Ms. Katie Chipman-Bergsma, Northern Michigan

The Rev. Rachel Harrison, Ohio

Mr. Edward Lasseigne, Southern Ohio

Ms. Carol McCrary, Springfield

The Rev. Marlene Hogue, Wisconsin


Province V Staff:

Heather Barta, Province V Coordinator

Eric Richey, Campus Ministry Developer

Steve Welch, Communications Director


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