General eNewsletter June 15, 2022
 
Welcome to the Diocese of Chicago email newsletter. Please forward this email to your congregation and colleagues and invite them to sign up.
Online Diocesan Convention on November 19
The Standing Committee, in consultation with Bishop-elect Paula Clark, has determined that the 2022 Diocesan Convention will be held online on November 19.

“We are looking forward to a large, joyful consecration and gathering on September 17 to celebrate Bishop-elect Paula. With the amount of diocesan and staff resources necessary to host the consecration, we have decided that it is necessary to have Diocesan Convention virtually this year,” said Standing Committee President Anne Jolly. “While we always prefer to gather together in person, the joy of the consecration will carry us forward as we utilize the experiences of the past few years to have another effective online convention.”

The diocese held successful online diocesan conventions on Zoom in 2020 and 2021. As diocesan bishop, Clark will chair the 2022 convention.

More information about the 185th Annual Convention, including calls for nominations, resolutions, registration and certification of delegates, will be published later this summer.

St. Luke's, Evanston Helps Lead Interfaith Reparations Effort

On Monday, St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Evanston participated in a community event to launch Evanston’s Interfaith Reparations Effort. Clergy, elected officials and reparations stakeholders, including 16 houses of worship, have rallied behind the effort to support Evanston’s reparations initiative for truth and healing.

“We are well aware that no matter what we do and raise, it will not be enough to overcome the last centuries of harm done and continuing to be done to Black Evanstonians, much less Black Americans. But it is a first step in good faith, a confession, material repentance and love of neighbor as our traditions, each in their own way, empower and instruct us to do,” said the Rev. Kathryn Banakis, rector of St. Luke's.

Read more in the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.
DACA Anniversary Action Alert

In recognition of the 10th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, the Office of Government Relations (OGR) urges Episcopalians to take action to support DACA recipients and provide them a pathway to legal status. Learn how to get involved.

OGR has also teamed up with Episcopal Migration Ministries to create a DACA 10-Year Anniversary Day of Action Toolkit, which outlines five effective actions to take in support of a permanent solution for DACA recipients.
Chicago Pride Parade: March with the Diocese of Chicago
Sunday, June 26 at 12 pm 

On June 26, the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago will join the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches to march in this year's Chicago Pride Parade. The parade kicks off at noon from Montrose Avenue and Broadway in Uptown and ends near the intersection of Diversey Parkway and Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park. 

Watch the Facebook event page for more information and spread the word. All are welcome! 

Pride Celebrations Around the Diocese
Congregations participating in Pride celebrations outside of Chicago are invited to share their plans for future newsletters. Email Jen Boyle Tucker with dates, times and who to contact for more information.
Camp Chicago Registration is Open
Get ready for the best week of the year!

Camp Chicago is back for the summer of 2022 at Camp Stronghold in Oregon, Illinois and registration is now open for campers ages 7-15 and Leaders in Training (ages 16-17). Sessions are scheduled for the following weeks:

  • Session 1: June 26 - July 1*
  • Session 2: July 3 - July 8*
  • Session 3: July 10 - July 15

A Season of Prayer for Revival
Daily prayers available online and by email

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has invited Episcopalians to mark the season after Pentecost with 30 days of prayer leading up to and including the 80th General Convention in Baltimore, Maryland.
 
“A Season of Prayer for Revival”—from June 12 through July 11—will feature daily prayers drawn from the Book of Common Prayer. Individuals can sign up online to receive the prayers and inspirational messages via email. The prayers will also be posted daily on the social media accounts of The Episcopal Church and Forward Movement.
 
Downloadable bulletin inserts are available for congregational use. All materials are in Spanish and English.
Learning Opportunities
CPG Update on June 16

Next month, General Convention will consider legislation related to the Church Pension Group (CPG) and will elect new members of the organization's board. CPG will host a virtual conversation with its leadership, on June 16 from 11 am to noon. Learn more and register.
Poor People's Campaign National Gathering June 18 in DC
Episcopalians invited to gather June 17

On June 18, groups from across the country will converge in Washington, DC for The Mass Poor People's and Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls. 

Episcopalians are invited to gather the day before at the Church of the Epiphany (1317 G St. NW, Washington, D.C.) for food, fellowship, prayer and preparation. For details and registration, click here.
Province V Workshop: How to Start a Gun Violence Prevention Ministry
Wednesday, June 22, from 6-7 pm Central on Zoom

On June 22, from 6-7 pm Central, the Rev. Rosalind C. Hughes will offer a Province V Zoom workshop for congregations wondering how to respond to gun violence. Hughes is the author of Whom Shall I Fear? Urgent Questions for Christians in an Age of Violence and rector of the Church of the Epiphany in Euclid, Ohio, a small congregation that is hosting a "guns to gardens" buyback program this month.

The workshop is free but advance registration is required. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the meeting.
Mediation Skills Training
August 1-5 at St. Mark's, Glen Ellyn

The Lombard Mennonite Peace Center will host a summer session of its Mediation Skills Training Institute (MSTI) for Church Leaders August 1-5 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn. MSTI training helps clergy and lay leaders deal more effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict. For more information contact the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center at 630-627-0507.
EfM Groups Begin in September and January

Education for Ministry (EfM), a four-year adult formation program developed by the School of Theology at the University of the South, is recruiting for the 2022-2023 year. EfM provides lay people with a theological education that supports their faith and helps them to connect that faith to their daily lives. The facilitator-led program is flexible and portable, with groups meeting around the U.S. and globally.

Several EfM groups in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago have openings beginning in September and January. Learn more and contact the nearest EfM group for details.
Reminders
CDC Guidelines for High Community Transmission
Several Illinois counties now in "high" community level
On Friday, the CDC reported that 32 counties in Illinois are now rated at High Community Level for COVID-19. Find a map online.

The CDC recommends a number of measures for people in areas that are rated at High Community Level for COVID-19 transmission. Learn more online.
 
As a reminder, the diocesan COVID-19 advisory team recommends that congregational teams continue to meet regularly, monitor local conditions, and make changes as necessary. Read the February 16 letter to the diocese from Standing Committee President Anne Jolly and Director of Operations Courtney in English and Spanish.
Cook County Health Community Vaccination Sites

Free COVID-19 vaccines are available for everyone 5 and up at locations across Cook County. Visit MyShotCookCounty.com to learn more.
Job Openings

Visit the website for a full list of clergy openings and lay employee openings

Spring Publication Schedule
From September through June we publish both a general email newsletter and Leadership News, a publication for lay leaders and clergy in the Diocese of Chicago, on alternate Wednesdays.

The deadline to submit items to be included is noon on the Tuesday before publication. Please send news about your congregation's ministry, mission and events to Jen Boyle-Tucker