June 21, 7 p.m. | St. Titus', Durham

The annual service to commemorate and celebrate the life of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray is taking place June 21, 7 p.m. at St. Titus’, Durham.

The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson will serve as celebrant, and the Rev. Lisa Yebuah of Southeast Raleigh Table will preach.

The service also will be livestreamed from the church through St. Titus' Facebook page.

CLERGY/LAY LEADERSHIP SUPPORT CALLS

Every first and third Tuesday, 8:30a.m. via Zoom. To join the call, use this link or call in by phone at 1-646-558-8656 (Meeting ID: 515 271 142). To receive a weekly update including notes from the call, please email the communications department, or find an archive of notes on the diocesan website.

ELECT YOUR DELEGATES IN MAY: The timeline for the 208th Annual Convention is changing this year, one of which is the election of delegates in May.

CLERGY CONFERENCE (June 28-29, St. Paul's, Winston-Salem). Registration is now open: Register | Book a hotel room (by June 9).

FOR YOUR CALENDARS

• May 1-31 - Election of lay delegates for 208th Annual Convention
• June 1 - Combined certificate of election and convention registration/discounted hotel rooms open
• June 3 - Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate, 11a.m., Good Shepherd, Raleigh
• June 28-29 - Clergy Conference
• July 31 - Combined certificate of election and convention registration due for churches

FROM THE DIOCESE OF NORTH CAROLINA

• Diocese of North Carolina Announces the Rev. Franklin Morales as New Canon Missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries

FROM THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

• Presiding Bishop Michael Curry receiving medical monitoring and treatment
• Presiding Bishop Michael Curry shares Pentecost message, looks forward to Episcopal Youth Event
• REMINDER: ‘It’s All About Love’ early bird discount ends June 1!

June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month, and traditionally, the first days of June encourage all who wish to see gun violence reduced to wear orange.

This year, June 2 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and everyone is encouraged to wear orange June 3-4.

The diocesan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force has assembled resources, including liturgical resources and ideas to show your support throughout June. The resources can be found on the diocesan website.

Bishops from across The Episcopal Church donned their orange at the 79th General Convention in Austin, Texas. Photo credit: Nicole Krug

Why Do We Wear Orange?

From wearorange.com: On January 21, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. One week later, Hadiya was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. Soon after this tragedy, Hadiya’s friends commemorated her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others. Wear Orange is now observed every June. Thousands of people wear the color orange to honor Hadiya and the more than 40,000 people who are killed with guns and approximately 85,000 who are shot and wounded every year.

The Diocese of North Carolina announced this week that the Rev. Franklin Morales will soon join the staff as the new canon missioner for Latino/Hispanic ministries.

A native of Venezuela, Morales is a priest ordained in the Lutheran (ECLA) tradition, a denomination with which The Episcopal Church is in full communion. He currently serves two congregations, one of which, in addition to community building alongside spiritual nurturing and formation, cares for at-risk children through after-school programs, ESL classes and advocacy for equality and social justice. 

“Franklin has the experience, the energy, the training and the passion we have sought to support our thriving Latino ministries,” said the Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, assistant bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina. “His pastoral sensitivity and gentle sense of humor, and his focus on relationships and formation, help to open hearts to Christ and his Church. Franklin is going to help our diocese fall deeper in love with the rich spirituality and cultural diversity of our Latino siblings, bringing us together to build beloved community. We are thrilled!”

Morales joins the diocesan staff July 1.

Hurricane season begins June 1

The 2023 hurricane season begins June 1.

Now is the time to revisit, review or create your response plan should our diocesan area experience a storm this season.

The Diocese of North Carolina has lots of resources to help both congregations and individuals, from first steps to considerations specific to hurricanes.

Four-part series begins June 12, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. via Zoom

Are you interested in exploring the spirituality of creation care? Would you like to learn to go deeper in your practice of caring for God’s Creation? Join us for a pilot spirituality group using John Philip Newell’s Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul on Mondays beginning June 12, 11 a.m. via Zoom.

For more information, contact Jenny Beaumont, missioner for adult and lifelong formation.

Next Offering: June 23-24, 2023 via Zoom

The next offering of "Introduction to Dismantling Racism" is taking place June 23-24. The interactive workshop designed to deepen our spiritual commitment to dismantle racism as participants in the Jesus movement.

Through presentations, prayer, story sharing, videos, and small group discussion, we will explore how the sin of racism impacts all of our lives. We will ground our work together biblically and sacramentally by renewing our Baptismal vows—to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to respect the dignity of all human beings.

If you can't make the June class, be sure to join one of the remaining 2023 sessions:

• June 23, 5-8 p.m., and June 24, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• July 28, 5-8 p.m., and July 29, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• September 29, 5-8 p.m., and September 30, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• November 10, 5-8 p.m., and November 11, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Join a waitlist or be contacted for future sessions.

July 9-12 | Baltimore, Maryland

If you are looking for a truly special getaway this summer, The Episcopal Church invites you to “It’s All About Love,” a churchwide revival in Baltimore, Maryland, July 9-12.

Per The Episcopal Church, the revival is a festival of “worship, learning, community and action, featuring “three Jesus Movement festival ‘tents’ – Evangelism, Creation Care and Racial Reconciliation. Each tent will offer an evening revival worship service and major plenary speaker, plus dozens of day-time workshops, panels, practice opportunities and other ways to engage. Stick with one tent or explore across the tents, following the themes of: worship and liturgy, formation, justice and advocacy, leadership, preaching, stewardship, and youth and children.

Featured speakers, preachers and artists to include Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Julia Ayala Harris, Brian McClaren, Rev. Mariama White-Hammon, Dr. Kwok Pui-lan, Sarah Augustine, Lilly Lewin, Live Hymnal & Friends, and more.

An early-bird registration rate is available until June 1.

It's that time of year again - graduation season is upon us!

As you celebrate your seniors' milestone, be sure to help them connect with the faith community wherever their next step takes them. It takes only a minute, but the benefits of being a part of their new community can last a lifetime.

There are a couple of quick and easy ways to do this:

• You may fill out The Episcopal Church’s online campus and young adult ministry referral form, which can be completed by or on behalf of the graduate. The relevant campus or young adult ministry will then be informed so that they can reach out to the graduate. (This is the form the diocese will use going forward.)
• If your graduate is staying in central North Carolina, you also may fill out the Just One Thing form on the diocesan website. (This legacy system will be retired after this summer.)
• For those who will be attending a college or university in the Diocese of North Carolina that has a campus ministry, you may also contact the relevant campus ministry directly.  

Those who work in campus and young adult ministry find that the sooner we can make these connections following graduation, the better. Help your grad take this next step in their faith journey.

July 10-15 | Haw River State Park

HUGS is a unique camp for unique people, bringing together young people of diverse abilities. They overcome barriers of real and imagined differences and build bridges of understanding. HUGS is about acknowledging the good creation in each of us and more fully knowing and loving our God through it. The great differences among campers and staff help all of us learn to appreciate and celebrate our diversity as we recognize our common ground.

Now, HUGS needs help. More than 50 campers have applied, and, in order for camp to happen, HUGS needs buddy campers (formerly helper campers) and staff to sign up for a truly life-changing week. Rising high school freshmen through seniors are eligible to apply as buddy campers, and rising college freshmen and older can apply as staff.

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