News from Province V - Aug 2023 | |
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Highlights of this edition:
- Opening Prayer
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Big Provincial Gathering 2024 - Call for workshops!
- Campus Ministry Consultant - Sign up for listening sessions!
- Proctor Center: Farm to Forest Retreat
- Bellwether Farm: Innovation Day
- Using Picture Books for Racial Healing
- Coaching: It's hard to build momentum...
- Season of Creation resources (planning for the fall!)
- EPN: Upcoming webinars
- Recovery Ministries of The Episcopal Church
- Book Corner, sponsored by CPI
- Networking Conversation
- Affiliated Organizations
- Upcoming Events and Webinars
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Opening Prayer
Prayer to End Human Trafficking
Dear God,
We seek your divine protection for all who are exploited and enslaved.
For those forced into labor, trafficked into sexual slavery, and denied freedom.
We beseech you to release them from their chains.
Grant them protection, safety, and empowerment.
Restore their dignity and provide them a new beginning.
Show us how we might end exploitation by addressing its causes.
Help us reach out in support of victims and survivors of human trafficking.
Make us instruments of your spirit for their liberation.
For this we pray through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen
(From USCCB handout for World Day of Peace 2015)
Prayer to End Trafficking | USCCB
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The Province V Synod meeting will be held on Friday afternoon.
This meeting is open to all and required for Synod Deputies and Bishops.
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Workshops!
Saturday, April 27 will be full of workshops offered "ministry fair" style. Do you have something to share with others? Are you particularly proud of a project you did or a ministry you support? Start thinking about if you'd like to host a workshop. All information about workshops will be needed by December 1. See all of the details and fill out the form!
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Are you near a higher-ed campus?
Would you like to reach out but don't know how?
Is your parish near an institution of higher learning? (this might be: community college, trade school, specialty training schools - anything that provides post-high school education)
We want to hear from you!
Province V is currently discerning if they should hire a person to be a "Campus Ministry Consultant." This person would work with parish leaders to help them build relationships with the faculty, staff, and/or students of nearby post-high school educational institutions.
If you would like to share your thoughts, questions, or ideas, please contact Heather at 989-413-3229 or provinceVcoordinator@gmail.com.
More details about this discernment will be coming soon!
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Innovation Day at Bellwether Farm
Join TryTank and St. Barnabas, Bay Village on September 30 for a Spirit-infused day of exploration for all who are interested. The day will allow time to explore new ideas and new connections about topics relevant to the Jesus Movement, church growth, and social justice. During each breakout, you will work with a facilitator to apply design thinking to these huge questions, using methodology from How to Try by the Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija, Executive Director of TryTank, an experimental lab for church growth and innovation, a joint project between Virginia Theological Seminary and the General Theological Seminary. In addition to learning these design thinking and agile practices, attendees are also encouraged to enjoy all that Bellwether Farm has to offer. Worship will be available in the worship barn on Friday night and Saturday morning, and yoga before breakfast on Saturday led by St. Barnabas’ own Sarah Perkins. Cost to register is $25 which includes breakfast and lunch.
If you want to spend the night prior to the event, you have three options:
1. Stay in a retreat room with your own private bathroom - $110 for single occupancy, $130 for double occupancy.
2. Stay in a cabin - $20 - 6 bunks are in each cabin, and there is a centralized building for showers/bathrooms nearby. You’ll need to bring your own sheets/sleeping bag.
3. Stay in a nearby hotel - if the above fill up, you can also stay in a hotel. We will send you information as requested/needed.
If you need transportation to Bellwether or the registration/hotel stay fee is a challenge for you, please let us know and we will make sure you can attend - scholarship funding is available. Contact Halley Marsh for more information.
More information and a schedule.
Deadline to register: September 15, 2023
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Using Picture Books for Racial Healing
Registration is now open for Dismantling Racism training sessions in August, September, October, and November. Miriam McKenney leads the trainings, which take place on Zoom.
Choose 1 month:
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August (1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 from 12 to 1 p.m.) Sign up here.
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September (12, 19, 26 from 6 to 8 p.m.). Sign up here.
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October (10, 17, 24 from 6 to 8 p.m.). Sign up here.
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November (1, 8, 15 from 1 to 3 p.m.). Sign up here.
"The dismantling racism course is terrific," Lissa Barker of St. Patrick's, Dublin, says. "The use of storytelling and scripture brings things into focus that, for me, had been unacknowledged. Another wonderful aspect of this course is the formation of community among the participants. Miriam and Emma made the course easy to access, consistent with the Four-Fold Path of Love, and I truly looked forward to the sessions. Our discussion times flew by as the topics were thought-provoking. I highly recommend this course!"
Email Director of Dismantling Racism in Southern Ohio, Miriam McKenney, to learn more.
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Coaching:
"It's hard to build momentum if you are divided in your attention."
Need help getting focused? Want some space to set priorities and work in an undivided space? Coaches can help! A coaching session is about you and your priorities, helping you focus on the things that matter most so that you can build momentum to reach your goals.
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Coaches are available to ALL leaders – clergy and lay. You can be coached individually, create a group of people, or bring a team together for creating shared goals and plans. Our coaches offer an introductory session so you can together discern if you are a good fit. If you work in a rural area, you may qualify for free coaching. Don't put off setting goals that could expand, enhance and enrich your life, project or ministry. Meet with a trained coach this week to find out how they can offer you a safe, nurturing space to dream, plan and find your focus.
https://www.provincev.org/lcp.html
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Image: Season of Creation: https://seasonofcreation.org/
The Season of Creation is celebrated by Christians around the world as a time for renewing, repairing, and restoring our relationship to God, one another, and all of creation. The Episcopal Church joins this international effort for prayer and action for climate justice and an end to environmental racism and ecological destruction. The 2023 theme is “Let Justice and Peace Flow.” In celebrating the season, we are invited to consider anew our ecological, economic, and political ways of living.
The Season of Creation may be a great opportunity to hold a worship service or ministry event. Visit the Episcopal Church Season of Creation and St. Francis Day website for resources including the Season of Creation 2023 Celebration Guide, prayers, and templates for an outdoor prayer service, creation walk or pilgrimage, sustainability event, or creation care preaching series.
Read more
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Churches and Employee Retention Credit - They do qualify - and other myths dispelled! 8/9, 3pm EDT - info
- Safety and Security in Our Churches. 8/14, 3 pm EDT - info
Save the date!
March 6-9, 2024
39th Annual Conference, Houston
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Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Church
If you are interested in doing more with Recovery Ministries in your life or in your church, there are some resources available.
The Diocese of Missouri has MANY resources on their webpage.
They also highlight church-wide resources, including a weekly virtual meeting, held on Wednesdays at 7 pm CT / 8 pm ET
While there's not an official network in the province, you can contact the good people of Missouri if you are in need of assistance in getting a local support group / network started.
Additional resources will be uploaded to the provincev.org website on this page.
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Book Corner
The new volume in the critically acclaimed lectionary series.
In this second volume of the three-volume A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church, widely praised womanist bible scholar and Episcopal priest Wil Gafney selects scripture readings that emphasize women's stories. Focusing especially on the Gospel of Mark, Year B of A Women's Lectionary features Gafney's inclusive and thought-provoking translations of every reading, alongside commentary. Designed for liturgical use or scriptural study, this resource offers a new perspective on the Bible and the liturgical year.
“ . . . . the powerful divine feminine imagery in her translations has been moving and even exhilarating!”
—Rev. Mike Kinman, rector of All Saints Episcopal Church, Pasadena, California
Available from any Episcopal bookstore, ChristianBook, Cokesbury, Amazon, or your favorite bookstore.
List Price: $36.95 | Paperback | 9781640655706
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Networking Conversations
Province V's work in the world is to "Connect. Network. Support." Networks exist for people to gather around areas of interest and share resources with each other. Sometimes networks host webinars to share information and sometimes they develop new resources to support leaders in their local contexts.
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 other Affiliated Organizations, visit the Province V website.
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Creation Care
Date of next meeting: Aug 14, 1 pm ET / 12 noon CT
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82932843412 (password: 5)
Contact: Jeanette Ettin, Eastern Michigan
webpage: https://www.provincev.org/creation.html
We are back from Baltimore and the It's all About Love Festival. Please be a part of our August 14, 2023, meeting for a recap of what we heard, saw and conversations we were a part of. We learned about several new resources and programs that we are excited to share!
While the time with like minded people doing related ministries was uplifting and hopeful, we still have a lot of work to do. Join us as we revisit the questions asked that are still needing claification. What we saw, but didn't connect, and the people we spoke to, who are all asking some of the same questions and why.
New Program from the Episcopal Church
“Love God, Love God’s World” is a nine-session, film-based curriculum, ideal for Episcopalians anywhere on the journey with creation care and environmental ministry—from newcomers looking to take their first step to seasoned leaders seeking a transformative small-group experience. Sign up to learn more.
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Migration Ministries
Date of next meeting: Sept 19, 8 pm ET / 7 pm C
Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81246380265 (password: 5)
Conveners: Silvia Huth, Michigan and Jack Lloyd, Chicago
webpage: https://www.provincev.org/migration.html
Episcopal Asylum & Detention Ministry 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.
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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.
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United Thank Offering
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Training Day
UTO Training Day, Screening of Gratitude Revealed and Q&A with the Director
Join us on Saturday, Aug. 26 from 10a to 3p Eastern time. This year our training day has three presentations from the three committees of the Board: finance and archives, formation and outreach, and grants. There will be time to hear updates about UTO, talk, share ideas and get your questions answered. Register and find out more here.
This training day is different than ones held in the past. Earlier this year, UTO was invited to share a screening of a documentary on gratitude called Gratitude Revealed. You can learn more about the film here: https://gratituderevealed.com The director of the film, Louie Schwartzberg, is famous for his TED talk on gratitude and work with Oprah Winfrey on her Super Soul Sunday series. Not only will we be watching the film together, but we will also get to have a question-and- answer session with Louie Schwartzberg about gratitude. This is an amazing opportunity that is not to be missed. The screening will begin at 3p Eastern time.
VBS Materials
Waves of Gratitude: Free Vacation Bible Camp (School) Materials Now Available
If you are in the market for free VBS/VBC materials – look no further! The program focuses on water, baptism, and is filled with crafts and activities. You can find the program here.
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Upcoming Events and Webinars
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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:
The Rt. Rev. Matthew Gunter, Fond du Lac and Eau Claire, President
Mr. Rick Stanitis, Northern Michigan, Vice President
Ms. Adrienne Dillon, Missouri, Secretary
Ms. Rebecca Elfring-Roberts, Chicago, Treasurer
Ms. Louisa McKellaston, Executive Council Representative
The Rev. M.E. Eccles, Executive Council Representative
Ms. Laura Jackson, Chicago
Dr. Elizabeth Jordan, Eastern Michigan
The Rev. Marlene Hogue, Eau Claire
Ms. Chris Eggert-Rosenthal, Fond du Lac
Ms. Lesley MacKellar, Indianapolis
Dr. Edie Wakevainen, Michigan
The Rev. Matthew Buterbaugh, Milwaukee
Ms. Betty Bowersox, Missouri
Mr. Christopher Hillak, Northern Indiana
Mr. Rick Stanitis, Northern Michigan
The Rev. Rachel Harrison, Ohio
Mr. Edward Lasseigne, Southern Ohio
Ms. Jan Goossens, Springfield
vacant, Western Michigan
Heather Barta, Province V Coordinator
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