SOUTHEAST REGION
Checking in: September 12, 2020

Photo: Joe & Erin Flinn
Alden Rockwell Murphy of St. Ann's, Old Lyme, shares a story of "passion meeting passion" as she discovered that John Lewis loved singing, and found great inspiration in it. Quoting an article from Time Magazine: "singing was one of our primary organizing tools...Once you start singing, everyone joins in a common chord and it gives you power and strength."
Note; if the volume is too low for you to hear well, please turn on the Closed Captions.
For Future BLT's: I'd love to hear stories especially from parishes who have not yet been represented...do you know who you are? (I do). Please be in touch and we can talk what and how! Don't hide your light under a bushel basket!
Having said that, I'll be away August 18 - 31; there will most likely be an issue of the BRIDGE at the beginning of September following my return.
Building our SE Region Community of Faith

October 3,
9 a.m. -11 a.m.
via ZOOM


SE Region Convocation featuring Jenifer Frank, one of the authors of Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged, and Profited from Slavery. 

Your Region Leadership Team is pleased to host Jenifer Frank, one of the authors of Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged and Profited from Slavery, for our SE Region Convocation on October 3, 2020, beginning at 9:00 a.m over Zoom. Please register here through Eventbrite to receive the Zoom link.

She will talk about the process of doing this research and writing about it, the response at the time, and how it changed her life. And we'll have time to talk about what all of this history has to do with us and racial injustices today.

The Rev. Stacey Kohl will be sharing a special video presentation reminding us of our baptismal vows. We need your help for this: please share photos of water in your life to this Dropbox link by September 25.
Being Disciples and Apostles: work on being Anti-Racist
Resources from the
Racial Healing, Justice and Reconciliation Ministry Network


To learn more about the season and Ministry Network of Racial Healing, Justice, & Reconciliation, visit our website here.
Kelli Ray Gibson, ECCT's Racial Justice Resource Coordinator, is proud to announce that ECCT is buying Black. In solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement, ECCT has partnered with the Connecticut based Key Book Store as our main provider for print and digital educational text. The Key Bookstore is a fully interactive bookstore experience. It engages readers through curation, activities, subscriptions, events, and community engagement. Their focus is to lead readers on a path to Self Mastery and the cultivation of connection on and offline with respect to the mission, “Divine liberation one page at a time”. 

Please be sure to check out the latest book recommendations on the ECCT RHJ&R resource page HERE, which will then direct you to The Key Bookstore for purchase options.
 
Interested in some great tips on how to build an effective anti-racist book study? Check out this information from BuildFaith.org.
On Tuesday, Sept. 1, Hartford Seminary Black Ministries Program hosted a cross-generational dialogue to re-think language, tradition, faith practices, and how to offer support to families living through trauma. This conversation engaged the voices from the faith community about the unique impact that gun violence, trauma and grief have on African American families and communities of color. Interruptions: Disrupting the Silence, available on Youtube

The panel, moderated by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Benjamin Watts, featured:

·   Rev. Odell Montgomery Cooper
·   Rev. Dr. Alvan N. Johnson Jr.
·   Rev. Jean Amos Lys
·   Rev. Brenda Lammie
·   Rev. Dionne P. Boissiere
·   Rev. Porsha Williams Gates

Materials referenced during the program: 

·   Ibram X. Kendi, How to Be an Antiracist
Living as disciples and apostles:
seeking the welfare of our communities, country, and world
Faith and Citizenship Guide for Advocacy
An updated version of our Faith and Citizenship Guide for Advocacy is now available in English! This resource seeks to help you fulfill your baptismal covenant to strive for justice and peace. While it is focused on the federal level, the advocacy tips and tactics we recommend throughout the guide are applicable to state and local advocacy as well. Use this for your personal development or take on advocacy strategies in your congregation with more confidence.

#VoteFaithfully Toolkit
Finally, in case you missed it, our election engagement toolkit has prayers, scripture, tips for advocacy, and action steps for casting your vote and helping others vote as well. Check it out in English and Spanish.
Living as disciples and apostles: Feeding the Hungry
Meal Site Leaders and Coordinators Needed

Many parishes in the Southeast Region participate in Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries (SSKP): as meal sites, as a pantry site, as providers of donations in all forms, as gardeners to offer fresh produce.

At this time, SSKP is in need of two meal site coordinators and several meal team leaders. The commitment for a site coordinator is approximately 10 hours spread out over the course of a month. The commitment for a meal team leader is approximately 4 hours one week per month. 

If you are interested in learning more about what these positions entail, please contact Jeff Ward at: jward@shorelinesoupkitchens.org.
Together we can meet the needs of our neighbors!
Living as Disciples and Apostles:
following our carpenter Lord,
hoping that all people have a place to lay their heads
Urgent need
for rental properties

The rental market this tight right now. The Coalition on Housing & Homelessness has over 30 people that are looking for apartments. They have the financial resources and supports needed to be successful, but can't find an apartment at fair market rent. Your help is needed to connect us to property owners with apartments for rent. Please contact Ann Faust at (860) 346-8695 for further information..
Help Wanted! Homeless Hospitality Center,
 New London

Daytime Front Desk Receptionist
Answer phones, help guests with questions and take messages for guests and staff. The shifts are 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Help Center
Assist guests in resolving small issues to help them rebuild their lives. Work with them on resumes, job and housing applications, or financial aid for school, Assist guests in obtaining a driver’s license or CT ID, manage guest mail, and provide bus tickets when necessary.
 
A regular weekly commitment of a few hours is ideal. Shift hours are from 8:30am-12:30pm or 12:30pm-4:30pm

Contact the Volunteer Coordinator
Email Sara Ofner at volunteer@nlhhc.org.
She can also be reached by phone at 860-439-1573, ext. 321
Middlesex Habitat for Humanity
is preparing its latest build in Westbrook, and is seeking volunteers to help out.

 In lieu of an Interfaith Build week, we have decided to host two full weekends in October (10.17-18 & 10.24-25). We will open a second site if there is a large response, and will not have a celebration. We discussed not holding it, as there are so many faith communities still not worshiping in person yet, however, we feel it is important to offer some dates for people of different faiths to build alongside each other. We will be sending out an invite the second week of September.

The new site at 382 Hammock Road North will hold open volunteer days throughout the build, which will occur on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm. Below you will find instructions on how to register to volunteer and check for open volunteer days.
 
How to Register as a Volunteer:
1.    For new volunteers, click here to register.
2.    Complete all information that applies to you.
3.    Click complete application.
4.    Once you complete the application, you will be notified by email that your registration has been processed. Then you may sign up for a shift through the Volunteer Portal
Disciples and Apostles in Creation care and enjoyment
New Worship series at Saint Ann's: 
"God's Good Earth:  Praise and Prayers for Creation" 
Wednesdays: September 9 - October 28, 4 pm
Join us for a weekday outdoor worship service featuring the text by parishioners Anne and Jeffery Rowthorn, "God's Good Earth: Praise and Prayers for Creation."

In this 30 minute service you are invited to bring an object from nature as a meditation or focus for our time together. We encourage you to bring your own chair or cushion.

Slow down and savor the beauty of God's Good Earth right here in the Memorial Garden of Saint Ann's. Wednesdays: September 9 - October 28, 4 pm. 
The Friends of Whalebone Cove (FoWC, Facebook page) have a few Paddle and Pull dates in Hadlyme's Selden Cove.

What do they paddle? canoes or kayaks. What do they pull? The invasive water chestnuts. If you can help on any of the followings for the "Paddle and Pulls" in Hadlyme’s Selden Cove, please contact fowchadlyme@gmail.com:

Thursday 9/3 - 12 Noon (Rain Date: Fri. 9/4 - 1 PM)
Tuesday 9/29 - 9AM (Rain Date: Wed. 9/30 - 10 AM)!"
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, September 26, 9:00-12:00 noon (rain date October 3) and Saturday, October 10(rain date 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.
 
As required by the state and CT DEEP, those attending must register ahead of time. There will be a limit of 25 persons at each cleanup. Attendees shall remain six feet part, including family members, caretakers and household members. Masks shall be worn within six feet of those not in the same household.
 
Participants are asked to meet in the middle picnic area. Adults and youths, under 16 years of age accompanied by an adult, are encouraged to participate in removing oriental bittersweet and other invasives and/ or picking up litter. Please dress for the weather, wear waterproof boots, bring garden loppers or saw, insect repellent, sunscreen, water , snacks and first aid supplies. Snacks will not be provided. Do not bring pets. Volunteers with dump trucks and Haddam stickers are needed.
 
The event is being planned by CT DEEP Adopt -a -Park volunteers, Cherry Czuba, Mary Lou Heger, David Stiles and Jamie Burgess. Please register by emailing Cherry Czuba at cherylczuba@comcast.net
Building Capacity as disciples and apostles:
our lives as leaders in parishes



Episcopal Warden Private Facebook Group
Safe Church Training Fall 2020: 
All ECCT Safe Church Training (SCT) includes an online course followed by a 3-hour live session on Zoom. New online courses are designed to reflect whether you have previously participated in SCT, whether you currently have oversight responsibilities for events, programs or others engaged in ministry, and ministerial roles. This training is grounded in our call to seek and serve Christ in all persons and respect the dignity of every human being. It offers an opportunity to increase and enhance our ability to live out our Baptismal Covenant within our communities of faith and in the world beyond.
There is no fee to attend. Parish leaders are responsible for tracking attendance of laity who need to participate in SCT as specified in Appendix A of ECCT's Model Safe Church Policies.
Registration for SCT is through Eventbrite. To register, click on one of the dates below for a live follow-up Zoom session. These sessions are limited to 20 participants and registration closes one week before the Zoom session or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first. Additional training sessions will be added as needed.
Being and forming disciples & apostles: in the home
playful-family-portrait.jpg

Parenting in the Wilderness:
Monthly at 9:00 a.m.

ECCT invites you into a sacred space of compassion, grace, and fun, hoping to provide some support and fellowship to those of us struggling to make it all work, as we care for children. Gather with clergy and lay facilitators to hold one another up. Join the Zoom conversations here!

Please be sure your name in your Zoom “square” displays your name & your parish affiliation, so that we can safely be in conversation.

Upcoming leaders:
·   Margie Baker on September 10
·   Tracy Johnson Russell on October 8
·   Rebekah Hatch on November 12
Faith Formation Discussion Opportunities

Linnae Peterson, from the Diocese of New Hampshire, will lead weekly Zoom conversations in September on a variety of formation-related topics. The goals of these informal discussions are to better connect formation folks across the Province, to inspire each other with ideas and to share our resources. Discussion times and topics are as follows:

·   September 15th, 7:00 PM What do I need? What do I have to share? How can we support each other in this time of change?
·   September 22nd, 7:00 PM Creating and Equipping a Community of Teachers for Online Formation

The zoom link for each meeting will be the same, which can be found here.
For more information on each of these discussions, contact Province Coordinator Emily Keniston.
Fed by Word and Sacraments:
Midweek opportunities for worship and study
Daily Noonday prayer: St. James’, New London https://www.stjamesnl.org
Sundays
St. Ann's, Old Lyme, 9:00 p.m. Compline https://www.saintannsoldlyme.org

Tuesdays
St. Stephen’s, East Haddam, 8:00 a.m.
St. Ann's, Old Lyme, 10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer via Zoom
St. James’, New London, 10:00 a.m. Bible study via zoom – details at https://www.stjamesnl.org
St. Andrew's, Madison, 7:00 p.m. Compline http://www.standrewsmadison.org/online-worship
St.John's, Essex, 8:30 p.m. Compline

Wednesdays
St. John’s, Essex; 9:00 a.m Link to YouTube channel at https://www.stjohnsessex.org
Grace, Old Saybrook: 10:00 a.m. Healing prayers https://www.graceoldsaybrook.org
St.Mark’s, Mystic, 11:00 a.m. St. Mark’s Live - a grab bag of classes and conversations

Thursdays
St. Stephen’s, East Haddam 8:00 a.m. https://www.ststeves.org/020/03/14/covid-19-changes

St. James’, New London, 10:00 a.m. Fellowship, sharing, visiting time. https://www.stjamesnl.org

Grace, Old Saybrook, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.: Zoom bible study of John's Gospel on 1st and 3rd Thursdays. Contact gracechurchrector@gmail.com for zoom link.

St. James', Preston and Grace, Yantic, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Dwelling in the Word and Compline Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/662330272;
password 246835 Meeting ID: 662 330 272
One tap mobile +16465588656,,662330272# US (New York)

St. John's, Essex, 8:30 p.m.: Compline

Fridays
Deacon Ron Steed is hosting a weekly, guided healing-prayer meditation on Fridays at 8:00 am on zoom."I lead you into a safe and quiet space with silence and storytelling, then guide us through some healing prayer for whoever is on your heart.We should finish in about 30 minutes with a little time for reflection." Contact Ron for the link. 
Connected to the Wider Body of Christ
It's Coming! ECCT Annual Convention!
.

The World Cafe Conversations will take place October 14, 15, and 16 and will be free of charge.
If you're not familiar with World Cafe, you can find out what we considered last year on the ECCT Annual Convention page from 2019.

Convention Art Display: We Are the Body of Christ

We need your help producing a digital mosaic art installation as a part of this year's Convention. All we need is for you to submit an image of yourself--and hopefully get others from your congregation to do the same. Please send an image of yourself or, with their permission, another member of the ECCT to WeAreTheBodyofChrist2020@gmail.com.

Please send only JPEG, TIFF, or PNG files. Please be certain you have the rights to any image you send. Individual images will be very small, but there will be a lot of them, so lower resolution is preferable. Head shots are preferred to minimize cropping. Clergy are asked to send a shot in clerical collar. Full color images of Church buildings, interior or exterior, are also most welcome. There is no guarantee that any particular image will be included. Images of people will have top priority for inclusion.
Deadline October 2; please send to wearethebodyofChrist2020@gmail.com


And there's also the opportunity to be in the virtual choir at Annual Convention. Please contact Marianne Vogel of Christ Church Cathedral for more information.

https://ecctconvention.org/ is your go-to website for Convention updates.


Digital Office Hours with Jasree and Alli! Every Thursday, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm. What a treat! Register here.
Speaking of being connected to the wider body of Christ...
Are you signed up for the ECCT eNews?

CLICK HERE to get it delivered to your inbox! The body of Christ extends beyond the Southeast Region- Imagine!