In this edition: Christmas Lessons and Carols; United Thank Offering; Upcoming events; Clergy announcement; Message from IWC; Fun Fact; Did You Know?; Check it Out!; Upcoming events in our community: news from The Episcopal Church, and more
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A Joyful occasion!
The Fourth Annual Diocesan
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
held on December 18 at St. Peter's, Lewes
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All photos from Lessons and Carols can be viewed here.
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United Thank Offering
Success in a challenging year
by Beth Fitzpatrick
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COVID took a toll on charity donations as well as parish pledges, and over the last few years the number of parishes who held United Thank Offering (UTO) Ingatherings in the diocese has shrunk dramatically. As president of the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) of Delaware, I became increasingly concerned about this trend. We do not currently have a UTO coordinator for the diocese, but I held that position several years ago, and with the help of the ECW Delaware board, we sent a flyer to every parish and encouraged participation in the UTO as well as other charitable organizations linked to the ECW. I also made a quilt in the shades of blue represented on the UTO Little Blue Boxes. We sold raffle tickets for the quilt at the ECW Annual Meeting and at the diocesan convention. The winning ticket was drawn in early December and the Rev. Deacon Chris Miller-Marcin was the happy winner.
Both efforts paid off! In early December, 2022, we sent a check for $1,884.90 to UTO, and we hope to increase the amount in this new year. We also hope to enlist the services of a volunteer to assume the position of UTO Coordinator! If you are interested in this position, please contact Beth FitzPatrick here.
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Clergy Announcement
The Rev. Dr. Jack Anderson has been called to be assisting priest at
All Saints' Church and St. George's Chapel, Rehoboth Beach/Harbeson
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Save the dates for these upcoming events! |
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Racial Justice Program
St. Barnabas' Church
Wilmington
January 27, 7pm and 28, 12pm
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St. Barnabas’ Episcopal Church invites you to their racial justice program with the Rev. Elle Dowd, author of Baptized in Tear Gas. Reading and book signing Friday, January 27, 7pm. Workshop and book signing, Saturday, January 28, 12 noon. More information to follow.
Image:
Courtesy of Elle Dowd
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12-Step Eucharist
Christ Church Christiana Hundred
Wilmington
January 31, 7pm
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Christ Church Christiana Hundred is pleased to offer a 12-Step Recovery Eucharist on Tuesday, January 31, 7pm, combining ancient scripture and centuries-old liturgy with the 12 steps to celebrate the gift of recovery and invite us to strengthen our recovery practices. More information to follow.
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"With the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, I offer heartfelt prayers for His Holiness Pope Francis and all members of the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world. As followers of Jesus, we know that death does not have the final word. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, the Apostle Paul reminded that first generation of Christians that they need not grieve as those who have no hope.
"The former pontiff, a renowned theologian, echoed Paul when he said that “one who has hope lives differently.” Benedict’s passing occurs at the end of a year that for so many continued to be fraught with great difficulties and uncertainties — both personal and global. Amid such struggles, may we indeed live differently, with hope, and follow the Way of Love.
"And may Benedict, and all who have died, rest in peace."
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"Today I join with the church throughout the world, and especially with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and all in the Catholic Church, in mourning the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. In Pope Benedict’s long life and ministry of service to Christ in His Church he saw many profound changes in the church and in the world. He lived through the Nazi regime in Germany and served briefly in the Second World War. As a younger theologian and priest he witnessed first-hand the discussions of the Second Vatican Council. As a professor and then as an Archbishop he lived in a divided Germany but saw too the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of his homeland. Pope Benedict was one of the greatest theologians of his age – committed to the faith of the Church and stalwart in its defence. In all things, not least in his writing and his preaching, he looked to Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God. It was abundantly clear that Christ was the root of his thought and the basis of his prayer. In 2013 Pope Benedict took the courageous and humble step to resign the papacy, the first Pope to do so since the fifteenth century. In making this choice freely he acknowledged the human frailty that affects us all. In his retirement in Rome he has led a life of prayer and now he has gone to the eternal rest granted by the Father. In his life and ministry Pope Benedict strove to direct people to Christ. May he now rest in Christ’s peace, and rise in glory with all the Saints."
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A message from the Invite Welcome Connect team
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Holy Listening in churches: “When we engage in it, we are hoping and expecting to encounter God. Holy listening is indispensable in congregations because it builds intimacy and helps people connect with each other in a way that goes beyond the superficial, resulting in powerful bonds between people.”
— Craig Satterlee
To learn more about skills for Holy Listening, click here.
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Fun Fact
Question: Delaware's first bishop, Bishop Alfred Lee, was surprised by the call, but responded, "Here I am! Send me." Which subsequent bishop responded similarly and had this text printed on the reverse side of his bishop's cross?
Clue: He was consecrated at his former church in Baltimore.
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Today in Christian History |
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The man who fixed the time of Creation
James Ussher, (1581-1656)
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On this date in 1581, James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland, was born. Famous for a chronology of the Bible that was repeatedly printed in King James versions, he was so highly esteemed that Oliver Cromwell gave him a state funeral and had him buried in Westminster Abbey. His name is indelibly linked with rigid church fundamentalism and today he is almost exclusively known as the man who fixed the time of Creation at midday on October 23, 4004 BC. More information
Public domain
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The Christian who became know for Cats
T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)
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On this date in 1965, T.S. Eliot, one of the most influential English writers in the twentieth century and a devout Christian who wove his religious convictions into his work, died. The writer of perhaps the most despairing poem of the 20th century is today mostly remembered as the author of doggerel verse made popular in the hit musical Cats. He produced poetry, literary criticism, and drama so fine he was awarded the 1948 Nobel Prize for Literature and the British Order of Merit. More information
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Cycle of Prayer in the Episcopal Church in Delaware |
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This week (week of January 1), in our diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we hold up in prayer the Brandywine Collaborative Ministries: Calvary-Hillcrest Church, Wilmington; Grace Church, Wilmington; and Church of the Ascension, Claymont; the Rev. Kim Capwell, interim rector; the Rev. Dr. Marta Illueca, assistant rector; and the Rev. Christopher Moore, assistant rector. For the diocesan Cycle of Prayer, click here.
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News from The Episcopal Church |
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When program alumni were asked recently if they would recommend a year of international mission engagement through The Episcopal Church’s Young Adult Service Corps (YASC), they answered resoundingly: Yes! More information (In English and Spanish)
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The Rev. Miguel Bustos has been named The Episcopal Church’s manager for Racial Reconciliation and Justice. Based in San Francisco, Bustos is a respected leader in racial and social justice with deep experience mobilizing people and resources for movement. He serves as cathedral deacon at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral and on multiple boards. Bustos is completing his service as chief of global initiatives and senior director of the Center for Social Justice at the Glide Foundation, an arm of Glide Memorial Church. He will start his new role in the Department of Reconciliation, Justice and Creation, led by the Rev. Melanie Mullen, on February 1. More information
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As The Episcopal Church reckons more deeply with its past involvement in Indigenous boarding schools, the Office of Indigenous Ministries invites all Episcopalians to register to watch Winter Talk 2023, an annual conference that highlights Indigenous and Native American traditions and contributions within the church. More information
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The Joint Standing Committee on Planning and Arrangements, chaired by General Convention Executive Officer Michael Barlowe, has met and established that the next General Convention — in Louisville, Kentucky — will have six legislative days: Sunday, June 23, 2024, to Friday, June 28, 2024. Details of the schedule, including additional dates in advance for meetings and orientation, are being worked out by a subcommittee of Planning and Arrangements. A full schedule will be publicized in early 2023. More information
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Do you feel called to the work of church and community redevelopment?
The Episcopal Church’s Office of Church Planting and Mission Development is offering an online discernment retreat for those seeking to discern their role and fit in church redevelopment.
- What: Re-Visioning and Renewing: Discerning Leadership for Redeveloping Congregations
- When: 12 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays: February 9, 16, 23, and March 2
- Cost: $350
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Resource link: Discernment grid
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Questions? Email Steve Matthews
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