In this edition: Response to the January 6 events at the Capitol, Fun Fact; Did You Know?; Check it Out!; news from our parishes and community; more ...

President-elect Joe Biden is planning a lighting ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to honor those killed by the coronavirus the day before he is sworn into office on January 20.The Presidential Inaugural Committee said that it would hold the event the evening of January 19, calling it the first-ever lighting around the Reflecting Pool to memorialize American lives lost. It is also inviting communities around the country to join Washington in lighting up buildings and ringing church bells at 5:30 pm in a national moment of unity and remembrance. More information

This week (week of January 10), in our diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we hold up in prayer Christ Church, Milford, Vestry Leadership and Parish. For the 2020-2021 diocesan Cycle of Prayer Calendar click here.

Contents include Book group discussion on How to be an Antiracist; Forma 21: Embodying Spiritual Practices; PS Formaton Ministry Deep Dives; New Formation Resources page; T2T2 Youth Civil Rights Pilgrimage; Online Substance Abuse Recovery program; The Path Ahead: Spirituality and Purpose in Later Life; and news from around the Church. More information

This spoken word competition provides a platform for high school students to speak up on issues important to them and creatively share how Dr. King's legacy guides their response to today’s challenges. The results are powerful and performances inspirational. You are invited to an extraordinary tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and lend your support to seven courageous high school students. To receive a link to view the finals click here

Who is my neighbor? In 2020 especially, we have many neighbors in need. Tarbiyah has been diligently feeding children since the pandemic closed schools where so many of our children, facing food insecurity, received their meals. Tarbiyah now provides 5,000 -7,000 meals to these children each day. They also reach out to families to help in other ways. With a structure already established in the community, St Thomas’s Parish asked how it could help support their efforts. More information

Several parishes support Friendship House (FH) in providing emergency winter shelter for the homeless in Wilmington and donating needed items. In 2020 the pandemic brought a greater need and changes in how shelter can be provided. In a bold move, New Castle County has purchased the former Sheraton Hotel, Airport Road, now named the New Castle County HOPE Center, and FH will run Code Purple out of that location. Financial and other support is greatly needed as even more people are likely to lose their homes this winter. More information

Burnout is real, and during this pandemic, we’re all experiencing it. Parishioners, family, friends, colleagues — who isn’t struggling with the fear of infection, the burden of lockdowns, and even the pain of loss? It’s natural to want to help others, but how well are you attending to what you need? In this webinar, four experts in the psychological and theological fields will engage in a frank discussion about anxiety, depression, and finding balance amid today’s constant demands. Come with questions, and leave refreshed with practical tools for coping. More information and reservation

Insights & Ideas: Investing in Economically Disadvantaged Communities, Thursday, January 14, 12:15-1:30pm

The prevalence of social injustice was one of the defining themes of 2020. Racial and economic disparities have deepened over the past several months, and many of us feel called to address it. The Church Pension Group invites you to learn about investment strategies that advance socioeconomic equity, and to hear what institutions are doing to enhance diversity in the investment industry. More information and registration

The nine-part series, hosted by CPG Senior Health Education Specialist Krishna Dholakia, emphasizes actions listeners can take to improve specific areas of their lives, which in turn can lead to a more holistic sense of well-being. It features practical steps listeners can take to protect themselves from investment fraud, cope with caution fatigue, weather financial strains, and help cultivate other healthy behaviors and lead a balanced life. More information

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry invites Episcopalians to deepen their participation in Christ’s ministry of reconciliation by dedicating offerings at observances of the Feast of Absalom Jones (February 13) and making individual donations to support St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, NC, and Voorhees College in Denmark, SC, two historically black Episcopal institutions of higher education. More information

The application process is now open for the Constable Fund Grants for the 2021 grant cycle. The fund provides grants to fund mission initiatives that were not provided for within the budget of the Episcopal Church, as approved by General Convention 2018, with a stated preference for work in the area of religious education. In 2020, Constable Grants ranged from $2,500 to $50,000. The 2020 grants totaled $209,500.00, distributed among nine grant recipients. More information in English; in Spanish; and in French.

Applications are now being accepted for 2021-2022 placements with the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC), the international missionary program of The Episcopal Church. YASC offers Episcopalians ages 21-30 the opportunity to follow the Way of Love into deeper relationship with God and the global Anglican Church while spending a year living and working with communities around the world. more information in English here and in Spanish here

With a new year comes an opportunity to embrace a spiritual practice of reading God’s Word. Forward Movement, with support from partners from around the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion, invites you to celebrate the time of Epiphany with the Good Book Club. Starting on January 1, 2021, and continuing through Shrove Tuesday, February 16, the Good Book Club features daily readings from the Gospel of Mark. More information

The series highlights positive stories from around the church through conversations with a variety of guests with new episodes released every two weeks. Episodes 1-5 may be viewed on the Episcopal Church website here, on Facebook here, and on Instagram TV, @theepiscopalchurch. In this fifth episode, hosts Marcus and Jerusalem chat with Dylan C. Mello, the Northwest Connecticut Region Missionary for the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, about the Make a Meal, Make a Difference ministry, a ministry of several Episcopal churches in Connecticut, which provides prepared, frozen meals for people in their communities and is just one of the food ministries that has grown in their region. Listen as Dylan shares the joyful and organic way this ministry started and shares tips on how other congregations can begin their own food-based missions. More information

In this episode, Bishop Curry talks with Bryan Stevenson — author, lawyer, and founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama — about what it means to remember, reorient, and renew an active faith in Jesus and his Way of Love. More information

The Episcopal Church launches "From Many, One: Conversations Across Difference,” a campaign urging Episcopalians and our neighbors to engage in the spiritual practice of listening and honest conversation across the many differences that separate us, starting with four simple questions: What do you love? What have you lost? Where does it hurt? What do you dream? More information

Episcopal Church Executive Council to meet virtually January 22-25

The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church will convene a virtual meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the health and safety of all involved.

The 2021 CEEP Network's Digital Annual Conference early bird registration is open. Keynote speakers include the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Justin Welby and the Most Rev. Michael Curry. More information

After a sublimely beautiful outdoor concert by the cathedral choir, a gunman began shooting. Read Episcopal News Service article here.

At a time where the world still faces the challenge of COVID-19 alongside ongoing issues like climate crisis, poverty, economic injustice, conflict and inequality, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has launched a Lambeth Conference prayer journey to share prayers of hope for the world. More information

On the Anglican Communion webpage you may read these messages from Anglican Primates from around the world, together with a selection of other significant messages, here.

A new three-year Anglican Cycle of Prayer has been published, running from January 1, 2021 to September 11, 2023: From Abu to Zululand, it is available to download as a printable document or a spreadsheet with raw data that can be incorporated into provincial and diocesan prayer cycles. You can download both versions here.