January 20, 2021
In this edition: Compline service for Unity and Peace, National Lament & Prayer service; Fun Fact; Did You Know?; Check it Out!; news from our parishes and community; more ...
JOIN US TONIGHT!
Bishop Brown leads
Compline: Service of Prayer
for National Unity and Peace


Wednesday, January 20, 9:00 p.m. via Zoom

TO JOIN, USE THE FOLLOWING
LINK / INFORMATION:

January 19, 2021: Service of National Lament & Prayer
An Ecumenical service hosted by St. Peter's, Lewes, with an introduction from Bishop Brown. This service was held on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.
Did you know?
Option of taking an oath or an affirmation at Presidential
Inauguration
The Constitutional language gives the option to "affirm" instead of "swear". While the reasons for this are not documented, it may relate to certain Christians, including Quakers, who apply this scripture literally: "But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation" (James 5:12 KJV).
Franklin Pierce was the only president known to use the word "affirm" rather than "swear." Herbert Hoover is often listed to have used "affirm" as well, owing to his being a Quaker, but a newsreel taken of the ceremony indicates that the words used were "solemnly swear." Richard Nixon, who was also a Quaker, swore, rather than affirmed. More information
Check it out!
How to Reduce Digital Distractions:
Advice From Medieval Monks
Medieval monks had a terrible time concentrating. And concentration was their lifelong work! Their tech was obviously different from ours. But their anxiety about distraction was not. They complained about being overloaded with information, and about how, even once you finally settled on something to read, it was easy to get bored and turn to something else. They were frustrated by their desire to stare out of the window, or to constantly check on the time (in their case, with the Sun as their clock), or to think about food or sex when they were supposed to be thinking about God. They even worried about getting distracted in their dreams.They came up with some pretty quirky tricks to stay focused, but they may have been on to something. More information
Fun Fact

Question: Which presidents did not swear the oath of office on the Bible?

Clue: The convention began with George Washington and three presidents in the 19th and 20th centuries did not do so.

Answer: Here
Conversations on the Partner's Path with Karen Stiller
for spouses of Episcopal clergy

Conversations on the Partner's Path" is designed to provide connection, spiritual nourishment, and gifts discernment for spouses of Episcopal clergy. Join Karen Stiller, author of "The Minister’s Wife," for 60-minutes of deep engagement on the challenge and the gift of being a clergy person’s partner. Register here.
Cycle of Prayer in the Episcopal Church in Delaware
This week (week of January 17), in our diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we hold up in prayer Daughters of the King and Anamchara Fellowship. For the 2020-2021 diocesan Cycle of Prayer Calendar click here.
News from our parishes and community
Saint Anne’s Church, Middletown is pleased to announce a virtual concert, featuring Mr. Jackson Borges playing the new Viscount Overture Organ, Friday, January 29, 7pm
Everyone is invited to view the concert on the Saint Anne’s website or Facebook Page.
Church of Sts. Andrew & Matthew 25th Anniversary Party, Sunday, January 31, 3-4pm
You are invited to join the celebration via video. Fun for the entire family! Music! Surprises! Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester will be the special guest. More information
Province III of the Episcopal Church Winter 2021 Newsletter
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
MLK VOICE 4 YOUTH, Virtual Finals were held on January 17 via Zoom
First Prize $2,000 Neha Das, Charter School of Wilmington (Grade 12); Second Prize $1,000 Adith Thyagarajan, Charter School of Wilmington (Grade 12); Third Prize $500 Rishima Mall, Charter School of Wilmington (Grade 11). The News Journal wrote, “These Delaware teens are calling upon Martin Luther King's message for hope and change.” The results were powerful and inspirational. The other four fearless finalists were: Deena Johnson, Milford High School (Grade 12); Desere Ndikum, Newark Charter (Grade 12); Jamel Powell, Powell Academy Homeschooling (Grade 9); and Sanchez Raymond, Cape Henlopen High School (Grade 12). The virtual audience included viewers from Canada and India.
News from the Episcopal Church
Looking Ahead to the Biden Administration: Impact on Episcopal Church initiatives
People of every ideological persuasion are well aware that the political environment will shift dramatically as one American president gives way to a very different successor. After years of divisiveness, months of a global pandemic, and appalling revelations about a violent insurgency, the stakes are high — and the Church is not immune from the turmoil. In that context, five department heads from the Episcopal Church gathered virtually on January 11 for a webinar sponsored by the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes, titled “Mr. Biden Goes to Washington: What a New Administration Means for the Church.” The short answer is that it means quite a lot. Perhaps the most dramatic changes will involve immigration and refugee resettlement. Episcopal Migration Ministries “for the past 40 years has been one of the nine official refugee resettlement agencies for the United States — and for the past 80 years, the church engagement unit of EMM has supported refugees, asylum seekers, and others who have left horrific situations in search of a new home and a new hope,” said the Rev. C.K. “Chuck” Robertson, canon to the presiding bishop for ministry beyond the Episcopal Church. More information
Episcopal Evangelism January Newsletter, Epiphany
“Finding WHY is a process of discovery, not invention... All organizations start with WHY, but only the great ones keep their WHY clear year after year.” Simon Sinek. Read full newsletter here
General Theological Seminary & Virginia Theological Seminary Explore Deeper Partnership
General Theological Seminary is the oldest Episcopal seminary. Virginia Theological Seminary is the largest. They're not merging, but they're exploring models for collaboration that may allow them to share faculty and resources. 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.
Church Pension Group Launches New Podcast Series Choose Well: Helpful Conversations About Well-Being
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
The Episcopal Church launches 2021 Absalom Jones Fund Campaign to assist Episcopal Historically Black Colleges and Universities
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
Applications open for Episcopal Church Constable Fund Grants. Deadline February 15, 2021
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.
Episcopal Church Young Adult Service Corps: Application open for 2021-2022 placements.
Deadline February 19, 2021
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
Good Book Club reads the Gospel of Mark during Epiphany
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
Tell Me Something Good, a new web series from The Episcopal Church, Episode 5 now available
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
Season 4 of The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry continues with guest Bryan Stevenson
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
For a Time Such as This: The Church as Witness, March 3-5, 2021
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
News from the Anglican Communion
Standing Committee concludes review of ACO priorities: will re-focus activities on supporting the four Instruments of Communion in line with the recommendations of the review it commissioned.
This will end those aspects of the programmatic activity of the ACO which can be undertaken more effectively regionally or within the provinces, with staff taking on more of a co-ordinating role. The more devolved way of working envisaged by the review reflect the cultural and traditional diversity of the Communion and is intended to broaden participation. However, as programmatic work is devolved and the office is restructured, a number of staff are at risk of redundancy. Details of the changes will be posted to the Anglican Communion website. At present, a summary of the Standing Committee’s Case for Organizational Change proposal is available. All details will be available on a dedicated webpage.
Lambeth Conference prayer journey: prayers of hope for the world
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 featuring prayers from Anglican bishops and the wider Lambeth Conference Community. This journey brings prayers from around the world. You may see more information and videos and read prayers here.
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