May 13, 2020
IN THIS EDITION : Bishop Brown's COVID-19 Response #12 - Public worship suspension extended to May 31.
With sadness Camp Arrowhead has announced that the 2020 summer camping season has been cancelled due to COVID-19.

This decision was incredibly difficult to make and was arrived at through weeks of consultation with the Episcopal Camps and Conference Center, the American Camping Association, health care workers with ties to Camp Arrowhead, state guidelines, Bishop Brown, and the mission support staff....and prayer! Many factors played into this outcome, but in evaluating how the camp could run under restricted conditions, either the program or safety were compromised, and Camp Arrowhead was not willing to jeopardize either.

In a heartening response , several Camp Arrowhead supporters have made donations to the camp's COVID Relief Fund.

For a letter from the Executive Director, click here . For an explanatory video, refund response form, FAQs, and donation options, visit the Camp Arrowhead website.
In this time of pandemic, our churches and parishioners are finding new and creative ways to serve their communities. Here are some of their stories. Please let us know the ministries, e.g. feeding, clothing, social justice, etc., you are involved with or providing at this time. We would like to share with others. Please include any images you might have.
Expanded Outreach
Immanuel Church Highlands Outreach Ministry supports Friendship House
"Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" Mt. 25:40.

Friendship House is working tirelessly to provide food, financial assistance, recovery, and shelter to the most vulnerable at this time. Empowerment centers in Wilmington and Newark are providing to-go meals for clients. Housing has not been able to accept new residents. As a result, there are more people out on the street. The most vulnerable or high risk for COVID-19, some 45-50 people, are being placed in hotels and motels in Wilmington and Newark. Friendship House is bringing food to those clients every day. 

If you would like to donate food for the to-go bags, please use all prescribed pre-cautions when handling food. Every Friday between 10-11 am, donations can be dropped off curbside at Immanuel Church, where they will be transferred from your trunk. Please remember to wear a mask.
Adapting to the times
Grace Church, Wilmington
holds two successful
socially distanced events
Grace Church, Wilmington, held a successful 'Social Distancing' outdoor cleanup and it was a great way to engage parishioners. 

16 members of Grace Church turned out on Saturday, May 9, for a spring cleanup. They weeded, cleared trash, trimmed hedges, and cleaned windowsills. It was an amazing day and left everyone feeling energized.

On Mother's Day at Grace Church, Amy Diamond hosted her annual Mother's Day breakfast.

This year it was 'curbside pick up' style, complete with masks and gloves! Amy usually hosts this event in the parish hall, but this year parishioners were able to drive up and pick up their breakfast casserole, apple cider donuts, and gift bags.  Amy was glad she was still able to provide this special gift to her Grace family!
Fun Fact!

Do you know who plays the piano prelude at the beginning of the bishop's Sunday worship live video services?

The purple shirt is a bit of a giveaway!
Check it out!
Where to Look for
New Life
"During the afternoon of Maundy Thursday, as I sat writing in my office, the sun burst through the colorless gauze that had been hanging over Pittsburgh for most of Holy Week. I quickly checked my weather app to see how warm it was and decided now was the perfect time to take a walk with the dogs. We’d only gone on a couple of brief jaunts that week, due to the cold and rain, and with the shelter-in-place orders having made the four walls of my office seem that much more confining, I knew I needed to seize the moment.

"There’s an electric pleasure that you feel in your skin when spring sunshine finally arrives in climates like the one I live in. (Pittsburgh is neck-and-neck with Seattle, vying for the position of U.S. city with the lowest number of sunny days.) I could see that the dogs felt it too. They were friskier, more inquisitive and alert, than I’d seen them in days.

"After what seemed like only a few minutes, though, thick fingers of dark-blue clouds began to reach over our route. I started to feel rain drops on the bridge of my nose, then see them dotting the lenses of my glasses. Within moments, the rain was falling in light, breezy sheets — not quite a downpour, but enough that my jeans began to feel heavier, and the dogs’ coats started to frizz with the wetness.

The chief thing I felt was the cold, and my main reaction was resentment. Did the clouds forget it’s supposed to be spring?!

Read full The Living Church article here .
Did you know?
What Shakespeare Actually Wrote about the Plague
"Shakespeare lived his entire life in the shadow of bubonic plague. On April 26, 1564, in the parish register of Holy Trinity Church, in Stratford-upon-Avon, the vicar, John Bretchgirdle, recorded the baptism of one 'Gulielmus filius Johannes Shakspere.'
A few months later, in the same register, the vicar noted the death of Oliver Gunne, an apprentice weaver, and in the margins next to that entry scribbled the words “hic incipit pestis” (here begins the plague). On that occasion, the epidemic took the lives of around a fifth of the town’s population. By good fortune, it spared the life of the infant William Shakespeare and his family."

"The plague as an actual event figures prominently in one of Shakespeare’s plays. Friar Laurence in “Romeo and Juliet” has asked a fellow friar to deliver a crucial message to the exiled Romeo in Mantua, informing him about the clever drug that is going to make Juliet appear to have died." Tragically, due to plague quarantine precautions, the message never reached Romeo. In a few lines, the messenger conveys a wealth of information:

"Going to find a barefoot brother out,
One of our order, to associate me,
Here in this city visiting the sick,
And finding him, the searchers of the town,
Suspecting that we both were in a house
Where the infectious pestilence did reign,
Sealed up the doors and would not let us forth,
So that my speed to Mantua there was stayed."

Read full New Yorke r article here .
News from the Episcopal Church in Delaware
St. Anne's School is hosting a Virtual Open House, Thursday, May 14, at 6:30 pm
You are invited to join a virtual open house from the comfort of your own home to see how a St. Anne's education can benefit your child and family. Take a virtual forest walk, learn more about it, and register for the open house here .
In this time of Pandemic, Beware Cyber Criminals!
The FBI is aware that cyber criminals look to take advantage of generous religious groups by masquerading as someone 'in need' and tricking members into sending them money. Please contact the FBI (410-265-8080) if you know of anyone who recently has fallen victim to fraud schemes such as this. Additional details about these scams, how we can protect ourselves, and how to report suspicious activity can be found in FBI Public Service Announcement Alert Number I-032020-PSA here .
Cycle of Prayer in the Episcopal Church in Delaware
T his week (week of May 10) we hold up in prayer St. James Church , Newport, the Rev. Sarah L. J. Nelson, Rector. For Cycle of Prayer Calendar for 2019-2020 click here.
News from the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Service Corps to host online open house: Young adults between 21 and 32 considering a #ServiceYear through Episcopal Service Corps are invited to join ESC in an online Open House, Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00pm Eastern / 7:00pm Central / 6:00pm Mountain / 5:00pm Pacific  
“Through Episcopal Service Corps, young adults have an opportunity to bring hope, healing, and help to their local communities. Especially in this time of COVID-19, the ministry of Corps members over the next year will be more vital than ever,” said Wendy Johnson, ESC Coordinator. “That being said, ESC is so much more than an 11-month deep dive into service work. It is time that a young adult sets aside to develop the intentional and reflective practices that will enable a lifetime of spiritual growth, community orientation, and leadership.” More information
Deadline approaches for Episcopal Church’s 2020-2021 academic year scholarships. Applications due May 29, 2020
The deadline approaches for educational scholarships from The Episcopal Church for the 2020-2021 academic year. A scholarship applicant must be an Episcopalian and must have the endorsement of his/her bishop. The scholarships are derived from annual income of designated trust funds established by generous donors through bequests to The Episcopal Church. The scholarships assist:
  • Students enrolled in theological education and training.
  • Children of missionaries, bishops and clergy.
  • Students of various racial and ethnic minorities, and other groups covering a wide range of eligibility. More information
A letter from Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, to the Church: Update regarding DFMS staff travel and sponsored meetings during the coronavirus pandemic, May 11, 2020
"Dear Friends in Christ,
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect much of our individual and corporate lives, posing a threat to the health of so many. At this time, as states and countries consider or begin to re-open, it is important for us to remember to care for ourselves, but not for ourselves alone. The moral primacy of Jesus’ command to love God and our neighbor must guide us in all of our decisions. In this context, our choices – however complex or difficult – are to be made mindful of the public health and well-being of ourselves and our neighbors. Recognizing this, the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) of The Episcopal Church has met and approved the following update of the March 12, 2020 letter to DFMS staff regarding travel and meetings during the Coronavirus pandemic." Read full letter here .
Immigrant Detention during COVID-19: Prophetic Action & Compassionate Response webinar offered Tuesday, May 19
Join the Office of Government Relations and Episcopal Migration Ministries on Tuesday, May 19 at 4pm ET for Immigrant Detention during COVID-19: Prophetic Action & Compassionate Response. This seventy-five-minute webinar will include clergy and lay leaders from the Dioceses of Georgia, Ohio, and Western Louisiana with professional and ministry background in different models of detention visitation ministry. “For four years, I have walked alongside women and men suffering in immigrant detention centers and have witnessed directly the inhumane and unjust conditions they endure as they await court hearings or deportation,” said The Rev. Leeann Culbreath, deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. “As the coronavirus spreads, they are trapped in crowded dorms with extremely limited medical care while corrections corporations, profit from their detention. Through their desperate voices crying out for help in this moment, Jesus invites the church to join his ministry of liberation: to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free." More information
Third season of The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry podcast begins May 5
Season 3 of The Episcopal Church’s podcast The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry, is now available. These weekly conversations, featuring Bishop Curry, podcast host Sandy Milien, and a variety of guests, center on ways to live a life committed to living the way of God’s unconditional, unselfish, sacrificial,and redemptive love. Season 3 changes include longer conversations between Bishop Curry and his guests: faith leaders, authors, and thinkers who are committed to following the Way of Jesus in the world today. Framed by the Way of Love – those seven practices of turning, learning, praying, worshipping, blessing, going, and resting – listeners will hear stories and lessons about how they can grow closer to God in daily life. More information
Presiding Bishop Curry announces chief consecrators for the Ordinations and Consecrations of Bishops in the Episcopal Dioceses of Georgia, Minnesota, and Oklahoma
In March, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the decision to suspend large in-person gatherings, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry announced the rescheduling of ordinations and consecrations of bishops previously scheduled for April. Today, Curry announced his appointment of the chief consecrators for Ordinations and Consecrations of Bishops in the Episcopal Dioceses of Georgia, Minnesota, and Oklahoma. In making this announcement, Curry said, “In the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, we are now at one of those threshold moments when important and significant decisions must be made on all levels of our global community for the good and the well-being of the entire human family. Federal, state, and local authorities continue to issue new guidelines on travel and in-person gatherings. I ask your prayers for the Church, our suffering world, and all dioceses awaiting consecration of their next bishop.” Read full announcement here .
From the Joint Standing Committee on Nominations – Deadline extended to May 31, 2020!
The Episcopal Church Joint Standing Committee on Nominations is accepting applications for several positions. Application forms and job descriptions are available on the General Convention website at https://www.generalconvention.org/nomineeapplication202 1 .  Applications can be submitted electronically, and nominees are able to apply for multiple positions on the same application. The deadline to submit application has been extended to May 31, 2020. Elections will be held at the 80 th General Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, scheduled for June 30–July 9, 2021. More information
An invitation for you, from Presiding Bishop Curry: Habits of Grace
"As we learn how to adjust our lives given the reality of the coronavirus and the request to do our part to slow its spread by practicing social distancing, I invite you to join me each week to take a moment to cultivate a ‘habit of grace.’ A new meditation will be posted on Mondays through May." Start watching here .
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