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July 8, 2020

"I do not believe people are afraid of change; they're afraid of loss." — Bishop Brown

IN THIS EDITION : News from across the diocese, Fun Fact, News from the Episcopal Church, Did You Know?, Check it Out!, News from the Anglican Communion

2 Upcoming Programs in Diocese Church Service Live Stream Conversation Youth Ministry Curriculum Workshop

Church Service Live Stream Conversation: NOW AND BEYOND via Zoom Thursday, July 16 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Email [email protected] to receive Zoom link and dial-in information

Learn different options for streaming church services for in-person worship, now and beyond COVID-19; about appropriate WiFi for streaming purposes — Pegasus Technologies will explain what is necessary, what equipment is needed, how to maintain a private WiFi connection for streaming, and more; various options for cameras that accommodate a variety of needs and budgets; appropriate camera placement, lighting, and sound for live stream services. how the Barnabas Fund can help with providing technology grants for each parish. Questions and conversation — after brief presentations on the above items — the panel will invite questions and conversation to explore what might work well for your parish, provide thoughts and ideas, and, if requested, plan a time to talk with parishes individually. For Zoom links and questions — email [email protected] to receive Zoom links and dial-in information This conversation is provided by the diocesan communications team.

Oh No! What Do We Do Next? Curriculum During Quarantine Workshop via Zoom Saturday, August 22, 10:00 am-12:00 p.m. Registration | Information

It’s so often a daunting task to look for and find curriculum that is both appropriate and engaging for young persons in the sixth grade and up. Such a task becomes even trickier during the season of pandemic that we are facing. In order to help with this challenging mission the Youth Ministry Support team is presenting, O h No! What Do We Do Next? Please mark your calendars, spread the word, register, pay attention to the reminders, and plan on being there! Registration and more information here . — the Rev. Dr. Ketlen Solak, Bishop's Youth Missioner Read previously published youth ministry support article here.

Hear What the Spirit is Saying, by The Rev. Jeffrey Austin Ross An excerpt from the live stream worship service at St. Peter's, Lewes, July 5, 2020. America the Beautiful On Saturday, July 4, at a Spanish service of Compline, the Rev. Dr. Ketlen Solak, rector of the Brandywine Collaborative Ministries, sang a powerful version of America the Beautiful.

NOTE: Sharing excerpts from live stream services across the diocese is a new feature of The Net.

Entrevista Informativa El COVID, la Ciencia y la Fé La Rvda. Dra. Marta Illueca Noticiero Matutino Nex Panamá- Canal 21

The Rev. Dr. Marta Illueca, curate of the Brandywine Collaborative Ministries, was interviewed by a national TV station in Panama on how to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. To view English sub-titles , click on CC at the bottom right to allow closed captions. Then, click on the settings wheel > select sub-titles > auto-translate, and select English.

Fun Fact Question: Which church in our diocese began life as a wooden chapel, originally located on a creek named after a bird? Clue: It has wonderful stained glass windows from France and Austria.  Answer: Here

Did you know? Jane Austen was devout in worship and wrote prayers Jane Austen is world famous for her novels, but very few of her fans know that she also wrote prayers. Look them up! Those who think of Austen's work as 18 th century chick-lit will be in for a surprise. One can say prayers and sit light on faith. But people who write prayers are not just dabbling in Christianity. Child of an Anglican priest, with two brothers who were ordained, Austen was a lifelong churchgoer within the Anglican tradition. Devout in worship, Austen applied her faith to her life. She took Christian faith very seriously. Read full Covenant article here. Check it out! To Heal the World exhibition is open and accessible online Art is a universal language that has the ability to dissolve the differences that divide us. CARAVAN , a nonprofit initiative affiliated with the Episcopal Church builds peace by creating artistic encounter points for those of divergent backgrounds and worldviews to stimulate discussion, dialogue and education, promoting understanding, with a vision toward healing our world and fostering peace and harmony. The CARAVAN president just won a Lambeth Award, information here .  To Heal the World   exhibition is now open online and runs through 18 August. See exhibition here .

Te ri Quinn Gray joins Diocesa n Communications Team We are pleased to announce that Teri has agreed to be a member of the diocesan Communications Team. She will act as a consultant to the team, helping ensure that the diocesan message is on target and diverse. View Teri's bio here . View all communication team members here .

Quarantine through the Eyes of a College Senior Read a reflection by a senior from the University of Delaware, of his experience in the final months of college during COVID-19. Read article here .

St. John the Baptist Featured in Local News St. John the Baptist, Milton, and the Rev. Tom White, rector, are featured in the Cape Gazette and in the Episcopal News Service, offering socially distanced blessings. Read article here

Save the Date! 2020 Census Faith Weekend of Action | July 24-26, 2020 . Greetings from the faith-based partnership team at the US Census Bureau's National Partnership Program. We appreciated your participation in the 2020 Census Interfaith Partner Summit last February. We are calling on faith leaders to share 2020 Census messages and to encourage your communities to respond to the 2020 Census over this Weekend of Action. Please stay tuned for new outreach material to be released in advance of this Faith Communities Census Weekend of Action. Thank you for your continued support in ensuring an accurate and complete count!

News from the Episcopal Church in Delaware

Awakening to Racial Justice Webpage on Diocesan Website A webpage has been posted on the diocesan website, delaware.church , entitled, Awakening to Racial Justice. This will be a hub for all information that relates to social and racial justice. More information and resources will be added, please check back often. We need your information! We would also like to add programs that your church is sponsoring or any programs you may be aware of in Delaware that speak to racial/social justice and would be helpful to post on this page. Please let us know by email to [email protected]

Paradigm Lost: A Presentation by Professor Ian S. Lustick, Wednesday, August 5, 7pm, via Zoom Please join us for an evening with Ian S. Lustick, a professor of plitical science at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the council on Foreign Relations, who will discuss his new book, Paradigm Lost. Why have Israelis and Palestinians failed to achieve a two-state solution to the conflict that has cost so much and lasted so long? More information

Choir School of Delaware announces new academic year programming With our Virtual Summer Session now underway, the Choir School of Delaware is preparing for the upcoming year of after school programming. We are beginning to hold auditions for new choristers to join our program. With the pandemic making the future a little harder to predict, we are creating a hybrid in-person/virtual program with the flexibility to pivot services as needed. As always, the program will include daily academic support and music education. FAQs here . More information

Congratulations to the Rev. Dr. Marta Illueca upon receiving a grant from United Thank Offering! United Thank Offering announced the grant recipients for the 2020 gra nting year, and we are excited to share that the Episcopal Church in Delaware will receive funding for "The Pain and Prayer Scale Project: A prayer tool for drug-free pain control." Prayer joins faith and medicine to offer an alternative pain management tool. As a priest and medical doctor, the Rev. Dr. Marta Illueca, curate at Brandywine Collaborative Ministries, plans to develop and validate a “Pain and Prayer Scale” and this bedside-prayer-tool will connect church and academia in an unprecedented way to offer drug-free alternatives to pain management. Read press release here .

The Rev. Canon Martha Kirkpatrick testified in the Delaware General Assembly in support of Senate Bill 250, an enhancement of the renewable Energy Portfolio Act The Rev. Canon Martha Kirkpatrick gave virtual testimony at the Stakeholder Meeting held on June 20, 2020. You may read her full testimony here . The testimony referred to a letter of support from interfaith leaders, including Bishop Brown, which may be read here .

Regathering Document, Version 2 We have been worshipping outside our church buildings for many weeks now. As we continue to shelter in place for our own health and safety and that of others, we are also entering a new phase and some parishes have prepared to regather in person. The bishop's task force has prepared guidelines and requirements for regathering in both English and Spanish .

Cycle of Prayer in the Episcopal Church in Delaware

T his week (week of July 5) we hold up in prayer the Episcopal Church , the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop. For Cycle of Prayer Calendar for 2019-2020 click here.

News from the Episcopal Church

Episcopal Church deepens engagement with Poor People’s Campaign, racial justice work The Episcopal Church’s support of the Poor People’s Campaign hasn’t wavered since the ecumenical initiative was launched in 2018 to rally Americans behind the moral cause of fighting poverty – 50 years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. made an appeal for economic security in the original Poor People’s Campaign .This year, with Americans’ attention newly focused both on the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic and the pervasiveness of systemic racism – the systems, structures and procedures designed to disadvantage African Americans – the church is deepening its engagement with the Poor People’s Campaign, through in-person calls to action and online organizing. More information

Habits of Grace "The 4th of July weekend has just concluded and a new week has begun, but the titanic struggles of the old world continue. The struggles to face painful truths of our racial past, the struggles to find ways to fashion a new future, the struggles for racial justice and human equality and true human reconciliation," said Bishop Curry, in his latest Habits of Grace. See these meditations any time in English here and in Spanish here .

Episcopal leaders hail judge’s order to drain Dakota Access Pipeline of oil for environmental review The Episcopal Church has long supported the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in their efforts to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline that threatens their source of clean drinking water and infringes upon sacred tribal burial grounds. Read full Episcopal News Service article here .

Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center receives grant as it is closed due to COVID-19 The Episcopal Commission to Dismantle Racism and Discrimination announced that the  Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center  received a grant from them.The Commission to Dismantle Racism and Discrimination promotes greater understanding, training, and the practice of dismantling racism, and works to further reconciliation and justice within the church and the communities it serves. Read full episcopal News Service article here .

The Episcopal Church is accepting applications for the position of Chief Legal Officer. Major, Lindsey, & Africa has been engaged as the search firm for this position. The Chief Legal Officer will be responsible for assuring the reliable and timely provision of high-quality legal advice and services on secular legal matters to the Presiding Bishop, the President of the House of Deputies, the Executive Office of the General Convention, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, and Executive Council. More information

An invitation to join Beijing +25: Celebrating the Blessing, Realizing the Dream online study group The Presiding Bishop’s delegation to the 64th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW 64) invites all to join the online study group Beijing +25: Celebrating the Blessing, Realizing the Dream , which will offer a series of webinars, blogs and conversations facilitated by the delegates from July through November 2020. In 2020, the world celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 and the founding of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA) . Episcopalians were present for this event in 1995 and have since been active participants in implementing the BDPfA in their churches and communities. More information in English and More information in Spanish

United Thank Offering 2021 Annual Grants - Two grant cycles offered Application deadlines: August 14, 2020 and February 26, 2021 The United Thank Offering (UTO) Board is pleased to announce the availability of their 2021 United Thank Offering Annual Grants. These grants are awarded for projects in The Episcopal Church and throughout the Anglican Communion, each year with a different focus. For 2021, the focus is Recovering with Love and Gratitude: An Episcopal Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Local Contexts. The United Thank Offering will accept applications in two categories, Sustaining Ministries and Innovative Ministries, at two different funding levels through two granting cycles. More information

Beloved Community “Rapid-Response” Grants available: applications accepted June 19-August 15 T he Presiding Officers’ Advisory Group on Beloved Community Implementation is pleased to announce the availability of grants to address the racial disparities laid bare by the coronavirus pandemic and for groups responding to racist violence and policing reform. Across America, COVID-19 is disproportion-ately affecting people of color in terms of health outcomes, access to testing and treatment, safe work environments, and more. At the same time, many recognize the pandemic of ongoing violence directed against black people and other people of color, especially at the hands of law enforcement personnel in communities in the Americas and beyond. More information in English, Spanish, and French

The Episcopal Church encourages support of the Dream Act The Episcopal Church has long advocated for legislation that protects Dreamers and offers a pathway to citizenship. Through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that allows those brought to the U.S. as children to remain in the country without fear of deportation, nearly 800,000 Dreamers have come forward, passed background checks, and been granted permission to live and work legally in the U.S. Ending DACA in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic would be detrimental to the health and safety of families and communities around the country. “At this time, the Dream Act is pending before the Congress of the United States,” said Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry. “I’m asking you as Episcopalians, as people of good will and faith, to write and call members of Congress who represent you to support this Dream Act.” See video and read full announcement in English here and in Spanish here .

News from the Anglican Communion

Lambeth Award recognizes CARAVAN president for interreligious peacebuilding The Rev. Paul-Gordon Chandler, an Episcopal Church mission partner serving in Qatar, is among this year’s recipients of the prestigious Lambeth Awards for outstanding contributions to the church and wider society. Chandler is the founder and president of CARAVAN , a nonprofit initiative affiliated with The Episcopal Church that uses the arts to build bridges between different cultures and religions around the world. The initiative is now in its 11th year of touring the world with peacebuilding exhibitions that showcase art.Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced a total of 32 international awards recognizing significant contributions in fields such as evangelism, safeguarding, ecumenism, theology, and interfaith relations. More information and full list of recipients here .

Anglican Communion confirms inauguration of the Episcopal / Anglican Province of Alexandria The international secretariat of the Anglican Communion – the global family of churches linked to the Archbishop of Canterbury – has confirmed the inauguration of its newest member: The Episcopal / Anglican Province of Alexandria. The new Province, rooted in Egypt and serving 10 countries across North Africa and the Horn of Africa – becomes the Anglican Communion’s 41st Province. It was formed from the former Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, within the Episcopal / Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Read official press release here .

ACEN - Environmental Racism Statement The Anglican Communion Environmental Network (ACEN) issued a statement on Friday, June19, on Environmental Racism. That date is known in the United States as Juneteenth - a day which commemorates the end of slavery in the US. The statement has been published in English , French , Spanish , and Portuguese, available on the ACEN webpage: acen.anglicancommunion.org .

B ishop Brown Clergy Churches Publications Contact Us

During this time of pandemic, parishes across the diocese are offering livestream services and virtual children's programs. Worship opportunities offered include morning devotions, morning worship, noonday worship, evening worship, and Sunday worship. A wide variety of children's programs are also available. You may find details of all these on the diocesan website here. If your service is not listed or has changed, please let us know! [email protected]

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