In this edition: Stewardship workshops; Sermon by the Rev. James M. Bimbi; Delaware's COVID-19 response; Fun Fact, Check it Out! Did You Know? News in the ECD community, Episcopal Church, and Anglican Communion
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Nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus
— Rom. 8:38-39
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You are invited to attend a diocesan stewardship workshop, via Zoom, for the upcoming annual giving season. We will be discussing content that can be found on the Stewardship page on the diocesan website. This will include a discussion of narrative budgets, which is new to this year's information. A full range of free materials is offered for individual parish use.
For your convenience, we will offer the workshop twice:
- Saturday, August 21, 10-12pm, and
- Wednesday, August 25, 7-9pm.
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Zoom links and more information can be found here
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Fed by Memories
and the Bread of Life
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Sermon by
The Rev. James M. Bimbi
given at the
Church of Saints Andrew & Matthew
Wilmington,
Sunday, August 1, 2021
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COVID-19 Vaccination
"We're in this together!"
You can protect yourself, those you love, and those who are vulnerable by getting vaccinated
With the rapid spread of the Delta variant, new cases are on the rise in Delaware. The CDC advises: "Getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. Unvaccinated people should get vaccinated and continue masking until they are fully vaccinated. With the Delta variant, this is more urgent than ever. CDC has updated guidance for fully vaccinated people based on new evidence on the Delta variant."
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Fun Fact
Question: Diocesan youth organizations were developed and flourished after WWII and many churches offered youth activities. Which church in 1947 began offering dancing to the music of a five-piece orchestra?
Clue: The church had no vicar at the time and activities were organized by lay leaders.
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Pop Culture Gargoyles Are Hidden in
Gothic Architecture
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Fascinating ghouls of another era, gargoyles emerged around the 13th century in European architecture with a vast array of form and function. At first, they were designed as an indispensable engineering trick. Projected from roofs at parapet level, the strange leaning creatures created a siphon for rainwater to protect the walls of the edifice. They evolved to become “grotesques,” ornamental elements with a specific symbolic charge. As representations of our contemporary life, it’s now not an uncommon practice for stone carvers to integrate images of our present. This mysterious astronaut, tangled in floral motifs, is not a visionary medieval anticipation of our space travels, it was created on the façade of the Salamanca Cathedral in Spain in 1992, during a renovation. More information
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Nun's skin care routine goes viral on TikTok and it only has 3 steps |
She’s got the most heavenly glow on social media — bar nun! When Episcopalian nun, Sister Monica, posted her first-ever TikTok of a wild turkey that was terrorizing her Mendham, New Jersey, convent, she had no clue that her luminous skin would outshine the baleful bird. She innocently posted a follow-up video entitled “Update on the wild turkey situation.” But the caption lead some social media onlookers to think that a nun was posting about Wild Turkey Bourbon. “In hindsight, that was a terrible caption,” laughed the sister. “But all of the sudden I started getting thousands of direct messages from women asking me about my skin care routine.” Her radiant and unwrinkled derma sent TikTok into a tizzy, skyrocketing Sister Monica’s fan base to over 66,000 followers in less than two weeks. More information
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Cycle of Prayer in the Episcopal Church in Delaware |
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This week (week of August 1), in our diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we hold up in prayer Trinity Parish, Wilmington, the Rev. Patricia Downing, rector; the Rev. Charles Lane Cowen, associate rector. For the updated 2020-2021 diocesan Cycle of Prayer click here.
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Open Positions in Our Diocese and in Neighboring Diocese |
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The Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania is seeking new dean of the Stevenson School for Ministry
The Stevenson School for Ministry (SSFM) trains people for lay and ordained positions in the church. SSFM is in partnership with Lancaster Theological Seminary and Lower Susquehanna Synod of ELCA. Besides drawing faculty from Central Pennsylvania, it works in cooperation with Virginia Theological Seminary, Bexley Seabury, the School of Theology at Sewanee, the theological school at Drew University and neighboring ELCA synods to create an excellent body of instructors. The next dean will work to continue the success of the school and minister to its students as they grow in scholarship and faith and are prepared to serve the church in a changing ecclesial landscape. The dean will serve on the bishop’s staff of the diocese and is expected to live in the diocese. The position is open to both lay and ordained candidates with excellent capacity in theological education and administration. The position and will begin in the late fall or early winter of 2021/2022. We are accepting applications through the end of October. More information
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St. Anne's Episcopal School is is seeking a full-time Chaplain and Religious Studies Teacher.
Reporting to the Head of School, the Chaplain plays a vital role in the life of the St. Anne's community including leading weekly chapel services, teachng religious studies, and overseeing the community service program. Read full job description here. Interested candidates can send their cover letter, resume, and list of references to [email protected].
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Upcoming Events in our Community |
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Celebration of New Ministry, the Rev. Shelley D. McDade, Wednesday, August 11, 5pm, St. George's Chapel, Harbeson. All are invited.
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Save the Date! Fire and Formation: A Virtual Gathering sponsored by the Commission on Ministry
Saturday, November 6, 10am-12pm
The Fire & Formation initiative is to aid and encourage the laity to discover their passion for Christ, deepen their spirituality, and fully live out their baptismal covenant. More information to follow.
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237th Annual Convention, November 20, 8am–4pm
This year's one-day, hybrid convention will take place both virtually and in person at St. Andrew's School, Middletown. View the Call to Convention to learn more. All convention information can be found on the diocesan website, here.
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News from the Episcopal Church and beyond |
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At Union of Black Episcopalians conference, leaders call for revolution over reform
The Episcopal Church is at a crossroads, church leaders said this week during the annual Union of Black Episcopalians conference and revival; if it is to flourish and maintain integrity, it must embrace a revolution in values both within and beyond its walls.“Reform has its time and place, but reform is not enough,” Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said in his sermon during the opening worship service. “Mere tinkering at the edges – that’s not enough. We need a revolution.” More information
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A Year in the Life, filmed throughout the pandemic using COVID-safe protocols, explores how Episcopal schools, ministries, and congregations have adapted to the challenges of the year – from food insecurity to calls for racial justice to worship through restrictions – and more. In this final episode, we visit St. John's Episcopal Church in Essex, CT. A search process for a new rector can be difficult in the best of times. Concerns about finding just the right person for the season, determining growth edges for the congregation, and taking honest stock of the community and their spiritual needs — these aren’t easy to address, and especially in a pandemic! Still, St. John’s — and their new rector from the other side of the country — boldly stepped into the process, following wherever the Holy Spirit led them. Visit our blogpost for this episode: ReFrame, by Heidi Corcoran, Director of Music and Media for Worship and Formation.
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Make a Global Difference! Apply to be a member of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's delegation to the 2021 U.N. climate change conference (COP26)
Who? All Episcopalians over 18 are invited to apply, especially young adults, people of color, Indigenous and LGBTQ people, and those whose communities have been affected by climate change and environmental injustice
Where? Online in virtual daily meetings
When? October 31-November 12
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News from the Anglican Communion |
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Young Anglicans to expose scandal of gender-based violence with 16-Days video campaign
Entries for the campaign: “Exposure – Focusing the lens on gender-based violence” can be submitted until October 31.
Anglican Communion plans viral video campaign for 30th annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (November 25 - December 10). Young Anglicans – defined for this campaign as Anglicans aged 35 or under – are invited to submit videos of up to two-minutes duration by email or WhatsApp. The selected videos will be published by the Anglican Communion Office during the 16 Days of Activism. Full details of the campaign, and information about how to submit videos, are available here. More information
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