— Bishop Brown

IN THIS EDITION: Sermon -- If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say!, Three churches install new organs, Do you have an artist in the house?, Fun Fact, Proclaim! Newsletter, news from the Episcopal Church, . . .

Bishop Brown will offer a wrap-up conversation, via Zoom, for those participating in the 21-day Racial Equity Challenge Program. We hope you will join our conversation.

To register, click on button below.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

If your church has made improvements, changes, or has information you would like to share, please send to: communications@delaware.church

I am inviting you to design one of three Christmas cards for 2020

The scripture text inside the card will be Luke 2:10-11, where the angel proclaimed, Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. More information.

This week (week of September 6) we hold up in prayer the members of Diocesan Council, Standing Committee, and Trustees of the Episcopal Church in Delaware. For 2020-2021 Cycle of Prayer Calendar click here.

Proclaim!

Click here to view the September, 2020 edition

DeIPL & Energize Delaware provides an energy assessment, remediation, and education programs for religious institutions throughout the state. From now until the end of the year, Energize DE is waiving the fees for these valuable assessments. Benefits of the program include: lowered energy costs, improved building operations, increased comfort levels, healthier indoor & outdoor environments, reduced carbon emissions, and home energy resources for members. Contact llocke@delawareeipl.org for more information.

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church, is the featured preacher September 13 on “Day 1” with host Peter Wallace, the nationally broadcast ecumenical radio program also accessible online at Day1.org and by podcast. He has preached on the program numerous times since 1990. More information.

Eleven grants for a total of $94,079 have been awarded through the Conant Grants from the Episcopal Church for the 2020-2021 academic year. Conant Grant funds are provided for the improvement of seminary-based theological education. Specifically, the grants are directed for the support of research, writing and course development undertaken by faculty members at the recognized Episcopal seminaries in the United States. The funds are derived from a trust fund established by William S. and Mary M. Conant in 1953. More information.

The Constable Grants were named for visionary philanthropist Marie Louise Constable. In 1935, in the midst of the Great Depression, Constable made a monetary gift to the Episcopal Church to establish the Fund. At its June, 2020 meeting, the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church approved the recipients of the Constable Fund Grants, totaling $ $209,500 for nine projects. The Constable Fund provides grants to fund mission initiatives that were not provided for within the budget of The Episcopal Church as approved by General Convention. The Constable Fund Grant Review Committee was chaired by Mr. George Wing, an Executive Council member from the Diocese of Colorado. See full grant information here.

The Episcopal Church continues to offer new resources for congregations interested in following the Way of Love as a way of life by starting small group ministries. New resources include the Building an Intentional Small Group Ministry information packet, an infographic, video compilations, and social media graphics. These resources are available in English here, Spanish here and French here. More information in English here. More information in French here. More information in Spanish here.

The Episcopal Church Department of Faith Formation, in collaboration with the 2020 Episcopal Youth Event (EYE20) planning team and Episcopal Church leadership, announced today that the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) will not be convened this triennium due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “I recognize and share the deep disappointment this holds,” said Bronwyn Clark Skov, staff officer for Youth Ministries. “During the next year, our office will focus on discerning and implementing creative and meaningful support for youth ministry and leadership formation. Undoubtedly, new models for ministry are emerging and God is calling upon us to unite and respond.” More information in English. More information in Spanish.

"Nondiscrimination policies that forbid government contractors from discriminating against same-sex couples seeking to serve as foster parents do not unconstitutionally burden religious liberty," says Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry. He has joined the leaders of other major religious groups in signing a friend of the court brief in support of the City of Philadelphia in Fulton v. Philadelphia, a case now before the United States Supreme Court. He has done so to affirm the commitment of The Episcopal Church to both equal protection of the law for LGBTQ persons and appropriate protections for religious liberty. Read full press release here.

All Saints Anglican Church on Lebanon’s Mediterranean shore suffered “material damage” in the recent massive explosions in Lebanon. The Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, Suheil Dawani, whose diocese includes Lebanon, has launched an emergency appeal to aid the diocesan response. “Since the explosion, we have been in constant communication with Imad Zoorob, Archdeacon over Lebanon and Syria, who also serves as the Rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Beirut, located about a mile from where the blast took place”, Archbishop Suheil said. “In the aftermath of the explosion, he was able to assess the status of our two resident congregations there, as well as the damage to All Saints and to our complex at the Near Eastern School of Theology (NEST). “The good news is that no member of our congregations was killed or seriously hurt. On the other hand, many of our parishioners’ apartments suffered damage, as did our Anglican Centre at NEST.” More information

Dr. Agnes Aboum of the Anglican Church of Kenya laid out key challenges for the world’s churches as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, in her address as Chair of the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) Executive Committee. She set out the key issues that churches and their communities need to bring to the fore as they deal with the health crises, lockdowns, and economic impact of Covid-19. She outlined the criteria for mission responses to Covid-19 in an online address on 23 July, and told global ecumenical leaders that while Covid-19 has negatively affected churches’ ability to spread hope and care for the vulnerable in person, there are many more areas where the churches’ mission priorities need to shift to help mitigate the social and economic impact of Covid-19 on poor and vulnerable communities. The full text of Dr Aboum’s address is available here.