December 9, 2020
In this edition: Announcement from Bishop Brown; Presiding Bishop's Christmas Message; Camp Arrowhead Capital Campaign; 2nd Annual Diocesan Festival of Lessons and Carols; Bishop Brown to meet youth confirmands; Fun Fact; Did You Know?; Check it Out!; parish news; more ...
A message from Bishop Brown
Suspension of in-person public worship begins immediately

Beloved of God in Delaware,

By now I am sure you have seen the pandemic statistics in Delaware. The percentage of positive tests has surged to nearly 10%, double the World Health Organization’s benchmark of less than 5% needed to get a pandemic under control, and nearly five times higher than the 2% we saw in the summer. New COVID cases are now well over 700 every day, seven times higher than our summertime averages. The rate of infection is on the rise for every age group, and most troubling of all, hospitalizations have spiked, surpassing now even the highest totals back in April. By now most of us know someone who has become infected. Tragically, we have lost over 800 people in Delaware to this disease. All of this is taxing our healthcare system to limits that are not sustainable. 

These statistics tell the sobering truth that the diligent public safety measures we put in place over the summer are not sufficient at this moment to slow the explosive spread of this disease. The governor has announced a statewide stay-at-home advisory until at least January 11, 2021, calling us to avoid gatherings wherever possible with persons outside of our immediate households. Schools will return to remote learning, and masks are now mandatory.

To this end, in-person public worship in the Episcopal Church in Delaware is suspended immediately and until further notice. Weddings and funerals already planned should be postponed. Online worship remains strongly and energetically encouraged, and ministers may gather in churches, following all public health protocols, for the purpose of recording and/or broadcasting services. I ask that teams be kept to ... read complete article here.

God's Plan
A sermon delivered by
The Rev. David Beresford
interim rector, St. Martha's, Bethany Beach,
on the Second Sunday in Advent,
December 6, 2020.
You may read sermon text here
or see video by clicking on the arrow to the right
Camp Arrowhead's Ring the Bell Campaign
Officially Launches!

Camp Arrowhead is thrilled to announce the Ring the Bell Campaign, which will bring a brand new dining hall and retreat center to camp, along with exciting new programming opportunities. The Jane Clifton Ashford Center will better serve campers and staff during the camping season, and help to sustain camp through year-round programming. “The Jane” will deepen camp’s connection to the local community and to organizations throughout Delaware, and make camp a reality for thousands more youth through scholarships and nonprofit partnerships. Read full announcement here.
Youth preparing for confirmation?
Meet with Bishop Brown
Sunday, December 13, 2:45 pm

Bishop Brown would like to meet with youth who have been preparing for confirmation during this time of pandemic.

It is necessary to register in advance for this virtual meeting.
To register, please click here.
This gathering is sponsored by the
Youth Ministry Support Team
Our team aims to support, promote, and encourage youth ministry in the
Episcopal Church in Delaware through communication, collaboration,
and the nurturing of a community of youth and their leaders.
2nd Annual Diocesan
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Led by the Choir School of Delaware
The Rt. Rev. Kevin S. Brown, preacher
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Online Only — 6:00 p.m.
Did you know?
The First Black Saint in the Americas was born on this date in 1579
St. Martin de Porres, born in Lima, Peru. was called the Saint of the Broom for his devotion to his work, no matter how menial. A Dominican brother, he established an orphanage and hospital for poor slum children and also set up a shelter for stray cats. The first Black saint in the Americas, he died of fever in 1639. More information
Check it out!
The Wexford Carol with Yo Yo Ma
and Alison Krauss
The stress and bustle of this season is compounded this year by the Covid-19 pandemic. As you journey through Advent and go about your Christmas preparations while caring for others in your life, take a peaceful moment to enjoy this wonderful version of the ancient Irish Wexford Carol performed by Yo Yo Ma and Alison Krauss.
Fun Fact
Question: Who or what is a smoking bishop?

Clue: Charles Dickens mentioned a smoking bishop in A Christmas Carol.

Answer: Here
Delaware Communion Magazine
Winter 2020
  • Bishop's Message
  • Saints
  • Falling in Love with the World: a reflection on a rather peculiar Christmas
  • Behind the Scenes of the 236th Annual Convention
  • Convention Day!

View magazine — after opening, you can view as a magazine or download in a PDF format. You may view previous copies of the Delaware Communion here.
Presiding Bishop's
Christmas Message 2020

View Bishop Curry's powerful and moving message by clicking on the arrow to the right
Cycle of Prayer in the Episcopal Church in Delaware
This week (week of December 6), in our diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we hold up in prayer All Saints Church, Rehoboth Beach & St. George's Chapel, Harbeson, the Rev. Shelley McDade, rector; the Rev. Eunice Dunlap, assistant rector; and the Rev. Deacon Susan Phillips. For the 2020-2021 diocesan Cycle of Prayer Calendar click here.
News from our parishes and community
Proclaim! Special Advent/Christmas issue of newsletter of Episcopal Church Women in Delaware
You may read this brief newsletter of greetings and announcements here.
You are invited! Code Purple Informational Session, Thursday, December 10, 6:30pm, Church of Sts. Andrew & Matthew, Wilmington
Friendship House Executive Director, Kim Eppehimer, will share an update on FH Code Purple and our winter plans to utilize the New Castle County HOPE Center, followed by Q&A. This event is open to everyone. Please share freely! Register in advance for this meeting here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the Zoom link for joining the session.
Nativity Display, Church of the Ascension, Claymont hosting a display of over 100 Nativities from around the world, Saturday, December 12,12–5 pm and Sunday, December 13, 11am–5pm
Covid-19 protocols will be in place. It’s a free of charge break from the stresses of the holidays. Come and visit. Display in the Parish Hall. Entrance is in the back of the Church; park in the rear parking lot.
Advent Lessons and Carols, Sunday, December 13, 4pm, St. John the Baptist, Milton
This year due to restrictions on in-place gathering, the Advent Lessons & Carols will be streamed. This service, which consists of 9 lessons and carols intertwined, will be comprised of recordings from 2019 and newly recorded segments this year to complete the service. We hope you enjoy one of our favorite services of the year. More information
The Choir School concert as Artists-in-Residence at Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library, Sunday, December 13, 4pm
This fun-filled holiday concert is sure to warm your heart. The intergenerational choir will tell classic holiday stories through song, including “A Dickens Christmas” and other traditional favorites. Reserve tickets to this family-friendly event today! Optional Add-On: Winterthur Yuletide House Tour. Make us a part of your family’s holiday traditions! Tickets and more information
St. Martha's, Bethany Beach made headlines in local newspaper:
Quilts of Valor bestowed upon local veterans at a Veterans Day service.
At an Honoring All Who Served outdoor service on a sunny Veterans Day, as each name was called, a Quilt of Valor, made by members of the St. Martha’s Stitchers, was placed around the veterans' shoulders evoking nods and smiles of appreciation and tear-filled eyes. “These quilts were stitched with love, prayer, and healing thoughts, and they are quite magnificent,” the Rev. David Beresford, interim rector, said, adding that each quilt was “an expression of gratitude to comfort and thank veterans.” Read full article here.
The Church of The Nativity, New Castle, hosted a community clothing giveaway on Saturday, November 28.
The church partnered with Bill and Marci Perkins from The Friendship House Clothing Bank, Wilmington. They generously donated and delivered the clothing. Bill and Marci were a great resource for advice and assistance. They also helped distribute flyers in the neighborhood. Nativity parishioners organized the tables and clothing, and provided guidance to the visitors, all while wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing requirements. The parish is so grateful to everyone for their dedication and generous spirit and also thanks two parishioners from Immanuel on The Green who volunteered for the event. They hope to work together again. They distributed clothing to over 50+ families and single visitors!
St. Thomas's Parish, Newark
is going green!
Thanks to a generous bequest, the parish has been able to install solar panels on the church.
MLK Voice for Youth registration open until December 18, First Prize $2,000.
This spoken word contest for high school students to creatively express how Dr. King's Legacy inspires them, will be held virtually in January 2021. More information
Update on mission efforts at the US Mexico border
In March, a team from St. Barnabas, Wilmington, planned to go to the southern border and support the efforts of Team Brownsville there, until their plans were changed by COVID-19. For an update on the work that is being done, see here.
The Rev. Canon Mark Harris makes headlines in the Cape Gazette
"Plagued by thoughts of the increasing pandemic death toll across the nation, Mark Harris, a retired Episcopal priest and creative printmaker, struggled with how he could memorialize those who had fallen victim to the COVID-19 virus." Read article here.
News from the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) Refugee Prayer Vigil, Sunday, December 13, 7pm
In the Christian liturgical year, Advent is a time of waiting and preparation for the birth of Jesus, a time of prayerful yearning for Emmanuel, “God with us.” To honor and mark this holy time, EMM offers a prayer vigil with Bishop Curry, modeled off a ‘Blue Christmas’ prayer service, to invite prayer and reflection on Advent themes in a world being transformed by forced migration, vai Zoom and Facebook Live. More information and registration.
Episcopal Evangelism Newsletter, December 2020
Advent is often a time when we look at our lives through a magnifying glass, a time when all that is broken or missing can feel overwhelming, daunting, or just plain bleak. And for many, these feelings come with the anxiety and funkiness that Anne Lamott wrote about in Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith. You may read newsletter here.
Fourth season of The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry podcast continues with guest the Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas
Season 4 of The Episcopal Church’s podcast The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry, is now available. In this latest episode, Bishop Curry talks with the Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary. This conversation comes from the 2020 International Black Clergy Conference, presented by The Episcopal Church’s Office of Black Ministries. 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.
Looking Ahead: 80th General Convention Set for July 7-14, 2022 in Baltimore
Read a letter to Episcopalians from Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry and President of the House of Deputies the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings here.
Episcopal Church plants seeds for 11 new ministries
At its October meeting, The Episcopal Church Executive Council approved grants totaling $365,000 for new church starts and missional communities. More information in English here and in Spanish here.
News from the Anglican Communion
Plant Anglican - the Anglican Communion Church Planting Network
The website of the new Anglican Communion Church Planting Network - Plant Anglican for short - was launched at plantanglican.org. The network aims to help grow the church and reach new people in different ways in different cultures and contexts. Network members will receive a monthly e-newsletter with articles, stories, and resources. If you want to learn new ways to reach new people, be part of a community of leaders planting churches, you want to see churches multiply across the country, see more information and sign up here.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: 2021 to 2023
A new three-year Anglican Cycle of Prayer has been published, running from January 1, 2021 to September 11, 2023: From Abu to Zululand, it is available to download as a printable document or a spreadsheet with raw data that can be incorporated into provincial and diocesan prayer cycles. You can download both versions here.
Anglican leaders in call for “equitable” global access to Covid-19 vaccines after online meeting
Potential Covid-19 vaccines should be made available to the world’s poorest people, the Primates of the Anglican Communion said. They made their call in a Communiqué published today after an online meeting held last week to discuss the global health emergency. During the meeting, they were briefed by two representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO and discussed regional reports from each other on the impact of the pandemic, More information
Gender-Based Violence: Anglican Communion offers webinar series
The Anglican Communion is offering four online panel discussions: Addressing Gender-Based Violence Around the Communion; Engaging Men in Ending Gender-Based Violence; Theology and Prayer: How our theology engages us and motivates us to act; and Advocacy and Gender Justice. More information
Church of England’s Anglican Communion service
The national weekly online worship service from the Church of England on Sunday 15 November, broadcast from Lambeth Palace, was themed around the Anglican Communion and featured speakers from. around the world in celebration of the connectedness of the Anglican Communion. View service here.
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