The Episcopal Diocese of

North Dakota



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Welcome to our email Newsletter!

A few highlights from this issue:

• The Rev. Randy Keehn Obituary
• Dolly Luger Obituary
• Safe Church Update
• Epiphany Sheaf Deadline - January 31, 2024
• Ministry Opportunities

Read on for other announcements and the calendar!

Did you miss a copy of the Prairie? The past four editions of the bi-monthly Prairie are now online! Click the button below to be taken to the webpage!

The Rev. Randy Keehn died on Sunday, January 21, 2024.

The Rev. Randy Keehn served as a deacon in our diocese after his seminary studies, and then as a priest at St. Peter's, Williston and St. Michael & All Angels, Cartwright. For the past 8 years, Randy has had rapidly advancing Alzheimer's Disease. He and his wife Jo Ann had moved to Bismarck from Williston, where Randy's first career was with the Social Security Administration. 

Jo Ann Keehn serves on our Diocesan Council and is a member of St. George's, Bismarck.

The funeral for The Rev. Randy Keehn will be held on Friday, January 26, 2024 at 10am at St. Peter's, Williston.

Almighty God, we remember this day before you your faithful servant Randy; and we pray that, having opened to him the gates of larger life, you will receive him more and more into your joyful service, that, with all who have faithfully served you in the past, he may share in the eternal victory of Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rev. Randy Keehn's obituary can be found here.

Frances "Dolly" Luger passed away on December 27, 2023. Dolly was the daughter of The Rev. Dn. Virginia Luger. The Rev. Dn. Virginia Luger is a retired deacon in our diocese.

Dolly's memorial service was held at St. George's, Bismarck, on January 8, 2024.

Almighty God, we remember this day before you your faithful servant Dolly; and we pray that, having opened to her the gates of larger life, you will receive her more and more into your joyful service, that, with all who have faithfully served you in the past, she may share in the eternal victory of Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Dolly Luger's obituary can be found here.

Safe Church, Safe Communities

Praesidium and Safe Church Training Update

Thank you to those who have taken time to attempt the online safe church training through Praesidium Academy. We know that the system is challenging, so we appreciate your efforts to take safe church training. Unfortunately, we have learned from your experiences that the old courses are still available in the Praesidium Academy database. This fact has created confusion about what the current courses are that need to be taken to be safe church certified. Please be sure you take the courses listed below, and avoid the old courses on the website, which do not lead to certification.

Please refer to Appendix A-2 in the updated policies to identify the current courses you need to take for certification. Depending on your role(s) within your congregation, you generally need to complete anywhere from four to eight courses. All the currently required courses will start with this title: SAFE CHURCH, SAFE COMMUNITIES, except the KNOW YOUR POLICIES: Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota. Four courses are considered universal and are essential for anyone required to have the training. 

The essential/universal courses for our diocese are:

• Know Your Policies: Policies: Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota
• Safe Church, Safe Communities: Introduction & Theological Background
• Safe Church, Safe Communities: Healthy Boundaries
• Safe Church, Safe Communities: Inclusion

The specialty courses are (and the ones required from this list depend on your role(s) [see Appendix A-2 in our policies]):

• Safe Church, Safe Communities: Abuse & Neglect
• Safe Church, Safe Communities: Bullying
• Safe Church, Safe Communities: Power & Relationships
• Safe Church, Safe Communities: Pastoral Relationships

When looking at Appendix A-2, there is a ninth course (Preventing Sexual Harassment: Supervisors/Workers). This course is being updated at this time, but once it is available, we will send out an email.

Coming soon will be a flow-chart on the Diocesan Safe Church webpage that will show you step-by-step how to proceed through Praesidium’s website and navigate the safe church courses.

Epiphany Sheaf

Deadline: January 31, 2024

Epiphany is the season of light! Epiphany is the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi!

Do you have a ministry that represents Christ's work in the world? Do you have a story about light and ministry that you want to share?

We are currently looking for ministry articles for our next edition of the Sheaf. Please send articles to Jess in the Diocesan office by Wednesday, January 31st in order to have them included in the next Sheaf.

We are working on making the Sheaf more collaborative and celebratory of all the ministry that happens throughout the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota. And we want YOUR input! Let us help you celebrate the ministry you are a part of!

Sheaf Deadlines and Publication Dates

Epiphany: Jan. 31, 2024 Deadline

Easter: March 22, 2024 Deadline | April 2, 2024 Publication

Pentecost: May 10, 2024 Deadline | May 20, 2024 Publication

Pre-Convention: Sept. 6, 2024 Deadline | Sept. 16, 2024 Publication

Advent: November 15, 2024 Deadline | December 2, 2024 Publication

Lent Resources

The Episcopal Church has a list of Lent Resources at https://www.episcopalchurch.org/lent-resources/.

Building Faith at Virginia Theological Seminary has a list of resources for Lent at https://buildfaith.org/new-and-recent-lent-resources-for-2023/

Episcopal Relief & Development offers Lenten Meditations each year at https://www.episcopalrelief.org/lent.

Forward Movement, in collaboration with Episcopal Evangelism Society, invites Episcopalians to reflect on their baptismal promises during Lent through a new small group study and corresponding book, Will You? A Lenten Study of Baptismal Promises, available at https://www.forwardmovement.org/Products/2672/will-you.aspx.

Author & Pastor Elizabeth Magill has developed a study called Lent, Poverty, and Christian Theology: What Do You think?, available for use on a sliding scale at https://www.elizabethmaemagill.com/.