episcopalchurch.org     the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina

When you think Episcopal, what images come to mind? Liturgy? Organ music? Presiding bishop? When I think about The Episcopal Church, I think about Purepechas and Multicultural Centers. 

While serving as the diocesan missioner of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, I have been working with different communities of faith that are hosting liturgies in Spanish as well as communities of faith that are in the midst of dreaming about how to reach out and build long-lasting relationships with Latinos/Hispanics and other minority groups. Among the groups I work with, two groups in North Carolina come to mind: Trinity Episcopal Church in Sprucepine and the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Newton. 

Trinity Episcopal Church is located in a small town in the Appalachian mountains, 30 minutes north of Marion, North Carolina. Every Sunday afternoon, members from the Latino congregation gather for the celebration of Holy Eucharist. Eighty percent of the members that gather at this parish belong to an Indigenous tribe in Michoacan, Mexico, the Purepecheas Tribe. Known as one of the first tribes formed in the 8th century and descendants of the original groups of people who migrated to the continent of America from East Asia, the Purepechas migrated to Northern Mexico in the early 14th century. Since then, the Purepecha tribe made its home in the state of Michoacan. However, due to the war between drug lords and the Mexican government, Purepecha descendants have been pushed out of this region and many members of this community have migrated to northern lands.  

Part of our work as a church has been to listen to God’s voice in the long journey and history of this Indigenous people. In the process of listening, we have learned about the many needs this community has. Aware of the lack of resources for this community and other Latino/Hispanic individuals living in the area, we have partnered with churches, local organizations, and groups such as Episcopal Relief and Development to provide financial support, feed those in need, and provide resources to the community. We are building community, empowering people, and developing long-lasting relationships. 

An hour-and-half southwest, in the city of Newton, North Carolina, the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany began in 2022 as a community resource known as the multicultural center. Aware of the diverse voices living in this area of the state, the church and the diocese partnered to open a center that focuses on providing spaces to celebrate and learn about diversity. Our multicultural center provides classes in English and Spanish as a Second Language, music (guitar and piano), and computers and offers pastoral care and support to minority groups. Our goal is to use this center to build bridges with minority groups, the larger community, and the church.  

When I hear the term Episcopal Church, I think Purepechas, I think multicultural centers, I think new opportunities to grow and learn from the diverse voices that are present in our communities. What does The Episcopal Church look like in your neck of the woods? 

Bishop Eaton's Weekly Message

Returns in September

E f M Group Forming

Education for Ministry is a program of theological education created by Sewanee's School of Theology. Through individual and group study, worship, and the process of theological reflection, participants in an EfM community move toward a greater understanding of the fullness of God's kingdom and discover opportunities for responding to their own personal call

We are seeking lay persons who wish to gain insight into their personal ministries. Interested person should contact Krisan Lamberti at 305-962-1450.  Time and place will be announced when enough (6) people sign up. 

Additional Information

Julia Ayala Harris, new House of Deputies president, on priorities, representation and 'falling in love' with The Episcopal Church

episcopal news service.org

Julia Ayala Harris’ election as president of the House of Deputies at the 80th General Convention in July was imbued with the energy of historic change. She is the first woman of color — the first Latina — and at age 41, the youngest president in recent memory, elected from the youngest and most diverse slate of candidates ever. A former Roman Catholic, Ayala Harris brings the perspective of a convert who discovered The Episcopal Church as an adult.

Ayala Harris’ path to one of the highest-ranking positions in The Episcopal Church has been a personal and spiritual journey going back two decades. In her 21 years as an Episcopalian, the self-described “church geek” ascended through the church’s leadership, giving her an extensive résumé. She has served twice as a deputy from the Diocese of Oklahoma, a six-year term on Executive Council and over a dozen other leadership positions within The Episcopal Church and her diocese. She has also represented the Anglican Communion at the 2016 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and is currently representing The Episcopal Church at the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly in Germany.

Ayala Harris, a first-generation Mexican American whose father was an undocumented immigrant, has managed nonprofit organizations around the U.S. and beyond. Among them are programs that provide transitional housing for homeless women and children, permanent supportive housing for people with disabilities, access to the arts, alternatives to incarceration for pregnant women and mothers. From 2005 to 2008, she was an international aid worker in Kenya and South Sudan with Church Ecumenical Action, supporting South Sudanese faith-based nonprofits and dioceses in grant writing, financial management and program design.

She is currently working on a doctorate focusing on faith-based nonprofit leadership – especially public perceptions of nonprofit leaders based on their race, gender or ethnicity – at the University of Oklahoma, where her husband, John, teaches regional and urban planning. They live with their teenage daughter, Izzy, in Norman, Oklahoma, where they enjoy spending time in nature, puzzles and board games, and above all, anything “Star Trek”-related.

This interview has been edited and

condensed for clarity and length.

In Kazakhstan, Pope Francis is expected to appeal for peace in Ukraine

religionnews.com

Pope Francis will be traveling to Kazakhstan, a country nestled between Russia and China, on Tuesday for a “pilgrimage of dialogue and peace,” as he attends a summit of global religious leaders. But the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill’s recent cancellation casts a shadow over the pope’s hope to mediate peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict at the gathering.

“It will be an opportunity to meet many religious representatives and dialogue with brothers, moved by the common desire for peace, a peace our world thirsts for,” Pope Francis told the thousands gathered at St. Peter’s Square for his Angelus prayer on Sunday (Sept. 11).

The pope will be visiting the majority-Muslim and Orthodox country from Sept. 13–15 to take part in the interfaith Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which meets once every three years to promote peace and tolerance. The event will take place in the pyramidal Palace of Peace and Harmony in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan, where participants are expected to sign a joint document.

The Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, with whom Pope Francis signed a document promoting human fraternity in 2019, and the chief rabbi of Israel, David Lau, will be among the religious leaders at the event.

The last pope to visit Kazakhstan was Pope John Paul II, who came to the country in 2001 at a time of political turmoil, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. Francis visits the country amid similar tensions as the East and West once again collide in Ukraine. The pope and the Vatican have made every effort to remain impartial on the conflict, with a hope of acting as a mediator in the war even as the opportunities for dialogue grow increasingly slim.

At first, the pope hoped his relationship with Kirill, cemented during their historic meeting at the airport in Havana, Cuba, in 2016, might provide a way in for dialogue. But the Orthodox leader has offered a theological basis for the Russian invasion of Ukraine by emphasizing its religious unity with Russia. A meeting between Francis and Kirill in Jerusalem scheduled for last summer was canceled, and when the pope warned the patriarch over a video call in March about becoming “Putin’s altar boy,” the relationship seems to have chilled.

In August, the Orthodox Patriarchy in Moscow announced Kirill would not be attending the interfaith congress in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Francis has sent Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, charged with dispensing papal charity, to Ukraine to express his support for its beleaguered people.

Russia will loom over the interfaith gathering regardless. “Kazakhstan has very strong political and economic ties with Russia and China,” said Bishop Adelio Dell’Oro of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, during an online meeting with journalists on Friday (Sept. 9).

Dell’Oro explained that while there were initially tensions between the sizable Russian and Ukrainian expat populations in the country, they have dissipated. “I saw unity in the dioceses I visited,” he said. In the multicultural and multireligious context of Kazakhstan, the bishop believes the pope can still find fertile ground for his message of peace at the congress.

“Obviously this forum seems like a place where the pope can certainly amplify even more his message for peace and concord,” he said, adding that participants likely expect Francis to deliver such a message.