Weekly News & Updates

April 8, 2026

Diocesan News

From Bishop Stephen Lane

Dear Friends in Christ,

For many of us Easter arrives with a certain sense of relief. The challenges of Lent – study, devotional reading, self-denial – are ended. Ah, chocolate! The school Spring Break is over, too. It’s back to school and work. For clergy, the heavy schedule of Holy Week has ended. Time for a lighter schedule, maybe even a few days off. Time now to enjoy the warming days of Spring and the return to a normal pace.

That’s the reality for those of us who’ve spent the last six weeks in the Church. We have labored to prepare for the Resurrection of Christ, and Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

The reality in the world beyond the Church is quite different. Yesterday (Tuesday), the war drums were pounding in the Middle East, and there was a too familiar sense of dread that a holocaust was about to be unleashed on Iran by Israel and the United States. Some in our government called it a matter of divine right. The Pope responded that war is not an act of God. Then a last minute ceasefire and a shaky truce. And the nation cautiously exhaled. (My thanks to Dean Barnes and others who organized a prayer vigil at the Cathedral Tuesday night.) Gas and other prices are rising here at home. The dramatic rescue of an American pilot only highlights the risks to our servicemen and women. Citizens of the US and the citizens of many nations are anxious and fearful and yearning for peace. The contrast between Easter joy and the world at large could not be more stark.

Jesus’ resurrection was entirely unexpected by those closest to him. No one expected it. It was good news beyond comprehension, and it instilled both joy and fear. What had happened? How could it be? What did it mean for the disciples? For the world? And the disciples, once they had recovered a bit, were compelled to share the news. Mary was sent to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord.” And the disciples emerged from their upper room to tell the world.

That’s our post-Easter charge: to tell the world the Good News that God is love and that Love will conquer death. We are invited to be voices of hope, encouragement and love for the people around us. We are invited to be agents of kindness and compassion, reaching out to support those in need. As members of Christ’s body, we are compelled to share our hope with the world and to stand against the currents of despair.

For the disciples, it must have seemed impossible, a impotent movement against the power of Rome. But love compelled them on. May we be inspired by their example and share, in our small ways, the love of God.

Let us pray:

God of Love, give us courage and hope as we share with our families, friends and neighbors, the power of love. Make us sources of kind words and loving actions. Help us to seek peace and reconciliation with those who differ from us. May we be signs of your presence and your love to all the world. In the name of Jesus. Amen

Blessings in this Easter season.

Bishop Steve

Bishop Search Committee Update

Hello from The Search Committee:

We apologize for how long it’s been since you’ve heard from us, but we had a bit of a delay in our Profile creation and have decided to change the timeline “a bit.” We also paused to allow for all the clergy to serenely get through Holy Week. As Provisional Bishop Steve suggested, it wouldn’t be a great time to release a profile and expect to get many responses. Wise words.

SO here is our new working timeline... READ MORE

A Loss in the Diocese

The Rev. Nancy L. Guenther, age 86, of Hilton, passed away on March 28, 2026 at Strong Memorial Hospital.

Nancy earned her Master Degree in Divinity from Colgate Divinity School, and in 1993 she began her ministry work as an Ordained Minister at the First Congregational Church of Gaines in Albion. In 2005, Nancy was ordained as an Episcopal Priest at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Holley, and continued her ministry work at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Medina, until her retirement in 2024.

A private funeral was held April 1st, and St. Paul's Church in Holley provided a reception. To read the full obituary, CLICK HERE

Invitation to Dignity Book Study

Dear Colleagues:

One of the most potent ways to combat the spirit of division, which seems to characterize our time, is to learn some deeper ways to respect the dignity of every human being – to learn how to appreciate and honor the experiences of those with whom we differ. I’d like to invite you to invest some time deepening your appreciation of the dignity of every human being.

Donna Hicks, PhD, was a faculty member at Harvard University, and gained a certain fame when she assisted The Most Rev Desmond Tutu, Archbishop of Capetown, South Africa, with the Peace and Reconciliation process in Northern Ireland. The purpose of that process was to create an environment where all the participants in that terrible conflict could face one another and tell one another their truth. The purpose was not to shame or justify, but to hear and to develop an understanding of what caused people to act as they did. In hearing one another, the people of Northern Ireland came to a greater respect for one another and began the process of healing and forgiveness.

Out of her experiences, Dr Hicks has written a book entitled Dignity: Its Essential Role In Resolving Conflict. As Bishop in Maine, I read the book with the clergy, and Dr Hicks came and spoke with us.

I invite you to read the book with me during the Season of Easter. You may read alone or with a small group in your parish. We’ll have a couple of Zoom sessions for everyone while we read. I’ve purchased a number of books, and I will share them with you at $5 per book, while they last. I think you might find what Dr Hicks has to say of great help in wrestling with the dilemmas we face in our congregations and in our communities.

If you’d like to be part of this book study, please be in touch with Shawn Slother by April 20 and let him know how many books you will need. If we run out, you can purchase additional copies from Amazon. Once we know who is interested, I’ll share a schedule for our conversations.

Thanks in advance for your interest.

Peace,

Bishop Steve

Episcopal Church Growth Survey Coming

Clergy and Wardens will soon receive a survey invitation from the Rev. Dr. Christopher Corbin, Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, who is conducting a denomination-wide study on Episcopal church growth in partnership with Forward Movement.

Over the past two years, the study identified about 150 congregations that achieved sustained, in-person attendance growth from 2011 through 2023. The study has now expanded to survey congregations across all of The Episcopal Church to understand what distinguishes growing congregations from the broader picture.

The survey covers topics like welcome practices, worship, formation, leadership, and finances. The more complete the data from our diocese and others, the more useful the findings will be—both for the denomination and for your own congregation’s planning.

The survey link will come directly from Fr. Corbin (not from the diocese) because each link is coded to your specific congregation.

Please watch for an email from him starting the week of April 13.

If you have questions, you can reach Fr. Corbin directly. Thank you for your time and for the ministry you do.

Silent Screams of Women Exhibition

On behalf of Buffalo United for Peace, we invite you to a powerful traveling human rights memorial. Launched on June 5, 2022, by Advocates of Silenced Turkey (AST), this exhibition was created to preserve and share lived experiences that have long been silenced.

Rather than relying on statistics, the exhibition gives voice to human suffering through deeply personal memory objects carried or left behind by those who endured political persecution, imprisonment, and forced exile.

Located at The Buffalo History Museum, the opening reception is on April 12 at 2pm, and the exhibit will run thru May 2.

To RSVP for the free reception, CLICK HERE

Diocesan Ministry Center Availability

A reminder to all that the Diocesan Ministry Center (DMC) is available to all parishes and diocesan groups for meetings, retreats, programs, etc.

All that's necessary is filling out an Event Request Form and giving the staff 3 weeks notice to make arrangements. The DMC is intended to be used by the whole diocese for ministry.

If you have questions, please be in touch with Shawn Slother.

Episcopal News Service

Stay informed on everything in the wider Church by visiting and/or subscribing to the Episcopal News Service (ENS).

ENS WEBSITE

Prayer for the Bishop Search

Gracious God, we give thanks for your loving care for the people of the Diocese of WNY and the members of the Bishop’s Search and Transition Committees. Give us wisdom and understanding as we discern your will. We

ask for the gifts of honesty, to speak the truth in love; openness to the gifts and ideas of others and to the Holy Spirit; and willingness, to see your Light shining among us and on the path ahead. Prepare for our Diocese a bishop who will be a faithful pastor, and equip us for the ministries to which we are

called in these changing times. Help us to love and serve your world and one another in the Spirit of Christ, trusting in you to be our steadfast helper and guide; let us pray to the Lord. AMEN.

Youth & Children Ministry

YUM Schedule

Join Wendy Schumacher for Youth United in Ministry (YUM) for these upcoming events.

For details and to participate, please contact:

Wendy Schumacher

Missioner for Youth & Children

EMAIL or 716-830-5443

Church Profile

Grace Church, Randolph

Describe a moment in your community’s life when you felt the presence of the Holy Spirit moving among you. What made that moment possible?

In recent years, we experienced two powerful examples of the Holy Spirit moving among us. The first was in our response to an act of vandalism on our church building. A troubled teen had spray painted our church building with “Can I still get to Heaven if I kill myself?” Our church leadership was moved to respond by spray painting “God loves you with no exceptions!”. The story of our response went viral and was the subject of at least one sermon in Virginia. Our church also reached out to this teen with love and compassion. This graffiti remained on our church building for a couple of months...READ MORE

Congregational News/Stories

Discussion Series a Success

St. Mark's in LeRoy hosted a Lenten discussion series using The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer to talk about abundance, sharing and reciprocity.

Information for discussion was available from the United Thank Offering (UTO). Members from St. Mark's and from the community were inspired by the themes of the book to propose a Little Free Library to be set up at St. Mark's, to propose and establish a community service club in the elementary school for 5th and 6th graders, and to write to the newspaper about the environmental and financial impacts of the proposed data center in the county.

We have copies of The Serviceberry to share if anyone would like to use this in their parish! Contact St. Mark's to request them.

Congregational Events

Hearts of Hope Grief Support

St. Paul's, Harris Hill - Join us at 10am on the 2nd Saturday of every month (April 11). We invite anyone experiencing a sense of the grief of loss of any kind to join us in conversation and sharing, as much or as little as one cares to, with others who are experiencing similar feelings and circumstances as their daily lives continue in unfamiliar ways.

Sharing our own experiences can, to some extent help lighten the burden of others.

Blue Note Concert

Trinity, Buffalo - Join us on April 17 for Krista Seddon's Jazz Series presenting Blue Note at 7pm.

Shades of Blue!

Tickets: $30

Students: $10 with valid ID

The Psychology of Christian Nationalism

St. Paul's Cathedral - Join us on zoom for a conversation with The Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White on April 18 from 10am-Noon.

Presented by:

St Paul's Cathedral

Episcopal Diocese of WNY

Upstate NY Synod

Holy Trinity Lutheran

To register for the Zoom link, CLICK HERE

Photo of: Amber Sastry, founder of A Storied Life

Common Ground Lecture:

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself – It Starts With Listening

Calvary, Williamsville - A free community lecture on the simple, profound act of being there. Join us to explore the practice of offering attention without the impulse to interrupt, fix, or advise. Through teaching and hands-on practice, you'll discover how this simple, profound act can help you experience being deeply heard, create space to listen to your own story with compassion and curiosity, transform your most important relationships, and build the trust and connection we all long for in this uncertain time in which we live.

A light lunch will be offered at 11:30am preceding the 12:15pm lecture on April 19.