Retirement Announcement
Deacon John Doherty will be retiring at the end of January after ten years of faithful and dedicated service on diocesan staff. To read the full announcement that went out earlier this week, click here.
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'Tis the Season
Find links to daily Advent calendars, "AdventWord2024" from Forward Movement, a bunch of free resources from The Episcopal Church, Advent Toolkit from Episcopal Relief & Development, & more!
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Services Near You
Blue Christmas services recognize that many feel grief and loss during the holiday season, and offer a space to honor those feelings alongside our hope in Christ. To find a Blue Christmas service to join in-person near you or virtually online now through December 21st, click here.
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Cathedral Lessons & Carols
Join St. Paul's Cathedral for Advent Lessons and Carols! Everyone is invited to worship together either in person or online, and Bishop Monnot will be officiating. The service will be live-streamed on the Cathedral's Facebook and YouTube pages.
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Update Christmas Services
Congregations & ministries: don't forget to update your Episcopal Asset Map profile so your community can find your service times, including Christmas services, and what ministries you offer.
You don’t need a log-in - just find your Episcopal place, click on it, & select “Suggest an Update.” Need help updating more? Check out these videos.
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Upcoming Events & Opportunities | | |
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Feel a pull to teach a learning track at Summer Ministry School & Retreat that fits under the theme of Courageous Faith and one of the 3 diocesan focus areas (strengthening congregations, supporting clergy & lay leadership, deepening our connection to God)? Send your idea, a 2-3 sentence description, possible title, and which focus area it fits best. Put "SMSR" in the subject line & email to Rev. Abigail Livingood or Rev. Catherine Schroeder. | | |
Substantial changes have been made to the filing of Parochial Reports - we highly recommend attending one of the upcoming Zoom info sessions and checking out updates on their website. Zooms will be at 3pmET/2pmCT. | | |
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Mark your calendar to virtually join this annual conference that honors and highlights Indigenous and Native American traditions and contributions within The Episcopal Church. A registration link for virtual attendance will be available soon. | |
Julie Gross, from Christ Episcopal Church Cedar Rapids, has been dealing with major depression and anxiety since she was a teenager. Join us as she gives a brief sketch of how these illnesses and treatments have affected family, faith, and her place in society, before opening things up for questions- any questions! | | |
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Join us for a weekend of fun and community building as we ski/snowboard at Seven Oaks in Boone and stay overnight at St. John's, Ames. This event is for 4th-12th graders. Each congregation is required to send at least one chaperone for any youth they have attending. | |
Young Adult Service Corps | The Young Adult Service Corps is a ministry for Episcopalians ages 21-35 who are interested in exploring their faith in new ways by living and serving in communities around the world. Applications are open for 2025 placements. | | |
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Join this 8 week online, asynchronous course from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, taught by Professor: Fr. Kevin Goodrich OP. This course will help you grow as a preacher, learn from other preachers, and be encouraged in developing and refining
your own preaching process and style,
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Sermon Roundtable supports parish clergy and lay preachers in their preaching while simultaneously providing opportunities for adult formation and pastoral connection within the parish. Applications for the Spring 2025 Cohort will be accepted on a rolling basis until February 1st. Learn More Here. | | |
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The Episcopal Church's Canonical Deadline for Congregations to file their 2024 Parochial Report is March 1st, 2025. Filing closes at midnight March 1st, so make sure you get it in by 11:59pm February 28th. Some big changes have been made, so keep an eye on your email & their website for videos & more info. | |
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Lots more below -
make sure you see it all!
The last section is "Stay Connected" - if you don't see it,
CLICK HERE -> "View as Webpage" to view the full enews
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(some email servers shorten this newsletter) | | |
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2025 marks the 3rd anniversary of the new Safe Church courses.
Did you know you are required to re-certify every three years? Contact your congregational admin today to find out what courses you need to take.
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End of Year Reminders for Congregations & Clergy | | |
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Charitable donations must be received or postmarked no later than December 31, 2024, in order to apply to 2024.
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Approve and return your congregation's 2025 Stewardship Share pledge from the Diocesan office.
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Remit final payments due for 2024 Stewardship Share, Iowa Connections, and Revolving Fund Loans to the Diocesan office.
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Remit amounts collected in 2024 for special offerings (Bishop's Discretionary Fund, United Thank Offering, Episcopal Relief & Development, Good Friday Offering, and Theological Seminary Support) to the Diocesan office.
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Send a copy of your Church Audit/Financial Review to the Diocesan Office. This annual review is a requirement for all Episcopal Churches due on September 1 each year.
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Adopt a Vestry resolution designating a 2025 Housing Allowance for your Priest.
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Review and renew Licensed Ministries for your congregation that are due to expire on December 31, 2024.
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Licensed Clergy: fill out this annual Clergy Reporting and Renewal of Licensing form if you are non-parochial clergy, retired clergy, and licensed clergy, who wish to remain licensed to serve as clergy in the Diocese of Iowa.
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Clergy seeking a license: fill out this form if you are clergy who wishes to be licensed to serve as a priest in the Diocese of Iowa.
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Parochial Reports: substantial changes have been made to the filing of parochial reports - keep up to date with these changes here, and make sure your congregation files by 11:59pm February 28th as the deadline is midnight March 1st, 2025.
- The 2025 Clergy Minimum Compensation Schedule is available on the website here..
- Priests and Deacons: Annual Clergy Continuing Education reporting form available here.
- The 2025 Joint Intercession List will be posted on the website here before the end of the year.
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Reminder: Beware of Scammers | | | |
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Unfortunately, there isn't anything we can do from the diocesan office to prevent these as it isn't necessarily a breach of someone's email.
Stay vigilant, and contact our office directly for verification if you're ever unsure.
Office: 515-277-6165
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Funds Available
The Behavioral Health Ministry Team has limited funds to assist with co-payments for mental health related appointments (up to $50 per appointment). Funds are open to EVERYONE with ties to the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa and will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis.
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Iowa Legal Aid
Provides free civil legal assistance. Please keep us in mind if you ever run into someone with legal problems. Maybe their housing, income, benefits or safety are challenged, they’re not understanding how aging is affecting their benefits/debts, or a disaster has wreaked havoc in their lives.
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ENews Submissions:
Content is due the 2nd Thursday of the month and submission information can be found here. This eNewsletter comes out monthly on the 3rd Thursday of each month.
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Caution! About Unsubscribing | | |
If you click "Unsubscribe" below it removes you from ALL diocesan emails (including the e-news, letters from the Bishop, Convention information, etc.) and our office cannot re-subscribe you. You'll need to re-subscribe yourself by clicking on "start sending me the news!" at this link. If you wish to be taken off of a specific email list or have questions, email diocese@iowaepiscopal.org. Also use caution when forwarding this e-newsletter as anyone clicking this link can also unsubscribe YOU, so consider deleting the unsubscribe links before you forward this to anyone | | | | | |
