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Bishops Blog:
Parousia: God’s Invitation to a Church in Resurrection Part II
Bishop San will be blogging about Parousia over the next several months leading up to the 2020 Convention. Here is an excerpt from his second blog post...
The vital church is a God’s sacred enduring entity that should forever be observant and mindful of the changing landscape of culture, demographic, focus and missional reality emerging around it. As such, to be a responsive mission of God conversant with its mission field we shouldn’t overlook the challenge to be a redemptive church, that is, to take what is before us and not necessarily change it, rather to allow Christ to redeem it in the words of scripture, “see I am making all things new…” (Revelation 21:5; Isaiah 65:17). God as premier architect and designer of the new, and preserver of the old, continues to call us to look beyond the old to see a new vision built upon the revered historic foundation and legacy of the past to a more hopeful, sustainable, immensely energizing and abundantly overflowing future with transformative possibilities for God’s church. Jesus reminds us in the gospel of a seamless symmetry between the old and the new and points to the wisdom of their usefulness in kingdom building (Matthew 13: 51-53). Read entire blog post here.
Bishop’s Institute Launch will be marked by a Eucharist and reception on January 4 th at 11:00 am at St. Paul’s Hebron. The Eucharist will include the installation of the Canon Theologian, the Rev. Dr. Daniel Dunlap (Rector of Old Trinity, Church Creek), the commissioning of the Advisory Board, and the commissioning of the Bishop’s Committee for the Institute. All are welcome to attend this landmark event.
Bishop San will be leading a Luncheon Lenten Series on Archbishop’s Desmond Tutu’s “No Future Without Forgiveness: A Lost Discipline in the 21st Century Church”. The series will be done at venues across our three convocations.
Dates are: March 4th; March 18th; March 25th and April 1st at 11:00 am. Soup and salad to follow. Stay tuned for more information on venues in the convocations.
Children's Home Foundation Annual Appeal The Children’s Home Foundation is a non-profit arm of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton that grants scholarships to high school graduates and adults in need of financial assistance to attend vocational and technical schools in pursuit of careers in the workforce. It also provides grants to allow children to experience the benefits of summer camp. Since its inception in 1959 the foundation has awarded scholarships in excess of
$5 million dollars. We hope you will consider donating to this worthy cause and also that you might help us become aware of potential recipients. To learn more we invite you to visit our website at: www.childrenshomefoundation.org.
Diocesan Fund for Church Initiatives Grant Program Small Grants Available in 2020 for Parishes. Applications are now being accepted for the Diocese of Easton’s Church Initiatives Grant Program. Money is available exclusively to parishes and mission churches in the Diocese of Easton to undertake innovative programs and projects. The Grant Program is funded by investment returns from the Diocese’s St. Stephens Endowment Fund, a fund created with proceeds from the sale of St. Stephen's Church, East New Market several years ago. This is the eighth year of the program’s existence. Last year one grant was awarded to Emanuel Episcopal Church, Chester parish to bring the “Undoing Racism” workshop to Kent County as part of an interfaith and diverse community effort. In previous years grants were made to many other parishes within the Diocese. Read more here. Click here for the 2020 Diocesan Fund for Church Initiatives Grant Program Guidelines
United Thank Offering 2020 Annual Grants Application deadline is March 6, 2020. Potential applicants for the 2020 United Thank Offering (UTO) Annual Grants are invited to participate in an informational webinar offered by the UTO board on January 14, 2020 at noon and 8:00 pm Eastern. These grants are awarded for projects in The Episcopal Church and throughout the Anglican Communion, each year with a different focus. For 2020, the focus is Bless: Share faith, practice generosity and compassion, and proclaim the Good News of God in Christ with hope and humility. More info here.
Members of the Diocese can purchase Bishop San's new book, "The Spiritual Order of a Messy Church", at the Diocesan office for a donation of $20 per copy. Retail price is $16.95, however we are charging $20 with the immediate proceeds from the book going toward Bahamas relief. Please contact the Diocese office at 410-822-1919 to request your copy.
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Around the Diocese
Notable Dates
Northern Convocation Meeting
December 9th at St. Paul's, Kent
Middle Convocation Meeting
December 10th at All Faith Chapel, Tunis Mills
Southern Convocation Meeting
December 12th at St. Andrew's, Princess Anne
All meetings are from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
January 4th - Bishop's Institute Launch
January 10-12 - Ocean City Youth Rally
HOLIDAY OUTREACH
Let us know if your church or parish will be collecting items or holding activities to benefit our local communities during the holiday season!! Our hope is for people to see what’s going on throughout our diocese and pitch in beyond their parish if they see a need they can fill. Send an email with a short description plus links or attachments to Beth Devenny to be included in our upcoming holiday season Enews.
Christ Church, Cambridge AGAPE NEEDS YOU! Christmas party, Saturday, Dec. 7 12-3 p.m. CAN YOUR PARISH: Donate 10 new toys/gifts? Volunteer help with gift wrapping, crafts, food?
Email Pat Layton: rodlay@comcast.net
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Centreville Camp Agape, a ministry of the diocese that serves children of incarcerated parents, is collecting Christmas presents for their party on Dec 10th. Please bring an unwrapped toy or game and place in the box in the coffee hour area.
Orders now being taken for Equal Exchange olive oil and chocolate bars. Just in time for the Holidays! The olive oil is organic and cold pressed from Nabali olives in Palestine and is priced at $12.00 for a 500ml bottle.
Organic chocolate bars are $3.00. Choices include dark chocolate almond and sea salt, dark chocolate caramel crunch with sea salt, very dark chocolate, milk chocolate and milk chocolate caramel crunch with sea salt. All orders must be placed by Dec 10th. There is an order form in the church coffee hour area, or you can call the parish office @ 410-758-1553. All items are fair trade and proceeds benefit small farmers.
St. Peters, Salisbury Agape Ministry Christmas Service Project - This December, Saint Peter’s Children and Youth Ministry is supporting the diocese’s AGAPE Ministry. AGAPE serves 30 (ages 5 to 12) children of incarcerated parents. The ministry is in need of new toys or gifts and volunteers for their annual Christmas Party. AGAPE is looking to collect at least 10 new toys or gifts per parish. They will be collecting donations between now and Friday, December 6th. There will be a collection box inside of the church parlor for you to place your donations.
Stocking Stuffing In addition, they will be stuffing the stockings that the kids receive. There are 30 that need to be stuffed. If any families are available, they are looking to stuff these on Thursday, December 5th or Friday, December 6th from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Volunteers can help children “shop” for gifts for their family members, wrap the gifts, sing songs, do crafts, and serve the meal. Service hours are available for the party along with the stocking stuffing. Please let Atif Gaddis know by this Tuesday if you are interested in volunteering. For those who would like to help, but may not want to work directly with kids, the organizers will also need help with setting up for the party, moving and packing items, and cleaning up afterwards. For those considering making donations, look to spend around $10 at the most for a toy or gift. A little more would be okay but $10 or less is fine. Gifts are typically for adults or older siblings.
Wreaths Across America at Parsons Cemetery Once again Parsons Cemetery is hosting Wreaths Across America, this year on Saturday, December 14th at 10:00am. Plan to be present to help lay wreaths on the graves of fallen veterans.
You can also purchase a wreath. Go to the website: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org and click on “specific cemetery” which is just below the red “Sponsor Wreaths” box. Type “Parsons Cemetery, Salisbury, MD” on the line where it says “select location to support.” Wreath ordering deadline is December 2nd. For more information go to: http://stpeterschurch.net/wreaths-across-america/.
Christmas Outreach to Wi-Middle School Each year St. Peter's helps the teachers of Wi-Middle School help those students and families in need with their Christmas Giving project by providing gift cards so the teachers can shop for items and provide to needy families a food basket for the Christmas holiday. A poster board will be set up in the parlor for parishioners and friends to place gift cards from Walmart, Kohl’s, Old Navy and Target. Please click here for more information on this outreach ministry from Judy Wyatt, St. Peter’s Outreach Committee Chair: http://stpeterschurch.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Supporting-Wi-Middle-at-Christmas.pdf.
St. Mary Anne's, North East 4th Annual Wreaths Across America event will be on Saturday, December 14th at Noon in the church and churchyard. Event begins with a short meaningful service in the church, with guest speakers, an honor guard, and representatives from all branches of the United States military. At the conclusion, they will advance to the churchyard and lay wreaths on approximately 80 veteran's grave, including soldiers from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War.
HAPPENINGS & EVENTS
Emmanuel Church, Chester Parish Advent Meditation Series, Dec 1st- 25th Debra Donnelly-Barton is offering an Advent Meditation series beginning December 1st. She writes, "Each Advent we are invited to welcome Hope again even though many things may seem hopeless. We are invited to welcome Peace again in the midst of chaos. We are invited to welcome Love again when much appears unlovable. This Advent our meditations will focus on Hope, Peace and Love. Our guides will be the characters of Advent; Elizabeth and Mary, John and Jesus, Hosts of Angels and surprised shepherds. We begin December 1st and end December 25th. I hope you will join me." To register, go to https://www.csdonline.org/workshops. The fee is $30 for the 25 days of meditations.
The Church of the Holy Trinity, Oxford
Come one, come all to the 2019 Christmas Bazaar Saturday, December 7th – 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. The Christmas Café will welcome visitors with coffee, tea, cider and sweets. The Parish Hall will be filled with homemade treats, crafts and wreaths. The food tables will be replete with jams, fudge, cookies and other delectable delicacies, along with frozen soups and appetizers.
Holiday Jazz Concert "A Redd Christmas" with Chuck & Robert Redd performing with vibes & piano, on Sunday, December 22nd at 3:00 pm. For more info call 410-226-5134.
Allegro Academy, Easton invites you to join them for the following events:
December 7 - Student Showcase at Dixon House, Bayleigh Chase, and Londonderry in Easton
December 31 - Allegra! at First Night Talbot, Avalon Theatre Click here for more info.
St. Peter's, Salisbury , See The Lettermen and help St. Peter's The Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council (SWAC), is holding a Holiday Show featuring legendary 60’s group “the Lettermen,” on Friday, December 6th at 7:30 pm at the St. Francis Parish Center on Riverside Drive in Salisbury. Those who buy tickets can designate St. Peter’s as a recipient of a donation from this event. For every $30/$40 ticket sold, $5 is donated to St. Peter’s. If you are interested in attending, go to www.getswac.org and click “St. Peter’s Church” on the How did you hear of the show? Survey. Or call 410-543-2787 to purchase tickets and mention St. Peter’s.
Savor the meaning of Advent with three relaxing organ concerts The first is Saturday, December 7th, at 4 p.m. Musical Director Daniel Cherrix performs a 45-minute program of Advent favorites including "Lo, A Rose Ere Blooming." Other recitals are Dr. Michael Stefanek on Saturday, December 14th; and Taylor Harvey on Saturday, December 21st, both at 4 p.m. Admission is free. Their appearances are sponsored by the St. Cecilia's Guild. Call 410-742-5118 or visit stpeterscurch.net.
Advent lessons and carols December 8th Welcome the holiday season with its Advent Lessons and Carols service Sunday, December 8th, at 7 p.m. St. Peter's choir with Salisbury University's choral scholars perform a one-hour program of sacred readings and music based on the nine lessons and carols service at King's College, Cambridge, UK. All are welcomed and admission is free. Call 410-742-5118 or visit stpeterschurch.net. The program is sponsored by the St. Cecilia's Guild.
Christ Church Parish, Kent Island Presents a Christmas concert featuring The Westminster Ringers. Back by popular demand! Come hear this auditioned handbell ensemble play over 200 instruments to perform your favorite sacred and secular Christmas Music. Saturday, December 7th at 7:00pm. Open to the public. No tickets required. A free-will offering will be collected.
St. Mary Anne's, North East Fourth Annual Christmas Cookie Walk will be on Saturday, December 14th from 10 am -1 pm in St. Mary Anne's Parish Center. Once again, they will have a huge and delicious assortment of homemade Christmas cookies to purchase by the pound. Christmas vendors are also part of this festive event! What exactly is a Cookie Walk? They bake dozens of beautiful and assorted homemade Christmas cookies and sell them for $8.50 a pound. When customers arrive, they receive their own cookie box and a pair of gloves–and then they proceed to choose their own cookie selection.
Customers also have the opportunity to visit area vendor tables to do a little Christmas shopping!
Christ Episcopal Church, Cambridge Tidewater Singers Christmas Concert. December 15th at 4:00pm. Admission $10 Students Free Reception after the concert. Call 410-228-3161 for more info.
Christ Church, Easton The Boychoir of the Chesapeake, aka Christ Church Boychoir, begins January 14th and is open to boys in grades 2 through 8 who live in the Mid-Shore area. Applications for the semester beginning in January are now being taken. Boys who are enrolled in the choir have the opportunity to sing in a variety of spaces including public as well as liturgical venues. In addition to learning a varied musical repertoire, students receive vocal instruction as well as music theory while earning special medals for their achievements. For a full schedule of events, please contact weslockfaw@christchurcheaston.org or call 410-822-2677. Rehearsals are held each Monday from 5 pm to 6:15 pm in the choir room.
Ocean City Youth Rally: Young people in grades 6-12 and adult leaders are invited to join us at the Ocean City Youth Rally, January 10th - 12th, 2020. The cost for this event is $150/person and includes all meals, transportation to and from events, lodging, t-shirts, all activities & events. Each church is asked to identify an adult volunteer to complete the form on behalf of their attending students. Deadline for registration is December 1st. For more information contact Joanne Fisher.
Christ Church Easton is seeking a Parish Manager to oversee and administer the day-to-day management and operations of the church in support of its missions and ministries. This is a full time management position. Best candidates for the job will have education and/or experience in the areas of communication, business administration and technology. We are seeking someone who is detail oriented, well organized, a comprehensive thinker, personable, energetic and an effective communicator. For additional information (a link to the document and the website as well). Resumes and letters of interest should be sent to Fr. Bill Ortt at fatherbill@christchurcheaston.org
Christ Church Easton is seeking a Parish Secretary to work part-time, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Candidates must demonstrate current experience with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Microsoft Publisher, offer strong interpersonal and organizational skills, be attentive to detail, and function well in a fast-paced environment. Positions are open now. Email resume and cover letter to fatherbill@christchurcheaston.org
Christ Church Easton is seeking an experienced part time bookkeeper 10-15 hours a week, on site. Pay bills, manage payroll, maintain records, assist with deposits, some fund accounting, account reconciliations and preparation of finance reports. Email resume and cover letter to fatherbill@christchurcheaston.org
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Beyond the Diocese
An Invitation from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry "I write to invite you to support our Episcopal Church’s Annual Appeal. This Church-wide Appeal is one tangible way to support our ministry of and witness to the Way of Love that Jesus taught in our time and in the wider world. Let me show you what I mean." Read the annual appeal here.
A tribute gift to The Episcopal Church can be a thoughtful way to remember loved ones at the holidays. Gifts can be made in honor or in memory of family or friends, and can be directed to any one of our Church-wide initiatives including The Episcopal Church Fund, Episcopal Migration Ministries, Absalom Jones Fund, and more To make your tribute gift, visit episcopalchurch.org/give
Traveling the Way of Love, Episode 7: Learn, the final installment of the first season of the Way of Love video series from The Episcopal Church Office of Communication is available on The Episcopal Church website and on The Episcopal Church Facebook page.
‘Living the Way of Love in Community’ features small group facilitation guide and curriculum. A year after the introduction by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of the Way of Love, Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life, The Episcopal Church continues to offer new resources for congregations interested in following the Way of Love as a way of life. New this fall are the FAQ’s for Small Group Ministry video, a social media infographic, as well as a postcard-sized infographic. These resources are available here. The nine-session Living the Way of Love in Community curriculum is designed for small groups organized for the purpose of exploring The Way of Love. Group members study and experience each of seven practices: turn, learn, pray, worship, bless, go, and rest. Read more here.
Living Well Through Advent 2019 Practicing Peace With All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind - A Living Compass Seasonal Resource - Designed for use as an individual reflection or for group study, this guide provides a foundation for seeking a deeper experience of Advent, an experience that will help prepare us for the true meaning of Christmas. Available in both print and electronic editions.
New Digital Invitation Kits for Advent available New and updated Advent resources for congregations, dioceses, and communities of faith are now available: Way of Love Digital Invitation Kit, updated Journeying the Way of Love Advent calendar and curriculum, AdventWord 2019, Sermons That Work compilation of Advent and Christmas selections, Advent reflections from Episcopal Migration Ministries, and bulletin inserts. All are available here. Also offered again this year are digital Christmas Eve services. Click here for more info.
EYE20 venue change, theme, registration details released The venue for the 2020 Episcopal Youth Event (EYE20) has been changed to the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). The location remains within the Diocese of Washington and the dates, July 7th-11th, 2020, are unchanged. The theme for EYE20 is “Unite! ¡Unámonos!” Read more here.
Episcopal Church Young Adult Service Corps Applications are now available for 2020-2021 placements with the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC), the international missionary program of The Episcopal Church. YASC offers Episcopalians ages 21-30 the opportunity to follow the Way of Love into deeper relationship with God and the global Anglican Church while spending a year living and working with communities around the world. Read more here.
Rooted In Jesus: January 21-24, 2020 Atlanta, GA:
It’s time for the Episcopal Church to come together as disciples of Jesus and take a bold new step into the next decade. Spend four days together, talking about discipleship, leadership, evangelism, formation, preaching, and much more—so we can go out and be the Body of Christ. Registration is open for the Evangelism Matters pre-conference on January 21, 2020, part of the Rooted in Jesus Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, January 21-24, 2020. This pre-conference is an opportunity for those who identify as Evangelists to dive deeper into this apostolic ministry and connect with people who share a mutual deep commitment to Episcopal Evangelism. Read more here.
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POST YOUR EVENT!
Send an email with a short description plus links or attachments to Joanne. Churches are also encouraged to add joanne@dioceseofeaston.org to their local enews as she will occasionally pull events from those sources.
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