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News for the Weeks of
December 24 and 31, 2017
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"
Long Journey to Bethlehem" by
Sue Hodge
This work is under Copyright and is used by kind permission of the artist.
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"O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear."
The final verse of this ancient hymn points to the Messiah as our king and our lawgiver, with power and might, setting humanity free. It's a reference in Isaiah, chapter 7, and speaks of God giving us a sign through a son born of a virgin. It is Incarnation, God-with-us, the greatest of all Divine mysteries.
In our brokenness, we expect God on a throne, with power and might and triumph. Our inclinations point to this as do our expectations, and our hymnody reflects it as well.
Yet we know this is not how it came to pass. Emmanuel came to us, born in a cave, to a young and frightened virgin. The God of all power and majesty makes a grand entrance into human flesh clothed in weakness and it shakes us to our very core.
As so much of our recent history reveals, we assume all important things must be mighty, wealthy and powerful. We are so quickly lured by might and a lust for security that we are willing to sacrifice anything in our attempt to attain it.
In the end, God draws near to humanity in weakness. For although as a species we do a lot of things very well, it seems we have never been able to handle power, and given time it corrupts all of us. So God came in weakness to show us a new way, a better way. Austin Farrer reminds us of this in his work Said or Sung... of our inability to see great things in weakness, and speaking of the Christ Child in the manger, he writes...
"We will not lift our hands to pull the love of God down to us, but He lifts his tiny hands to pull human compassion down upon His cradle. So the weakness of God proves stronger than men, and the folly of God proves wiser than men. Love is the strongest instrument of omnipotence for accomplishing those tasks God cares most dearly to perform; and this is how God brings love to bear on human pride; by weakness not by strength..."
In this season, we are reminded of the Child who is God-with-us, of a king who chooses a cross rather than a throne, and a Savior who chooses our hearts, over gold and fine jewels, as fitting gifts to do homage.
"O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin and enter in,
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel!"
- Phillips Brooks (1835-1893)
The Rev. Jeff Queen, Rector
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church - Fort Thomas, The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington
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PRESIDING BISHOP CURRY'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2017
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"Have a blessed Christmas, a wonderful New Year, and go out and make music in the heart of the world", Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael Curry said in his Christmas Message 2017.
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ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE
STANDING COMMITTEE
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The Episcopal Election Planning Committee has created two documents to help the Diocese understand the process we've used to discern our next steps in electing our next Bishop Provisional:
- The Mini-Profile that was shared with the Office of Pastoral Development. This document has been well-received by the House of Bishops and is becoming a model for other Dioceses. Please click here to view and download the Mini-Profile.
- A Frequently Asked Questions page. This document includes a prayer for the election, information about our discernment process, and compensation information. Click here to view and download the Frequently Asked Questions.
If you have other questions, please contact a member of The Standing Committee. Their names are listed on the
Leadership page of diolex.org (click on the Standing Committee tab).
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HOLIDAY SCHEDULE AT MISSION HOUSE
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Mission House will be closed for Christmas from Monday, December 25 through
Monday, January 1. The office will reopen at 9am on Tuesday, January 2.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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THE REV. CORKY CARLISLE ELECTED TO
SEWANEE BOARD OF REGENTS
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The Diocese of Lexington has long been privileged to have 2 lay people and 1 clergy person serve as members of the Board of Trustees of the University of the South (Sewanee), a body with 150 members. This fall, Sewanee alumnus The Rev. Corky Carlisle, who is currently serving as the Interim/Transitional Rector of Good Shepherd, Lexington, and has served a number of times as Lexington's clergy trustee as well as a faithful fundraiser for Sewanee, was elected as a member of Sewanee's Board of Regents. The Board of Regents is a body of 20 members and acts as the Executive Board for the whole Board of Trustees.
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THE REV. CHARLES LAWRENCE, AGE 100,
INTERVIEWED BY CHURCH PENSION GROUP
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This week, the Church Pension Group, that oversees the pensions, health/dental/property insurance, publishing, and more for The Episcopal Church, sent the Group's Director of Communications and a production team to interview the Diocese of Lexington's most senior priest, The Rev. Charles "Charlie" Lawrence. Fr. Lawrence is the grandson of one of the founders of the Church Pension Group, The Rt. Rev. William Lawrence, Bishop of Massachusetts (1893-1927). The Pension Group is celebrating its 100th anniversary in the same year that Fr. Lawrence celebrates his 100th year.
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YOUTH NEWS - PROVINCE IV AT DAYSPRING
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In early December Alex Grayson (Trinity - Covington), Roman Doddema (St. Philips - Harrodsburg) and Cindy Sigmon (Diocesan Youth Missioner) attended the Province IV Youth Leadership & Network Meeting at Dayspring Conference Center in the Diocese of Southwest Florida. The purpose of this meeting was to share challenges we have faced and successes we have experienced, and to develop ministry opportunities for all 20 Episcopal dioceses in the southeastern region of the United States.
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NOLI CDC AWARDS CEREMONY AT MISSION HOUSE
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The North Limestone Community Development Corporation (NoLi CDC) recently announced the winners of the Kresge Mini-Grants program that is administered by the North Limestone CDC, Bluegrass Community Foundation and Community Ventures Corporation. The awards ceremony took place at Mission House.
NoLi CDC is a non-profit organization working in the north end of Lexington to connect neighbors with resources and opportunities, and to create programs for equitable community development. Please click here to learn more.
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SAVE THE DATES: FEBRUARY 23 & 24, 2018
FORMATION DAY
AND
DIOCESAN CONVENTION
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The Work and Ministry of Reconciliation
Diocesan Formation Opportunity
Friday, February 23, 2017, 2:30-7pm
This Diocesan Formation Day will include Workshops, Dinner, and Worship. Our Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Allan Boesak, Theologian, Social Justice Advocate, and Anti-Apartheid Activist in South Africa.
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The 122nd Convention of the Diocese of Lexington
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Please mark your calendars, and register on diolex.org using the link in the Convention announcement.
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An announcement from the Nominations Committee:
The Nominations Committee of the Diocese of Lexington is looking for candidates, who are communicants in good standing in their local churches, to stand for election for the following offices:
Standing Committee
,
Executive Council
and
Board of Trustees for the University of the South
.
Please
click here
to view and download the church bulletin insert containing more information.
Nominations are currently being accepted. To fill out and submit the Nomination Form,
click here
.
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The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Richmond, KY is currently seeking an Administrative Assistant. Please
click here to view and download this job description.
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Great Music at Christ Church Cathedral
Please click here to view and print the schedule of special programs during the Advent and Christmas seasons, and beyond.
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We are offering three services on Christmas Eve:
Please click here to view and print the complete schedule.
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A New Year in the Spirit - Junior & Senior High Youth Event
December 27-30, 2017
The term "A New Year in the Spirit" refers to an attitude - a challenge - an effort - to increase our awareness of God's will and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Open to all youth in grades 7-12.
Registration is limited; first come, first served! Deadline:
December 15, 2017.
Cost: only $125.00 for this 4-day, 3-night event. Meals, lodging, program activities and T-shirt are included.
Click here to download and print the Registration Form.
To make an online payment, please
click here to visit the Cathedral Domain website.
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The Electric Revival VI
January 13-14, 2018
 Trinity Episcopal Church warmly invites all junior and senior high students (grade 7-12) to downtown Covington for the annual dance party and lock-in we like to call "The Electric Revival." Shake off those mid-winter blues with twenty-four long hours of music, worship, fellowship, and dancing.
For the sixth installment of The Electric Revival, we are partnering with the Diocesan Commission for Racial Reconciliation and the Underground Railroad Museum to offer an engaging and empowering program designed to get young people thinking about racial justice. But don't worry, there will still be plenty of time for yoga, theatre games, our annual open mic coffee hour, and of course, more of that late night POWER MUSIC ELECTRIC REVIVAL!
Please
click here to view and download the event poster.
For more information please contact The Rev. Justin Gabbard at 859-630-2835 or
jegabbard@gmail.com.
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Art at the Cathedral Gallery Hop and Arts Weekend
January 19-21, 2018
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With sadness, we share the news of the death of Patti Pierce, the wife of The Rev. Jay Pierce. Patti died December 12, not long after the death of Fr. Jay, who died on November 27. Please keep all of Patti's family in your prayers. Services for both Fr. Jay and Patti Pierce will occur on December 27, 2:00 p.m. at St. John's, Versailles. You may read the obituary for Patti
HERE and the obituary for Fr. Jay
HERE.
May they rest in peace and rise in glory.
Sunday, December 24, 2017 (Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve)
The Church of the Nativity, Maysville
The Rev. Roxanne Ruggles, Priest-in-Charge
Sunday, December 31, 2017 (First Sunday after Christmas)
St. Andrew's, Fort Thomas
The Rev. Jeffrey Queen, Rector
Sunday, January 7, 2018 (First Sunday after the Epiphany)
St. Timothy's Mission, Barnes Mountain
The Venerable Bryant C. Kibler, Sr. Priest-in-Partnership
St. Timothy's Mission Camps, a Ministry of the Diocese of Lexington (35 years)
Sunday, January 14, 2018 (Second Sunday after the Epiphany)
The Episcopal Youth Community
Ms. Cindy Sigmon, Youth Missioner
Daughters of the King, Diocesan Chapter
Download the Intercessory Prayer List
The Diocesan Cycle of Prayer is published on the Resources page of the diocesan website under the "Resources for Worship" tab.
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To submit an event for publication in
DioLink and on diolex.org:
click here.
Please note that
submissions must be received by Tuesday evening
in order to be
included in that week's DioLink. The website is updated continually.
Thank you!
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