ECCT Weekly eNews
January 17, 2018
This year’s Trinity Institute Conference Values in Action conference is February 2 - 3 in New York City
This conference features leading activists, theologians, authors, and experts on how to integrate core values into strategic and effective action, including:

If you can't make it into the city for the event, there are partner sites throughout Connecticut:
CACE to hold first meeting of the year, January 24 in Bridgeport
Coalition Against Casino Expansion in CT (CACE) is going to have its first organizing meeting in Bridgeport on Thursday, January 25 from 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. at the Bridgeport Library-North Branch in the Community Rooms A - B.

The main topic of conversation will be a proposed MGM casino to be built in Bridgeport. Please RSVP to michelem@ctucc.org . CACE has composed a list of 10 reasons to oppose expansion of casino gambling in Connecticut, you can find the list here on their website .

Here is an article Ann Hughes , a leader in the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ (CTUCC) wrote about the December 7 meeting. 
Parochial Reports due March 1!

Attention ECCT parish vestry members, admins, and clergy: please file your 2017 Parochial Report. All reports are due March 1. You may find the report here , each parish must log in with the UEID and PIN that has been mailed to the parish office.
Join the ECCT staff of the finance office for one of four upcoming informational sessions to learn all about Parochial Reports, how to fill them out properly, and why they are important to the financial life of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.

  • January 29, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
  • February 6, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

You may RSVP to one of the above sessions via this Eventbrite page .
For clergy members not serving in a particular parish, please fill out the Non-Parochial Report by March 1 as well. You may find that form here . Any questions? Please contact Alison Hollo .
New ChurchNext TV course "Sacramentum" featuring Bishop Douglas

Embark upon an online experience of sacred community exploring Jesus and his teachings through an Episcopal lens. This weekly, 7-session course is designed for those who want a deeper understanding of the Christian faith, long-time believers looking to broaden their learning as well as those preparing for baptism, confirmation, reception into the Episcopal Church, reaffirmation of baptismal vows.

Cost: If you're an individual, it is $99 if your parish does not subscribe to ChurchNext , it is half off that if your parish does subscribe to ChurchNext. If you're part of a Parish Group that wants to subscribe: $99 per student in the group, half off that if your parish subscribes.

Registration for this course ends February 11. Register today !

Email hello@churchnext.tv with any questions regarding discounts and parish subscriptions.
Scholarship funds available to Clergy/ECCT staff children 

The Episcopal Church in CT has scholarship funds available for students who are children of clergy or employees of ECCT parishes/institutions and who will be attending college or graduate school in the Fall of 2018. An application form is  available here . Please note that the form requires a current transcript. 

Applicants must also have a letter of recommendation from a clergy person ( form found here ). For children of a clergy person, please attach a reference from a parish leader who is not a family member (e.g. Senior Warden, Youth Group Leader, Teacher, etc). Please send them this link to submit the recommendation here . 

Detailed reports regarding a young person's involvement in the life of a worshiping community will assist the scholarship committee in making awards. If you have any questions regarding the scholarship process, please contact  Molly James , Dean of Formation. Scholarship Applications are due by Friday, February 16 . Notification of awards will be made in April. 
Save the Date: March 24, Celebrate International Women's Day

Join the Women's Ministry Network for Equipping and Empowering God’s Women: A Way Forward, a conference celebrating International Women's Day, March 24 at Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford.

The program begins at 9:00 a.m. and will go until 1:30 p.m. What's to be expected: panelist speakers, conversation, worskhops, Eucharist, and lunch.

Rev. Winnie Varghese, the Priest for Justice and Reconciliation at Trinity Wall Street will preach. Registration details to come - All are welcome
What's happening in the Regions:

Northwest Region ( webpage , Facebook page )
  • Trinity Institute Conference viewing in Litchfield, information above.
North Central Region ( webpage , Facebook page / group , enewsletter sign-up )
  • January 19 - New Life Journey, faith based community support group will host their launch party at First Church (UCC), 190 Court Street, Middletown.
Northeast Region ( webpage , Facebook page / group )
  • NE Region Confirmation - St. Mark's, Storrs - January 23 6:00 p.m.
Southwest Region ( webpage , Facebook page )
  • Trinity Institute Conference viewing in Bridgeport and Stamford, information above.
South Central Region ( webpage , Facebook page , blog )
  • Trinity Institute Conference viewing in Wallingford at St. Paul's, information above.
Southeast Region ( webpage , Facebook page )
Positions Open
Job openings may be found  here on the website . NOTE: Applicants will be able to submit their resume and cover letter to the contact person directly from the ECCT website, if that option is chosen by the person submitting the position for posting. 

 
For open Clergy positions please click here . Clergy positions will no longer be posted in eNews.
Announcements & Reminders
Please continue to fill out the parish/worshiping community survey for the ECCT database

A survey was launched in July 2017 to provide robust data on parishes, along with policies and procedures to make some of that data available for direct collaboration among parishes and worshiping communities. Thanks so much to the following churches that completed their survey since the last announcement: St. Andrew's, Meriden and Church of St. Andrew the Apostle, Rocky Hill !

Teen Retreat at Camp Washington: this weekend
January 19 - 21, grades 9 - 12

The theme of the weekend retreat is "Truths of the Wind." Throughout the weekend, the focus will be to take a look at some of the ways young people can challenge bigotry, hatred, and racism as we seek to truly respect the dignity of all.

Learn more and register for the retreat at campwashington.org
Application deadline extended for Young Adult Service Corps (YASC)

The new deadline for the 2018-2019 YASC placement applications is Friday, January 26 . Currently YASCers are serving throughout the Anglican Communion, working alongside partners in administration, agriculture, chaplaincy, communication, development, and education in a variety of countries. Learn more and apply here . Questions? Contact Elizabeth Boe .
Camp Washington's Winter Rest and Renewal Weekend, January 26 - 28

This weekend retreat is designed to be two days of rest and renewal, time for conversations or being alone, reading a book, playing a game, going for a hike, or simply knitting or crocheting in a cozy rocking chair.

More information and ticket registration is available here .
National Episcopal Historians and Archivists (NEHA) 2018

NEHA   is now accepting proposals for papers to be presented at the 2018 Conference held in New Haven, CT. Presentations are made on a voluntary basis. Presenters are allocated 15 minutes for a paper and 5 minutes for questions.

Proposals are due January 31, 2018. Guidelines, possible topics, & more information available   here .
Two upcoming grant deadlines:
The Jack Spaeth Care for Creation Grant
The mission of the Jack Spaeth Care for Creation Environmental Grant is to encourage innovation and to empower members of the ECCT to educate, witness, & invite change in our congregations and communities with the goal of embracing a global vision of climate justice and preserving and celebrating God's creation. 

Applications due Jan. 31, information here .
Companions in Mission for Publishing & Communication
The focus of this grant is on all forms of publishing & communications. This could mean development of a web site, purchase of computers, publication of school books &, publication of hymnals and prayer books in a local language.

Applications due Feb. 1, information here .
Faithful Futures: Build a parish/worshiping community website! February 1 at 6:30 p.m.

At this special session of Faithful Futures: Websites 201, we’ll create the basics of a new website for your parish. We’ll use one pre-selected template from a major website company and work with specific content you’ll be asked to bring to this hands-on workshop. If possible, come as a team and work collaboratively with other parish teams.

Previous attendees and parishes in transition welcome, however the session is limited to a maximum of  five  parishes.

Join us Thursday, February 1 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Please register here.
The Good Book Club (#GoodBookClub) is an invitation to all Episcopalians to join in reading the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts during Lent - Easter 2018. Episcopalians will start reading Luke on February 11 and read a section of Luke’s Gospel every day through the season of Lent. The entire season of Easter will be devoted to daily readings from the Book of Acts.

Resources also will be available in Spanish at  ClubBiblico.org . Check ECCT Social Media accounts throughout Lent and Easter for daily readings and reflections.
2018 Women Clergy Retreat, Feb 15 - 16 at Camp Washington

All women clergy are invited to attend the 2018 retreat "Come to Feast on food, fellowship, and fun!" at Camp Washingon, February 15 - 16.

Join Bishop Laura Ahrens and other women clergy colleagues for this 24-hour Lenten retreat planned to nurture & celebrate all ministries, all while eating some tasty food in good company!

United Thank Offering 2018 Grants available, applications due February 16

 Each year the United Thank Offering (UTO) Board's 2018 theme is Becoming the Beloved Community: Racial Healing, Reconciliation and Justice .  Any parish may apply, funding is restricted to NEW ministries or new and distinct expansions of established ministries.

Grant applications are available now, and are due February 16, 2018. Forms and more details found here . Please submit applications and questions to Suzanne DeMerchant .
Events coming up soon:
Events below are coming up in the next few weeks:
 
ECCT OFFERINGS:
 
The ECCT calendar is located  here . It allows you to filter events by category and includes a subscribe link at the bottom of the page. Specific details including locations, times, etc. will also be found there.

  • January 18, Fresh Start Meeting, The Commons
  • January 18, Standing Committee Meeting
  • January 23, Northeast Region Confirmation, St. Mark's Storrs
  • January 25, Interim Rector Gathering, The Commons
  • January 29, Parochial Reports 101, The Commons
  • February 1, Recently Ordained Clergy meeting, The Commons
  • February 1, Faithful Futures: Communications - Websites

BISHOPS' VISITS:

  • January 21, Bishop Ahrens, St. Stephen's, Ridgefield
  • January 28, Bishop Douglas, St. Andrew's, Madison
  • February 4, Bishop Ahrens, Christ Church, Sharon; Bishop Douglas, St. John's, Waterbury
  • February 4, Bishop Ahrens, St. James', Farmington; Bishop Douglas, Christ Church, New Haven
  • February 18, Bishops Ahrens, St. Paul's, Woodbury; Bishop Douglas, St. Peter's, South Windsor
All Parish, Region, and Ministry Network events are posted on  this calendar .

Below are the upcoming events for the next two weeks. Hosting an event? Please submit ALL parish, Region, and Ministry Network events  using this form , you may select as many categories that apply to your event as needed. Please indicate which region your event is in by selecting the appropriate region category.   Reach out to the specific parish for event updates, specific locations, and further details.

PLEASE check to see if your event is already on the calendar before you submit it.

PARISH EVENTS:
Regular worship services, including season-specific, will not be listed below.   

  • January 19, Faith on Fire presents Dane Boston, Christ Church, Greenwich
  • January 19, Launch Celebration for New Life Journey, Trinity, Portland
  • January 20, Youth Mental Health First Aid, St. Mark's, New Canaan
  • January 21, Healing Service, St. Philip's, Putnam
  • January 21, Adult Forum: What the St. Francis?! Holy Land Peacemaking in Epiphany, St. Mark's, New Canaan
  • January 27, Tchaikovsky and Friends, Christ Church, Greenwich
  • January 28, Adult Forum: What the St. Francis?! Holy Land Peacemaking in Epiphany, St. Mark's, New Canaan
  • January 28, Choral Evensong, St. John's, West Hartford

REGION MEETINGS & EVENTS:
  • January 21, Northwest Region Parish Musician Luncheon, St. Michael's, Litchfield
  • January 23, Northeast Region Confirmation, St. Mark's Storrs

MINISTRY NETWORK MEETINGS & EVENTS:
  • January 27, Northeast Region Food & Faith MN meeting, St. George's, Bolton
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