Quick Links to Diopa Website
|
|
|
 |
|
Advisory Group on Church Planting Seeks Coaches for New Church Plants
|
The Genesis Group/Advisory Group on Church Planting has issued the following call for coaches:
General Convention 2015 Resolution D005 called for and funded a network of leaders who learn together how best to support new ministry developers in the Episcopal Church. As an initiative of Executive Council and working closely with the Presiding Bishop's staff, the new group of lay and ordained Episcopalians is called Genesis: Cultivating New Ministries in the Episcopal Church. In November, their first churchwide meeting gathered 85 leaders who are starting new churches and innovative ministries.
To support this work, persons with experience in starting new ministries are needed to join a network of persons who can assess the gifts of potential Episcopal entrepreneurs and others who can coach ministry developers.
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen, chair of the Genesis Group, noted, "This is an exciting new moment in the life of the Episcopal Church and we are thrilled by the energy and willingness of the church to follow Jesus in new ways into our communities and neighborhoods. These new churches and communities will need this network of support if they are to grow and thrive."
"There's no better time than this to be in the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement," said the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation, and Creation. "So many of us are ready to partner, risk, heal and celebrate the good news in our neighborhoods. So many of us are hungry to fall more deeply in love with Jesus and to create spaces where different people can grow in that love, too. This network will support the people doing that Spirit work."
Learning from our ecumenical partners in the Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other denominations, we have discovered the importance of providing an assessment of potential ministry developers. The assessment is based on extensive research which assists the planter in determining the gifts she or he already possesses and those that will be needed on the team for the ministry to succeed. Then we will need a cadre of International Coaching Federation trained coaches who have experience in this work to provide ongoing support to ministry developers as they begin their work.
Lay and ordained persons who have successfully started at least one new ministry in the Episcopal Church are encouraged to click here and fill out a brief application to let us know of your experience and interest in joining this network. The Episcopal Church will provide training and support to qualified persons interested in joining this network of support to nurture entrepreneurial work.
Members of the Genesis Group/Advisory Group and their dioceses are: the Rev. Jane Gerdsen, chairperson, Southern Ohio; the Rev. Valerie Bailey Fischer, Newark; Erendira Jimenez-Pike, Kentucky; the Rev. Michael Michie, Dallas; the Rev. Alex Montes Vela, Texas; the Rev. Katie Nakamura Rengers, Alabama; the Rev. Zachary Nyein, East Tennessee; the Rev. David Perkins, Lexington; the Rev. Canon Jesus Reyes, El Camino Real; Bishop George Sumner, Jr., Dallas; the Rev. Canon Janet Waggoner, Fort Worth. The Rev. Canon Frank Logue of Georgia and the Rev. Canon Tanya Wallace of Western Massachusetts are liaisons from Executive Council. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and President of the House of Deputies the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings are Ex Officio members. The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, Presiding Bishop's Canon for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Creation, is staff advisor. The Rev. Tom Brackett is the staff liaison.
|
|
Transition Ministry Conference March 6-10, 2017
by Canon Jill Mathis
|
 Dear Colleagues in Ministry:
The Transition Ministry Conference is held this year from March 6-10. During the conference we share names of clergy and congregations in discernment/search mode. If you feel called to submit your name for consideration please complete the Clergy Information Form on our website:
www.transitionministryconference.org. On the TMC website you will find all of the dioceses we represent.
Also, please consider the multiple positions open in our diocese. These include: Trinity, Swarthmore, Holy Apostles, Penn Wynne, Christ Church, Ithan, St. Andrew's, Yardley, Trinity, Gulph Mills, St. George St. Barnabas, St. Luke's, Germantown, Christ Church, Pottstown, Holy Innocents/St. Paul's, and Grace and the Incarnation. Not all are ready to receive names but call me to learn more about different options for ministry.
Faithfully,
Jill Mathis
|
|
Servant Year
|
|
SERVANT YEAR IS ON!
We are extremely excited to announce that we are now accepting applications to the 2017-18 Servant Year Class.
For 16 years the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania has invited young adults to serve at a partnering church, school, diocesan office, or social service agency for one year. Think of it as an urban missionary experience for young adults age 21-30. Members live together in intentional Christian community, gathering regularly for prayer and weekly for community meals and meetings. Members also gather monthly for formation programming.
There are get togethers just for fun determined and scheduled by members.
A
willingness to live simply, intentionally and to compassionately serve are the mainstays of Servant Year.
They can also talk to Jan Schroeder at the Offices of the Diocese at 215-621-8315 or jans@diopa.org.
|
|
City Camp 2017
|
Join us for City Camp this year!
Opportunities are available for EVERYONE in the Diocese of Pennsylvania to be a part of City Camp!
City Camp is an urban day camp adventure connecting parishes of the Diocese of Pennsylvania to families in their local communities. Through creative and innovative activities and programs, children and youth build community and encounter the Gospel through games, songs, storytelling, and more.
At City Camp, students participate in many different activities. Reading, math, and science activities allow students to practice critical skills that lead to academic success. Art, music, and other creative activities provide students the opportunity to use their imaginations and explore their creative side. Campers hear the Gospel through daily Bible lessons and chapel services. All of this, along with off-site trips and other activities, provide students around the Philadelphia area a summer they will never forget!
In the summer of 2016, City Camp partnered with eleven sites for programming that served over 350 students during our six-week camping season. Our program expanded beyond Philadelphia city limits to include day camps in Chester and Lansdale. It was the biggest summer for City Camp yet!
We also launched our traveling day camp program, that allowed us to serve more parishes and neighborhoods than ever before.
Ways to participate in 2017:
- Join our talented staff. Click here to learn more about the available jobs and to apply.
- Become a host site. Contact Andrew Kuhn (andrewk@diopa.org), for more information on becoming a host site and to learn how to bring City Camp to your church this summer.
- Become a sponsor. Help off-set the cost of camp this year. Monetary donations can range in size and frequency from sponsoring a child for a week of camp to sponsoring a week of camp for a church in our Diocese. Contact Andrew Kuhn (andrewk@diopa.org), for more information on brining the gift of City Camp to others this summer.
We look forward to expanding the ministry of City Camp even further by partnering with you!!
|
|
Christian Spirituality
|
There has been an explosion of interest in classical Christian spirituality over the past 50 years. While a great deal of work has been done on the history of Christian spirituality, there has been no full-scale theological and pastoral treatment of Christian spiritual life since before the Second Vatican Council.
Beloved Dust takes a realistic, contemporary view of human being as entirely physical (dust) and shows it immersed in three great tides of the Holy Spirit, the traditional threefold rhythm of conversion, transfiguration, and glory. What is unique about Robert Hughes's approach is the effort to root spiritual theology in the doctrine of the Spirit, an outgrowth of the renewed interest in the Trinity among both Catholics (Karl Rahner) and Protestants (Robert Jenson). Also striking is Hughes's emphasis on "ordinary life". Here as a married Episcopal priest/theologian who brings a distinctly "Protestant" perspective to a traditionally "Catholic" enterprise for so long the preserve of celibate priests. What he achieves is a new presentation of the traditional teaching in the light of contemporary knowledge and practice.
As an EfM mentor, participant or graduate you might want to consider purchasing Beloved Dust, the Robert Hughes book that is referenced in the EfM Volume D. Bloomsbury Press has offered a 25% discount on their website that brings the price down and if ordered before the end of February includes free shipping.
There is also a pdf/ebook version discounted 10%, for those that prefer ebooks.
If you have interest or questions about Education for Ministry (EfM) please contact Alan Lindsay AlanL@DioPA.org
.
215-621-8310
|
|
DIOPA Deanery Calendar
|
Happy Epiphanytide Everyone,
Our DIOPA Deanery Calendar is fully operational and available to capture and disseminate your event information - diocesan wide! It's the place to post parish events in each deanery and can be found on
www.diopa.org
at the bottom right of the home page under Calendars. It's a read-only site, with information being posted by an administrator in your deanery. Call your parish office to have your administrator post an event you want to share.
|
United Thank Offering Grants 2017
|
ALL PARISHES
Put gifts into the Blue Box with thanksgiving, prayer and generosity.
Take gifts from blessings out of the box for GRANTS extending the church's faithfulness to God's mission
Want to start a NEW MINISTRY???
Have an idea for a new program in your parish/community???
Have an Idea for ??? (Think outside the box)
Need start-up funding - submit a UTO Grant
click here
Due in Bishop's office - February 17, 2017
Contact Betty Berry-Holmes, UTO Coordinator ASAP if you are planning to submit a grant
eberryholmes@aol.com
|
|
Video Invitation to Join the Bishop's Bible Challenge!
|
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As another part of my promise to better serve you, I am pleased to present another major initiative from the Offices of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. This Bible App will help us all to feel connected, provides a platform for participating in the Bishop's Bible Challenge, and perhaps most importantly is a powerful tool for you to read or hear the Word of God in 1,000 languages. With the Bible App, many now have access to the word of God in their primary language. Reading the Bible together as a diocesan community will have a life changing effect. The importance of Christian people using Holy Scripture as a foundation for daily life is hard to overstate. Who we are as the People of God flows directly from our worship, doctrine, and liturgy, which are all rooted in Scripture. To know the Bible better, is to know ourselves as the People of God better, to know our mission to the world better, and to know our faith better. We are here to help and to serve you, and this mobile app is another important step in showing the kind of innovation and emphasis that is placed on equipping our congregations to build the Kingdom of God.
The Rt. Rev. Daniel G.P. Guti
é
rrez
XVI Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
The Bishop's Bible Challenge leads us through the entire bible in a year's time. Not only will you find the daily reading and meditation rewarding, but you will be joining in community with hundreds, possibly thousands, of fellow Episcopalians in our diocese. While this may seem like a daunting undertaking, as the Bible tells us "Fear Not", for there are many ways to connect!
You can download The DIOPA Bible in a Year App from iTunes, Apple App Store, and Google Play. To download the mobile application, go to the "App Store" icon on your iPhones or the "Google Play" icon on your Android Phone and search for "DIOPA" or "DIOPA bible." It is a self-contained way to participate and has everything you need including a link to the registration page, the Bible readings for each day, an online link to the Bible in audible and readable forms and daily reading or listening selections that will help everyone to read the same selections each day.
* If you do not use a computer or smart phone simply call the Offices of the Diocese at 215-627-6434 to register and receive a Bible Study Packet; or contact your Priest for these materials.
* Join our online Facebook group at <
DIOPA Bishop's Bible Challenge>. This is where you can post your own testimonies on the readings. These responses can be written or use your phone or camera to take a picture that reflects your response to the reading. Include a brief description and post with the hash tag #wordon and #diopabbc. Check the group page or the hash tags to see what other participants are saying!
* Information and resources regarding The Bishop's Bible Challenge can be found online:
http://www.diopa.org/bishops-bible-challenge/
The important thing to know is that you are not alone in this and you cannot mess this up! If you miss a day of reading, or a week for that matter, just jump back in to the schedule because there is no wrong way to do this. If you'd rather not read, the Bible App will play the day's selections in a dramatized audio format for you to listen.
So let's come together as a diocesan family and build the Kingdom of God -praying together, worshipping together, studying together - in this the "come and see" diocese. #diopalove #diopacomeandsee #wordon #diopabbc - there are multiple ways to connect!
|
|
New Online Staff Directory
|
|
Visit our new "Staff Directory" page on the diocesan website to see photos, bios, and job descriptions
of the current staff of the Offices of the Diocese of Pennsylvania.
|
DIOPA Resource Guide
|
The DIOPA Resource Guide is here!
We have heard your suggestions, compiled them, and we would like to present the DIOPA Resource Guide: a directory of information about the Diocese of Pennsylvania, and how we can best serve you. We encourage you to explore the website at
http://www.dioparesourceguide.com/.
|
|
Download our Diocesan Mobile App "DIOPAConnect"
|
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As part of my promise to better serve you, I am pleased to offer a major initiative from the Offices of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. This mobile directory app will help us all to feel connected, provides useful information about parishes, and enables us to have one more important way to stay informed about everything going on in our wonderful Diocese. We are here to help and to serve you, and this mobile app is an important step in showing the kind of innovation and emphasis that is placed on equipping our congregations to build the Kingdom of God.
The Rt. Rev. Daniel G.P. Guti
érrez
XVI Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
To download the mobile application go to the "App Store" icon on your iPhones
or the "Google Play" icon on your Android Phone
and
search for "DIOPA" or "DIOPA mobile directory."
Let us know how DiopaConnect works for you.
User feedback helps us to tailor our applications to better meet your needs.
|
|
|
#diopacomeandsee
#diopalove
|
|
|
