Quick Links to Diopa Website
|
|
|
Job Posting for Executive Assistant
to the Diocesan Bishop
|
Job Posting for Executive Assistant
to the Diocesan Bishop
The Executive Assistant to the Diocesan Bishop is an exempt staff position which has as its major responsibility the performance of administrative, clerical, and organizational duties to support the ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania and the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. This position also assists the Diocesan Staff as needed, and functions as a member of the team. If you are interested in applying for this position, please email a cover letter and resume to
eaposition@diopa.org.
Download full job description
here.
|
|
The Commemoration of Blessed Absalom Jones 2017
|
|
 
  
|
Four Weeks to Apply
for 2017 ECF Fellowship
|
Four Weeks to Apply
for 2017 ECF Fellowship
ECF Fellows are lay and ordained scholars and ministry leaders who are making a significant impact on our Church.
The application deadline is March 10 for the 2017 Fellowship.
- ECF is committed to strengthening the leadership capability of the Episcopal Church. Applicants to the academic and ministry tracks are asked to describe how they will be developing the next generation of leaders for the Episcopal Church, whether in the context of academia, a local congregation, through a church-wide initiative, or in another setting.
- ECF is a lay-led organization of the Episcopal Church. ECF is especially looking for scholars and ministry leaders who incorporate lay leadership development into their work. All members of the Church, whether lay or ordained, are invited to apply.
- An ECF Fellowship provides both financial support and networking opportunities. ECF has typically awarded three to four Fellowships per year. New awards range up to $15,000 for the first year and are renewable for an additional two years. In addition to this financial support, new Fellows join a wide network of past Fellows and ECF partners with them so that they may share their knowledge, experience, and best practices with the wider Church.
- The selection process for an ECF Fellowship is highly competitive. A strong application requires a significant investment of time and effort and ECF encourages all applicants to begin this process early. Applications are due on March 10, 2017. ECF will announce the 2017 Fellows in late May.
|
|
|
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH FOUNDATION
ECF is an independent lay led organization that responds to the needs of Episcopal faith communities by empowering them to engage in visioning and planning, develop effective lay-clergy leadership teams and raise financial and other resources for ministry.
Please visit our website to learn more.
|
|
GET TO KNOW THE 2016 ECF FELLOWS
ECF interviewed Elisabeth Kincaid, Kyle Oliver, Derek Minno-Bloom, and Nedgine Paul this past summer as part of their orientation session.
|
|
|
Conference of Healing/Interactions with Veterans
|
March 21, 2017
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Philadelphia V.A. Medical Center
3900 Woodland Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104
{Coffee and registration at 7A141 on the seventh floor.}
This workshop will build the capacity of faith leaders to more effectively minister to the veteran community and support veterans through appropriate referral. Participants become familiar with the services provided by the VHA and how to help veterans access VA resources. You will begin to understand the hidden wounds and moral conflict experienced by many veterans, recognize the clinical constructs of "PTSD" and "moral injury" as well as criticism of those constructs; and appreciate the contribution clergy and faith communities are making in addressing hidden wounds and moral conflicts.
Lunch will be provided. Parking available at lot and on the street.
Please register online at this link:
 The Rev. Chris J. Antal will be the speaker.
He is the Clinical Staff Chaplain at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz V.A. Medical Center (Philadelphia) and co-author of Moral Injury, Soul Repair, and Creating a Place for Grace [Religious Education 110, no. 4, pp. 382-394], available online from the Penn Law School. Prior to joining the V.A., Chaplain Antal served as a battalion chaplain with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and led the Faith Community Partnership program for the New York-based organization Soldier's Heart. He is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association and a founding member of Veteran's for Peace Hudson Valley Chapter 177.
|
|
Board of Transition Ministry Invites Comments and Input
|
The
Episcopal Church Board for Transition Ministry has issued an invitation to the church to participate "to think out loud about how we bring ordained leaders to our churches."
In a document located
here, the Board of Transition Ministry explains its goals and objectives:
Our goal in writing this document is to invite the church to think out loud about how we bring ordained leaders to our churches. From our experience, study and prayer, we recognize these to be important issues in our time. We invite dialogue in the many and diverse ways we have available: conversations on social media, at church gatherings such as meetings of diocesan transition ministers, diocesan conventions, the House of Bishops, and other leaders in our church. We offer this not as a declaration, but as an invitation to dialogue.
These invitations to ponder about clergy transitions might seem like a very "churchy" endeavor. But we are reminded that the Church exists not for itself but for the glory of God and the transformation of the world. We are the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement that is out to change the world from the nightmare it is for so many, into the dream God has for it. God's will is to be done "on earth as it is in heaven." We are to develop disciples that go out into the world and "turn it upside down" (Acts 17:6) - which our Presiding Bishop tells us ""is actually right side up." The Church exists to fulfill the mandate of Matthew 25.
Among the topics explored in the document are: Aging Church; Dual Call Couples; Energy Beyond the Parish; Diversifying Our Clergy; Interim Ministries; Part-time Clergy Leadership; Full-Communion Partners; Diversity is reality; and Calling" is Not "Hiring".
"I have used this document as a 'discussion starter' in several venues already in our diocese -with my staff, the Commission on Ministry, and Diocesan Council," explained Bishop Douglas Fisher of Western Massachusetts. "Last week I had the opportunity to share it with Province One bishops and that led to a very fruitful discussion about the recruiting of bi-vocational priests and their formation. Transition Ministry is in transition and it is my hope that dialog about it in many different settings will lead to insight, creativity and exploration of God's imagination for developing leadership for Jesus' mission."
The Board encourages everyone to converse around these topics within parishes, dioceses, provinces, and inter-denominationally. Direct feedback to the Board may be sent to Judy Stark, Chair, at
btmboard@gmail.com.
Members of the Board of Transition Ministry and their dioceses are:
Judy Stark, Chair, Southwest Florida; Michael Spencer, Vice Chair, Eastern Michigan; the Rev. Canon Stuart Wright, Secretary, Maryland; the Rev. Paula Clark, Washington; the Rev. Canon Elizabeth Easton, Nebraska; Bishop Douglas Fisher, Western Massachusetts; Bishop Anne Hodges-Copple, North Carolina; Canon Jill Mathis, Pennsylvania; Denise Obando, California; the Rev. Canon Jim Pritchett, Western North Carolina; Bishop Allen Shin, New York; Bishop Kirk Smith, Arizona; Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Ex-Officio; President of the House of Deputies the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, Ex-Officio.
|
|
Three Kings and a Chalk Blessing
|
Sunday January 8th
was the first Sunday after the Epiphany and was a very special day at The Church of St Jude & The Nativity. It marked the first celebration of a baptism in 2017 by the baptism of Edward Duke Heiner and at the conclusion of the service, parish members participated in an annual ritual; the Epiphany Chalk Blessing.
To prepare for the Chalk Blessing, the three Wise Men processed from the rear of the church, bearing their gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh as the congregation sang "We Three Kings". The Rev. Jude Meckling explained the significance of the gifts that were presented to the baby Jesus and passed around the Frankincense and Myrrh for all to experience.
As the gifts made their way around the church, Rev Jude went outside the front door and wrote a special blessing in chalk: 20+C+M+B+17. The marking represents the three Wise Men, Caspar (C), Melchior (M) and Balthasar (B) who followed the star of Christ two thousand (20) and seventeen (17) years ago. This blessing is rewritten every year on the first Sunday after Epiphany to bless the building and all who enter it. Parish members received blessed chalk and instructions if they wished to "chalk" their doors at home.
Sunday service starts at 10 am; all belong. For additional information please visit:
|
Pilgrimage to Ghana
|
A joint pilgrimage to Ghana between Episcopal Relief & Development and the National Association of Episcopal Schools is planned for June 30-July 9, 2017.
It is especially designed for NAES school folks and other educators. This pilgrimage will be a special opportunity to connect to Episcopal Relief & Development's work of "healing a hurting world" and with Anglican schools in Ghana.
About the Pilgrimage
The trip will take pilgrims to Ghana's northern region where most residents are small landowners relying on subsistence farming, with one-third living below the poverty line. Ghana's northern region is especially vulnerable to chronic poverty and food shortages due to erratic rainfall and a short harvest season. Also, this area has the country's highest malnutrition and child mortality rates, with malaria claiming the lives of 22% of children under five every year.
This pilgrimage will visit historic sites related to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, including visits to the Pikworo Slave Camp, Elmina Castle, and the Cape Coast Castle. These site visits provide an opportunity for deep reflection and prayer about the slave trade and issues of racial reconciliation.
How to Sign Up
Space is limited and will be allocated on a first-received basis. For more information, and to reserve your place, please download the linked brochure and open it in Adobe Acrobat, not in your browser.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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
|
|
|
