Our prayers are offered today for the safety and well-being of all the people, and the animals, who may be impacted by Winter Storm Stella; for the work of our emergency and recovery responders; for our city, town, and state response coordinators; for our churches and other places preparing to offer shelter if needed; and for the media covering the storm.
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Episcopalians Turn Out In Support of Native Nations Rise in Washington, D.C.
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Photo: Mary Frances Schjonberg/Episcopal News Service
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Episcopal clergy and laity joined hundreds of people gathered on Friday in Washington, D.C. in solidarity with native protesters fighting to protect vital resources and sacred land threatened by industrial encroachments such as the Dakota Access Pipeline, which Sioux tribal leaders contend would endanger the water supply and violate the sovereign rights of the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.
The protest was preceded Thursday night by an interfaith prayer service at Washington National Cathedral. North Dakota Bishop Michael Smith, himself a member of the Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma, addressed the congregation with words of hope and power: "For people of faith, working for justice includes both prayer and action. We pray and then we act, and then we pray again and we act, and we pray again and we act until the Creator God, who has made all that is, brings about that for which we work" (Episcopal News Service). Read the full report from ENS and see photos
here and
here.
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Faith Behind Bars & Beyond Forum, April 22
 The ECCT Ministry Network Faith Behind Bars & Beyond presents their ninth annual conference Saturday, April 22 at Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford. This year's theme is: "Prisons as Asylums: The Mentally Ill and Incarceration."
The conference will address the challenges facing incarcerated individuals who struggle with mental illness and who make up a disproportionately high percentage of the incarcerated population. Did you know that "in Connecticut prisons, 73% of women and 55% of men have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness?" This disturbing statistic suggests that our criminal justice system has become a substitute for humane mental healthcare in addressing the impact of mental illness on our communities. The Faith Behind Bars & Beyond forum will feature a panel of formally incarcerated men and women and will emphasize how faith communities can participate in the healing process. The keynote speaker is Dr. Craig Burns, Chief of Psychiatric Services for the Connecticut Department of Correction. Register here.
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Trinity Institute 2017: Water Justice. March 22-24, four webcast locations available across Connecticut
Learn more about water justice and how to address it with faith-based action. From March 22-24, St. Paul's, Wallingford; St. John's, Vernon; St. Paul's, Riverside; and St. Ann's, Old Lyme will serve as Partner Sites for Trinity Institute's 46th annual theological conference.
Today, as the consequences of human-induced climate change become ever clearer, more and more of the world's population lacks access to the clean, safe water we need to survive. The oceans, source of nutrition and livelihood for over a billion people, are literally dying.
Sessions will be held Wednesday evening, Thursday morning and afternoon, and Friday morning and afternoon (this varies by site). Speakers include Senator Barbara Boxer, Maude Barlow; Archbishop Winston Halapua; Katharine Hayhoe, Ph.D.; Christiania Pepperd, Ph.D.; and Archbishop Thabo Makgoba.
"Trinity Institute 2017 will offer participants a deeper appreciation for water as a sacred gift and sustainer of life. They will gain a thorough understanding of the relationship between water issues and climate change and learn how and what individuals, organizations and societies can do to mitigate and adapt to water issues of access, pollution, drought, flooding and rising tides." -Bob Scott, director of Trinity Institute.
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Holy Land Connections 2017
Resources for Week 3 of Lent:
- Video reflection from the Rev. Canon T. Nicholas Porter, Executive Director, Jerusalem Peacebuilders (transcript available in PDF)
- Prayers of the People for Third Sunday in Lent (PDF and Word)
A complete list of the 2017 Lenten Prayers of the People is available here as a
PDF or
Word document. A list of all the Holy Land Connection Lenten resources provided is
on this page.
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Lenten Devotionals, Retreats, and more!
A working list of materials that may be helpful for your spiritual practice this Lent:
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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.
- Organist/Choir Director, St. George's, Bolton
- Associate for Caring Ministries, St. Stephen's, Ridgefield
- Organist/Director of Music, St. Luke's, New Haven
- Director of Children's Ministry, Trinity, Southport
- Part-time Organist, Christ Church, Quaker Farms
- Organist/Director of Music Ministries, Trinity, Hartford
- Director of Music, Trinity, Collinsville
To submit a job opening to be included here, please
fill out this form.
Jobs will be reviewed and then posted in the weekly enews and posted on the website.
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Announcements & Reminders
 Grace 2 Go Family Worship Service, March 19, St. Michael's, Naugatuck.
"Grace 2 Go is a mobile ministry that assists churches in their ability to serve the spiritual needs of families with children who have Autism, ADHD, Epilepsy, Down syndrome, Sensory processing disorder, Global development delay, Cerebral palsy or literally any individual who may simply thrive in a different sensory learning worship style." More information about Grace 2 Go.
Happening Youth Retreat at Camp Washington,
March 24-26.
A student led weekend retreat for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
Find registration information
here
.
Deadline for registration is March, 17, so don't wait, come and see what Happening is all about.
Making Space for Silence: Lenten Retreat, March 33-April 1, Camp Washington.
An introduction to contemplative prayer presented by Br. Robert L'Esperance, Society of St. John the Evangelist. More information, including registration,
here
.
Spring Training and Gathering, April 1, Register Now!
The 2017 Gathering will take place Saturday, April 1 at Lincoln Middle School, Meriden from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Please have a look at the
2017 Workshop Booklet
containing information about all of the workshops.
Learn more and register for Spring Training & Gathering here.
"Rumi and the
Path of Divine Love Tradition in Islam," April 21-22, Mercy by the Sea Center.
Mercy Center will be hosting a weekend retreat with Omid Safi, Director of the Duke Islamic Center, centered on the work of the 13th century Persian poet commonly known as Rumi. The workshop "will explore Rumi's mystical poetry in ways that challenge commonly held notions of Islam and Muslims." For more information, including registration, visit the
Mercy Center website
.
Bishops United Against Gun Violence Conference Chicago, April 20-22, Chicago, IL.
Join Bishops United Against Gun Violence for "Unholy Trinity: the Intersection of Racism, Poverty and Gun Violence." The conference will include an ecumenical panel of speakers including pastors, scholars, artists and community leaders.
Find more information (including registration)
here
.
Missional Voices National Gathering/Conference, April 21-22, Virginia Theological Seminary
.
The conference will include keynote presentations, panel discussions, and "incubator" sessions where people can begin thinking about what God is doing in their neighborhoods and how they can participate in God's mission there. More details are available
here
.
Community Gardens Ministry Network Meeting, April 30, Grace Church, Old Saybrook.
An informational meeting and garden tour for those interested in learning more about the Common Good Garden and its partnership with the Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries. For more information email
gracechurcholdsaybrook@gmail.com
.
The River of Life: Connecticut River Pilgrimage,
May 31 - July 9.
This is a 40-day trip on the Connecticut River. Churches in this region have partnered with
Kairos Earth, as well as local, statewide, and regional organizations along the Connecticut River, to organize the first-ever pilgrimage along the length of the river.
The pilgrimage is open to anyone. Learn more
here
. Interested in joining the ECCT working group organizing stops in CT? R
each out to Jo Brooks:
jbrooks@kairosearth.org
Upcoming grant deadlines:
Due March 15: Mission Development Fund grant applications:
info here.
Due March 31: Advisory Council on the Stewardship of Creation
info here
.
Due April 1: Sustainable Development Fund grant applications:
info here.
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Events coming up soon
Events below are coming up in the next few weeks:
REGION & 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.
- March 14, Recently Ordained Clergy Meeting
- March 14, Convention Planning Team Meeting
- March 15, Episcopal Church in New Haven Financial Review
- March 16, Women Clergy Breakfast and Conversation
- March 18, North Central Region Convocation
- March 19, Episcopal Youth Event Meeting
BISHOPS' SUNDAY VISITS
- March 19, St James', Glastonbury (Ahrens); Trinity, Newtown (Douglas)
- March 26, Church of the Good Shepherd, Shelton (Ahrens); Christ Church, Waterbury (Douglas)
PARISH EVENTS: A complete Parish Events Calendar is
available here.
Hosting an event?
Please submit Parish events
here.
Reach out to the specific parish for event updates, specific locations, and further details. Season-specific regular worship services will not be listed below.
- March 17, Faith on Fire, Christ Church, Greenwich.
- March 18, When the Still Small Voice Insists You Write, St. John's, Essex.
- March 18, Polish Dinner, St. Peter's, Hebron.
- March 18, The Sommers Rosenthal Family Band, St. Ann's, Old Lyme.
- March 18, Lenten Retreat, Good Shepherd, Hartford.
- March 18, An Evening with the Psalms, St. James, Farmington.
- March 20, Bible Study: Thirst Quencher, Holy Trinity, Enfield.
- March 20, Financial Peace University, Trinity, Hartford.
- Women's Network Meeting, March 21.
-
Healthcare Chaplains Network Gathering, May 18, Manchester Memorial Hospital. More information, including registration, here.
UPCOMING SAFE CHURCH TRAININGS: (more to come)
Hybrid Basic Comprehensive:
- March 18, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m., Calvary, Stonington (register here)
- April 26, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m., Christ & Holy Trinity, Westport (register here)
- April 29, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m., St. Peter's, Milford (register here)
- May 2, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m., Trinity, Brooklyn (register here)
- May 13, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m., Trinity, Newtown (register here)
Full day:
- June 10, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Christ Church, Ansonia (register here)
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