Quick Links to Diopa Website
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An Easter Message from Bishop Gutiérrez
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Communications Conference for Congregational Development
Videos to be Released Next Week
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Videos of the presentations are now being edited and will be available next week. PDFs of the PowerPoint presentations will also be available but the content is clearly visible in the videos. Every one of the presentations was jam packed with links to helpful resources on Social Media, Video Production, and Website Design. These resources will prove to be helpful to anyone responsible for parish communications, experts and novices alike.
Response to the Diocesan Communications Conference for Congregational Development held at Cathedral Village has been uniformly enthusiastic. It was attended by 70 clergy, staff, and lay leaders from throughout the Diocese.
Neva Rae Fox, Officer for Public Affairs for the Episcopal Church, made her keynote address by videoconference from Los Angeles to a packed classroom with standing room only. She will be coming to the Philadelphia area to lead a workshop on Crisis Communications at a follow up conference that is being planned for the Fall.
Other presenters who came from the Church Center in New York were, Mike Collins, Manager, Multimedia Services, Olivia Green, Video Producer and Editor, Barry Merer, Manager, Web and Social Media Services, Jeremy Tackett, Digital Evangelist. All three presenters are experts in their fields and had information that was particularly relevant for parish communications. Be sure to check out the videos of their presentations next week.
To receive copies of the presentations or if you have any questions about Social Media, Video Production, or Web Design, please send your requests to Henry Carnes, Director of Education and Communications, at henryc@diopa.org.
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St. Stephen's New Model of Weekday Ministry
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Greetings and news from Saint Stephen's!
As you may know, with the retirement of Father Flood in May 2016, Saint Stephen's ceased holding services, and the future of the beautiful and historic building became uncertain. With this note we want you to know that our bishop, The Rt. Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutiérrez, has made the bold and optimistic decision to keep all diocesan churches open and retain all diocesan properties, so Saint Stephen's became active as of February 1, 2017... and open again for worship! What's more, because of its history and location, Saint Stephen's holds special interest for the Bishop and he has been of great help and support as we have re-opened.
In the preparation for re-opening, we looked to our extraordinary sanctuary to inform us as to what new ministry we're being called to create. Since our neighborhood hasn't been heavily residential for a very long time, we've come to believe that the "neighborhood" and its transients can be served more meaningfully with a new model, that is, with a "weekday" ministry rather than as a "Sunday morning" community with only one "main service" each week. As a complement to our weekday liturgies St. Stephen's will become a home to a spiritual arts initiative, in particular to music, as well as the visual and spoken arts. More on this subject will be forthcoming as our planning work progresses.
Since we reopened our doors for the Lenten season, over 175 folks stopped in for ashes and a blessing on Ash Wednesday, and we began our weekday services on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12:15 to 12:45 pm during the week of March 6. In addition, on the days we have services, we're keeping our doors open from 12 noon to 2:00 pm for meditation. We will also be open on Good Friday, April 14, from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm for meditation and reflection.
Our Parish House office hours are Mondays by appointment and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Our phone number is, as always, 215-922-3807 and our new email address is
ststephens19105@gmail.com
. We'll be staying in touch from time to time with news and developments in this new phase of the life of Saint Stephen's. We also hope to launch a new website soon.
And most importantly...we invite you to rejoin us at worship as we re-envision and revitalize the mission of a wonderful church in the heart of a wonderful city.
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church...caring for the soul.
Best regards,
The Reverend Peter Kountz, Ph.D, Interim Vicar
Sharon Derstine, M.M., Building Administrator/Sexton
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Outward & Visible Signs
A publication of St. Mary's Wayne that features local church issues from a more national point of view
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Reaffirmation of Ordinations Vows and
Blessing of Holy Oils
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P 
DIOCESAN SERVICE OF REAFFIRMATION
OF ORDINATIONS VOWS
AND BLESSING OF HOLY OILS
- THIS TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017 -
AT 11:30 AM
Please plan to join our entire clericus, members of your parish, and me in our liturgy for the Blessing of Oils, Renewal of Ordination Vows, and Holy Eucharist at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral on the Tuesday in Holy Week, April 11, 2017 at 11:30 am. Clergy are invited to meet with me at 10:30 am before the Renewal service.
Our annual luncheon together will take place immediately after the liturgy. In order to reserve your place at the luncheon, please fill out this electronic registration form no later than Friday, March 31:
The Renewing of Ordination Vows and Blessing of Oils is not just for clergy, we would like to have as many clergy and lay members of the Diocese as possible attend this annual service. Witnessing your priests and deacons renew their vows will be a life-giving and transformative experience for our diocese. It is a time when we can come together in solemn prayer to strengthen our ties together and to Christ.
Clergy are invited to process and vest in alb and red stole.
I wish all of you a blessed and holy Lent, and very much look forward to seeing you on the Tuesday of Holy Week.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Daniel G.P. Gutiérrez
Bishop of Pennsylvania
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Veteran's Ministry Scholarship Jazz
Soirée
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The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
in partnership with
Peirce College presents
Veterans Ministry
Scholarship Jazz Soirée
Friday, April 21, 2017
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square
1904 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Please join us on April 21st for our Annual Veterans Scholarship Event. Come enjoy an evening of Jazz. 100% of the proceeds will go to supporting a veteran who is attending college. Tickets are $50 for one person OR $75 for two.
Purchase tickets here:
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Workshop on Planned Giving
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Workshop on Planned Giving for Parish Leaders
Saturday - April 29, 2017 - 10 am - 2 pm
(Centennial Room)
At Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square
1904 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103
Both parishes with an existing Planned Giving ministry and/or an Endowment, as well as those without one, will benefit from this workshop. This workshop reviews best practices and empowers leadership to be able to take the best, next steps for their congregation!
First Workshop 10 am - 12:00 pm
Setting Up a Planned Giving Program for Your Parish
Take the mystery out of planned giving for your parish. Learn in easy to understand terms how planned giving differs from annual stewardship and capital campaigns, and how your parish can build endowments through wills and life income and other planned gifts. After a review of the planned giving instruments, you will learn about the importance of a parish vision, protecting and growing your endowment, and how to invite others to remember your parish through estate and financial planning. You will leave the workshop with a plan of action.
Lunch: 12 pm - 12:30 pm
Second Workshop 12:30 -2 pm
Creating a Legacy Society and using Planned Giving on Demand for Your Parish
Join us to learn how to use the resources provided by ECF's new toolkit, Planned Giving on Demand to encourage new gifts to support your parish's future through estate and financial planning. We will also review how to create and sustain a Legacy Society to encourage giving to your parish for decades to come.
To register for the April 29th workshop, please contact Margaret DiPinto at office@htrit.org or (215) 567-1267
by Tuesday, April 18th
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Jim Murphy is Managing Program Director of Financial Resources at the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF). He oversees ECF's Financial Resource development programs and resources, including planned giving, donor solutions and endowment management. He leads workshops and works with congregations, dioceses, and other Episcopal organizations to enhance and develop their programs and resources.
Prior to joining ECF in 2008, Jim was Director of the Master of Arts Program and Program Manager for Lifelong Learning & the Center for Christian Spirituality at the General Theological Seminary. For more than 16 years he worked for a major international law firm in NYC, serving in a number of financial management roles. He has been an active volunteer leader in stewardship, parish administration, and Christian formation ministries in several Episcopal parishes in New York and New Jersey.
A native of Lansing, MI, Jim holds a Certificate in Fundraising from New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies, an MA in Christian Spirituality from the General Theological Seminary, and a BS from NYU's Stern School of Business. Jim is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
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Union of Black Episcopalians Annual Business Meeting
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On behalf of the UBE National Board of Directors and the Conference Planning Team, it gives us great pleasure to invite and welcome all members and supporters to the:
UBE 49th Annual Business Meeting and Conference,
July 23 - 26, 2017 at the
Crowne Plaza Hotel in Philadelphia/Cherry Hill, NJ.
For the first time, this gathering will be a joint partnership between the Union of Black Episcopalians and the African Descent Lutheran Association (ADLA). Both organizations share a vital commitment to vigilance and action aimed at achieving justice for all people, especially those of African descent.
We will also be commemorating the 225th anniversary of the Black presence in the Episcopal Church at our first church, the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas
Our 2017 conference theme is: "Like a Rolling Stream, Let Justice Roll... Absalom, Jehu, and Beyond"
Join us to be recommitted and renewed for the work ahead with God's help!! For additional information: www.ube.org or contact The Rev. Renee McKenzie, UBE Philadelphia Chapter, revrenee@churchoftheadvocate.org.
--
Rev. Dr. Renee McKenzie
Vicar & Chaplain, Church of the Advocate
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Archdeacon Pam Nesbit on Priest Pulse
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DIOPA Resource Guide
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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/
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Join the Bishop's Bible Challenge!
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Heard the word?
Over 1900 people have
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YOU CAN TOO!
"Together the diocese is reading the Bible,
bringing God into our lives, and it is transformative."
Bishop
Gutiérrez
Please join us! Go to App Store and download the Diopa Bible App on your smart phone.
- OR -
Register on our website at
www.diopa.org
- Bishop's Bible Challenge
Listen during your daily run or commute to work
Begin with today's reading or an earlier one!
For additional information call the Offices of the Diocese at 215.627.6434
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DIOPA Deanery Calendar
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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.
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Video Invitation to Join the Bishop's Bible Challenge!
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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!
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Online Staff Directory
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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.
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Download our Diocesan Mobile App "DIOPAConnect"
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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.
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#diopacomeandsee
#diopalove
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