Endings and Beginnings
May is a month of endings with high school, college and seminary graduation announcements arriving online and in the mail all the time. Just the other day someone I met while serving in St. Louis posted about finishing her last paper and graduating with a new MDiv. I couldn’t resist the temptation to post a note to her Facebook announcement that this ending was also just the beginning of a new life as an ordained priest of the church. (She was ordained deacon while in seminary.)
Actually, endings and beginnings are happening all the time. We end one day and begin another. We end one activity and begin another. We end a task and begin another. What we often forget to do as we transition from one ending to another beginning is the task of evaluation. How did that last day, activity, or task go? What did we learn? What do we need to take with us into that which is new and what do we need to leave behind?
In the church those who are leaders are tasked with this responsibility. And when we fail to evaluate we fail to learn. When we fail to evaluate we often end up simply bringing everything we have been doing into the future and at some point we discover we are carrying too much with us to be effective in the new beginning we are living in.
In the diocesan office this month all of the staff (including the bishop) are being asked to complete an evaluation of their work in the past year and to create goals for the year to come. These evaluations are, I believe, critical to the work we are about. They help us to focus our energy on the work to which God is calling us to now and they help us to let go of work we no longer need to do.
I do hope and pray that in all of the churches in Western Oregon there is a pattern of regular evaluation. Yearly, monthly, daily, what ever is appropriate to the situation so that the work to which God is calling us can be our focus and guide.
These days in my visitations to congregations we often talk of the life cycle of a congregation from birth to formation to healthy ministry and often the focus of the discussion is on the critical importance of the question of God’s ongoing call to ministry for the congregation. Even the most healthy congregation needs to continually evaluate its ministry by asking the question, “What is God’s call to this congregation at this time?” The same can be said for all of us as we encounter God in our lives each and every day.
“To what is God calling me to at this time?”
“Where do I see God in my life and what does that seeing mean for ministry?”
May God bless you this day as you encounter the risen Christ and discern what God is about in the endings and beginnings of your life.
Blessings,
+Michael
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Congregation Close-up: Emmanuel, Coos Bay
Emmanuel Episcopal Church is a pastoral size congregation in Coos Bay on the southern Oregon coast. Last fall we had a visioning event as part of our mutual ministry review where we imagined walking through our red doors in ten years and sharing what we hoped we would see. The process led to a better understanding and clarity of our identity, who we are now.
We are a community that takes great joy in worshipping, praying
and breaking bread together. We are committed to serving others,
and to respecting the dignity of every human being.
Our primary outreach ministries are Coos Food Cupboard, an ecumenical food bank that is located at Emmanuel, and a preschool whose first class are graduating seniors this year. Like many congregations, at times we find ourselves longing for the way it used to be when we had lots of children and young families and more people to do the work and ministry of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Currently we are in a time of transition where we are attempting to move forward with boldness, vision and generosity rather than longing for the past. It’s challenging work yet we are committed to asking questions about how we can better serve our neighbors. An example is that we take great joy in breaking bread together, whether through the weekly Eucharist, parish meals, or ensuring that our neighbors have enough to eat.
What if
we expanded on that joy?
Who else needs to be fed in our community both physically and spiritually? How might we help?
We are people of hope and it is an exciting time as we look towards the future. We are excited to have three youth and three adults making their mature commitment of faith during Bishop Michael’s upcoming visit. It inspires us all to continue to do the work that God has given us to do.
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Applications due July 1!
The goal of the Foundation is to provide resources to all parts of the Diocese of Oregon so that the mission and
ministry of the diocese can be enriched in the places where there is recognized need for additional funding. This
may be at the level of church, mission, region Diocese of the larger parts of the Episcopal Church. The Foundation
currently offers Grants in the following general areas of interest: Church Grants, Diocesan Grants, Organization Grants.
Click here for more information.
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The 129th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Oregon
Preparations are underway for the 2017 Diocesan Convention, October 27 - 28 at the Salem Convention Center. We are excited to announce that our keynote speaker will be the Right Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.
Upcoming deadlines:
June 29: Nominations for positions in diocesan governance are due.
July 29: Proposed Resolutions of Policy are due.
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The Calendar
Upcoming diocesan and church events:
Safe Church Trainings: May 20, St. Mary, Eugene; June 10, St. Paul, Salem; June 17, St. David of Wales, Portland.
Godly Play Core Training: three-day training on the fundamentals of facilitating Godly Play sessions for children. All Saints, Hillsboro. May 19 - 21.
Crozier Memorial Organ Concert: featuring David Higgs, this concert will include an original piece commissioned by Trinity Music. Trinity Cathedral. May 19, 7 pm.
Bon Voyage Concert: the Trinity Cathedral Choir of Girls, Boys, and Adults sing to raise funds for a summer tour of Paris and London. Trinity Cathedral. May 21, 5 pm.
Diverse Church Training: required anti-racism training for diocesan and parish leadership. St. Francis, Wilsonville. June 1, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.
Be one - Bless one: a one day event from the Diocesan Global Missions Committee, featuring an Episcopal youth volunteer. St. Timothy, Salem. June 3, 10 am - 3 pm.
Check out the online calendar for the full schedule.
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Today in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer:
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Portland: SS. Peter & Paul/San Pedro y San Pablo.
Marla McGarry-
Lawrence, deacon; Jonna Alexander, interim associate priest.
Portland: St. Philip the Deacon.
Georgia DuBose, priest-
in-charge.
Portland: St. Stephen.
Rector pending; Dale Carr, Palmer Pardington
PRAY that God’s presence may be manifested in St. Stephen’s Membership
Committee and Music Program.
Click here for the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer.
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Clergy Corner
Events and Notices
Bishop Michael's Visitation Schedule:
Emmanuel, Coos Bay: May 21
St. Mary, Gardiner: May 21
St. Paul, Salem: June 4
Trinity Cathedral, Portland: June 11
Focus Group for Part-Time Clergy of Small Congregations:
Episcopal Church Foundation will hold a focus group for ECF program staff to listen to the critical challenges faced by part-time clergy of small congregations (under 60 Average Sunday Attendance). More information and registration are available here.
Transitions
Called: the Rev. Iain Stanford has been called to serve as Curate of Christ Church, Lake Oswego, beginning July 1.
Upcoming Ordinations
Jonathan Kale Gavin Shumate will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests on June 1 at 5 pm, St. Stephen, Newport.
Brendan John Barnicle, Timothy Robert Hannon, Maria Gwyn McDowell, and Andrew Michael McQuery will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons on June 10 at 2 pm, Trinity Cathedral, Portland.
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Word of the Week
Whether you're a cradle Episcopalian or just walked through the red doors yesterday, chances are you've encountered some of the special vocabulary specific to our faith and wondered, what does that mean?
Check out previous Word of the Week entries and other photos on our
Instagram
account.
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We are the People of the Diocese
Sharon Rodgers, Standing Committee
Why do you think people (especially lay people) should be involved in diocesan government?
I think it’s really important to be aware of the ways we are all connected. Just as the church helps you to move beyond an individually-focused faith, the diocese provides a picture that is bigger than each parish. Serving on a diocesan level, whether it’s one of the governing bodies or a ministry or commission, is a way of putting your faith into action. The more you involve yourself, the more you grow to care about it.
Also, at the end of the day, we are the Church, and without us, there would be nothing!
Read more from an interview with Sharon.
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