SEPTEMBER CLERGY ENEWSLETTER
October 18, 2018
The Need for Community
by: Luk De Volder
Recognizing God in our neighborhood and in the people living around us is an amazing adventure. At times this recognition can also be a scary adventure. On a sunny summer day this past August, a particular kind of K2-drug crisis broke out on the New Haven Green, throwing the Elm City into international news coverage. The shock of the crisis revealed the complexity related to the struggle with the drugs epidemic. While the information was not new, the high impact “re-woke” awareness about the intensity of the struggle with self-medication and how much stigma is attached to addiction, and how many mental health needs are hidden behind this raw reality. 

With awareness about addiction as disease thankfully expanding, the larger community is coming to understand how self-medication is in many cases also the result of a painful dilemma. Every day some people are forced to choose between access to food or access to medication because they cannot afford both.   For other people, this choice is even more complex because their mental health needs are not fully taken in account as a leading cause for poverty and addiction. 

The New Haven Green context illustrates in its own way the wider cry that is roaring through our neighborhood; a cry from the gaps of humanity for more compassionate humanity. The people struggling with addiction, homelessness, or food access, are certainly not the only one who wrestle with a sense of incompatibility between society’s demands and expectations on the one hand, and the available personal skills and resources on the other. Through the stress of this incompatibility many people experience the world as too complex and scary, but also feel that their personal skill set is not strong enough to face the volatile, intellectualized, specialized, expert-driven economy and society. This stress is also heightened because many people feel alone in this. And the sense of isolation increases the sense of feeling unloved, unwanted, unloveable. “No wonder some people who are desperately lonely lose themselves in mental illness or violence to forget the inner pain," writes Jean Vanier in his book,  Becoming Human . 

The New Haven Green context voices in its own way a prophetic calling that is roaming through the neighborhood, exactly through its gaps and tensions. It is God’s call to reach hands across these dividing trenches of our society. These are cries for presence exactly in the pits of marginality. Our neighborhood helps us understand how forging community might not be such an outdated move. As odd as church may feel in an unchurched culture, multiple conversations after this summer’s drug crisis in New Haven, both with people who suffer addiction as with health service providers, pointed to the same need: more community. In these deep voids resides an often unconscious thirst for belonging.

Every day, where we live, we learn and discover God’s call. The one wild card we hold, as faith community of Jesus, is exactly the capacity to come together, to be community, specifically in dealing with various experiences of incompatibility and gaps. To quote Jean Vanier once more: “Community is a sign that love is possible in a materialistic world where people so often either ignore or fight each other. It is a sign that we don't need a lot of money to be happy--in fact, the opposite” ( Community and Growth ). Our faith did not start with impositions and requirements, calls for heroism and grandeur, but with propositions and connection, with Christ calling people together, to be the last, to be with the least, and to embrace humanity in all its colors.
The Rev. Luk De Volder is the Rector of Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven Connecticut, since 2011. Previously Luk was serving Christ Church in Clermont-Ferrand, France, founded by Bishop Jeffery Rowthorn in the 1990’s. Luk is a native of Brussels, Belgium and found his way to New England and the Episcopal Church through his wife and the love of his life, Tiffany Israel, originally from Boston MA. Together they are proud parents of their daughter Audrey.
Convention Corner -- Registration closes Tuesday
Call to Convention
The Rev. Adam Yates, Secretary of Convention, mailed out a paper and electronic version of this year's Call to Convention . It includes information regarding changes to this year's convention, resolution guidelines, how to submit a question to convention, and more.

Annual Convention: Something New
 Something new is coming to Annual Convention this year, and we want you to be a part of it! Learn about why we’re making these changes in this first video in a series .
ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSES TUESDAY
At 11:55 p.m. on Oct. 23, online registration ($85/person) closes.  No exceptions.  If you still need tickets, you can purchase them in person, at the door, for $100/person. Register here.

Annual Convention Banquet: Trivia Night
It's a battle of wits and useless knowledge at Convention on Friday night! Over dinner, compete with your team for unique prizes by answering trivia questions from church history to popular culture. Get together your friends from around the church and register today .
Register today for Clergy Day, November 6 at St. Andrew's, Madison

Join presenter David Zahl and other ECCT Clergy colleagues for the November 6 Clergy Day at St. Andrew's, Madison. David Zahl is editor-in-chief of the  Mockingbird blog  and author of  The Gospel According to Pixar .

David will talk about Grace in an Age of Anxiety: Hardly a week seems to go by these days without some fresh headline about the increasing levels of anxiety and loneliness both in our pews and beyond them. What lies at the root of our current unease, spiritually-speaking, and how might the church respond? Put differently, how does the grace of God meet and address those who are suffering under the weight of excessive worry and “performancism”? Together, we will survey a few of the larger trends impacting our parishioners’ and neighbors’ mental health, and look at how the Christian faith can serve as a much-needed balm.

Please register today and tell a colleague to do the same.
Reminder to Save the Date: Mandatory Clergy Professional Development 2019 (MCPD) 

All clergy canonically resident or licensed to serve in ECCT are required to attend MCPD for one day every three years. All clergy in ECCT are due for this training in 2019. 

Please hold one of the following three dates to attend MCPD:
  • Thursday, April 11, 2019 at St. Mark’s, New Canaan
  • Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at St. Peter’s-Trinity, Thomaston
  • Saturday, June 15, 2019 at St. John’s, Vernon

If you cannot attend on the day for which you register, then you will need to attend the only make-up session on Saturday, September 7 at St. John’s, West Hartford. 

Clergy who fail to attend MCPD will not be in good standing . 
Deacon Renewal of Vows & Church Street Eats, Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, November 4

The Annual Renewal of Vows for all Deacons in the Episcopal Church in Connecitut will be held at 3:00 p.m. at Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford on November 4. There will be a participation in the Church Street Eats lunch program prior to the service, the Council and Bishop Laura encourage all deacons to forgo worship at home or assigned parishes in order to participate in the service at Church Street Eats, which begins at 11:30 a.m.

The Renewal of Vows service will begin at 3:00 p.m. Family, friends, and parishioners are welcome. The Rt. Rev. Doctor John L. Selders, Jr. will be the guest preacher.

More information and registration is available on Eventbrite .
Revival on Sunday in Western Massachusetts

In a series of Revivals happening around The Episcopal Church, the Presiding Bishop will visit the Diocese of Western Massachusetts on Sunday October 21 for a Revival in Pittsfield at 1:00 p.m. and Worcester at 5:00 p.m.

Tickets are available as well as livestream footage. Find all information on The Episcopal Church's website .

Rekindling Hope | Sharing Light | Loving Jesus
CONECT Assembly with 2018 General Election Candidates on Monday!

Join Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut (CONECT) on Monday October 22 at the Congregational B'nai Israel, 2710 Park Ave., Bridegeport, for the 2018 General Election Candidates Assembly. Seating begins at 6:15 p.m., the assembly begins at 7:00 p.m. More information available on this flyer. Contact Alison Hollo with questions.
Click the image above to see the three events on the ECCT calendar to find out more information.
Clergy Events
Upcoming :
  • October 18: New Call Gathering, The Commons
  • October 19 - 20: ROC Gathering, Trinity Retreat Center, Cromwell
  • October 19 - 20: Women's Sabbath Retreat, Camp Washington
  • October 26 - 27: Annual Convention, Mystic
  • October 30: Retired Clergy, Spouses, and Partners Luncheon, St. Andrew the Apostle, Rocky Hill
  • October 30: Ordination to the Priesthood: Tuesday Rupp, St. Paul's, Woodbury
  • November 6: Clergy Day, St. Andrew's, Madison
  • November 7: Celebration of New Ministry for the Rev. Marissa Rohrbach, St. Matthew's, Wilton
  • November 8: Provisional Priest-in-Charge Gathering, The Commons
  • November 14: Commission on Ministry, The Commons
  • November 15: New Call, The Commons
  • November 15: Standing Committee Meeting, The Commons
  • November 20: Bishop's Book Discussion, Camp Washington
  • November 20: Celebration of New Ministry for the Rev. Katie Piazza, Emmanuel, Weston
  • November 22 - 23: The Commons will be closed
  • November 27: North Central & South Central Region Clericus Gathering

Save the Date:
  • December 8: Leadership Gathering, The Commons
  • January 22: Northeast & Southeast Region Clericus Gathering
  • March 6 - 8: Women's Clergy Retreat, Camp Washington
  • March 30: Faith Behind Bars & Beyond Annual Forum
  • April 11 & May 14: Clergy Professional Development & Safe Church Recertification
  • April 27: Spring Training and Gathering
Reminder to all currently licensed clergy in ECCT - November is coming!
 
THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO THOSE THAT ARE CANONICALLY RESIDENT IN ECCT.

From ECCT's "Policies Concerning Licensing of Clergy:"
 
  • "Licenses are issued for one year and are valid through December 31 of the year of issue. The License to Officiate must be renewed annually by written request to the Bishop in November or December. Responsibility for initiating the renewal lies with the licensed person."
  • A reminder to prepare and submit your request to renew your license via letter or email to Bishop Douglas in November. Your license will expire on December 31 and we all know how busy December can be! If you have any questions please contact Amber Page Gehr, Administrator for Transitions & Clergy Support at apagegehr@episcopalct.org
Clergy in Transition
 Please help spread the word about the following:

  • Good Shepherd/Buen Pastor, Hartford is seeking a full-time bilingual rector.
  • St. David’s, Gales Ferry continues to seek a full-time rector.

Clergy in Transition 

  • The Rev. Lisa Hahneman has been appointed Interim Priest in Charge of St. James Church, Danbury, starting November 1.
  • The Rev. Armando Ghinaglia, transitional deacon, has been appointed quarter-time Missional Curate at St. John’s Bristol and Church of our Savior, Plainville.
  • The Rev. Dr. David McIntosh has been appointed Missional Priest in Charge of Christ Church, Bethlehem, starting November 1.
  • The Rev. Thom Peters, transitional deacon, has been appointed Missional Curate at Christ Church, Bethlehem, starting November 1.

Parishes in Transition

Calvary Church, Stonington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interim PIC in place: Ajung Sojwal
Christ Church, East Norwalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking MPIC
Christ Church, Middle Haddam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking CPIC
Christ Church, Redding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interim PIC in place: Alon White
Christ Church, Sharon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Negotiating
Christ Church, Tashua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking MPIC
Epiphany, Durham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking MPIC
Good Shepherd, Hartford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Receiving names
Good Shepherd, Orange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking MPIC
Grace Church, Newington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking MPIC
Grace Church, Stafford Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking MPIC
Holy Spirit, West Haven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking CPIC
Holy Trinity, Middletown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In process
Middlesex Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interim PIC in place: Jim Bradley
St. Andrew’s Devon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pending
St. Andrew’s Stamford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking MPIC
St. David’s, Gale’s Ferry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Receiving Names FT Rector
St. Gabriel’s, East Berlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking MPIC
St. James’ Danbury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interim starts Nov. 1
St. John’s, Salisbury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pending
St. John’s, Washington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Will seek PPIC in spring 2019
St. Luke’s New Haven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking half-time PPIC
St. Mark’s Bridgeport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pending
St. Martin’s, Hartford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking MPIC
St. Paul’s, Bantam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In process
St. Paul’s and St. James’, New Haven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pending
St. Peter’s/Trinity, Thomaston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seeking MPIC
Trinity Church, Milton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In process
Trinity Church, Wethersfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In process
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