FALL 2019
Greetings from your Region Missionary
As I sit and reflect on this autumn season, I am drawn to the idea of transitions. This past Sunday we celebrated the Feast of Christ the King - marking both an end and a new beginning. The end of one liturgical year and beginning of another; the end of Jesus' human ministry, and the beginning of a new kind of ministry the world had not yet imagined. After all, we had never experienced anything like it - death into new life? Preposterous! And yet, that is exactly what Jesus offered us on the cross -- a way into new life through the courageous act of letting go.

Transitions can be dreaded, daunting, and scary. They can also be wanted, exciting, and hopeful. More often than not, they are a mixture of both. Transitions are also a necessary part of life. Each day is a mini transition. We cannot avoid them and no matter how hard we try we simply do not get to stay the way we are and hold fast to the way things have always been. Our communities grow, shift and change. We grow, shift and change - each time, passing through a transition.
The Rev. Erin Flinn
NC Region Missionary eflinn@episcopalct.org
Mobile: 860-966-3742
Which leads me to wonder... What transitions are you experiencing in your life as an individual and as a community? In what ways do you experience God in the midst of transitions? For me, I find God in the waiting, sitting there with me, holding me while I process the loss and grief of letting go of the things I have known and understood. I also find God in the possibilities that swirl in my imagination and in my heart reminding me that if I can be strong enough to let go, that new life awaits me on the other side. After all, that is what Christ shows us on the cross. Each transition brings with it a little death, and while that death may hold us in place for a little while - ultimately, we can and will break free of its grip and find new life -- even if we cannot yet begin to imagine what that new life looks like.

LORD, we believe that you are always inviting us to new possibilities and new ways of living out your Gospel in the world. We pray for all people and communities throughout our Region who are experiencing a time of transition, that your living presence may be known to them in their endings and in their new beginnings, in their sorrows and their joys, their setbacks and their first steps forward. We ask all this in the name of Jesus whose death on the cross was not the end, but the beginning of life unending - Amen.
Highlights from the 235th Annual Convention
Celebrating the Merging of Community:
Looking Forward: The road to becoming Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Plainville & Bristol . Parishioners from Church of Our Saviour, Plainville and St. John's, Bristol, share their thoughts and experiences of the process and possibility of merging together as one church.  Press play above to listen to their story.
Just Say Grace: Merger of Grace Episcopal Church, Windsor. Parishioners from Grace Episcopal Church, Broad Brook and Grace Episcopal Church, Windsor, share their experiences and thoughts on going through the process of becoming one parish. Press play above to listen to Grace's story.
Convention Reflection: "We've Come This Far by Faith"
God leads us to serve for the purpose of building God’s kingdom

For the “World Cafe Conversations” I attended the Racial Healing, Justice and Reconciliation conversation. I sat down at a table where I knew at least one person, which is very comforting for a newcomer. And to my surprise, we were all asked to break up in groups where we did not know the people at the table! Yes, we are to move around to meet people, learn about their lives, how they see the world. This reminded me of John 4:6-10, Jesus sat down by the well and started a conversation with a Samaritan woman. Now a days, a conversation with a person that we meet for the first time may also become like a drink from the well of living waters. Would I drink from the cup of living water offered to me by a stranger? The conversations within the group of people at the table dealt with facing our own fears, our own internalized sin about race.  We were to listen to each other, allow the same time to speak, meditate and process what we had shared during the conversation.  At the center of each conversation, I could hear Jesus saying, “The water I give will become in you a spring of water that leads to eternal life.” We were dealing with a profound, painful, and polarizing issue. We are asked to recognize our complicity, mend broken relations, and take concrete actions such as inviting or visiting multi-cultural parishes. The subjects of the other World Cafe Conversations were also about issues, concerns within our parishes. We as the body of Christ have issues that are critical for the future of the Episcopal church, not just in Connecticut, but nationally, and worldwide. Jesus, you are the one that gives the waters that heal, waters that lead to eternal life.  

The resolutions brought forth at convention presented new beginnings.  The merger of Church of Our Savior, Plainville and St. John's, Bristol, now Good Shepherd Episcopal Church. Grace, Broad Brook, and Grace, Windsor, now Grace Episcopal Church, Windsor. They bring hope and admiration for their spiritual journey becoming new vessels to continue their walk with Christ. We are moving forward with our mission of evangelism to our young, also a new canon to facilitate the creation of new, flexible forms of congregational life that worshiping as an Intentional Episcopal Communities. As we continue to heal, we are reminded that Jesus came to bring us life, and to have it abundantly. 
Sunday worship was about diversity. Old, young, and children participating throughout our worship. The symbolism of the four rivers mentioned in Genesis, children carrying the waters that flows around us at the renewal of our baptismal vows. We shared bread and wine, the body of Christ, and there were baskets of bread and wine leftover!  God’s abundance is all around us. Bishop Barbara Harris, the first woman ordained a bishop in the Anglican Communion, preached sharing her wisdom. In her message she asked us “What is the vision of the Church that will sustain the work for justice in the 21st century? What will empower us to act in solidarity with the poor and with all who are oppressed by the divisions of race, class, and gender? And how can traditional religion be a vehicle for social Change?” I recommend you to go to the worship live stream in the 2019 Convention webpage and listen to her message ( or click video below). 
Now, after convention, we are to go out into the world and take action. Let’s step outside of ourselves and look around us, visit other neighborhoods, meet the people, learn their stories.  The social-economic problems we have did not start on its own. We are to recognize the damage we have done and continue to do that harms our environment. In God’s creation, all is interconnected! Awareness, prayer, meditation; we are to move towards life giving actions that heal all humanity and God’s creation.  Each one of us, our churches, serve as vehicles towards wholeness, by serving and being faithful to our life giving God. Jesus is here, within and around each one of us, let us listen to our Lord!

- The Rev. Loyda Morales
Rector of Good Shepherd, Hartford
& Member of the NC Region Leadership Team
Want to know more about convention?
Read Alli Garnett's Convention Recap
& Flip Through Her Photos
Watch Bishop's Address at Our 235th Annual Convention of The Episcopal Church in CT
God's Mission in North Central Connecticut
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine:
Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church,
and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. - Ephesians 3:20-21
SCROLL TO READ:
- Pilgrimage to The Border in Tucson, AZ
- Anglicans in Hiding: Studying the Tories as Community
- The Joys and Challenges of a Rural Church
- Cathedral & Hartford Stage Partner for "PlayDate"
- Four Parishes Gather for Chili Cook-Off
- Season of Racial Healing, Justice & Reconciliation
- Upcoming Events & Opportunities
- Grant Opportunities
- Communications & Closing Prayer
Pilgrimage to The Border in Tucson, AZ
On Sept 30, I headed up to Hartford and boarded a plane for Tucson, Arizona with friends from St James, New London where I had worked as an intern the previous year. We had decided to try to offer a ministry of presence (whatever that might mean) along the southern border of the United States, at the edge of the Sonoran desert, where the US rubs up tight against Mexico. It’s a place of dry heat, cactus burns and friction over immigration policy. It is also a place where that policy has life and death impact on real people. We were going there in part because we didn’t know what else to do. We needed to start somewhere. And we wanted to wake up from this collective dream we felt were having, and being far off made it only more likely that we would just fall back to sleep. So there we were driving to the airport to take a plane to pick up a car to find the Airbnb and get proximate. We would stand on the same ground at least. And see what that did to our presence. 
On day one we hiked into the desert in 90 degree weather with artist Alvaro Enciso. Alvaro is in the middle of an on-going, 6 year art project. He treks into the desert weekly carrying crosses he has crafted to mark the individual sites where over 3,000 migrants have died since 1989. Alvaro decorates the wooden crosses with scavenged pieces of tin, left behind when migrants move on or are apprehended in the desert. To learn about Alvaro click here. Each cross is also marked with a red dot that mirrors the red dot on the map put together by Humane Borders ( https://humaneborders.org) in partnership with the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office. This is so that viewers can see the exact location where dead migrants have been found and try to identify them.
Alvaro referred to this project as art without a viewer. This stopped me in my tracks, tracks that have crisscrossed the contrapuntal concerns of politics and art and religion for a long time. Besides, I was hot and hungry and my legs burned from cactus spines. It was a good excuse to drink some water. Can theology have resonance in your life as an idea? Can art be “art” if no one ever one sees it? Do you feel graciously more human right now just knowing that Alvaro will be out there next Tuesday, driving a hand-crafted cross into the ground? Knowing that Jesus came?
Seared into our memories is the spot we came to later that afternoon. We dug a hole and placed a cross where 31 year old Pocario Perez Chavez died of hyperthermia on August 27th, 2019. Above is a photo of the place where he died. You can see the mark in the dirt where the oils from his body seeped into the ground. It marks the spot. It marks all of us.
At convention, we tried to mirror this experience for you, using Godly Play questions:

I wonder if there is a part of this story we could leave out and still have all of the story? Which part of this story is most about you? Does this story mark your body? Where do you stand?

- The Rev. Mary Barnett, Missional Curate
Church of the Holy Trinity, Middletown 
Anglicans in Hiding:
Studying the Tories as Community
Studying history, particularly studying history as a community, will allow that community to foster deep relationships, and help identify steps to move forward, together. That is exactly what the community at the newly formed Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Bristol is doing. Good Shepherd was recently merged at the 235th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. Before they were the parishes of Church of Our Saviour, Plainville and Saint John’s, Bristol. Together they study as a community of Anglicans to look at their shared history, struggles and all, to see how they can move forward in a divided world.
Article written by Alli Garnett, ECCT Digital Story Teller for the ECCT Blog on Nov. 4, 2019 
The Rev. Link Huller, priest-in-charge, led a 5-week “History & Heritage” of the American Episcopal Church program at Good Shepherd on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., October 23 – November 20. “We had over 20 people at our first session focused on the origins of the Church of England and who came to the colonies and why,” Link said. 
Part of the program included looking at members of the Church of England (ancestors of the soon to be Episcopal Church, which wouldn’t be established until Samuel Seabury’s consecration in 1784) during the American Revolution. “During the American Revolution, the Church of England was often associated (both in fact and in the popular mind) with the Loyalists – those loyal to the King and to England,” Link said. “Known Loyalists (also known as Tories) were often targeted for persecution, personal assault, and destruction of property by the Patriots, especially those Patriots who were active in the Sons of Liberty.”  
The Sons of Liberty would conduct raids of the farms and towns of individual Tories... During the raids, the Tories of the parish and surrounding area would flee into the woods and take refuge, hiding in the rocks. One of the most common rock formations where Tories would hide would later become known as “Tories/Tory’s Den.”

…I asked Link why he was conducting this 5-week program and why he was highlighting the Tories. “The purpose is to show that we’ve (Episcopalians/Anglicans) have been through political disagreement,” he said. “We must recognize that we have been here before – we have survived a division of political parties before.” 

…Last Saturday, November 2, Link led a group up to the cave to share in Holy Communion and engage in a reflection on what it means to be Anglicans/Episcopalians – what it means to be Christians in the time of divided politics. “All means all includes all,” Link said. “If we can come together and love one another and share in communion, we can move forward.”

The Joys and Challenges of a Rural Church
The sign for Emmanuel Episcopal Church is posted on the corner of Route 148…a rural road in a rural town, in a quiet part of the state. Oh, and did I mention that the sign also says “3 miles”… which involves another turn that winds and twists down an even more rural road.  Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Killingworth was built by farmers in 1800. It was certainly in a rather lonely spot then, and not much has changed. We are known as “The Little Church in the Wilderness” for a reason.
On a typical Sunday, we have about 15 members at our service. When we have one of our four annual concerts, the acoustically vibrant church hosts nearly 75, as does our Christmas Eve service. It is a plain building—almost Quaker-like in its simplicity—but houses a magnificent organ that combines beautifully with the acoustics, so “making a joyful noise unto the Lord” is truly a treat. Our members come from all walks of life, and all of us agree that there is something very special about Emmanuel.  You can feel the camaraderie and affection we have for each other, and, for such a small parish, we also do a tremendous amount of community outreach—living the gospel through our actions. We warmly welcome visitors who stumble upon our service, we even made a float, marched in the parade, and manned a booth at the town’s tercentennial celebration! We work with St. James, Higganum and St. Andrew’s, Northford (forming the Middlesex Cluster) to serve at a soup kitchen, collect items for a food pantry and children’s backpacks, and more.
Personally, I look forward to my time at Emmanuel every week. It’s an investment in myself—my wellness, meditation time, faith and fellowship are nurtured there. Quiet reflection, songs of praise and sacred ritual are all a powerful form of detox from the frenzied world. There are even scientific studies that have proven that those who sing together, sync together. The good feelings from singing in a group are “ a kind of evolutionary reward for coming together cooperatively…Singing in groups triggers the communal release of serotonin and oxytocin, the bonding hormone, and even synchronizes our heart beats.” What a relief from the tsunami of noise, disconnection, distraction, and “fake” everything in the world!  
For those who have not found us yet, this respite remains to be discovered, and the question of “what about new members?” still plagues us. But I am optimistic, because I think people will come around. I think they will tire of the shallowness of instant connectivity and the exhaustion of sensory overload. In this manic world, we can have a thousand “likes” on Facebook, but not a single flesh-and-blood friend to confide in. Or three hundred re-tweets on Twitter, and photo-shopped pictures of a “perfect” life posted on Instagram, and yet a pervasive isolation so deep that depression, addiction, suicide and a host of other symptoms are affecting people on a broader scale, and at a younger age, than has ever been seen before.  
I believe that the pendulum always swings back. Maybe it’s nostalgia, or a return to roots, but I firmly trust that human beings--who have an evolutionary need for belonging, will seek again to belong. They will want to get real again. It’s hard-wired into our makeup. What better place—and even what more convenient place—to find belonging than in your local church community? These are neighbors who can become friends. These are fellow travelers who are already united in a caring and values-driven, purposeful community, to which you have full and free access. When it’s time to get real, and to be welcomed back home into a richly rewarding spiritual practice surrounded by friends who will be there for you, you just need to follow the signs on Route 148. The Little Church in the Wilderness is waiting for you.
- Karen Alderman
Member of Emmanuel Killingworth
Cathedral & Hartford Stage Partner for "PlayDate"
“We are thrilled to be offering this opportunity to families in our community – and what better play to start this initiative than Cry it Out, a witty exploration of the challenges of becoming a full-time caregiver overnight. We hope this makes our theatre more accessible for everyone, including parents of young children,” said Melia Bensussen, new Artistic Director of Hartford Stage . “As we continue to work to keep Hartford Stage an essential civic institution in the city, we are pleased to partner with our direct neighbors, Christ Church Cathedral, to strengthen this vital corner in the city of Hartford.” 

- Quote from Joint Press Release on October 24, 2019.
Our Cathedral and Hartford Stage have a long standing relationship that has been intentionally nurtured over the past five years to create an even deeper partnership that goes beyond sharing space to creating collaborative activities - something that excited both communities. In November, our Cathedral and Hartford Stage partnered to provide a free babysitting service for theatre-goers attending the production Cry it Out, "An ode to modern-day motherhood. " Our Cathedral provided a safe space for children ages 2 to 10 to play under the supervision of background-checked and vetted caregivers while parents and guardians enjoyed an evening at the theatre.

This project initially came about in casual neighborly conversation when the Very Rev. Lina Howell, Dean of our Cathedral and Antay Bilgutay, Development Director of Hartford Stage, passed each other on the side walk one afternoon and began dreaming about their next steps for collaboration. This conversation then turned into a formal brainstorming session with Melia Bensussen, new Artistic Director of Hartford Stage, which led to their first official "try on" on Nov. 2nd and 3rd.
"This partnership is a response to our commitment of being a cathedral in the 21st century,” said The Very Rev. Miguelina Howell, Cathedral Dean. “This is a new way of being church. Our calling is to meet God and God’s people in the neighborhood, and what better place to do so than at the theatre.” - Joint Press Release, Oct 24, 2019  
Dean Howell hopes that this project will deepen the relationship between our Cathedral and the stage company. The hope for the future is to continue to offer childcare services for younger children as well as theatre classes for older children while parents are enjoying a show, and much more!
Four Parishes Gather for Chili Cook-Off
Our 12th Cook-Off on October 20 at Trinity, Wethersfield was a fun evening with 15 cooks and 16 recipes! Folks gathered from multiple parishes for a bit of friendly competition for a good cause including: Christ Episcopal Church, Middle Haddam ; St. Andrew's Episcopal, Rocky Hill ; St. James' Episcopal, Glastonbury ; and Trinity Episcopal, Wethersfield

The recipes - 11 Chili and 5 Rice & Beans – some old and some new – were all delicious! Parishioners from all four churches attended, there was special music by Fr. Tom Furrer, Sal Basile, and J. R. Stanko. Bishop Marcus Dogo spoke on “Educating Children in Third World Countries”, and we celebrated our successful Nigerian Scholarship Fund raising to send 48 children back to primary school in Kafachan District, Nigeria.

Our judges from each parish: Jimmy LaBella (St. Andrews'), Doug Scott (St. James'), and Tom Traue (Trinity) chose well.  For the Judged winners: Rice & Beans category -- 1st Place: Black Bean and Avocado Salad, Connie Harasymiw, Trinity. 2nd Place: Rice and Beans with Lamb, Yaman, our Syrian friend. Chili Category - 1st Place: Rowdy Con Carne, Mark Rodbourn, St. Andrew's. 2nd Place: Peter and Sheila's Chili, Peter and Sheila Dewberry, Trinity.

For the People's Choice for Rice & Beans -- 1st Place: Rice and Beans with Lamb, Yaman. 2nd Place: - Black Beans and Avocado Salad - Connie Harasymiw, Trinity. People's Choice Chili Category  - 1st Place: Rick's Sunday Night Chili – Blakeley Crevoiserat, St. James'. 2nd Choice: Rowdy Con Carne – Mark Rodbourn, St. Andrew's.

The Cook-Off continues to “take on a life of its own” and has now become a multi-community event. A check for $1,005 was sent to St. Vincent's Center for Disabled Children in Haiti to provide whatever these children most need.  Thanks to all who participated in any way, and some in many ways, to make this a real success.  Three of the cooks from other churches indicated they want to come back next year. The feedback is “this was the best one of all.” So, if you are in the area and you love to cook or eat chili or rice and beans reach out to Marilyn at mhford3@gmail.com.

- Marilyn H. Ford
Chair, Mission and Outreach Committee
Trinity Episcopal Church, Wethersfield
Ministry Network News
Addition Workshop Planning for NC Region

Faith Behind Bars and Beyond is committed to having Addiction Workshops in all 6 regions of ECCT. We are willing to hold more than one per region acknowledging that some of our regions are quite large. We are willing to make this commitment because 88% of CT inmates self-identify as having an addiction when they enter prison. The other reason is that even though most of our parishes host at least one AA or NA group, the people in our pews know very little about these programs. We held a workshop in the SE Region last Spring. I talked a little bit about how addiction is addressed in the prison system. We showed two films based on AA practices, one about what addiction is and one about how not to become co-dependent when someone you love becomes an addict. A discussion period was led by Phil Bjornberg after each film. 

We are planning to meet the evening of Dec 4th or 11th to begin planning a workshop for the NC Region. If you would like to be part of this planning process, regardless of your availability on the two dates listed, please be in touch with Ellen Adams, Deacon (Chair of FBBB) at 860-374-3537.
Invitation to Learn More:
The Order of the Daughters of the King®

The DOK is a unique Christian community of lay and ordained women that provides support to its members as they seek to grow in God’s love and spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Through vows of Prayer, Service and Evangelism , The Order brings women and girls together in local chapters to help each other take that closer walk with God. When a woman becomes a Daughter she makes a deeper commitment to the promises made at baptism and confirmation. Every Daughter of the King commits to a Rule of Prayer which includes daily prayer for the spread of Christ’s kingdom, unity for the church universal and for her own church and clergy. Flowing from the Rule of Prayer and connected to it is the Rule of Service through which a Daughter actively demonstrates Christ’s love by responding to the needs of others. Daughters of the King are women and girls between the ages of 7 and 107 and members of Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran and Catholic churches. Before joining the Order, interested women enter into a three month period of discernment and study. 

Jennie C. Dixon is looking to start new chapters in our Region this Spring. If this speaks to you and your parish please contact Jennie for more information at jennie.dixonct@gmail.com .
Season of Racial Healing, Justice & Reconciliation
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
CHANGE: The North Central Region Leadership Team will have their final team meeting for 2019 on Dec. 4 at 6 PM at The Winged Bear in Simsbury (775 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury). At 7 PM we will be joining the community for a HYMN SING! Our spring meeting schedule will be announced soon. If you are interested in joining a meeting please contact our Convener, Trish Leonard at gmakhc@cox.net or our Region Missionary at eflinn@episcopalct.org .
St. Monica's Warming Center: St. Monica's, Hartford is looking to start a warming center for women and children to shelter during the No Freeze time (Dec. 1 - Mar. 21). They are reaching out in hopes that other congregations may have some folks interested in assisting with this ministry. We would house 10-12 people at St. Monica's from 6pm-7am. Each night 2 volunteers are needed on site in addition to staff persons. If you are interested in partnering with St. Monica's, please reach out to Rev. Tracy Johnson Russel, Rector at St. Monica's at tjr5683@gmail.com .
11/26 - Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at Trinity, Wethersfield on Tuesday, Nov. 26th at 7 PM. The service will be held in gratitude for God and love of our neighbors with readings and prayers in Hebrew, Spanish, Arabic and English. People of all faiths welcome. Several churches - Good Shepherd, Wethersfield Methodist, St. Paul's Lutheran and Trinity and Temple Beth Torah and Baitul Aman “House of Peace” Mosque will be participating in the service. Refreshments will follow.
DEC - Advent Reflection Series : Presented by parishes in the Northwest & North Central Regions of ECCT: Come rest in quiet as we hold silence, share in the peace and joy of the anticipation of the seaon, and engage in scripture. We will meet each Sunday from 12 PM to 1 PM at the following parishes: 12/8 - Trinity, Torrington; 12/15 - Trinity, Collinsville; 12/22 - St. John's, Pine Meadow. 
12/07 - BOOT PARTY 2019 Help support the Footwear With Care's By providing 25 personal care kits . Your parish's contribution will help the North Central Region serve 500 people. Items can be dropped off at Our Cathedral in Hartford as well as St. Alban's, Simsbury and Trinity, Portland. Items MUST be received by December 5th. WE ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR 20-30 VOLUNTEERS for Dec. 7th from 9 am--11 am, 11 am--1 pm, or 9 am--1. No experience necessary. Everyone wishing to help will be trained. To sign up to participate/contribute items click here . Questions? Deacon Bonnie Matthew's at bmatthews228@comcast.net .
12/07 - Retiro de Adviento en español , Sábado 7 de diciembre de 2019 8:30 – 1:00 (almuerzo a la 1pm) Deacon Ema Rosero-Nordalm, Líder Iglesia del Buen Pastor | 155 Wyllys Street, Hartford. Cuidado de niños (para niños de 3-8 años) La Anunciación copyright 2009 Janet McKenzie www.janetmckenzie.com . Utilizado con permiso.
María, la Madre de Dios afirma nuestro caminar para amar, crecer y servir al mundo con la abundancia de nuestros dones y talentos.
02/06 Faithful Futures: Resourcing Our Regions & Ministry Networks: All Region Leadership Team Members, Ministry Network Conveners & Members Join your Bishops, Canons, & Region Missionaries for an in-depth discussion of how we might use our common resources to help you and your ministries engage God’s mission more deeply. DON’T MISS OUT: we’re talking $$$ among our other shared assets! Details to come, but REGISTER TODAY & SPREAD THE WORD!
Grant Opportunities
2020 Roanridge Trust grants available for leadership development in small towns and rural communities . Offered annually, Roanridge Trust Grants are used for the "training of town and country ministry and rural Christian workers” of The Episcopal Church. They support creative models of leadership development and training of the laity and clergy in small towns and rural communities across The Episcopal Church. Awards generally range from $5,000 to $20,000. Great for collaborative/region projects! Application deadline is December 13, 2019. For more info click here .
United Thank Offering 2020 Annual Grants: The United Thank Offering (UTO) board of directors is pleased to announce the availability of their 2020 United Thank Offering Annual Grants. These grants are awarded for projects in The Episcopal Church and throughout the Anglican Communion, each year with a different focus. For 2020, the focus is Bless: Share faith, practice generosity and compassion, and proclaim the Good News of God in Christ with hope and humility. The application process opened September 6, 2019; application information and forms are available here .  NOTE: The ECCT deadline is Jan. 6 and must be submitted to Pamela Sola ( psola@episcopalct.org ) before then.
Communications for the North Central Region
* Subscribe to this Quarterly to have stories from the Region delivered straight to your inbox at www.episcopalct.org/enewsletters

* Reach out to your North Central Region Leadership Team members

* Join the NC Region Facebook Group , a community bulletin board for the region. This is your place to share parish/community events, photos, videos and more.

* Like and follow the NC Region Facebook Page . This is where the Leadership Team will post news of upcoming Region events, gatherings, conversations, resources, etc.

* If you want to know what your Region Missionary is up to, like and follow her Facebook Page .

 * Check out the Region Calendar on the ECCT website.

Almighty God,
We pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Excerpt from The General Thanksgiving, BCP p. 101
Would you like your community or event to be included in the next North Central Region Announcements/Quarterly? Contact me , your North Central Region Missionary, and let's set up a time to chat so that I might hear your story and be a witness to God's work in your community. The next Quarterly will be sent out in February.