Changes to the Bishop's Lenten Series

Tune in Wednesday, March 25, at 7 p.m.

Following the governor's directive to stay home and an abundance of caution regarding internet band width, the bishop's second Lenten presentation will be pre-recorded and available on-demand beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow evening. The video will be available at this link or from the link on the diocesan website homepage. You may also access the video from last week's presentation at the link above. Since the presentation is not live, there will be no opportunity to ask questions at that time.

There will be a live online panel discussion and a chance for questions about the presentation via Zoom on Sunday at 2 p.m. Directions for logging in to the panel discussion will be communicated out later this week. Thank you for your patience as we continue to look for the best ways to connect with you during this time.

Take Action for the 2020 Census! Share this simple message in your virtual services and church events this weekend, March 27-29.

We know there is a lot going on in your congregations and personal lives. As we practice physical distancing, we are practicing care for our neighbors on a massive scale. 

One other critical action to take this week to care for your neighbor is to fill out the  #2020Census . Be sure to fill it out yourself, and help us spread the word by sharing this message:

“ The two most important things you can do for our community this week are: maintain physical distancing and take the 2020 Census as soon as you can. Census data are critically important to determining: representation in Congress, allocation of federal funds for the next decade, and valuable information for state and local community officials, service providers, and private businesses. An accurate census count means resources will go to the communities that need them, and government programs and services can be more responsive.

Filling out the census is easier than ever. You can go to  2020census.gov  today to fill it out online, you can fill it out by phone, or you can respond to the paper questionnaire you will get in the mail.

For more information, you can go to The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations website at  www.episcopalchurch.org/ogr .”

Join The Episcopal Church Virtual Choir

Add your voice to a unique, online Easter celebration!

The Episcopal Church is creating a mass  virtual choir  video to be released on Easter Sunday. If you’re a choir member without a choir, a musician without an orchestra, or just someone who loves to sing and be part of the group, you’re who we need!

We’re looking for submissions from across the Church (and even beyond!) for this project.

To participate, download the music PDF and audio file for your voice or instrumental part ( link below ). Play or sing along and send us your best video to be included in this special recording for Easter Day. We chose a familiar Easter hymn -  The Strife is O'er  - in hopes of getting the broadest participation possible. We look forward to showing off the whole Episcopal Church on Easter Sunday in a joyous celebration of the resurrection - a coming together to declare the Glory of God in the face of the grief of coronavirus and physical distancing.

This part is super important: We need your submissions by the end of the day on Friday, March 27.

What's a virtual choir?

We're glad you asked. A virtual choir is much like a regular choir - everyone sings their parts or plays their instruments and all the sounds are blended together in beautiful harmony. The only difference is, we're not in the same place! To make the magic happen, a team of video and audio engineers and editors will take your individual submissions and work their magic to turn it all into one incredible piece that we'll share with the world. 

Instructions, music and more information can be found here: https://episcopalchurch.org/virtual-choir?fbclid=IwAR2fChgBrWfbUDb7PHcaBUwKRRTAwsBXP-fihNeUo8SBmaXb0HAMUMjhRN8

All Christians invited to pray on Wednesday, March 25

[ March 23, 2020] Episcopalians are invited to join with Christians around the world as together we join in praying the Lord’s Prayer on Wednesday, March 25 at noon in our own time zones in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pope Francis Invites Christians to Pray on March 25

Pope Francis on Sunday invited all Christians to respond to the coronavirus pandemic “with the universality of prayer, of compassion, of tenderness”, adding, “Let us remain united. Let us make our closeness felt toward those persons who are the most lonely and tried”. Speaking after the traditional recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father called on all Christians to join together in prayer. “In these trying days, while humanity trembles due to the thread of the pandemic, I would like to propose to all Christians that together we lift our voices towards Heaven,” he said.

On Wednesday, 25 March, the feast of the Annunciation, Pope Francis has invited “the Heads of the Churches and the leaders of every Christian community, together with all Christians of the various confessions, to invoke the Almighty, the omnipotent God, to recite at the same time the prayer that Jesus, our Lord, taught us” – the Our Father. Pope Francis prayed, “may the Lord listen to the united prayer of all of His disciples who are preparing themselves to celebrate the victory of the Risen Christ”.

Join Presiding Bishop Curry on Livestream or Facebook Live to pray the Lord’s Prayer at noon ET

[March 24, 2020] In response to a call from both Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will be praying the Lord’s Prayer (via Livestream and Facebook Live) Wednesday, March 25, at noon Eastern Time. He invites you to join with Christians around the world to offer this prayer in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

To join Bishop Curry live, Wednesday, March 25, at noon Eastern Time, click here:

Livestream  (click “Get notified” to receive a notification/reminder)

The Episcopal Church Facebook page

The Presiding Bishop’s Facebook page

Postponements, changes, etc.

Formation resources

Several at-home formation resources are available on our COVID-19 resource page , including free online Sunday school lessons, stained glass window coloring pages and a link to a weekly Godly Play lesson from St. Paul's, Dayton.

Have a resource to share? Send it to communication@diosohio.org and we will add it to the list.

Connect the Dots during physical distancing

While we cannot visit other churches physically at this time, we can continue to Connect the Dots by "attending" another church via their online services. Make sure to drop us a line or two, along with a screen shot of the service, at DSOConnectTheDots.org. These online visits will still count toward entries to win $1,000 for your church's outreach ministries.You can find a list of congregations streaming their services here.

Other ways to connect the dots? Call each other, check-in. Talk to others about the successes and the trials and tribulations of this time. Leaders of churches can work together on online resources. Be creative - the possibilities are endless! Just make sure you let us know! The deadline is May 31.

While all of our church buildings may be shut down, it is important to remember that the expenses of your congregation don't go away just because no one is physically present. If you are not being economically impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, please remember to keep up financial support to your congregation. Many congregations already have online giving options in place. For those that do not, the diocese is collecting donations online and dispersing the funds to the individual congregations with no added fees. The hexagonal button to this link can be found on the homepage of the diocesan website, labelled Online Giving.

Connecting with staff

The easiest way to reach all staff members is via email or by calling their direct dial numbers  listed on our  website or at this link .