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NORTHEAST REGION MISSIVE
June 2021
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Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well-being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lies and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, Collect for Saint Barnabas, June 11, pg 241) |
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Region Missionary Musings: |
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Hello dear siblings in Christ,
I've been thinking a lot about the word "homecoming" lately. Particularly, what does it mean to be welcomed home to something when we've been in the midst of a pandemic and many of us aren't leaving our homes for any other reason than the basic necessities of life? For many months now I left my house only for walks or trips to the pharmacy, grocery store, or post office. My spouse, however, has traveled to work every day since the pandemic started. If we aren't leaving our homes much, where are we encountering homecomings? Could the word "homecoming" take on different meanings depending on your context? Might my spouse feel something different when he comes home now, than he did 15 months ago?
Early in May I had the pleasure of following Bishop Ian on one of his parish visitations; together we visited the good people of Grace, Stafford Springs and Holy Trinity, Enfield. We gathered for outdoor worship - not at one of those parish buildings but at a site up the road from Grace, the former Baker's Furniture store which is being renovated and gaining new life as a veterinary hospital. For the first time in nearly 14 months I sang a hymn while sitting next to my parents and received communion. This was a kind of homecoming I did not expect - this tender circle of people who love me as I love them, surrounded by and enfolded within the presence of God.
While we are still maintaining distances and following COVID regulations, I encourage you to think about what homecoming means to you. Is it possible to get that sense of coming home while we are in this space of transition? How have you experienced homecoming during the pandemic? Our own re-entry into congregational life will look different than our neighbors and friends, and I think we each have the opportunity to create a space of "homecomings" for each other.
Photo by Maggie Breen
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STAY CONNECTED WITH NE REGION |
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You can reach Maggie Breen, NE Region Missionary, the following ways:
PHONE: 203-639-3501 x154
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Meet Your NE RLT Team: Shannon Demarest & Sandy Marshall |
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Prior to 2016, Shannon O’Roarke Demarest was a member of Church of the Holy Trinity in Middletown, CT for several years, serving on the Vestry. Currently, she is a member of the Vestry at Christ Church in Pomfret Center, CT. She also serves on the Northeast Regional Leadership Team. Her hope lies in God’s profound Love for, and astonishing Grace poured out upon, the world in spite of the general craziness and moral failings of human beings. One of her longstanding obsessions is finding a way to provide showers, laundry facilities, and other services to homeless persons in Middlesex County who do not otherwise have access to them. She is at home in Pomfret Center with her husband, her two teenage daughters, two dogs and two cats.
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Greetings! My name is Sandra Marshall and I am a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Hebron, CT. I am presently on the Vestry for the first time at St. Peter’s, but I have served as a clerk and a treasurer on the Vestry in the past at other churches where my husband and I were members. I am currently on the Regional Leadership Team. I was a delegate to the General Convention two years ago.
I am a retired nurse who worked as a Nurse Manger on a psychiatric unit for children for the last 12 years of my career. My degree is in Nursing Education so after I retired from full-time nursing, I taught classes in CPR, CPI (crisis prevention), and worked as a school nurse. I have given hundreds of flu shots! I also drove a school bus for two and a half years. My hobbies include hiking, biking, gardening, bird watching by creating a habitat for them in our backyard, sewing and traveling. My husband and I have been lucky enough to have experienced visits to Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Austria, Czech Republic, Greece and Israel. We treasure these memories, especially since we were able to see the Cathedral Notre Dame in Paris before it burned. My husband and I love to be outside in good weather so people might see us out riding the Harley together. Please wave!
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Upcoming NE Region Events: |
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Contact Maggie if you want/need the zoom links!
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ECCT Offerings & Opporutnities: |
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Safe Church Training Information available HERE
ECCT COVID-19 Resources HERE
More detailed calendar information HERE
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Tue, Jun 15, 2021 6:30 PM EST
Cherish & Celebrate on the Connecticut River
1 Pilgrim Landing Rd,
Old Lyme
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Sat, Jun 26, 2021 9:00 AM EST
Cherish & Celebrate on the Connecticut River
Riverside Park,
Hartford
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Submit your photos for the new ECCT website!
The development of our new website is underway, and we need your help! To fully encompass all of us that make up ECCT, we are requesting submissions of photos that help visualize who and what ECCT is to you. From ministries in action to your parish's beautifully stained glass windows, we want it all!
In order to credit, we are requesting that you name your photos with their description before submitting (i.e. BishopLauraRevRowenaKemp.jpg, stainedglass_stmarksmystic.png) Please submit photos here by June 30, 2021.
By submitting these files you are acknowledging the Episcopal Church in Connecticut's permission to utilize them in promotional materials including but not limited to the diocesan website and social media. Any questions please contact Canon for Mission Communications & Media Jasree Peralta at jperalta@episcopalct.org.
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Becoming Disciples & Apostles: |
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Thu, Jun 3, 2021 6:30 PM EST
Faithful Futures: Exploring the In-Person and Digital Space as Church
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Faithful Futures: In-Person & Digital Space as Church |
Join us for a panel discussion made of clergy and lay leaders throughout ECCT as we explore the ways parishes of various sizes are regathering in-person and in hybrid settings. We will hear from perspectives focused on worship, collaboration, digital communications, ministries, and the challenges we face while still in the midst of a pandemic. Submit questions by June 2nd to ecctcommunications@episcopalct.org.
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Camp Washington Summer Camp begins in less than 60 days! |
Are you registered yet?
Summer Camp '21 might look and feel a bit “different” than summers past and we are confident we can offer the fun, sun, friendship, and memory filled summer that has made Camp Washington famous! Sessions are filling up quickly, reserve your spot today.
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We Are Communities of Theological Imagination: |
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Sacred Ground: How to Change a Community (Hebron)
Rev. Ron Kolanowski, of St. Peter's Hebron shared with me his experience of being in a Sacred Ground circle. He said:
"I have to say that on a personal level, Sacred Ground has changed my life and the focus of my ministry. It made me realize how blind I've been to the realities of our world that are hidden in plain sight. I knew I had a lot to learn, but I had no idea just how little I knew when I began this journey. It has compelled me to take a bold step to partner with others in the town of Hebron to bring this program to anyone interested in the town or surrounding towns. I've applied for a grant on behalf of my church and the Hebron Coalition for Diversity and Equity (CoDE) to provide a stipend to facilitators to help us shape and execute a program that will be both in person and online. CoDE will be working with the schools to see ways we might integrate some of the programming into their efforts. We are also in conversation with CoDE, the town of Hebron and others on development of a piece of land as a possible affordable housing option here in Hebron.
I realized that Sacred Ground provides an opening for the real work of reconciliation and restoration to just begin. The program is far form an ending, but can be a real impetus for action at the local level and personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural change."
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Show & Tell: Inviting Spirituality Into Our Daily Lives - St. Mark's, Storrs
Show and Tell is a weekly gathering at St. Mark’s where parishioners are invited to show and tell a bit about a spiritual experience that has impacted them. It can be an experience, book, film, or even a time of prayer. Each participant shares for 5-10 minutes and then we open the conversation to everyone. By request, the past few months have turned into a Bible study where each participant takes a chapter and in their own way walks us through some of the hi lights. The activity is one hour and has been a wonderful way for us to stay connected during the pandemic. It grows out of a Wednesday evening activity that used to be more of a presentation style. When the pandemic is over we plan to have people zoom in as we meet in the church and keep this new format which invites us all to participate.
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Spiritual Practice of the Month: Discerning |
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Discernment is a word that is often used in church-life to talk about the feeling of being called to ordained ministry, or discerning holy orders. This is, indeed, an important aspect of discernment. But discernment isn't limited to only folks who feel that they may be called to ordained ministry.
Discerning quite literally means the act of making a decision. We, as complex creations, make thousands of decisions every day. Some decisions take a long time to make, and some take seconds. Sometimes we make decisions on our own, and sometimes in a group.
Discerning as a spiritual practice means specifically inviting God into our processes of decision making AND engaging in regular God-centered communication. By definition, this type of discernment cannot happen independently - God must be included. This is as much about talking to God about what is going on as it is about listening to what God has to say to you.
So how do we engage in this practice? This can be as simple as you'd like to make it. Try on taking a walk and telling God about something that is on your mind. Or, cozy up in your favorite chair with your favorite beverage and invite Jesus in for a chat. If it feels like a little too much to try on your own (with God, of course), ask a friend if they might like to engage in this work with you (and God).
If you feel that you might be discerning a call to holy orders, I invite you to check out this page and be in conversation with your priest or wardens in the event that your parish does not have a priest.
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ECCT has been promoting 5 Spiritual Practices. They are:
Listening
Discerning
Trying On
Reflecting
Deciding
Each month, the NE Region Missive will feature one practice and provide a way for you to incorporate that into your Christian practices.
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Supported by Word & Sacrament: |
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While we are still being careful because of COVID-19, consider this an opportunity to explore other worshiping communities across ECCT! You can access a list of available online services HERE.
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Featured Parish: St. James', Glastonbury
Beginning on Pentecost, 23 May, St. James' will be offering in-person, inside worship at 9am, which will also be live streamed. The vestry and reopening committee have been working diligently to ensure that all safety precautions will be met. They have gotten all new technology, including nine monitors they have mounted in the church. Registration is required to attend inperson services. I would encourage you to reach out to Debbie O'Donnell if you would like information on how the good folks at St. James' are putting their technology to use!
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Connected to the Wider Body of Christ: |
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Windham Area Interfaith Working Group: Homelessness & Housing Insecurity in the Windham Region |
Join us in a virtual forum as we rethink neighborhoods, housing, & outreach. Meet those who have experienced homelessness, & learn how you can make a difference in your community
An introduction to housing insecurity in Eastern Connecticut & the feasibility of ending homelessness. Attendees will hear from innovators within the housing community on how to address housing insecurity with actionable tasks & from those who have experienced homelessness (from Faces of Homelessness) & what made a difference in their lives.
This virtual forum is sponsored by the Windham Region Interfaith Working Group. SIMULCAST ON WINDHAM REGION INTERFATITH WORKING GROUP FACEBOOK PAGE
It was made possible with the help of Faces of Homelessness, Community Health Center, Inc., Windham Area Interfaith Ministry, Windham Region No Freeze Project, CT Coalition to End Homelessness, Sustainable CT, & Partnership for Strong Communities
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4 June 2021 - Ekklesia Ballet presents: Body & Land
Come celebrate your incarnation within The Incarnation of the beauty of God's Creation! Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet, a Christian dance company, working in partnership with Church of the Holy Trinity, Middletown, will be presenting BODY and LAND, a new work exploring the connection of our vulnerable bodies to the vulnerable body of the earth. Learn more and purchase tickets.
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18-20 June 2021 - Writer's Workshop @ Camp
Many of us have gained new insights about ourselves, our country, and the world this past year. Some of us have felt broken in places, in our country and in the world. In this workshop we will Revisit, Repair, Renew, and find our Resilience in words and silence through writing and discovering My Mind Is In The Ink. Learn more and register online.
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Calling All Crafters!
St. George's, Bolton WANTS YOU!
St. George’s Episcopal Church is inviting crafters to rent a booth at the church’s 45th Annual Craft and Harvest Fair. The event will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2021 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on the church lawn at 1150 Boston Turnpike, Route 44, Bolton, CT. Registration deadline is September 1. For further information, please email bkalina333@gmail.com or call 860.643.9203.
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On Wednesday June 2, Retired Bishop Suffragan Jim Curry will join with us from the Northeast and North Central Regions of ECCT to make a presentation about the work of Swords to Plowshares which is a ministry of converting the metal of guns which have been turned in to police, and heating them in a forge, and converting them into gardening tools. We’ll hear him tell us his story about this work, and we’ll set a time and a place for him and his friends the “Gun Beaters” to come to our area, and give a demonstration. Please mark your calendars for Wednesday June 2 at 7 PM on Zoom.
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ECCT Reparations Task Force |
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Did you know? Work on reparations is not new. The first demands for reparations were made by enslaved people before the Civil War. Several Episcopal Dioceses have already taken up the work of reparations: Maryland, New York, and Massachusetts. Below is the Diocese of New York’s definition for reparations.
Reparations is the process to remember, repair, restore, reconcile, and make amends for wrongs that can never be singularly reducible to monetary terms. The process of reparations is “a historical reckoning involving acknowledgement that an offense against humanity was committed and that the victims have not received justice.*”
*Passage in quotes offered by Bernice Powell Jackson, Executive Minister for Justice Ministry, The United Church of Christ.
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