{e}Connections: June 29, 2021

{e} Connections

June 29, 2021

Bishop Transition

Meet Bishop Smith: In-person opportunity

Our Provisional Bishop nominee, Bishop Wayne Smith, will be at Procter Center on Saturday, July 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. for an opportunity to meet people from around the diocese in person before the Special Session of the Convention. This event will be held in Christ Chapel at Procter, so seating is limited and registration is required. The event will also be live streamed for those who do not wish to travel to Procter.

Convention news

Special Session of the 146th Convention: July 17, 2021

A Special Session of the 146th Convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio has been called by the Standing Committee under Article VII of the Constitution of the Episcopal Church of Southern Ohio and will be held via Zoom at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 17, 2021.

Pursuant to the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Southern Ohio the delegates and alternates who were elected or appointed for the 146th Annual Convention held November 7, 2020, will serve as delegates and alternates for the Special Session on July 17. However, each congregation may appoint substitute delegates and alternates if the original delegates and alternates are not available to attend.

A list of the certified lay delegates to the 146th Convention for each congregation was sent by email to all clergy and wardens. If the individuals on the list are not able to attend the Special Session, please fill out a Change of Delegate Form before July 10, 2021.

It is important to for church leadership to check the information for their congregation for accuracy and make any updates or changes by this deadline. After the July 10 deadline, all certified delegates and canonically resident clergy of the diocese will be automatically registered for the Special Session. A link to the Zoom meeting and voting credentials will be sent to the emails on record no less than three days before the meeting.

147th Annual Convention: November 13, 2021

Important dates and deadlines

Aug. 15: Proposed Constitutional/Canonical Changes
Sept. 14: Deadline for Constitutional/Canonical Changes
Sept. 29: Requested date for nominations for diocesan office; Deadline for resolutions to be considered by convention
Oct. 29: Deadline for nominations for diocesan office
Nov. 3: Pre-convention meeting via Zoom, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 13: 147th Convention via Zoom, time TBD

Find all information, including how to propose a

constitutional/canonical change or resolution, diocesan

offices needing nominations and nomination forms at our convention website, dsoconvention.org, or find the link on the diocesan website.

News from the diocese

Energy Efficiency Grant/Loan program begins July 1

The Trustees of the Diocese, along with the Creation Care and Environmental Justice Task Force, have created a grant opportunity for diocesan congregations to take advantage of energy efficiency measures. The Task Force has been working over the past year to bring awareness to congregations of our need to be stewards of God’s creation. One opportunity we have is to utilize more energy efficient measures in our churches. This grant opportunity is open to all congregations to make their facilities more energy efficient and create less of a burden on creation.

Each congregation can apply for a $10,000 grant to improve the energy efficiency of their parish along with applying for a $10,000 loan at 3% interest payable monthly over five (5) years. The Trustees and the Task Force believe we can make an impact on our environment while at the same time saving our churches some money. Parishes are encouraged to find opportunities to improve their facilities by considering lighting, heating/cooling, water conservation and a variety of other opportunities to save money and assist creation.

Learn more

A webinar explaining the program and how to apply was held on June 25. You can watch the video of the webinar and learn more about the program on our website on the application page. You can contact a member of the Task Force for assistance at ee4diosoh@gmail.com.

Coming up on the calendar

Meetings, events, etc.

July

June 30 - July 3 - Family Camp 2

5 - Independence Day (observed), diocesan offices closed

5-9 - Youth Camp 1

10 - Meet & Greet with Bishop Smith, 1 p.m.

12-16 - Youth Camp 2

17 - Special Session of 146th Convention, 9 a.m.

22-25 - Family Camp 3

25 - Dismantling Racism, 10 a.m.

25 - Community of Deacons gathering, 11 a.m.

29 - Aug 1 - Family Camp 4

See all

Episcopal Visitations

July

11 – Trinity, London (Price)

18 – Trinity, Columbus (Price)

25 – Christ Church Cathedral (Price)

Fourth Annual Cincinnati Festival of Faiths August 22 - 29

Mark your calendar for the 4th Annual Cincinnati Festival of Faiths August 22-29, 2021 (virtually presented) This year’s theme: “Compassion through Action: We are in it Together.” Cultural, spiritual, and fun activities for all ages.

Cincinnati’s annual Festival of Faiths serves as the leading opportunity in Greater Cincinnati to bring together people of all faiths and communities to learn from each other and celebrate our differences. EquaSion’s festival has resulted in the creation of the most inclusive network of faith communities ever engaged in our region’s history.

Keep up with the latest information on the Festival of Faiths here.

Formation

Dismantling Racism Training

The Diocese of Southern Ohio will hold its next Dismantling Racism training on Saturday, July 24, at no cost on Zoom. Registration and more info here.

If your role requires antiracism certification but you cannot make the July 24 date, another training will be held on September 18. Or visit the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Justice and Healing in Atlanta to sign up for their online training (registration form is at the bottom of the page).

Certificates should be emailed to the Rev. Jason Oden or the Rev. Christopher Richardson to be added to our diocesan data base and saved for your own personal records.

Becoming Beloved Community

Advocacy update for June 29, 2021

Ohio Budget Relieves Advocates for Public Schools, Safety Net
State Supreme Court rules against arming teachers without safety training, but Legislature poised to change the law
Legislature passes bill creating new obstacles to wind and solar farms

Advocacy briefings are compiled by Ariel Miller, a member of Ascension & Holy Trinity, Wyoming, and a member of the diocesan Becoming Beloved Community Leadership Team.

Community news

Volunteer opportunity – The Exodus Prison Listening Program

Several years ago, members of St. Timothy’s, Cincinnati, established a new prison listening program at River City Correctional Center in Camp Washington on Cincinnati’s west side. The visiting program’s mission is to provide support, encouragement, and hope to inmates in a non-judgmental, confidential environment through listening. It is an extension of the Exodus Listening Program which was started to reduce prison suicide and it has been successfully operating in Northern Kentucky jails for the past 34 years.

In each visit to the jail, a two-person team visits privately with individual inmates over a two-hour period. They usually listen to between 2 and 4 people in the 2-hour visit. We had volunteers visiting both the men’s and women’s dorms on a weekly basis...until COVID-19 shut it down last spring. There was a short period of virtual visits starting early this year, and we have now been notified that in-person visits can restart this month. All volunteers must be fully vaccinated, and masking is required.

We are presently bringing on new listeners, both men and women. The simple process to become a listener takes about a month.

We hope to have teams in place for both the men and women by sometime in June.

If you are interested in learning more about this ministry, please contact John

Rudolph (johndrudolph@gmail.com) or Jane Holcer (janeholcer@gmail.com) for more information.

Connecting with our cathedral

Connecting with Procter Center

Repeat announcements

Electronic monthly Mission Share payments now available

For the past year, the diocesan Finance Office has been working on implementing an electronic pay option for our churches to remit their monthly mission share. We are rolling it out this month.

Congregations may begin to submit their mission share payment through an online portal with our financial accounting software company, Shelby. The DSO is making this change in response to parish requests for online payment option and because we believe the electronic system is more efficient and will reduce staff time to record the payments.

Bonding of parish treasurers and other officers who handle church funds

Recently, a congregation raised a question whether its Treasurer was required to be “bonded” in accordance with Episcopal Church and Diocesan Canons. Diocesan Canons state that treasurers and other officers of a church parish, mission or other institution be “bonded” according to Episcopal Church Canons. Episcopal Church Canons require that treasurers be “adequately bonded.”

CoCL grants can help with your 'new normal'

Did you have some amazing plans for reaching out into your local community to share the loving message of Jesus Christ and the mission of the Episcopal Church? In the midst of COVID did you have some great new ideas to try once COVID ended? Are you coming out of COVID with new ideas for ministry?

If you answered “yes” to any or one of these questions, then the Commission on Congregational Life may be of help. The Grant application for CoCL New Ministry Grants can be found here.

Also – if you have any questions or want to discuss your idea(s) please feel free to reach out to Fr. Seth Wymer, CoCL chair, at rector@stjohnlancaster.org.

Join the 2021 PIMIL virtual fundraising

The PIMIL Council made the difficult decision to cancel the in-person luncheon again this year. Instead, we will hold another virtual activity on July 17. Here's how you can help PIMIL reach its fundraising goal and get a tasty Liberian recipe too!

Read more
www.dsoconnections.org