ECCT WEEKLY ENEWSLETTER
April 9, 2019
Episcopal Relief & Development responds to flooding in the central United States; Cyclone Idai in South Africa; Shooting in Christchurch; tornadoes in Alabama and Georgia; and more

"For over 75 years, Episcopal Relief & Development has been working together with supporters and partners for lasting change around the world. Each year the organization facilitates healthier, more fulfilling lives for more than 3 million people struggling with hunger, poverty, disaster and disease. Inspired by Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, Episcopal Relief & Development leverages the expertise and resources of Anglican and other partners to deliver measurable and sustainable change in three signature program areas: Women, Children and Climate."

In March and April 2019, Episcopal Relief & Development was engaged in:
  • supporting Episcopal dioceses that have been impacted by the record-breaking flooding in the central United States;.
  • coordinating with Anglican partner organizations in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe in response to the powerful Cyclone Idai;
  • supporting the Anglican Missions Board of New Zealand in the wake of the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch earlier this month, killing 50 people and leaving another 50 injured;
  • supporting the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama as it coordinates a response to a series of tornadoes that devastated eastern Alabama in March.
 
Learn more about its work, and donate, at https://www.episcopalrelief.org/ . Or connect on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube. Episcopal Relief & Development has a four-star (top) rating from Charity Navigators.
From the blog : Church Mall
 by ECCT Digital Storyteller Alli Huggins
Not unlike moving from a single-family home to an apartment complex, freedom from building maintenance and new neighbors allows  St. Mark’s, New Britain to put less energy into a community building and more energy into building community. I had a chance to sit with the Rev. Shaw Mudge, Provisional Priest-in-Charge, and Molly Sherman, Junior Warden, at their new location of 90 Main St. at South Church, or as they conveniently refer to it as “Church Mall.” St. Mark’s has been at 90 Main St. since January. 

(Photo: View from the office)

This building in downtown New Britain hosts five separate churches:  South Congregational Church , Peace Missionary Ministries ,  Another Chance Ministries , Unitarian Universalists, and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. “It is a great way to mingle with people of different racial background,” Molly said. “It is very much a petri dish of racial reconciliation. Multiple churches and communities worshiping in the same space.” Because there are five different churches worshiping in various locations throughout this building on a Sunday, visitors have an opportunity to walk in and try something different. 

ECCT's Digital Storyteller Alli Huggins is using a blog site, episcopalct.blog , to share her stories and those from others. ECCT podcast episodes are linked, as well. You can search archives and submit story leads. Contact her at storytelling@episcopalct.org
Confirmation schedule change for May 11

Link here to most recent confirmation schedule.

Confirmands & Bishops Dinner planned for Tuesday, April 30
More info and register here . Questions? Contact Bonni McKenney by email or 203-639-3501 ext. 116.
Connecticut River Pilgrimage May 24-31: Three-day options available; register now!

The Southeast and South Central Regions of ECCT in partnership with Kairos Earth are bringing back a  Connecticut River Pilgrimage  this spring. It's shorter - just Connecticut. Pilgrims are invited to move deeply into prayer, contemplation, and movement by canoe or kayak as a community together from May 24-31.   There are two three-day options. Guides will again be Mark and Lisa Kutolowski, guides for the 2017 River Pilgrimage . The pilgrimage is open to applications from all faith backgrounds or none at all.

PB Michael Curry to be in DioMass; open invitation to events April 27 & 28

The Diocese of Massachusetts (DioMass) is gearing up for Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry's visit later this month and announces several public events that may be of interest to those of us in Connecticut.

Saturday April 27 in Boston: Jamboree at 1:30 p.m. with middle and high school youth at their cathedral, followed by 5 pm. "Way of Love" rally on Boston Common;

Sunday April 28 in New Bedford: Panel discussion "Our Episcopal 'Big Tent': How Big Is It?" 3 p.m. with PB Curry, retired Bishop Barbara Harris, and House of Deputies Byron Rushing.

All the details and publicity materials are available at  www.diomass.org/pb-visit .
PBS to air Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s four-hour documentary on Reconstruction April 9 & 16, 9 pm; related book just published


From the documentary promotion: " Henry Louis Gates Jr. presents a vital new four-hour documentary series on Reconstruction: America After the Civil War. The series explores the transformative years following the American Civil War, when the nation struggled to rebuild itself in the face of profound loss, massive destruction, and revolutionary social change. The twelve years that composed the post-war Reconstruction era (1865-77) witnessed a seismic shift in the meaning and makeup of our democracy, with millions of former slaves and free black people seeking out their rightful place as equal citizens under the law. Though tragically short-lived, this bold democratic experiment was, in the words of W. E. B. Du Bois, a ‘brief moment in the sun’ for African Americans, when they could advance, and achieve, education, exercise their right to vote, and run for and win public office.

From the book promotion: "A profound new rendering of the struggle by African-Americans for equality after the Civil War and the violent counter-revolution that resubjugated them, as seen through the prism of the war of images and ideas that have left an enduring racist stain on the American mind. The abolition of slavery in the aftermath of the Civil War is a familiar story, as is the civil rights revolution that transformed the nation after World War II. But the century in between remains a mystery: if emancipation sparked 'a new birth of freedom' in Lincoln’s America, why was it necessary to march in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s America? In this new book, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., one of our leading chroniclers of the African-American experience, seeks to answer that question in a history that moves from the Reconstruction Era to the 'nadir' of the African-American experience under Jim Crow, through to World War I and the Harlem Renaissance." 

ECCT's Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation (RHJR) Ministry Network  commends the documentary and the book as ways to stay engaged in ECCT's    Season of Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation .  
Don't miss it! Annual Spring Training & Gathering (for laity and clergy) April 27 in Berlin CT - Registration is open

289 people have already registered as of last night
Online registration closes April 14 at 11:59 pm - onsite fees are higher!
It's a day in the spring to gather with lay and ordained Episcopalians in CT for training (aka workshops) in various parish ministries as well as workshops that can help deepen your personal spiritual life.
Video above is sampling from workshops at the 2018 Spring Training. Info, links, registration, and resources also on this web page.
Basics:
Saturday, April 27, 2019
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Berlin High School, 139 Patterson Way, Berlin, CT

Registration fee:
Early registration has ended; regular registration is now $25/person and ends 4/14. After that, online registration closes and it's $35/pp at the door, space allowing.

Details :
Workshop details in booklet here.

ECCT PODCAST
Listen to the episode and others at Coffee Hour at The Commons , or on iTunes , Google Play , and Stitcher !

 Know of an interesting individual or unique ministry in ECCT? Maybe something going on at your parish, or someone there? Let us know!!
Episode #42 : "Archives: The Quilting Point of our History." Conversation with ECCT Archivist and Records Manager (since October 2018) Greg Farr about his path to his current career as well as about the holdings of the archives in Meriden, and his current work.
ECCT IN THE NEWS
The "Turning Weapons into Tools" Tour that stopped in New Haven was covered by the New Haven Register with a short paragraph of text and 28 photos. ( link here) The Episcopal Church in Connecticut is a partner through a grant from the Mission Development Fund to parishes in the SC Region that have formed a Swords to Plowshares Ministry Network to support this and related efforts.

Email Karin if your parish or worshiping community has been featured in non-ECCT media/news!
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT CAMP WASHINGTON?
Upcoming events at Camp Washington:

  • April 12, Bishop Laura Ahren's Book Study, Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner's Guide to Holy Week, by Amy-Jill Levine (info/register here)
  • April 14, Second Sunday w/the Rev. David McIntosh: short program; worship; shared meal
  • May 3-5, Annual Middle School Weekend; Narnia! (info & register here)
  • May 12, Second Sunday with Bishop Laura Ahrens: short program; worship; shared meal
  • June 21-23, Writing workshop w/Davyne Verstandig (info/register here)


Sign up the kids for summer camp! Programs include:
Mini-camp (ages 5-10); Children's Camp (ages 7-12); Teen Camp (ages 12-16); Wilderness Adventure Camp (ages 7-12 and 12-16); and Service Leadership Camp (ages 13-16).
Come to an Open House on May 5, 3 p.m. tour and BBQ. RSVP by phone, 860-567-9623
Camp Washington is the official Camp and Conference Center of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut (ECCT) and a resource for Christian development and spiritual formation for followers of Jesus. Camp Washington is located on 300 acres in northwestern Connecticut and organizes and/or hosts retreats, conferences, and events throughout the year and offers a full summer camp program. It is a place of “acceptance, joy, and renewal for all God’s people.”
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL?
Upcoming events at Christ Church Cathedral
* Specially designated Centennial year events

  • *April 11 (Thu., 7 pm): Cuatro Puntos Concert: Sounds of Persia with Iranian santur master Dariush Saghafi and composer Reza Vali (photo left) (tickets here)
  • April 16 (Holy Tuesday) Annual Clergy Renewal of Vows (register here)
  • April 20 (Holy Saturday) Region Confirmations - Easter Vigil (contact Alison Hollo for info)
  • May 4, Women Clergy event hosted by the Bishops
  • *May 5 (Sun. 10 am) Mariachi Eucharist
  • May 11 (Sat., 9 am-2 pm) Dean Kelly Brown Douglas, "What it means to be a Church in 'Make America Great Again' Times" (details and register here)
  • May 19, 50th Anniversary celebration for couples married 50 years or more
Christ Church Cathedral is the gathering place for the entire Episcopal Church in Connecticut and the seat of its bishops. It is “Connecticut’s Cathedral” as all Episcopalians in CT are members of the Cathedral. From our Cathedral we are called and empowered to participate in God’s mission in our local neighborhoods. In this its centennial year, our Cathedral is opening its doors in new ways to neighbors near and far.
ECCT CALENDARS
Events below are coming up in the next few weeks
The ECCT calendar is located  here . It allows you to filter events by category and includes a subscribe link at the bottom of the page. Specific details including locations, times, etc. will also be found there.

ECCT meetings and events calendar:

  • April 9: Mutual Ministry Review Training
  • April 10: COM meeting
  • April 11: Mandatory Clergy Professional Development Day (first of three dates in 2019)
  • April 12: Joining Jesus Clergy gathering; Joining Jesus coaches' gathering
  • April 13: Joining Jesus teams and coaches gathering
  • April 16: Clergy Renewal of Vows at Christ Church Cathedral (see below)
  • April 16: D&B Board Mtg.
  • April 19: The Commons is closed
  • April 13: ROC gathering; Faith & Order Cttee mtg.
  • April 25: Standing Cttee mtg
  • April 27: 7th Annual Spring Training & Gathering, Berlin
  • April 30: Interim PIC gathering; Convention Planning Team
  • April 30: Bishops and Confirmations Dinner (info/register)

Bishops' Schedule:

  • April 14: Bishop Ahrens, St. Alban's, Danielson; Bishop Douglas, All Saints', East Hartford
  • April 20, Confirmation: Bishop Douglas, 7:30 pm at Christ Church Cathedral; Bishop Ahrens, 7:30 pm Episcopal Church at Yale
  • April 28: Bishop Ahrens, Grace, Windsor; Bishop Douglas, Iglesia Betania, Stamford

Ministry Network meetings (see more on this calendar )

  • April 9, Climate & Environmental Min. Network Mtg., St. Stephen's, E. Haddam
  • April 10, Brotherhood of St. Andrew Mtg
  • April 15, EfM Open House at Epiphany, Durham
  • April 24, Greater Bridgeport Ministry Network Convocation

Region Leadership Events
  • April 12, NE Region Leadership Team Mtg
  • April 23, NC Region Leadership Team Mtg

Upcoming clergy events (see next category also)

  • April 11, Mandatory Clergy Professional Development/Safe Church Recertification (registration closed)
  • April 16, Renewal of Vows, Christ Church Cathedral, reflections by Bishop Stephen Lane, Bishop of Maine, Retired. Register here
  • May 4, Women Clergy event hosted by the Bishops at the Cathedral
  • May 9, Retired clergy, spouses & partners event Info/register here
  • May 14, Mandatory Clergy Professional Development/Safe Church Recertification
  • May 20-22, Clergy Conference, Westbrook Info/register here
  • May 23 Clericus: No. Central & So Central, at St. Peter's Cheshire; 11 a.m. Register here
  • June 4 Clericus: Northeast & Southeast, at St. Peter's, Hebron, 10 a.m. Register here
  • June 15: May 14, Mandatory Clergy Professional Development/Safe Church Recertification

Mandatory Clergy Professional Development Day (MCPD) - choose ONE
PARISH & REGION EVENTS
Events below are coming up in the next few weeks
Please visit this calendar for details on these parish events not listed above. To add an event, please fill out this form .

Parish events Listed here for April 9 - 30 (Ministry Network and Region Leadership, see above). Per sian music concert (Cathedral); Stations of the Cross (some followed by supper and Bible study); Lenten retreat w/Martin Laird; Enneagram workshop/retreat; Soup Soiree; Danbury concert chorus; EfM Open House; Good Friday services (one family-oriented/child-centered); Easter bake sale; "50s to now" concert; tag sale; chamber music; healing service; choral evensong; Four Seasons spring concert; book club: "Maid."

Selected event featured this week: Enneagram Retreat Saturday, April 13; 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. St. John's Episcopal Church 129 Ledge Hill Rd. North Guilford. Robert Lyons, Enneagram Coach, and Helena Martin, seminarian at Yale Divinity School, will teach a workshop on the Enneagram. This half-day retreat is designed to deepen your spiritual development by helping you uncover who you are and why you do the things you do. Before the retreat participants should read the book, "The Road Back to You" by Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile. Registration link with details here.
Sign up for Region Newsletters

All Region Missionaries will soon start to use an ECCT staff common account in Constant Contact for regular newsletters, so you can sign up right now to receive your Region's newsletter when it launches. (Most have already launched. They are fabulous!!)

The Region Missionaries will do their best to ensure that current subscribers are carried over to the new system but just to be sure (and in case you weren't on that subscriber list), you can subscribe now. Click on "Update Profile" at the footer of this enewsletter or go here and update your newsletter preferences to add more newsletters (or make other changes). You can change your subscription at any time.
Safe Church Training - Spring schedule started in March

All Safe Church Trainings (Comprehensive Basic and Lay Recertification) can be found on our website.

Important note for clergy only:

ALL clergy must attend one Mandatory Clergy Professional Development Day in 2019. These include Safe Church Recertification . Date options (link on them to register): Thu., April 11 in New Canaan; Tue., May 14 in Thomaston; and Sat. June 15 in Vernon.

OPEN POSITIONS - WE'RE HIRING!
Job openings may be found  here on the website . NOTE: Applicants will be able to submit their resume and cover letter to the contact person directly from the ECCT website, if that option is chosen by the person submitting the position for posting. 

ECCT staff positions:

  • Region Missionaries (three) to serve the Northwest Region, Southwest Region, and South Central Region - one Region Missionary per Region. The needs and priorities of the Regions and the particular talents and skillsets of the candidates will take precedence when matching candidates and Regions. Link here for more.
  • Canon for Mission Communication & Media -Link here for more
  • Dean of Formation - Link here for more
  • Canon for Mission Finance & Operations - Link here for more

Interviews are underway for the position of Racial Justice Resource Coordinator.

Parish and Camp pos itions:


For open Clergy positions please click here .
Congratulations to us!

ECCT has once again achieved All-Star status from Constant Contact, our email marketing provider. Plus, we received another badge for having this status each year for the past ten years. The annual award recognizes "the most successful 10 percent of Constant Contact's customer base, based on their significant achievements using email marketing to engage their customer base and drive results for their organization during the year." Criteria include level of engagement; open, bounce, and click-through rates; use of social sharing functions, use of mailing list signup tools; and use of reporting tools.

ECCT has used Constant Contact since about 2004, and we have actually received All Star status for most if not all of our years. Thank you, wonderful subscribers, and thank you to all the terrific enewsletter editors we have now, and have had in the past, over the years. And of course, thank you, Constant Contact!