Convocation Newsletter
(COVID-19 special edition #9)
May 15, 2020
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A Newsletter for Members and Friends of the Convocation of
Episcopal Churches in Europe
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Eastertide in a time of pandemic...
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In Time of of Great Sickness and Mortality....
O most mighty and merciful God, in this time of grievous sickness, we flee unto thee for succor. Deliver us, we beseech thee, from our peril; give strength and skill to all those who minister to the sick; prosper the means made use of for their cure; and grant that, perceiving how frail and uncertain our life is, we may apply our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom which leadeth to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
.
(1928 BCP, 45)
Sixth Sunday of Easter
O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
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Episcopal parish in Wiesbaden, Germany, reopens for worship
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A Reflection from Wiesbaden
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
John 14:15 (NRSV)
The State of Hessen, where St. Augustine’s, Wiesbaden is based, began permitting in-person worship again from May 1. We opened our building for worship again last Sunday, May 10 to give us time to plan and prepare for this return. One thing I can report, is that all those who came kept
our new commandments
:
Everyone brought and wore their own mask or face covering
– we did not have to use any of the extra masks we had bought.
Everyone waited patiently
outside behind the chalk markings to be seated.
Everyone disinfected their hands
on entering the building.
“Everyone” in this case was 39 people
, so both well below our usual Sunday attendance of 100 – 110 and also below the current maximum capacity of 50 people.
One thing I learned is that you can still see a smile behind a mask,
you can still see joy in people’s eyes
. And this was something I saw a lot of, not just but especially from those members who live alone and were therefore particularly glad to be among other people, their friends again – albeit with at least 1.5m distancing.
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Was it still church?
Yes, just not the “church” we had on March 8, our last public service before the building was closed. For one thing, we couldn’t do everything the same way we did before lock-down and we had to do without many things we love: congregational singing, physical contact, coffee hour …… For another, we were a relatively small group of 39 people! And yet the church did not seem empty. In my mind’s eye, the regular, 1.5 – 2m space between each person or couple was filled by one of our online/distance worshippers! In fact, our church community is not smaller, but larger than before.
Going forward, “church” is now hybrid, both physical and virtual, and a camera will always be present.
This is also the area we at St. Augustine’s still need to work on (I suspect not just us): having a stable internet, good audio and video, and incorporating the whole community in worship, it must be more than just a passive viewing opportunity.
In the end, I draw comfort from the knowledge that
we are all connected by something much more secure, much more permanent, much more powerful than technology
: The Spirit of truth, whom we all know, because this Spirit abides with us, and will be in us all. (John 14:17)
Blessings,
Chris+
The Rev. Christopher Easthill,
Rector of the Anglican/Episcopal Church of St. Augustine of Canterbury,
Wiesbaden, Germany,
and President of the Council of Advice
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Bishop Edington's "A Word from the Bishop" will return next week.
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Academy for Parish Leadership Online
June 5, 6, 20, and 27 in six sessions
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EQUIPPING THE SAINTS FOR THE WORK OF MINISTRY; BUILDING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST
The
Academy for Parish Leadership
is a project of
The European Institute of Christian Studies
. Through APL, the Convocation seeks to deliver quality education to support lay leaders in all manner of leadership issues.
APL 2020 will be online: June 5, 6, 20, and 27
(Register for some or all of the six online sessions)
Registration and Information
here
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"Living Out the Holy: "
Engaged Spirituality for Concerned Christians
This edition of the
Academy for Parish Leadership
will offer a range of speakers and resources on four topics at the center of the Convocation’s work and witne,ss in the world:
- Refugees and Migrant
- Climate and Creation Care
- Racism and Reconciling the Beloved Community
- Youth and Children: The Church of Today
These four priorities were set at the 2019 Convocation Convention. See Bishop Edington's Address
here
Participants in
APL 2020
will have opportunities to explore more deeply a variety of these topics, and to benefit from the perspectives of speakers motivated by their faith commitments to engagement in activism and witness.
We will explore both the spiritual underpinnings of that engagement and concrete, practical steps that we and our parishes can take to live out that commitment in 21st-century Europe.
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APL 2020 is Online
Join us :
1) Friday, 5 June:
- 19.00-20.15 CET Plenary session. Opening remarks by Bishop Mark Edington, and overview of what the task force is, who will be presenting, what to expect out of the sessions.
2) Saturday, 6 June:
- 10:00 Session 1: Refugees and Migrants
- 16:00: Session 2: Climate and Creation Care
3) Saturday, 20 June:
- 10:00 Session 3: Racism and Reconciling the Beloved Community
- 16:00 Session 4: Youth and Children
4) Saturday, 27 June:
- 10:00 a.m. Final plenary session, reporting back, next steps, worship.
Register for some or all of the six online sessions -
here
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The online sessions will include speakers from within and outside of the Convocation
who are motivated by their faith commitments to engagement in activism and witness. We will have online breakout sessions to discuss and explore both the spiritual underpinnings and look at concrete, practical steps so that we can live out our commitment in 21st-Century Europe.
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The Taskforce on Stewardship of Climate and Creation Care:
“Our speaker is the Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus who has served as the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California since 2006. Bishop Marc has a BSc in Plant Science, Master in Social Sciences and a Master of Divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary. His leadership has focussed on key issues relating to immigration reform, health care and climate change. His work includes involvement in the
Paris UN Climate Conference (COP 21)
in 2015 and
Marrakesh in 2006 (COP 22)
. Together we will explore why Episcopalians should care about climate change and how parishes can help to lead a reversal of anthropogenic climate change.”
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Watch the Conversation with Dr. Radford
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“Covid, Community, and a
Changed Church”
A Conversation with the Reverend Professor Gina Radford
, Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England and Team Vicar, Dart and Avon Mission Community, Diocese of Exeter (Church of England)
Few people are better qualified to speak to our present moment than Gina Radford. After qualifying in medicine at the Royal Free Hospital, Dr. Radford trained as a GP and became Director of Public Health in South West Devon. From there she became head of the Public Health Development Union at the Department of Health, where, among other things, she was responsible for the establishment of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. In 2013, she helped lead the UK’s national response to the emergence of Ebola, and in January of 2015 was appointed Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, a post she held until June of 2019.
A lifelong Christian, Dr. Radford was ordained to the priesthood in the Church of England in 2016. She now serves as Team Vicar for South Brent and Rattery in the Diocese of Exeter as Team Vicar.
View the
conversation
here
The forum took the form of a conversation between Professor Radford and Bishop Edington on Wednesday, May 13, with questions welcomed from registered participants.
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Please send us
Alleluias!
We’re continuing with our daily Alleluia on the Convocation’s Facebook page (
https://www.facebook.com/EpiscopalEurope/
). Please contribute a drawing, a picture, or just a selfie with an
“Alleluia”
— and we’ll share it with the world! Heaven knows we need to keep up the supply of Easter joy as we move cautiously back out of our isolation.
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Upcoming Youth Commission Event:
PENTECOST PROJECT 2020
The Convocation Youth are invited to submit creative ideas for a project we are calling “
Pentecost Project 2020
”. We are going to tell the story of
Pentecost
and we need your help!
Check out the attachment for all the details. You can create a short video, drawing, claymation, lego scene…anything that helps tell the story of
Pentecost
. We’ve broken down the reading into different parts and you can choose what part you want to focus on. Or you can submit something for every part! For any questions, email
Youthcommission@tec-europe.org
We can’t wait to see what creative ways we can tell the story of
Pentecost!
Pentecost Project
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Online Alleluia!
The Youth met online for bible study and enjoyed an
Alleluia
moment!
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A useful resources from the Youth Commission:
FAITH AT HOME - RESOURCES FOR ALL AGES
-
DOWNLOAD
For more information on youth events and registration, please visit the Youth Ministry webpage
HERE
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Online Worship in the Convocation
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Online Worship Opportunities for Sundays and Weekdays
With all our church buildings closed to public worship, many of our parishes and missions have moved their Sunday and weekday Worship online. Consider taking part in worship with your sisters and brothers in Christ across Europe.
All times are (Central European Summer Time (CEST).
Worship on Sundays and during the week:
Sundays
Mondays
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
- American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Paris, FRANCE **
- 9:00 a.m. Morning prayer live-streamed - here
- Compline available each day on YouTube - here
- Christ the King, Frankfurt, GERMANY - link
- 19:00 Compline
- Emmanuel Church, Geneva, SWITZERLAND
- 12:30 p.m. Noonday Prayer - Link
- Resurrection, Orvieto, ITALY
- Morning Prayer at 9:30 a.m. (in Spanish)
- St. Augustine, Wiesbaden, GERMANY
- Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. "Word and Worship" - link
- St. James, Florence, ITALY
- Evening Prayer at 6:00 p.m.
- St. Paul's Within the Walls, Rome, ITALY
- Morning Prayer, Rite II at 12:00 Noon
Thursdays
Fridays
Saturdays
**
All live-streamed services are posted to the Cathedral
YouTube
and
Facebook
and may be accessed at any time.
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Congregational Plans for reopening churches
- see the Bishop and Council of Advice directives
on
Regathering the Church Prayerfully and Intentionally
here
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Convocation COVID-19 Webpage
Information in one place
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Convocation COVID-19 Response
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Please visit our
webpage
dedicated to our COVID-19 response, as well as other resources.
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A Message from the Presiding Bishop
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Grant Applications for 2021 Now Available!
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Grant Applications for 2021 Now Available!
The Finance Committee of the Convocation has decided to extend the deadline for applications for next year’s grants to May 31, 2020. Instructions to guide grant-writers may be found at
this link
, and the application form may be found at
this link
.
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Dear fellow Convocation Ministers and Wardens,
Alleluia, He is risen indeed! As we celebrate Easter this year we are more aware than ever of the importance and need for live music, dance and art outside of our own 4 walls. Our churches supply us not only with a building for worship, but a building full of art, whether it be church music, altars, windows, sculptures, performances and the list goes on.
I am writing today to remind you all that the
Whalon Fund for the Creative Arts (WFCA
) is now taking grant applications for 2021. Please see below for more information as well as links to our webpage, fund guidelines and application.
Please also forward this information to all your committee leaders that would be interested in this fund (Fine Arts committees, Vestries, Choir/Music directors, Sunday School teachers etc.).
We wish you a blessed Eastertide.
WFCA Committee
Parishes and missions in the Convocation are invited to submit grant proposals to support their work. Grants will be made for up to €500. Grant applications are due by
June 1, 2020.
LINKS
Fund Guidelines - see
here
Application form - download
here
If you would like more information or would like to give to the WFCA please see our
Webpage (click here)
.
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Upcoming Convocation Events
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CANCELED OR POSTPONED EVENTS
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- July 5-12 Episcopal Youth Event - postponed to 2021 - info
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- June 21: Consecration of the new Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht - POSTPONED
- July 19: U.S. Bishops visiting Convocation Parishes and Missions - CANCELED
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Spring 2020
- May 16 - Finance Committee Meeting - Moved online
- May 17: Clergy and Wardens gathering - online 2:30 p.m.
- May 30: Visitation at Church of the Resurrection, Orvieto, Italy
- May 31 Pentecost Project 2020 online Youth Event - link HERE
- May 31: Visitation at St. Paul's Within the Walls, Rome, Italy
- June 1-5: Bishops Meeting: "Living our Vows"
- June 6: Clergy Morning Prayer
- June 29 - July 2: Clericus
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Fall 2020
- October 15-18: TEC-ELKB dialogue - Augsburg, Germany
- October 22-25: 2020 Convocation Convention in Nice, France
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About five years ago, Canon Jere Skipper began the work of expanding the Episcopal Asset Map to include our congregations and ministries in Europe to the church-wide resource.
All of the parishes, established missions, and other ministries are on the Asset Map. Much more information needs to be added. Please consider updating the Episcopal Asset Map entry for your church or ministry. If you need help contact the
archdeacon
.
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Convocation Communications Committee
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Trinité Magazine
Spring 2020 issue
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The Convocation Communications Committee (CCC) coordinates the communications of the Convocation. Special emphasis is given to Social Media, and close coordination with the parishes and missions of the Convocation. Existing modes of communication such as newsletters and the website are getting a facelift.
Members are: Thomas Girty (Paris), chair; Felicity Handford, Marc Smets-Tolley (both Waterloo), Walter Baer (Paris), Audrey Shankles (Wiesbaden), Helena Mbele-Mbong (Geneva), and Ellen Hampton (Paris), ex-officio. Others are being added.
The Convocation is now also featured with four pages in the cathedral's semi-annual publication
Trinité
, covering Convocation events.
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Did you miss Church?
Check out an on-line sermon:
See Bishop Edington's Sermon for Easter 2
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here
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Other pulpits in the Convocation:
Check other congregational webpages
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A la radio : le Magazine Anglican
Le « Magazine Anglican », animé par Laurence Moachon, paroissienne de la Cathédrale de la Sainte Trinité à Paris.
À propos du Magazine Anglican :
Depuis septembre 2012, Laurence Moachon présente le 4e samedi du mois, le Magazine Anglican. Avec l’objectif de faire mieux connaître la tradition anglicane au public français, elle traite de sujets d’actualité culturelle, historique, liturgique ou ecclésiologique dans la Convocation et la Communion Anglicane.
ÉCOUTEZ OU TÉLÉCHARGEZ LE MAGAZINE ANGLICAN sur :
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Regarding Allegations of Clergy Sexual Abuse
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Important information on the lifting of the Statute of Limitation regarding clergy sexual abuse...
Let it be known that for three years in the Episcopal Church there is no statute of limitation on clergy sexual abuse. Every diocese has a confidential way to make a report. In Europe here is ours:
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Read the latest on what's going on in the wider church
and much more....
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"Go forth for God; go to the world in peace; be of good courage, armed with heavenly grace, in God's good Spirit daily to increase, till in his kingdom we behold his face."
Hymn 347 - Holy Eucharist; Music: Litton
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The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe | 23 avenue George V, 75008 Paris, France
+33 (0) 1 53 23 84 06 | office@tec-europe.orgl | www.tec-europe.org
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