Please note: Technical difficulties today with the website DSOConnections.org may cause some of the links in this newsletter to not work properly at this time. We are in process of moving the site to a new server to better serve you in the future. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
|
|
Dismantling Racism: Anti-racism training Dec. 12 |
|
One way that the Diocese of Southern Ohio addresses the racism within us and around us is through anti-racism training, called Dismantling Racism. The training is required of diocesan leaders, including members of commissions and committees, church staff, and vestry members. The next session will be held on Saturday, December 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Training is a two step process:
- Before registering for the workshop, view one of the videos in the Racial Justice section on the DSO Learning Site https://dsolearning.org/courses-list/#racialjustice. You will be asked for feedback on the video on your registration form.
- Register for the next Zoom training on Saturday, Dec 12 at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsduyopjgiHtLMoO3aaQ_qX21EO6cVmepz. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
There is no cost for the Zoom training. Questions? Contact Debby Stokes-Wayne at dstokes1@live.com. |
|
 |
Discerning a call to ordained ministry? |
Are you discerning a call to ordained ministry? In the past, the first engagement with the Commission on Ministry (CoM) for someone exploring a call to ordained ministry has been the Explorers’ Retreat, held at the end of January. This year, because of the pandemic, the CoM has restructured the Explorers’ Retreat, dividing it into two parts, both conducted via Zoom.
The first part is a two-hour informational session scheduled for Saturday, December 12, from 10 a.m. to noon. The second part – with more focus on discernment – will be the weekend of January 29-30, with a two-and-a-half hour session on Friday evening and a four-hour session Saturday morning.
The session on Dec 12 will cover the practical information you need to know about the process we use in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. It will also tell Explorers what they need to prepare and submit for the Explorers’ Retreat in January. Because of the informational nature of this session, there are no prerequisites to participate, but please register in advance so we can send you the Zoom link and associated information. This meeting is appropriate for the Explorers’ priests and the Explorers’ spouses to attend, in addition to the Explorers.
The Jan 29-30 session will run from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. This session is limited to Explorers who have submitted an application to attend, including a Faith Story and their priest’s endorsement. Explorers will be sent a Zoom link after their application has been accepted. Note that the Dec 12 session is a prerequisite for the Explorers’ Retreat. If you are unable to attend the Dec 12 session, please contact Sherri Martin or Spencer Pugh to discuss alternative arrangements.
There is no charge for either event. Registrations for both sessions can be found on the Diocesan website, here and here. If you have questions or need more information, contact Sherri Martin, Assistant to the Canons, at smartin@diosohio.org or Spencer Pugh, Chair of the Commission on Ministry, at spencerpugh@twc.com.
|
|
|
|
There are a number of important tasks church treasurers should complete by December 31. Many of these tasks come with specific compliance and legal considerations; others are simply end-of-year best practices for handling various areas of church finance.
To help you accomplish these tasks over these final seven weeks of the year, Church Law and Tax have provided this handy annual to-do list.
|
Questions on Workers Compensation |
Recently, a question was raised by a parish as to how to account for refunds and adjustments made by the Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC). This year there have been various “refunds” and dividends by BWC.
Each year BWC does a "True-Up" in July. Premiums are estimated, then reconciled, similar to what happens with Diocesan Mission Share. So, if the employer has overpaid, there is a refund that arrives to refund the overpayment. (It's also called a "refund" but of course it's actually an adjustment to the premium expense, unlike the Employer Premium Refund, which is an income item.)
How does a parish properly record it? The diocesan auditors have confirmed that such amount should be treated as an adjustment to the expense because it’s part of the planned process. Parishes know they were paying an estimate and then they true it up or down.
The second part to the question relates to the dividends the BWC has pushed out this year in April and in October in response to the financial impact of COVID-19 -
How does a parish properly account for these dividends in your financials? The diocesan auditors have confirmed that such dividends should be reported as other income on your financial statements.
|
If you have other questions, please contact the Rev. David Getreu, Associate for Financial Management and Oversight for the Diocese of Southern Ohio, at dgetreu@diosohio.org or Carine de Lange, Operations Executive and CFO, at cdelange@diosohio.org. |
|
|
|
Be Still and Know: Young Adult Virtual Retreat Dec 17-18 |
|
Join us for 2020's Young Adult Virtual Retreat, Be Still and Know. Take a deep breath and escape the chaos of 2020 as we provide an array of opportunities to reconnect with yourself and God.
If you register at the link below by December 4, a care package to enhance the retreat will be shipped to you. Registrations received after Dec 4 will receive their care package after the retreat has ended.
|
|
Advent Retreat Day at TSC |
Saturday, Dec 5, 12 to 5 p.m.
The lectionary texts for the second Sunday of Advent give us glimpses of how God uses the edge to pull us toward discoveries of a peace that is not of our own making. The edge is often the starting place of God’s unexpected shalom. This shalom is a gift which God awakens in order that the hidden wholeness and desire of Holy Love may find its way into our lived experience in often subtle yet profound ways.
This retreat will invite participants to consider the edge places and times of their own experience and the holy surprise that often lies hidden in such space. A blend of word, music, imagery, and much silence will be the gift that is shared so that the edge may be welcomed and even savored.
The retreat will be led by the Rev. David Long-Higgins, UCC Conference convener and current President of the Ohio Council of Churches.
|
|
|
|
New webinar series from Episcopal Church Foundation |
The first webinar is Wednesday, November 18 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. ET on Mapping Systemic Racism in Your Community (an urban perspective). GOL Participant Rev. Sheldon Hamblin and the congregation of St. Paul’s in the Village, Flatbush, NYC will serve as the case study. Systemic Racism is real. Often called Structural Racism, it has been woven into our societal structures over centuries in such a pervasive way that if you are not on the receiving end of it, you may have inherited a cultural blindness to it. In this webinar, you will learn how to use missional intelligence mapping not only to identify the specifics of how it affects vulnerable populations in your community, but also how you can confront those issues effectively. (Register here.) Note: this webinar using a rural perspective will take place in the spring.
|
The annual St. Alban's, Bexley Trot is a 5K run and 2K family run/walk. The family oriented event donates race proceeds to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank to help fight hunger in Central Ohio.
This year’s race will be held virtually. All participants will have the opportunity to run their own course of desired distance (5K or 2K walk/run) during the the week of Thanksgiving. The race window will open on Sunday November 22, 2020 at 6 a.m. and close on November 29, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.. All participants will enter their respective time through Runsignup. To sign up visit:
For more information or questions, please contact Jerry Nadeau, (330) 714.2821 or jnadeaujr@gmail.com.
|
|
|
|
The unintentional evangelist |
Amy Dohn Baird of St. Anne's, West Chester, shares unexpected connections she made while wearing an Episcopal shield mask.
|
|
|
|
Becoming Beloved Community |
|
|
Gun rights expansion bills: Please read and consider communicating your views immediately on two gun bills just introduced in the Ohio Legislature. Call the Speaker of the Ohio House, Rep. Bill Cupp, at 614.466.9624, and send an email to your own representative via http://www.ohiohouse.gov/. Please share a personal story that informs your view of the proposed bill.
HB248, like SB 317 we’ve been tracking, would allow people with no safety training to carry lethal weapons on school grounds if their school board authorizes them. It would reduce the minimum age to get a concealed carry license from 21 to 18. It would prohibit public universities from restricting students’ concealed carry.
HB 784, sponsored by Reps. Abrams and Carruthers, has a hearing in the House Criminal Justice Committee on Nov. 17. This is a Stand Your Ground bill that would allow Ohioans to use force to escape a riot. It would exculpate someone like Kyle Rittenhouse who shot and killed two people at the protest in Kenosha, WI. Your previous Stand Your Ground testimony could easily be adapted for this bill.
|
|
|
|
Ohio Senate now considering repeal of HB 6: This post provides updates on the effort to repeal HB 6, the energy law narrowly passed last year, connected with the $61 million dollar corruption case brought by the FBI this summer against then-House Speaker Larry Householder and several associates. This bill halted Ohio’s renewable energy and energy efficiency standards and provided bailouts to two nuclear plants and two coal plants at ratepayer expense.
After the indictment of Householder, repeal of HB 6 has stalled in the Ohio House, but SB 346, an equivalent, complete repeal bill with bi-partisan sponsorship, is now being debated in the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee. You can email your views to all members of the Committee via staffer John Wells at john.wells@ohiosenate.gov. The Committee Chair is Senator Steve Wilson, a strong proponent of the policy in HB 6. ohiosenate.gov/senators/wilson
Repealing HB 6 is an uphill climb. Many members of the relevant committees have received contributions from First Energy or longstanding opponents of Ohio’s previous renewable energy standards.
Two of the people indicted with Householder have pleaded guilty. On Monday, Nov. 16, the FBI raided the home of Sam Raduzzo,Chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). PUCO is currently auditing First Energy, which fired its CEO Chuck Jones in October after an internal investigation into the FBI racketeering case against Householder.
|
|
|
|
|
Follow the latest news and events related to The Episcopal Church's work on Becoming Beloved Community here in our diocese at http://dsobeloved.org.
Click here to subscribe to the Becoming Beloved Community newsletter
|
|
|
|
Connecting with our cathedral |
|
|
Music Live at Lunch
Music Live at Lunch, Christ Church Cathedral's weekly concert series, will feature the performers listed below in October. Currently these free concerts are being live streamed via Facebook on Tuesdays at 12:10 p.m.
Nov 24: The Ludlow Trio
Dec 1: Coro Volante: In the Deep Winter – Medieval and Modern Carols
Dec 8: Cantata Chamber Ensemble: Bach cantatas
Dec 15: Buffalo Ridge Jazz Band
Dec 22: Cathedral Choir with Elizabeth Motter (harp): Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols
|
|
|
|
An Advent Procession with Lessons and Carols
Sunday, November 29, 5 p.m.
Music to include: Let My Prayer Come Up as the Incense – Hallock; The Great "O Antiphons" – Mode 2 plainchant and Hallock; The Doctrine of Wisdom – Mathias; O Come, Divine Messiah – arr. Helvey; Virga Jesse – Juneau; Hosanna filio David – Luis de Victoria; Infinite Light – arr. Halley; Rorate caeli – Guerrero; There Is No Rose – Joubert.
This service is being live streamed only.
|
|
|
|
*In Response to COVID-19
All programming is subject to change due to pandemic-related restrictions. Whenever possible, we will offer services and concerts via live stream if in-person gatherings are not permitted. Please check the cathedral website (cincinnaticathedral.com) for updates throughout the season.
|
|
Christ Church Cathedral is located at 318 E 4th Street in downtown Cincinnati. For more information, news and events, visit cincinnaticathedral.com. |
|
Want to stay up to date with everything that is happening at Christ Church Cathedral? Check out the Weekly GPS, an e-newsletter sent out every Friday that includes all the upcoming (virtual) offerings at the cathedral. |
|
|
|
Grace Church, College Hill
|
|
|
|
Forward this email to a friend, and encourage them to sign up to receive e-Connections! |
|
|
|
|
Download our app! DSOConnect
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
