The soft rings of Tibetan singing bowls and catchy strains of contemporary music you will hear during monthly meetings of Fresh Start Spiritual Practices at Trinity Episcopal Church in Troy are not sounds most people associate with Episcopal churches. And that is by design.

“I’m a Lutheran pastor serving an Episcopal congregation, so when I came to Trinity a little over a year ago, from the beginning I had wondered about what kind of service might appeal to people outside our congregation,” says the Rev. Ann Marie Winters, Trinity’s pastor.

“At first I was thinking of a service of prayer and praise, but I realized that would be really no different than a prayer service that many other churches do midweek, and I wanted this to be based on what we could offer that might be different to attract people who are not comfortable going into a traditional church,” Winters says.

Reaching out to such people is a challenge for every Episcopal church. At Trinity, Winters decided the first step lay in meeting their immediate needs. “In the pandemic, we were isolated so much from one another in community, and there’s a real need to do spiritual practices together as a group and to build community again,” she says. “I leave the denominational aspect understated. The point is for people to feel drawn in rather than excluded.”

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Greater Cincinnati people with any stage of dementia, together with their care partners are invited to a series of three “Dancing to Remember” ballroom-dancing lessons on Wednesdays in June, followed by a Celebratory Saturday Showcase for friends and family where they can display what they have learned! The best part – it’s free.

Learn more.

June 4: Dayton, Hamilton, Hillsboro

June 18: Columbus

June 25: Cincinnati and Granville

If you are interested in marching in a parade or working at a vendor tent at any festival, please contact the organizers by filling out the form at https://episcopaliansinconnection.org/pride/. Churches are welcome and encouraged to bring materials to hand out at the tent in addition to those that the diocese will supply.

Forms, policies, and other information for congregational management can be found on the resources hub on the diocesan website.

Campus ministry grants applications for the 2022-23 program year are due no later than June 17. The grant application can be found on the diocesan website under Financial Assistance.

Please direct any questions about the grants or granting process to the Rev. Deborah Woolsey at revdebwoolsey@gmail.com.

Learn more.

A complete list of events can be found on the diocesan calendar.

With support from the United Thank Offering, the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio has committed to the call of Becoming Beloved Community, with deepening focus on the work of racial healing, reconciliation, and justice-making. Learn more and subscribe to the Diocese of Southern Ohio Becoming Beloved Community newsletter.

Read the Becoming Beloved Community Advocacy update.

For more information about seasonal opportunities as well as ongoing opportunities such as Education for Ministry, Safe Church Training and Anti-Racism Training, visit the Formation page on the diocesan website and subscribe to the Diocese of Southern Ohio Formation newsletter.

Procter Center is a retreat and event facility owned and operated by the Diocese of Southern Ohio and located in London, Ohio. It serves spiritual, community, business and youth organizations, as well as families.

Learn more at proctercenter.org/camp.

If your congregation would like to have news or an event notice published in the newsletter, email Julie Murray.

The Canterbury Choir of Saint Mark’s, Columbus, will conclude its season with a service of Choral Evensong on Sunday, May 22, at 4 p.m. Music will include the stirring Evening Service in C by George Dyson, anthems by John Bertalot and Robert J. Powell, and a setting of Psalm 34 in Anglican chant.

The Canterbury Choir is the children’s choir of Saint Mark’s. The participants follow the Royal School of Church Music program as they develop their abilities as singers and their love of choral and sacred music. The Evensong is the culmination of the choir’s year.

Admission is free. Reception will follow.

The congregation of St. Simon of Cyrene, Lincoln Heights, invites you to celebrate our 90+1 Anniversary on Sunday, May 15, at 10 a.m. A luncheon will follow the service.

The preacher will be the Most Rev. James W. Francis, Canon Emeritus of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity Anglican Church of Bermuda.

Please RSVP by May 9 to 513.771.4828.

Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church understands the urgency of climate change and has taken action to reduce their carbon footprint. To share what it has learned, the church will hold a workshop and tour in partnership with Faith Communities Go Green, on Sunday, May 22, at 2 p.m. The church is located at 103 William Howard Taft Road in Cincinnati.

Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church has made “Earth Care” a foundational principle of their faith community. Congregation members will share how they planned and paid for building modifications, installed energy-efficient windows throughout their facilities, and upgraded the heating and cooling system with high-efficiency pumps. Their roofs are covered with solar panels that have cut electrical demand from the grid by 63%. 

Faith Communities Go Green partners with religious communities to create a more sustainable and equitable future for all by mobilizing their moral voice to reduce the risk of catastrophic climate change. To learn more and register go to https://greenumbrella.org/event-4777710   

St Paul’s, Oakwood, will present Harps of Grace, a concert of classical, Celtic and American music, on Sunday, May 15, at 3 p.m.

Join Faith Communities Go Green for a free webinar to discuss simple ways your grounds maintenance and landscaping can be friendlier to your community's ecosystem. Canon Jason Oden will serve as one of the panelists.

Register here.

Join the Episcopal Church Women of St. Margaret’s, Dayton, for their annual Women’s Day Weekend celebrations on May 21-22. The theme for this year is Women Chosen for Such a Time as This.

By the grace of God, and the consent of the people, the congregation of St. Barnabas, Montgomery invites you to a Celebration of New Ministry as they welcome their third rector, the Rev. Canon Jane Gerdsen, on the Feast of St. Barnabas; Saturday, June 11, 2022 at 2 p.m. Clergy are invited to wear red stoles. Your prayers and virtual presence are invited. Reception to follow the service. Please RSVP online.

Christ Church Cathedral is located at 318 E. 4th Street in downtown Cincinnati. Learn more on the cathedral website and subscribe to the cathedral newsletter.

May 17: The May FestivalL Five Centuries of Music for Low Voices

May 24: The May Festival: American Voices

May 31: Moyen Age – Medieval music

Learn more.

Christ Church Cathedral annual Parish Picnic May 22 

 

Christ Church Cathedral would like to invite diocesan friends to its Annual Parish Picnic at Mt. Echo Park on Sunday, May 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Church will take place outside at the Mt. Echo picnic shelter with the worship service beginning at 10:30, followed by food, fun, and fellowship. Please bring a camping chair/blanket/comfortable picnic seating. This is also a great opportunity to bring a friend or neighbor for Sunday service, so please extend the invitation! There will be family-friendly games and events for everyone to enjoy. If it rains, the food, fun and festivities will move to the Cathedral with a service at 10:30 a.m. Please RSVP at cincinnaticathedral.com. 

 

What’s happening at the Cathedral on Sunday, May 22? 

The Cathedral doors will be open for those who are not able to attend the picnic. Spoken Eucharists will take place in Centennial Chapel at 8 and 10:30 a.m. These services will not be live-streamed. 

You are invited to join cathedral Sub-Dean Paul Williams as he hosts our Wednesday Evening Disciple’s Way Series starting May 18. During this three-week offering, we will examine the ways in which the Church serves––and does not serve––people today who are longing to follow Jesus. Join us as we gather in the library and enjoy worship and a meal together, followed by our program. This offering is May 18 and May 25, with the final gathering on June 1 welcoming the Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith, Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, as our special guest host.

Worship begins at 6 PM, followed by a potluck dinner and discussion. Questions? Email Sub-dean Paul Williams at pwilliams@cccath.org. Registration is recommended, but drop-ins are welcome.

Christ Church Cathedral hosts the traveling exhibit, Icons in Transformation, until May 22. This art exhibit by artist Ludmila Pawlowska features a mix of mediums ranging from paintings to large installation pieces to sculptures. The exhibition is one of only five stops within the United States and is free and open to the public during cathedral hours.

All artist proceeds from sales of art work at Icons in Transformation in Cincinnati will be donated to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and CARE International to provide life-saving protections to families forced to flee their homes in Ukraine.

Read more.

May 22: St. Thomas, Terrace Park

June 5: Christ Church Cathedral (Pentecost)

June 19: St. Peter's, Delaware

See all job opportunities on the diocesan website.

Email Julie Murray to add a job listing.

The {e} Connections newsletter is published each Tuesday. Please send submissions to communication@diosohio.org by noon on the Monday before publication.

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