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Bishop Prior’s Recommendations for Holy Week Worship
Stay Home, Stay Healthy in Holy Week
How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
Psalm 137:4
Friends, we are living through an unprecedented time. Holy Week and Easter liturgies are the most important liturgical celebrations of our tradition, yet we must now find ways to live the rhythm of Holy Week from our homes, in order to practice the way of love in the midst of pandemic. Furthermore, we know that the pastoral load associated with COVID-19 and its impacts is going to become more intense, not less, in the coming weeks. With that in mind, I offer you the following recommended approach to worship with your faith community during Holy Week.
If you have not yet created resources for remote worship for your faith community, we strongly recommend that you take the following approach.
- Choose a few of the adaptable resources gathered by Virginia Theological Seminary and ECMN faith communities here. Invite members to engage in one or more of these worship-at-home resources over the course of the week.
- A simple Agapé Meal for Maundy Thursday
- Solemn Collects for Good Friday, and Stations of the Cross
- The Great Vigil of Easter
- Resources for creating a home altar and observing Holy Week with children
- Use Zoom or another digital medium to connect directly with each other at a pace that is sustainable for your community.
If you have already created resources to use in your faith community, please consider sharing by
uploading those files to this shared google drive
.
I applaud the creativity and pastoral sensitivity so many of you have been able to bring to this situation, and the generosity you’ve offered in sharing it. I will be adding an Easter Message video to this shared drive on Monday, April 6th that can be shared with each faith community.
I invite you to this week's webinar on Tuesday at 2pm with other ECMN faith leaders to dive more deeply into this recommendation and answer questions. You can register for this webinar
by clicking here
.
Additionally, The Rev. Tom Harries has extended an invitation to those designing liturgies for zoom to do so together by joining a zoom meeting today, March 30th at 1:30pm.
Click here to join that meeting
.
Regardless of your approach to Holy Week liturgies this year,
I expect you to discontinue holding any kind of in-person or public gatherings
, including for Holy Week, in compliance with the current recommendations from the CDC, the Governor’s office, and in accordance with
the actions of the Episcopal Church
.
Please offer your leadership from your home.
Our lay and ordained leaders leading from home is a powerful way of showing our care for each other.
We are Easter people.
The work of telling the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in a strange time and in strange new ways is upon us now for the pastoral care of our communities and for the public good. As leaders, your care for your own health and wellness is crucial for the long haul of this work. We will sing the Lord’s song – and we will trust the Holy Spirit is ahead of us, and will meet us there.
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Recent Communications from ECMN
As events unfold, ECMN has sent out several notices. Please find links to all of these notices with important information below.
Consent Process
- a notice alerting ECMN that we have successfully completed the consent process required by the Episcopal Church in order to move forward with consecrating and ordaining our 10th Bishop. Good news!
Consecration
- a
notice regarding the Consecration of the Very Rev. Craig Loya as the X Bishop of ECMN
Events
- a
n update on upcoming ECMN events
Finance
- a
notice from ECMN Leaders regarding the financial health of faith communities
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Resources Regarding COVID-19
Find information that has come out from ECMN regarding resources and recommendations regarding COVID-19 response, and a regularly updated list of resources
on this page
.
Have questions or need support? Contact your Missioner for Community Engagement, Rachel Babbitt at
rachel.b@episcopalmn.org
, or 612-870-3321. Even though she's working from home, she'll get your voicemail!
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Add your Online Worship to the Episcopal Asset Map
If you are the leader of a faith community that is offering live-streamed services, please
update the Episcopal Asset Map
with links to where these services are uploaded or posted. This request comes from the Episcopal Church, and creates a one-stop-shop for Episcopalians to find services based on their needs and availability.
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ECMN Faith Leader Webinars
Tuesdays at 2pm
If you are a faith community leader, please place a hold on your calendar for Tuesdays at 2pm for the foreseeable future. Bishop Prior will be hosting a weekly webinar to update everyone on the situation as it unfolds, and we will invite different voices to provide perspective and help us all plan during these eight weeks and beyond. on Tuesday March 31st, we will be discussing Holy Week.
Please click here to register
.
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Episcopal House of Prayer - Contemplative Prayer Online Gatherings
Wednesdays at 5:30pm
The Episcopal House of Prayer will be offering contemplative prayer via Zoom at 5:30 every Wednesday evening.
Click here for an update
from the Director, Christine Luna Munger, and to learn more about the Wednesday evening gatherings.
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LeaderWise Online Gatherings
Thursdays at 12pm
ECMN partner
LeaderWise
is offering weekly zoom conversations, Thursdays at 12, called Joining Together in Resilience: Caring for Others, Caring for Ourselves.
Learn more here.
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Webinar Recordings
Episcopal Relief and Development
The CEEP Network
This network has offered several useful webinars on various topics, including
Communications in the Time of COVID-19, Parish administration in an evolving time, and resource to support church fundraising. You can watch these archived webinars
on their youtube channel by clicking here
.
ECMN Faith Leaders Weekly Webinars
Find links below to recordings of webinars offered to ECMN faith leaders regarding updates and resources about COVID-19 and it's impact on faith communities.
March 13th
- an overview of initial recommendations and situation update
March 24th
- ECMN events and planning for emergency responses
ECMN - Pastoral Care
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JRLC Day on the Hill,
April 1 -
ONLINE
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Bishop's Purse
The Transition Committee and ECMN Council invite everyone in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota, including affiliates, to give toward a purse (the traditional gift given to a retiring Bishop), for Brian Prior as he retires. Bishop Brian and Staci Prior have served God and The Episcopal Church in Minnesota with love, vision and grace for over ten years – let us send them on the next part of their journey with a generous financial gift to assist them on the way.
Give via check
You can mail your check to the ECMN offices (1101 W Broadway Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55412). Checks should be made out to the Episcopal Church in Minnesota, referencing Bishop Prior Gift in the memo line.
Give Online
This gift is not tax deductible under IRS code.
The purse will be presented to the Priors with a list of donors a few weeks preceding the Consecration and Ordination of Bishop-Elect Craig Loya. Let us show the Priors our affection! Please give with a cheerful heart.
Thank you,
The Rev. Beth Royalty (Chair, Transition Committee)
The Rev. Maggie Nancarrow (Vice-Chair, Transition Committee)
Mr. Brian Ostenso (Vice-President, ECMN Council)
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St. David's Employs 'Peace Cam' in Digital Worship
St. David's in Minnetonka uses technology to keep parishioners connected during worship.
During this time of physical distancing, St. David's in Minnetonka has elected to record worship. To foster connection to one another, members have been recording themselves, in their homes, wishing peace to those in their families and those at home. Each week, new members will record themselves wishing peace to their community. To see this in action, you can
watch the video here
.
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Face Mask Ministry
St. John's in Linden Hills joins
community-wide efforts
to make hand-sewn facemasks for healthcare providers. If you have minimal sewing talent and would like to join them participate, follow this
link
to find complete instructions on sewing CDC compliant masks that are currently being accepted by our local hospitals.
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From the Episcopal Church
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The Episcopal Church Resources
The Episcopal Church is offering resources for faith communities and individuals. These resources are curated on the Episcopal Church website here, and include the Presiding Bishop's weekly videos on Habits of Grace and daily morning meditations.
Find these resources here
.
Parochial Report
The Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, Executive Officer of the General Convention, oversees parochial report policy (among many other duties). On March 18 he published a
one-page set of guidelines
for data-keeping.
Read more here
.
Please note that
the deadline for the Parochial Report has been waived
; it will remain open for the foreseeable future.
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Applications for TEC's '20-21 Academic Year Scholarships Now Open
Applications are now being accepted for educational scholarships from The Episcopal Church for the 2020-2021 academic year. A scholarship applicant must be an Episcopalian and must have the endorsement of his/her bishop.
Learn more here.
Applications are due April 8.
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Sheltering Arms Grant Proposals
The Sheltering Arms Foundation is now accepting proposals for its annual Episcopal Faith Community outreach grants. Small grants ($1,000 maximum) are offered to faith communities, supporting their efforts in building potential for vulnerable children and their families. These grants fund a wide array of activities such as tutoring, youth enrichment, arts programming, or community partnerships.
For more information, please see here.
Applications are due by April 1, 2020.
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Find More Resources, Stories and Opportunities
Click below to find even more resources, stories, and opportunities on the ECMN website.
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The Episcopal Church in Minnesota | 612-871-5311 | info@episcopalmn.org episcopalmn.org
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