Following Jesus in Province II - The International Atlantic Province.

September 2021

News from the Province

Report from Synod September 9, 2021

Province II conducted its 2021 Synod on September 9 via zoom. Joining were 125 representing the 12 dioceses: Albany; Central New York; Cuba; Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe; Haiti; Long Island; New Jersey; New York; Newark; Rochester; Virgin Islands; and Western New York.

Province II formally welcomed the Diocese of Cuba as a full member of the Diocese. Cuba was approved to join Province II at the 2018 General Convention.

Province II also voted to accept the Diocese of Puerto Rico into the Province. This action requires ratification from General Convention, slated for July 2022. (See accompanying article).

Elections

Elected to offices for three-year terms were:

The Rt. Rev. Dr. DeDe Duncan-Probe of Central New York as President. She previously served as Acting President since 2020, Vice President in 2018.
The Ven. Walter Baer of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe as Vice President.
The Rev. Jimmie Sue Deppe of Rochester as Secretary.
The Rt. Rev. Caryle J. Hughes of Newark as Bishop Representative to Provincial Council.
Canon Phyllis Jones of New Jersey to a second term as Treasurer.
Yvonne O’Neal of New York to a second term as Lay Representative to Provincial Council.
The Rev. Johnnie Ross of Rochester as Clergy Representative to Provincial Council. He previously served as an appointee to that position.
Tom Chu, Esq. of New York as the Province II lay representative to Executive Council. His term will officially begin following General Convention 2022.

Appointments

Martha Berry, Esq., of Central New York was appointed Chancellor
Elisabeth Jacobs of New York was appointed Assistant Treasurer.

Budgets (note: these documents are available in Spanish and French from the Synod webpage)

The budgets for 2018-2022 and the 2022-2024 triennium were approved - available here:

Special thanks

Special thanks were offered to

Canon Paul Ambos, Esq. for his services as Secretary.
Canon Noreen Duncan for her service as Province II Lay Representative to Executive Council.
Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe for her services as Vice President and acting President.
Philip Fileri, Esq. for his service as Chancellor on his retirement.
The Rev. Dahn Dean Gandell for her service as President.

Resolutions

Resolutions are located here:

Also available:

Minutes of the Synod 2018 as adopted

Minutes of the Synod 2021 draft

Diocese of Puerto Rico

Iglesia Episcopal Diócesis de Puerto Rico

Diocese of Puerto Rico

Website: https://www.episcopalpr.org/index.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/episcopalpr

Twitter: https://twitter.com/episcopalpr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iglesiaepiscopalpr/

Bishop: The Rt. Rev. Rafael Morales

The Diocese of Puerto Rico to join Province II

by Yvonne O'Neal, Lay Representative to Provincial Council

At the recent Province II Synod, a resolution to accept the Diocese of Puerto Rico into the Province received a unanimous vote. Yvonne O’Neal, Lay Representative to Province II Council, presented the Resolution Regarding the Diocese of Puerto Rico. O’Neal represented the Province at a Special Convention of the Diocese of Puerto Rico on July 31, 2021. The Diocese of Puerto Rico convened this Special Convention to determine the change from Province IX to Province II, III, or IV.

Read the whole artticle >

Next year at the 80^th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, Puerto Rico will present a resolution for the approval and implementation as the thirteenth diocese in Province II, the International Atlantic Province. This vote should be a mere formality. So 2022 portends to be a big year in the life of the Diocese of Puerto Rico as it celebrates 150 years of Anglicanism and as it becomes a part of the International Atlantic Province – Province II. The year 2022 will undoubtedly be a year of joyful celebration, God willing. ¡Bienvenidos, Puerto Rico!

News from our twelve dioceses

Diocese of Albany

The Standing Committee is pleased to announce that Bishop Michael G. Smith has accepted a call from the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Albany to serve as our Assisting Bishop during the interim period before the election of our 10th Bishop. Read more >

Diocese of Central New York

Creation Care: Bitcoin mining means hot water for Seneca Lake

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency which creates an abstract unit of value that people track and spend with digital wallets. When someone contributes their computer’s power to process Bitcoin transactions, the computer also races to solve an equation, a process called “mining.” If the computer solves it in a way that meets the criteria developed in the equation, that solution will mint new coins. The number of “coins” created decreases by half every four years, known as “the Halvening“—which keeps the supply limited, guarding against inflation. Read the whole article >

Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe

Captain Katie Osweiler, chaplain in the US Air Force Reserves, sits down with Convocation Welcoming Officer Jane McBride to talk about the current response to the evacuation from Afghanistan. We are grateful that Katie was able to share her story with us, as we continue to pray and work for peace among all those who are impacted by the ongoing instability in Afghanistan.

The Episcopal Diocese in Cuba

En el episodio de hoy, para este Tiempo de la Creación, traemos a usted el podcast de la familia EpiscopaI cubana, con el lema: OIKOLOGÍA: LA SABIDURIA DE NUESTRO PLANETA.

Lee mas>

Diocese of Haiti

FFTP Looks To Be Catalyst for Change in Haiti as Quake Recovery Continues

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Sept. 1, 2021) In the 18 days since Haiti's southern peninsula was rocked by an earthquake, Food For The Poor has dispatched more than 60 truckloads of critical relief supplies to families in desperate need of food, water and shelter.

Response to the need for aid has been widespread, thanks to the hearts of compassionate donors who want to help Haiti recover. Read more from Food For the Poor >

Diocese of Long Island

Canon Claire Woodley Announces Two Projects Aimed at Understanding Systemic Racism in the Diocese of Long Island - The first is a web project, “Do Justice, Love Kindness, Walk Humbly: Displacing Systemic Racism,” a collaboration with FaithX and Data Story that uses data to understand the history of systemic racism and its impact in the Diocese of Long Island. The website can be found at www.dioceseli.org/systemicracism.

The second project, “Uncovering Parish Histories,” invites parish leadership to explore their parish history as it relates to Black people and other people of color. Those interested can receive assistance from the Rev. Dr. Craig Townsend to go through parish archives and other historical documents.

More information >

Diocese of Newark

One of America’s best-known spokespersons for an open, scholarly and inclusive Christianity, the Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong, died Sunday, September 12, 2021 at his home in Richmond, VA, after a period of declining health. He was 90 years old.

Read the whole news story >

Funeral services will be held at St. Peter’s, Morristown and at St. Paul’s, Richmond, VA. Dates and times will be announced as soon as they are available. Condolences may be addressed to: The family of Bishop Spong, c/o Diocese of Newark, 31 Mulberry Street, Newark, NJ 07102.

Diocese of New Jersey

The affiliated parishes of St. James Episcopal Church, Bradley Beach, and St. Michael the Archangel Episcopal Church, Wall Township have embarked on a new ministry, “The Global Outreach Ministry to Liberia.” This new ministry is an expansion of the current mission and outreach at both parishes. In May 2021, the Rev. Dr. James T. Yarsiah, Priest-In-Charge of the affiliated parishes, launched this new ministry. The global outreach effort is the first of its kind in the Diocese of New Jersey and is expected to continue. Read more >

Diocese of New York

A new initiative is launching in our diocese! EPISCOPAL FUTURES: An Initiative for Collaborative Transformation is funded in part by the Thriving Congregations Initiative of Lilly Endowment and by the Leadership Development Initiative of Trinity Church Wall Street. Visit the new website to learn more at episcopalfutures.org.

Diocese of Rochester

Re-member; Re-focus; and Rest - On September 11, 2001, I was on a hill in Franklin Lakes, NJ, staring at the twin towers as smoke rose from the destruction. Eklan was less than six months old, and I had just returned from the world conference against racism and other forms of discrimination in Durban, South Africa, and we gathered as a community to stand in solidarity.

Twenty years later, I want to remember 9/11 by recalling the tragic sense of helplessness along with the extraordinary hope in the capacity of the human spirit.

Diocese of the Virgin Islands

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – During the Government House weekly press briefing on Tuesday, September 7, Government House Communications Director Richard Motta Jr. welcomed students territory-wide back to school and in-person learning on behalf of Governor Albert Bryan Jr., who was touring pre-K through 2nd grade classes on St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John. More information >

The Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York & Northwestern Pennsylvania

The Rev. Roland Cooper and Good Shepherd, Irving, hosted 30 people from across the partnership dioceses, including Bishop Sean, for worship and to visit the grounds of the former Thomas Indian School.

"I was moved by the stories that Fr. Roland told," Archdeacon Diana Leiker of St. James, Batavia, said. "He spoke the truth about what happened at the Thomas Indian School as it was relayed to him by the many talks he had with his grandmother, and also by what he has experienced as a Native American. His gentleness and love reflects a life led as a follower of Jesus."

Read the whole story >

Opportunities, Grants, Resourc

See the complete listing and information >

This is just a partial list of what you will find if you go to the webpage!

Opportunities

From VTS:

Sep 20 Bible Meets Art: Visual Interpretation of Scripture (6-week course)
Sep 21 Conversations on Faith and Race: The Sacred Ground Curriculum
Oct 7 Deepening Spirituality in Our Parishes (4-week course)
Oct 21-22 Symposium on the Spirituality of Children

Grants

Episcopal Evangelism Society Grants
United Thank Offering invites 2022 Annual Grants

Resources

Episcopal Church Foundation’s Racial Justice and Reconciliation Resources
Task force announces training updates to Safe Church curriculum
TryTank

From Episcopal Church Foundation

Resources for engagement and learning on the themes of racial justice, healing and reconciliation
A new single online source for raising financial resources for your Episcopal parish or organization
Bring your assets to life with ECF's reliable and creative Endowment Management services
A Research-Based Diagnostic Inventory created in partnership with FaithX
Articles from Episcopal leaders on the theme: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month