Angela Byrd is no longer with the diocesan staff, and she leaves with all good wishes for the future. In the interim, please forward all questions regarding payroll or benefits to Christine Perme at cperme@diosohio.org.
As part of restructuring in the Finance Department, the position of Payroll and Benefits Administrator has become part-time. Posting for this job can be found here.
Explorers' events for those discerning ordained ministry
Are you discerning a call to ordained ministry? Do you want to explore further that pull you feel to be a deacon or priest?
An Explorers' Information Session will be held Saturday, December 11, from 10 a.m. to noon, by Zoom. The annual Explorers’ Retreat will be January 28 and 29 at Procter Camp and Conference Center. For someone wanting to begin the formal process of exploring a call to ordained ministry in the diocese, they are required to attend both the Information Session and Explorers’ Retreat.
Registrations for both sessions can be found in our online event calendar. There is no charge for the Information Session. There is a $100 fee for the Explorer’s Retreat. If you have questions or need more information, contact Sherri Martin, Diocesan Transitions Officer, at smartin@diosohio.org or Spencer Pugh, Chair of the Commission on Ministry, at spencerpugh@twc.com.
Becoming Beloved Community
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.
Ohio’s 2019 energy bill HB 6, whose core was the First Energy subsidies that are the basis of the federal $61 million dollar bribery case, also included subsidies for OVEC’s two aging, inefficient, and polluting coal-fired plants, costing Ohio ratepayers $233,000 a day. Ohio Citizen Action invites you to come to the High Street side of the Statehouse on Thursday, Dec. 9, from noon to 1 pm to call for the repeal of these subsidies by passing SB 1117 and HB 351. Elves will deliver stockings filled with coal to Ohio legislators.
Build Back Better Bill
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer aims to pass this bill by Christmas. A huge wave of support from voters will help him achieve this daunting task. The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations says this bill includes the most ambitious climate change policies in U.S. history, in addition to investments in child care, health care, and many other essential work supports. The Sierra Club has published a crisp factsheet with footnotes on the Build Back Better bill passed by the House of Representatives in November. Please use this to raise public awareness:
Write letters to the editor and guest columns on the environmental provisions of the Build Back Better Bill.
Write, call, and tag U.S. Senators Portman, Brown, McConnell, and Paul.
A real chance to fix gerrymandering
On Nov. 30, Common Cause held a webinar on the real chances of passing the Freedom to Vote Act with its national remedies for partisan gerrymandering, which has brought us a host of laws counter to the majority of voters’ views, driven by extreme groups on the left or right (depending on the party who rigged the maps) who determine the composition of legislatures by “primarying” moderate candidates who don’t meet their ideological litmus tests. The key problem is the current state of the Senate filibuster, which Republicans have used to block even debate on the Freedom to Vote Act. Common Cause policy experts explained that the filibuster is more like Swiss cheese than a wall, since many “carve-outs” have already been adopted in recent years to allow bills to pass in the Senate on a simple majority vote.. The use of reconciliation bills is just one example. Here’s what you can do:
Urge Senators to create a voting carve-out for the filibuster, and
Pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Right Advancement Act to create nationwide consistent protections against partisan gerrymandering and restore the protections of the Civil Rights Act against suppression of minority voters.
Advocacy briefings and updates are compiled by Ariel Miller, a member of Ascension & Holy Trinity, Wyoming, and a member of the diocesan Becoming Beloved Community Leadership Team.
In collaboration with clergy, artists, movie gurus, and the formation team, we are excited to create an Advent resource to provide to parishes and individuals. This Advent Zine is available now! We hope you can join in on our journey.
During Advent, the entire diocese is invited to join the Advent Film Club, led by the Rev. Karl Stevens and the Rev. Jed Dearing. We invite you to incorporate your movie watching as a spiritual exercise by joining in with the Advent Film Club; watching the weekly movie selection, reading the lectionary text for the coming Sunday and engaging them in conversation by joining the Film Club on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This will be a lively discussion engaging both the film selection and the Lectionary lesson appointed for the coming Sunday.
Each week is a self-contained conversation, meaning you can join for one week or as many as you’d like. Here’s the schedule:
December 9 [Luke 3:1-6] Wild Rose
Free w/Hulu & Kanopy, available to rent on all major streaming platforms. Runtime: 3 hrs.
December 16 [Zephaniah 3:14-20] Happiest Season
Free w/Hulu. Runtime: 2 hrs.
December 23 [Hebrews 10:5-10] The Green Knight
Available to rent on all major streaming platforms. Runtime: 2h10m.
Download the entire series booklet, written by Jed, by clicking this link.
Young Adult Retreat
Join us on December 17-18 as we explore the themes of Advent! We’ll see how these themes affect the media around us, from movies to music. This is a hybrid retreat which means you can either attend in person or online. We hope to see you there!
Through a grant from the Faith in Life Commission, The Church of the Advent will be offering four workshops in February and March related to the application of our Christian faith to ethical living in a crazy and messy world.
All workshops will be in person and held at the Church of the Advent, Walnut Hills, Cincinnati on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Space will be limited to 30 participants in each workshop so register early!
The Formation Team is excited to offer the opportunity to gather and participate in the FORMA conference Jan. 18-20 remotely, together!
We are currently working out details, but please sign up to have information emailed to you as we have more information.
No commitment needed to sign up for information.
The Forma Conference 2022 is an opportunity for Forma, a ministry of ECF, to encourage and develop Christian educators, inside and outside the Episcopal tradition, to grow in how they educate and minister. This year, our theme is "The Church for Today and Tomorrow." During our time together, we have chosen to dive into five aspects of our lives in ministry that we believe are integral for our understanding of the Church for today and tomorrow. We will look at formation as it relates to Social Justice, Intergenerational Ministry, the idea of Letting Go, Hybridization, and Re-Imagining Sabbath. We hope to continue to share our vision for this conference as we secure speakers and workshops. The Church offers so much for the world today and we are shaping what she offers for tomorrow as well. Come learn and vision with us at Forma 2022.
Episcopal Community Ministries uses the power of our collective community to help fund local outreach ministries who are in the best position to assess and respond to neighborhood needs.
Every donation to ECM contributes to the well-being of communities all over Southern Ohio, at every level of human need, from food and clothing to jobs and homes.
Procter Center is a mid-sized retreat and event facility located in London, Ohio, that serves spiritual, community, business and youth organizations. Procter is also available to families and individuals who seek inspiration, reflection, education, team building and togetherness in a simple, peaceful and secluded setting.
Did you have something that you just loved while at camp? Maybe it was a craft project, a favorite game, or tie-die? Do you have a passion for connecting kids to nature? Please consider making a donation to Camp via our Amazon Wish List. Our Day Camp Director, Darien McCoy, has added many fantastic (and needed) items:
b. Choose what you would like to purchase for Camp.
c. The items are sent directly to Procter Center.
How exciting it will be to open the packages for Camp! It'll be like Christmas morning for Procter! We appreciate each and every donation, and the youth and families will too!
News from our Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral is located at 318 E. 4th Street in downtown Cincinnati.
Masks are to be worn at all cathedral services and events.
Music Live at Lunch
Music Live at Lunch, Christ Church Cathedral's weekly concert series, is celebrating its 50th year! Music Live at Lunch will feature the performers listed below in September. These free concerts are presented on Tuesdays at 12:10 p.m. Patrons may bring their own lunch or purchase one at the cathedral.
For more information, visit cincinnaticathedral.com or call 513-621-1817.
Dec 14: Heri et Hodie: Music for the seasons of Advent and Christmas
Dec 21: Cathedral Choir with Elizabeth Motter (harp): Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols
YPCC Family Holiday Concert
Saturday, December 11
4 p.m.
The Young Professionals Choral Collective (YPCC) Community Carolers, conducted by Danielle Cozart Steele, sing sacred and secular holiday favorites. Children’s activities precede the concert at 3 p.m.
Ticket information: ypccsing.org/events. Children 12 and under admitted at no charge.
Lessons and Carols Concert
Saturday, December 18
7:00 p.m.
Local singer-songwriters offer readings and Christmas carols in a variety of styles.
Based on a beloved service offered at King's College in Cambridge, England, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols takes an imaginative approach to liturgy, weaving together scripture and song, moving from prophecy to fulfillment, to tell the story of the birth of Jesus. In addition to carols sung by the congregation, the choir will sing Resonemus laudibus (arr. Willcocks), Adam Lay Ybounden (Boles), I Wonder as I Wander (arr. Rutter), O Come, Divine Messiah (arr. Helvey), Virga Jesse (Juneau), A Maiden Most Gentle (arr. Carter), Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head (arr. Halley), Sussex Carol (arr. Willcocks), The Magi's Dream (Whitbourn), and The Huron Carol (arr. Daley).
Community news & events
Community events
December
18: Lessons and Carols concert at Christ Church Cathedral, 7 p.m.
19: Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at Christ Church Cathedral, 5 p.m.
Following the success of her beloved book Fierce, pastor and provocateur Alice Connor introduces us to a whole new group of women from the Bible, including Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Esther, and Lydia. Connor invites us to see them not as players in a man's story - as victims or tempters - nor as solely morality archetypes who teach women to be better wives and mothers, but as brave foremothers of the faith. Skillfully drawn by the author, these women's stories are messy, challenging, and beautiful. When we read their stories, we can see not only their particular, formidable lives but also our own.
Joseph-Beth is located at 2692 Madison Rd. in Cincinnati.
News from The Episcopal Church
Follow the latest news from The Episcopal Church by subscribing to the Episcopal News Service newsletter
Province Vof the Episcopal Church is a wonderful networking resource to connect with Episcopalians from the Midwest who share interest in a same ministry area. Province V Newsalso has information about webinars and other events of interest.
Presiding Bishop joins interfaith support letter for Global Fund
In a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and other interfaith leaders highlight the urgency of ongoing support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, noting that COVID-19 has slowed progress against those diseases.
The U.S. will host the Global Fund’s seventh Replenishment Conference in the second half of 2022, convening government and civic leaders, as well as leaders from the private sector and communities affected by the three most devastating infectious diseases. The international Global Fund partnership, founded in 2002, raises and invests more than $4 billion a year to support locally run programs in more than 100 countries. More than 90 percent of Global Fund resources come from government donations.
“Global Fund’s investments around the world have had tremendous impact—by its account, 44 million people are alive today because of the resources it has invested in the fight against malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS,” said the Rev. Chuck Robertson, canon for Ministry Beyond The Episcopal Church.
In the past two decades, the number of lives lost annually to those diseases has been cut nearly in half in countries where the Global Fund operates. But COVID-19’s impact on healthcare access has devastated care responses, forcing progress against the diseases to go backward for the first time in the fund’s history.
“Many of our Episcopal/Anglican partners are at the front lines of this fight as well, and they understand the level of impact Global Fund’s resources bring to bear,” Robertson said. “It is crucial to ensure this work continues, which is why we have joined together to ask President Biden to pledge $2 billion annually for the next three-year replenishment cycle.”
Among Global Fund’s other contributions, the letter notes it is the largest provider of non-vaccine components of the COVID-19 response, including oxygen, personal protective equipment, tests, and therapeutics.
“As a communion of believers, we are grateful for U.S. contributions to the Global Fund over the years and are encouraged by its commitment to this reputable organization as we continue to live in this challenging global health landscape,” Robertson said.
A church focused outside our doors, loving and serving Jesus Christ in our beloved communities in relevant ways, both new and traditional.
OUR MISSION
Christ is calling us into meaningful connections with each other that transcend all boundaries, and to act on those connections for the benefit of all. By these connections we are made whole.
