Coastline Diocesan Newsletter: Murray House Sunday, St. Francis Day resources

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Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast

September 22, 2021

Together, we are the body of Christ ~ transforming people from members into disciples, moving more deeply into God's call to life and ministry, and extending our mission beyond the status quo.

Feature

Murray House Sunday on October 24

Each October, we celebrate the mission and ministry of Murray House Assisted Living Residence in Mobile, an agency of the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast. Murray House has been caring for women and men of all races and religions with graciousness and hospitality since it was founded in 1829. Learn more about the history of Murray House here.

Bishop Russell will be visiting Murray House on the 24th for lunch and service with the residents. We ask you to join your prayers with ours for Murray House:

Creator God of us all, we give thanks for our older adults who call Murray House their home. We give thanks for the joy they have brought us, the laughter and the tears we have shared with them. We give thanks for their compassion, for their teaching, mentoring, and friendship. We name memories we have made with them, both the happy and joyous ones and the painful and lonely ones that have bonded us closer together and to you. We name service we have shared with them that has allowed us to be a community, drawn from an amazing array of talents, and shaped us for your kingdom. We name learning moments where their insights inspired ours and our thoughts inspired their learning to even greater heights. We have been richly blessed by your loving generosity in sharing these older adults with us, and we name them in our hearts and give thanks for them in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

If you would like to make a gift to Murray House, follow this link. Be sure to select Murray House Sunday from the list of options.

Feast of St. Francis

Many congregations observe the Feast of St. Francis celebrated on October 4, as a way to recognize the patron saint of animals and the environment. Worship typically includes pet blessings, prayers for environmental protection and conservation, and a call to a lifestyle based on simplicity and the service of others.

Episcopal organizations across the Church have curated resources to help us honor our faithful companions and all of God's creation. Here are a few to use:

The Episcopal Church: Season of Creation and St. Francis Day Resources
Season of Creation: Resources
Episcopal Church Foundation: Pet Evangelism

Recommended Reflection From the Commission on Racial Justice and Reconciliation (September)

Each month or so, a member from the diocesan Commission on Racial Justice and Reconciliation will offer a personal reflection, article recommendation, or resource that supports the work of their mission - to dismantle individual and institutional racism by sharing resources and creating opportunities that inspire and empower faith communities and the larger community, resulting in reconciliation and restoration of all God’s People.

This month’s selection is offered by member Nancy Bolton Beck and highlights noted civil rights leader, Howard Thurman. Nancy says, “When I read this reflection from my daughter, Nell Bolton Butler, I felt called to share it because I was late in knowing about and reading Howard Thurman, a brilliant and wise theologian. He visualized a world where racial, ethnic, or religious barriers did not serve as a roadblock to creating meaningful relationships that reflect the teaching of Jesus Christ. That vision could not be more in line with the mission of our ministry."

Announcements

Many congratulations go out to the Rev. John George, rector of Church of the Good Shepherd in Mobile. George has been selected to be a delegate serving on our Presiding Bishop’s delegation to the United Nations 26th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as “COP26," October 31-November 12, 2021.

"This provides me the opportunity to represent both our diocese and Good Shepherd on this stage. My hope and prayer is to do so in a manner that represents the best of us."

On Tuesday, September 14, Bishop Russell installed the Rev. Dr. Brent Norris as the new Rector of St. Paul's, Foley. Pastor Brent and his wife, Cindy, come to us from the Diocese of Western North Carolina where he served 16 years as Rector of St. Mary's in Asheville. Welcome Norris family!

Around the Diocese

Share your good news or ministry with the rest of the diocese. Send your story to us here.

On Sunday, September 12, St. James Eufaula honored first responders with a Blue Mass dedicated to all Eufaula first responders in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9-11. A great contingent of police, firemen and EMTs attended the service. The next day, members of St. James delivered meals to the police station and firehouse as a small way of saying thanks, "We owe a lot to these dedicated professionals who protect us."

Resources

New and enhanced fundraising resources now available from ECF

New York – September 9, 2021 – The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) is excited to announce a new low-cost self-service subscription site, www.ECF360.org, featuring a variety of new templated and downloadable resources for annual giving/stewardship, capital campaigns and planned giving. ECF will continue to expand and enhance all of these self-service tools in the months to come.

The Annual and Capital Campaign resources are a part of Episcopal Stewardship Navigator, a site created by a new collaboration between ECF and the Presbyterian Foundation. Planned Giving tools were developed from ECF’s popular online resources for Planned Giving on Demand which are all now included in this new comprehensive site.

LEARN MORE

Diocesan Events [see more dates]

Happening

REGISTRATION OPEN!

November 12-14 at Beckwith

Happening #58

This event will be held for seniors in high school only. Happening is a weekend spiritual retreat for teenagers led by teenagers and supported by clergy and adult staff.

HAPPENER REGISTRATION

HAPPENING STAFF REGISTRATION

February 4-6 at Beckwith

Happening #59

This event will be open to youth in grades 10th-12th. Happening is a weekend spiritual retreat for teenagers led by teenagers and supported by clergy and adult staff. Registration will open at a later date.

September 24-26 at Beckwith

BayLights

BayLights is the annual diocesan homecoming weekend filled with fun, fellowship and fundraising for our beloved camp and conference center.

Even if you can't make it to BayLights in person, don't forget you can still purchase a Draw Down ticket. The winner is the last ticket drawn: The prize is one week stay in Tuscany, Italy or Antigua for two or four people. There are two trips to give away this year!

Also at Beckwith

October 22-24 Women's Retreat: From Grief to Grace

October 29-31 Getaway by the Bay

November 12-14 Enneagram Retreat presented by Joseph Howell, Ph.D

October 6-8 at Beckwith

Clergy Conference

Registration is now open for the annual Clergy Conference. An email with details went out to all clergy in the diocese (active, retired, canonical, non-canonical) on 9/2: VIEW THE EMAIL HERE.

October 16 Online

Becoming Beloved Community Sacred Conversations

Join us for an interactive workshop that will provide insights into the causes and effects of racism. We explore unconscious bias, prejudice, white privilege, and ways to work together to Become the Beloved Community. This offering is required for those in parish leadership (such as vestries) and at the diocesan level (including serving on commissions, committees, agencies, boards, etc.). It also qualifies for 8 hours of clergy training/education for those who complete the day course.

DOWNLOAD FLYER

Looking Ahead (details and registration available soon)

CANCELED November 6 Pilgrimage to Whitney Plantation - will be rescheduled

November 13 Adventurous Aging: How to Stay Young at Heart Workshop REGISTER

November 13 Racial Reconciliation Sacred Conversations Workshop

Church & Community Events

Thursdays in September, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. CDT

St. Christopher's Concerts

Outdoor concert series. You are welcome to bring your own beverages and food, but food will also be available from a food truck and St. Christopher's concession. Follow the link above for band and food truck schedule.

October 7, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CDT

St. Peter's Fish Fry

Come out for St. Peter's Bon Secour yearly fish fry, held every first Thursday during the months of June through October!

Hosting a church related event that is open to everyone? Submit it to be considered for publication.

SUBMIT ITEM FOR CALENDAR

Job Posting

No postings at this time. Submit job post here.

From The Episcopal Church

Presiding Bishop calls for church reformation ‘in the way of Jesus’ at House of Bishops meeting

[Episcopal News Service] [Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, in his Sept. 21 sermon during the opening day of the fall House of Bishops meeting, recalled a recent conversation with a fellow bishop about planning for The Episcopal Church’s future. Such conversations typically look to the coming years, Curry said, “but in pandemic time, we can barely think a month ahead of time.”

This House of Bishops meeting is a prime example. The bishops’ twice-a-year meetings have been held online since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, but with vaccines against COVID-19 now widely available, the bishops had planned to gather Sept. 21-23 in St. Louis, Missouri, for their first in-person meeting in two years. Instead, the delta variant and the national surge in COVID-19 cases since July forced the bishops to cancel their face-to-face meeting and return to Zoom.