Episcopal eNews from Northern Indiana | |
The Baptismal Covenant: Lenten Reflections 2023 | |
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Welcome to our new series, The Baptismal Covenant: Lenten Reflections 2023! Each weekend during Lent, Bishop Doug will do a brief teaching on a portion of The Baptismal Covenant and invite your reflection. You may even notice the font from your faith community in the videos!
Here's an outline of the next six weeks.
Each weekend during Lent, a new video will be posted to a special series page on our website, to social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn), and on YouTube. Don't miss them!
Below is our video for the Second Sunday in Lent.
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Grace and peace be with you in Jesus, the Light for all people!
I have good news to share with you. We have a new missioner...Joe Anand-Obleton, who has agreed to serve as a Missioner to assist with Administration and Special Projects.
He currently serves as the Assistant to Dean Brian for Administration and works Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 to 1:30. His hours for the diocese will be Monday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and perhaps several additional hours during the rest of the week.
The amount of work ebbs and flows especially in the area of administration. Canon Michelle and I met with Joe and it is our hope to be able to identify those particular tasks which we can direct to Joe...from visitation planning to licensing...as an example.
Please, as you are able, welcome Joe as a missioner, serving our wonderful siblings in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana!
Every blessing,
Bishop Doug (he/him/his)
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Learn more about Joe
- My husband, Michael, and I recently moved here from South Florida in June of 2022. We got married at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea on Palm Beach.
- We have three children. Our son Adrian (28, married, living in Boston, MA, completing his MBA at Harvard); our son Manny (27, married, living in West Palm Beach, FL, manager of foreign relations for a cosmetic company); and our Daughter Aaleyah (23, living in Aiken, SC, production assistant for a Georgia television and film company).
- Michael's a career language teacher of 28 years, and he now works at The Stanley Clark school teaching Latin and French, although he is also certified to teach Spanish and German. He has a Master's from Notre Dame, where he taught undergraduate Spanish back in the 90s.
- I'm retired Navy; I retired as a Chief Petty Officer after 22 years of service as a cryptologist, intelligence analyst, and linguist.
- I'm now working on both my undergraduate degree in Government and Master's degree in International Relations through a dual degree program at Harvard.
- Therefore, I have a full schedule, going to school full-time while working three part-time jobs for both our diocese in my aforementioned position, my cathedral as the Assistant to the Dean, and as a substitute teacher at The Stanley Clark School.
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Lenten Series - Introduction to Contemplative Prayer
Date: March 11, and March 25
Time: 10-11:30 a.m. (ET)
Where: St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Plymouth) parish house
Facilitator: The Rev. Canon John Schramm
Session 2 - March 11: Issues to be Confronted in Meditation
In this session we talk about the cultivation of essential qualities of
character and the need for a vision of the heart. We talk about how to “let go”
and what that means. We talk about confronting our shadows.
Session 3 - March 25: Anticipated Results of Contemplative Prayer
What might we expect to get from a meditation practice? How long does it
take? We talk about Contemplation as deep access to reality.
Each of these three sessions will take from 60 to 90 minutes and will include an
actual meditation practice. At the conclusion of the series there will be made
available a short bibliography for those who want to continue to read about
meditative practice.
Please RSVP to john@clerke.info. You can also post questions to this address.
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Save the Dates: 2023 Youth Camps
Episcopal Youth Camp
Date: June 11-17, 2023
Where: Camp Alexander Mack
Do you want to be part of our camp staff this year? The 2023 Camp Staff Application is now live. Applications are due by April 1, 2023.
Sr. High Mission Week
Date: There is no Sr. High Mission Week in 2023 due to EYE23.
Camp New Happenings
Date: July 23-29, 2023
Where: Camp Alexander Mack
Jr./Sr. High Summer Retreat
Date: August 2023
Where: Episcopal Wawasee Retreat Center
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Becoming Beloved Community Commission | |
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Celebrate the Life and Faith of Harriet Tubman
Date: March 10
Time: 8/7 p.m.. (ET/CT)
Where: Zoom
Hosted by Tell Me the Truth About Racism
The Episcopal church is gathering virtually on March 10th for a new observance of Harriet Ross Tubman, honoring her 110 years after the day of her death. By act of 2022 General Convention, this year is the first time she will be honored on this day, prioritizing her as one of the great cloud of witnesses that inspire our faith. All are invited to wonder about this amazing woman together in a zoom gathering March 10th at 8pm Eastern time, and through videos suitable for children and adults, including a welcome message from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.
See the video pilgrimage and Presiding Bishop's message here.
See the full press release with all the details.
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God Outside: Northern Indiana
Date: Saturday, March 11
Time: 10/9 a.m. (EST/CST)
Where: Tippecanoe River State Park
RSVP Here
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Rooted in Soil and Grounded in Faith: Resources for Sustained Creation Care (co-sponsored by Province IV and V)
Date: May 5, 4 p.m. - May 7, 12 p.m.
Where: Nazareth Retreat Center (Nazareth, KY)
Cost: $50
Registration: Register by April 14
This weekend retreat will engage those involved in ministries of creation care in deeper theological study, sharing of resources and ideas, opportunity for fellowship, nature contemplation, and spiritual renewal. The weekend event will include presentations, conversations, nature walks, and prayer on the beautiful grounds of the Sisters of Nazareth convent in Nazareth, Kentucky.
All those interested in creation care (from any province) are invited to participate. Cost: $50 (includes meals; scholarships available) Learn more.
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Creation Care Grants
The Episcopal Church Office of Creation Care announces the opening of the 2023 Creation Care grant funding cycle, with applications—available in English and Spanish—being accepted for local and regional eco-ministry projects until 5 p.m. ET May 1.
An informational webinar to learn more about the grant process and ask questions is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET March 14. Register online—or view the webinar later on-demand.
Overseen by the church’s Task Force on Creation Care and Environmental Racism, Creation Care grants seek to support eco-ministry projects that address climate change, environmental degradation, and the inequitable and systemic impacts of environmental racism. The grant committee is interested in supporting programs that go beyond secular environmental work to provide resources for faith-based community organizing and theological reflection.
Projects that support The Episcopal Church in reaching the goal of net carbon neutrality by 2030 will be favorably considered, along with projects that develop climate change resiliency.
Learn more here.
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The Episcopal Church Lent Resources
Click here for new and updated resources for individuals, small groups, and congregations, including the following:
- Lent curriculum, sermons, lesson plans, devotionals, and meditations
- Lent Madness
- “Life Transformed: The Way of Love in Lent” – adult forum sessions with videos
- “Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community” podcast series
- Sermons That Work
- 40-day gratitude challenge
- Publicity material, bulletin inserts, and more
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Ordination of Robert Armidon to the Sacred Order of Priests
Date: March 25, 2023
Time: 10 a.m. (ET)
Where: The Cathedral of Saint James (South Bend)
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Service of Renewal of Vows and Blessing of Oils
Date: March 30, 2023
Time: 10 a.m. (ET)
Where: The Cathedral of Saint James (South Bend)
Holy Oils for the faith communities of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana are blessed and distributed at this liturgy. Laity will renew their baptismal vows. Clergy will renew their ordination vows. Lunch will be provided.
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Save the Dates: 2023 Clergy Retreats
Spring Clergy Retreat
Date: May 8-10, 2023
Where: Lindenwood Retreat and Conference Center
Fall Clergy Retreat
Date: October 9-11, 2023
Where: Lindenwood Retreat and Conference Center
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Staff Schedules
- Canon Terri Bays is on sabbatical through April 13.
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Office of Government Relations | |
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Action Alerts
The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations (OGR) identifies opportunities for Episcopalians to participate in our democracy. Click this link to find an action alert that you are passionate about and send a message to your members of Congress.
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Read the Province V newsletter for March here. | |
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Escaping the Whale, Queen, and Valley: Healing and Understanding the Suicidal Crisis
Date: March 6, March 23, March 20, March 27, April 3
Time: 7:30-9 p.m. (ET)
Where: Zoom
What if we told you that the usual thinking about suicide in the Bible is wrong? This six-part Bible study will dive deep into several classic Hebrew Scripture events to uncover an innovative approach to suicide ideation and crisis. Using the stories from Jonah, Elijah, Ezekiel, and the Psalms, we will see the lives of these crucial individuals anew when they were in despair and darkness. We will also discover how God returned them to a place of light, love, and hope.
With the support of a dedicated website, you will engage the text in compelling ways. Each session will explore a biblical text. Afterward, we will engage in a lively discussion, allowing you to ask relevant questions and consider new ways to help people amid mental health crises. By the end of our study, you will be armed with biblical texts and tools to reframe your thoughts about suicide and the Bible.
Register to receive your personal link and reminders
All those who register will receive reminders and materials. Because of the sensitive nature of the conversation, these sessions will not be recorded. Come when you are able to participate in this new resource.
Preview Recording - you can use this link to share with others: https://youtu.be/cWddxQg3gaA
Event website with details
Session 2 documents
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Michigan Episcopal leaders rally support for common-sense gun legislation as hearings begin | Episcopal leaders from across Michigan on March 1 called for passage of common-sense gun laws as lawmakers in the capital city of Lansing kicked off the first of two days of hearings to address a rising tide of gun violence. | | | |
Michigan church to convert former youth center into home for newly arriving refugees | St. John's Episcopal Church in Plymouth, Michigan, has long owned and maintained an adjacent four-bedroom house, first as a rectory and later as a youth center. Now, the home will undergo a new transformation. | | | |
Chicago Episcopal church installs electric vehicle charging station, part of growing national trend | As more drivers make the decision to switch from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles, places to power them remain few and far between in large parts of the country. And with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 incentivizing clean energy and electric cars, as well as providing investments for green technology, the demand will only increase. | | | |
Founded by an Episcopal parish, the first shelter for LGBTQ+ youth in Indiana offers refuge to the rejected | When the Trinity Haven house in Indianapolis opened its doors in April 2021, it was the first shelter specifically for LGBTQ+ young people in Indiana. Now, almost two years later, it has housed 30 young people who hadn't had stable homes. | | | |
News From Around The Episcopal Church | |
Episcopal Church hosts prayer vigil, makes statement on Ukraine after one year of war | Episcopal Church hosts prayer vigil, makes statement on Ukraine after one year of war. The Episcopal Church hosted an online prayer vigil to lament the human harm caused by violence and conflict on Feb. 24, the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. | | | |
Elías García Cárdenas consecrated 5th bishop of Colombia | The Rt. Rev. Elías García Cárdenas was ordained and consecrated the 5th bishop of the Diocese of Colombia on Feb. 18 during a service held at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in Bogotá, Colombia. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry served as chief consecrator and preached. | | | |
David G. Read elected West Texas bishop coadjutor | Diocese of West Texas] The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas has elected the Rev. David G. Read bishop coadjutor. He will succeed the Rt. Rev. David M. Reed, who is retiring. Read currently serves as rector of St. Helena's Episcopal Church in Boerne, Texas. | | | |
Episcopal ACC members return from Ghana with stories of engaging with Anglicans around world | The three Episcopal members of the recently concluded 18th Anglican Consultative Council returned to their home dioceses this week encouraged by their experiences developing closer relations with Anglicans around the world through their shared mission in Christ. About 110 members from 39 Anglican provinces attended the Feb. | | | |
New study confirms ICU chaplains offer more than prayers | It's hard to forget your first time in the ICU. Strangers obscured by masks and gowns, beds surrounded by wires, constant beeping - it can feel like you've stumbled into a warped, disorienting alternate universe. It's true for patients - and it's true for their loved ones. | | | |
Provinces invited to name saints for inclusion on new worldwide Anglican Communion calendar | Does your local Episcopal church celebrate the feast day of Hannah Grier Coome on Feb. 9 or Rota Waitoa on May 22? Likely not, since those church saints are venerated by the Anglican provinces of Canada and Aotearoa, respectively, and are not included on The Episcopal Church's official calendar of saints. | | | |
Diocese of Pittsburgh parish's campaign relieves $7.2M in medical debt, far exceeding expectations | An updated report reveals that one Pittsburgh-area church was able to eliminate nearly $7.2 million in medical debt across all of Pennsylvania, more than doubling its initial expectations. St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Mt. | | | |
RIP: George Werner, past House of Deputies president, dies at 85 | The Very Rev. George L.W. Werner, who served as House of Deputies president from 2000 to 2006, died Feb. 6 at age 85 after suffering since at least last year from progressive dementia. Werner's death was announced by his son, Bill Werner, in a Facebook post. | | | |
Church of England General Synod endorses bishops' proposal for same-sex blessings | Episcopal News Service] The Church of England's General Synod voted Feb. 9 to endorse a proposal to offer blessings, but not marriage, to same-sex couples after several days of passionate debate in which the proposal was both praised and criticized from a wide variety of perspectives. | | | |
Diocese of California finds hope in church revitalization through Vital + Thriving initiative | Episcopal News Service - San Francisco, California] The San Francisco Bay Area has never been a fertile ground for establishing Christian institutions as the East Coast, with its myriad and long-established churches. The values that tend to define the culture of the Bay Area are more rooted in the materialism of the Gold Rush of the mid-19 th century, the Rev. | | | |
Executive Council centers equity, justice and creation care issues at San Francisco meeting | The Episcopal Church's presiding officers opened the Feb. 9-12 meeting of Executive Council here with welcoming remarks underscoring Episcopal leaders' increasing emphasis on dismantling the church's entanglement with unjust systems and institutions, which they said conflict with Christian ideals of love, humility and welcome. | | | |
Episcopal Church leaders begin work on creating Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice | The Episcopal Church took a significant step Feb. 7 toward forming a new Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice by announcing that more than a dozen members had been named to a group that will begin work on the coalition, as mandated in July 2022 by the 80th General Convention. | | | |
Monastic community shares contemplative life with rural Nebraskans in 9-day residency | Members of a monastic community in Omaha, Nebraska, have picked up and moved to a small rural town for nine days, bringing their experience of contemplative spirituality to a somewhat isolated and "forgotten" area. The Benedictine Way has set up shop in Chadron, Nebraska, a town of about 5,200 in the sparsely populated northwest part of the state. | | | |
Church pairs Eucharist for homebound members with livestreamed services, fostering connection | Grace Allen of Columbia, South Carolina, attended her first service at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in 1959. Last September, at age 91, Allen attended one of her final worship services in the comfort of her own bedroom, with her daughter and granddaughter by her side and a family friend, Sally Peek, on hand to administer Communion. | | | |
Groundbreaking Episcopal priest Pauli Murray will be featured on US quarters | The Rev. Pauli Murray, the first African American woman to be ordained a priest and a pioneer in the struggles for racial and gender equality, will be featured on U.S. quarters in 2024, the U.S. Mint announced on Feb. 1. | | | |
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Please email any events, articles, or notifications you desire to be
included in the next monthly enewsletter to Canon Christopher Hillak,
Missioner for Communications and Operations, by March 25. Thank you!
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The Episcopal Diocese
of Northern Indiana
117 N. Lafayette Blvd.
South Bend, IN 46601
(574) 233-6489
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