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NORTH CENTRAL REGION MONTHLY MISSIVE
March 2023
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Region Missionary Musings
Dear siblings in Christ,
Instead of a note from me, I'm featuring an invitation from The Deacon's Council. If you have stories to share, I'd love to hear them! You can email me any stories you'd like to share at mbreen@episcopalct.org
Maggie
Photo taken by Rev. Rachel Thomas, SE&SC Region Missionary, at the 2022 NC& NE Region Convocation
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Deacon's Council - Lent Invitation
HOW SHALL YOU HOLD LENT THIS YEAR?
The Deacon’s Council invites you to explore with your Parish, Ministry Network, or Region a way for you to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and be about the ministry of repairing the breach so that the light shall break forth like the dawn.
As we live into the realities of rising prices for housing, energy, and food coupled with COVID benefits running out, the Deacons of ECCT invite you individually or with one of your communities to think prayerfully about committing to a specific ministry of justice.
Perhaps you are being called to:
1.Sponsor a Diaper Drive as a contribution to the CT Diaper Bank.
2.Collect personal hygiene items to distribute to a local shelter.
3.Collect non-perishable food items to distribute to your local food pantry.
4.Participate in or contribute to Laundry Love.
5.Contribute to your parish’s discretionary fund (funds that are used to benefit those who are struggling and in financial need).
We encourage you to choose a ministry and commit to it throughout the season of Lent. We also invite you to tell the stories of the service you commit to in Lent during the Easter Season in your parishes and regions. We are happy to share more ideas with you. If you would like to hear some other ideas or make a connection to some local organizations, please contact Bishop Laura who can put you in touch with a deacon in your Region.
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St. James, Farmington - 150th Celebration
St. James Parish, Farmington, began as a mission of Christ Church, Unionville (later Christ Church), holding her first worship service on October 5, 1873. St. James constructed a church in 1898 and was granted full parish status in 1902. We have been blessed, through the years, with wonderful ebbs and flows, times of plenty and times of challenge and, through it all, we have stayed focus on being disciples of Jesus.
We are truly excited to be celebrating our 150th year of worshipping life as a parish and are finding many fun and meaningful ways to remember! With the help of our wonderful 150th Anniversary Team, and the support of our Vestry, we have already held a religious pageant-drama (the Feast of Light), highlighting the history of St. James, written by the Rev. Bill Eakins, on the day of our Annual Meeting. We also held an evening of poetry earlier in January, when folks shared original poems, writings by their favorite poet, a crackling fire, good food, and much more. We have so many wonderful events and learnings planned through the end of this calendar year, including an Ecumenical Christmas Walk in December. We have commissioned an original piece of music to be composed by a local musician, which will be unveiled at a special religious service on October 1. On that day, we will invite anyone and everyone we can find, who has ever been a part of St. James, and is still living, to a special time of celebration; we hear that the Bishop may be here, as well! In March we are holding an Art Expo and Auction with original art by members of St. James and donated art for display and sale, too. All that we are doing – and I’ve just hit the highlights here - is a way to generate excitement and to celebrate what St. James has meant to the Farmington community, and vice versa, and to remember the saints in light who have gone before us. All are welcome to experience a little bit of the energy and blessing that, in 2023, is St. James Parish’s 150th Anniversary!!
article submitted by Rev. George Roberts, Rector of St. James
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St. James, Higganum - Serving Higganum and Beyond for over 150 Years
St. James Episcopal Church is located at 498 Killingworth Road, Higganum, Connecticut. St James celebrated its 150th Anniversary on September 11, 2022. We are an open and welcoming aging community working on programs to welcome new members. Our Sunday service is at 9:00am.
St. James is a member of the Middlesex Area Cluster Ministry Network. As a member of the cluster, we share outreach programs and administrative resources with Emmanuel Church, Killingworth and St. Andrew’s Church, Northford.
Twice a year volunteers from St. James and the other cluster churches serve at the St. Vincent dePaul meal service. Also, St. James donates peanut butter and other foods to the Amazing Grace food Pantry in Middletown and the Haddam Food Bank.
After completing his 1 year contract, The Reverend Jim Speer was welcomed as our ¼ time Priest-in-Charge. He expressed his hope for the future of St. James and hopes to concentrate on growth.
In 2006 the Jean Minkler Memorial Labyrinth was designed and built and nestled behind the parish house located at 501 Killingworth Road. It is the classical seven-circuit, 50 foot diameter design which meanders through the trees. It is rustic in a tranquil woodland setting. Each year the Easter Sunrise Service is celebrated in the Labyrinth followed by a pancake breakfast. All are invited to share the space. No need to call ahead. The Labyrinth is always open and it is free.
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St. James, W. Hartford - New Life & New Ministries
St. James’s in West Hartford has a lot of Good News to celebrate, as long-time ministries bloom with new life and several new things take hold. Here are a few highlights
In January, Bishop Jeffrey Mello ordained Joseph Rose, St. James’s assistant rector, into the priesthood at a service that drew about 170 people to the church. Joe graduated from Yale Divinity School last spring and was formerly the executive director of Trinity Retreat Center in West Cornwall, CT. He joins the Rev. Robert Hooper III, rector, and the Rev. Alan Murchie, associate of music and education, on the clergy staff.
As we emerge from community disruptions caused by the pandemic, a new children's choir is starting to take shape. What’s more, Alan Murchie, who joined St. James’s last March, and Priscilla Hooper, director of religious education, are leading our successful Mondays Music & More program, which designed for children ages 3 to 8. Children gather in two groups: ages 3-5 and 6-8. One group joins Alan in the choir room to sing while the other joins Priscilla for arts, story-telling, and more. After a quick snack break, the groups switch! The program is growing in joy and song by the week.
After 12 years of harvesting vegetables to donate to various feeding programs, the community garden on the east side of the church has been named the St. James’s Good News Garden. A project called the “Greenhouse-to-Green House Project" is in the works in collaboration with the Hartford Catholic Worker, which serves people living on the margins in the north end of Hartford. At the heart of the new mission is a solar-powered, self-watering greenhouse, which expanding our Good News Garden and replacing much of our resource-hungry lawn. In addition to allowing us to provide more fresh vegetables to people living in a major food desert through our feeding partnership with the Hartford Catholic Worker’s “Green House,” the greenhouse will allow the parish to expand its Creation Care ministries in several practical but life-giving ways. In many ways, the new greenhouse will represent a new chapel, offering a place to gather for education, liturgy, prayer, and promoting justice within the framework of environmental issues. The greenhouse on the east side of the church building will stand as witness to our love for earth and community in view of busy Farmington Avenue.
Our feeding ministries continue to be at the heart of how we gather in community to worship and serve. In addition to vegetables from our Good News Garden, St. James’s provides meals and non-perishables to local shelters, warming centers, soup kitchens and the West Hartford Food Pantry throughout the year. Foodshare food distribution occurs every month. Meanwhile, our 200 Identical Sandwiches ministry provides sandwiches to clients at Loaves & Fishes, several times a month throughout the year. Sandwiches are assembled by parishioners after the 9:30 Sunday service. Our Food Wagon holds non-perishable donations in the cloister. Parishioners drop food off throughout the week, and we deliver them to the West Hartford Food Pantry and the Hartford Catholic Worker. These programs continue to flourish thanks to the dedication and faith of parishioners.
Article and photo provided by Rev. Joseph Rose, Assistant Rector at St. John's, W. Hartford
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Lenten Discipline - Helping Capital Community College
Companions in Christ,
In the Gospel of Matthew 25:35 Jesus says to the disciples: “ for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me in.” The disciple’s response: Lord when did we see you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink. In verse 40 Jesus replied; Truly I tell you just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Many university and college students across the U.S. report lacking access to a reliable supply of nutritious food, a concept known as food insecurity, which can affect their ability to learn, according to research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.
Christ Church Cathedral is inviting you to join in a Lenten Discipline of loving and caring for our neighbors.
Let us support our college students. Recent statistics are concerning. 40% of college students suffer from food insecurity. Many of the students are beneficiaries of SNAP Vouchers (formerly called Food Stamps), which do not allow for the purchase of personal hygiene products.
Therefore, we invite your faith community and it’s members to collect one personal care hygiene product for each week of Lent to benefit Capital Community College (CCC) Food Pantry. The items in the greatest need at Capital Community Food Pantry are:
Soap
Shampoo
Deodorant
Conditioner
Feminine hygiene products
These items can be delivered to our Cathedral from Wednesday, April 12th to Friday, April 14th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm or Sunday April 16th from 12:pm to 1:00pm. Imagine what we as the North Central Region of ECCT can collectively accomplish for the students.
Faithfully,
Deacon Bonnie
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Upcoming Events and Resources |
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The Episcopal Church (TEC) has many offerings of resources available for Lent. Visit their website to see what is available and could be helpful in your community. |
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Region Entrepreneurial Fund Grant Writing Workshop: 23 Feb, 6:30p
Zoom Workshop for REF: established to award grants that catalyze and build capability within and across ECCT Regions.
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Companions in Mission: Look Beyond The Church Doors Conference - 11 March
At Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, Look Beyond the Church Doors - Let's Face Human Trafficking Together. Saturday, 11 March, 8a-2p
$10 donation requested at check-in for lunch
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Altar Guild Quiet Day at Grace Church, Newington - 18 March
This event is open to past, present, and future altar guild members. Join us for fellowship, prayer, and discussion.
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IREJN: Growing A Community Garden
Join IREJN and Master Gardener Lynn Fulkerson for a 90 minute webinar on how to plan for a community garden.
This webinar will go over all the initial steps you will need to undertake to successful start a community garden, such as finding a space, building a leadership team, engaging the community, and recruiting volunteers. In addition, Lynn will cover essentials that you may not have thought of such as soil testing, liability insurance, and rules and guidelines for your garden.
Date: Tuesday, Feb 28
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm (online)
Free, but donations gratefully accepted.
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Join us in learning more about Policy Advocacy - 21 March
For starters—what is policy advocacy and how is it different from, and complementary to, political activism? How can you leverage your personal power to influence U.S. policies on a host of issues, and how is such activity an expression of carrying out our faith? Moreover, working for justice on any issue, including through policy advocacy, is an exhausting process, as so many different issues are pressing for our time and attention. Learn about the tools of the trade for crafting an advocacy strategy that also acknowledges the need for self-care and maintaining energy for long-term, effective engagement. Attendees will come away with best practices for advocacy and a deeper understanding of various advocacy tools and how to use them.
This workshop is a collaboration of the office of Mission Advocacy, Racial Justice, & Reconciliation of ECCT, and the Office of Government Relations and the Episcopal Public Policy Network of The Episcopal Church.
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SAVE THE DATES - UPCOMING EVENTS
more details coming in future newsletters
17-29 April - ECCT Spring Training and Gathering
22 April - Unidad en Diversidad; Celebration of Episcopal Spanish Speaking Ministry - St. John's, Waterbury
12-13 May - Forging Peace at Camp Washington - a youth overnight and a day of action with Shane Claiborne, speaker, activist, and author who worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia.
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You can reach Maggie Breen, NC & NE Region Missionary, the following ways:
US Mail: The Episcopal Church in Connecticut, The Commons, 290 Pratt Street, Box 52, Meriden, Ct 06450
PHONE: 203-639-3501 x154 (o) 860-214-0085 (c)
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