25-26: Diocesan offices closed for Thanksgiving holiday

3-4: Commission on Ministry

7: Bishop's Zoom call with laity, 6:30 p.m.

9: Bishop's Zoom call with clergy, 10 a.m.

10: Trustees of the Church Foundation, 1 p.m.

11: Explorers' Information Session, 10 a.m.

Dec 5: St. James, Piqua

Dec 12: St. Simon of Cyrene, Lincoln Hts.

Dec 19: Christ Church, Glendale

Bishop Smith will begin holding monthly open Zoom calls with clergy and laity beginning in December.

The first set of calls will be held Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m. for laity, and Thursday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. for clergy. You must register in advance for the calls. The links to register are below.

Laity call: Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m.

Clergy call: Thursday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m.

Are you discerning a call to ordained ministry? Do you want to explore further that pull you feel to be a deacon or priest? If so, keep reading.

In the past, the first engagement for an “Explorer” with the diocese has been the Explorers’ Retreat in late January. Last year, the Commission on Ministry divided the Explorers’ Retreat into two parts: (1) an Information Session in December and (2) the actual Retreat in January. Because of the pandemic, both were conducted by Zoom. The addition of a separate Information Session worked well, so the CoM has decided to use that approach again this year (still by Zoom) although the actual Explorers’ Retreat will be conducted in person at Procter in late January.

The Information Session will be held Saturday, December 11, from 10 a.m. to noon, by Zoom. The 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.

The Zoom meeting on December 11 will cover the practical information you need to know about the process we use in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. It will also tell you what you need to prepare and submit for the Explorers’ Retreat in January. Because of the informational nature of this session, there are no prerequisites to participate, but please register in advance so we can send you the Zoom link and associated information. The Explorer’s priest and spouse might find this Information Session helpful and so are also encouraged to register and attend.

Note that the December 11 session is a prerequisite for the January Explorers’ Retreat. If an Explorer is unable to attend the December 11 session but wants to engage the process this year, please contact Sherri Martin or Spencer Pugh to discuss alternative arrangements.

The Explorers’ Retreat will run from 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28, until about 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, and include an overnight stay at Procter. This session is limited to Explorers who have submitted an application to attend, including a Faith Story and their priest’s endorsement.

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.

A webinar explaining the restricted funds of the diocese was held on two days last week. Video of the Nov. 18 presentation is now available online in the toolkit, or also on our video page.

The first episode of season 3 of the “Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community” podcast features discussion about the texts for Advent 1: Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25:1-10, and Luke 21:25-36. Guests are the Rev. Lauren Stanley, canon to the ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota; Katina Assimacopoulos, a medical doctor pursuing a Juris Doctorate who is from the Greek Orthodox tradition; and GJ Gordy, communications director for the Navajoland Area Mission. The podcast is hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church’s staff officer for racial reconciliation. Find the episode online or wherever you listen to podcasts.

A Congressional map that only introduced Monday night (Nov.15) was passed by the legislature after a single public hearing at which every speaker was an opponent. It was signed by Governor DeWine this weekend. This article in the Ohio Capitol Journal gives a summary of the controversy over this map, which, like the state district map, was passed without the bipartisan support required by Ohio’s new voter-approved constitutional standards for it to be a ten-year map. Like the state district map, the Congressional map is expected to be challenged in suits brought before the Ohio Supreme Court. The legislature will have to provide documentation on how the map conforms to the constitutional requirements. The Congressional map has been criticized for “packing and cracking” minority communities to dilute their votes.

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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! 

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.

On November 30, 2021, the world unites for a celebration of generosity.

#GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past nine years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Are you in? Help your neighbors help their neighbors – together, we fund faith in action!

Grant applications for 2022 grants are now open. The deadline for submission is November 30, 2021. Grants will be awarded in February 2022.

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Masks are to be worn at all cathedral services and events. 

Music Live at Lunch, Christ Church Cathedral's weekly concert series, is celebrating its 50^th 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. 

Nov 30: Vox Antiqua – Liturgical Choral music

Dec 7: Kyle Meadows (hammered dulcimer) & Tisa McGraw (harp) – Celtic Music

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 

Handel’s Messiah 

Christ Church Cathedral’s director of music Stephan Casurella conducts Collegium Cincinnati in its annual performance of Handel’s Messiah (complete) with orchestra.  

Ticket information: cincinnaticathedral.com/concerts. The concert will also be live-streamed. 

Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021

9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Zoom

Cost: $30 per person

If you have questions, or to register, contact Rich Plant at info@shalemmidwestregion.org or 330.904.2057.

Province V of 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 News also has information about webinars and other events of interest.

The Episcopal Church invites teens age 16 to 19 to apply to become part of the 80th General Convention’s Official Youth Presence, a group whose members have seat and voice in the House of Deputies.

Applications and nomination forms are due by Dec. 23. Nominators must not be related to the applicant. Spanish applications and nomination forms are also available.

Applications will be reviewed by a committee convened by the Office of Faith Formation. The Official Youth Presence team will be announced in February. Additional criteria and information are available online.