Convocation Newsletter
(COVID-19 special edition #12)
June 5, 2020
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A Newsletter for Members and Friends of the Convocation of
Episcopal Churches in Europe
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Trinity Sunday in a time of crisis...
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First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
For Social Justice
Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
In Time of of Great Sickness and Mortality....
O most mighty and merciful God, in this time of grievous sickness, we flee unto thee for succor. Deliver us, we beseech thee, from our peril; give strength and skill to all those who minister to the sick; prosper the means made use of for their cure; and grant that, perceiving how frail and uncertain our life is, we may apply our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom which leadeth to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
.
(1928 BCP, 45)
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Academy for Parish Leadership Online
Last minute registration: June 5, 6, 20, and 27
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APL 2020 will be online: June 5, 6, 20, and 27
(Register for some or all of the six online sessions)
Registration and Information
here
See more information below in this newsletter
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A Pastoral Message from the Bishop
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See Bishop Mark Edington's Pastoral Message on YouTube -
here
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A Pastoral Message from the Bishop:
Since the pandemic began to reshape our lives in early March, we’ve tried to be in regular touch with all the people of the Convocation. And for the past two months now, we’ve put out a weekly message—providing information about on-line worship services and formation programs, sharing information about initiatives the Convocation is taking to provide help to our congregations, or just trying to put an encouraging word out there as we all lived through the isolation of lockdowns.
With all that has been happening about the pandemic, and the protests in our streets both in America and here in Europe, and more recently with the spectacle of an American president using police-state tactics to appropriate an Episcopal church for a staged photograph, I have felt it important to let those who are closer to these events and more qualified than I am speak to them. There is little doubt in my mind that one of the besetting troubles of our age is the tendency of white straight men to believe they are privileged to speak on any topic.
But this week has been different. It demands a different kind of message. And I have concluded that it is time for me to speak with you about these things, as faithful people gathered in churches across Europe, churches that trace their history to American beginnings.
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I want to speak with you about three things:
About the protests
that have been taking place in cities both in the United States and here in Europe, and
about the spiritual aspects of the evil
that created the conditions for them to happen; about the incident on Monday last of
President Trump and his trip across Pennsylvania Avenue to Saint John’s Episcopal Church
; and about what we must do, and what we must not do, as Christian people in the face of all this.
As the protests over the killing of George Floyd have escalated—as they have brought back into view the killing of Michael Brown in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, or Laquan McDonald in Chicago, or Tamir Rice in Cleveland, or Tony Robinson in Madison, or Eric Harris in Tulsa, or Walter Scott in North Charleston, or Philando Castile in Minnesota, or Freddy Gray in Baltimore, or Botham Jean in Dallas, or Breonna Taylor in Louisville—or countless others who make up the fact that black people in America are two hundred and fifty percent more likely to be killed in an encounter with the police as whites are—we hear all of this spoken of as evidence of the enduring sin of racism in our society.
That is true, but is not the whole truth. Racism is not an American sin; the grievances that have given rise to the mounting protests come about because of the uniquely American expression of a human sin.
Yes, race has meant something different in European history; but it is equally present here, and equally powerful, if differently expressed. But here is more of that whole truth. Racism is just a modern expression of a truth as old as humanity about the crooked timber we are made of, and that Scripture speaks to clearly.
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You will not find the categories of race familiar to us in the account of the bible. But you will find from the beginning to the end of the bible’s narrative the deep human tendency to make profound meaning from differences between us—to imagine that those differences somehow define character. And we do this for a very simple reason: Because wherever humans can make difference, they will grasp for power. And that is why we will defend these fictions of ours, even it if means killing others to preserve our fictions.
That is a universal human failing. As uncomfortable as we get when it comes to talking about human fallenness, this is exactly the modern proof of it. Our insistence throughout our whole history on inventing meaning from differences—between Jews and Samaritans and Greeks, between slave and free, between men and women, between clean and unclean—we keep imagining these differences we observe mean something, or creating differences of our own. And that failure of imagination is exactly what we mean when we talk about original sin.
We have to treat this like any other sin. We have to repent of it; we have to recognize the damage to human lives and dignity it has caused; we have to be reconciled with those we have harmed, whether or not it was our purpose or design; and we have to make an intentional commitment to change our lives, to be better at avoiding falling into that trap of making meaning out of our own fictions.
I have spent hours this week trying to understand why the spectacle of President of the United States standing in front of the boarded-up Parish House of Saint John’s Church across the street from the White House was so deeply distressing to me—and why it was so encouraging to others.
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We are not a perfect church, not by any means. Even—especially—on the injustice of racism that has brought protesters out into the streets, our church has an uneven record. Since the day I took this office, I have not forgotten that when Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from the Birmingham Jail to eight white clergymen of Birmingham who wanted him to pack up and go back to Georgia, two of the eight he was writing to were my predecessors as bishops in the Episcopal Church. We have much to answer for, and much to repent for, and by God’s grace we have done that work.
Two things are most disordered about that picture, and what brought it about. The first is the conflict between what happens in that church—or any church—and what happened that day in front of it. A church is a place where people bring their whole lives, their joys and their sorrows, their victories and their failings, to find some place for God in them. It is a place where people seek and find the possibility of the sacred in their lives—not the only place, but a good place to look, and—most importantly—a place that vows to protect the sanctity of those moments.
No one, no matter how powerful, no one has the right to violate all the bound-up human life that a church holds. No one has the privilege to use the church for their own purposes, no matter how noble they might be. And no one has the authority to make us stand for something we do not, or to use whatever reputation we have to confer without our consent.
But more than that, no one should have the right to use violence against people who gather at the threshold of a church seeking safety and shelter. Let me say this as directly as I can; using violence against people gathered on the doorstep of a church is an act worthy only of cowards, and we are stronger than cowards.
We in Europe see this momentary event through the lens of centuries of tangled history in the relationship between the church and the power of the state. We know in our bones the deep dangers that threaten the witness and work of God’s church when it becomes a tool of kings or Caesars. And we know the truth of Barbara Brown Taylor’s wisdom that Jesus was not killed by atheism and anarchy; he was killed by law and order allied with religion.” We know that, and the histories of our various nations have lived it. And we offer back to the rest of the church a warning about what can be lost if that line is crossed.
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So I’ve decided to conclude this message to you sitting on our own doorstep, at the gate of the cathedral in Paris. And I want say what we must not do—and what we must do.
First and most important—we must not despair. Even after the sorrow of being isolated from each other, even after the deep dismay we may feel at what seems like the victory of the strong over the week and of decline over renewal, we must not despair. Doubt is not the opposite of faith; despair is, and despair is where the devil resides. We must, and we can, resist that path.
Instead what we must do—even it if it seems paradoxical—is build. We must press on toward the hope God has set before us, and we must continue, now more than ever, to do all that we can to share the richness, the fullness, the joy of life connected to God that we have found here.
This is not the first time the church has confronted distress and degradation. It surely not be the last, until Jesus comes. But we have been here before; and what the best among us did in those days was to build.
In the middle of the English Civil War, when it seemed as though social order had completely broken down and tremendous battles were fought over the place of church in society, one man, Robert Shirley, decided that despite it all he would build a church for the Church of England. He built another place named for the Trinity, just like this cathedral—the Chapel of the Holy Trinity in Stanton Harold, Leicestershire. He did not live long enough to see his church finished, but he made certain that it would be; and over the door of that church is a tablet with these words:
In the year 1653
When all things Sacred were throughout the nation
Either demolished or profaned,
Sir Robert Shirley, Baronet, founded this church;
Whose singular praise it is,
to have done the best things in the worst times,
and hoped them in the most calamitous.
The righteous shall be held in everlasting remembrance.
So let us not cease to be builders. Let us be resolve to be those who do the best things in the worst times. And let us hope, even in the face of calamity, in the sure and certain hope that God’s work will be done.
—The Right Reverend Mark D. W. Edington
The Feast of Saint Boniface, 2020
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See Bishop Mark Edington's Pastoral Message on YouTube -
here
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Academy for Parish Leadership Online
June 5, 6, 20, and 27: Opening and Closing Plenaries
and Four Breakout Sessions
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"Living Out the Holy: "
Engaged Spirituality for Concerned Christians
This edition of the
Academy for Parish Leadership
will offer a range of speakers and resources on four topics at the center of the Convocation’s work and witne,ss in the world:
- Refugees and Migrant
- Climate and Creation Care
- Racism and Reconciling the Beloved Community
- Youth and Children: The Church of Today
These four priorities were set at the 2019 Convocation Convention. See Bishop Edington's Address
here
Participants in
APL 2020
will have opportunities to explore more deeply a variety of these topics, and to benefit from the perspectives of speakers motivated by their faith commitments to engagement in activism and witness.
We will explore both the spiritual underpinnings of that engagement and concrete, practical steps that we and our parishes can take to live out that commitment in 21st-century Europe.
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APL 2020 is Online
Join us :
1) Friday, 5 June:
- 19.00-20.15 CET Plenary session. Opening remarks by Bishop Mark Edington, with an overview of the work of the Convocation's Task Forces and the presenters speaking during the weekends.
2) Saturday, 6 June:
- 10:00 Session 1: Refugees and Migrants
- 16:00: Session 2: Climate and Creation Care
3) Saturday, 20 June:
- 10:00 Session 3: Racism and Reconciling the Beloved Community
- 16:00 Session 4: Youth and Children
4) Saturday, 27 June:
- 10:00 a.m. Final plenary session, reporting back, next steps, worship.
Register for some or all of the six online sessions -
here
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Task Force on Migrants and Refugees:
Shari Brown
(Executive Secretary of the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe): As a dual national, Shari has enjoyed living in South Africa, Britain, Germany and now Belgium. She first experienced this transition in her teens when her father was banned by the South African Apartheid government and the family moved to the UK. Following German and Theology studies in Scotland, she had her first exposure to meeting refugees through Caritas in Stuttgart, Germany. She also spent time in Cape Town managing the Peace Education Programme of the Quaker Peace Centre. For many years, Shari coordinated the work of Restore, a project of Churches Together supporting refugees and asylum seekers in Birmingham, England. This involved raising awareness, befriending and advocacy. In 2018, Shari became the Executive Secretary of the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe, based in Brussels.
As part of the 2019 Lambeth Awards, the Archbishop of Canterbury presented Shari with the Langton Award for Community Service for her contribution to the reception and integration of refugees.
She is a member of the Methodist Church, though more recently has been worshipping at the Episcopal Church in Waterloo.
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Youth Commission:
PENTECOST PROJECT 2020
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The Convocation Youth were invited to submit creative ideas for a project called “
Pentecost Project 2020
”, telling the story of
Pentecost
.
What a wonderful result:
a video featuring youth from throughout the Europe speaking the good news in the languages of our Convocation!
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Online Worship in the Convocation
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Online Worship Opportunities for Sundays and Weekdays
With most of our church buildings closed to public worship, many of our parishes and missions have moved their Sunday and weekday Worship online. Consider taking part in worship with your sisters and brothers in Christ across Europe.
All times are (Central European Summer Time (CEST).
Worship on Sundays and during the week:
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The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity
Paris, France
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Sundays
Mondays
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
- American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Paris, FRANCE **
- 9:00 a.m. Morning prayer live-streamed - here
- Compline available each day on YouTube - here
- Christ the King, Frankfurt, GERMANY - link
- 19:00 Compline
- Emmanuel Church, Geneva, SWITZERLAND
- 12:30 p.m. Noonday Prayer - Link
- Resurrection, Orvieto, ITALY
- Morning Prayer at 9:30 a.m. (in Spanish)
- St. Augustine, Wiesbaden, GERMANY
- Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. "Word and Worship" - link
- St. James, Florence, ITALY
- Evening Prayer at 6:00 p.m.
- St. Paul's Within the Walls, Rome, ITALY
- Morning Prayer, Rite II at 12:00 Noon
Thursdays
Fridays
Saturdays
**
All live-streamed services are posted to the Cathedral
YouTube
and
Facebook
and may be accessed at any time.
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Convocation COVID-19 Webpage
Information in one place
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Convocation COVID-19 Response
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Please visit our
webpage
dedicated to our COVID-19 response, as well as other resources.
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Upcoming Convocation Events
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Spring 2020
- May 31 Pentecost Project 2020 online Youth Event - link HERE
- May 31: Visitation at St. Paul's Within the Walls, Rome, Italy
- June 1-5: Bishops Meeting: "Living our Vows"
- June 6: Clergy Morning Prayer
- June 27, 1:00 p.m. Ordination of Priests - Cathedral
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Fall 2020
- October 15-18: TEC-ELKB dialogue - Augsburg, Germany
- October 22-25: 2020 Convocation Convention in Nice, France
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A useful resources from the Youth Commission:
FAITH AT HOME - RESOURCES FOR ALL AGES
-
DOWNLOAD
For more information on youth events and registration, please visit the Youth Ministry webpage
HERE
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About five years ago, Canon Jere Skipper began the work of expanding the Episcopal Asset Map to include our congregations and ministries in Europe to the church-wide resource.
All of the parishes, established missions, and other ministries are on the Asset Map. Much more information needs to be added. Please consider updating the Episcopal Asset Map entry for your church or ministry. If you need help contact the
archdeacon
.
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Convocation Communications Committee
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Trinité Magazine
Spring 2020 issue
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The Convocation Communications Committee (CCC) coordinates the communications of the Convocation. Special emphasis is given to Social Media, and close coordination with the parishes and missions of the Convocation. Existing modes of communication such as newsletters and the website are getting a facelift.
Members are: Thomas Girty (Paris), chair; Felicity Handford, Marc Smets-Tolley (both Waterloo), Walter Baer (Paris), Audrey Shankles (Wiesbaden), Helena Mbele-Mbong (Geneva), Maleah Rios (Rome) and Ellen Hampton (Paris), ex-officio. Others are being added.
The Convocation is now also featured with four pages in the cathedral's semi-annual publication
Trinité
, covering Convocation events.
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Did you miss Church?
Check out an on-line sermon:
See Bishop Edington's Sermon for Easter 2
-
here
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Other pulpits in the Convocation:
Check other congregational webpages
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A la radio : le Magazine Anglican
Le « Magazine Anglican », animé par Laurence Moachon, paroissienne de la Cathédrale de la Sainte Trinité à Paris.
À propos du Magazine Anglican :
Depuis septembre 2012, Laurence Moachon présente le 4e samedi du mois, le Magazine Anglican. Avec l’objectif de faire mieux connaître la tradition anglicane au public français, elle traite de sujets d’actualité culturelle, historique, liturgique ou ecclésiologique dans la Convocation et la Communion Anglicane.
ÉCOUTEZ OU TÉLÉCHARGEZ LE MAGAZINE ANGLICAN sur :
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Regarding Allegations of Clergy Sexual Abuse
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Important information on the lifting of the Statute of Limitation regarding clergy sexual abuse...
Let it be known that for three years in the Episcopal Church there is no statute of limitation on clergy sexual abuse. Every diocese has a confidential way to make a report. In Europe here is ours:
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Read the latest on what's going on in the wider church
and much more....
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"Go forth for God; go to the world in peace; be of good courage, armed with heavenly grace, in God's good Spirit daily to increase, till in his kingdom we behold his face."
Hymn 347 - Holy Eucharist; Music: Litton
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The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe | 23 avenue George V, 75008 Paris, France
+33 (0) 1 53 23 84 06 | office@tec-europe.orgl | www.tec-europe.org
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