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Bishop Hughes has stuck in her head the spiritual "Keep your lamps trimmed and burning," and finds it a comforting instruction for us to follow in these troubling, chaotic times. (Time: 5:25.)

Join us in celebrating the 120 Candidates who were Confirmed, Received or Reaffirmed this summer! Due to the pandemic, the majority of these Candidates had to wait long and patiently - more than a year - for this special day on their faith journey.

As many of you know by now, the Bishop's Office has partnered with the College for Bishops to bring powerful stewardship training to set up parishes for success this fall. Beginning September 8, this intensive, five-week, customized conference will be held online via Zoom.

The response to Project Resource from our congregations has been tremendous! We have over 80 registrations, and I know many of you are excited about taking advantage of this unique opportunity, especially this year when we know how important our annual campaign will be.

Still, I know that there are a few folks out there who have planned to sign up eventually and just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Well, the “yet” is here! The deadline for final registration is this Friday, August 20. For the registration form, click here.

Need a refresher on the benefits of Project Resource? Read more.

This service, recorded at Trinity & St. Philip's Cathedral in Newark to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11, will premiere on the diocesan YouTube channel at 10 AM on September 11, 2021, and remain viewable on demand.

Please join us for prayer, music, and a message from Bishop Hughes, as we honor their memories, carry on in hope, and work for peace.

The Cathedral will be open 9 AM - 12 noon on for those seeking a quiet place to pray on the anniversary.

Churches holding their own 9/11 anniversary services are asked to ring bells, if available, at the start of their service.

Churches with bells are also invited to consider ringing them on Saturday, September 11 at the following times, to mark these events:

This fall's Church Leader University will be something special! Lorenzo Lebrija, director of TryTank, a lab for church growth and innovation, will lead participants through a straightforward framework for experiments in new ministry and provide a different perspective on how to do the ongoing work of the church. In just three clear steps, this framework can have a lasting impact on any church that uses it. Find out more and register online.

Korean-born American classical pianist Min Kwon asked more than 70 very different composers to create variations on the familiar song “America the Beautiful,” originally composed in 1882 by the music director of Grace Church in Newark. “America/Beautiful” is now a streaming series, with over 6 hours of new music recorded to date. Min describes the project as representing a “United Composers of America.”

Beginning Monday, August 30, all members of the Bishop's staff are using their vacation time to take off this quiet week before the Labor Day holiday on Monday, September 6. They will be back at work Tuesday, September 7.

See all clergy ministry transitions in 2021.

Bold Transformational Faith (BTF) is a project of Cross Roads and Luther Crest Bible Camp in Minnesota that provides distinct faith formation experiences to inspire an active faith in a rapidly changing world. This summer, new theme and activity videos will be shared weekly on the BTF YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram pages for families to enjoy. Learn more about BTF, including the fall Sunday School curriculum, on the new BTF website, mybtf.org.

The monthly Wednesdays Away retreats return this Fall at Cross Roads, with both in-person and virtual options for participation. Explore all the upcoming dates and themes, along with registration information, at crossroadsretreat.com/wednesdays-away.

Registration for the Fall Women's Retreat is now open! There are two weekends offered for the in-person retreat, and one virtual option. The theme is "The Face of God." Explore the dates and register now at crossroadsretreat.com/womens-retreat.

Episcopal Relief & Development is in close contact with long-term development partners in Haiti after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the country on Saturday, August 14, 2021. The earthquake killed over a thousand people, caused structures to collapse and triggered landslides and flooding in the western part of the nation. Read more.

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