Our 2021 Convention will be virtual!

Because of the unusual nature of our upcoming Diocesan Convention being held virtually, a decision has been reached that rather than being held over 2 ½ days, it will be contained to one day, Saturday, February 13, 2021. (Yes, that is the Saturday before Valentine’s Day, but we will be finished before dinner time.) 

With this transition to a virtual convention comes the understanding that delegates to convention will need to be tech-savvy, at least to the point of using a smart phone and joining a Zoom conference on a computer. Most of the ways we have done convention in the past will be different – how different is still up in the air – but if nothing else, 2020 has taught us to be flexible. Stay tuned for more information.

Trinity Center has reopened on a limited basis to individuals and families. Please contact Trinity Center Group Coordinator, Chris Grenier, for availability and information.

The 2020 Administrators Day has come and gone. Many thanks to the administrators across our diocese who were able to be a set aside time to be a part of this gathering!

The Episcopal Shoppe is hosting a live Zoom Conversation with the Most Rev'd Michael B. Curry about his new book, Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times on Thursday, October 8 at 7 PM.

Purchase Bishop Curry's new book through the Episcopal Shoppe and you will automatically receive an invitation to the Zoom conversation with Bishop Curry. Emails will be sent out on 10/6.

You will also receive an email with information about submitting questions for Bishop Curry. All questions will be forwarded to Bishop Curry on the day before the live conversation.

Please email Melene Hatcher with any additional questions.

St. James, Wilmington has resurrected the practice of "flamingo flocking," which began as an initiative of the youth at St. James roughly 15 years ago. Folks in the community and parish have been arranging for yards to be flocked for special events such as birthdays and anniversaries, but mainly as surprising acts of joy.

This quirky and adorable act of planting plastic pink flamingos has brought joy and smiles during this COVID-19 pandemic, when so many have felt isolated.

In a project receiving media publicity, volunteers ranging from age 7 to 91, were led by youth at St. Paul’s, Greenville to reach out with over 1,000 note cards to hospital patients and health care workers. A priest at St. Paul’s, Fr. Drew Baker, also a medical doctor at Vidant, and Melissa Morgan, a Respiratory Therapist in Kinston and mother of three of the participating youth, delivered these cards and gave weekly reports. Approximately 1,220 cards have been written and distributed. In July, The Daily Reflector even published a front-page story about this endeavor.

Fr. Drew Baker and Melissa Morgan reported that patients and health care workers were very appreciative of these cards, with many posting them at their hospital beds or workstations. Youth received thank you cards from doctors, nurses, and patients, expressing warm thanks for these cards.

If your church is interested in spearheading a similar card writing campaign, contact Susan Vickery-Mercer, Director of Youth Ministries at St. Paul’s for a letter-writing campaign guideline kit.

COVID-19 has meant that we are taking all recommended precautions in regard to interacting with donors, volunteers, and our clients. It has also meant we had stopped taking donations because we were not willing to expose volunteers to the possibility of contracting the virus. That means we are low on various supplies.

In particular, we need twin, full and queen sheets and towels. An easy way to provide these to us is to order them from our AmazonSmile wish list found here. You can order an item and have it sent directly to our office. We hope you will take the opportunity to help us in this way. Of course, if you are in the New Bern area, you are most welcome to drop items off at our office at 1913 Trent Blvd.

This 3-part series for young people in grades 6-12 is meant to provide an open, faith based, safe space for conversation about their concerns around mental health and wellness. We hope to help begin removing the stigma often associated with mental health and illness. We hope to provide a beginning tool kit so young people can advocate for their own mental well-being as well as ways to offer appropriate support for friends, and most importantly when to ask for help. Click here to register.

It is important that the Happening community have an opportunity to gather, even if it's not in the same way attendees may be accustomed to. This year, a modified Happening gathering called Happening: Emerge will take place via Zoom on Saturday, October 24 from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

This event is only open to those who have been a Candidate at least once at a Happening. Our hope is that Happening will be open for new Candidates in the Spring of 2021.

Registration is required and the deadline is October 15th. All additional information can be found on the registration pages here:

COVID-19 and the guidelines and restrictions that have followed have certainly changed some of the way we do things. It is important that young people in our diocese have time to gather in Community even it is not the way we usually do. This year, we are combining the two fall conferences for youth, Sr. High Fall Break and Fall Conference for Middle Schoolers into one event for 2020.

This gathering will take place online on November 7 and is open to youth grades 6 through 12. Click here to learn more & register to attend.

Amanda Norwood from Christ Church, New Bern is working with a non-profit to change the conversations about refugees and immigration from one of fear to one of welcome. This series is called Choose Welcome and is a campaign of We Welcome Refugees.

Every Wednesday night until the end of October, they're hosting webinars where speakers and pastors from all over the world will discuss a topic related to immigration/refugees. Here is a list of the upcoming webinar speakers and topics:

For link to register, email Amanda Norwood.

We will be offering two opportunities for reading the Liturgy in Spanish online with the first on Tuesday, October 6 from 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM, and the second on Thursday, October 15 at the same time. The classes are free, but if you wish to obtain a bound Spanish-Language Book of Common Prayer, you may do so by sending a check payable to the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina for $26.00 to PO Box 1336, Kinston, NC 28503. Alternatively, a free PDF of the Spanish BCP can be found here.

To register to attend one of these upcoming trainings, click here.

If you've viewed the home page on our diocesan website recently, you may have noticed this map beneath the "Find a Church" header. This is the Episcopal Asset Map.

The Asset Map is now used by The Episcopal Church, Episcopal Relief & Development, and the Diocese of East Carolina. Each parish in our diocese has page of its own on the Asset Map. If you have not yet taken the time to check out the Asset Map or your parish's page, you can do so here.

If you notice that service times, contact information, photos, or any other content is out of date, there's an easy way to suggest changes. Click on the text that says, "update this place," make any recommended changes, and once you submit them, Lindsey Harts will review them and approve changes accordingly.

Contact Lindsey Harts if you have any additional questions.