October 27, 2021

Building a Labyrinth

Saturday, Nov. 6

1 p.m.

The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Town & Country

All are invited to participate in the holy task of laying stones for a new labyrinth at Church of the Good Shepherd.

Learn more about this event.

A Celebration of New Ministry:

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Ferguson

Saturday, Nov. 13

11 a.m.

Join Bishop Deon Johnson and the congregation of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Ferguson as they officially welcome their new Priest-in-Charge, the Rev. Erika Essiem.

Guests are welcome to attend in-person at St. Stephen's or watch the livestream on St. Stephen's Facebook page.

Read more about this event.

Diocesan Convention Updates:

Deadline for ministry reports: October 31

All ministry leaders are invited to share their stories with the diocese.

Send reports to Communications Director Janis Greenbaum.

Virtual Convention Training: Nov. 3 @ 7 p.m. (check-in begins at 6 p.m.)

We encourage all convention delegates & clergy to attend this training -- especially those participating in convention for the first time. This training will cover electronic voting procedures along with many other important notes for conventioneers. A training video will also be available as a refresher. Registration is required by Sunday, Oct. 31.

Register for the training.

Parish Roll Call Videos: Due Nov. 5

ALL parishes are encouraged to send a super-short video (no more than 20-seconds) that introduces your congregation at convention. Use our new mission statement as your theme!

Get details on our convention web page.

Eucharist Musical Prelude Videos: Due Nov. 5

All choirs and individual musicians are invited to submit a recorded song to be used as a prelude to our convention Eucharist.

Get details on our convention web page.

Convention Public Hearings: Nov. 6 @ 10 a.m.

Everyone with voice and/or vote at convention is invited to this Zoom gathering to ask questions about our 2022 budget and the resolutions to be voted on at convention. (Budget and resolutions will be available before this meeting.) The goal is to work out any problems before we get to convention!

Join the Zoom meeting.

Convention Dates: November 18-20, 2021

Download a draft schedule.

Visit our convention web page for details on these items and more as they become available.

UTO November Gratitude Challenge

United Thank Offering has put together a variety of resources to help people of all ages explore their personal practice of gratitude throughout November. This list includes resources from Indignous Communities to help everyone understand the historical context and truth about Thanksgiving.

Check out the UTO resources.

Wasted Food and Climate Change

Did you know one of the easiest ways to help reduce global warming is to stop throwing away so much food?

The Rev. Kevin McGrane, Creation Care Ministry Chairperson, explains how our food waste is a big problem for our plan.

Read the article.

Hymn of the Week:

A mighty fortress is our God

St. Peter's Director of Music David Sinden tells us about a song some call "The Battle Hymn of the Reformation," but Martin Luther called it "A Hymn of Comfort."

Read the story and listen to the hymn.

Read past columns.

Stephen Ministries Online Training

Stephen Ministry is a lay caring ministry churches can use to train, organize, and supervise a team of congregation members to provide one-to-one, Christian care to people experiencing a wide range of life difficulties.

Bridge Leader's Training Course, a new online program, is now available for churches.

Visit the Stephen Ministries website for more details.