Welcome! You may notice that this week's edition of {e} Connections has a different look. We would like your feedback on the design and usability of this newsletter format, and also want to hear from you about stories for future issues and other communications requests and questions. Send emails to Julie Murray at jmurray@diosohio.org.

You can read all of the current guidelines here.

The Wednesday Lenten Lunch Zoom series is full, but you can still register to receive a copy of The Church Cracked Open so you can follow along in the Zine alone or in a small group.

Register here

Access the Lenten Zine here

If you are looking for a Lenten program or series to enhance your season of renewal, a comprehensive list of events being offered around the diocese is available on the diocesan website. Some events are in person, many are on Zoom; you are sure to find something that piques your interest that will fit into your schedule.

Look for this icon on our homepage to access the list. To add an offering to the list, send information to Julie Murray at jmurray@diosohio.org.

The second Province V Big Provincial Gathering (BPG) will take place April 29-30 in South Bend. The event includes time with the keynote speaker, the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies; as well as workshops, table conversations, and more. Trainings will also be offered on April 28. 

More information is available online. Registration is required.

God willing, the Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith, Bishop Provisional of Southern Ohio, will ordain Brice Joel Patterson to the Sacred Order of Deacons in Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church on Saturday, March 12 at 11 a.m. at Trinity Church on Capitol Square, Columbus. Your prayers and presence are requested. Clergy: Red stoles.

June is Pride month, and communities throughout the diocese will be holding in-person Pride parades and festivals again this year. The diocese would like to sponsor an Episcopal Church presence at all Pride festivals where individuals would like to march or host a vendor tent spreading the all-inclusive message of love from The Episcopal Church.

Confirmed Pride events are Hamilton, June 4; Dayton, June 4; Columbus, June 18; and Cincinnati June 25. If you are interested in marching in a parade or working at a vendor tent at any festival, please contact Julie Murray in the communications office at jmurray@diosohio.org. Local coordinators are needed for each event, so please indicate if you would be willing to serve as a coordinator as well.

Bishop Smith has asked Canticle Communications, a strategic communications firm based in northeastern Ohio, to work with Julie Murray to support the diocesan communications effort during the bishop transition. By outsourcing some of the diocese’s communications needs, Bishop Smith intends to make progress in addressing the findings of the communications audit conducted by Vehr Communications in 2021 while also ensuring that the next bishop will have the latitude to choose a new communications director early in the episcopacy.

As the communications effort expands, congregations are encouraged to send news, events, and suggestions for stories about their ministry to communication@diosohio.org. In addition, Moore can be reached at kathleen@canticlecommunications.com and Wilson at rebecca@canticlecommunications.com.

Forms, policies, and other information for congregational management can be found on the resources hub on the diocesan website.

Does your parish have a Creation Care Team? The diocesan Creation Care & Environmental Justice Task Force wants to make sure that it is connecting with all parishes who currently have, or are in the process of forming a Creation Care Committee (or Green Team, or whatever you name it). We are asking your parish to drop us an email at ee4diosoh@gmail.com to let us know if you have such a group; who the contact person for it would be; and what you currently are working on.

Don’t have a Creation Care Team yet? Or do you feel like a prophet crying in the wilderness? No problem! We can help you. Just drop us an email to ee4diosoh@gmail.com and let us know. We’d love to support you and we have ideas about how you can get started and get others on board.

The association expects to make eight grants in 2022. The application deadline is March 25, 2022. All applicants for the 2022-23 grant period will be selected by April 21, 2022, and notified after May 1 about the status of their applications.

Learn more.

Below are upcoming annual reporting deadlines for congregations in the Diocese of Southern Ohio.

Learn more.

Join Province V on March 22 at 7 p.m. for a one-hour workshop on Zoom introducing Finding Sanctuary in the Midst of Alzheimer’s: A Spiritual Guide for Families Facing Dementia. During this session, author Dr. Elizabeth Shulman will present 5-week ministry that comprises this book and will answer questions related to dementia caregiving. Special attention will be given to how pastors and other church leaders can best support families in their congregations who are caring for a loved one with dementia.

Register for the event.

A complete list of events can be found on the diocesan calendar.

With support from the United Thank Offering, the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio has committed to the call of Becoming Beloved Community, with deepening focus on the work of racial healing, reconciliation, and justice-making. Learn more and subscribe to the Diocese of Southern Ohio Becoming Beloved Community newsletter.

Advocacy briefing

This week's update includes the intensifying battle over Ohio's congressional redistricting maps; SB 215, which will allow Ohioans 18 and older to carry concealed guns without a permit or training, has been passed by the state legislature and now sits before Governor DeWine; and an opponent hearing March 10 on SB 185, which would exempt weapons dealers from shutdown in times of emergency.

Read the Becoming Beloved Community Advocacy Update.

For more information about seasonal opportunities such as the Lenten Lunch Series "To Be Cracked Open," as well as ongoing opportunities such as Education for Ministry, Safe Church Training and Anti-Racism Training , visit the Formation page on the diocesan website and subscribe to the Diocese of Southern Ohio Formation newsletter.

Workshops designed for those who want to explore Christian life from the perspective of ethical decision making. These sessions are designed for those who have little or no background in the philosophy of ethics, as well as those who do. Sessions will be highly interactive.

All are welcome. There are opportunities for face-to-face sessions as well as one Zoom session.

April 23: Cincinnati, Church of the Advent 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Lunch provided)

May 14: Columbus, OH (location tba) 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

September 3: South Eastern OH (location tba) 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

May 24: 9 to 11 a.m.

Learn more and register here.

Procter Center is a retreat and event facility located. owned and operated by the Diocese of Southern Ohio and located in London, Ohio. It serves spiritual, community, business and youth organizations, as well as families.

Procter Center is assembling its summer team! Full-time, part-time and seasonal positions are available. Check out all the postings at www.proctercenter.org/jobs.

Procter Camp, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, is a place for children, youth, and families to grow in faith, sing, learn, play, and pray together.

In 2022, Procter Camp programs include:

Learn more and register for camp.

If your congregation would like to have news or an event notice published in the newsletter, email Julie Murray.

St. Simon of Cyrene, Lincoln Heights will hold a Lenten Fish Fry every Friday in Lent from 12 to 7 p.m. Dine in and carry out available. For phone orders, call the church office at 513.771.4828. Read more and see a full menu.

St. Patrick's, Dublin, will hold their thirteenth annual Wayne Holliday Memorial Lenten Fish Fry on Friday, March 11, March 25 and April 8 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Christ Church Cathedral is located at 318 E. 4th Street in downtown Cincinnati. Learn more on the cathedral website and subscribe to the cathedral newsletter.

Concert: A Season of Penitence with Echoing Air

Christ Church Cathedral will host the traveling exhibit, Icons in Transformation, from April 1 to May 22. This art exhibit by artist Ludmila Pawlowska features a mix of mediums ranging from paintings to large installation pieces to sculptures. The exhibition is one of only five stops within the United States and is free and open to the public during cathedral hours.

All artist proceeds from sales of art work at Icons in Transformation in Cincinnati will be donated to UNHCR and CARE International to provide life-saving protections to families forced to flee their homes in Ukraine.

Read more.

March 13: St. Anne's, West Chester

March 27: St. Christopher's, Fairborn

April 3: St. Paul's, Logan

See all job opportunities on the diocesan website.

Email Julie Murray to add a job listing.

The {e} Connections newsletter is published each Tuesday. Please send submissions to Julie Murray by noon on the Monday before publication.

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The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio