Bishop Akiyama's Easter Message |
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Dear Friends in Christ,
I’m wondering how you are experiencing Easter this year. It is our biggest celebration of the Christian year. Many of us will be gathering for the first time after a long time for Holy Communion in our worship spaces. Some of us have already been gathering in person. But still, this Easter is different from the past couple. It is a time when we are joyful in a tentative way, as we feel careful in the ways in which we have slowly eased into this special celebration this Sunday.
We have a tenderness about us because of what we have been through. It is an interesting contrast to anticipate a joyful Easter while also feeling still a little protective and tender as we anticipate the joy of the Risen Christ.
My earliest memories of Easter were around the age of 3 or 4. During Holy Week, my mother would call me into her bedroom and pull down a beautiful box from a shelf in her closet. Inside the box were Easter bonnets and gloves for my sisters and me. She would ask us to put them on to make sure they fit and that we each had our own bonnet and pair of gloves. She would let us run around and play as long as we didn’t get them dirty. Then she put them back into the box, only to be brought out when we got ready for church on Easter Morning. I still have a photograph of me in my mother’s high heels and wearing my Easter bonnet.
My memories of Easter are pegged to those times when it was exciting to wear something new. When it was fragrant to be out in the springtime, to smell the lilacs in bloom, to see the new plants sprouting up in the yard. These are tender moments, and these are tender memories. I am wondering if you have a similar combination of joy and delicateness this Easter.
We are entering into an Easter joy that has been tempered by what we have been through. We are carrying some burdens, and we have suffered some losses unlike those we have seen before. In many ways, this Easter is the tenderest of Easters in the way we have been hanging on and holding on. We have suffered losses and joys that have been muted because of these times.
We are cautiously engaging in anticipation of the joy of Easter. We are like tender shoots pushing up through the wet earth, like the birds that have begun to chirp in the morning after a cold winter. Or like the colorful Easter eggs that we eagerly dyed and later will hide in the yard for the kids to hunt.
There is a tenderness to our Easter joy this year. This is a reminder of the deep mystery of our Christian story at Easter. The risen Christ is among us with a gentleness that has great power.
May we welcome Christ, the master gardener, in the tending of these new shoots of hope and renewal. May our tender hearts at Easter receive the good news of the Resurrection and be glad.
Christ is risen! Thanks be to God.
Blessings this Easter,
+Diana
Read online y en español aquí.
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St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Gardiner celebrates its first Easter Vigil Service in over 20 years
Photos and reflection submitted by the Rev. Patti Hale
Nineteen hearty souls gathered at the hilltop church of St Mary the Virgin in Gardiner for the first Easter Vigil since 2000. It was a joyous celebration of the Lord’s resurrection. A reception in the parish hall followed the service. A good time was had by all!
St Mary’s has relied on monthly supply clergy for years and yet gathers faithfully every week for the Office of Morning Prayer. While very small the congregation has a number of vital outreach ministries in the communities of Gardiner and Reedsport. They are a testament to a small and vital congregation that love the Lord and are living fully into the Baptismal Covenant.
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A reminder, Christina Harutunyan is now Christina Munoz!
Christina, Bishop Akiyama's Executive Assistant on the Diocesan Staff, recently got married to David Munoz and has changed her name, which means her email has changed.
Her new email is ChristinaM@diocese-oregon.org. If you email her old one (with an H, not an M), she will still receive your email, but please make the change in your address book.
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It’s Time to Register for Camp
Episcopal Week at Suttle Lake Camp is July 18-23, 2022.
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Elementary Week 1 Camp - Click here to learn more & register campers currently in 3rd-5th grades.
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Mid-High Summer Camp - Click here to learn more & register campers currently in 6th-11th grades.
Cost: Subsidized Rate: $545 | Full Rate: $615 (A non-refundable $50 deposit is required to hold your spot. This deposit will not be refunded but may be transferred to another session.)
Visit GoCamping.org to learn more about the variety of camps available through our partnership with the Oregon-Idaho United Methodist Camp & Retreat Ministries.
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Union of Black Episcopalians Pacific Northwest Conference - April 30
The regional conference of the UBE Pacific Northwest will happen on April 30 at Trinity Parish in Seattle. There will be speakers, workshops, and opportunities to network and gather with the UBE Pacific Northwest community.
Learn more and register for the in-person conference online.
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Conversations about the Work with Dr. Luhui Whitebear on Wednesday, May 11
Join Dr. Luhui Whitebear for a conversation on engaging racial justice and her work as the Center Director, Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws at OSU on May 11 at 7:00 pm on Zoom. This conversation is the final conversation of the series hosted by the Engaging Racial Justice Working Group (ERJWG). Register here!
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Holy Land Pilgrimage: October 8-19
The Rev. Sara Fischer and the Very Rev. Nathan LeRud are leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This pilgrimage, originally scheduled for January and rescheduled to October 8-19, 2022, will be a wonderful opportunity to walk where Jesus walked and worship where he worshiped, as well as learn what life is like today for followers of Jesus living in this complicated and holy place.
A detailed brochure and pricing information can be found here. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Sara for more information.
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Diocesan Staff Virtual Office Hours
Beginning in May there will be three weekly Diocesan Staff Virtual Office Hours. The links for Chris' and Derek's office hours will be shared next week.
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Tuesdays at 2:00 pm - The Rev. Chris Craun, Missioner for Thriving Congregations
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Thursdays at 1:00 pm - Derek Moyer, Missioner for Lifelong Formation
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Thursdays at 2:00 pm - Alli Gannett, Director of Communications (link to join here)
You can email Derek, Chris, or Alli to set up specific meetings outside of these office hours.
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
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April 24: Bishop Visitation to St. Mark's, Medford
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April 24 at 9:00 am: Dean's Forum at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral with Dean Nathan LeRud
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April 25 - 27: Clergy Conference at Oregon Garden Resort
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April 26: Giving + Taking Credit: The Evolving Role of Women in The Episcopal Church, hosted by United Thank Offering
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April 27 at 7:00 pm: Yam Hashoah: Holocaust Remembrance Day choir concert with Trinity Cathedral Choir at Congregation Beth Israel
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April 28 at 1:00 pm: Board of Trustees Meeting
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April 30 at 8:00 am: Union of Black Episcopalians Western Regional Conference - Seattle
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April 30 at 7:00 pm: Song Recital II: Lament of the Nymph
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April 30 at 7:00 pm: Portland Chamber Music- Benefit Concert for Ukraine
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May 1: Bishop Visitation to St. Michael & All Angels, Portland
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May 4 at 2:00 pm: St. Thomas ECW Annual Tea hosted by St. Thomas, Dallas
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May 5 at 10:00 am: Standing Committee Meeting
Ongoing invitations:
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Fridays at noon: Say Their Names at St. David of Wales, Portland, to honor and lament the black and brown people killed by racial and police violence.
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Fridays at 6:00 pm: Volunteer at Rahab's Sisters ministry every Friday night, beginning at 6:00 pm at Ss. Peter & Paul/Ss. Pedro y Pablo, Portland.
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Today we pray for...
In our Diocesan Cycle of Prayer (DOWNLOAD):
- Riddle: Church of the Ascension
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Roseburg: St. George, Gail Duba, priest-in-charge
In the Anglican Communion Cycle of Prayer (DOWNLOAD):
The Diocese of Kyushu – The Nippon Sei Ko Kai
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Clergy calls with Bishop Akiyama:
The next call will be Tuesday, May 3 at 8:15 am. The link to the call information can be found here.
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Spring Clergy Conference is next week!
The spring in-person Clergy Conference will be April 25 - 27 at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton. Registration has closed for the event. Please contact Carol Sedlacek if you need assistance.
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Festival of Homiletics: May 16 - 20, in Denver and online
This year's Festival of Homiletic's theme is "Preaching after the Storm: Preaching and Trauma." There is an in-person and an online festival happening this year on May 16 - 20. You can learn more, see the schedule, and register on their website.
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FROM THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH |
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New youth ministry officer to join Episcopal Church Faith Formation
[Office of Public Affairs] The Episcopal Church Department of Faith Formation is pleased to announce the hire of Canon Myra B. Garnes as its new officer for youth ministry. Garnes was selected after a full search and discernment process and subsequent interviews conducted with the help of a search committee. She begins her role May 2.
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Registration open for next sessions of Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency course
Virtual: May 16-20 | In-person: Aug. 13-20
Registration is open for upcoming sessions of the Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency Course, an innovative multiday intensive course, and Virtual Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency Course, a five-day intensive course, designed for diocesan staff, clergy, lay leaders, and seminarians to gain practical knowledge and cultural competency for Latino/Hispanic ministry.
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