Our hearts are heavy as the news and images of the damage, destruction, and loss of lives as a result of Saturday’s tornadoes continue to fill our news feeds. We hold up in prayer all the victims of the storms, but in particular our neighbors in Southwestern Kentucky.
The Diocese of Southern Ohio has forwarded a gift to the Diocese of Kentucky Bishop’s Discretionary Fund for tornado relief. In this Advent season of waiting and preparation for the coming of our savior, please consider giving generously to those whose preparations and very lives have been swept away and replaced with uncertainty and despair. Information on giving to individual churches affected by the storms or to the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund are below. You may also consider a donation to Episcopal Relief and Development disaster fund, where your gift will help to provide relief and support to the affected communities in both the short- and the long-term.
O merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that
thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men:
Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servants for whom
our prayers are offered. Remember them, O Lord, in mercy,
nourish their souls with patience, comfort them with a sense of
thy goodness, lift up thy countenance upon them, and give
The most effective way to help right now is to send a financial contribution that can be used for local needs. During disasters, churches are often able to fill in the gaps of specific needs that are missed by the larger response systems or needs that are too urgent to wait.
There are a few congregations in the affected area that can accept online donations. You can donate to their discretionary funds directly, or donate to the bishop's discretionary fund using the links below:
You can donate to the Bishop's Discretionary fund online here,
or you can make checks out to Diocese of KY Bishop's Discretionary Fund with tornado relief in the memo line and mail to
The Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky
425 S. 2nd Street Suite 200
Louisville, KY 40202
For those wishing to make check contributions to other affected parishes - the Diocese of Kentucky will process and distribute to the parish that you designate on the check or where most needed if no church is indicated.
Please consider ongoing support of Episcopal Relief and Development. Their support in the first 48 hours has been incredibly valuable.
You can donate to the state's official Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund here.
Graves County (where Mayfield is located) Emergency Management has created a web form to coordinate volunteers & donations here.
Resources
Looking for forms, policies, all the “stuff” that churches need? Our resources page is a hub that will take you to whatever you are looking for!
Filing of the 2021 Parochial Report opens January 4, 2022.
To begin preparing for the upcoming filing year, downloadable forms and instructions are available on the Episcopal Church website. There you will also find a video tutorial and detailed instructions.
A reminder that reports are filed online at: https://reports.dfms.orgusing your previous login information from last year. Administrators should receive an email from the General Convention Office with the login information.
The canonical deadline for filing your 2021 Parochial Report is March 1, 2022.
Becoming Beloved Community
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.
Hope for voting protections: U.S. Senate just approved a different filibuster carve-out!
The Dec. 7 BBC update invited you to write to Ohio Senators Portman and Brown asking them to approve a carve-out for the filibuster to clear the way for debate and votes on the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which have been blocked by the filibuster. That very same week, 59 Senators voted Dec. 9 to approve a one-time exemption to the filibuster to allow a vote to raise the U.S. debt ceiling to pass with a simple majority.
Bills advancing in Ohio House to severely constrain educators’ ability to discuss race, bias
As a member of the Diocese’s Becoming Beloved Community Leadership Team, I’m tracking and reporting to you on HB 322 and HB 327. Both bills are in the House State and Local Government Committee and could come to a vote as soon as January. HB 322 would prohibit K-12 teachers from naming policies – such as past Ohio laws that prevented Black Ohioans from voting, holding office, or serving on juries – as systemic racism. Instead, the history of policies like redlining or voter suppression which the Episcopal Church is working hard to overcome could only be taught as “deviations from, betrayals of, or failures to live up to the authentic founding principles of the United States.”
Advocacy briefings and updates are compiled by Ariel Miller, a member of Ascension & Holy Trinity, Wyoming, and a member of the diocesan Becoming Beloved Community Leadership Team.
Join us on December 17-18 as we explore the themes of Advent! We’ll see how these themes affect the media around us, from movies to music. This is a hybrid retreat which means you can either attend in person or online.
Deadline to register is this Wednesday, Dec. 15, at noon. We hope to see you there!
During Advent, the entire diocese is invited to join the Advent Film Club, led by the Rev. Karl Stevens and the Rev. Jed Dearing. We invite you to incorporate your movie watching as a spiritual exercise by joining in with the Advent Film Club; Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. on Zoom.
Each week is a self-contained conversation, meaning you can join for one week or as many as you’d like. Here’s the schedule:
December 16 [Zephaniah 3:14-20] Happiest Season
Free w/Hulu. Runtime: 2 hrs.
December 23 [Hebrews 10:5-10] The Green Knight
Available to rent on all major streaming platforms. Runtime: 2h10m.
Download the entire series booklet, written by Jed, by clicking this link.
Christian Ethics in a Crazy World
Through a grant from the Faith in Life Commission, The Church of the Advent will be offering four workshops in February and March related to the application of our Christian faith to ethical living in a crazy and messy world.
All workshops will be in person and held at the Church of the Advent, Walnut Hills, Cincinnati on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Space will be limited to 30 participants in each workshop so register early!
Episcopal Community Ministries uses the power of our collective community to help fund local outreach ministries who are in the best position to assess and respond to neighborhood needs.
Every donation to ECM contributes to the well-being of communities all over Southern Ohio, at every level of human need, from food and clothing to jobs and homes.
Procter Center is a mid-sized retreat and event facility located in London, Ohio, that serves spiritual, community, business and youth organizations. Procter is also available to families and individuals who seek inspiration, reflection, education, team building and togetherness in a simple, peaceful and secluded setting.
Did you have something that you just loved while at camp? Maybe it was a craft project, a favorite game, or tie-die? Do you have a passion for connecting kids to nature? Please consider making a donation to Camp via our Amazon Wish List. Our Day Camp Director, Darien McCoy, has added many fantastic (and needed) items:
b. Choose what you would like to purchase for Camp.
c. The items are sent directly to Procter Center.
How exciting it will be to open the packages for Camp! It'll be like Christmas morning for Procter! We appreciate each and every donation, and the youth and families will too!
News from our Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral is located at 318 E. 4th Street in downtown Cincinnati.
Music Live at Lunch, Christ Church Cathedral's weekly concert series, is celebrating its 50th year! These free concerts are presented on Tuesdays at 12:10 p.m. Patrons may bring their own lunch or purchase one at the cathedral.
December Schedule
Dec 21: Cathedral Choir with Elizabeth Motter (harp): Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols
Lessons and Carols Concert
Saturday, December 18
7:00 p.m.
Local singer-songwriters offer readings and Christmas carols in a variety of styles.
Based on a beloved service offered at King's College in Cambridge, England, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols takes an imaginative approach to liturgy, weaving together scripture and song, moving from prophecy to fulfillment, to tell the story of the birth of Jesus. The congregation will join in singing carols in addition to the listed anthems shared by the choir.
Resonemus laudibus – arr. Willcocks
Adam Lay Ybounden – Boles
I Wonder as I Wander – arr. Rutter
O Come, Divine Messiah – arr. Helvey
Virga Jesse – Juneau
A Maiden Most Gentle – arr. Carter
Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head – arr. Halley
Sussex Carol – arr. Willcocks
The Magi's Dream – Whitbourn
The Huron Carol – arr. Daley
We hope you will join us in person for this perfect way to start your Christmas week. Click here to access the live stream.
Community news & events
Community events
December
18: Lessons and Carols concert at Christ Church Cathedral, 7 p.m.
19: Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at Christ Church Cathedral, 5 p.m.
21: Blue Christmas at St. Francis, Springboro, 6:30 p.m.
Province Vof the Episcopal Church is a wonderful networking resource to connect with Episcopalians from the Midwest who share interest in a same ministry area. Province V Newsalso has information about webinars and other events of interest.
Episcopalians join communities responding to deadly, destructive tornadoes in central US
Jeremiah Barker, 37, on Dec. 13 retrieves belongings from the pile of debris where his home once stood in the aftermath of a tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky. Photo: Reuters
[Episcopal News Service] Episcopal leaders and church members are working with their communities to provide disaster relief and assistance to areas affected by the powerful storm system overnight Dec. 10 that produced deadly and destructive tornadoes across a wide swath of the central United States.
Communities in western Kentucky were among the hardest hit. At least 64 people there were killed in the storms, Gov. Andy Beshear said in an update on Dec. 13, and more deaths were reported from the tornadoes that ripped through parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
The Diocese of Kentucky, based in Louisville, announced on Facebook that it was working with Episcopal Relief & Development and the staff of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to coordinate assistance to those impacted by the storms. Episcopal Relief & Development is accepting donations online.
A church focused outside our doors, loving and serving Jesus Christ in our beloved communities in relevant ways, both new and traditional.
OUR MISSION
Christ is calling us into meaningful connections with each other that transcend all boundaries, and to act on those connections for the benefit of all. By these connections we are made whole.
