December 15, 2009
Diocesan Prayers

For the Sundays of December please pray for the organizations that deal with children with special needs, especially for the work of the Sheltering Arms Foundation and Episcopal Community Services. Please pray also for those who work in Child Protection agencies throughout the State of Minnesota.

Sunday, December 20 is
4 Advent
St. Philip & St. Thomas, St. Paul

Friday, December 25 is Christmas Day
Church of the Nativity, Burnsville
St. Stephen's, Edina and Paynesville

Sunday, December 27 is 1 Sunday after Christmas
St. John the Evangelist, Aitkin, Eveleth, Hallock, Hassan, Mankato, Onigum, Red Lake, St. Cloud, St. Paul

Anniversaries
12/20 Jerry Doherty, p 1975
12/20 John Jankowski, p 2007
12/20 David Langille, p 2007
12/20 Winifred Mitchell, p 2007
12/20 David Norgard, p 1984
12/20 Letha Wilson-Bernard, p 2007
12/21 Marilyn Baldwin, p 2006
12/21 Ed Eilertson, p 1952
12/21 Henry Hoover, p 1955
12/21 Jim Jenkins, p 1955
12/21 Andrew Jensen, p 1965
12/21 Tom McElligott, p 1950
12/21 Doug Morrison Cleary, p 2006
12/21 Donald Nesheim, p 1984
12/21 John Newton, p 1974
12/21 Thomas Phillips, p 1955
12/21 Gary Pielemeier, p 1955
12/21 Kay Provine, p 2006
12/21 Mary Ramos, p 2006
12/21 John Robertson, p 1993
12/21 Edward Sheppard, p 1959
12/21 Frederick Smyithe, p 1945
12/21 Cara Spaccarelli, p 2006
12/21 Mark Thompson, p 1992
12/21 Marilla Whitney, p 1987
12/22 Webster Barnett, p 1951
12/22 Alan Clark, p 1958
12/23 Richard Smith, p 1952
12/27 Ken Toven, p 1980
12/27 David Sams, d 1984
12/29 Cynthia Peterson Wlosinski,
          p 1982
12/29 Carolyn Schmidt, p 1987
12/30 Joe Hopwood, p 1986
1/1 Bruce Henne, p 1986
1/1 James Jelinek, p 1971
1/1 Noel Rich, p 1980
1/2 Robert Miller, p 1971

Diocesan Cycle of Prayer
Anglican Cycle of Prayer
Gospel Based Discipleship
Weekly News
The Weekly News will be on vacation next week. Have a wonderful Christmas.
Around the diocese
Celebrate Bishop Jelinek's ministry
Please plan to attend at least one of the three events being held to celebrate Bishop Jelinek's 17 years of ministry with the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota:

Saturday, January 16, 3 pm to 6 pm
reception at St. Paul's, Brainerd

Sunday, January 17, 3 pm to 6 pm
program and reception, St. John the Evangelist, St. Paul
(program will be from 3 pm to 4 pm, reception following)

Sunday, January 24, 3 pm to 6 pm
reception at St. John's, Mankato

Two ways to send your greetings to Bishop Jelinek
A community website has been established where you can send your greetings to Bishop Jelinek. Simply email your greetings, which can include photos, videos, and graphic files, to post@thanksbishop.posterous.com. These greetings will be posted to a dedicated website,  www.thanksbishopjelinek.com. You can also post greetings on the "Thanks Bishop Jelinek" page on Facebook.

Recognize Bishop Jelinek with a message on MPR
Bishop Jelinek has requested that in lieu of gifts the Diocese coordinate messages to be played statewide on MPR News highlighting the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. Individuals, groups, and congregations can participate for as little as $200 with an individualized message, including their name, to be run between January 18 and 29, 6 am to 12 midnight. The deadline for participation is January 8. For details contact Wendy Johnson, wendy.j@episcopalmn.org or 651-428-9052.
Events
Hundreds celebrate at la mision el Santo Nino Jesus
The community of el Santo Nino Jesus welcomed hundreds to their celebration - La Celebracion de la Fiesta de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe - this past weekend. The space was filled to capacity with approximately 600 people attending including five youth groups.

Reception for Episcopal artists changed
The show featuring the art of the Rev. Canon Robert Two Bulls and the Rev. Johnson Loud is scheduled to open at St. Matthew's, St. Paul on Sunday, December 20th. However, the Reception planned for 2pm on Sunday has been cancelled. Instead, Rev. Two Bulls will be a guest at our Faith Forum from 9:15am - 10:15 am in the church library.  He will be sharing his story as an artist and his past and present work.  All are welcome to attend. 

Keep our diocesan calendars up-to-date
Don't forget that the MN Episcopal Music calendar and the Community Events calendar are two online locations for congregations and communities to list upcoming special events and programs. Email Wendy Johnson if you have any questions.
Networking
Visit the Total Ministry Facebook page
Keep your Total Ministry team connected with others around the diocese. Join the "What's up with Total Ministry?" Facebook page and connect with others who are doing what you're doing - ask questions, get ideas, stay connected.

Follow Joint Religious Legislative Coalition
Guided by God's vision of the common good as reflected in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) mobilizes religious communities to influence public policy in Minnesota. To learn more about them, or to join their mailing list and stay updated on current events, visit their website at www.jrlc.org.
This Week in the Diocese

December 16, 10 am: Department of Indian Work clericus, St. John's, St. Cloud

December 17, 10 am: Diocesan Council meeting, St. Mark's Cathedral, Minneapolis

December 17, 7 pm: Multicultural Network meeting, All Saints, Minneapolis

December 20, 4 pm: Ordinations, Christ Church, Grand Rapids

December 24-25: Episcopal Center closed

January 1: Episcopal Center closed

A complete Calendar of Events is available on our website.  Other events can be found on the community calendar, the Region 7 Calendar and the Episcopal Music Calendar.