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The Freed for Ministry campaign, the campaign to make our diocese stronger, is nearing completion. We have collected pledges of $1,341,628, leaving us less than $159,000 to go!  Please join us in making a pledge of your own. And ask someone to make a pledge with you. Thank you to the donors and parishes who have given so far. We are truly grateful.

Cathedral of All Souls,  Women of St. Philips Brevard,  St. Peter by the Lake, Denver,  Episcopal Church Women,  St. Davids Cullowhee,  Calvary Episcopal Church,  St. Georges Episcopal Church, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Lukes Episcopal Church, Asheville, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Canton, St. James Episcopal Church, Hendersonville, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Morganton, St. John's Episcopal Church, Franklin, Good Shepherd, Cashiers, Ascension, Hickory,  Episcopal Church of the Holy Family, Church of the Holy Spirit, Grace Church in the Mountains, Church of the Incarnation, Highlands, St. James, Lenior,  St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church, Church of the Savior, St. John in the Wilderness, Flat Rock, St. Giles Chapel, Grace Episcopal Asheville.

On September 16, the Rev. Carl Southerland was installed as Rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Franklin, North Carolina, becoming the first Moravian pastor of an Episcopal parish since the two denominations inaugurated a full-communion relationship in 2011.

Click here to read the full story.

September 20
All Souls in Asheville
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.

Program is from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Courageous Leadership
Change can be overwhelming and often lead to anxiety, but change is an ever present reality. Anxiety and fear can become limiting factors that hold us back for the opportunities that surround us. Are there ways fear is limiting your ministry? How could courage contribute to the development of our lay and ordained leaders? Join this workshop to discuss the limiting effect fear has on communities and how we can all (from the ordained to the lay) lead more courageously. As a participant, you'll leave with a deeper understanding of the impact of fear, the potential impact of a courageous community, the critical role of encouragement, and specific ways to incorporate these ideas into your life and work.   

Laura Shiver Cohn is a consultant and facilitator with Giant Leap. Laura joined Giant Leap after being a co-coordinator of Leadership Asheville. With Giant Leap, she has facilitated and co-facilitated strategic planning workshops, teambuilding sessions, leadership development courses, and contributed to the development of customized resources that meet the specific needs of clients.   

To register for this event, please email Alice Keenan at akeenan@diocesewnc.org by September 15.  Please remember that if you are bringing food to the meeting , do not bring anything with onions.  We are not  taking lunch orders for this Ember Day since the program concludes before lunch. 

2013 Insurance Rates

View the 2013 insurance rates here.

Convention Bulletin Insert

Please include the 2012 Convention Bulletin Insert in your programs this week. Click here for the Word version, or here for the PDF version.

After 30 Years of Service, African Medical Mission Comes to an End 

Jenny McConnachie was on a fundraising trip to the U.S. and U.K when she got the news: the South African settlement where she had operated a medical clinic for over 20 years had been bulldozed by the local municipality of Mthatha; the roughly 3,000 people she had served -- mostly women and children, many of them HIV positive -- were now homeless. 

Click here to read the full story.

Deacon Sunday

One of the goals of the Deacons in the Diocese of Western North Carolina is to promote and educate about the diaconate. Bishop Taylor suggested we have a Sunday on which deacons visit in parishes that do not currently have a deacon assigned to them. Deacon Sunday will be held across the diocese on either October 7 or 14 (at the convenience of the paricipating rectors and deacons). All active deaoons have been asked to participate. Visiting deacons may preach or teach an Adult Forum or both, and function liturgically for the service. These dates were chosen since the feast day of St. Phillip, the Deacon is October 11. Rectors of parishes without deacons may contact The Ven. Kristi Neal by email or by phone at (828) 216-3010 for assistance.

Bishop's Visitation Schedule for 2013

The Bishop's 2013 visitation schedule is now updated on our website.

Dismantling Racism Level 1 Workshop

Below are the dates for the upcoming Dismantling Racism Level 1 workshops. To register for one of these please email Alice Keenan at akeenan@diocesewnc.org.
 

Sept. 22 -- Dismantling Racism Level 1 Workshop, Bishop Henry Center, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (lunch included) - registration deadline is September 17.
 

October 20 -- Dismantling Racism Level 1 Workshop, Saint Mary's, Morganton, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (lunch included) - registration deadline October 15.

A Deacon's Perspective from Alaska to Our Diocese of Western North Carolina

After reading the Episcopal Church's National Convention Resolution BO23 on Environmental Justice, I hoped to connect with its proposer, Bishop Mark Lattime, the bishop of Alaska.   Resolution BO23 calls for the Episcopal Church to stand in solidarity with those communities who bear the greatest burdens of climate change: indigenous people.  Specifically, as Episcopalians we are called to advocate for policies which reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The resolution admonishes congregations, institutions and dioceses to resist the development of more unconventional and environmentally destructive sources of fossil fuel such as mountaintop removal, hydraulic fracking and oil drilling.  An explanation follows the resolution about Kivalina, an Inupiaq community located on the Alaskan Northwest coast. 

Click here to red more.

Did you Know?

If your church is paying a priest $200 or more per month for at least three months, you need to be contributing to the pension plan.

There are some exceptions. For complete information, read "A Guide to Benefits Under the Clergy Pension Plan." 

Celebration of New Ministry

Update on Trip to Durgapur, India

The Companion Diocese is watching the problem in the MIddle East and the decision to go to Durgapur will not be finalized until October 15. Until then, names of those interested in going will continue to be taken. If the world situation continues to deteriorate, the trip will be cancelled. Otherwise, those signed up will continue with preparations for the trip, which will embark on Jan. 28 to meet with our sponsored children and support the great work at the Diocese of Durgapur. For information, call or email Shawnee Irwin, sbirwin@aol.com or 828-877-3966.

Episcopal Church Foundation Web Conference Series:  Transforming the Church

This September, ECF is offering a series of web conferences to share with you some of the work they are doing, some of the resources they are offering, to answer your questions and hear about what you need.

New Direction in Leadership Resources: Empowering lay and clergy leadership. (Sept 20, 2012, 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET)

All web conferences are being offered at no charge and you may sign up for as many as you like. Click here to register for one or more of these conferences or for more information.