2010 Winter Convocation/DYE
 Dear
Friends,
Thank
you for attending the Diocese of Ohio 2010 Winter Convocation and DYE. We
sincerely hope it was a blessing to you and your parishes. We had a great time
of worship and fellowship Friday night, and of storytelling, prayer, and
teaching Saturday. The youth spent
Friday and Saturday night at St. Timothy's and worshiped with the congregation
on Sunday. They prayed with and for the
members of the congregation and took part in their clothesline ministry. We are grateful to St. Timothy's for their
gracious hospitality. If you have any
questions or would like support in bringing the Unbinding the Gospel process or
Natural Church Development (NCD) to your parish, please call Brad at
216-774-0452 or email him at bpurdom@dohio.org. If you would like assistance in incorporating
Unbinding the Gospel into your formation program or utilizing it with your
youth groups please call Vincent at 216-774-0453 or email him at vblack@dohio.org.
Sincerely,
Brad Purdom
Canon for Congregations
Vincent Black
Canon for Christian Formation
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February 12-14, Several youth from the diocese participated in a retreat given
by teens for teens known as Happening.
It is a powerful experience for those teens participating as retreatants
and those teens acting as staff. It
"Happens" here in the Diocese of Ohio annually sometime after January. Special thanks goes out to Church of Our
Saviour, Akron for hosting the retreat and for going out of their way to make
the youth feel welcome and comfortable.
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Save the Dates
March
13-14 Middle School Pilgrimage at Trinity Cathedral
April
10 @ 10am, Ordination of Vincent Edward Black and Paul Lee Gaston to the
priesthood at Trinity Cathedral
April
17 @10:30 Diocesan Confirmations at Trinity Cathedral May 15 Small Parish Conference, location TBD
June
24-27 Ohio Episcopal Celebration at Kenyon with Walter Brueggemann
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Discovering God's
Unique Vision
for Your Congregation
Will Mancini reminds us that every congregation is made up
of one of a kind individuals created by God and shaped by a lifetime of
experiences to possess unique gifts, passions, and resources. This means that
every congregation must by definition be an equally unique combination of the gifts,
passions, and resources of many individuals.
In the same way,
every community within which a congregation seeks to minister is completely distinctive
in its situation, hopes, and needs. Mancini suggests that the way to discern
God's particular vision for any congregation is to find the intersection
between that congregation's unique collective potential and its community's
unique local predicament.
That intersection will
be the point at which that congregation will be able to love and minister to its
community like absolutely no other congregation or group can. That
intersection, then, Mancini says, is the ground spring of God's unique and
compelling vision for that congregation.
If you'd like to learn more about this idea, contact me at bpurdom@dohio.org, or get a copy of
Mancini's book, Church Unique, Jossey-Bass, 2008.
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Ohio Day at Washington National Cathedral
 April 25 is Ohio Day at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The
Cathedral designates certain days of the year to honor a particular
state, its people, and heritage. Many dioceses celebrate this day by
sending busloads of participants from congregations. The Diocese of
Ohio will be providing two free buses for individuals to go to
Washington, D.C. for Ohio Day. |
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Diocesan Youth Gathering
Celebrating Ohio Day at Washington National Cathedral April 23-25, 2010
 The Diocesan Youth Gathering wil take place in Washington, D.C. from April 23-25, 2010. The Diocese will charter a bus which will leave Toledo in the afternoon and and make a stop in the Cleveland Area and in Youngstown before heading on toward the capital. We will stay at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia. Registration will be available soon. For updates please visit the Diocesan website: www.dohio.org |
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Safeguarding God's Children
St. Matthew's, Brecksville
March 6, 2010
Safeguarding God's Children will take place on March 6, 2010 at St. Matthew's, Brecksville, 9548 Highland Dr. from 1 - 4 p.m. Light snacks will be served . Registration can be made
by calling 440-526-9865 and leaving a message for Mary Ann Semple.
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National Association for Episcopal Christian Education Directors "NAECED"
Perhaps you've seen
the acronym "NAECED" and wondered about it-- who is it, what is it?
If you are someone whose work or volunteer work includes Christian formation
(for any age group), then NAECED is for you. The acronym stands for National
Association for Episcopal Christian Education Directors, but it is an
organization that happily includes and represents all individuals who do
formation work. The NAECED community supports educators, advocates on their
behalf, helps to educate them, promotes their interests, provides resources,
and much more. It is the largest group of lay professionals in the Episcopal
Church, over 300 members strong. One of the group's best resources is an active
list-serv, where members share ideas and support each other. NAECED offers an
annual conference, where members can worship, attend workshops, enjoy
spirituality and relaxation offerings and connect with others who do similar
work. The 2010 conference (Jan. 22-24) was held at the Vallombrosa Center in
Menlo Park CA and the 2011 conference is scheduled Feb. 3-5 in Charlotte NC.
Find out more about this outstanding organization at http://naeced.org/, well worth its membership
dues!
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Contact Information
The Diocese of Ohio, Office for Congregations and Christian Formation
The Rev. Brad Purdom, Canon for Congregations, bpurdom@dohio.org, 216.774.0452 or 800.551.4815 ext. 452
The Rev. Vincent Black, Canon for Christian Formation,
vblack@dohio.org, 216.774.0453 or 800.551.4815 ext. 453
Ginger Bitikofer, Resource Center Manager, resourcelibrary@dohio.org
216.774.0492 or 800-551-4815 ext. 492
Antoinette Taylor, Assistant for Congregations and Christian Formation, ataylor@dohio.org, 216-774-0476 or 800-551-4815 ext. 476 |
Recreating God, we pray that all members of the Diocese of Ohio
will grow in their relationships with Jesus Christ and in their
sharing of your love and building of your kingdom. We pray that you use the work of this office in that growth and in that sharing. Amen
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