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Companion Diocese Uruguay
Holy God, source of healing and of peace, bless with your grace the companion dioceses of Oklahoma and Uruguay. Through our partnership one with another may we grow in mutual affection and communion, seek a more profound experience of truth, build up the Church in unity and give glory to Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
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The Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma
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The Next Issue of this Newsletter will be on Friday, March 18. |
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We Are Epiok.org
March 11, 2011
Issue 6 |
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As we are growing our newsletter, we continue to run across incorrect email addresses in our data base. Please be sure you have joined our mailing list on the Diocesan Web Site, www.epiok.org, lower left side, blue box, to receive our weekly newsletter and encourage others to sign up as well.
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March Bishop's Visits
3/13 Ascension, Pawnee
3/22-31 House of Bishop's - Kanuga |
Grant Awarded to Diocese of Uruguay
In January, the Bishop's Office submitted a grant application to Virginia Theological Seminary's Missionary Society on behalf of the Diocese of Uruguay. We were informed this week that the grant application has been selected for funding. This grant will allow for the development of a new mission. San Andres Ap�stol (St. Andrews the Apostle), is a newly formed mission of 15 people located in a poor neighborhood in the city of Tacuaremb�, located in the Northeastern part of Uruguay (300 miles north from Montevideo, the capital).
The diocese wants the community of St. Andrews to have a place to meet, worship, and conduct Bible study groups as well as serving the needs of the poor in the neighborhood. The mission will be located in a shantytown on the outskirts of Tacuaremb�. This neighborhood has a population of 2,000 people of extreme poverty with high rates of social problems such as infant mortality, family violence and very low, if little, education.
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Anglican Communion Covenant
Bishop Ed has assembled a group to organize Diocesan-wide listening sessions to educate, hear concerns and questions about, and discuss the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant. The group consists of The Rev. Mary Ann Hill of St. Dunstan's Tulsa, The Rev. Lee Stephens of St.Luke's Bartlesville, The Rev. Mark Story of St. Mary's Edmond, and Donna Farrior of St. John's Tulsa. Sessions will be held in each region in May and early June. In the near future, dates and locations for meetings, and background resources will be posted on the Diocesan website. This listening and education process will culminate in consideration of the Anglican Communion Covenant at our Diocesan convention in November, 2011, and at General Convention in July, 2012.
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Christian Formation Committee Regional Training Event
Our next regional training event will be offered on Saturday, April 9, at St. Augustine of Canterbury, Oklahoma City, from 9 a.m. until 1:15 p.m.
Workshops to be offered are:
An Approach to Studying Paul's Letters
Gospel Values in Children's Lit
Care and Feeding of Children's Sunday School
Introduction to Godly Play
Curriculum
Building an Episcopal Youth Group from Scratch
Prayer Tools
Registration forms are on line. The cost is $20 which includes your lunch. We guarantee you will be able to leave this workshop with plans and ideas you can immediately institute in your programs!
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Godly Play Training to be Offered
You asked and we listened. We are offering a three-day Godly Play Core Training event at St. Paul's Cathedral, 127 NW 7th Street, Oklahoma City. Classes will be offered on:
Thursday, June 9th from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Friday, June 10th from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 11th from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
Godly Play is an approach to religious education in which the teacher shows the various ways to use the sacred stories, parables and liturgical actions of the Christian faith as tools for approaching the larger questions of life. These components of religious language become the starting points for wonder and discussion. Following the Montessori tradition, the materials are always available for children to use in retelling the story, thus helping them to truly make the stories their own. Class structure follows the pattern of worship. There is time to share the story in community and time to respond individually (through art materials or the story manipulatives). At the end of the response time, the community of children comes together for prayers and a "feast." This method was begun by the Rev. Jerome Berryman, an Episcopal priest, who studied with Sofia Cavalletti, who pioneered the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program.
The cost for training is $295. However, don't let this be an impediment in your taking the training. Many smaller congregations have asked about this and we want you to be able to attend. Contact Sabrina if you need scholarship help. Additionally, we will help you look at alternative materials that help reduce the set- up costs. A registration form an brochure is on line.
You may check out Godly Play on their web site: http://www.godlyplayfoundation.org/newsite/Main.php
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May 13, 2011 - Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma Night at the RedHawks Game
Baseball Spring Season has finally arrived and a young gentleman (or woman's) thoughts turn to those immortal words of "Play Ball!" And here's a chance to hear those words, enjoy a fun outing, get a free hat, and be with others from your congregation and the diocese! May 13 will be Oklahoma Episcopal Diocese night at the OKC RedHawks Game. Reserved seats will be over the dugout, field level! Get your registrations forms from the web and come out to the ballpark!
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Lenten Booklet for 2011
The St. John's Daughters of the King have produced their Lenten booklet for 2011 entitled "The one who sings prays twice." Parishioners of St. John's in Tulsa have written devotions on the texts of some of the Lenten hymns in The Hymnal 1982. Please contact Diana Carter ([email protected]) if you would like to have these devotions emailed to you each day otherwise the booklet may be viewed online at www.epiok.org. We hope that God blesses your Lent!
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St. Simeon's Resident Mardi Gras Parade
St. Simeon's annual Mardi Gras Parade for the residents was held last Thursday. There are more parties scheduled for Fat Tuesday!
It's hard to tell who was having the most fun - the residents or the staff!
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Iron Gate - Tulsa
To paraphrase the popular song, "We get by with a little help from our Episcopal friends," said Iron Gate Executive Director Connie Cronley. "Actually, it's not a little help, it's a lot."
Iron Gate is a soup kitchen and food pantry located in downtown Trinity Episcopal Church. It was begun by Trinity parishioners 26 years ago to feed the downtown homeless. In recent years, the demographics have changed. Now 40-50 percent or more of the people fed are working poor, families with children, seniors on a fixed income and people affected by the economy.
Last year, Iron Gate served 201,000 people in the soup kitchen's daily meal and distributed 10,800 bags of groceries to needy families. Some 12,000 kids' packs of healthy kid-friendly food were given to children.
Volunteers and donors from a wide spectrum of the faith community support Iron Gate, but especially Tulsa's Episcopal churches.
- Anthony Jezek, elected in February as Iron Gate board chair, until recently was senior warden at St. John's Episcopal Church.
- Elected to the board was Steve Anderson, St. John's parishioner, and Shelley Jackson from Trinity. The Rev. Canon John C. Powers, St. Bede vicar, and Trinity Rector Stephen McKee also serve on the board.
- Christ Church Episcopal held an elegant fund raising dinner to benefit Iron Gate Feb. 19.
- Christ Church Deacon Linda Barton Paul organized a harp concert fund raiser last December with food items as the admission cost.
- The regular Friday soup kitchen serving crew is comprised of men from St. Patrick's and Christ Church.
- The Rev. Suzanne Methven began the Garden of Hope at St. John's to provide fresh vegetables for Iron Gate
- Deacon Deborah Underwood, Trinity, is Iron Gate's volunteer coordinator (wrangling some 620 volunteers last year).
- Volunteers also come from St. Dunstan's and the Outreach Committee of St. John's helps support Iron Gate financially with annual contributions
Additional contributions come from individual Episcopalians from many parishes. Every November, Trinity acknowledges the ministry by designating one Sunday as Iron Gate Sunday. Informational displays are set up in the church's Great Hall and parishioners are urged to remember the hungry and homeless during the month of Thanksgiving.
"Our Lord said, 'Feed my sheep,'" Rev. McKee wrote parishioners in his Thanksgiving letter last year. "In Oklahoma, where one in four children goes to be hungry, Iron Gate is a ministry that takes that commandment literally." |
Safeguarding God's Children - Train the Trainer
We have completed our second Train the Trainer Session. Congratulations to:
George Ratliff, Holy Cross - Owasso
Becky Moseman, Trinity - Tulsa
Sara Plummer, Good Shepherd - Sapulpa
The Rev. Susanne Methven, St. John's - Tulsa
Jennifer Sparks, Grace - Muskogee
The Rev. Judy Gann, Trinity - Tulsa
Mary Susan Whaley, All Saints' - Miami
The Rev. Kay Bowman-Harvey, All Saints' - Miami
The Rev. James R. Blagg, St. John's - Durant
The Rev. Everett Lees, St. Patrick's - Broken Arrow
Suzanne Shepherd, St. Patrick's - Broken Arrow
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Just A Reminder!
Christ Church, Tulsa, invites you to join their Celebration of Ministry honoring The Reverend Richard Brewer, Vicar, on March 13, 2011, from 3 - 5 p.m.
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Emergency Planning
Does your church have in place an emergency evacuation plan? Would your nursery workers know how to respond in case of a fire? Check out this link to give you some ideas on planning a congregational emergency plan.
http://www.churchsafety.com/topics/emergencies/disasters/emergencyevacuations/cs81.html?tCode=2A4A7F7163&dCode=214898CD39
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Closing - Prayers for Sundays after Epiphany and Lent
Lord, help me not to be a taker but a tender,
Lord, help me not to be a whiner but a worker,
Lord, help me not to be a getter but a giver,
Lord, help me not to be a hindrance but a help,
Lord, help me not to be a critic but a catalyst for good.
From Guide My Feet by Marian Wright Edelman
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Contact Information
Sabrina Evans
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