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. 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.    

Anglican Covenant Discussion

Regional Meetings - Dates and Assignments

Oklahoma City, Cathedral, Sunday, May 29^th,  2:00  p.m.

Oklahoma City, Cathedral, Tuesday, May 24^th,  6:30 p.m.

Tulsa, St. Dunstan's, Thursday, May 5^th,  7:00-9:00 p.m.

Tulsa, St. John's, Sunday, May 15^th,  4:00-6:00 p.m.

Northeast, Vinita, Sunday, May 1^st,  2:30-4:30 p.m.   

Northwest, St. Matthew's, Enid, Saturday, May 7^th,  10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Southeast, All Saints', McAlester, Thursday, June 9^th ,  6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Southwest, St. Andrew's, Lawton, Thursday, May 26^th, 6:30p.m.

Mission Camp Stays at St. Crispin's

What do you get with 18 people who do mission camp at St. Crispin's? Well, you get a new firepit cover, the Dean's Cabin painted and cleaned, leaves raked around the pool, cabins, and the house where our new Conference Center directors live, the life guard stands sanded, the craft closet for summer cleaned and inventoried, the summer camp songbooks repaired, the Infirmary supplies inventoried, all the cabins cleaned from top to bottom (and that was an interesting adventure into dirt and filth), and the cement rock wall at the entry cleaned from old mortar and re-mortared so the rocks don't fall off when you are walking across the top of them. We renewed friendships and made new ones. We laughed, we sang, we worshiped, we listened, we team-built and then used those skills in problem solving all week long.

Sure, this camp was different from the last few years of doing outside mission work. But we also learned that mission work can be done in other places and what better place to do it than at a place we all love so much - St. Crispin's.

What about Japan?

How do we address the natural disasters of Japan with our children? What can we do to help in a country that is so far away and whose needs are so many?

There are free download on "How to Talk to Children & Teens about Natural Disasters" - it was written in 2010 for Haiti, but could easily be adjusted for what's happening now in Japan.  Here's the link:

http://leaderresources.org/downloads/FREE_Downloads/Talking%20about%20Tragedy.pdf

After the earthquake in Haiti last year, I (Sharon Pearson from Church Publishing) put together some resources for reflection and response, especially with children. As I have been away from my computer all day, I have yet to put together a more updated compilation, but I offer this as an additional resource for those of you planning responses in prayer and otherwise for this Sunday. https://www.churchpublishing.org/media/custom/IN-Formation/Prayers4Haiti.pdf

Episcopal Relief and Development

p://www.er-d.org/JapanEarthquakeTsunamiMar2011

Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting the rescue and relief efforts of the Nippon Sei Ko Kei (NSKK; the Anglican-Episcopal Church in Japan) following the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck Japan this past Friday. This quake was the strongest to hit the country since officials started keeping records over 100 years ago. It is estimated that at least 10,000 people have died as a result of the disaster, though it may be weeks or even months before an accurate tally can be reached. Shelters are accommodating 350,000 people who have become homeless. Of families who are still in their homes, 1.3 million were without power as of Monday morning, and 1.4 million were without running water. Adding to the crisis is the situation at the Fukushima nuclear plants, which has prompted the evacuation of more than 180,000 people. Local authorities are continuing to screen and treat people for radiation exposure.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan told a news conference in Tokyo late Sunday: "I think that the earthquake, tsunami and the situation at our nuclear reactors makes up the worst crisis in the 65 years since the war. If the nation works together, we will overcome."

Damage to transportation and communication infrastructure has made information collection difficult, so the full scope of the disaster is not yet known. It was two days before the bishop of the most severely affected diocese, the Rt. Rev John Hiromichi Kato of the Diocese of Tohoku, was able to communicate with provincial leadership, and he himself had not been able to find out much about the other churches in the diocese.

"There is particular concern for two churches," reported Archbishop Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu, who spoke with Bishop Kato. "Isoyama St. Peter's Church in Fukushima Prefecture and Kamaishi Shinai Church and the kindergarten in Iwate [were] close to the sea. Priests have been frantically trying to confirm that their parishioners are safe." The Archbishop went on to explain that churches in the Kita Kanto diocese had also been affected, and that the Sendai Christchurch Cathedral had been badly damaged.

Donations to Episcopal Relief & Development's  Japan Earthquake Response Fund (If you wish to contribute, please malke your checks payable to the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma and indicate Japan in the memo note. We will submit  a check from the entire diocese to ERD.) will provide vital support to the NSKK. In Tohoku, the Church is planning to establish an emergency relief center at the diocesan building, with Bishop Kato leading the efforts to respond to the crisis. At the Provincial level, Archbishop Uematsu is working to develop a response structure that is capable of dealing with a disaster of this magnitude, and will include organizing and supporting a network of volunteers to carry out the relief and restoration work. 

After the emergency phase, Episcopal Relief & Development will continue to support the restoration and rehabilitation of affected areas in Japan. The agency will be liaising with other Anglican and international bodies, sharing information and working to ensure that the overall response is coordinated and follows the vision of the NSKK. Episcopal Relief & Development has collaborated with the NSKK in the past, through broader regional partnerships to address climate change, peace-building and humanitarian initiatives.

Outside Japan, the impact of the tsunami is widespread. Churches and partners around the Pacific region have been affected, including those in Hawai'i and on the west coast of the US. Episcopal Relief & Development has been in contact with affected dioceses and is standing by to offer assistance. 

View before-and-after satellite photos of tsunami-affected areas on the New York Times website here (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html?hp?src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB).

Pilgrimage to Ireland - May 15 - 30, 2012

In response to a call by the Primates of the Anglican Communion, to "give urgent priority for reflection, study and reflection" and to address "climate change and the responsible management of our natural resources," St. Paul's Cathedral has inaugurated the Whole Creation Community.

As part of the Whole Creation Community, you are asked to follow a simple Rule of Life: To commit yourselves to pray for God's creation (worship), teach the stewardship of creation (education), and to act locally to nature creation (action).

To join, go to:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/wholecreation