Summer Schedule - The Diocesan House hours for July & August will be Monday - Thursday from 8:30am to 4:30pm, closed Fridays. We will also be closed on Monday, August 14th (VJ Day).

Discernment Program- The Commission on Ministry is offering a seven-month Discernment Program. The program is open to any adult in the Diocese who may wish to explore their call to serve within the Body of Christ, whether it be lay or ordained ministry. The program is a prerequisite for anyone who may feel called to ordained ministry. Please speak with your parish clergy as they have the information on the program.
Join us for an introductory dinner at Hallworth House on Thursday, September 14th.

The 216th Annual Convention of the Dicese of Rhode Island
When: Friday & Saturday, October 27-28, 2006
Where: Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston.
Info: This year's theme, "Lighten the World" will focus on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's). Friday evening's guest speaker will be the Rev. Michael Kinman, Executive Director, Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation.
The deadline to submit a Resolution is Friday, September 22nd
Dinner Reservation deadline is October 20th.
Additional information will be made available as Convention plans progress!

"Sabbath-by-the-Sea" for Clergy & Families
Where: Cape Cod
When: October 8th-10th
The Diocesan Counsil Leadership Committtee announces a 3-day retreat on Cape Cod from October 8th - 10th (Columbus Day Weekend) at the Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster, Mass. Event is scheduled to help build teamwork and wellness among Diocesan clergy and their families. Members of the Diocesan Council Leadership Committee will be happy to provide additional information: Mr. Ben West (Chair), The Rev. David Ames, the Rev. John Lawrence, the Rev. Daryl Stahl, the Rev. Jennifer Pedrick and the Rev. Bob Anthony.

Speaking the Truth in Love - Intensive Introduction to Courageous, Compassionate Communication.
When: August 7, 9, 14 and 16 from 8AM to Noon
Where: St. Paul’s Church, 55 Main Street. Wickford, RI
Cost: Suggested contribution: Sliding Scale $250 - $200, Financial assistance is available. NO ONE will be turned away because of inability to pay.
Contact: The Rev’d Maria DeCarvalho / e- mail maria@byanotherway.com or call 401-378- 0205.
More Info: Based on Non-Violent Communication, the work of Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D, this four-session intensive course will offer you tools that will enable you to: Express your own needs with clarity and effectiveness, Listen deeply to another person – even someone who is angry at you – without reacting to criticism or blame, Communicate with your partner, family members or colleagues about topics that have felt too dangerous to raise, Maintain an unconditional regard for every conversation partner, Identify strategies that will meet the needs of every party.

Sixth Annual Celebration of Jonathan Daniels and Civil Rights Martyrs
Where:Church of the Epiphany, Providence
When: August 14th --6:30 PM Monday evening, rain or shine, hot or not.
Info: Eucharist at 6:30 PM including a procession around the block, followed by a pot-luck supper,drinks provided. Bring banners, icons, streamers, kites, musical instruments, etc... Also bring stories of civil rights milestones then and now and bring a willing friend!

Journey to Adulthood Training
When: August 19, 2006, 10AM -4PM
Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 324 East Main Rd. - Portsmouth, RI 02871
Cost: $50
More Info: St. Mary's will provide refreshments and lunch. For more information or to sign up please contact St. Mary’s Church at 846-9700 or email The Rev. Ginny Dinsmore. Space is limited, so please contact as soon as possible. ginny@saintmarysepiscopalchurch.org.

Inspired Spaces: Reflections of Faith in Art & Architecture.
When: Saturday, August 19th. 10AM - 4PM. Rain or Shine.
Where: Bristol, RI. The walking tour tour begins at the historic Bristol Statehouse, located on the Town Common.
More Info: Tour includes St. Michael's Episcopal Church along with six other houses of worship in the Bristol community.
For tickets and information, please contact Elizabeth Evans at Mosaico CDC (401-253-4627). All proceeds benefit Mosaico CDC's Sense of Pride program, a non-profit educational program for 4th-grade children.

Community Festival of Sacred Choral Music in search of singers
What: Emmanuel Church announces its inaugural Emmanuel Summer Festival of Great Choral Music.
Where: Emmanuel Church, 42 Dearborn Street, Newport, RI 02840
When: Begins August 23rd and ends September 10th, 2006.
Who: Choral singers from southern New England are invited and encouraged to participate.
Info: Three choral Masses and anthems will be rehearsed and presented during three Sunday morning worship services. Singers can sign up for each Festival Week. Information about Festival rehearsal schedules, requirements and fees can be found at www.emmanuelchoralfestival.org

St. Augustine's Autumn Festival- Featuring 4th Annual Silent Auction, Raffle, and Harvest Dinner
When: Saturday, October 20, 2006 at 5pm
Cost: $20, includes dinner and 5 raffle tickets
Info: Additional raffle tickets are $1 Tickets will go on sale in late September.

What's Happening and When? October 20-22, 2006 at the LaSalette Retreat Center in Attleboro, MA for any teen in grade 10-12. Check out what's Happening! Deadline for applications will be October 4, 2006 The total cost of this weekend is $110 with a $25 non-refundable deposit.

Learn more about the Happening experience from their national website: www.happening.org.

Strive for Peace & Justice! Be an Intern at the Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations, Home of the EPPN.
WHO? We welcome volunteers, students, seminarians, bishops, laity and Anglican partners. While it is preferred that applicants be Episcopalian, it is not required.
WHAT? Interns will have the opportunity to work closely with our grassroots coordinator and policy analysts, provide administrative support, contribute to policy research, work with ecumenical and secular coalitions, and attend Congressional committee hearings.
WHEN? At least 12 weeks in the spring, fall or summer.
WHERE? Washington, DC on Capitol Hill conveniently situated near Metro rail and bus lines.
WHY? You will gain a general understanding of Congressional procedure as well as how staff and members of the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) effectively advocate the positions of the General Convention and Executive Council of the Episcopal Church. Weekly staff meetings keep interns updated on the status of key legislation and advocacy strategy.
INFO? Visit www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn/ to learn how to apply Or Call 1-800-228-0515

Once again, the Commission on Ministry is happy to come to you with our Discernment Program for the coming year. This is a wonderful opportunity for adult members of the Body of Christ in Rhode Island to reflect and grow in their faith. It is also the first step in the process leading to ordination for the diaconate and the priesthood.

The program is very similar to the one offered last year. As a result of feedback we received from last year’s participants, we are including a presentation on lay ministry, in addition to the presentations on the diaconate and priesthood.

The first session is an Introductory Dinner that is being held at the Hallworth House on September 14, 2006 at 6 PM. All clergy have information on the program, so please speak with your parish clergy if you are interested.

[Episcopal News Service] Salah Salamé, the mayor of the Lebanese town of Qana in which an apartment building was bombed July 31 by the Israeli military, says that humanitarian aid is desperately needed in his city and elsewhere in Lebanon. Salamé said that churches need to advocate for delivery of such aid as medications, which are no longer available, for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart conditions. He said his brother died July 31 due to a lack of insulin. Salamé said 10 people have died of causes ranging from heart attacks from stress to lack of medicines.

Salamé also called on people of faith to continue to pray and to support Pope Benedict XVI's call for an immediate cease-fire.

Salamé made his remarks in a more-than-two-hour- long interview on August 3 in Paris with a journalist friend of Episcopal Bishop Pierre W. Whalon of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe. Whalon sat in on the interview and conveyed his impression of the session in an August 4 email.

When Qana was bombed, the Reuters news agency called it one of the deadliest air strikes of the war up to that point.

For two millennia, Christians have anchored worship both in timeless tradition and cultural context. In the latest round of adaptations, we've seen so-called U2charists. Now, even merry olde England is emphasizing the "merry", and Ecumenical News International has the story:

Elvis imitator Johnny Cowling had more than 1000 people - many of them non-churchgoing teenagers - rocking in the aisles of one of England's best known cathedrals at a Sunday service. "It was a fantastic service. We've tried country music and classical composers but never Elvis," Truro Cathedral's Cannon Perran Gay told Ecumenical News International. "Most of Johnny Cowling's songs were Elvis's best known gospel songs - 'Crying in the Chapel', 'Peace in the Valley', 'His hand in Mine'.

From the Truro Cathedral website, where there's a news release (Microsoft Word doc):

Elvis Presley's music to be performed in Truro cathedral? The Rock 'n Roll King desecrating the sanctity of Cornwall's premier church? The critics, both local and in the national press, should have been there last Sunday--that is, if they could find a spare seat among the nine hundred that filled the cathedral. Although it was in part an Elvis gig it was also a service of worship and joy devised by Perran Gay, the Canon Precentor. "I'm genuinely excited, he said, "by the challenge of engaging with people who wouldn't normally come to the Cathedral."

Indeed. Has your church been packed lately?