Preparations for the Diocese of Bethlehem's pilgrimage are underway.

Announced at diocesan convention by Bishop Sean Rowe, the diocesan pilgrimage will be "a time of discernment, planning and decision making about the mission strategy of the diocese."

The process, led by the Very Rev. Tony Pompa, dean of the Cathedral Church of the Nativity, and the Rev. Charles Cesaretti, a retired priest of the diocese and Renewal Assembly founder, will begin in earnest at Epiphany and conclude at next year's diocesan convention, when a new mission strategy will be presented.

The process that will produce this strategy will be unique to the diocese, Pompa says. "We want people to be aware that we don't have a curriculum that we are going to drop on them. We aren't going to say, 'Here's what we are going to do for the next year.'" Instead, he says, the diocese is going "to make the path by walking," and by relying on the gifts of its people.

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If you're looking for accessible Advent meditations for a general audience in booklet format, Living Compass offers "Practicing Patience with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength and Mind."

"In a culture that glorifies immediate gratification, learning to wait is counter-cultural," writes the Rev. Scott Stoner, founder of Living Compass, in the booklet's introduction. "The emphasis on immediate gratification increases tenfold as we rush full-speed ahead into the Christmas season. We are encouraged to give into our impulses to eat more, do more, drink more, and buy more this time of year. The season of Advent ... provides us with the support we need to slow down so we can make counter-cultural choices, choices that will help prepare us for the true meaning of Christmas." Learn more.

Last month, Bishop Sean wrote to the people of the diocese about the need for every person in the diocese who works with children to have the necessary training and certifications specified by the policies of the diocese, the canons of the church, and the laws of the state. Read his letter on the website and review information about safe church training and policies online.

The United Thank Offering (UTO) is both a way of nurturing the habit of giving daily thanks and a means of funding outreach grants that support the mission of the church. Many parishes in the Diocese of Bethlehem have UTO coordinators who help with planning twice-yearly ingatherings. If you would like help identifying a UTO coordinator in your congregation or would like more information about the United Thanks Offering please email Cathy Bailey, diocesan UTO coordinator.