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Diocesan House will be closed
Good Friday, March 29, and
Easter Monday, April 1.
A blessed and Holy Easter to all |
Ten Commandments Scroll comes to Cincinnati
 | | The oldest and best-preserved parchment manuscript of the Ten Commandments is on display in Cincinnati through Sunday, April 14. Photo courtesy of Cincinnati Museum Center |
The Cincinnati Museum Center exhibition, Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times, is welcoming an extremely special scroll from March 29-April 14 (close of the exhibit).
The oldest and best preserved parchment manuscript of the Ten Commandments, written in Hebrew between 50 BCE and 1BCE, is on a parchment that measures just over 18 inches by 3 inches. The 18-day exhibition period of the Ten Commandments Scroll is the longest that the Israel Antiquities Authority has allowed outside Israel because of the scroll's universal importance, its fragility and its age. Following the exhibition, the Ten Commandments scroll will be returned to Israel.
The diocese has complementary ticket vouchers for the regular exhibits at the three museums at the CMC; however, the only available cost break at this time for the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit is for groups of 15 or more. If you plan to bring a group of 15 or more please call 513.287.7021 or toll free at 800.733.2077 for special group rates of $19 for adults and $10 for children.
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| Reception of Holy Orders
Brian Shaffer and Jason Prati will have their Holy Orders received at 12:10 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9 at Christ Church Cathedral Centennial Chapel. All are welcome to attend.
Shaffer's diaconal orders will be received from the Evangelical Anglican Church in America and Prati's priestly orders will be received from the Roman Catholic Church. Both men found their way into the Episcopal Church through St James Church, Columbus (Clintonville). Shaffer continues to be active there. As part of his preparation, Prati has been serving with the people of All Saints', New Albany since August of 2012. Christ Church Cathedral is located at 318 E. 4th Street in downtown Cincinnati. For information about parking, please contact the Cathedral directly at 513.621.1817. Other questions may be directed to the Rev. Canon Lynn Carter-Edmands at 800.582.1712 or lcarter-edmands@diosohio.org. |
Good Friday offering for Jerusalem and Middle East
"In spite of the challenges, the strength and vitality of the witness of indigenous Christians throughout the Middle East is inspiring," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori writes in the annual Good Friday letter to all congregations asking them to consider assistance for Jerusalem and the Middle East.
"The Good Friday Offering provides essential funding to strengthen the visibility of the Christian presence throughout the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East," the Presiding Bishop writes. "That funding is critical to the ongoing ministry of both institutions, as well as others in the region."
Funds collected from the Good Friday Offering are gathered and distributed to the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East which includes the Dioceses of Jerusalem and Cyprus and the Gulf, all members of the Anglican Communion.
Information and resources for the Good Friday Offering are available at www.episcopalchurch.org/goodfridayoffering
For more information contact the Rev. Canon Robert Edmunds, Episcopal Church Middle East Partnership Officer, redmunds@episcopalchurch.org
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Area confirmations in Eastertide
This spring, we will have opportunities in four areas of the diocese to celebrate together the rites of Holy Baptism and Confirmation, Reception or Reaffirmation. The renewal of our commitment as followers of Jesus is no small thing. "Renew in these your servants the covenant you made with them at their Baptism," the bishop prays. "Send them forth in the power of the Spirit to perfrom the service you set before them....Let your Holy Spirit be with them; and so lead them in the knowledge and obedience of your Word, that they may serve you in this life, and dwell with you in the life to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord."
We hope this Easter season that many throughout the diocese will take advantage of these opportunities to be blessed by one another's presence and support that extend beyond our own local communities of faith.
Area Confirmations will take place on three Saturdays during Eastertide 2013, and on Pentecost:
* April 13 at 11 a.m.: Cincinnati area at St. Timothy's, Anderson Twp.
* May 4 at 11 a.m.: Columbus area at All Saints, New Albany
* May 11 at 11 a.m.: East area at St. James, Zanesville
* May 19 at 3 p.m.: Dayton area at St. George's, Dayton
Please use the online registration form if you plan to present people from your congregation or community of faith for Baptism, Confirmation, Reception or Reaffirmation at one of the Eastertide Area Confirmations. Registrations should be submitted two weeks prior to the date of the celebration so host congregations may plan appropriately.
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Diana Butler Bass to keynote Best Practices Conference
 COCL Best Practices Conference
Saturday, April 20
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
London High School
336 Elm Street, London 43140 (see map)
The Commission on Congregational Life has invited Diana Butler Bass to serve as keynote speaker and event facilitator for the annual COCL Best Practices Conference to be held on Saturday, April 20 at London High School. All are welcome to attend.
Butler Bass is an author and teacher who writes books, columns and blogs and gives talks and workshops all aimed to help people understand faith both analytically and personally. She is a person of faith, a Christian, who attempts to live the generative, inviting, inclusive, and transforming practices at the heart of Christianity that can heal the world. Her most recent publication Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening, offers direction and hope to individuals and churches.
Christianity After Religion is Bass's call to approach faith with a newfound freedom that is both life-giving and service driven. And it is a hope-filled plea to see and participate in creating a vital and contemporary way of faith that stays true to the real message of Jesus.
Butler Bass will lead us in a day filled with challenge, hope and practical ways for us to embrace our Hallmarks of Health, re-energize our thinking and create a plan for continued success.
You do not want to miss this event! To reserve your space, register online at http://diosohio.org/digital_faith/events/3155200. |
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Upcoming Events
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Click here to see the diocesan calendar |
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Diocesan Cycle of Prayer
The duty of all Christians is to follow Christ; to come together week by week for corporate worship; and to work, pray, and give for the spread of the kingdom of God.
Our Diocesan Cycle of Prayer is listed both in a perpetual calendar and a Word document on the diocesan website and is updated frequently.
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Lent Resources |
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2014 Budget applications
The 2014 budget process has begun. Applications are available on the finance page of the Diocesan website.
Applications are due April 1. If you have questions contact the diocesan finance officer David Robinson at DRobinson@diosohio.org or 800.582.1712. |
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Support El Hogar in Cincinnati Flying Pig
 The Cincinnati Flying Pig Race has accepted El Hogar Ministries as an official charity to benefit from race events. The Flying Pig is recognized nationally as a prime event, well organized, fun, and a great opportunity for us to raise funds for El Hogar.
El Hogar, a home and school in Honduras for impoverished children, is an important and worthy outreach of our diocese and, indeed, of the national church.
Flying Pig events will take place this year Saturday May 4 and Sunday May 5. This event is not just for marathoners or runners:
- You can walk as little as three miles!
- Walk or Run by yourself or with others
- Do something good for yourself and for our mission El Hogar
And the Flying Pig is not just for adults--it's for your kids, too. Promote childhood fitness.
- Flying Piglet Kids' Fun Run and festival, Saturday May 4
- Diaper dash, 15 ft. crawl!
- Fun Runs, 2 yrs to 9 yrs., 25 yds. to 250 yds.
- Kids "Marathon", 1/26th marathon or 1 mile
Here's how we raise the funds: Runners and walkers who wish to participate in one of the Flying Pig events register at http://www.flyingpigmarathon.com/ You can run 3, 10, 13 or 26 miles, walkers are welcome too!
When registering select the charity El Hogar and use the code ELHOG. Not only will you save money, but part of your registration fee goes directly to El Hogar.
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Rebuild Our Church in Haiti update:
 The following letter was received by Bishop Breidenthal from Elizabeth Lowell, Program Director of the Development Office of The Episcopal Church as an update to the Rebuild Our Church initiative in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The Diocese of Southern Ohio raised over $173,000 for this initiative in 2012 through generous donations of our congregations and members.
March 27, 2013 Dear Bishop Breidenthal, This letter is the first of ongoing updates about what is happening with The Episcopal Church in Haiti. Because the Development Office is brand new, authorized by General Convention last summer and funded as of January first of this year, we have had to purchase and configure software and hire staff, to be able to communicate with all 2,420 of you who so graciously responded to the Campaign to Rebuild Our Church in Haiti. While the last of 97 participating dioceses finished its "formal" part of the Campaign in December, gifts continue to come in. And, we will continue to keep the information up on The Episcopal Church website. If you wish to continue to support this effort, we would ask that you make your gifts payable to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and annotated for the Campaign to Rebuild our Church in Haiti. Checks made out to the Episcopal Church Foundation, which initiated the campaign, take longer to process, as the Foundation is a separate not-for-profit and we cannot deposit those checks. It may sound like "red tape", but the reality is that this cuts down on the steps involved. Doubtless all of you wish to know how much has been raised to date. And, that, alas, is information that our Haitian partners have requested that we not share for reasons of safety and security. There is probably nothing more frustrating to a Development Office than to operate under such constraints, but the threats on the ground to our staff and clergy are real. The U.S. State Department regularly issues warnings about kidnappings, and we have not been immune to those activities. If some of the less-savory segments of Haitian society sense that significant sums of money might be readily accessible, our clergy and staff would be at risk. Your gift, along with all the others, is held in an account specifically for the rebuilding of Holy Trinity Cathedral. Because Kerns Associates of Arlington, Virginia has now begun work on the concept drawings, some funds have already been released - to pay for this work and to pay for the work of a geotechnical engineer on the ground in Port-au-Prince. Kerns hopes to present its concept drawings to the Haiti Team late this month, at which point, one concept will be chosen. Only after that selection will we have a cost estimate for the Cathedral. Kerns Associates has chosen a Haitian architect to work with them on this project. Herve Sabin, who is a graduate of the New York Institute of Technology, received his architectural degree from Pratt, and did further graduate study at Columbia University. He is a gifted young Haitian architect who has already designed Holy Trinity Primary, Secondary, and Trade Schools - all on the Cathedral campus - and is working now on a design for the Sisters of St. Margaret Convent, which was also destroyed in the January 2010 earthquake. Given his work on the other buildings on the Cathedral site, he seems to be a natural partner to work with Kerns on the Cathedral itself. A word about building in Haiti: One of the reasons that the earthquake was so devastating is the nature of soil composition. Not only were construction materials of poor quality, but also the ground itself magnified the effect of the earthquake. In Port-au-Prince, the soil is often sand. The water table is high. This combination resulted in an ongoing rolling, undulating effect, destabilizing everything above it. Thus, one of the very first things to determine is the soil composition on the Cathedral site. Enter the geotechnical engineer who will drill bore holes *and analyze the soil. "Soil correction" may be indicated in which case the site will be dug out to a depth of 12 feet, replaced with rock, which is then hammered into place and covered with concrete. There are many reasons it takes a long time to build a cathedral. Funding is one. Architectural selection is another. Soil composition is a third. In-country availability of certified concrete blocks is yet another...more on that in our next letter! As we are kept abreast of what is happening on the Holy Trinity complex, we will share that information with you. And if you have questions or comments, we hope that you will be in touch with us. Gratefully, for your support, Elizabeth M. Lowell Program Director The Development Office Office: 212-716-6041 ELowell@episcopalchurch.org
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Strategic Planning in Congregations
An Alban In-Depth seminar
Do you need to learn how to design and lead planning in your congregation? Alban has a learning event designed to teach the skills and processes that will help you chart a course of effectiveness and vitality in your congregation.
The training, presented by Dan Hotchkiss, consultant, expert on strategic and financial planning and author of Governance and Ministry: Rethinking Board Leadership, will take place April 16-18 at the Doubletree Airport Hotel near Cincinnati. This event will show you how to build a planning team and choose a planning strategy that incorporates both organizational techniques and methods of discerning God's will in religious community.
Click here for more information about this seminar and about commuter rates that might be available to you!
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Headlines from Episcopal News Service |
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