connections masthead

In This Issue
April 14, 2015
What's new this week:

Church of England Fresh Expressions minister Ben Norton to visit Southern Ohio

 

You are cordially invited to participate in one of several opportunities to learn more about the Fresh Expressions movement from someone who pursued ordination only if he would be allowed to engage folks outside the walls of the traditional church - the Rev. Ben Norton.  


Ben Norton "
Ben's a surprise! When you meet him you think he can't be a vicar in the Church of England. He doesn't seem the type with his tattoos and piercings and spiky hair of whatever colour it happens to be that week. But then you find out he is one of these new pioneer ministers who get to create something from nothing, to share the Christian faith with people who aren't in church. The church has realised that business as usual works for insiders but there are whole groups of people for whom church is like another planet, a different world. And it is going to take some different people to go on an adventure of the imagination to connect the Christian story with their stories in a way that makes sense. So Ben hangs out chatting to people, sharing the faith whether at school gates, in the pub, on youtube working in a local barbers or out surfing gently growing a spiritual community or two that doesn't require visiting another planet called church."

~ from the website of St. Cuthbert's, Marton, UK

Listed below, with links to some of the events, are the places where you can meet up with Norton during his 8 day visit.

April 17-18: Keynote speaker at the PLAY! Conference in Columbus 
 
http://praxiscommunities.org/conferences/play/  

April 19: Preach at St. Matthew's, Westerville  http://www.stmattswesterville.org or https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Matthews-Episcopal-Westerville-Ohio-New/197167500326549 

April 20: Theology on Tap, 6 p.m., Port City Café & Pub, 424 Chillicothe Street. Portsmouth https://www.facebook.com/theologyontapportsmouth?fref=ts

April 21: St. Paul's, Dayton, 5.30 pm - Soup and Share followed by a Salon conversation Building Spiritual Communities: https://www.facebook.com/events/812901978794693/

April 22: Columbus Ministerium, noon (contact Karl Stevens kstevens@praxiscommunities.org)

April 23: Riddle House, Cincinnati,6 pm

April 24: Lunch with Cincinnati area clergy, noon [location TBD - contact Anne Reed at areed@diosohio.org]

 

Upcoming events
Apr 17-18: PLAY! Finding God in Celebration
Apr 18: Last Things: Preparing for Death and Burial
Apr 18: Safe Church training (Bexley)
Apr 18: Dayton Area Confirmation (Christ Church)
Apr 25: East Area Confirmation (Athens)
Apr 29: Society of St. Simeon and St. Anna annual meeting and luncheon
Apr 30: Planning for Tomorrow Conference (Lay)
May 1: Planning for Tomorrow Conference (Clergy)
May 2: Safe Church training (Montgomery)
May 2: Worship Leader training
(Part 1)
May 2: Cincinnati Area Confirmation (West Chester)
May 3: Native American Roundtable
Quick Connections
Diocesan website
Diocesan calendars
Diocesan news
Bishop's visitation schedule
Stories from Episcopal News Service
Province V National Altar Guild Association

 

David Hawley-Lowry, diocesan Altar Guild president in the Diocese of Western Michigan and our Province V representative to the National Altar Guild Association, is seeking interest in reconstituting a provincial Altar Guild.

 

The diocesan Altar Guild in Southern Ohio has been inactive for several years. If you have any interest in coordinating with Hawley-Lowry and connecting with other altar guilds around Province V, please contact him at davidh@stmarksgr.org

 

For more information on the National Altar Guild Association, visit their website at www.nationalaltarguildassociation.org.


Advancing to General Convention: Registration open for Young Adult Festival

Why Serve, Kindling

Registration is now open for The Episcopal Church Young Adult Festival, which is scheduled to run concurrently with the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, June 25 - July 3, in Salt Lake City, UT (Diocese of Utah). The event is planned and hosted by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society.

Always a favorite event, the Young Adult Festival at General Convention 2015 will be different this time.  According to the Rev. Shannon Kelly, Acting Missioner for Campus and Young Adult Ministries for the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, the Young Adult Festival is slated to operate throughout the length of General Convention, but in two distinct segments.

The first segment, Why Serve, will be held Wednesday, June 24 to Monday, June 29. Why Serve is a gathering of young adults, ages 18 - 35, centered on discernment of vocation. Young adults of color are specifically encouraged to apply. Why Serve is open to young adults only.

The second segment, Kindling, will be held Monday, June 29 to Friday, July 3. Kindling is a gathering of leaders who are in ministry with young adults on and off college campuses. Young adult leaders and older adults who work with young adults are welcome to apply.

Young adults can register for Why Serve, or Kindling, or both. 

Information on the Young Adult Festival, costs, groups, spouses/partners, is available here.

Registration is available here. Registration will be open until Wednesday, May 20, or until space runs out.
For more information contact Kelly at skelly@episcopalchurch.org.

The Episcopal Church's General Convention is held every three years, and is the bicameral governing body of the Church. It comprises the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 active and retired bishops, and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay deputies elected from the 109 dioceses and three regional areas of the Church, at more than 800 members.

Note: Adult leaders wishing to attend with young adults to Why Serve should contact Kelly at skelly@episcopalchurch.org.

Ham Loaf dinner
Here I Am

Deadline approaching
PLAY Conference: Register today!


April 17-18
St. Stephen's, Columbus
Deadline for registration is April 14.




Play opens us up to joy, new possibilities, and creativity. What might happen if the church took up PLAY as a spiritual practice? What if we played together and imagined a new church into being? 

PLAY is a gathering of people interested in in celebrating creative ways to engage God's mission in our communities. PLAY will offer ideas for fostering imagination and creativity, planning non-traditional worship, missional church planting, and how to gather community in new ways through radical hospitality, storytelling and inspiring music. The Rev. Ben Norton, a pioneer minister in the Church of England, will share his experiences creating three different fresh expressions of church in the last 10 years in the UK. Ben invites us on a journey to meet people and connect the Christian story to the story of people outside of the church and to gently grow spiritual communities in the process. Ana Hernandez, musician, conversation host and mischief maker, will lead us in music that makes community. PLAY explores how we give each other permission to imagine a new way forward together and an opportunity to reinvigorate your soul and your church.

If you are interested in learning more about fresh expressions, being part of some inspiring worship, or just want to have fun, you won't want to miss this gathering. PLAY is for everyone, young and old, musicians and artists, lay and ordained, people who love the church and those who don't. We invite you and members of your community to join us for this experience! Don't miss this opportunity to PLAY! 

More info: http://praxiscommunities.org/conferences/play/ The cost for PLAY conference registration is $55. 

Deadline tomorrow for academic grants for minority women

 

The Lawrence Home Association, founded in 1896 under the will of philanthropist Eleanor Earnshaw, was started to "provide a Christian home for self-supporting, young women on limited means, the most important aim being to help them elevate their standard of life." To this day, the Lawrence Home Association provides opportunities for young women.


There is a eight-member board of women who are appointed by the the bishop. The board meets once a year to vote on recommendations for academic grants for minority women, scholarships for clergy daughters and funding for social service agencies who mission is to serve women of limited means and help them move out of conditions relating to poverty, abuse etc.

 

The purpose of the Academic Grant for Minority Women program is to help finance the postsecondary education of minority women regardless of age who are affiliated with an Episcopal church within the Diocese of Southern Ohio.

 

See more information

 

The deadline for applications is April 15, 2015. All applicants will be notified by May 30, 2015 of the status of their application.

 

Offerings from Christ Church Cathedral
Shifrah Service 
Cathedral logo On Sunday, April 19, at 6 p.m., Shifrah begins its first season: Exodus. Shifrah is a deep and rich multi-sensory worship experience that integrates music, images, textures, found objects, light, movement and prayer to draw from the well of ancient worship while at the same time looking forward to what the Spirit is doing anew in our midst. The first Season of Shifrah, called Exodus, will open up the experience of resurrection in the encounter with the stranger who reminds us of our own story and reveals himself in the sharing of a meal. 

If you have any questions or would like to be a part of the Shifrah team, please email Canon Rob Rhodes

 

Spirit of Place

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us at Christ Church Cathedral on Thursday, April 23, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m for the opening reception introducing the latest art installation in Gallery South, Spirit of Place. This exhibit will run through June 12. For more information, contact Mike Phillips.

 


Music Live at Lunch performances in May

Music Live at Lunch, Christ Church Cathedral's weekly concert series, will feature the performers listed below in May. These free concerts are presented on Tuesdays at 12:10 p.m. Patrons may bring their own lunch or purchase lunch at the cathedral for $5.

 

All performances in May will take place in centennial chapel except for May 12 which will be held in the nave.

 

May 5: Raison D'etre: Folk Music 

May 12: The Sunburners: Party Band 

May 19: Ricky Nye (jazz piano) 

May 26: Jonathan F. Cooper, baritone

 

For more information, visit www.christchurchcincinnati.org or call 513-621-1817.

 

 

Children's Flower Workshop

All children ages three and up are invited to join members of the Christ Church Cathedral's Flower Guild on Saturday, May 9 from 9 to 11 a.m. for a flower workshop! Children will learn how to arrange flowers and create their own arrangement to take home to give to mom (or any special person) for Mother's Day. There is no cost to participate and snacks will be provided. Please RSVP to Beth Mendez at bmendez@cccath.org by May 1.


 

2015 Choral Scholars Program

Christ Church Cathedral is now accepting applications from area high school students interested in becoming choral scholar. Successful applicants will join the cathedral choir as apprentices, participate in all the duties of the cathedral choir and receive intensive training in the art of choral singing. For their efforts, they will be compensated with a monthly stipend. 

 

Full details along with application forms are available at http://www.christchurchcincinnati.org/music/choralscholars


Christ Church Cathedral, 318 E. 4th Street in downtown Cincinnati
Letters from Liberia
Kathryn Challoner is a physician and expert in tropical diseases at UCLA, and a Third-Order Franciscan. She is in Liberia treating Ebola patients. She sends weekly letters to Bishop Breidenthal and others to raise awareness of the ongoing work fighting Ebola in West Africa.

March 11, 2015

Beatrice Yardolo, center, leaves the treatment center. She lost three children to Ebola.
Photo credit Abbas Dulleh/Associated Press

Liberia's last Ebola patient was discharged on Thursday after a ceremony in the capital, Monrovia, bringing to zero the number of known cases in the country and marking a milestone in West Africa's battle against the disease.

 

Officials in Monrovia, the city where the raging epidemic littered the streets with bodies only five months ago, celebrated even as they warned that Liberia was at least weeks away from being officially declared free of Ebola. They also noted that the disease had flared up recently in neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea, the two other countries hardest hit by it.

 

"It was touching, it was pleasing," Tolbert Nyenswah, the deputy health minister in charge of Liberia's fight against Ebola, said in a telephone interview about the ceremony. "There was a lot of excitement because we feel that this is a victory."

 

The authorities are still tracking more than 100 people for possible exposure to the virus. As of Thursday, no new cases of Ebola had been confirmed inside Liberia for the past 13 days, Mr. Nyenswah said.

 

If no new cases emerge, the epidemic in Liberia will be considered over officially on April 4, or 42 days after the last known infection. The 42-day marker is twice the longest incubation period for Ebola, 21 days.

 

Liberia has suffered the highest number of deaths during the epidemic, with 4,117 recorded victims, according to the World Health Organization. More than 9,800 people have died in total.

 

The health organization reported Wednesday that new cases had increased sharply - to 132 from 99 - in Sierra Leone and Guinea in the week before March 1. Transmission remains widespread in Sierra Leone, and Conakry, the capital of Guinea, suffered a marked increase, according to the organization.

 

On Thursday, the last patient being treated in Liberia, Beatrice Yardolo, 58, an English teacher, was released from a treatment center in Monrovia built by the Chinese government. Ms. Yardolo, who lost two sons and a daughter to the disease, was treated for Ebola at the center and tested negative on Tuesday.

 

WE ARE ALMOST THERE

KATHRYN 

 


Remember the people of West Africa in your prayers

We pray for the people of West Africa, especially in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, in the midst of the Ebola crisis.  We pray for those afflicted with the disease, their families, and the health workers fighting to stem the spread of the disease and care for those in need.

Public Policy Spotlight

Call for members for the Social Justice Commission

 

I have recently been appointed the Convener for the Social Justice Network and Public Policy Commission. In a desire to make this commission more relevant to the diocese, I am suggesting two different types of members: those who wish to be active in the discussions, development and communication of diocesan public policy and those who wish to be kept informed of social justice issues, determining whether they wish to get further involved. Location in the diocese should not be a factor in not participating in some way. 

 

During the month of April, please consider our imperative to "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8) and send me an email indicating the type of member you wish to be in the Social Justice Commission. I will send out a Doodle for those interested in actively participating to set up the first meeting.  

~ The Rev. Deniray Mueller, Legislative Liaison 

 

Formation opportunities

Lay Worship Leader Training

 

According to the Canons of the Episcopal Church (Title III, Canon 4) a Worship Leader is a confirmed communicant in good standing "who regularly leads public worship under the direction of the member of the clergy or other leader exercising oversight of the congregation or other community of faith."  Leading Morning Prayer as the principal service on a Sunday morning, in the absence of a priest, is currently the most common exercise of this ministry in the Diocese of Southern Ohio.

 

Each person wishing to become a Lay Worship Leader must be recommended by his/her rector (or, if a congregation has no rector, by the senior warden) and participate in a two-day training offered by the diocese. Individuals needing to renew their licenses may choose to participate in one or both of the two training days - if only one, please indicate on your registration which of the days you will be present.

 

This spring, Lay Worship Leader training will be held at the Procter Center on May 2 and 9. Participants should plan to arrive between 9 and 9:30 a.m. to begin promptly at 9:30; the day's work will end about 3 p.m.  Your registration fee of $10 for each part (a total of $20 if taking both parts) covers the cost of lunch and materials.

 

Lay Worship Leader training is led by Debby Stokes, Marti Rideout and the Rev. Marjorie Menaul. The registration deadline is April 20, and a minimum of ten registrations must be received by that date in order for the spring training to be held. To register, visit https://diosohio.wufoo.com/forms/worship-leader-training-spring-2015/For further information, contact Menaul at mmenaul@aol.com or 570.441.7311.


Repeats, reminders, etc.
Eastertide Area Confirmations

 

In the early centuries of the Church, congregations would gather together at Easter for the rite of initiation administered by the bishop. There was something - there is something - about sharing those significant and transformative moments with the rest of the Church.

 

As such, we offer opportunities in multiple locations around 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.

 

2015 dates

Saturday, April 18: Christ Church, Dayton; 11 a.m.
Saturday, April 25: Good Shepherd, Athens; 11 a.m.
Saturday, May 2: St. Anne's, West Chester; 11 a.m.
Saturday, May 16: St. Stephen's, Columbus; 11 a.m.

 

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.

 

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.

 

For questions or for more information, contact Amanda Bower, Executive Assistant to Bishop Breidenthal at abower@diosohio.org or 800.582.1712 ext. 103.

 

Procter Farm 2015 CSA

What is a CSA?

CSA (community supported agriculture) is a particular network or association of individuals who have pledged to support one or more local farms, with growers and consumers sharing the risks and benefits of food production. CSA members pay at the onset of the growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest; once harvesting begins, they receive weekly shares of vegetables. 

 

How can I get involved?

Procter Farm is selling subscriptions for $300. We will begin distributing in June and continue for 20 weeks (minimum average $15/week value). Shares will feed 2-3 people, so go in on one with your buddy if that's too much for just you. 

 

We are also looking for people who want to be involved in our 'Volunteer for Veggies' program. If you commit to working on the farm for a total of 40 hours throughout the growing season (Now - October), you will receive your weekly share for free. Time for one share can be split between multiple people. Sign up soon, only 3 spots left!

 

What can I expect in my share?  

This year we will be planting beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, sweet corn, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, green beans, peppers, kale, leeks, lettuce, onions, potatoes, pumpkins, melons, radishes, scallions, spinach, summer squash, swiss chard, tomatoes, watermelons, winter squash, zucchini, fresh herbs, and more.

 

Where can I pick up my share? 

We will have three pickup locations: 

  • North Market, 59 Spruce St. Columbus 43215 Saturdays 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Procter Center, 11235 SR 38 London 43140 Tuesdays 12 to 7 p.m.
  • Gabriel's Place 3618 Reading Rd Cincinnati 45229Thursdays 4-7 p.m.

How do I sign up?

Visit https://diosohio.wufoo.com/forms/procter-csa-2015/ to subscribe. You will have the options of paying by credit card online, by credit card over the phone, or by check. For more info contact

procterfarm@diosohio.org. 


 
Eat well!

 

Campus Ministry grants available

Parishes, campus ministries, and extra-parish communities are invited to apply for campus ministry grants.  Grant requests are due on June 15, and grants for the 2015-2016 school year will be rewarded by August 1.  

Please follow this link to apply for a grant using our online form: 

Music series at St. John's features award winning organist Kirk M. Rich 

 

St. John's Worthington, invites you to hear prize-winning organist Kirk M. Rich on Sunday, April 19, at 3 p.m.

 Kirk M. Rich]

Rich is quickly becoming known as a solo and collaborative artist of integrity, praised for his technical command of the organ and breadth of musical imagination. He was featured in recital as a "Rising Star" at the 2008 American Guild of Organists National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 2014, he won third prize in the AGO's National Young Artists' Competition in Organ Performance. Most recently, he is the winner of the 2015 William C. Hall Pipe Organ Competition. His program for St. John's will include works of Bach, Brahms, Dupré, Stanley, and Vierne. 


 

Rich holds degrees from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music; he is currently pursuing a DMA at the University of Houston. There is no charge for admission to the concert; a freewill offering will be taken to support the Music Series. 


 

St. John's is located at 700 High Street in Worthington (Columbus), on the southeast corner of the Olde Worthington Village Green (High Street at SR 161). Visit www.StJohnsWorthington.org for more information.

 

Planning for Tomorrow Conference

 

Lay Employees: Thursday, April 30, 2015

Clergy: Friday, May 1, 2015

 

The Planning for Tomorrow conference sponsored by the Church Pension Group (CPG) is a great opportunity for both clergy and lay to learn and plan for their financial future. Spouses and partners are also encouraged to attend. CPG subsidizes the cost of the conference - and also subsidizes child care and elder care costs.

 

We strongly encourage lay employees to attend this conference and we strongly encourage that they be granted paid time off to attend. Diocesan House will be closed on April 30 so that all lay employees will be able to attend the conference.

 

No matter your stage of life, it's a unique chance for you and your spouse or partner to understand your current and future benefits, manage your finances, plan for your future, and improve your overall financial wellness.

 

To register:

 

Lay employees register here

 

Clergy register here 

 

Native American Roundtable rescheduled

Native_12The Diocese of Southern Ohio and the Native American Council of Christ Church Cathedral are sponsoring a Native American Roundtable at Procter Center on Sunday, May 3, at 2 p.m. The Roundtable is open to all who are interested in Native American issues, concerns and opportunities.

 

Many churches in the diocese have been involved in mission work and supporting Native Americans on reservations. The Roundtable is being held to promote collaboration and engagement in working for and with our Native American sisters and brothers throughout the US.

 

Topics will include sharing past and present Native American initiatives, developing a vision for collaboration, identifying the best possibilities for achieving the vision and planning future meetings.

 

Check http://diosohio.org/events/event/native-american-roundtable/ for more information or to register. If you have questions, please email the Rev. Anne Reed, Canon for Mission at areed@diosohio.org.

 

Job opportunities
Director of Youth Ministry
St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Little Rock, AR, is looking for a full-time youth ministry director for a large program-sized church, averaging 374 people per Sunday. Must have enthusiasm, creativity and passion for working with young people of all ages. Previous experience and training desired. See more

Communications Coordinator
St. Thomas, Terrace Park seeks a part-time communications coordinator. The Communications Coordinator has two main responsibilities: 1.) communication within the parish, and 2.) public relations to the larger community; both being formed by our core purpose: To make God's love known by who we are, what we practice and how we serve others in Christ's Name. As a member of the program staff team, the incumbent collaborates with the clergy, staff and volunteers in developing, administering and evaluating the different means of communications and designs the various publications as specified and planned. The incumbent must have experience / background in various verbal, written and graphic communication skills, such as creative writing, public speaking, editing, desktop publishing, production coordination, and digital design, including photography and video.

Choral Scholar

St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Terrace Park, Ohio is seeking a professional singer to supplement the Parish Choir and act as alto soloist when called upon. Typical time commitment involves being present at Wednesday Evening rehearsals (7-9pm) and Sunday morning services (10:45am with preceding rehearsal). Position commences immediately and lasts for the duration of this program year (May 2015). See more

 

Director of Christian Education

Christ Episcopal Church, Springfield, seeks a person to serve in a half-time position as Director of Christian Education and Coordinator of Outreach Ministries. See more

 

Administrative Assistant

St. Alban's, Bexley, is currently seeking a full-time administrative assistant at 40 hours per week to work with us in our ministry. Helpful traits are a gracious ability to interact with visitors and guests, a love of service, and a friendly, warm demeanor. Candidates must have a working knowledge of basic Office computer software including Outlook, Word, and Excel. We also use Publisher, Constant Contact, Google Drive, and a Web site application. See more

 

Connections Deadlines
Didn't see any news about your congregation here? Submit your news! The deadline for each weekly e-Connections is every Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.

The deadline for Connections, the bi-monthy publication of the diocese, is every other month on the last day of the month:   
 
Jan 31 (Feb/Mar issue)
Mar 31 (Apr/May)
May 31 (Jun/Jul)
July 31 (Aug/Sep)
Sept 30* (Oct/Nov)
Nov 30 (Dec/Jan) 
 
Please send items to communication@diosohio.org

*convention issue. Deadline may be changed in order to have all convention materials available for pre-convention meetings.
Diocese of Southern Ohio | 800.582.1712 | http://www.diosohio.org
 jmurray@diosohio.org
412 Sycamore St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202