A new global movement - #washday15 - provides a means for participating in a worldwide Lenten discipline through social media postings on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook.

Initiated by the Diocese of Oxford in England, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society is joining with the Church of England and other provinces throughout the Anglican Communion in #washday15.

The effort was inspired by the video Laundry Love, in which an Episcopal congregation in Santa Monica, CA (Diocese of Los Angeles) meets at a laundromat once a month to do laundry with the homeless. The goal of #washday15 is to engage people in a Lenten practice, culminating on Holy Thursday, the traditional day for foot washing.

____________________________________

Applications are now being accepted for grants from the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) that center on new or revitalized efforts in domestic poverty ministry.

The purpose of the grants is to engage Episcopalians in ministry among the economically impoverished in the United States; To provide opportunity to the marginalized to overcome chronic adversities; To challenge unjust structures that perpetuate the cycle of poverty; and to inspire the wider church to more deeply engage with the poor.

Grant awards will range between $5,000 and $30,000. All domestic Episcopal dioceses, congregations and institutions are eligible to apply. Grant applications, overview and instructions are available HERE.   All applications must have the endorsement of the diocesan bishop. Deadline for applying is April 30. READ MORE

_____________________________________

Applications are now being accepted by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society for grant proposals from dioceses, parishes or community colleges/colleges/universities, for new as well as current campus ministries in higher education institutions located throughout The Episcopal Church.

"The proposals for grants are meant to assist in the start-up of new campus ministries or the restart of dormant campus ministries," explained the Rev. Shannon Kelly, Acting Missioner for Campus and Young Adult Ministries for the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. READ MORE

____________________________________

 The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society has posted the results of the 2014 Survey of Episcopal Congregations, conducted in conjunction with the Faith Communities Today (FACT) ecumenical/interfaith survey project. Named New Facts on Episcopal Church Growth and Decline, the document is located HERE

New Facts on Episcopal Church Growth and Decline examines the dynamics of growth and decline in Episcopal congregations. According to C. Kirk Hadaway, Ph.D., Officer for Congregational Research for the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, the findings are based on 2013 Parochial Report data and the 2014 Survey of Episcopal Congregations, "which was completed by 762 congregations of an initial sample of 1,100.  Churches were weighted by size, as measured in 2009, and represent the size distribution of all Episcopal churches in the US," he said. READ MORE

____________________________________

One grant will be awarded in each of the nine provinces of The Episcopal Church.
 

For more information click HERE, or e-mail the Rev. Heather Melton, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society's UTO Coordinator.

_____________________________________

The Annual Chrism Mass and Education will take place on Saturday, March 21, from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Honolulu. The day will begin with the Chrism Mass where the Bishop blesses the oils of chrism (for baptism), healing and the catechumenate.

Following Chrism Mass will be an Education Day featuring guest speaker, the Rev. James W. Farwell, Professor of Theology and Liturgy at Virginia Theological Seminary. His work is in liturgical and sacramental theology, theories of ritual and religion, comparative theology and theologies of religious pluralism.  The topic for Education Day will be Liturgical Enculturation Regarding Rites of Initiation. This event is open to all clergy and lay people.  For more information and to register, click HERE.

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

Altar Linens and Stoles Available for Purchase

_____________________________________

In case you missed it, click on the link to read

the latest issue of the E-Chronicle: