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Coming up
Jan 16: Swords into Plowshares Interfaith Conversation on Guns and Violence, St. Paul's Church, Newburyport, 7:30pm Jan 19: Tercentenary Organ Recital Series: Barbara Bruns , St. Michael's Church, Marblehead, 5:00pm Jan 24: LDI Training Jan 24: Diocesan Council Retreat, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H., 6:00pm Feb 1: Ministry Discernment Conference, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 8:30am Feb 7: High School Youth Retreat, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H., 7:00pm Feb 9: UBE Absalom Jones Service, St. Cyprian's Church, Roxbury, 4:00pm Feb 16: 25th Anniversary Gospel Vesper Service Celebrating Bishop Barbara C. Harris, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 4:00pm Feb 17: Winter Camp, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H. Feb 22: Sustainable Houses of Worship Workshop , St. Paul's Church, Natick, 9:00am Feb 25: Diocesan Clergy Pre-Lenten Retreat 2014, Notre Dame Spirituality Center, Ipswich Feb 27: Diocesan Council, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 5:30pm |
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Standing Committee announces nominees for bishop election
 The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Massachusetts announced today its slate of nominees for election as bishop. They are:
* The Rev. Holly Antolini, Rector, St. James's Church, Cambridge, Mass.;
* The Rev. Ronald Culmer, Rector, St. Clare's Church, Pleasanton, Calif.;
* The Rev. Alan Gates, Rector, St. Paul's Church, Cleveland Heights, Ohio;
* The Rev. Ledlie Laughlin, Rector, St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia, Penn.; and
* The Rev. Sam Rodman, Project Manager for Campaign Initiatives, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
A petition process for submitting additional names opens today and will close on Jan. 31. Complete information about the nominees and the petition process is available at www.mabishopsearch.org. The slate is the result of a seven-month discernment process conducted by a Discernment Committee comprising lay and clergy members from across the diocese and reporting to the diocesan Standing Committee. With the announcement of the slate, a Transition Committee, also comprising lay and clergy members from across the diocese, implements the next stages of the election process, also reporting to the Standing Committee. The nominees will participate in a series of open meetings around the diocese March 14-19, giving the people of the diocese an opportunity to meet and learn more about the nominees. Details will be announced.
The election will take place on Saturday, April 5 at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (138 Tremont Street) in Boston. All canonically resident clergy of the diocese and lay delegates (two elected from each of the diocese's parishes and missions) vote separately as "orders"; a majority of votes on the same ballot from both the clergy and lay orders is required for election. |
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Jesus was here: a desert reflection
 | | A crowded city street in Jerusalem |
Bishop Gayle Harris reflects on making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and her experiences in the desert and walking city streets where Jesus once walked. She writes: " Here in the desert, light reveals peril and beauty. With the light in this almost alien landscape, humans feel stripped and bare. Your soul is naked. No distractions. In the light there is clarity and definition. Just you, creation and the creator. And in the silence, there is now room for God's grace to enter your heart and being. The desert makes you yield to God.
Jesus was here. The light of God is here."
Read the complete reflection here.
Bishop Harris and the Rev. Beth Grundy will lead a Holy Land mission pilgrimage Nov. 9-21, and invite members of the diocese to join them. The registration deadline is July 15. More information is available by contacting Marsha Searle at 617-482-4826, ext. 445 or msearle@diomass.org.
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Business consultants and congregational coaches join forces
Two volunteer groups who work mostly behind the scenes in support of parishes across the diocese--the Congregational Business Consultants and the Congregational Coaches--have announced that they are joining forces in this new year so that they can continue to do what they do best by doing it together.
 | | The combined team at their Dec. 17 meeting. |
As these consultants and coaches--about 50 in all--make their way around the diocese helping parishes with payroll systems, annual audits, vestry retreats and strategic planning, they are doing work that "we don't talk about from the pulpit" but which can be "deeply spiritual," Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE said during a joint meeting of the two groups on Dec. 17. "I wanted to be here today to say thank you, because you've taught me over the years that this ministry is critical to building up the body of the church. You've preached a sermon to me through your work," Shaw said. Read more.
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Readings and reflections in Epiphany
"Epiphany Papers," a
 | | A king gets ready for his role in the Epiphany Pageant at the Church of the Advent, Medfield. |
five-part study series exploring symbols old and new through Scripture and poetry, is available for use by individuals and groups. The study includes a newly produced video featuring the nautilus sculpture installed in the pediment of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul. Watch the video and download the study series here.
In an Epiphany season reflection, "Three mysterious men," the Rev. Anne Carroll Fowler writes that the Magi of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are "both open-minded and reverent. They recognize the unlikely holiness of a Jewish baby in the humblest of circumstances, and they bow down to worship him. They value, I infer, compassion over obedience." Click to read the complete reflection. |
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B-PEACE co-sponsors 4th annual MLK Day of Action at Blackstone School
 | | Painting a mural at the Blackstone School. |
The B-PEACE for Jorge campaign is co-sponsoring the fourth annual St. Stephen's MLK Day of Action at the Blackstone School on Jan. 20. The day will include a morning of projects including painting murals and hallways and general cleaning. After lunch, organizers from St. Stephen's Youth Programs will present a workshop about civic engagement and working with state legislatures around gun reform laws.
The MLK Day of Action will run from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Blackstone Innovation School (318 Shawmut Avenue) in Boston. Volunteer opportunities are still available. Breakfast and lunch are included. Please contact Meg McDermott at 617-939-7133 or meg@ststephensbos.org with any questions or for volunteer information.
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Bishop Shaw ordains five new priests
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Photo: Bob Greiner
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Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE ordained five new priests on Saturday, Jan. 4 at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul.
Pictured with Shaw, they are: [top, from left] the Rev. Sarah Kelb (serving at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans); the Rev. Stephen Trever (St. Mark's Church, Berkeley, Calif.); [bottom, from left] the Rev. Andrew Goldhor (Church of Our Redeemer, Lexington); the Rev. Jacqueline Clark (St. Elizabeth's Church, Sudbury); and the Rev. Paula Toland (St. John's Church, Franklin).
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NewsNotes
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the consecration of the Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris
All are invited to join in thanking and celebrating the Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris, the first woman to become a bishop in the Anglican Communion, at a special gospel vesper service marking the 25th anniversary of her historic consecration. The service, which will feature the gospel choir of St. Paul AME Church in Cambridge, takes place on Sunday, Feb. 16, 4 p.m., at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (138 Tremont Street) in Boston. All are welcome.
2014 Ministry Discernment Conference: The annual Ministry Discernment Conference offered by the bishops and the Commission on Ministry will be held on Saturday, Feb. 1. The conference provides an in-depth look at the 2014 Ministry Discernment Handbook and gives potential inquirers an opportunity to learn about the ordination process in the Diocese of Massachusetts and to explore whether their call is to ordained ministry or committed lay ministry.
Any person considering applying for admission to the ordination process in 2014 is required to attend the conference, along with his or her sponsoring priest and at least one member of the parish discernment committee. Online registration is required and closes Jan. 17. Click here to learn more and register.
Union of Black Episcopalians accepting nominations for outstanding lay leadership honors: The Massachusetts Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians is now welcoming nominations for the Frederick Douglass Isaacs Outstanding Lay Leadership Awards. Parishes may nominate a black Episcopalian from their congregation by contacting the UBE chapter president, the Rev. Leslie Sterling (ammaleslie@gmail.com) before Jan. 26.
These awards will be presented at the UBE's annual Absalom Jones Day celebration on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 4 p.m. at St. Cyprian's Church (1073 Tremont Street) in Roxbury. The Rev. Darryl James of Grace Church in Jamaica, N.Y., is the featured speaker.
All are invited and all are welcome to join the festival Eucharist and celebration.
Youth Ministry: Register now for High School Retreat and Winter Camp: Come escape for a weekend in the woods of New Hampshire for the annual High School Retreat. Together as a supportive Christian community, youth and mentors will reflect on their lives and wonder about faith. The 2014 retreat is Friday, Feb. 7- Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center in Greenfield, N.H. Scholarships and transportation are available. Click here to register.
There is still time to register for the very first Winter Camp at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center. Seventh, eighth and ninth graders are invited to come together for an unforgettable week. Alessia Doss, Camp Director, and Sam Gould, Director of Youth Ministries, will create a week filled with fun, outdoor camp activities mixed with faith formation, small group workshops and leadership development. Teens from across Massachusetts are invited to get away from the distractions of everyday life and spend time meeting new friends, hanging out with old ones, singing, dancing and exploring thoughts and beliefs in a welcoming Christian community.
Diocesan Web site revamps News and Multimedia page
The diocesan Web site, www.diomass.org, has launched an updated News and Multimedia page.
"Since storytelling of all kinds is at the heart of Gospel life, it's important to keep improving our storytelling tools. It's great to be able to expand our content offerings while also streamlining their presentation," diocesan communications director Tracy Sukraw said.
The new design presents all news content in a single stream, which can be filtered into color-coded categories via menu choices that include diocesan news, parish news and links to news stories originating in outside news media.
Two new categories have been added: Bright Ideas, featuring creative or inspiring programs and projects in congregations of the diocese, and Reflections, essays intended to provide insight and perspective on faith and daily life. Submissions are welcome and can be sent to news@diomass.org.
In addition, the former multimedia section of the Web site has been incorporated into the stream; all videos, photo galleries and audio files are now part of the News and Multimedia page.
The new page retains the feed of headline links to Episcopal News Service stories that was part of the former news page.
"The new page is livelier, I think, friendlier to mobile devices and should make it easier to find and share stories," Sukraw said. " Our communications assistant on staff, Ellen Stuart, was an inspiration behind this redesign, so I thank her for the creativity and effort she put into its implementation, along with our IT manager, Jamie Reamer, for his. They were a great staff team to work with on this project alongside designer Jon Sachs and our developer JP McNeal at Redfin Solutions."
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NewsLinks
Falmouth remembers victims of gun violence:
On the first anniversary of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary, nearly 30 people gathered quietly at Peg Noonan Park in Falmouth to remember the victims of that shooting and all the gun violence that has happened in the past year.
"It's an opportunity to bear witness to Newtown. But beyond that, it's the other people who've died by gun violence, too," the Rev. Deborah Warner, rector at the Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole, said in an interview with the Cape Cod Times. Read the full story.
St. Dunstan's, Dover helps relieve hunger with A Place to Turn pantry: Hunger finds its way into even the most affluent communities--just ask the Rev. Mark McKone-Sweet of St. Dunstan's Church in Dover, interviewed in the Dover Sherborn Press. Read the full story. |
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E-News
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