|
Youth Event Application Deadlines
Two youth event application deadlines are coming up in March: Episcopal Youth Event, due on Mar. 3 and the NYC mission trip, due on Mar. 14. Visit www.diomassyouth.org now to complete your registration. |
|
Coming up
Feb 20: Author Sara Miles: Reading and reflection , Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 6:00 pm Feb 22: Sustainable Houses of Worship Workshop , St. Paul's Church, Natick, 9:00 am Feb 22: Regional Learning Day, Christ Church, Andover, 9:00am Feb 22: St. Paul's Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball, Mission Oak Grill, Newburyport, 7:00pm Feb 25: Diocesan Clergy Pre-Lenten Retreat 2014, Notre Dame Spirituality Center, Ipswich Feb 26: South Africa Mission Partnership Meeting, Church of the Good Shepherd, Dedham, 7:00pm Feb 26: History and Heritage of an Early New England Community: Marblehead, 1714, St. Michael's, Marblehead, 7:30pm Feb 27: Diocesan Council, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 5:30pm Mar 1: Sustainable Houses of Worship Workshop, Trinity Church, Topsfield, 9:00am Mar 1: Regional Learning Day, St. Mary's Church, Barnstable, 9:00am Mar 3: Strategic Ministries Budget Hearing, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 7:00pm Mar 8: Eucharistic Visitor Training , St. Peter's Church, Osterville, 9:00am Mar 8: Regional Learning Day, Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, 9:00am Mar 8: Regional Youth Day: Electing Our Next Bishop, St. Andrew's Church, Framingham, 4:00pm Mar 9: B-SAFE Partner Churches Gathering, Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, 1:00pm Mar 11: History and Heritage of an Early New England Community: Who Filled the Pews in St. Michael's Church, 1714-1750, St. Michael's Church , Marblehead, 7:30pm Mar 12: Strategic Ministries Budget Hearing, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 7:00pm Mar 14: Traveling Tabernacles Art Exhibit and Workshop, Trinity Church, Haverhill Mar 14: Public Forum with Bishop Nominees, St. Andrew's Church, Wellesley, 6:30pm Mar 15: Public Forum with Bishop Nominees, Trinity Church, Boston, 1:00pm Mar 16: Public Forum with Bishop Nominees, St. Stephen's Church, Lynn, 4:00pm Mar 17: Public Forum with Bishop Nominees, Grace Church, New Bedford, 6:30pm Mar 18: Public Forum with Bishop Nominees, Christ Church, Andover, 6:30pm Mar 22: Safe Church Training, St. Paul's Church, Nantucket, 8:30am Mar 22: Regional Learning Day, St. Peter's Church, Weston, 9:00am Mar 27: Diocesan Council, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 5:30pm Mar 28: Pre-Confirmation Retreat, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H. Mar 29: LDI Training, 9:00am
Apr. 11: New England Anglican Studies Conference: Christianity and Capitalism, Harvard Divinity School
|
|
|
|
Meet the bishop nominees at March 14-19 public forums
 The Standing Committee has announced the dates and locations for a series of public forums to meet the nominees for election as bishop. The dates and locations are:
- Friday, March 14, 6:30 p.m., at St. Andrew's Church (79 Denton Road) in Wellesley;
- Saturday, March 15, 1 p.m., at Trinity Church (Copley Square) in Boston;
- Sunday, March 16, 4 p.m., at St. Stephen's Church (74 South Common Street) in Lynn;
- Monday, March 17, 6:30 p.m., at Grace Church (422 County Street) in New Bedford; and
- Tuesday, March 18, 6:30 p.m., at Christ Church (33 Central Street) in Andover.
Clergy and convention delegates, as well as all interested members of the diocese, are invited and encouraged to attend one or more of these sessions. For further information, please click here. |
|
Season of Service and Celebration events announced
 As Bishop Tom Shaw prepares to retire later this year, the diocesan community will mark April 9-June 21 as a Season of Service and Celebration in honor of his nearly 20 years of episcopal ministry, characterized by prophetic witness and activism for social justice and equality for all; commitment to the full inclusion of children, youth and young adults into the life of the church; and conviction that God's presence is realized in community. Learn more about upcoming events and how every congregation can be involved here. |
|
Bishop Barbara C. Harris Anniversary Celebration
 | | Bishop Harris at the anniversary service. |
With humor, gratitude and prayer, and rousing Gospel music performed by the St. Paul AME Choir, the diocesan community celebrated Bishop Barbara C. Harris and her 25 years as bishop during a vesper service at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul on Feb. 16.
In an interview, Bishop Harris said, "I'm just grateful that I've had this opportunity to serve, in my lay ministry, which was active, and in all three orders of ordained ministry, as deacon, priest and bishop." The complete interview, and a look at women in the episcopacy over the past 25 years, is available here.
A Facebook album of photos from the celebration is now online, and you can also browse our photo gallery of moments from Bishop Harris's 25 years in the diocese.
|
|
Global Mission coordinators observe grant impact and "healthy mission" in east Africa
Global mission partnership coordinators for the Diocese of Massachusetts recently returned from a trip to East Africa, where they met with community organizers, clergy, small business owners and others working to enact sustainable change in their communities. Laura Walta, Project Director for Global Mission, and the Rev. Holly Hartman, deacon appointed for global mission partnerships, visited mission-focused organizations in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, from Jan. 4-18.
Hartman and Walta visited several sites that have received money from the Mission Tithe Matching Grants and Council Grants, which are focused on mission partnerships outside of Massachusetts and made possible by the diocese's Together Now fundraising campaign. The trip was an opportunity for Hartman and Walta to see the work that the Diocese of Massachusetts is supporting, and to be inspired by how these organizations are enacting mission. Read more.
|
 | | Laura needs your paperwork! |
Delegates to convention forms due Feb. 28
All lay delegates to t he April 5 electing convention must submit their certification forms to the Convention Office by Feb. 28. All questions can be directed to Laura Simons, Administrator for Convention and Council, at lsimons@diomass.org or 617-482-4826, ext. 406
|
|
NewsNotes
B-PEACE and Bishop Shaw to host jobs breakfast: B-PEACE and Bishop Shaw will be co-hosting the second annual Bishop's Business Leaders Breakfast on Thursday, March 6 from 8-9 a.m. at the diocesan offices at 138 Tremont Street in Boston. Bishop Shaw and the B-PEACE Youth Jobs Subcommittee hope to create 100 new summer jobs for youth this year. Gathering clergy and business leaders from around eastern Massachusetts with Bishop Shaw and the Private Industry Council is one step towards this goal. These 100 jobs will be in addition to the 55 that B-PEACE successfully created last year. For more information about the event, please contact Charlie Emple at charlie@ststephensbos.org.
|
|
Work continues on Cederholm retreat house
at BCH Camp and Conference Center :
 | | Work in progress on the retreat house. |
The demolition of the old structure is complete and the new walls have started going up at the new retreat house on the property of the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center. The house, dedicated to retired bishop suffragan Bud Cederholm, will be available for clergy and lay leaders and their spouses. You can watch the progress of the house on Facebook, and learn the back story of the new lakeside retreat here. |
 Lenten devotions and resources:
Ash Wednesday, on March 5, invites us to the observance of a holy Lent--the season of penitence, reconciliation and renewal that leads to Easter. For those taking on a devotional practice during Lent, there is a collection of homegrown and locally recommended resources available on the diocesan website.
|
 | | The restoration in progress |
Parish Circuit
St. Peter's, Cambridge restores and renews interior: St. Peter's Church in Cambridge is in the midst of a restoration that will give the diverse Central Square congregation the bright, welcoming worship space it needs. This physical renewal serves to both inspire existing parishioners and welcome new ones. "We're trying to grow, and enlivening the space both welcomes visitors and energizes parishioners," St. Peter's rector, the Rev. Christian Brocato, said. Full story.
St. Stephen's, Boston and the Blackstone Innovation School in the spotlight: A new video on the Trinity Wall Street Web site showcases the partnership between St. Stephen's Church, Boston, the Blackstone Innovation School and their community partners. The video was produced as part of Trinity Wall Street's ongoing Anglican Communion Stories series, and also highlights two other schools that are working with Episcopal organizations. The video "r eally shows off the fullness of our partnership," wrote the Rev. Liz Steinhauser, of St. Stephen's. "And it shows how the relationships we have built have had a positive impact on all of us and are taking steps toward building the Kingdom of God." Watch the video here.
|
|
Episcopal City Tutoring tells a "story of abundance"
 | |
Tutors work one-on-one with students to prepare them for the SAT
|
For high school students planning to attend college, SAT performance can be a major obstacle. Preparatory courses can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. These classes, which have become the norm in affluent school districts, are often financially out of reach for low-income students. For those kids, the SAT--already intimidating--can start to feel truly daunting.
Episcopal City Tutoring (ECT) has found its niche in the intersection between low-income students who need test preparation and financially wealthier communities that are able to pay market rates for quality tutoring. ECT provides one-on-one tutoring to high school students preparing for the SAT. These classes are offered at competitive rates, and the profits are used to bring the same high-quality tutoring to high school students in struggling schools. Currently, ECT offers paid tutoring in Hamilton, Milton and Cohasset, and provides free tutoring in Dorchester. Read more.
|
|
NewsLinks
Teaming up at All Saints', Attleboro: The Rev. Meghan Sweeney and the Rev. Billie Mae Gordon are relatively new to their profession. So is their current situation as priest-in-charge and pastoral associate at All Saints' Church in Attleboro, a situation they called a "team approach" that may be part of a new normal for small Episcopal parishes, they said. The team approach consists of a priest-in-charge, pastoral associate and deacon, as well as lay leaders, as opposed to a traditional single-priest model. Sweeney and Gordon both began at All Saints in July of 2012. Full story.
Mission Hub Initiative in The Living Church: The Diocese of Massachusetts' $7-million Mission Hub Initiative intends to kick-start more mission activity in underserved regions, strengthen ties among congregations and perhaps become a model for other dioceses where local mission partnerships are all too rare, Jeffrey MacDonald reports in this feature in The Living Church magazine.
Remembering the Rev. Mildred Solomon: The Rev. Mildred Solomon was among the first African-American women ordained to the priesthood in Massachusetts. She passed away on Feb. 15. Her obituary is available here.
|
|
E-News
The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Spread the word! Forward E-News to your fellow parishioners, family, friends and seekers and let them know they can sign up for future issues at: www.diomass.org/subscribe.
You are receiving this newsletter from the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts because you subscribed or are in our leadership database. To ensure that you continue to receive e-news from us, add enews@diomass.org to your address book. |
|
