sample enews

March 2014

 
This month's news
Candidates meet with diocesan community
ECM Lobby Day honors Bishop Shaw's activism
Bishop Shaw's Lenten Message
Church Home Society establishes summer camp fund
NewsNotes
Parish Circuit
NewsLinks

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Coming up

 

Mar 19:  Contemplative Evening Eucharist, Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, 7:00pm

Mar 20: Lenten Series: "New Paths: Christians Engaging Israel", Parish of the Messiah, Auburndale, 7:00pm

Mar 21: Cathedral Clearance Bazaar, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 2:00pm

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 22: Cathedral Clearance Bazaar, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9:30am

Mar 27: Diocesan Council, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 5:30pm

Mar 27: Lenten Series: "New Paths: Christians Engaging Israel", Parish of the Messiah, Auburndale, 7:00pm

Mar 28: Pre-Confirmation Retreat, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H.

Mar 29: LDI Training, 9:00am

Mar 31: Mass Poetry Presents An Evening of Inspired Leadership (featuring Bishop Barbara C. Harris) , Huntington Theatre, Boston, 7:00pm

Apr 1:  Lenten Refreshment Day with Artist Janet McKenzie, Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, 9:00am

Apr 3: Lenten Series: "New Paths: Christians Engaging Israel", Parish of the Messiah, Auburndale, 7:00pm

Apr 5: Special Convention to Elect a Bishop Diocesan, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston

Apr 9: Episcopal City Mission Lobby Day - Kick-Off to Season of Service Honoring Bishop Tom Shaw, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9:30am

Apr 10: Anti-Racism Training , Trinity Church, Boston

Apr 10: Lenten Series: "New Paths: Christians Engaging Israel", Parish of the Messiah, Auburndale, 7:00pm

Apr 11: Pre-Confirmation Retreat, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H.

Apr 11: 2014 Epiphany School Gala, Westin Copley Plaza, Boston, 6:00pm

Apr 11: New England Anglican Studies Conference: Christianity and Capitalism, Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge

Apr 21: New York City Youth Mission Experience

Apr 24: Diocesan Council, Location TBD, 5:30pm

Apr 25: "Chasing Ice" Film Screening, Church of the Good Shepherd, Acton, 7:30pm

Apr 26: Eucharistic Visitor Training, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston, 9:00am

Apr 28: Diocesan Clergy Conference

Apr 29: Sherrill House Spring Event: "Healing Art of Music Therapy," Trinity Church, Boston, 5:30pm

Apr 30: History and Heritage of an Early New England Community: Architecture of St. Michael's Church , Marblehead, 7:30pm
Candidates for bishop meet with diocesan community 
The candidates at St. Stephen's Lynn, Mar. 16
The candidates at St. Stephen's Church in Lynn on March 16
The seven candidates for election as bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts made a five-stop "walkabout" of the diocese March 14-18, meeting with Episcopalians across eastern Massachusetts.  The candidates had the opportunity to introduce themselves to the community, and to answer questions about their leadership style, their personal discernment process and their vision for the diocese.  

For those who were unable to attend one of the public forums, or who would like to know more, there are several resources available: 
  • Videos of each candidate at the March 15 forum at Trinity Church in Boston are available here. 
  • The candidates introduce themselves in this short video produced by the diocesan communications office. 
All are invited to keep the candidates and the diocesan community in their prayers as the discernment process continues toward the special electing convention on April 5.  (Read more about the electing convention here.)  
 
Prayer for the election of a bishop 
Almighty God, giver of every good gift:  We thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, and for the witness of your whole church in his name.  We thank you for your Holy Spirit, empowering us for ministry.  So guide the hearts and minds of all those who shall choose a bishop in this diocese and those who will respond to the call, that we may receive a faithful pastor who will care for your people.  May our discernment transform our spirits and draw us closer to you, Almighty God.  Amen.
Episcopal City Mission Lobby Day honors Bishop Shaw's activism 
Bishop Shaw at a 2005 Lobby Day.
Episcopal City Mission's Lobby Day on April 9 will both celebrate Bishop Tom Shaw's leadership in social activism and carry it forward. Episcopalians are invited to gather with Shaw at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston for a celebration in his honor, and then walk together to the State House to discuss minimum wage legislation with their state representatives.

Lobby Day is the official kickoff of the diocesan Season of Service and Celebration, a period in which congregations and individuals are encouraged to undertake public service in Shaw's honor.

Shaw continues to be engaged with issues of social justice, as he has been throughout his nearly 20-year episcopacy. From city neighborhoods to the international stage, he has been a vocal advocate for peace, equality and social and economic justice. A long relationship with Episcopal City Mission (ECM) is part of that legacy.

"One of the reasons I have such high regard for Episcopal City Mission is the way it's educated me on what's the best way for us as Christian men and women to preach the Gospel, on these issues that Jesus would have been concerned about," said Shaw. "[The work of ECM] is Christian mission because these are the things Jesus wanted to have happen. These things that the diocese and ECM are involved in come straight from the Gospel."

The April 9 Lobby Day begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul at 138 Tremont Street in Boston. The procession to the State House will begin at noon.

A Lenten message from Bishop Shaw 
"Something that so often inspires my prayer is the fact that nothing in New Testament Scripture was actually written by anyone who knew Jesus of Nazareth.  We have stories of Jesus that were passed down from generation to generation because those stories spoke to specific issues in Christian communities of the time.  A writer of that time and place, in trying to minister to the people of that community, gathers together everything known from the stories about Jesus that that writer thinks will be helpful to the community.  Then it is all written down in a particular way and it is named the Gospel of St. John, or of St. Matthew or of other names of followers of Jesus, and this gives a sense of how the Gospel will speak."   

 

Church Home Society honors Bishop Shaw with summer camp fund 
 BCH Camp and Conference Center
The Church Home Society has announced that it will create an endowment fund for summer camp scholarships in honor of Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE.

The society's board of trustees voted in December to create within its endowment a $1-million fund, to be called the Bishop M. Thomas Shaw Campership Fund.  Annual income from the fund will be deposited into the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center's summer camp scholarship fund "to enable a greater number of young people to attend the camp," according to the Church Home Society's announcement.

The Church Home Society is an independent nonprofit corporation related to the Episcopal Church that makes grants to organizations working with at-risk young people. Read more.

 

NewsNotes 
BPeace for Jorge B-PEACE antiviolence campaign aims for 100 summer jobs for teens 
Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE convened clergy and business leaders for a March 6 breakfast where they heard about how they can help reduce street violence and enrich their own communities and workplaces by hiring teens in need of summer jobs.

"There is a huge gap right now between the number of teens who want a job this summer and the number of jobs available," the Rev. Arrington Chambliss told the gathering.  She facilitates the youth jobs initiative that is part of the diocese's B-PEACE antiviolence campaign.  

B-PEACE's inaugural effort last year created 55 new jobs at eight organizations; this year's goal, Chambliss said, is to create 100 jobs for summer 2014.  Read more. 

Episcopalians join rally for fossil fuel divestment:  Bishop Bud Cederholm led a group of Episcopalians at a Feb. 26 rally of about 100 people urging the Commonwealth to divest from fossil fuels. 
 

Bishop Barbara C. Harris to participate in Mass Poetry's "An Evening of Inspired Leadership" event:  Bishop Barbara C. Harris will join notable leaders including Governor Deval Patrick and former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky for Mass Poetry's "An Evening of Inspired Leadership" event on March 31. Each leader will share a reading that shows how poetry can educate, inspire and illuminate. Read more. 
 
Successful first Winter Camp at BCH Camp: Thirteen teens made the trip up to the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center in Greenfield, N.H., this February school vacation week for the very first Winter Camp. Alessia Doss, Camp Director, and Sam Gould, Director of Youth Ministry, collaborated to program this week of winter fun mixed with faith formation, small group workshops and leadership development. 
 

Winter Camp may be over but the camp and conference center team is not slowing down--it's already time to look ahead to summer.
 

The 2014 season will include some new offerings, including a two-week session, EDGE (an adventure program for teens) and Red Cross swim lessons.  Week-long regular summer camp sessions run between June 29 and Aug. 2. Visit www.bchcenter.org for dates and registration information. 

 

Parish Circuit
St. Andrew's, Edgartown invites diocesan community to join upcoming  mission trip to El Salvador:  St Andrew's Church in Edgartown is ready for departure on a carefully planned trip to the small village of El Maizal, El Salvador, and welcomes 2-4 more companions.  The mission trip will leave Logan Airport on Friday, May 30 and return Thursday, June 5. St. Andrew's welcomes the opportunity to share the trip with others in the diocese. 

Information is available from the Rev. Chip Seadale at 774-563-9716 by Mar. 30.  

 
NewsLinks 
South Coast Today: Local churches offer "ashes to go": People braved cold weather and even a few snowflakes to receive ashes on the go on Ash Wednesday, as two South Coast Episcopal churches took the Christian ritual to the streets. The Rev. Scott Ciosek, who is the pastor of St. Martin's Church in New Bedford and St. Peter's in Dartmouth, said the parishes decided to bring ashes into the public because it's easier for many people, South Coast Today reported. Read more.
 
Eagle-Tribune: Local Christians prepare for beginning of Lent: The Eagle-Tribune features Ash Wednesday and Lent observances at the Episcopal parishes of St. Paul's Church in North Andover, Christ Church in Andover and Trinity Church in Haverhill.  While many are familiar with the aspects of Lent that involve fasting or sacrifices, local clergy say the message of the season goes beyond a few weeks without caffeine or sugar. Read more.

Living Church Magazine: Brackets of the saints: It's that time of year again: break out those brackets, pick your favorites and get ready to compete for serious bragging rights. College basketball? No, a tournament in which stakes are not as temporal as those of the NCAA, but instead reach all the way to heaven: Lent Madness.  For the fifth consecutive year, fans of saints are lining up to make sure March excitement is not confined to athletics. They pick winners among 32 holy heroes and heroines, who battle it out for the coveted Golden Halo in an online tournament billed as "so fun you won't know it's edifying." Read more. 

South Coast Today: Churches collaborate to provide services to autistic, special needs children: The Four Churches of the Southern Cross, a group of four small, local Episcopal churches, has developed a special church service for children who are autistic or have special needs. "Spirit of Grace" is held at 2 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month.

Spirit of Grace is designed to provide a spiritual and meaningful faith experience in a comfortable, informal setting for the children and their families. "We provide an accepting place for the families to attend church together. The kinds of activities we do allow the children to be themselves," said the Rev. Rebecca Blair of St. Andrew's, New Bedford. Read more. 

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