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Please note:
There will be no E-news in July. We wish you a peaceful and relaxing summer!
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Coming up
Jun 19: Spiritual Spa Day, Adelynrood, Byfield, 9:00am Jun 19: Diocesan Council, Emmanuel Church, Boston, 5:30pm Jun 20: "Finding God in Your Body": Retreat, Adelynrood, Byfield Jun 21: Celebration Honoring Bishop Tom Shaw, Pinebank Promontory on Jamaica Pond, Jamaica Plain, 10:30am Jun 26: Family Camp 2014, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H. Jun 27: Retreat: "Called to Be Crazy Christians," Adelynrood, Byfield Jun 29: First Day of Camp at Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center Greenfield, N.H. Jul 9-13: Episcopal Youth Event, Philadelphia Jul 11: Retreat: "The Heart of Creation: Cultivating Hope in a Wounded World," Adelynrood, Byfield Jul 12: Safe Church Training, Christ Church, Hyde Park, 8:30am Jul 12: 5th Annual Art and Spirit Auction, Church of St. Mary of the Harbor, Provincetown, 5:30pm Aug 7: Spiritual Spa Day, Adelynrood, Byfield, 9:00am Aug 9-16: Youth Leadership Academy El Salvador Trip Aug 11: Adelynrood Individual Retreat Week, Adelynrood, Byfield Aug 11: "Supporting the Development of a Spiritual Life ," Adelynrood, Byfield Aug 13: Quiet Day, Adelynrood, Byfield, 9:00am Aug 18: Adelynrood Retreat: "Indeed It Was Very Good: Engaging Creation With Faith," Byfield Aug 22: "Giving Back to Caregivers" Retreat, Adelynrood, Byfield, Aug 23: Safe Church Training, St. Peter's Church, Osterville, 8:30am Aug 28: Retreat Day: Writing an Icon of the Face of Christ, Adelynrood, Byfield, 9:00am
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Prayers and presence invited as diocese prepares for consecration of new bishop
Preparations are underway for the ordination and consecration of the Rev. Alan M. Gates as the 16th bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts. Everyone is welcome at this momentous occasion in the life of the church.
Pending consent from the wider Episcopal Church, the consecration will take place on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 11 a.m. at Boston University's Agganis Arena (925 Commonwealth Avenue) in Boston, with the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, presiding. The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth Jr., Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio, will be the preacher. A reception will follow the service.
The service and reception are open to all, but everyone who plans to attend (including participants and volunteers) must register for a free ticket by Aug. 15. Please register for tickets online by clicking on this link. Tickets will be mailed by Aug. 29.
Those who need to register for tickets by phone may call 617-482-4826, ext. 687; please leave a name and phone number so that a staff or committee member can return the call.
Additional details and updates will be posted on the consecration Web page as they become available over the summer months.
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This weekend: Join the picnic and celebration honoring Bishop Tom Shaw
 Everyone in the diocesan community is invited to gather for a celebration and commemoration of Bishop Shaw's ministry. This festive event will take place on Saturday, June 21, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., rain or shine, at the Pinebank Promontory on Jamaica Pond (corner of Perkins Street and the Jamaicaway) in Jamaica Plain, in the City of Boston.
The celebration will include remarks by Bishop Barbara C. Harris, with Bishop Frank Griswold preaching.
Click here for information about parking, public transportation and what to bring. RSVP here. |
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Welcome to church this summer:
A vacation guide
 Whether you're on a family vacation or just making a day trip to the beach this summer, make sure to stop at one or more of eastern Massachusetts' Episcopal churches along the way for a dose of history, a prayerful interlude, some music on the lawn or a lobster roll. This summer church guide offers just a sampling of what you'll find this summer at churches located near vacation destinations. Wherever you go, know that an Episcopal church nearby welcomes you. |
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New green loan program offers financing for energy-efficient improvements
Dozens of churches in the Diocese of Massachusetts have taken steps to make their buildings more energy efficient. Many changes are affordable or even free, but some require a major investment. Now, when a church is considering energy-efficient windows, a new boiler or a new water heater, it can apply for a diocesan loan at a low interest rate specifically for green building updates.
The newly launched green loans program is part of the Creation Care Initiative, and is funded by the diocese's Together Now campaign. The loan program launched shortly after it received approval by Diocesan Council in late March, and is now accepting applications on a rolling basis. It is a major step forward for the Creation Care Initiative, which also awards green grants, the first of which were awarded in 2011 and provide smaller amounts of money for energy-efficiency supplies and equipment as well as green projects like community gardens and conservation efforts.
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NewsNotes
 | | Bishop Barbara Harris (center) with the Barbara C. Harris Award honorees: The Rev. Jane Bearden (left) and Betsy Hinkle (right). |
ECM honors social justice efforts at annual dinner: Episcopal City Mission's Annual Fundraising Dinner at Boston University on Tuesday, June 10 was a sold-out event. ECM celebrated the episcopate of Bishop Tom Shaw, and introduced the new Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE Award for Social Justice in his honor. The inaugural Shaw award went to the Church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan. ECM also honored Tom Tufts and the Rev. Dr. Robert Massie with its annual Tobin Award, and the Rev. Jane Bearden and Betsy Hinkle with its Barbara C. Harris Award.Photos from the evening can be found on the ECM Facebook page.
Nine transitional deacons ordained: Bishop Shaw ordained nine new transitional deacons at Emmanuel Church in Boston on June 7. Pictured with Shaw, they are: (front, from left) David Prentice, Patrick Cheng, Sarah van Gulden, Harry Walton and Jeffrey Dodge; (back, from left) Megan Holding, Christen Mills, Rachael Pettengill-Rasure and Robert Schoeck.
Confirmations celebrated throughout the diocese: Churches around the diocese extended a warm welcome and showed tremendous hospitality to hundreds of candidates, family members and guests at diocesan Confirmation services this spring: 100 Episcopalians were confirmed or received on May 3 at St. Stephen's Church in Lynn and another 72 at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Duxbury; 136 on May 10 at Christ Church in Needham; 66 on May 17 at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Orleans; and 122 on May 31 at Emmanuel Church in Boston.
Two Massachusetts projects receive UTO grants: Two projects in the Diocese of Massachusetts have received United Thank Offering (UTO) grants from the Episcopal Church. The UTO grants are awarded annually for projects that address human needs and help alleviate poverty, both domestically and internationally. The B-PEACE for Jorge antiviolence campaign of the diocese's Jorge Fuentes Antiviolence Task Force received $20,000 for its violence prevention work with youth, families and youth ministers --specifically through trauma and resilience training--and to expand its youth leadership and organizing efforts. And, an English-language immersion project at the Hegongo Holy Cross High School in the Diocese of Tanga, with the support of the Friends of Tanzania--a group of mission companions from several Diocese of Massachusetts parishes--received an award of $8,850. Fluency in English will help improve the educational and employment prospects of the school's students, most of whom come from poor backgrounds, according to the application proposal.The 2014 grants, totaling $1.5 million and awarded to projects in 36 dioceses, were announced at the Episcopal Church's Executive Council meeting in Phoenix on June 12.
 | | The Cederholm cottage. |
Cederholm cottage opens at Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center: Bishop Bud Cederholm, Ruth Ann Cederholm and a small group of family, friends and camp board members gathered on June 14 to open the new Cederholm retreat cottage. The cottage is a retreat for clergy and lay leaders in the diocese. More information about the construction of the cottage can be found here.
Steve Matthews appointed director of the South Coast Mission Hub: For the last three years Matthews has partnered with the Rev. Tom Brackett, Missioner for New Church Starts and Missional Initiatives for the Episcopal Church, developing an online school for church redevelopment entitled mission:Engage! He is also a leadership consultant with the Episcopal Church. For more than 15 years he served as a youth minister (10 of those at St. Paul's Church in Richmond, Va. ). He is a spiritual director and a writer for Upper Room Books. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and a master's degree in clinical psychology from Western Carolina University.
The Crossing welcomes Judith Atkinson as interim priest: The Rev. Judith Atkinson is the new interim priest for The Crossing, the emergent-church worshiping congregation at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston. Originally from England, Atkinson and her family came to Massachusetts in 2012 from Sydney, Australia. She was ordained in 1996 and worked in the dioceses of Durham, Newcastle and Birmingham. She has experience working on issues of housing and homelessness, child protection, domestic violence and community regeneration. She said in a statement that she is valuing the opportunity to reconnect with congregational life in a deeper way and enjoys being a part of The Crossing's collaborative, justice-centered worship and community life.
In remembrance: Many in the diocesan community give thanks for the lives of two individuals who were long involved in diocesan life and who had connections to numerous parishes, organizations and institutions of the diocese: The Rev. John (Jack) Bishop, who died on April 8 (read the obituary here), and Dr. Margaret (Bonnie) Lidback, who died in December and whose life is being celebrated at memorial services this month and next (read the obituary here).
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Parish Circuit
 Lobster rolls with Paul Revere: St. Michael's Church in Marblehead continues its 300th anniversary celebration by serving up a lobster roll lunch each day of the Marblehead Festival of the Arts, July 4-6. On July 6, they'll be joined by Paul Revere (historical interpreter Michael LePage, pictured at right) who will discuss the history of Marblehead and the Revere bell that is still rung today at St. Michael's. Visitors will even get a chance to help Paul Revere ring the bell. See the article in Wicked Local Marblehead for details.
Grace Church, Everett opens new accessibility ramp:
 | | Dot Glennon does the honors as acolytes (from left) Josh Burdick, Justyn Burdick and Stevie Edwards wait to lead the parish procession up the ramp and into the sanctuary for worship. |
St. Mark's Church, Foxboro raises funds for Nets for Life: St. Mark's Church in Foxboro and its outreach ministry recently presented a check for $642 to Tinka Perry, diocesan coordinator for Episcopal Relief & Development, towards the purchase of malaria nets for the Nets for Life Program. The program partners with Episcopal and Anglican churches around the world to determine areas with the greatest need and locate resources. Read more.
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NewsLinks
Cape Cod Online: St. Mary's, Barnstable to host summer camp for children with an incarcerated parent: St. Mary's Church is busy preparing for the debut of a camp program that will be the first of its kind in Massachusetts. The Amazing Grace camp, planned for later this summer at Camp Burgess in Sandwich, will offer Cape children who have a parent who is incarcerated a free week of fun and sun. "What the camp does is just open up a little bit of light in their lives, show them that they are loved as themselves and there are other ways to go," coordinator Eleanor Braun said. Read more.
Huffington Post: The Rev. Cameron Partridge to be first openly transgender priest to preach at National Cathedral: The Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge will make history on Sunday, June 22 as the first openly transgender priest to preach at the historic Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., in honor of Pride Month. The Rt. Rev Gene Robinson, known as the first openly gay priest to be elected a bishop, will preside at the service. Partridge is the Episcopal chaplain of Boston University. Read more.
MassLive: B-PEACE, local Episcopalians support increased gun safety measures: The B-PEACE for Jorge Campaign joined the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Gun Violence and other safety advocates from across the state to voice their support of a comprehensive gun safety bill that was recently released by House Speaker Tom DeLeo.
B-PEACE youth organizer Tania Ortiz said that she was there to honor her friend Jorge Fuentes, who was shot in Dorchester while walking his dog outside his home. "I don't want other people to feel the pain I felt when he passed away," Ortiz said. Read more.
Congregational consultants coordinator shares wisdom for vestries: "Who Can You Call?"--an article about the diocese's congregational consultants by Chris Meyer--appeared in the most recent issue of the Episcopal Church Foundation's Vestry Papers. Read it here. Meyer has been the volunteer coordinator of the congregational consultants since 2007 and is a member of the Parish of St. Paul in Newton Highlands. Visit www.ecfvp.org to subscribe.
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E-News
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