E-News for August 2014

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August 2014

This month's news

Ordination and Consecration of the Rev. Alan M. Gates

Summer programs provide fun and enrichment

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Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts

Episcopal Church

Anglican Communion

Please note:

The deadline for all diocesan convention materials is Sept. 5. Please visit the convention page for more information.

Coming up

Aug 22: "Giving Back to Caregivers" Retreat, Adelynrood Retreat and Conference Center, 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

Sep 6: Stewardship Workshop, Trinity Church, Newton Centre, 9:00am

Sep 6: Diocesan Council Meeting, Christ Church, Quincy, 9:00am

Sep 7: Union of Black Episcopalians Sunday

Sep 12: Evening of Song, Church of St. John the Evangelist, Boston, 7:00pm

Sep 13: Ordination and Consecration of the Bishop-Elect, Agganis Arena, Boston, 10:30am

Sep 20: Safe Church Training, Epiphany Church, Walpole, 8:30am

Sep 20: Angelica Center Speakers Series featuring Lauren Winner, Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans, 2:00pm

Sep 27: Sustainable Houses of Worship Workshop, St. Peter's Church, Buzzards Bay, 9:00am

Sep 27: Regional Youth Event: "Re-Ignition," All Saints' Church of the North Shore, Danvers, 3:00p.m.

Oct 4: Diocesan Altar Guild presents Fall Flower Arranging with Chris England, St. Stephen's Church, Cohasset, 9:30am

Oct 7: Diocesan Clergy Day, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, NH

Oct 14: Retired Clergy and Spouses Luncheon, St. David's Church, South Yarmouth, 9:30am

Oct 14: Pre-Diocesan Convention Forum, All Saints' Church of the North Shore, Danvers, 7:00pm

Oct 15: Pre-Diocesan Convention Forum, St. Andrew's Church, Framingham, 7:00pm

A bishop for God's people:
Diocese prepares for ordination and consecration of the Rev. Alan M. Gates

The Rev. Alan M. Gates, Bishop-elect

Boston University's Agganis Arena will be transformed from sporting to sacred space on Saturday, Sept. 13 as the Episcopal Church ordains and consecrates a new bishop for the Diocese of Massachusetts.

To date, nearly 3,600 participants and guests from throughout the diocese, around the country and across the globe--including 26 bishops--are expected to attend the consecration of the Rev. Alan M. Gates as the 16th bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts.

Everyone is welcome.

Seating will begin at 9:30 a.m. The colorful pageantry of processions steps off at 10:30 a.m., with the liturgy itself beginning at 11 a.m. The diversity of the church in eastern Massachusetts will be fully evident through the many voices, languages and music that will be part of the service, including a massed choir of 550-plus singers from nearly 75 parish choirs, a brass ensemble, steel drums and handbells.

The diocese will welcome the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth Jr., Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio, and formerly a priest of the Diocese of Massachusetts, as the preacher. Following the sermon comes a sacred and solemn highlight of the service, when the participating bishops place their hands on the bishop-elect's head during the prayer of consecration-a passing on of episcopal authority in what is believed to be an unbroken line from the apostles.

A celebratory reception will follow the service.

Ticketing: The service and reception are open to all, but everyone who plans to attend (including participants and volunteers) must have a ticket. Online ticket ordering closed on Aug. 15. Tickets will be mailed on Aug. 29 to those who registered online. Remaining tickets will be available for pick-up at the reception desk at the diocesan offices at 138 Tremont Street in Boston on Sept. 8, 9 and 10 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. They also will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at a will-call table at the Agganis Arena on the morning of the consecration service.

Webcast: There will be a live webcast for those who cannot be at the celebration in person. A link will be provided on the consecration event page, where additional information about the day is available.

Summer in the city

B-SAFE celebrates 15 years: When B-SAFE began in 2000 as a safe haven for about 30 children in a neighborhood plagued by violence, the Rev. Tim Crellin could not have imagined that it would grow to the size and scope the program is today.

Campers at the B-SAFE 15th anniversary celebration.

"[When the program began] I was focused on the needs of children and families in the South End," said Crellin, Vicar of St. Stephen's Church in Boston's South End and founder of B-SAFE. "We grew in the breadth of the program as children started to grow up with us, and we wanted to keep them engaged in middle and then high school and beyond."

From this modest foundation, B-SAFE has expanded to serving 540 children and employing 140 teens across six Episcopal church and school sites: St. Stephen's Church, Boston; the Church of St. Augustine and St. Martin, Roxbury; St. Mary's Church, Dorchester; the Church of the Holy Spirit, Mattapan; St. Luke's/San Lucas Church, Chelsea; and the Epiphany School in Dorchester.

B-SAFE marked its 15th anniversary with an all-site celebration at Larz Anderson Park in Brookline on July 15. Students, teen counselors and adult staff, former staff, parishioners from St. Stephen's, guests from partner organizations and Bishop Gayle E. Harris were all in attendance. The children had their faces painted, made giant bubbles with coat hangers, played capture the flag and enjoyed treats from the ice cream truck.

"[It was] exactly the way the event was meant to be celebrated--with everyone feeling 'big, safe and connected'," wrote Janet Boswell, B-SAFE's director of development and communications, on the 2014 blog. Read more.

Kids in Community delivers summer fun and enrichment at St. Stephen's, Lynn: The Kids in Community (KIC) program at St. Stephen's Church in Lynn recently wrapped

KIC campers show off their harvest from the garden.

up its ninth summer of providing academic enrichment and summer camp fun to kids in Lynn. Serving children who are entering grades one through six, KIC welcomed about 100 campers this year.

"The summer brings long stretches of unstructured time for many children. That extended time puts kids at risk: they may not be in a place where they can be well-supervised all day, or they may do very little that exercises their mind or body for weeks on end," said KIC director Audrey Gutfruend. "Summer programs not only counter these risks; at their best, they turn the extra hours into opportunities for unique enrichment and close-knit community-building that children may not have time for during the school year."

Vacation Garden School at Good Shepherd, Watertown: Twenty-nine children enjoyed a week of fun and exploration at the Church of the Good Shepherd's Vacation Garden School. Each camper had a junior counselor buddy, who helped them stay safe, have fun and learn about God's creation.

Campers learn about worms and how they help in the garden.

Mass. youth travel to Philadelphia for Episcopal Youth Experience 2014

The Diocese of Massachusetts delegation, with Bishop Barbara Harris and Bishop John M. Burgess in stained glass over their shoulders, at Church of St. Thomas, Philadelphia. Photo: Mary Frances Schjonberg, ENS

Eleven young people from the Diocese of Massachusetts and their adult mentors, including Bishop Gayle E. Harris, traveled to Philadelphia for the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) held July 9-12 at Villanova University.

Held every three years, the event gathers hundreds of young Episcopalians from across the church.

This year, after four days of worship, workshops, prayer, late-night conversations and contemplation of Scripture and the Anglican Communion's "Five Marks of Mission," EYE '14 all came down to the call to go out into the world and love it, according to an Episcopal News Service report.

"Whenever God is about to change the world, God tells somebody to 'Go'" and that is what is happening now, Bishop Michael Curry of the Diocese of North Carolina said during his sermon at the event's closing Eucharist on July 12. Read more.

NewsNotes

New mission hubs launch:

The Diocese of Massachusetts has launched two new mission hubs, serving the North Shore and Boston's Metrowest area.

The new hubs join three existing mission hubs serving the Merrimack Valley, the South Coast and Plymouth, Cape Cod and the islands, and they are part of the Mission Hub Initiative funded through the diocese's Together Now campaign. Read more.

Youth ministry calendar now available:

The Office of Youth Ministry has published its calendar of offerings for the coming year, available here. Included are the seasonal favorites such as the pre-Confirmation and other retreats and regional gatherings. Also announced were new offerings, including a Jan. 17, 2015, gathering co-hosted by the Office of Youth Ministry and Hispanic Ministries, a Good Friday overnight for youth and a new series, "Talking Shop," for paid and volunteer youth ministers, youth leaders, mentors and other youth workers. Church leaders are encouraged to share these calendars with others in the congregation as they plan their own youth programs.

Parish Circuit

Grace, Vineyard Haven completes first phase of renovations:

Grace Church, Vineyard Haven recently completed the first phase of a major renovation funded through its parish Together Now capital campaign. This phase included replacing two walls and reworking the windows. The church replaced its existing windows with energy-efficient double-paned windows, and installed a new stained glass window in the parish hall (pictured at right).

"Huge panels in the old windows had been replaced with ill-fitting Lexan panels that were wasting a lot of energy," said the Rev. Robert Hensley, Rector of Grace Church. "So we're going to have substantial energy savings." The north wall of the parish hall was replaced, and faced with new wood shingles that match the exterior of the church. White trim completes the welcoming new façade. Read more.

NewsLinks

Cape Cod Online: St. Mary's, Barnstable launches camp for children with an incarcerated parent: The Amazing Grace camp, which runs Aug. 17-22 at Camp Burgess in Sandwich, offers 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.

WBUR: EDS remembers Jonathan Daniels: Episcopal Divinity School's director of lifelong learning, Diane D'Souza, spoke to WBUR about the recent EDS pilgrimage to Haynesville, Ala., where EDS student Jonathan Daniels was killed in 1965 for his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Listen here.

Sun Chronicle: All Saints Attleboro starts breakfast program to aid families: All Saints has started a breakfast program named One Family, A Mission of Unity Saturday Morning Breakfast. The church plans to hold the breakfasts every other month to aid low-income families in the area.