Bishop Alan M. Gates sent the following message on the evening of Oct. 9 to the diocesan community:

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I invite you to join me in lifting prayers for Bishop Tom Shaw as he nears the end of his earthly pilgrimage.

Bishop Tom's presence with us at the Consecration on September 13, and the opportunity it provided for an outpouring of affection and gratitude, was a great gift--to Tom, to me, and to all of us.  His delight at being there was manifest, as was the immeasurable esteem in which he is held.

In the three weeks since that time, Tom's illness has progressed and his physical energy has continued to diminish. He remains comfortable in his quarters at Emery House, where his SSJE brothers are providing loving care, family members are visiting, and a hospice care provider is in attendance.

Today, on your behalf, I brought prayers and love from the people of the diocese to Tom's bedside.  We exchanged a blessing, the grace of which I received also on your behalf.

Continue reading. 

Whether and how financial divestment can be a tool toward social justice promises to be a significant topic of discussion at the upcoming 229th annual convention of the Diocese of Massachusetts, to be held on Nov. 8 at St. Stephen's Memorial Church in Lynn.

The clergy and delegates will also vote on the proposed $8.2-million diocesan budget for 2015 and elect alternate deputies to next summer's General Convention of the Episcopal Church, among other business.

The legislative gathering is an opportunity for about 600 clergy and lay delegates elected from each of the diocese's congregations to conduct the annual business of the diocese as well as worship together and celebrate the shared ministry of Episcopal churches across eastern Massachusetts.  The diocese's new bishop, the Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates, will deliver his first address to the convention, and the Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris, Bishop Suffragan, will preach at the midday service of Holy Eucharist.

Online registration is open here until Nov. 3.

For further information about resolutions and elections, read more here.

Episcopal City Mission and the Ecumenical Advocacy Coalition are hosting a series of forums this month titled "Faith and the Ballot," in order to discuss the state ballot questions coming before voters on election day, Nov. 4, and how voters can apply their faith to issues of public policy.  The first forum was held on Oct. 14 at First Unitarian Church in Worcester. Upcoming forums will be at St. Elizabeth's Church in Sudbury on Oct. 16, Church of the Good Shepherd, Quincy, on Oct. 21 and Old South Church in Boston on Oct. 22.

Ballot questions can often take second billing to the more dramatic races for public office, and it can be difficult for voters  to unpack exactly what a "yes" or "no" vote actually means. 

"One of my big takeaways [from the event] is that in order to be faithful voters we also need to be informed voters," said the Rev. Laura Everett, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, following the Oct. 14 forum. "The ballot questions are often confusing, and these are very significant policy changes that could come into effect.  We think it's really important that people know what they're voting on and how those questions will affect the most vulnerable among us."

The four ballot questions are as follows: 1.) Eliminating gas tax indexing; 2.) Expanding the beverage container deposit law (expanding bottle deposits to include water, juice and other non-carbonated beverage bottles); 3.) Expanding prohibitions on gambling, which would block the development of casinos in Massachusetts; and 4.) Earned sick time for employees, which would allow all employees to earn and use up to 40 hours of sick time in a calendar year.

"We will be getting together to talk about these issues through a lens of 'if this happened, who would benefit and who would be harmed?'" said Mary Beth Mills-Curran, Coordinator of Church-Based Ministries for ECM and a representative to the EAC.   

Read more. 

Bishop Gates joins Bishop Fisher of Western MA in opposing casino expansion:  As Question 3 to repeal the state's casino gambling law comes before Massachusetts voters in November, Bishop Alan M. Gates of the Diocese of Massachusetts

voiced his opposition to expanded casino gambling at an Oct. 9 press conference at Old South Church in Boston (right), and he commends to those who may feel called to the cause a Sept. 30 letter from Bishop Doug Fisher of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts. 

 In his statement at the press conference, Gates referenced experiences with casinos in Cleveland, where he formerly served, saying, "Casinos are not positive partners in the building up of strong and healthy communities.  The construction of casinos in Ohio has not breathed new life into the struggling economy of Ohio's cities.  It will not be good for Massachusetts."  

Read more.  

Esperanza Academy returns to classes after small fire; no injuries reported: Students at Esperanza Academy returned to classes as usual on Monday, Sept. 22, following a small fire at the school. The electrical fire started in an unoccupied room at about 2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15. The Lawrence fire department quickly contained the fire and limited damage to an area of the school's second floor, and the school leadership team implemented its fire response plan. There were no reported injuries. 

 "We are, above all, thankful no students, faculty or firefighters were hurt in this event," wrote Lillian Leggio, Esperanza's director of admissions, development and communications, in a news release on Sept. 19. "We are grateful for the poise of the school's leadership team during the crisis, and for the support of our students, their families, our teachers, members of the Lawrence community and especially Lawrence firefighters, who proficiently limited the damage to our school." Read more. 

Mission Institute video study series to be released Oct. 23:The Mission Institute's "Being Church" video study series is set to be released on Oct. 23 at a release party at St. John's Church in Newtonville. Bishop Gayle Harris will be joining the celebration. The full series will become available on the Mission Institute Web site on the same day, and there is now a trailer available here. 

Call for Reflections:  In "The Curated Self and the Search for Connection," the Rev. Mary Scott Wagner, Rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Reading, reflects on the "like" versus "dislike" culture of social media and extends an invitation to seek real connection, cultivating those relationships that allow us to be our authentic selves.  Read it here.

The Reflections page at www.diomass.org features sermons, essays and other reflective writing by members of our diocesan community. These posts are often drawn from parish newsletters or Web sites, but everyone is invited and encouraged to submit a reflection for consideration. If you have a piece of reflective writing to share, please e-mail it to news@diomass.org for consideration.