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Call for prayer and response to Syrian refugee crisis
Bishop Alan M. Gates and Bishop Gayle E. Harris issued on Sept. 16 a call for prayer and response regarding the Syrian refugee crisis.
We request your continuing prayers for the millions of refugees fleeing from civil war-torn Syria. Over the past four years, these refugees have streamed into Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. Among them have been our sister and brother Syrian Christians fleeing persecution in the terrible rise of ISIS. Many members of the congregations of this diocese have supported refugee assistance through contributions to Episcopal Relief & Development, Episcopal Migration Ministries, the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (which comprises Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, plus Palestine and Israel) and other agencies. We urge continued generosity to these organizations as the crisis deepens.
The continuing widespread violence in Syria has caused an escalation of refugees now seeking to enter Europe. Daily accounts of the tragic deaths and the horrible conditions they face call for a more concerted effort to provide relief. The archbishop of Canterbury and our presiding bishop have reminded us of Jesus' call to assist the "widows, orphans and the sojourner" in our midst. We commend to you especially the Sept. 14 statement by Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, which includes suggestions for congregational and individual response, and numerous helpful links. Read more.
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All Our Children urges churches to partner with public schools
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| | St. Stephen's Church, Boston partners with the nearby Blackstone School and runs its library. |
As children get back to school this month, the All Our Children National Network is calling on churches to support them and their families by partnering with a nearby public school.The network champions quality public education for all, and says that church-school partnerships are a means toward helping to close the educational achievement gaps that occur between economically disadvantaged students--usually in underresourced schools--and their wealthier peers.All Our Children's founding director, Lallie Lloyd, calls this an urgent moral crisis. "Children are not reaching their God-given potential," she said in a news release about the network's efforts. "The church brings unique resources of vision, relationships and passion that are urgently needed to address this problem. The church needs to be involved--locally, regionally and nationally," Lloyd said.The Episcopal Church's General Convention this summer encouraged the network's efforts with a resolution endorsing community partnerships between churches and public schools and calling on All Our Children to convene a national symposium in 2017 to address the church's role in advocating education equity. Read more.
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Green grants: Building a more sustainable church
 When was the last time you thought about insulation? Light bulbs? Probably not recently. But it's often the mundane things that add up to major energy savings and reduced carbon footprint, and many churches in the diocese are making steady progress on short and long term goals, starting with something as small as a lightbulb and up through solar panels and natural gas furnaces. Many of these projects are made possible by the diocesan green grants program. The diocese awarded the first round of green grants funded by the Together Now campaign in 2012 (earlier green grants, separate from Together Now, were awarded in 2010 and 2011). Today the program has awarded grants to over 90 churches in the diocese. Since 2012, the program has awarded a total of $713,270 in green grants and the smaller "Simple Acts" grants. As planned in the Together Now campaign, the last cycle for green grants will begin in early 2016, with grants to be awarded in the spring of 2016. Churches that wish to apply-whether they are green grant veterans or new to the process-should begin the process now.
In honor of this milestone, several churches that have used green grants shared their stories and advice for the planning and execution of green building improvements. Continue reading.
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All good gifts: Gather the abundance at Resource Day 2015
Congregations are gathering their teams and getting ready to go to Resource Day, an annual opportunity for Episcopalians in the Diocese of Massachusetts who are involved in ministries of all kinds in their local congregations to come together for learning and networking.
Resource Day is designed to give congregations a variety of hands-on tools, practical helps and networking support for joining God's mission in the world. Workshops will be offered over a range of topics, including youth ministry, communications strategy and social media, financial stewardship, Christian formation, social justice, global mission and more.
"God has abundantly gifted the church with the people, the resources and the gifts to bring in God's kingdom here in Massachusetts and beyond. Resource Day is the chance to learn from the best practices, expertise and experience of many here in our own diocese and those from the wider church who are sharing their wealth of knowledge," said Amy Cook, who is the lead organizer of the event and missioner on the diocesan staff for education, formation and discipleship. "Since there are so many workshops, we encourage churches to bring teams to take advantage of the breadth of church life represented on Resource Day," Cook said.
Resource Day takes place on Saturday, Oct. 3, 9:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m., at Bentley University in Waltham. The complete schedule and online registration are available here.
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NewsNotes
Preparations for Diocesan Convention underway:
 This year's annual Diocesan Convention will be marked by a special spirit of celebration as the Cathedral Church of St. Paul reopens its doors to the diocesan community after having been closed for more than a year for renovations. "What a joy it will be to worship in that renewed space, rededicating the Cathedral Church of St. Paul as 'a house of prayer for all people' and the liturgical heart of our diocesan community," Bishop Alan M. Gates wrote in a June 18 letter to clergy and convention delegates.
The newly renovated cathedral church, at 138 Tremont Street in Boston, will be rededicated and Gates, just completing his first year as bishop, will be officially seated during a special service of Holy Eucharist on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. Clergy and delegates representing the congregations of the diocese will gather the next day, Saturday, Nov. 14, for a full day of regular Diocesan Convention business. Read more. New mission hub and youth ministry staff welcomed to diocesan offices:
Jin Min Lee has joined the congregational development team of the diocesan staff as the p rogram director for the Mission Hub Initiative. Lee will be taking over the hub-related work of the Rev. Samuel Rodman, who is now serving as acting chief of staff.
"Jin Min has made a significant contribution to the work of the mission hubs already, having been a several-year consultant to the hub initiative" the Rev. Canon Libby Berman, Canon for Congregations, said in announcing the hire. "She has very strong skills in organizational development and working across difference. I am so pleased that she will bring those gifts to her work on the diocesan staff."
Lee has worked with a wide range of nonprofits in Boston and abroad, including the Emmanuel Gospel Center, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, the Boston Higher Education Resource Center and the Action Center for Educational Services and Scholarships. She attended Wellesley College and will continue her graduate work in community development and planning this fall at Clark University.
Sam Lovett has joined the diocesan staff as part-time youth ministries administrator. He also will serve on the mentoring team for the diocesan Youth Leadership Academy program.
Currently pursuing a Master of Divinity degree from Boston University, with a focus on campus ministry, he brings organizational and administrative experience to his new position, along with a particular interest in exploring ways to integrate technology into faith formation and faith-based social justice work.
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Parish Circuit
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Blessing of the backpacks at Christ Church, Needham. Photo via Facebook.
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Back-to-school blessings: Many congregations in the diocese have been blessing students and their backpacks as they mark the back-to-school and back-to-Sunday-school season. Christ Church in Needham was among them at a Sunday celebration on Sept. 13, blessing its young people's backpacks as well as a collection of packs to be given to students in need.
Super Bowl soup-up: The Souper Bowl of Caring site this month features St. Michael's Church in Marblehead as one of its "Souper Stars" for 10 years of participation. In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl football game, young people involved in the effort pass soup pots to collect food and money for local hunger-relief charities of their choice. "Who can pass by a collection pot being held by an adorable child?!" Kelley Howells of St. Michael's says in the Q&A profile. "The children learn the importance of being grateful for what they have, as well as learning to care for others." Read more. Champion Crushin' Croziers: Congratulations to Christ Church in South Hamilton. Its Crushin' Croziers softball team (pictured) won the North Shore Co-ed Church Softball League's Division B championship this summer.
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| | The Crushin' Croziers . Courtesy Photo. |
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ChurchWide
A Christian response to gun violence: Connecticut's Bishop Ian Douglas, along with Bishop Eugene Sutton of the Diocese of Maryland, will offer "A Christian Response to Gun Violence," a free online class available through Sept. 28 via ChurchNext here. It includes video lectures and discussion and study guides. Telling the slave trade story: The Diocese of Rhode Island's efforts to establish a museum in its former cathedral church, focused on the trans-Atlantic slave trade, is featured in this New York Times story. "I want to tell the story," Rhode Island's Bishop Nick Knisely says, "of how the Episcopal Church and religious voices participated in supporting the institution of slavery and how they worked to abolish it." Remembering Jonathan Daniels: Diocese of Massachusetts Episcopalians took part in August events in the Diocese of New Hampshire commemorating the 1965 martyrdom of seminarian and civil rights worker Jonathan Daniels. Find Episcopal News Service coverage of those and other churchwide commemorations, including video and a link to a documentary, here.
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NewsLinks
Haverhill Gazette: From rough streets to safe classroom: Trinity Episcopal Church in Haverhill's Acre neighborhood is a place of worship, but also hosts a Montessori-style learning program for young children. The program has become popular with parents, and their interest is causing the school to expand. The little church on White Street is becoming a hub of learning for both academics and music. Read more.
South Coast Today: Grace Church, New Bedford undergoes renovations: Built in 1880, Grace Church is getting a major facelift, church leaders said. By approximately Nov. 15, the church will have a new steeple consisting of slate and wood instead of brick, granite and brownstone, and the belfry and the brick work below will be repointed, according to Charles Capizano, the church's junior warden. The church's cross will also be refurbished and placed back atop the new steeple, he said. Read more.
AP: Near bustling Harvard Square, monks provide silent sanctuary: Just blocks away from the bustling heart of this city, a community of monks offers a silent escape from it. The Society of Saint John the Evangelist, an order of Episcopal brothers, has kept a guesthouse at its monastery for decades to give outsiders a place to unplug and relax in a place of deep, serene quiet. Read more.
Foxboro Reporter: The Rev. Edward Cardoza to serve as next deacon/priest-in-charge at St. Mark's, Foxboro: The Rev. Edward M. Cardoza, known simply as Deacon Ed, will serve as the next Deacon/Priest-In-Charge at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on South Street. Cardoza was recently ordained to the transitional diaconate in June, 2015 and will be ordained to the priesthood in January, 2016. He brings 17 years of creating, programming and leading mission -driven organizations pursuing social justice, community development, and spiritual/faith formation. He previously served as the Executive Director for Still Harbor, a Boston based non-profit he founded in 2008. Read more.
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E-News
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