The diocesan mission strategy listening team issued its initial report on April 6 and continues to invite the diocesan community's response--in person, online or by phone--until April 24. The last of four open forums, at which the team has been presenting its initial findings and inviting further conversation, takes place on Saturday, April 23, 1-2:30 p.m., at the Church of Our Saviour (120 Center Street) in Middleborough.



Online and phone response options are also available until April 24, here.



After the public response period, the listening team will make any necessary revisions and will then hand off its revised report to the drafting team that is responsible for the third and final phase of the process underway to create a new mission strategy for the Diocese of Massachusetts. The drafting team's job is to write a draft mission strategy that responds to the listening team's revised report. Its work will also be informed by demographic and other data related to the diocese and the wider Episcopal Church, as well as previous iterations of diocesan mission strategies.



In collaboration with the bishops, the team is to develop its draft by early summer, in time to invite feedback from the diocesan community before the proposed mission strategy goes before the Diocesan Council in early fall and then to the Diocesan Convention for final approval in November.



Updates will be posted at www.diomass.org/new-mission-strategy.

The Diocese of Massachusetts' B-PEACE for Jorge antiviolence campaign is gearing up for the annual Mother's Day Walk for Peace on Sunday, May 8, this year marking its 20th anniversary.



This will be the fourth year that Episcopalians have rallied as a team to walk as a witness for peace and show support for victims, survivors and all who are affected by violence.



The pledge walk is a fundraiser for the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, which offers services to families that have lost someone to violence. The institute also provides peace curricula to students of all ages, restorative justice opportunities and support for honoring victims and empowering survivors.



The diocesan team's organizers hope this year to have 400 walkers and raise at least $2,000 for the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute.



This year's walk route is different. The walk will step off, as usual, from Town Field Park in Dorchester at 8 a.m., but instead of looping back to the park as it has in the past, it will end at Boston City Hall Plaza with an 11 a.m. rally and closing ceremony. For the full route and registration information, continue reading here. 

The Ven. William Clay Parnell, currently the archdeacon for mission in the Diocese of New York, has been named canon to the ordinary in the Diocese of Massachusetts. A June 1 start date is anticipated.



As canon to the ordinary, Parnell will have both external and internal responsibilities, ranging from cultivating healthy relationships throughout the diocese to administrative oversight. He will work closely with the diocesan bishop, the Rt. Rev. Alan. M. Gates, to ensure pastoral and strategic response throughout the diocese. 



"Bill Parnell comes to us with an exceptional depth of experience in furthering Christ's mission through diocesan and parish systems. Those who've served with him describe Bill as smart, wise, kind and collegial. We look forward to welcoming him to the Diocese of Massachusetts, and benefiting from his gifts," Gates said.



The position includes oversight of the diocesan budget process and its integration with mission strategy, as well as oversight of legal affairs and case management for Title IV clergy disciplinary matters. Parnell will oversee administration of Diocesan Convention and Diocesan Council, and serve as the bishop's representative at various board and agency meetings. Read more. 

Youth: Episcoparoo! and the triumphant return of the Acolyte Festival:   Two fun opportunities open to youth in the diocese are coming up in May.  

Church called to prayer for Ecuador: Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry and Episcopalians from across the church have called for prayer and solidarity with the Episcopal dioceses of Ecuador Litoral and Ecuador Central and the people of Ecuador who still are trying to assess the loss and damages caused by a devastating earthquake on April 16.

"Please know that your brothers and sisters throughout the Episcopal Church are praying for you. We will be with you during this time and in the days ahead. You are not alone. May the love of God embrace and strengthen you," Curry in an April 18 call to prayer for Ecuador. 

Read Episcopal News Service's April 19 report here and a message from the bishop of Ecuador Litoral here.



Easter call to prayer continues for regions experiencing strife: Throughout the Easter season, Episcopalians have been asked to lift up in prayer parts of the world where there is unrest and to learn more about what the churches in those regions are doing to be sources of support and hope. More information and online resources are posted here.



For all the earth: As Earth Day approaches on April 22, learn more about creation care issues and the Anglican Communion in this Episcopal News Service video.  Find additional online resources here.





ACC takes up global ministry issues, declines endorsement of primates' requested restriction of Episcopal Church: The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) wrapped up its meeting this week in Lusaka, Zambia, taking positions on climate change, gender justice, safe church environments, youth involvement in the communion, solidarity with persecuted people, and interfaith and ecumenical relations, among other issues. The ACC also declined to endorse or take any action similar to the primates' call in January for three years of so-called "consequences" for the Episcopal Church, in response to General Convention's decisions last summer to change canonical language that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman and authorize two new marriage rites for use by all couples. Episcopal News Service's coverage of the ACC meeting is collected here, including this April 19 letter from the Episcopal Church's three ACC members, Rosalie Simmonds Ballentine of the Diocese of the Virgin Islands, Bishop Ian T. Douglas of the Diocese of Connecticut and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, President of the General Convention House of Deputies.



In the letter, they write: "Because this ACC meeting was held in the shadow of the January Primates Gathering and Meeting that sought to restrict our participation as members from the Episcopal Church, we want to assure you that we participated fully in this meeting and that we were warmly welcomed and included by other ACC members. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby did report to the ACC on the Primates Gathering and Meeting on the first day of the meeting. Beyond that report, ACC members seemed to have little energy for answering the primates' call for consequences, for discussing disagreements over human sexuality or for taking up the call of Anglican Communion Secretary-General Josiah Idowu-Fearon to pursue the Anglican Covenant. ...Instead our fellow ACC members and we were enlivened by our shared concerns about intentional discipleship, gender-based violence, climate change, religiously motivated violence, food security and other issues that affect all of us across the Anglican Communion."

Wellesley Townsman: St. Andrew's parishioners travel to Honduras: This year St. Andrew's parishioners had a unique opportunity during Lent to reach across cultural boundaries and connect with children in Honduras. Led by a group of adult missioners who traveled to this Central American country last spring, the congregation participated in a "Friend a Child" project sponsored by El Hogar Ministries, a nonprofit organization that operates four schools in and around the capital city of Tegucigalpa. Read more. 

Sandwich Enterprise: St. John's welcomes new rector: After a long period of transition search, St. John's Church in Sandwich recently welcomed a new rector to its parish. The Rev. Thomas Ferguson arrived in late March to take up his new position, overlapping with the interim rector, the Rev. Paul Bresnahan, for Easter week. "The best thing about the search process was the committee's tenacity and diligence," said then-senior warden Sean B. Randall. "They undertook their work prayerfully and with care. This whole experience has made us strong. We could not be in a better position to grow with our new rector." Read more. 

Patriot Ledger: Marshfield festival-goers get a taste of South Africa: The pulsating sound of a steel drum echoed through Saturday's South African festival at Trinity Church in Marshfield, setting the mood for an afternoon that was both enjoyable and educational. The festival was an opportunity for South Shore residents to experience South African culture and food and learn about something more serious: the struggle against apartheid. The Rev. Noble Scheepers will lead a mission trip to South Africa in 2017. The proceeds from the festival will be put toward the trip. Read more.