We are looking for volunteers for the 2014 Diocesan Convention, to be held at Madison Marriott West Hotel off the West Beltline, Friday and Saturday, October 10-11. We need about 25 people to help support the convention. 

Two kinds of volunteers are being sought:  registration/hospitality volunteers and tellers for the business meeting. 

•  FRIDAY -- Registration/hospitality volunteers work 3-4 hour shifts from 11:00 through 6:30.  Responsibilities include working at the registration desk or helping people find their way around the conference center during the Friday afternoon sessions, Eucharist, social hour, and dinner. If you are a voting deputy, it's best to help on Friday. If you are already planning to attend a workshop - but you're not teaching it! - you could easily be the room monitor and fill a volunteer slot too.

• SATURDAY -- Volunteers will be needed in registration and "shepherding" from 7:30-10.  In addition, eight tellers will be needed for the business meeting from 8:00 - noon.  The convention ends with lunch on Saturday.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact Diane Brown of St. Luke's Madison at diane@floods.org or 608-444-6707 as soon as possible.  Kindly indicate which type of volunteer role you'd prefer, as well as limitations.   Continental breakfast/ box lunch will be provided for volunteers on Saturday.  Friday's volunteers are invited and encouraged to stay for the banquet -- just let Diane Brown know so we can include you in the count.  (Friday dinner or Saturday lunch) with the deputies. If you have questions, please ask Diane directly and she will respond as quickly as answers are available.

Thank you for your consideration,

Diane Brown, Convention Planning Committee 

by Rev. Scott Anderson, Executive Director WCC

Reprinted with permission from the Sept. 2014 edition of Ecunews

Moving to Madison from Sacramento, California-named TIME magazine's "Most Integrated City in America" in 2003-was a rude awakening. Within a week I was conscious that my work and neighborhood environments were virtually all white.

Within a year I had reached the conclusion that race was the elephant in the middle of Wisconsin's living room, overshadowing every political, social, and cultural issue in this state.

The dismal and morally outrageous statistics are all too familiar.  This past spring, the nonpartisan Annie E. Casey Foundation issued a report showing Wisconsin ranked 50th out of 50 states in the well-being of Black children.  

continue reading . . .  

The Deacons' Formation School (DFS) has started its second academic year at The DeKoven Center in Racine. We've doubled our class size!

I want to introduce to you (from left to right in photo) Cliff Perkins, Esther Kramer, Director Rev. Carla McCook, Nancy Hills and Bill Dunlop.

Our school meets once a month from September through June for a full Saturday through Sunday weekend. Our students study scripture, theology, spiritual traditions, liturgical practicum and preaching, church history and the Diakonia (servant ministry and community organizing).

The DFS is open to all deacons and presbyter to attend for continuing education, too. To register go to the diocesan website on the Deacons' Formation School page. All school information and registration is available there. If you are discerning the call to the ordination of the vocational diaconate, I invite you to check out our webpage, too. The manual for the diaconal process and all necessary paperwork, schedules, course descriptions and the DFS Handbook are all posted and made available to you. If you have questions, feel free to contact Rev. Carla McCook, mccook@diomil.org.

We work hard to raise funds and support our postulants and candidates in this process for ordination. Your charitable gift keeps school costs to a minimum for our students. Your tax deductible donations can be sent to Deacons' Formation School, c/o Rev. McCook, 804 E. Juneau Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202.

Parish Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper

St. Mary's Parish in Dousman, on the corner of highways 18 & 67, seeks someone to work as our Parish Secretary and Bookkeeper.  This is a 15 hour per week position with the individual working Monday through Wednesday or Monday through Thursday.  Send resume and letter of application to Fr. Scott Leannah at  sleannah@earthlink.net . The position is available on Monday, October 6, 2014. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Using Quick Books
• Creation and printing of a Sunday worship bulletin
• Answering the telephone
• Electronic communication
• Working with parish ministry leaders on an as-needed basis
• Administrative assistance to the parish priest

All Saints' Cathedral is offering the first Choral Evensong in its 2014-2015 liturgical program year on Sunday afternoon, October 5 at 4 p.m. There will be an organ prelude preceding Evensong, beginning at 3:30 p.m.  The music will include works by Bach, Buxtehude, Herbert Howells and Vaughn Williams.

It will be a special treat to offer this very Western Anglican choral service in the presence of The Rt. Rev. Oscar Mnung'a, Bishop of the Diocese of Newala in the Anglican Church of Tanzania, our companion Diocese. Bishop's wife, Agnes, a senior administrator of the largest hospital in Dar es Salaam, and Sr. Helena, Mother Superior of the Sisters of St. Mary in Newala, are accompanying him on his visit. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall to greet and welcome our guests.

 All Saints' Cathedral is located at 818 East Juneau Avenue, Milwaukee 43202. 

Faith is transmitted from generation to generation in extended families and intergenerational congregations. Every congregation can discover its intergenerational heart and soul, and become an intentionally intergenerational community that nurtures the faith of all ages and equips them for living as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today. 

Generations Together presents the vision of a congregation that is becoming more intentionally intergenerational through its congregational life of caring, celebrating, learning, prayer, and serving. When a congregation commits itself to building a culture of intergenerationality through these five elements, each element becomes a sign of and instrument for the full experience of the Body of Christ by all ages and generations. Generations Together

1. Generations Together: A Vision of an Intergenerational Church - John Roberto
2. Faith Development from Generation to Generation - Kathie Amidei
3. The Journey to Intergenerationality: One Church's Story - Kathie Amidei
4. Outcomes and Practices of Intergenerational Faith Formation - Jim Merhaut
5. A Toolkit for Becoming Intentionally Intergenerational - John Roberto and Jim Merhaut (Part 1. Caring, Part 2. Celebrating, Part 3. Praying, Part 4. Serving, Part 5. Learning)
6. Welcoming All: Intergenerational Faith Formation for People with Disabilities - Sharon Urbaniak 
7. Leadership for an Intergenerational Church - Jim Merhaut

Training to become a SGC Trainer!

Sat, September 13, at St. Matthew's, Kenosha, 8:30 am - 1:00 pm in the Guild Hall.  Email Deacon Terry Garner to attend: dcnterry.g@gmail.com   

SGC Training for Clergy, Vestries and Sunday School Workers/Youth Workers - Sat, Sept 20th 9am - Noon, Two locations:  St. Christopher's, River Hills and Good Shepherd, Sun Prairie. Click here to register.   

Click here to register online to take the Safeguarding God's Children, Safeguarding God's People and A Day at Camp online training programs.

A Day at Camp is strongly recommended for all parishes leading a Vacation Bible School or other summer program with minors. This online training video is geared to safeguarding guidelines specific to leading a day camp (not an overnight camp) program.

Daily, too many of our economically distressed brothers and sisters in the Milwaukee area ask themselves the following question,

"Do I buy food, medicine or hygiene products?"

St. James Episcopal Church is delighted to help answer that question through the ministry of "Sundries from The Avenue." Working in concert with Outreach Ministry of the Central City Churches of Milwaukee, "Sundries from The Avenue" gathers and provides sundries at no cost to single adults and families living on low-incomes, on fixed-incomes or with no incomes.

Please join us in helping meet a critical need by bringing the following unused personal size or individually wrapped sundries to the Diocesan Convention on October 10-11, 2014 at the Madison Marriott West in Madison.

Items needed include:

Gently used or new jeans are also being collected for the Red Door clothing ministry.  Greatest need is for MEN'S jeans in large/extra large sizes.  Please bring jeans to the "Sundries" display at Convention.                                                                           

Thank you!  Together we can make a meaningful difference!

Peggy Bean, Canon for Parishes, explains that the next cycle will be a Saturday - Sunday format, which provides opportunity to invite people who cannot take a Friday off work.  It also  allows for experiencing Morning Prayer not only at DCDI but also at participant's home parishes if they so choose.  

The upcoming DCDI Cycle:  

November 1 - 2, 2014; Jan. 17 - 18, 2015;

March 21 - 22, 2015; May 16 - 17, 2015