by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

Episcopal News Service has launched a new section, On The Move, sharing the news of churchwide appointments, job transitions, clergy ordinations and retirements.

“We wanted to add this new section to the Episcopal News Service website to make it easier for people to share the news of their job transitions with the wider Episcopal Church,” explained the Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg, Episcopal News Service editor/reporter.

On the Move, available here provides an area for announcements of ordinations, promotions, calls, hiring or retirements in an Episcopal Church-related job. A user-friendly form can be uploaded by the person or someone on his/her behalf, provided they verify their relationship.

Fifty Years Later: The State of Racism in America

Live webcast on November 15

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs 

On November 15, the Episcopal Church will host and produce a forum centering on a critical topic for our times: Fifty Years Later: The State of Racism in America. Originating from St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral in Jackson, MS (Diocese of Mississippi), the 90-minute ecumenical forum will be live webcast beginning at 1 pm Central (2 pm Eastern, noon Mountain, 11 am Pacific, 10 am Alaska, 9 am Hawaii).

The forum will be moderated by well-known journalist and PBS commentator Ray Suarez. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will keynote the event. Two panel discussions will focus on main themes: Racism in America today - why does it persist? And Racism in America's future - where is there hope for change?

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by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

The heads of three religious denominations - The Episcopal Church, the Church of Sweden, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) – signed a joint statement “to celebrate our commitment to hope in the face of climate change.”

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Church of Sweden Archbishop Anders Wejryd and ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson presented the document at the close of the first of a two-day environmental event, “Sustaining hope in the face of climate change” in Washington DC on May 1 and 2.

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To read an update, please click here.

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

An agreement has been completed between the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) and Lyceum Kennedy French American School to lease the Second Floor at the Episcopal Church Center, 815 Second Avenue in New York City.

Currently located at 225 E 43rd St in New York City, this lease provides an expansion of space for the school. Bishop Stacy Sauls, Episcopal Church Chief Operating Officer, explained that the second floor was specifically requested by Lyceum because it has a private entrance/exit, ideal for school purposes.

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by Episcopal Relief & Development

Six months after Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the northeastern United States, washing over coastal barrier islands and causing an estimated $50 billion in wind and flood damage, the Episcopal dioceses of Easton, New Jersey, Newark, New York and Long Island are continuing to aid impacted communities and facilitate recovery efforts.

Episcopal Relief & Development is currently supporting the work of disaster recovery coordinators in the dioceses of Easton, New Jersey and New York, and has helped establish a regional hub for volunteer coordination that that will connect mission teams with projects in all impacted dioceses. These coordinators are working with Episcopal congregations, ecumenical and community-based groups and a range of government agencies to assess needs and organize response activities.

“The Episcopal response to Hurricane Sandy has been huge and heartfelt,” said Katie Mears, Episcopal Relief & Development’s Director of US Disaster Preparedness and Response. “Congregations in the impacted areas mobilized immediately to provide essential relief to people and families in need, and now we are working with dioceses to further equip them to drive recovery and continue reaching out to vulnerable people in their communities.”

Episcopal Relief & Development’s US Disaster Program contacted dioceses in Hurricane Sandy’s path in late October 2012, when weather predictions indicated that the storm's impact would be heavy and widespread. By then, the organization had already reached out to partners in the Caribbean, where the hurricane had blasted through Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba, killing dozens and causing severe damage. Dioceses and congregations in the US were encouraged to review their disaster preparedness plans and identify ways that they could expand existing ministries to address anticipated post-disaster needs.

Following the storm, Episcopal Relief & Development remained in contact with key diocesan staff to gather information about where damage had occurred and what the most pressing needs were. Many Episcopal congregations launched into action, expanding their feeding ministries, providing basic supplies and gas cards, and hosting community agencies that connected people to services and federal disaster funds. Many parishes also held events such as movie nights and community meals, providing respite from the stress of dealing with the disaster and creating space for people to talk about what they were going through and receive pastoral care.
While relief activities still continue in some locations, the recent focus of diocesan response to Sandy has been on strengthening capacity at regional and congregational levels to engage in rebuilding and other recovery activities. The diocesan disaster recovery coordinators are charged with organizing and directing volunteers, and helping to develop ministries that will serve communities long after hurricane recovery is complete.

New Jersey disaster recovery coordinator Keith Adams, a retired federal disaster management expert with over 30 years of experience, is looking at storm response as an opportunity for the Episcopal Church to grow in service and in community. "We're looking to see how our parishes can be connected with each other, how they can serve each other, how they can develop mission capacity, how they can serve their community in a disaster," he said. "Every day in New Jersey is a disaster for someone, and this storm is how the Church remembered it has responsibility for everyday vulnerable people. People are stepping up, being called to do more."

Adams recounted how St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Keansburg opened its parish hall the day after the storm so volunteers could make sandwiches and offer food in spite of the power being out. Now, St. Mark’s serves 125 people with two meals a day, and has connected with New Jersey Hope and Healing, an organization that provides social workers, mental health services, crisis counseling and nurse visits.

In Staten Island, the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s disaster recovery coordinator, Darrell Hayes, is also focusing on building relationships with impacted community members and organizations in order to build homes for the most vulnerable residents impacted by the storm. As a retired NYPD sergeant, Hayes has extensive experience in organizing and directing teams of people, and says that his current work is a “natural fit.” Coordinating with case managers from a Lutheran organization active in Staten Island, Hayes finds work sites that require insulation, sheetrock, plastering or painting, and then matches volunteer teams with those skills. Hayes also meets frequently with fellow members of the Staten Island Community and Interfaith Long-Term Recovery Organization, and particularly the rebuilding committee, to discuss progress and address challenges.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, congregations in the Northeast and across the country renewed interest in disaster preparedness, creating or reviewing preparedness plans and reaching out to other churches and community-based organizations to make contact and build relationships. Episcopal Relief & Development’s US Disaster Program offers resources for preparedness planning, which can be downloaded for free from the organization’s website. The program has also published tips and how-tos for disaster response ministries, and offers support through the Partners in Response team and Diocesan Disaster Coordinators. More information is available at www.episcopalrelief.org/USDisasterProgram.

To volunteer for Hurricane Sandy response work in Easton, New Jersey or New York, please visit the regional volunteer page hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of New York: http://relief.episcopalny.org/

Episcopal Relief & Development is the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church and an independent 501(c)(3) organization. The agency takes its mandate from Jesus’ words found in Matthew 25. Its programs work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Episcopal Relief & Development works closely with the worldwide Church and ecumenical partners to help rebuild after disasters and to empower local communities to find lasting solutions that fight poverty, hunger and disease, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs 

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori issued the following statement on the US Senate Introduction of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

We affirm that human beings are made in the image of God, created with dignity and intrinsic value. Dignified and productive work is one way in which people give expression to that divine creativity, and people often migrate in search of it. This Church seeks to uphold the rights of people to seek dignified possibility in life – what this nation calls “the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” That includes the ability to seek work which will support and nurture individuals and their families, and the opportunity to contribute to building a just society – what the Church calls a reflection of the kingdom of God. Immigration reform is a proximate, this-worldly, way of moving toward that vision of a just society.

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“It is only together as the Body of Christ that we can hope to find healing, reconciliation, and genuine and lasting peace.”

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs 

In her keynote presentation at the Second Worldwide Anglican Peace Conference in Okinawa, Japan, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori addressed The question of US military bases in Okinawa - The role of Anglican-Episcopal Church.

“I want to challenge us all to consider similar situations around the world, and the roles that our respective churches, and the Anglican Communion, might play in reconciliation and peace-making in the face of violence, military force, and war,” she began. “It is only together as the Body of Christ that we can hope to find healing, reconciliation, and genuine and lasting peace.”

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by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori calls for prayer following the explosions in Boston, MA, and offers the following prayer:

Gracious God, you walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. We pray that the suffering and terrorized be surrounded by the incarnate presence of the crucified and risen one. May every human being be reminded of the precious gift of life you entered to share with us. May our hearts be pierced with compassion for those who suffer, and for those who have inflicted this violence, for your love is the only healing balm we know. May the dead be received into your enfolding arms, and may your friends show the grieving they are not alone as they walk this vale of tears. All this we pray in the name of the one who walked the road to Calvary.

May 1, 2, 2013 in Washington DC
Video available on demand

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs 

The Episcopal Church and the Church of Sweden are sponsoring a two-day environmental event, “Sustaining hope in the face of climate change” in Washington DC on May 1 and 2.

The public is invited to attend the Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon events held at St. John’s Episcopal Church Lafayette Square for no charge. Pre-registration is suggested; contact http://sustaininghope-eorg.eventbrite.com

On Wednesday evening at 7 pm, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will present opening remarks and then the keynote address will be presented by Mary Evelyn Tucker, a Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Scholar at Yale University and a co-founder and co-director of the Forum on Religion and Ecology. This will be followed with remarks by Dr. Kevin Noone, the Swedish Secretariat for Environmental Earth System Sciences at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and a research scientist in atmospheric chemistry and physics at the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University. Following a Q and A session, Church of Sweden Archbishop Anders Wejryd will conclude with a closing statement.

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by Episcopal Relief & Development

With contributions from the organization’s board and staff, as well as over 2,500 survey respondents from across the Episcopal Church, Episcopal Relief & Development’s recently inaugurated 2013-2016 strategic plan sets clear goals to drive continued growth and success.

The plan defines targets for the organization’s international and US-based programs, outlines the expansion of engagement and advancement activities and establishes objectives for raising visibility and awareness among diverse audiences. In addition, the document announces the intention to celebrate Episcopal Relief & Development’s 75th anniversary in 2015 with special activities and events to thank friends and donors for their dedicated support.

"As Chair of Episcopal Relief & Development's Board for the past four years, I have seen the organization make huge strides in both its international and US-based programs," said Board Chair and Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, the Right Reverend Robert J. O'Neill. "I am grateful to the staff for their tireless efforts on behalf of others, and to the countless supporters across the Church who sustain this invaluable work. I believe the new strategic plan honors these contributions and sets goals that will ensure continued growth and excellence, for the mutual benefit of all Episcopalians and those whose lives are impacted by Episcopal Relief & Development."

The 2013-2016 strategic plan follows on the success of the previous plan, which helped Episcopal Relief & Development establish itself as a results-driven organization with a focus on building partner capacity and a commitment to good stewardship.

During the strategic period that ended in 2012, the agency successfully launched and expanded its US Disaster Program, which supports preparedness activities and provides assistance in the relief and recovery phases of disaster response. Episcopal Relief & Development increased its engagement with Episcopal churches and schools through the promotion of its curriculum packages for children and youth, including the Abundant Life Garden Project and Act Out lesson series. The organization also played a major role in international efforts to fight malaria in sub-Saharan Africa through its award-winning NetsforLife® program partnership. The NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund, which was a church-wide, grassroots campaign to engage Episcopalians in raising awareness and support for NetsforLife®’s malaria prevention efforts, reached its $5 million fundraising goal in early 2013.

Episcopal Relief & Development’s plan for the current strategic period aims to sharpen the organization’s programmatic focus while broadening its networks of supporters, friends, church and ecumenical partners and colleague agencies. The goals are articulated as follows:

· Celebrate Episcopal Relief & Development’s 75 years of healing a hurting world on behalf of the Episcopal Church in partnership with the Anglican Communion, and inspire others to join in this ministry.

· Increase impact through integrated and transformational programs that fight extreme poverty and disease worldwide and provide relief and recovery in times of disaster, working primarily through partnerships within the Anglican Communion.

· Help equip at least 75% of dioceses in the United States to work with congregations, agencies and communities as they respond to and recover from disasters that impact the vulnerable in their communities and elsewhere.

· Engage members and friends of the Episcopal Church in a compassionate response to the world through the work of Episcopal Relief & Development.

· Strengthen and expand Episcopal Relief & Development’s position in the Episcopal Church, Anglican Communion and the wider community as a valued partner and leader in healing a hurting world.

· Increase and diversify revenue streams to support and sustain core programs and operations.

These goals and their accompanying objectives were developed by Episcopal Relief & Development’s Board of Directors in 2012, guided by best practices and informed by the board members’ collective expertise as well as input from the strategic plan survey in early 2012. The survey received 2,558 responses that helped shape program and engagement priorities and provided valuable insight regarding perceptions of the organization’s strengths and areas for improvement.

Of particular interest to the friends and supporters who responded to the survey was Episcopal Relief & Development’s forthcoming 75th anniversary. In response, the organization will launch numerous celebration activities, which will commence in early 2014 and continue through the end of 2015.

Episcopal Relief & Development’s anniversary year of 2015 happens to coincide with the final year of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), an ongoing mission priority for the Episcopal Church. Going forward, the agency will continue to support sustainable development in many of the areas highlighted by the MDGs, with special emphasis on helping families lift themselves out of hunger, poverty and disease.

“We are going to work hard on behalf of the Church to make progress, especially in the area of helping children and their families thrive, which is a particular focus of the final years of the MDG work,” said Rob Radtke, Episcopal Relief & Development’s President. “What more wonderful legacy can there be for our 75th Anniversary Celebration than to build on the success of our award-winning NetsforLife® program and extend our life-saving programs to even more people, especially children? I am grateful to everyone who has supported Episcopal Relief & Development’s work in these last 75 years, and invite the whole Church to join us in celebrating and sustaining this momentum through the next phase of our work together.”

Episcopal Relief & Development is the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church and an independent 501(c)(3) organization. The agency takes its mandate from Jesus’ words found in Matthew 25. Its programs work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Episcopal Relief & Development works closely with the worldwide Church and ecumenical partners to help rebuild after disasters and to empower local communities to find lasting solutions that fight poverty, hunger and disease, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

Applications are now being accepted for the 2013-2014 awarding of more than 60 scholarships from the Episcopal Church.

Scholarships are available for ethnic communities, children of missionaries, bishops and clergy, and other particular wide-ranging eligibility for education and training.

The list of trust funds and scholarships as well as key information are here. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read each trust and identify in the application those trust funds that best fit their own profile.

To continue reading, please click here.

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs 

In the continuous pursuit to be good stewards while concurrently being responsive to the needs of the church membership at the local level, Episcopal Church Chief Operating Officer Bishop Stacy Sauls has unveiled an organizational model for the staff of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS).

Additionally, Bishop Sauls announced that the second floor at 815 Second Ave. in New York City which currently houses Church Center staff will be leased to a new tenant, while negotiations are underway for other spaces in the 11-story building.

Bishop Sauls presented this information to the staff at a special meeting on Wednesday, March 27.

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Bishop Douglas: “Walking the Way of the Cross invites us, compels us, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.”

- All invited to participate in Washington or in their own community
- Stations of the Cross available for local use
- Organized by Diocese of Connecticut

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

On Monday, March 25 at 10:30 am Eastern, more than 20 Episcopal bishops from throughout the church will lead hundreds of clergy and lay people in praying the Stations of the Cross in Washington, D.C., as they process along Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House to the U. S. Capitol to challenge violence, especially the epidemic of gun violence that claims so many thousands of American lives each year.

The service will begin outside St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, at the corner of 16th and H Streets, Northwest, across from the White House, and conclude on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol some two and a half hours later.

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by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

The Joint Nominating Committee for the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB) kicked off its work on March 18-20 with a conversation with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and a mapping of the committee’s future work.

Meeting at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center in NH, JNCPB is charged to present a slate of no fewer than three nominees for the office of Presiding Bishop to a joint session of the General Convention 2015 in Salt Lake City, UT (Diocese of UT).

In addition to the Presiding Bishop, Bishop Clay Matthews of the Office of Pastoral Development offered insights and information to assist in their tasks.

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EAM@40: Remember, Celebrate and Re-Envision Our Mission.

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

The Episcopal Church Asiamerica Ministry will celebrate its 40th anniversary June 20-24 in San Francisco CA. Focusing on the theme “EAM@40: Remember, Celebrate and Re-Envision Our Mission,” the conference will celebrate the 40 years of Asiamerica Ministry, from its beginnings when a handful of Chinese and Japanese clergy gathered in San Francisco on March 1973.

“What began as modest vision has grown into a conglomeration of diverse ethnic convocations of over a hundred self-identified churches---Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, South Asian and Southeast Asian,” explained Rev. Dr. Winfred B. Vergara, Episcopal Church Missioner for Asiamerica Ministries. “’Asiamerica’ as a word was coined by the pioneers and has evolved into three areas of ministries: ministries to Asian immigrants in America; ministries to American born Asian-Americans; and ministries of bridge-building to churches in Asia and the world.”

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by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

The Office of Communication will present worship offerings every day of Holy Week. The offerings will be available on a special page of the Episcopal Church website here.

Palm Sunday, March 24 – New Orleans Second Line Procession with Jazz Band from St. Paul & St. James Church, New Haven, CT (Diocese of Connecticut) (this will be posted on Monday).

Monday, March 25 - Audio service of solemn Eucharist including music from Saint Thomas, Fifth Avenue, NYC (Diocese of New York) 12:10 pm Eastern

Tuesday, March 26 - Audio service of solemn Eucharist including music from Saint Thomas, Fifth Avenue, 12:10 pm Eastern

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“Easter celebrates the victory of light and life over darkness and death”

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

“Easter celebrates the victory of light and life over darkness and death,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori rejoices in her Easter Message 2013.

The following is the Presiding Bishop’s Easter Message.

Easter Message 2013

Rejoice, rejoice and sing, rejoice and be glad… for earth and heaven are joined and humanity is reconciled to God! [1]

As the Lenten season ends in Easter rejoicing, note what has been wrought in you this year. A remarkable cross-section of America has been practicing Lenten disciplines, even some who are not active Christians. [2] There is a deep hunger in our collective psyche to re-orient our lives toward life and light, healing and peace. We share a holy hunger for clarity about what is good and life-giving, and we yearn to re-focus on what is most central and important in life.

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by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

Nominations to serve as the Episcopal Church lay representative on the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) are now being accepted through April 10.

The ACC is one of the four instruments of communion in the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is one of the 38 Province members. The ACC is the only instrument of communion in which there is lay representation. According to the ACC website, the role of the ACC is to facilitate the cooperative work of the churches of the Anglican Communion.

The ACC constitution speaks of the desirability that members be part of the governing structures of the church they represent. In The Episcopal Church this means that potential nominees would be lay members of Executive Council or lay deputies to General Convention. A thorough knowledge of the Anglican Communion and The Episcopal Church is required, as well as familiarity with governance structures.

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by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

The youth and adult members of the 2014 Episcopal Youth Event Mission Planning Team have been announced.

Drawing hundreds of youth from throughout the Episcopal Church, EYE 2014 will be held in July 9-13, 2014 in the Philadelphia area, in partnership with the Diocese of Pennsylvania.

The 2014 event marks the twelfth EYE and remains a popular and well-attended event. EYE 2014 is geared for youth in grades 9-12 during the 2013-2014 academic year and their adult leaders.

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by Episcopal Relief & Development

The NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund has successfully exceeded its $5 million goal due to the incredible generosity of supporters across the Episcopal Church and beyond. Over the 2010-12 triennium, thousands of individuals joined congregations, dioceses, schools and organizations in this church-wide, grassroots effort to unite Episcopalians in the fight against malaria. Since 2006, Episcopal Relief & Development’s NetsforLife® program partnership has distributed over 11 million mosquito nets and reduced malaria-related deaths by 45% in participating sub-Saharan African communities.

“To have raised $5 million, from a grassroots level, by church communities working together is significant,” said Laura Ellen Muglia, co-chair of the national NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund Campaign Advisory Committee. “Even more impactful is knowing that the mosquito nets distributed will mean children, mothers, fathers, grandparents, cousins, whole communities, will have a life without malaria, a new life of many possibilities, a life of hope.”

Working in partnership with churches and faith-based groups, NetsforLife® has been a leader in malaria prevention by distributing over 11 million nets, training 82,000 community malaria agents and reaching more than 30 million people in remote areas across the African continent. NetsforLife® combats malaria by educating community members about proper net use and maintenance, training community agents to deliver life-saving nets and providing ongoing monitoring and evaluation of malaria prevention practices. Of the 17 countries where NetsforLife® is active, five – Angola, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Zambia – have adopted aspects of the program’s methodology as part of their national malaria policy, and many others have solicited input for country-wide strategic planning.

At the 2009 General Convention, the Episcopal Church made the NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund the centerpiece of its prophetic response to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and pledged 0.7% of its budget to this campaign. All Episcopalians were invited to learn more about this disease and how to prevent it, and contribute towards this important undertaking. Led by a Campaign Advisory Committee with four co-chairs and members from across the Church, the campaign exceeded its fundraising goal of $5 million in early 2013.

"I can't think of any other single effort that has so united our diocese in a common mission and effort. The campaign provided a renewed focus on the work of the MDGs and rallied amazing talent and leadership from parishes large and small," reflected the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, co-chair of the national NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund Campaign Advisory Committee and Board Member of Episcopal Relief & Development. "The work of Episcopal Relief & Development is at the center of our Christian calling to heal a hurting world."

Episcopal Relief & Development’s Inspiration Fund enables Episcopalians to live their faith by making a positive difference in the lives of millions around the globe through local, grassroots engagement in communities across the country.

“It was exhilarating to see Episcopal churches and dioceses come together to significantly improve the lives of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa through the work of NetsforLife® and this campaign,” stated Barbara Case Senchak, co-chair of the national NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund Campaign Advisory Committee. “All of our communities were strengthened because of it. This truly is the best of Christianity in a global effort.”

Although the campaign is complete, the work of NetsforLife® will continue. The gains made in malaria control are indeed still fragile and will require on-going investment. In 2013, the goal is to distribute more than 3 million nets.

“The passion, creativity, and enthusiasm across the Church for this campaign has been nothing short of extraordinary,” stated Joy Shigaki, Director of the NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund. “From organizing basketball tournaments, runs, cookie sales and educational forums on malaria, this campaign has been a life-giving and transformative effort to witness.”

See our campaign “thank you” video and other inspiring stories from the campaign:

- “Thank You” Video
- Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey
- Episcopal Diocese of Chicago
- Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
- Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio

Episcopal Relief & Development is the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church and an independent 501(c)(3) organization. The agency takes its mandate from Jesus’ words found in Matthew 25. Its programs work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Episcopal Relief & Development works closely with the worldwide Church and ecumenical partners to help rebuild after disasters and to empower local communities to find lasting solutions that fight poverty, hunger and disease, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori sends greetings of welcome to Pope Francis I and adds:

“The Episcopal Church will pray for the new Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis I, and for the possibility of constructive dialogue and cooperation between our Churches.”

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The Episcopal Church House of Bishops, met in retreat in Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, NC, from March 8 - 12, 2013. To read the daily accounts, please click below:

Friday, March 8

Saturday, March 9

Sunday, March 10

Monday, March 11

Tuesday, March 12

To learn more about the House of Bishops, please click here.

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

The Episcopal Church House of Bishops, meeting in retreat in Kanuga Conference Center, Hendersonville, NC, offers the following Word to the Church.

A Word to the Church:
Godly Leadership in the Face of Violence

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen (Collect for Tuesday in Holy Week. Book of Common Prayer (BCP) p. 220)

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Your House of Bishops has gathered in retreat from March 8-12 at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, NC. The theme for our days together has been “Godly Leadership in the Midst of Loss.” We have heard moving reflections on loss in the wake of: the shootings in Newtown, Hurricane Sandy, the ongoing struggles in Haiti, historical trauma experienced by Native Americans in South Dakota, and physical illness. Being together in conversation, prayer and common worship, we have shared the reality of new life in the resurrected Jesus who has overcome death and redeems our losses.

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by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

The Episcopal Church Joint Nominating Committee for the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB) is soliciting comments to specific questions prior to its next meeting.

JNCPB will hold its second meeting at the Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center in Greenfield, NH, March 18-20. The agenda includes developing a timeline and methodology for soliciting vision and feedback about what the church of the future will look like and what qualities the next Presiding Bishop should possess to help get there.

Invited guests include Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to reflect on the state of the church and the vocation of Presiding Bishop; and Bishop Clay Matthews, Officer for Pastoral Development, to discuss best practices in bishop searches.

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Marketing Your Parish: Advertising Best Practices for Effective Evangelism

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

The Episcopal Church Office of Communication, in collaboration with The Living Church Foundation, has issued a White Paper to guide congregations and to assist them in marketing and advertising efforts as part of their evangelism initiatives.

Marketing Your Parish: Advertising Best Practices for Effective Evangelism is available at no fee here

"We're working to equip Episcopal parishes with skills needed for evangelism in the 21st century," commented Anne Rudig, Episcopal Church Director of Communication. Based on articles written by the Rev. Jake Dell that first appeared in the September 2012 and the January 2013 issues of The Living Church, the White Paper is geared to both congregations that are just starting with their marketing-as-evangelism plans, including websites and social media, and to those with established marketing campaigns who wish to learn more ways.

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Text of Presiding Bishop’s address
Extensive Resources Available

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs 

Human Trafficking: A Churchwide Conversation, a March 6 forum hosted by Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, is now available online here.

The hour-long Human Trafficking: A Churchwide Conversation originated from the Chapel of Christ the Lord in the Church Center in New York City and featured Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori’s address, “What Is Human Trafficking and How Does It Link with Violence against Women and Girls.” (text printed in full below)

Panelists spoke about aspects of human trafficking: Sarah Dreier, Legislative Representative for International Policy and Advocacy, addressing advocacy aspects on the federal, state and local levels; the Rev. Brian McVey of the Diocese of Iowa on what ministries are operating around the Episcopal Church in response to human trafficking; the Rev. Terrie Robinson from the Anglican Communion on communion-wide actions and policies; Laura Russell, Esq. from the Diocese of Newark on the church’s policies and implementation based on General Convention resolutions; and Lynnaia Main, on the UN’s response to human trafficking and Episcopal Church involvement.

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by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

The Episcopal Church Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) is offering a commentary on some of the lectionary texts for Holy Week (March 24-31). This commentary will focus on texts that are linked to the sometimes unintended anti-Judaism which these texts have nourished in Christian liturgy.

The Commission’s work is in response to a resolution of the 2012 General Convention that called upon the SCLM to prepare “materials that assist members of the Church to address Christian anti-Judaism expressed in and stirred by portions of Christian scriptures and liturgical texts.” It continues a project first mandated by the 2006 General Convention in Resolution C-001.

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by Episcopal Relief & Development

Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting emergency flood response and recovery efforts in Mozambique through two dioceses of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. Both the Niassa Diocese in the northern part of the country and the Lebombo Diocese to the south have experienced severe flooding. An estimated 250,000 people have been impacted. The Church’s two-fold response will provide immediate relief to approximately 2,200 displaced families, and assist with replanting after flood waters recede.

Mozambique’s rainy season began in October, and heavy precipitation has caused nine of the country’s major river basins to overflow. Reports indicate that around 100 people have died as a result of the flooding, and the country’s infrastructure has suffered greatly. Roads and bridges have washed out, disrupting travel and trade, and homes, schools, businesses and agricultural lands have been inundated with water. The Mozambique Disaster Management Coordination Council issued a red alert on January 22, and the Mozambican government is collaborating with the United Nations and various non-governmental and Church bodies to assess and respond to local needs. The dioceses of Niassa and Lebombo are currently working with local government agencies to identify communities and households that are most in need of assistance.

“I am writing as many people, dozens of thousands, some of them members of our Church including the Archdeacon of Limpopo, [the] Ven. Xavier Muaga, are displaced as the town of Chókwe is completely underwater,” wrote the Rt. Rev. Dinis Salomão Sengulane, Bishop of Lebombo, in a statement on January 24. “It is not just rain but also water from rivers that run through the country that are having rains at the moment. The situation is dramatic and it calls for response if we are to avoid more damage to the lives of people.”

Action Social Anglican (ASA), the Lebombo Diocese’s relief and development agency, is reaching 1,000 households in three impacted communities in Gaza Province. They are providing food assistance (rice, corn and beans) for immediate consumption, and school materials to replace those that were lost in the floods, ensuring that children can continue with their studies. To the north, in Niassa Diocese, the Church’s mission department is working with 20 communities in Zambezia Province to distribute corn and water purification supplies to around 1,200 farming families. After the flooding subsides, both dioceses plan to assist replanting efforts by providing seeds and cuttings so families can restart their kitchen gardens and agricultural endeavors.

In addition, the Niassa Diocese is also planning to take action to reduce the vulnerability of communities in the flood plain by developing and implementing disaster risk reduction techniques. Staff will provide training in sustainable agriculture techniques that will allow people to farm in drier areas that are out of the flood zone, and water pump repair will enable irrigation and water accessibility at higher elevations. The introduction and scaling up of composting will improve waste management and help improve soil quality. Constructing fuel-saving stoves will reduce the need to cut down trees for firewood, reducing the risk of erosion and benefiting air quality. The diocese also plans to implement programs that address HIV prevention and management, since untreated HIV exacerbates a family’s vulnerability to disaster.

The longer-term activities of the Niassa Diocese are part of its broader disaster risk reduction initiative, which it is implementing in partnership with Episcopal Relief & Development. The cycle of flood and drought is becoming increasingly severe and unpredictable in Mozambique, threatening the livelihoods of the 85% of households that rely on agriculture for food and income. Strengthening community infrastructure increases quality of life and boosts resilience after disasters, so these improvements in land, water systems and housing will benefit families both immediately and in the future.

"As part of Episcopal Relief & Development's efforts to stand in solidarity with our global partners, particularly in times of disaster, we are developing a response that addresses immediate relief needs and also brings in a longer-term mitigation and preparedness component,” said Nagulan Nesiah, Program Officer for Episcopal Relief & Development. “The Diocese of Niassa serves on our commissioned international forum on disaster risk reduction, which is in the process of developing a disaster risk reduction toolkit for the Anglican context. We are grateful for their partnership and valuable contributions to this important effort."

Episcopal Relief & Development is the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church and an independent 501(c)(3) organization. The agency takes its mandate from Jesus’ words found in Matthew 25. Its programs work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Episcopal Relief & Development works closely with the worldwide Church and ecumenical partners to help rebuild after disasters and to empower local communities to find lasting solutions that fight poverty, hunger and disease, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.

by The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

With the recently completed visit to the Diocese of Central Florida, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has visited all 109 dioceses and three regional areas of the Episcopal Church.

“The first canonical obligation – and the greatest joy – of this office is to visit the dioceses of The Episcopal Church, and to preach the Word and celebrate the Eucharist,” Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori said. “It is an opportunity to experience and celebrate the diversity and life of this Church, engaging God’s mission in multiple ways. I have been in all 50 states and 13 of the 16 nations represented in this Church, visited with clergy and lay leaders in all 112 jurisdictions, and am glad to report on the health and vigor I’ve observed.”

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GEMN/Province IX Mission Conference
Bogota, Columbia
May 5 - 10, 2013.

by Global Episcopal Mission Network

Come, be immersed and insured for God's mission in partnership with Province IX.

Mission site visits; top South American Scholar Keynoted; hands-on training; a great deal of opportunity for group interaction and integration.

Plenary sessions will focus on economic realities and theological reflection on the theme of mutual responsibility and interdependence in God's mission. Presentations will be about successful models of sustainable mission projects with workshops for hand-on skill development.

For more information, please click here.

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