Diocese of Rhode Island,
I wish to extend the Ezo Diocese Christian Community's Christmas greeting to their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in the Diocese of Rhode Island.
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you (set you apart) completely; continue to unite us altogether, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, Who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
God bless you all,
Levi
Assistant to Bishop John Zawo of Ezo
Thursday, December 23
A Season of Prayer for the Sudan: Advent Meditation 4
For my brethren and companions' sake I pray for your prosperity. Psalm 122:8
Click here for Advent Meditation 4
As we all await the coming of the Prince of Peace this Advent, our companion diocese of Ezo prepares to vote for the freedom of the Southern Sudan on January 9th, in a potentially volatile referendum. This season, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori exhorts us to join our voices with the people of the Sudan in prayers for peace.
Each Friday during Advent, The Episcopal Church will provide a new meditation which you can download here on our blog and our Facebook page. You are encouraged to join in prayer at noon (Eastern Standard Time) in the United States, as the people of Sudan pray at six o’clock in the evening. Our simultaneous prayers will join the hope of God for a world filled with peace. Click here for Meditation 4
Thank you for your continued support of our brothers and sisters in Ezo. For more information about our Companion Diocese Relationship with Ezo click here.
Click here for Advent Meditation 4
As we all await the coming of the Prince of Peace this Advent, our companion diocese of Ezo prepares to vote for the freedom of the Southern Sudan on January 9th, in a potentially volatile referendum. This season, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori exhorts us to join our voices with the people of the Sudan in prayers for peace.
Each Friday during Advent, The Episcopal Church will provide a new meditation which you can download here on our blog and our Facebook page. You are encouraged to join in prayer at noon (Eastern Standard Time) in the United States, as the people of Sudan pray at six o’clock in the evening. Our simultaneous prayers will join the hope of God for a world filled with peace. Click here for Meditation 4
Thank you for your continued support of our brothers and sisters in Ezo. For more information about our Companion Diocese Relationship with Ezo click here.
Wednesday, December 22
The Latest e-RISEN: December 22nd 2010
eRISEN December 22nd 2010 issue
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Tuesday, December 21
Christmas Letter from Bishop Wolf
Glory to God in the Highest
Dear Friends:
Imagine a homeless couple filled with anxiety as they seek shelter on these cold winter nights, only to be told there is no room. I knew of one such family. After being turned down by relatives and discovering that there was no room in the shelters, someone gave them an unheated garage. They were without heat for three very cold nights before they were given a kerosene heater. When I asked how they and their ten year old son survived, they answered, “Jesus spent the nights with us.”
God sent his son into the world to spend cold and dark nights of the soul with all of humanity. This glorious Gift came while we were still blind, and through his love our eyes were opened to the holy gifts of salvation, grace, and hope. We came to know that darkness is not dark to the Babe, and that in the end divine Light is the final victor.
We live in a time when darkness wraps the hearts of billions of people throughout the world, and in our own state. We can only imagine the fear of Christians living in Iraq, Pakistan, and the Sudan; or the anxiety of the jobless; or the despair of abused children; or the family who lives in their car or an unheated garage. In our churches there are those who show a good face, but go home to eat food from the food bank, and fear that they will not be able to pay the next utility bill.
Jesus, homeless at birth, became for us the Bread of Life. He is alive in the darkness of the world, even in the midst of doubt and rejection. To those who believe, he has given the glorious gift of Light by which our hearts are enflamed with love. We in turn, are called to enter the world with the gifts of his blessed Presence so that one day others may echo the phrase, “Jesus spent the night with us.”
May this be a blessed Christmas for you, and for those with whom you share the gift of the Father’s love.
Geralyn Wolf
Dear Friends:
Imagine a homeless couple filled with anxiety as they seek shelter on these cold winter nights, only to be told there is no room. I knew of one such family. After being turned down by relatives and discovering that there was no room in the shelters, someone gave them an unheated garage. They were without heat for three very cold nights before they were given a kerosene heater. When I asked how they and their ten year old son survived, they answered, “Jesus spent the nights with us.”
God sent his son into the world to spend cold and dark nights of the soul with all of humanity. This glorious Gift came while we were still blind, and through his love our eyes were opened to the holy gifts of salvation, grace, and hope. We came to know that darkness is not dark to the Babe, and that in the end divine Light is the final victor.
We live in a time when darkness wraps the hearts of billions of people throughout the world, and in our own state. We can only imagine the fear of Christians living in Iraq, Pakistan, and the Sudan; or the anxiety of the jobless; or the despair of abused children; or the family who lives in their car or an unheated garage. In our churches there are those who show a good face, but go home to eat food from the food bank, and fear that they will not be able to pay the next utility bill.
Jesus, homeless at birth, became for us the Bread of Life. He is alive in the darkness of the world, even in the midst of doubt and rejection. To those who believe, he has given the glorious gift of Light by which our hearts are enflamed with love. We in turn, are called to enter the world with the gifts of his blessed Presence so that one day others may echo the phrase, “Jesus spent the night with us.”
May this be a blessed Christmas for you, and for those with whom you share the gift of the Father’s love.
Geralyn Wolf
Friday, December 17
A Season of Prayer for the Sudan: Advent Meditation 3
For my brethren and companions' sake I pray for your prosperity. Psalm 122:8
Click here for Advent Meditation 3
As we all await the coming of the Prince of Peace this Advent, our companion diocese of Ezo prepares to vote for the freedom of the Southern Sudan on January 9th, in a potentially volatile referendum. This season, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori exhorts us to join our voices with the people of the Sudan in prayers for peace.
Each Friday during Advent, The Episcopal Church will provide a new meditation which you can download here on our blog and our Facebook page. You are encouraged to join in prayer at noon (Eastern Standard Time) in the United States, as the people of Sudan pray at six o’clock in the evening. Our simultaneous prayers will join the hope of God for a world filled with peace. Click here for Meditation 3
Thank you for your continued support of our brothers and sisters in Ezo. For more information about our Companion Diocese Relationship with Ezo click here.
Click here for Advent Meditation 3
As we all await the coming of the Prince of Peace this Advent, our companion diocese of Ezo prepares to vote for the freedom of the Southern Sudan on January 9th, in a potentially volatile referendum. This season, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori exhorts us to join our voices with the people of the Sudan in prayers for peace.
Each Friday during Advent, The Episcopal Church will provide a new meditation which you can download here on our blog and our Facebook page. You are encouraged to join in prayer at noon (Eastern Standard Time) in the United States, as the people of Sudan pray at six o’clock in the evening. Our simultaneous prayers will join the hope of God for a world filled with peace. Click here for Meditation 3
Thank you for your continued support of our brothers and sisters in Ezo. For more information about our Companion Diocese Relationship with Ezo click here.
Friday, December 10
The Latest eRISEN- December 10th 2010
eRISEN December 10th 2010 issue
Want to subscribe to the eRISEN mailing list? Want to submit your event? Just visit our website
Season of Prayer for the Sudan Advent Meditation II
For my brethren and companions' sake I pray for your prosperity. Psalm 122:8
Click here for Advent Meditation 2
As we all await the coming of the Prince of Peace this Advent, our companion diocese of Ezo prepares to vote for the freedom of the Southern Sudan on January 9th, in a potentially volatile referendum. This season, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori exhorts us to join our voices with the people of the Sudan in prayers for peace.
Each Friday during Advent, The Episcopal Church will provide a new meditation which you can download here on our blog and our Facebook page. You are encouraged to join in prayer at noon (Eastern Standard Time) in the United States, as the people of Sudan pray at six o’clock in the evening. Our simultaneous prayers will join the hope of God for a world filled with peace. Click here for Meditation 2
Thank you for your continued support of our brothers and sisters in Ezo. For more information about our Companion Diocese Relationship with Ezo click here.
Click here for Advent Meditation 2
As we all await the coming of the Prince of Peace this Advent, our companion diocese of Ezo prepares to vote for the freedom of the Southern Sudan on January 9th, in a potentially volatile referendum. This season, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori exhorts us to join our voices with the people of the Sudan in prayers for peace.
Each Friday during Advent, The Episcopal Church will provide a new meditation which you can download here on our blog and our Facebook page. You are encouraged to join in prayer at noon (Eastern Standard Time) in the United States, as the people of Sudan pray at six o’clock in the evening. Our simultaneous prayers will join the hope of God for a world filled with peace. Click here for Meditation 2
Thank you for your continued support of our brothers and sisters in Ezo. For more information about our Companion Diocese Relationship with Ezo click here.
Tuesday, December 7
Parishioners Make Bell Ring Again at Emmanuel Newport
-The Rev. Anita Schell-Lambert, Rector at Emmanuel Newport
Built in 1902, the Emmanuel Church Bell Tower has always had two bells, but the smaller “wedding bell” has been out of commission for two years. On November 27th, a group of parishioners and volunteers undertook the complicated task of reseating the bell so brides and grooms could hear it once again.
The effort began three months ago when Emmanuel's mens group inspected the church looking for work projects. Knowing that the small bell was not working, several members climbed the tower to see what had happened. One of the two bearings that support it had broken, and it had fallen 3 inches to rest at a precarious angle, lodged in the steel of the belfry.
While it is referred to as the small bell, it is hardly tiny. The bronze bell weighs 996 pounds, and is nearly 3 feet tall with an inscription reading Clamor Ad Te Veniat. The larger bell is 6,412 pounds, 5'10" tall, and reads Domine, Exaudi Orationnem Mean. Together these inscriptions open Psalm 102 “Lord hear my prayer and let my cry come before you”. Both bells were cast by Mears & Stainbank of the Whitechapel Foundry in London, which has been in operation since 1580 and also cast the bells of Westminster Abby, Big Ben, and the Liberty Bell.
Subsequent visits to the bell for photographs and measurements led to an ambitious homespun plan to replace both bearings. Parishioner Paul Selvitelli designed a portable aluminum gantry to fit in the space around the bell. Metal fabricator Kevin Christensen constructed it and On November 27 they met Ellen and Tom Vadney, Mona Haebler, Allen Hill, Rob Currier, and physicist Chris Lirakis at the base of the tower.
Together they hauled tools, rigging gear and new bearings up the steep stairways and ladders that lead to the belfry. The bell was hoisted back into position, the shafts were polished, reshaped, the new bearings were fit and securely bolted to the steel frame. This was grassroots preservation at its best and a grand task, not a simple repair job. Not only was the effort entirely staffed by volunteers but also it is typical of the can-do attitude of Emmanuel Church’s parishioners.
Emmanuel began in 1841 as a mission of Newport’s Trinity Church, when three female parishioners recognized the need to offer free space for worship to people who could not afford to rent or own a pew. Since then, Emmanuel has been known as “the Church of the people,” where “rich and poor, high and low, great and humble all worship and work together as friends.” Emmanuel welcomed everyone, and the parish developed around the needs of mill workers, domestic servants, lawyers, and bankers. That diversity continues as Emmanuel Parish is deeply committed to outreach in Newport with “a big heart, open arms and warm, loving hands”.
The effort began three months ago when Emmanuel's mens group inspected the church looking for work projects. Knowing that the small bell was not working, several members climbed the tower to see what had happened. One of the two bearings that support it had broken, and it had fallen 3 inches to rest at a precarious angle, lodged in the steel of the belfry.
While it is referred to as the small bell, it is hardly tiny. The bronze bell weighs 996 pounds, and is nearly 3 feet tall with an inscription reading Clamor Ad Te Veniat. The larger bell is 6,412 pounds, 5'10" tall, and reads Domine, Exaudi Orationnem Mean. Together these inscriptions open Psalm 102 “Lord hear my prayer and let my cry come before you”. Both bells were cast by Mears & Stainbank of the Whitechapel Foundry in London, which has been in operation since 1580 and also cast the bells of Westminster Abby, Big Ben, and the Liberty Bell.
Subsequent visits to the bell for photographs and measurements led to an ambitious homespun plan to replace both bearings. Parishioner Paul Selvitelli designed a portable aluminum gantry to fit in the space around the bell. Metal fabricator Kevin Christensen constructed it and On November 27 they met Ellen and Tom Vadney, Mona Haebler, Allen Hill, Rob Currier, and physicist Chris Lirakis at the base of the tower.
Together they hauled tools, rigging gear and new bearings up the steep stairways and ladders that lead to the belfry. The bell was hoisted back into position, the shafts were polished, reshaped, the new bearings were fit and securely bolted to the steel frame. This was grassroots preservation at its best and a grand task, not a simple repair job. Not only was the effort entirely staffed by volunteers but also it is typical of the can-do attitude of Emmanuel Church’s parishioners.
Emmanuel began in 1841 as a mission of Newport’s Trinity Church, when three female parishioners recognized the need to offer free space for worship to people who could not afford to rent or own a pew. Since then, Emmanuel has been known as “the Church of the people,” where “rich and poor, high and low, great and humble all worship and work together as friends.” Emmanuel welcomed everyone, and the parish developed around the needs of mill workers, domestic servants, lawyers, and bankers. That diversity continues as Emmanuel Parish is deeply committed to outreach in Newport with “a big heart, open arms and warm, loving hands”.
Thursday, December 2
Season of Prayer for the Sudan, Advent Meditation 1
For my brethren and companions' sake
I pray for your prosperity. Psalm 122:8
(Video: Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori's update on the Sudan)
Here in the Diocese of Rhode Island we have entered into a companion relationship with Ezo in the Southern Sudan. As we all await the coming of the Prince of Peace this Advent, our companions in Ezo prepare to vote for their freedom on January 9th, in a potentially volatile referendum. This season, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori exhorts us to join our voices with the people of the Sudan in prayers for peace.
Many of you met Bishop Zawo of Ezo when he came to RI in November of 2009. Many of you saw the slideshow of our own Bishop Wolf 's visit there in December 2008, or bought a 2011 Ezo Calendar to help support projects there (You can learn how to buy one here!). Now there is something you can do at home to help.
Each Friday during Advent, The Episcopal Church will provide a new meditation which you can download here on our blog and our Facebook page. You are encouraged to join in prayer at noon (Eastern Standard Time) in the United States, as the people of Sudan pray at six o’clock in the evening. Our simultaneous prayers will join the hope of God for a world filled with peace. Click here for Meditation 1
Thank you for your continued support of our brothers and sisters in Ezo.
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