Growing in Mission & Vitality: Risen Magazine Spring 2014 Issue

The latest issue of RISEN Magazine has been published! Check it out here if you haven't gotten your copy yet.

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Don't know what to do after graduation? JDH is still looking for residential interns!

Wondering what to do next?

Do Justice. Love Kindness. Walk Humbly with God.

You’re invited to apply to live and serve for 10 months in Providence, RI with Jonathan Daniels House (JDH), an Episcopal Service Corps community.

As a JDH Fellow you will live together with 3 other Fellows in a house in south Providence and spend 5 days a week serving in a social service organization. House residents also commit to regular prayer and worship and study, and you will learn leadership skills and spiritual practices that you can use for the rest of your life. 

JDH is a program of the nationwide Episcopal Service Corps and is sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island.  It is open to anyone who has completed college, is in their 20s or early 30s, and is willing to live in Christian-based community.  Fellows receive a stipend to cover basic living expenses, and health insurance if needed.  

Applications are still being accepted for August 2014.

For more information and to apply to any Episcopal Service Corps program around the country, see http://episcopalservicecorps.org    

For more information about JDH in particular,go to http://jonathandanielshouse.org or contact the Rev. Gillian Barr, Director, at Gillian@episcopalri.org or 401-285-1219 . 

VIDEO: Bishop Knisely's "Pursuing the Mystery of Science and Faith" Homily at ERT2014

Bishop Knisely gave the homily "Pursuing the Mystery of Science and Faith" at the 2014 Ecumenical Roundtable on Science, Technology & the Church, which was held at the Episcopal Church Center of Utah in Salt Lake City.  The event included representatives from many different denominations, and was hosted by the Episcopal Network for Science, Technology and Faith.

Looking for more on this topic? Follow ENSTF on facebook or follow the roundtable twitter conversation at  #ERT2014.  You can also check out Bishop Knisely's blog or read his new full-length book on science and religion titled "Entangled States".

Entangled States; Bishop Knisely's new full-length book on science and faith

Bishop Knisely's new full-length book on science and faith, titled Entangled States, has been published and is now available in print and ebook versions at http://www.nowboundbooks.com.

This is exciting news! Many of you got a taste of Bishop Knisely's thoughts on this topic in his sold-out book of Lenten meditations titled Lent is not Rocket Science. Now that we have entered the Easter season, if you're looking for a more in-depth discussion of science and faith snap up a copy of Entangled States, and do it quick if you want to get your hands on a first edition.

Here's a taste of what this new book discusses, taken from the back cover:

"By telling a kind of story that got under the skin of the people who heard it, Jesus began a revolution that was to change the world. His audience couldn't get the stories out of their heads because they altered the way they saw the world.

Now, science is telling us a new story that transforms how we see ourselves. One of the fundamental insights of quantum physics is that our reality isn’t limited to our physical boundary but extends throughout time and space. This is not poetry, but the revelation of modern mathematics. It means we are all interrelated, and the things we think keep us apart are in reality illusory. We are completely entangled in each other’s lives.

The gift of being human is the recognition that just out of our grasp, there is a harmonious connectedness, so that we are all part of a piece and therefore sisters and brothers under the skin.

No matter how adamantly we insist on being divided, every now and then we can’t help but catch a glimpse of the fact we are bound together. Such a glimpse may come in the form of a spiritual experience, a sense that the universe is suffused with a divine Presence. Or it may occur in a laboratory, as a scientist discovers a connection no one has ever seen before and realizes there is a unity to reality.

Both a scientist and Episcopal bishop, Nicholas Knisely invites us to open up to the possibility that this unity might really be here, and that all of us might be able to experience it. This is why the book is called Entangled States. For we are all entangled one in another, and the human in the divine.

You can also visit Bishop Knisely's blog http://entangledstates.org for his real-time thoughts on science and faith.

Rhythms of Grace at Advent, Worship for the Autistic & their Families

Due to creative thinking and an open ear to the Holy Spirit, an under utilized church building and a diocesan desire to serve the underserved have presented a great opportunity for us to use our diocesan resources to reach out to the Autistic community and their families in RI.

Rhythms of Grace at Advent is a new worship offering using the "Rhythms of Grace" liturgical program, which was developed by the Rev. Dr. Audrey Scanlan and Linda L. Snyder to serve the autistic community and their families.  The program seeks to provide an alternative way to meet their spiritual, physical, and emotional needs.  While the Autistic community is the focus, the liturgy is appropriate for all people who wish to experience another expression of how we can worship God and serve God’s people.

Advent, Coventry (formerly St. Matthias) is centrally located in Rhode Island.  The property has been vacant for several years but the church’s location, ample sanctuary space, and flexible redesign potential made it an obvious place to begin this new offering.  Currently, the sanctuary is being reconfigured to host this unique and interactive worship experience.  Before and after photos will be posted on our Facebook page “Rhythms of Grace at Advent Coventry” as well as new updates as they happen. A new floor installation is planned for April 26, 2014.

The church building needs some cleaning, landscaping, painting and TLC. Several work Saturdays are being planned between now and June. Do you have skills in any of those areas? We could use your help. While much work is still required, a soft start is planned for June with a number of families, professionals, and clergy. Together this group will work through the program to ensure it has the correct balance to best serve those who God brings together to form this new community, and then a large scale opening service will be planned for September.

If you are interested in volunteering for a work Saturday or have any questions you may email the Rev. Dennis Bucco or the Rev. Deacon Mary Ann Mello. To find out more about the Liturgy “Rhythms of Grace" you can check out the website at http://www.rhythms-of-grace.org. We have been greatly inspired by the support and enthusiastic encouragement by so many people in the diocese that we are glad to be able to provide you with this update. Thank you for all you interest and prayers.

Making room for movement & installing new flooring