EDS Announces the Matriculation of our own Rebecca Gettel

This morning I recieved the press release below from Jules Smith at EDS. It describes this fall's Matriculation ceremony, and features our own Rebecca Gettel! Rebecca is indeed from St. John's, Barrington, as the article tells, but what it doesn't tell is that for the last couple of years she served as the full-time Youth Minister there.  We will miss her while she's living in Cambridge, and wish her the best on this next step towards her ordination!

-Ruth and the Diocesan House

Rebecca Binns Gettel of Barrington, Rhode Island Matriculates at Episcopal Divinity School

October 7, 2009, CAMBRIDGE, MA: Episcopal Divinity School celebrated its 2009 fall Matriculation ceremony September 16, welcoming 21 newly matriculating students into the seminary community. Rebecca Gettel of Barrington, Rhode Island was among those who signed the book that officially marks her enrollment. Gettel is from St. John’s Church, Barrington in the Diocese of Rhode Island. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Divinity program. The matriculating students are candidates for EDS’ master of divinity degree, master of arts in theological studies degree, or a graduate certificate in theological study

Please Pray for Bishop John Zawo's Travel to RI

As we get ready for the gift and privilege of being able to plan for and meet in Diocesan Convention, we are reminded of the predictability of our life together, of the many opportunities we have to pray, to study, debate and make decisions about the future of Christ’s Church( as we discern it) in this place and time.
Pause for a minute with us… and wonder what it might be like for our brothers and sisters in Ezo, rooted in the same faith and life in Christ. For us, the comforts of our homes, offices and church buildings offer us places from which to worship, plan, debate via email, and continue the work we value and feel called to do. We wonder what it is like to live and minister in a place not yet equipped with the internet. A place visited periodically, and all too often by violent, militant soldiers who want the little food and commodities we have. Soldiers, who scare, scatter and kill; ravage our homes and villages. We wonder what it might be like to cling to our faith and life in Christ together for our very survival. We wonder what it might be like to worship in gratefulness as Christ’s church in Ezo, and we await our visit from their Bishop, John Zawo. We are grateful that he has accepted Bishop Wolf’s invitation to be with us at this Diocesan Convention.
Please pray with us for Bishop John Zawo, Bishop of the Diocese of Ezo, Sudan, and his family. We pray for his safety, and for the safety of the people of his Diocese, and for the efficiency of the paperwork and details necessary for his travel to us.


-The Companion Diocese Committee

Interfaith Clergy Letter on Sudan Peace Delivered to White House

Episcopal, other faith leaders participate in October 2 meeting
By ENS staff

[Episcopal News Service] Bishop Suffragan David Jones of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and Alexander Baumgarten, interim director of government relations for the Episcopal Church, joined faith leaders from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish traditions for a meeting at the White House October 2 to present a copy of a letter on comprehensive peace in the Sudan signed by more than 1,400 clergy from across the United States.

The letter, organized by the Sudan Interfaith Working Group, of which the Episcopal Church is a member, urges President Barack Obama to prioritize "efforts that will bring peace to millions that live in violence and fear while lacking the basic services essential for survival."

Noting that the United States government played a leadership role in bringing about Sudan's 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the northern government and southern rebel leaders, the letter says that "it is clear that peace between the north and south remains extremely fragile, and fears of renewed civil war are on the rise."

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_115254_ENG_HTM.htm

"Shared Blessings" Diocesan Convention 2009 Resources

The 219th Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island is about a month away now! The theme for this year is "Shared Blessings", and we are pleased to announce that Bishop John Zawo of the Diocese of Ezo in the Southern Sudan will give the Convention Address.

What is our Diocesan Convention? It  is an assembly composed of Bishops, Clergy, and Lay Delegates who all sit as one body for the purpose of attending to the business of the Church. At Convention, "resolutions" are voted on and passed much in the way the US Senate passes "bills".  Want to know what will be voted on this year? You can read the resolutions by downloading a copy of the Report of the Resolutions Committee and you can learn more about this year's committee nominees by reading the Nominee Biographies. Read up and let your parish's Clergy and Lay Delegates know what you think.

Flu Season 2009-2010; Healthy Habits In and Out of Your Parish

As we are all aware, this flu season brings the additional complication of the H1N1 flu. According to the CDC and Rhode Island Department of Health, H1N1 is not expected to be any more severe than the seasonal flu and is very similar in symptoms, but because it is a novel virus the Rhode Island Department of Health is forecasting an infection rate of 30-50% over the six-month course of the season.  What can we do in our Parishes to keep the transmission of the flu at a minimum? Download the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Islands' Guidelines for the 2009-2010 flu season for our every day "Healthy Habits" checklist, and liturgical recommendations for Parishes.

Bicycles for Ezo!

There are smiles on both sides of the ocean celebrating the purchase of 16 bicycles for the Clergy of the Diocese of Ezo!  Bishop John Zawo (Diocese of Ezo) and the clergy of Ezo identified bicycles as a pressing need in discussions of their goals and priorities with Bishop Wolf. 

Until now the Clergy of Ezo have had to walk ten miles or more to visit parishioners in need, or to meet with their Bishop. The bicycles will greatly enable the ministry of these devoted men, and we hope they will offer some relief to Clergy families as well. Since the Clergy in Ezo recieve no compensation for their service it has been difficult for them to help keep their families fed while spending so much time in transit.

The money for the bicycles was raised through the "Mango Tree" project started by Bishop Wolf and Tom Bair when they returned home from their trip to Ezo in Southern Sudan last December. After being collected, the money was wired to the people of the Diocese of Ezo, for them to purchase the Chinese bicycles that are common in their area and have plenty of replacement parts available. Thanks to all who have contributed!

If you would like to learn more about the "Mango tree" project or to make a contribution, email liz@episcopalri.org

Our Newest Deacon, Anne Burke

Prayers and congratulations are due to Anne Burke, who was ordained to the Sacred order of Deacons on the 12th of September 2009, at the Church of the Ascension in Cranston. Bishop Wolf officiated, and gave a touching sermon. She spoke on Act 6 where the disciples appointed the first deacons, seven people full of wisdom and the Spirit, who were chosen to serve and feed the needy so that the disciples could focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word. Bishop Wolf pointed out the sacrificial nature of the Diaconate, an order full of givers who recieve no compensation and yet must be ready to go to wherever their service and support is most needed. She offered a word of thanks to the Deacons of this Diocese for their vital ministry, and to Anne for the compassionate nature and servant's heart that makes her so well suited for this vocation.

There wasn't a seat to be had in the building that day, and the event was followed by a lively reception in the Parish Hall.

You can view a photoalbum of the event here!

Religion reporting is losing its prominence in American newspapers - The Boston Globe

An interesting article Bishop Wolf found in the Globe, about the decline in religion reporting by major media outlets, and how Churches are taking more initiative to get their message out despite the lack of media coverage.



Religion reporting is losing its prominence in American newspapers - The Boston Globe

Phone system update

UPDATE!

As of 2:30 pm the system is up and running. There will be some bugs to work through, so bear with us and let us know if you run in to any problems when calling in.

New phone system for the Diocesan office

After 15 years of service, our old phone system has been on its last legs this summer. As of this morning we are in the process of installing a new system that will be much more agile for us to customize to our needs and much easier and more pleasant for callers to interact with.

The installation was to have been completed last night, but our technician ran across several issues in our existing telephone wiring that we hope to have fixed by this afternoon. In the mean time our email is working just fine!