LARI Update: 4 Louisiana Youths at ECC Garners Thanks from Bishop Thompson

This summer the Companion Diocese Committee launched a program to bring youths from the Diocese of Louisiana up to our own summer camp at the Episcopal Conference Center. Through your generosity enough funds were raised to bring four young people to ECC on full scholarship!

The experience proved to be as remarkable for these young Louisianians as it was for the youths of RI who had a chance to meet them and hear their stories. The program was such a success that Mary Ann Kolakowski, our Christian Formation Director, received a letter from Louisiana's Bishop, The Rt. Rev'd Morris K. Thompson Jr., thanking us all for our generosity in this companionship. You can read the letter below.

There are exciting plans in the works for next year, including bringing some young adults to camp as counsellors as well as bringing more youths up to attend camp. To find out more or learn how to contribute for next year contact maryann@episcopalri.org

The Latest eRISEN- August 13th 2010

You can view the latest issue of eRISEN, our biweekly email events calendar, at the link below:

eRISEN August 13th 2010 issue

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RISEN Magazine's Summer 2010 issue "Vocation; Answering God's Call"

This Summer's "vocation" issue of RISEN Magazine (not to be confused with a "vacation" issue) has been printed and mailed so keep an eye on your mailboxes. If you can't wait, you can view it in a fun e-book gadget at the bottom of this page or on our website

RISEN Magazine is The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island's News and special interest magazine. We switched from a newspaper format to the current full color journal in 2007. By doing so, we have been able to focus our attention on producing an award winning print periodical with staying power. Each issue of RISEN centers on a timely theme and features articles that aim to inform, enlighten and inspire. It is published quarterly and has a circulation of around 9,000.

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RSCM Summer Music Course for Kids Featured on "Newport Now"

The Diocese of RI sponsored a "Royal School of Church Music" Summer camp this past week in Newport, for the first time in history. Many kids age 9-17 gathered, from churches across New England which run the RSCM curriculum, to practice, play and stay in residence at Salve Regina University. The group performed three times during the week, once at Trinity Church in Newport and twice at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Newport!

You can read more about the week in the article featured on Newport Now and see more photos on our facebook page

Ezo Update: A Letter From Levi

Bishop Wolf in Ezo with Levi

The Following update was sent to Tom Bair, Chair of the Companion Diocesese Committee for Ezo, From Levi Ahmed, Assistant to Bishop John Zawo of Ezo.

Tom,
Greetings to you in Jesus name and hoping that you are doing well over there. I just arrived last evenning in Kampala from Ezo. Greetings from Bishop John, Nancy and the entire Christian community to the Christians of RI. I have spent my holidays [from college in Uganda] with Bishop at home in Ezo. Every one is fine.

I have been not able to communicate with you due to lack of internet in Ezo. And it has been not easy for me to be traveling to Yambio which is 100 miles to access internet due to frequent attacks on vehicles on the way by the LRA.

...

However, i have attached some photograph of events in Ezo Diocese [visit our page on facebook to see more of these photos].

Concerning the goat project, the work has gone on very well but only due to the insecurity it has made some part of the work to delay a bit. That is why [in the photos] you are not see all the 50 goats in the fence. 20 have been bought and 30 have been ordered from Banda in Congo, because it is now very hard and expensive to buy goats in Western Equatoria because most of the goats were taken by the LRA when they used to attack local in those areas. Now we believe that only this project will be the only one where most of the people in Western Equatoria will get goats again for rearing.

I am going to compile the whole information pertaining the project and send to you including the receipts I have with me.

I left Ezo on Friday to Yambio where i arrived in Yambio at five, and the vehicle which came after us was burnt by the LRA killing three people who were in that car. [It happened] 12 mlies from Nzara and we past that area at 4:00 pm, a car which arrived at that place at 5:00 pm was the one which the LRA burnt and the following morning they again appeared in the same area killing another three people, one man and two women. The humanitarian situation in Ezo remains the same because since 2008 up [to] now people have not gone [home] to their places.[See Levi's update from November 6, 2009 for more info on this]
[You can] hope to see more information from me pertaining the goat project soon.
...

Levi.

Grace Church Welcomes New Rector to Parish — and to Providence

Grace Church in Providence welcomed its new Rector, the Rev. Canon Jonathan Huyck, along with his wife; Ann, and son; Benjamin, on Sunday, August 1. Grace Church welcomed the Huycks not only to their Parish, but also to Providence — and welcomed people in the downcity community to join them in meeting the Hucyks — at a block party outside the church's front door following a festive Eucharist. The party stretched across a closed Westminster Street into the park outside the Hotel Providence. After the celebration, Jonathan walked home pulling a "Welcome Wagon" filled with area gifts including a guide to Rhode Island, Del's lemonade mix and Paw Sox tickets.


See photos and more about the gala and the Huyck family at http://www.facebook.com/GraceChurchProvidence

The Latest eRISEN- July 26th 2010

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eRISEN July 26th 2010 issue

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A New Era – The 25th Anniversary of RI’s First Deacons' School Ordinations

-The Rev. Dcn. Ricky Brightman

It was a very hot and humid on Saturday, 25 years ago today, as fourteen men and women were ordained by Bishop Hunt. These were the first deacons to graduate from the first deacon's school in RI. Only 3 deacons had been ordained in this state prior to the school's advent. It was hoped that the school would establish a solid core of diaconate service, and judging from where we are today, it has.

The ordination took place on Saturday July 13 in 1985, and the Cathedral was crowded even beyond actual capacity. People were seated on window ledges, on the steps of the high altar, and even were standing or sitting on the floor in the aisles. A few had the wisdom to stay within sight and sound in the narthex, for there the windows were open to admit whatever cooling breezes were available. Some attendees even took seats down in Synod Hall, where the sound system picked up what was going on upstairs. They were wise because Synod Hall was considerable cooler than upstairs in the Cathedral proper.

The service itself was glorious with massed choirs accompanied by trumpet and organ. Many were able to ignore physical discomfort because they were so thrilled with the dignity and beauty of the servicer. Following the service there was an informal reception held in the Roger Williams Memorial Park across the street from the Cathedral.

This was the beginning of a new era and opportunity for ordained ministry in the Diocese of Rhode Island! These Deacons have served the Diocese and their separate parishes well during the past twenty-five years. Their varied ministry has had a great impact on the people they have directly served, and many of them are still serving today!

For that we give thanks as well as say to you all – “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord”



Thank you for a fantastic first 25 years:

Austin ”Skip” A. Almon, Jr – to serve at St Michael and All Angels’ in Rumford

Paul J. Boardman Jr, at St. Columba’s, Middletown

Janet M. Broadhead, at St. Matthew’s, Jamestown

Edwin “Ted” Hallenbeck, All Saints’, Warwick

Ida R. Johnson at St James’, Woonsocket

Robert Johnson, (a husband and wife team), Grace Church, Providence

Mary B. Johnstone, Trinity, Newport and Kent Hospital, Warwick

Besty E. Lesieur, at Christ Church, Lincoln

Iris E. Mello, Transfiguration, Cranston

Jean Barry Olsen, St. David’s on the Hill, Cranston

James Verber, at St Mathias’, Coventry

Lester York, St Barnabas’, Warwick

Sean Manchester, a Transitional Deacon preparing for Priesthood, St Michael’s, Bristol

Martha Vaguener, Transitional, to work in Kenya

The Cathedral of St. John Featured on iHeartRhody.com

The Cathedreal Of St. John received a wonderful write-up by the fabulous local bloggers at www.iheartrhody.com! The article speaks from an outsider's perspective, of the welcoming vibrant life happening in Providence's 5th most endangered historic building!

On Thursday, June 10, 2010


Sights ~ Cathedral of St. John, Providence

During a walk around College Hill a couple of weeks ago, we came across what looked like a run-down, boarded-up church. I didn't recognize it until we came down the hill to Main Street, and I realized it was the Cathedral of St. John, part of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island.... Read the Full Article

Grace Church's New Rector, the Rev. Canon Jonathan Huyck

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,


I’m pleased to announce that Grace Church in Providence has called the Rev. Canon Jonathan Huyck to be its next Rector. Jonathan, 41, formerly served as Canon Pastor at the American Cathedral in Paris, France, reporting to the Dean of the Cathedral, the Very Rev. Zachary Fleetwood. In that role, he shared fully in the ministries and administrative duties that are part of that parish community.

His wife, Ann, taught ballet and dance history in Paris and recently finished a term as co-chair of the Welcome Committee at the Cathedral. She also helped the Dean coordinate the work of the Friends of the American Cathedral.

Jonathan and Ann have a six-month-old son, Ben. The Huycks will reside in Providence.

The Huycks went to Paris in 2004 after Jonathan spent time as the first Episcopal Chaplain at New York University and served as Director of Young Adult and Newcomer Ministries at Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City (where he and Ann met). He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Brown University, and he holds a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago and a Master of Sacred Theology in Anglican Studies from The General Theological Seminary. Prior to entering ordained ministry, he worked as a research assistant for a medical ethics firm and wrote comedy scripts for studios and networks such as Warner Brothers and PAXnet.

After multiple interviews and a site visit, the Grace Church Search Committee voted unanimously to send his name forward to the Vestry. The committee members were enthusiastic about Jonathan's remarkable capabilities but even more encouraged by the way his skills and background fit with the parish’s vision.

To me - as well as others on the Search Committee and Vestry - this paints a picture of an exciting future for us at Grace Church. Jonathan’s first Sunday at Grace will be August 1, when he will celebrate and preach at the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services. Following the 10 a.m. service, the parish will hold a special celebration in the park across Westminster Street (weather permitting).

Please keep Jonathan, Ann and Ben in your prayers as they take these next steps in their journey with Christ.

Blessings and best regards,

David P. Seifert
Grace Church Senior Warden