The Latest eRISEN events newsletter- June 17th 2011

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

eRISEN June 17th 2011 issue

Want to subscribe to the eRISEN mailing list? Want to submit your event? Just visit eRISEN our website

The latest RISEN Magazine "Transitions: Looking Forward"

The latest issue of RISEN, "Transitions: Looking Forward" has been printed and mailed so keep an eye on your mailboxes. 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 award winning News and special interest magazine.  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 with an estimated readership of 23,000.

Don't see the ebook loading below? Read RISEN on our website instead

Bishop Search Process: Committees are now in Place

For more updates visit http://www.episcopalrisearch.org/

The Search & Nomination Committee and Transition Committee now are in place for the process to elect the next bishop of Rhode Island. The committees began their work June 3-4 at a retreat hosted by St. Mary’s, Portsmouth. Click here to read about how the retreat went.

Lora MacFall, a member of St. Andrews-by-the-Sea in Little Compton, will chair the Search & Nomination Committee, which will develop a profile to describe our diocese, solicit nominations for bishop, screen nominees and then present final names to the electing convention.

Cathy Iacobucci, a member of Grace Church in Providence, will chair the Transition Committee, which will ensure that we celebrate the ministry of our current bishop, plan our new bishop’s ordination celebration and arrange a warm welcome for our new bishop to begin the next chapter of our ministry together.

The Standing Committee and Diocesan Council will commission the committees at the June 3-4 retreat. The committees will begin their work with the help of a consultant, Judy Stark. Judy has consulted in three other bishop search processes and co-chaired the Bishop Coadjutor Search Committee for the Diocese of Southwest Florida. She has served three terms on the Diocesan Council and has been elected as a deputy to the 2012 General Convention.

Additionally, the Rev. Mary Johnstone and Julia Slayton, executive director of Bethany House of Prayer, located in Arlington, Mass., will serve as a chaplain team to help guide the committees through the search, election, and consecration process.

Other lay members of the Search & Nomination Committee are Steve Bucci, St. Peters-by-the-Sea, Narragansett; John Gilmartin, Trinity, Newport; Mary Hafey, St. Thomas, Alton; Leon Sibielski, Ascension, Cranston; Ellen Vadney, Emmanuel, Newport; and Bill Warburton, St. Paul’s, Wickford. An additional member will be named later.

Clergy members of the Search & Nomination Committee are the Rev. John Alexander, St. Stephen’s, Providence; the Rev. Robert Brooks, retired; the Rev. Deacon Buck Close, St. George’s, Central Falls; the Rev. Canon Jonathan Huyck, Grace Church, Providence; the Rev. Mercedes Julian, Ascension, Cranston; the Rev. Pam Mott, St. Mary’s, Portsmouth; the Rev. Sandra Haines-Murdocco, retired; the Rev. Ann Marie Richards, Trinity, Newport; and the Rev. Melody Shobe.

Other lay members of the Transition Committee are Linda Mendonca, Emmanuel, Cumberland; Bill Plumb, Trinity, Cranston; and Grace Swinski, St. Paul’s, Pawtucket.

Clergy serving on the Transition Committee are the Rev. Deacon Dorothy (Ricky) Brightman, St. Luke’s, East Greenwich; the Rev. James Frink, retired; the Rev. Deacon John Higginbotham, St. Luke’s, East Greenwich; the Rev. Casey Shobe, St. Peter’s by-the-Sea, Narragansett; and the Rev. Veronica Tierney, St. George’s School, Middletown.

The Latest eRISEN- June 1st 2011

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

eRISEN June 1st 2011 issue

Want to subscribe to the eRISEN mailing list? Want to submit your event? Just visit eRISEN our website

RI Priest Named New Executive Director of Forward Movement

The Rev. Scott Gunn will lead Forward Movement Publications in its mission to “reinvigorate the life of the church.”

Gunn, a priest of the Diocese of Rhode Island, has been named by the Board of Directors and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as the new executive director of Forward Movement, the publisher of Forward Day by Day meditations as well as books and pamphlets about spirituality and The Episcopal Church. He begins his ministry with the Cincinnati-based Forward Movement in late July.

“Our church is at a critical and thrilling point as we seek to find our way forward in the 21st century,” said Gunn. “Forward Movement is positioned well to be a leader in proclaiming the Gospel that is at our core.”

With a worldwide circulation of more than 300,000 subscribers, Forward Day by Day will continue to play a central role at Forward Movement. At the same time, Gunn will lead the agency in the exploration of new content—and new methods of delivery—both to support current readers and to attract new audiences.

“We will continue to offer our dedicated readers the materials which nourish them, while expanding our audience through new kinds of content delivered in new ways,” Gunn said. Active both on the local and church-wide level, Gunn served two congregations in the Diocese of Rhode Island as well as in leadership positions on Diocesan Council and as deputy to the 2009 General Convention. He is a member of Episcopal Communicators and the Episcopal News Service Advisory Committee and an active blogger (http://www.sevenwholedays.org/).

Prior to his ordination, he worked for several technology and communication companies, including the Atlantic Monthly and the MIT Media Lab. He also holds degrees from Brown University and Yale Divinity School.

“We welcome Fr. Gunn as he joins the work of leading Forward Movement into the next chapter of its ministry,” said Jefferts Schori.
As Gunn takes the helm of the 76-year-old institution, he is looking to current subscribers and prospective readers to dream with him about how Forward Movement can better “tell the story of God’s work among us in way that our world can hear the Gospel.” Send him your ideas and dreams—for content and for new ways to deliver these stories E-mail him at sgunn@forwarddaybyday.com . To learn more about Forward Movement and its work, visit http://www.forwardmovement.org/ .

Six Aquidneck churches work together in New Orleans on Habitat for Humanity mission trip

In April Emmanuel Church sponsored its fifth mission trip to the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina, collaborating with the Aquidneck Island church community to send seventeen volunteers to New Orleans. Six Churches participated in this ministry together; Channing Memorial, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, St. Barnabas Roman Catholic, St. Columba’s Episcopal, St. Mary’s Episcopal and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

The Aquidneck group worked for Habitat for Humanity, who has coordinated over 100,000 volunteers since the storm, helping more than 400 families. Volunteers left the comforts of Rhode Island behind to work with others from across North America to bring hope to the people in New Orleans.

After almost six years, many people are still suffering from the effects of Katrina. Neighborhoods are still boarded up. Lives are still torn apart, but in the midst of it volunteers found people full of hope.

Volunteers participated in various projects. They put clapboard on a house for a New Orleans family of six, helped Episcopal Community Services sheetrock a home for a woman who has lived in a FEMA trailer for four years now, and worked for the Latino Farmers Cooperative as well as New Orleans Mission.

Each member of the group returned home with new friends from the Aquidneck church community and a feeling that is difficult to explain. What each member knows is that someday they will return to New Orleans. The need is so great.
___

Celebration of the Volunteers Return- Sunday May 15, 2011 at 10 AM  The Episcopal service will include southern spiritual music and some members of the mission group will talk about their life-changing experiences.

Story Sharing & Slideshow- Sunday May 22, 2011 at 4 PM at People’s Café. Member of the group would like to share their stories of compassion, of giving, and of receiving with the Newport Community.

Donations of canned goods and non-perishable food items will be collected on May 15th and May 22nd to be donated to the Salvation Army, Newport food pantry. Services and events are free and open to the public. For more information call 401-847-0675.

State of the Congregations Follow Up Resources and Letter from Bishop Wolf

May 6, 2011

Dear Friends,

Thanks to those who were with us at the "State of the Congregations" meeting last Saturday. There were over 115 people there from more than 30 congregations. The presentation made by the Rev. David Lucey on behalf of the Program and Budget Committee was frank and clear; if we are to thrive as a diocese, each church must take an unvarnished look at its current reality, figure how it can best utilize its assets – financial, physical and human – in order to further God’s kingdom.

In addition, we need to talk to our neighboring churches and find effective ways to collaborate in such a way that the Gospel mandates are creatively fulfilled and needs are met in the local communities. This may lead to mergers, partnerships, shared ministry or other ideas that you generate.

We left the meeting committing to three things.

1. Each church will complete the form from Alban Institute and have conversation with their leaders and congregation about the financial future.
2. Each Deanery will meet within the next month inviting leaders –both clergy and lay – from each church to discuss what each church is currently doing and begin conversation about how groups of congregations can work together to enhance ministry, share resources and save money
3. Another meeting will be held in the fall to report back how the work has progressed.

If you were not at Saturday’s meeting, I ask you to view the material we distributed at Saturday’s meeting including Fr. Lucey’s PowerPoint presentation, 2009 Parochial Report Statistics, and the Congregation Budget Self-Test so that you can be part of this important dialogue.

Faithfully Yours,
Geralyn Wolf

Lookout, Your Church May be Flocked

Photo: Joey.Parsons 

Your church may soon be flocked by plastic flamingos, courtesy of the Rhode Island delegates to the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) of 2011.

The Episcopal Youth Event is a gathering of high schoolers and their advocates from throughout the Episcopal Church, to inspire and empower youth as Christian apostles. It is a triennial event and this summer's meeting will be taking place at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Our delegates are a diverse group of high school students from various Episcopal parishes throughout Rhode Island, who have been selected for their leadership abilities and deep faith.

Together with a flock of plastic flamingoes they are trying to raise as much funding as possible to help cover the costs of the trip.

If you happen to be flocked, the general cost to remove the flamingos is $25.

For an additional:

• $10 they will remove them in 24 hours
• $25 you can choose their next destination, but play nice please.
• $15 insures that they will not return

**If you don’t want your church to be flocked at all you always can donate $50 to the EYE delegation in advance**

Contact Catherine (401) 258-9249 or Kate (401) 862-0142 with your requests. The youth of RI are thankful for all your donations!



The Bible beats Manchester United and Justin Bieber to top of the Facebook charts

[April 15, 2011 the Anglican Communion News Service]

Figures published by http://www.allfacebook.com/ this week revealed that more people are actively engaging with the The Bible than any other page on leading social media site Facebook.

With Easter only days away it seems that the world's best-selling book is also making a massive impact in the digital world. With more than 6 million 'fans' it has beaten other hugely popular pages including those of sports teams like Manchester United and celebrities like Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.

The Anglican who oversees The Bible's Facebook page, United Bible Societies' Jane Pleace, expressed her excitement... Click here for the full article.

The Latest e-Risen- April 21st 2011

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

eRISEN April 21st 2011 issue

Want to subscribe to the eRISEN mailing list? Want to submit your event? Just visit eRISEN our website