The Latest RISEN Magazine: A People of Hope, A People of Expectation

The latest issue of RISEN Magazine has been released! You probably found a copy in your mailbox over the holidays, but you can read it online below as well.

This issue, "A People of Hope, a People of Expectation" tells of a new vision for the Diocese of Rhode Island that Bishop Knisely has found evident in his conversations with Episcopalians all over the Diocese this past year. Bishop Knisely relayed this vision back to us in his Address to Diocesan Convention on November 2nd, so this issue includes the full text of his address (watch it online here) with sideline updates and info on the projects and ministries he mentions. There has been lots of exciting news lately, even since Convention!  There is much to hope for. Read along to find more about:

• Bishop Knisely's Address
• The Rev. Meaghan Kelly's Convention Sermon on how ECC is changing lives
• An Introduction to our new Logo
• The Winner of the 2013 Anchor of Hope Award
• Updates from Jonathan Daniels House, The Cathedral Task Force, Episcopal Charities, Hispanic Ministries, and more!

Can't see the e-book reader below? Read online at www.episcopalri.org/risenmagazine

Diocesan offices closed Jan 3 2014

Because of the snow and cold conditions due to the winter storm overnight, the Diocesan offices are closed and the bishop's staff will be working from home today.

If you need to get in touch with someone on the staff, you can send them an email, or alternatively call their office phone and leave a message. Voice messages are automatically forwarded to the staff via their email accounts.

Please be warm and stay safe today. Please remember to pray for those who lack adequate shelter and to give thanks for all the people working outdoors today to keep us safe.

Gift Idea: EpiscopalRI Logo Swag

"We know the Anchor stands for hope, and we know our hope is in the Cross of Christ" was the most tweeted quote from Bishop Knisely's address to Diocesan Convention last month (hear more here). It was a phrase he spoke when introducing our new diocesan logo (left), to explain why we chose the imagery we chose, and tell what he learned this last year about the vision of the people of this diocese.

If you're one of the many people who contacted us afterwards wanting to buy swag with our logo on it to help keep this vision close to heart, you're in luck! this week we've launched our own Zazzle store where you can purchase keychains, tee shirts, bumper stickers and more. Check it out! There is even still a little time left to order Christmas gifts.

The Great Shuffle: Reorganizing Office Space at Diocesean House

If you’ve been to the Diocesan House recently you may have noticed things are a little topsy-turvy at the moment.  We’re re-arranging, and there are two rather exciting reasons behind the temporary chaos.

First and foremost, over the past year with a new Bishop and Canon to the Ordinary, the staff has been exploring new ways of working together. With new leadership comes new vision, new mission, and new responsibilities. As we settle into these changes, it only seems natural to re-arrange the office to facilitate the new ways we are working together.

Secondly, we have rented our Diocesan Annex to Hallworth House, who is one of our closest affiliated institutions. The annex will give them the space they need to expand their burgeoning outpatient program, with access to North Main at street level.

This arrangement is mutually beneficial because the annex has been largely underutilized this past year. Most meetings that once took place in that space have moved out into churches around the diocese.

What will the changes look like when you come visit us? The resource center books are now available for you to browse and borrow in diocesan house, any time you visit. Feel free not to bring them back if you find a book that has a duplicate. There will also be welcoming comfortable places around the office where you can sit and read, chat, or pray.

The other major change you’ll notice will be that the Finance department is moving into the vacant offices on the first floor, and the large room they’ve been sharing will be returned to its original use as an open conference room.  The Chapel and Higgins room downstairs will remain as they are. Having the first floor offices occupied will make entering our front door a more welcoming experience and enable us to unlock that door on a regular basis without worrying about theft or confused visitors not knowing where to find reception.

When Finance moves downstairs, Episcopal Charities will be moving upstairs. It will be wonderful to have Peggy more closely involved in our daily office life, as Charities is such an integral part of our diocesan work together.

Please bear with us as, our people and furniture settle into their new homes.

New RiteWorship License for all RI Episcopal Churches

With less than one month left in the year, you may be looking at renewing your church's copyright licenses for music. Before you do, take note. The Diocese of Rhode Island has already purchased Church Publishing's Riteworship subscription for all of our churches, effective 1/1/14.

If you have subscribed to Riteworship in the past, you don't need to renew your current subscription. If you aren't familiar with the program, check it out here to see what it includes before you renew your other licenses. The music you use may already be covered by Riteworship.

In addition to permission to use the music included in the program, Riteworship has a nifty church bulletin builder that may make your Parish Administrator's job a whole lot easier. There is a

free 30 day trial if you would like to acquaint yourself with Riteworship's tools before your subscription starts on 1/1/14

So how will this work? When Church Publishing sets up your riteworship account, your church will receive an e-mail notification with your account login details and instructions. When you first log on, you can change your password to one of your choosing. That will be the password, along with the email address on the account, that your church will use to access the program each time.

To get started you may want to view the 13-minute riteworship introductory video on YouTube. It’s a helpful and easy-to-follow video led by the person most responsible for the program’s development. Or if you prefer, you can download the User’s Guide here.

Finally, Riteworship has a wonderful tech support staff ready to answer any questions not covered by the video and User Guide. You can reach Anita by dropping an e-mail to CPIeProducts@cpg.org or by calling 800-242-1918 and hitting prompt 2 then prompt 1.

Advent Calendar

Click to open the window for today's meditation in the 2014 SSJE Advent Calendar

Jonathan Daniels House Accepted into Episcopal Service Corps

An exciting hurdle has been crossed by the Diocese of Rhode Island’s Jonathan Daniels House (JDH) project, which aims to open a service-oriented intentional community for young adults. After three years of planning and preparing, last week JDH received official membership into the Episcopal Service Corps, a national network of over 25 Episcopal young adult service programs across the United States.

As an Episcopal Service Corps community, Jonathan Daniels House will draw upon a diverse group of young adults from across the country, and plans to welcome four young adults in August of 2014.  Participants will live together, work in service agencies embedded in local communities, and engage in vocational and spiritual discernment for a period of 10 months. They receive a modest stipend and are supported by a program director and mentors.

“We recognize that young people’s lives are formed by their experience in young adulthood – and that the service they provide will change them as well as those around them, said the Rt. Rev. Nicholas Knisely, Bishop of the Diocese of Rhode Island. “They will bring energy, vision and ideas to us, and new hope to the people they serve.”

The next step forward for the JDH task force will be to hire a Program Director whose major work this spring will be to make arrangements with prospective service agencies, acquire housing, and prepare to welcome the first class of JDH participants. The JDH Task Force believes the support of the Episcopal Service Corps to be crucial as we work through these last tasks. 

The community is named after Jonathan Daniels, a martyr of the Civil Rights movement who engaged in ministry in Episcopal churches in South Providence. As a seminarian in the 1960s, Jonathan Daniels traveled south to help register African Americans to vote in Selma, Alabama. On that trip, Daniels was shot and killed while pushing a teenage girl out of harm’s way. 


The mission of Jonathan Daniels House is to honor Daniels by continuing the work of service, justice and reconciliation for which he lived and died. In the footsteps of Jonathan Daniels, participants will work with those in the margins for whom justice and access to basic human services is often difficult to achieve. 

By Ruth Meteer
Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island
Communications Director

St. Augustine's Feeds 80 URI Students and Friends, Monthly

Last night at their monthly "Feed a Friend" dinner St. Augustine's Church in Kingston fed 80 people, at least 40 of whom were current URI students. St. Augustine's is located on the URI campus, and started these "feed a friend dinners" last Shrove Tuesday when parishioners volunteered to cook students their favorite home cooked meal if they brought a friend. The first dinner had 5 students.

For St. Augustine's the jump in numbers is a great success. Over the past year they've made it their mission to better reach out to the college students around the church, to provide for their needs both spiritually and physically.

Early on they recognized that two major issues for the students are hunger during breaks (read how they've tackled hunger here) and homesickness. There's nothing like a home cooked meal to help with homesickness right?

At last night's dinner there was even a prospective URI student or two in attendance. Some of those who were visiting the campus that day had been sent to the dinner by the University's LGBTQ group. According to Deacon Jan Grinnell one student even said that he now really wants to come to URI. Knowing there is a loving, supportive Episcopal community on campus seems to have made a big impression.

It isn't just the students who's spirits are lifted by this ministry though. The whole congregation is feeling the joy of sharing and caring. Carol Miro, the parishioner who coordinated this last dinner, said in an email to Deacon Grinnell:

"So many contributed in so many ways and the energy in the room was palpable. Students and others are telling us how much  they feel unconditional love at St. A's.  We are acting on our mission!" 

This was the last "Feed a Friend" for 2013, since the students are moving toward exams and winter break. St. Augustine's says that the next one will be January 28th, and that the students have voted the meal to be "Soup and Stew".

A Homecoming: The Rev. Patrick Greene to be Priest-in-Charge of Sts. Matthew & Mark Church

The Vestry and Search Committee of Saints Matthew and Mark Church is pleased to announce that the Rev. Patrick Greene will join them as priest-in-charge beginning January 1, 2014. 

This will be a homecoming of sorts for Patrick Greene, who is a native Rhode Islander and grew up in Barrington attending St. John's Episcopal Church. In 2002 he graduated from Barrington High School, and in 2006 he received his BA degree, Summa Cum Laude, in Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Rhode Island. St. John's sponsored him through the ordination process, and he received his Masters in Divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary in 2010.

Since his graduation the Rev. Greene has been Assistant to the Rector at St. Paul’s Church in Wickford. He describes his ministry in this way: “As a priest in the Episcopal Church I seek to serve Christ through a sacramental life by sharing God’s love for his creation, so that empowered by these signs of God’s love and grace we may join in bringing about the Kingdom of God in the world around us.” 

Saints Matthew and Mark extensively interviewed Patrick and believes that they have found the perfect candidate for their priest. They announced "Patrick is deeply spiritual, knows Rhode Island and the Barrington community well, is gifted in pastoral care, will be a calming presence and a strong leader, and will be an enthusiastic and welcoming presence in our church and the surrounding community." 

Patrick and his wife of one year, Carmen, are eager to join Saints Matthew and Mark, and delighted with the prospect of living in the beautifully restored rectory. 

Saints Matthew and Mark will formally welcome their new Priest-in-Charge at the 8 am and 10 am Communion services on Sunday January 5, with a welcoming reception after the 10 a.m. service. 

Meanwhile, if you would like to write welcoming Patrick and Carmen to their new Ministry, you may write to them at 47 Church Lane, North Kingstown, RI 02852 or by email. 

Watch Bishop Knisely's 2013 Convention Address

Missed our 2013 Diocesan Convention? Watch the Bishop's Address to catch up on what has happened in our diocese in the last year, and hear where we are headed in the next. This slideshow movie is made from the Keynote presentation Bishop Knisely gave for this year's Bishop's Address.

You can watch the whole movie for the full effect of the presentation,  or dial in to an update on a particular topic at these timestamps:

• Bishop's vision for the Diocese 1:03 
• Presentation of our new diocesan logo 8:26 
• The Cathedral of St. John 11:00 
• Same sex blessings 14:19 
• Changes to the Organization of the Bishop's Office 16:32 
• Episcopal Conference Center 18:32 
• San Jorge's requests Mission status 20:05 
• St. John's on the Point restarts as a Mission 21:19 
• Young Adult Ministry 22:14 
• Ministry to those with Autism 23:28 
• Expanding Hispanic Ministry 24:46 
• Presentation of the 2013 Anchor of Hope Award 25:53