Week of November 4th, 2024

Give glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine:  Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever.  Amen. (Ephesians, 3:20, 21)

Introduction:

Below, please find this week’s communications and reminders from The Episcopal Diocese of Montana.  We hope you will find the weekly update useful.

 

Week of November 4th, 2024

 

Calendar at a Glance:

Save The Dates:

  • November 5 – U.S. Election Day
  • November 6 – Clergy Zoom
  • November 6 – Senior Warden without Clergy Zoom
  • November 7 – Dept. of Finance Zoom
  • November 8 – Canon for Admin Vacation Day (Office will be closed)
  • November 10 – Bishop Visitation to Incarnation. Great Falls
  • November 11 – Veterans Day observed, Office Closed
  • November 12 – SWAT Zoom
  • November 16 – Diocesan Council Zoom
  • November 17 – Bishop Visitation to St. Mark’s, Anaconda
  • November 18- 20 – Bishop at Task Forces meeting with PB (Maryland)
  • November 19 – Province VI Zoom
  • November 21 – Standing Committee Zoom
  • November 24 – last Sunday after Pentecost (Christ the King Sunday)
  • November 24 – Bishop Visitation to St. James’, Deer Lodge
  • November 28/29 – Thanksgiving holiday (Office Closed)
  • December 1 – First Sunday of Advent
  • December 4 – House of Bishops, Minneapolis
  • December 4 – Clergy Zoom
  • December 4 – Senior Wardens without Clergy Zoom
  • December 8 – Bishop Visitation to St. Paul’s, Hamilton
  • December 10 – SWAT Zoom
  • December 11 – Pastor Ryan Eikenbary Installation Incarnation, Great Falls, Clergy are welcome to attend!!!
  • December 15 – Bishop Visitation to Holy Spirit, Missoula
  • December 17 – Province VI Zoom
  • December 19 – Standing Committee Zoom
  • December 21 – Jocelyn Snider Ordination to Transitional Diaconate, St. Paul’s, Chattanooga
  • December 22 – Bishop Visitation to St. Paul’s, Fort Benton
  • December 24/25 – Bishop at St. James’, Lewistown
  • December 25-January 1 – Bishop on Vacation
  • January 2-March 16 – Bishop on Sabbatical
  • March 19-24 – House of Bishops, Camp McDowell
  • April 29-May 1 – Clergy Conference with Rev. Tom Brackett

Election Prayer Resource From Rev. Sadie Koppelberger
This resource imagines daily prayer beginning on October 29th through to November 6th when most election results will be known.
Click below!
Election Novena

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Election Night Virtual Prayers
Tuesday, November 5th
8 to 10 pm ET

To join click here!

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DIGNITY, NOT HATE

A Call from the Episcopal Migration Caucus
October 29, 2024

We are saddened by the need to send this message: hate speech against our immigrant siblings must not be tolerated, and our Church at every level must denounce hate speech and violent threats and act to support migrants.

We are lay and ordained members of the Episcopal Migration Caucus, formed just before the 81st General Convention of our Church in June to advocate for Migration With Dignity. We support the statements of the Rt. Rev. Kristin Uffelman White, Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, Words Matter – Speaking Up Against Hate in Springfield and the Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington, Dignity Versus Contempt.  We join Bishops White’s and Budde’s call to oppose hate speech and violent threats with their devastating consequences for targeted populations and public officials.

We cannot be indifferent to the increasing anti-immigrant hate speech in our nation. While statements, resolutions, and prayers in support of immigrants are essential, they are not enough. Together we must act to:

  • Offer help and support to newcomers in our communities as they make their way in this country.
  • Affirm and spread The Episcopal Church’s call to Migration With Dignity embraced by our General Convention.
  • Live up to our baptismal covenant to strive for justice and peace and to respect the dignity of every human being.

Hate cannot be conquered by hate. As Bishop White urges, let us “stand strong and use the words and stories Jesus taught us. Together, we can confront this hate with love, this fear with compassion, these words of evil with the words of the Good News: that the way of Jesus is the way of God’s boundless and never ceasing love.”

Let it be so.

EPISCOPAL MIGRATION CAUCUS SIGNATORIES
(Affiliations provided for identification purpose only)

Rev. Hannah E. Atkins-Romero, Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church, Houston TX
Rev. Michelle Boomgaard, Rector, Christ Episcopal Church, Springfield, Ohio.
The Rev. Luz Cabrera Montes, Canon Missioner, Christ Church Cathedral, Houston TX
Rob Coulston, Episcopal Diocese of Lexington KY
Rev. Leeann Culbreth, Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
Martin Dickinson, Washington National Cathedral Sanctuary Ministry
Rev. Sally Ethelston, Deacon, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Hyattsville MD
Gale Hall, Oro Valley Episcopal Church of the Apostles, Oro Valley AZ
Silvia Huth, Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
Rev. Josh Kulak, Episcopal Diocese of Texas
Jack Lloyd, Episcopal Diocese of Chicago Sanctuary Task Force
Rev. Rex McKee, Deacon, Episcopal Church in Minnesota
Richard K. MacMaster, Episcopal Diocese of Florida
Michelina Nicotera-Taxiera, Oro Valley Episcopal Church of the Apostles, Oro Valley AZ
William Niedzwiecki, The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
Rev. Robert Osborne, St. Joseph of Arimathea Episcopal, Hendersonville TN
Phillip M. Palmer, All Saints Episcopal Church, Palo Alto CA
Rev. Cristina Rathbone, Rector, Grace Church, Southern Berkshires MA
Fr. Vidal Rivas, Priest in Charge, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Hyattsville MD
Rev. Alyssa Stebbing, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, Austin, TX
Christine Tibbetts, Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
Rev. Michael Wallens, Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande TX
Linda Watson-Lorde, Episcopal Diocese of Long Island NY
James H. Wiley, Episcopal Diocese of Montana

Interest in FORMA 2025

Date:
Monday, January 27-Thursday, January 30, 2025

Locations:
The entire conference will stream through Zoom and participants can join us online from anywhere. A variety of onsite locations will also be available for those who wish to participate in the conference in community. More information on locations coming soon.

2025 Forma Conference Theme:
Our theme for 2025, Come Away Together (Retirémonos Juntos) comes from Mark 6:31-32: “‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ …And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.” (NRSVA).

For more information visit: 2025 Forma Conference | Forma

Fill out in Google Forms

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At Camp Marshall:

The Full House

By The Rev. Mikayla Dunfee

I moved into this Diocese almost the very day the decision was made to

transition the 2020 Camp season online, due to Covid-19. Dave Campbell, Janelle

Willet, Charlie Knuth, and a few other volunteers including myself, gallantly attempted to lead kids in games, songs, and prayer over Zoom… but man… it was hard. In the subsequent years, we’ve had to rebuild and recover from the blow that was the pandemic—so, I’ve never really gotten to see Camp Marshall in her full glory. That is, until Independence Day 2024.

On the 4 th of July, Camp welcomed a number of families, most of whom wanted

to experience family camp, but could only get the holiday off, making it a high-intensity “one day family camp”. We played Camp Olympics, we sang and prayed together and then we had a seasonal barbeque. And there were so many people! So many kids! So many squeals and laughs and friendship bracelets. So many hugs.

There was a fleeting moment, when I was sitting on the dock, looking up at

Camp, watching children run amok, the staff chuckling and playing, and parents resting, when something just clicked for me. The place felt full. Full of life. Full of joy. Full of the Spirit. I’d finally found it! The Camp Marshall everybody has been telling me about since I moved here. A place where all are welcome to experience the transformational love of Christ in community.

Thank God for staying the course. Thank God for full rosters. Thank God for Camp!

 

Camp Marshall Wish List

Please Click on the link below to view Camp Marshall’s Wish List on Amazon and to make a purchase for camp. It would be greatly appreciated!

Amazon.com

Click here to donate Thrivent Choice funds to camp.

State of Montana Charitable Giving Campaign – SECGC # for Episcopal Diocese/Camp Marshall is 5614

 

General News Around Our Diocese:

Congregational Newsletters
Click here to read church newsletters from around our diocese.

 

United Thank Offering:

UTO Grant Applications are Open for 2025

Offering a new review process to help applicants, the United Thank Offering Board announces the opening of its 2025 annual grantsprocess, with a focus on projects that address water issues. Applications are due by 5 p.m. ET Jan. 10 for initial review; changes can then be made to reviewed applications before final submission by 5 p.m. Feb. 7.

YOU MUST HAVE THE APPLICATION TO DIOCESAN OFFICES BY DECEMBER 15TH FOR THE BISHOP TO REVIEW AND SIGN!!!!

Link for Application Details

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Office of Government Relations

Call on Congress to block military sales to Israel Please reach out to your member of Congress and ask them to support the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval and stop sending offensive weapons to Israel!

A Beacon of Hope: Celebrating New Protections for Lebanese Nationals The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations is pleased to share that the Department of Homeland Security has recently announced the extension of crucial protections for Lebanese nationals currently in the United States, a decision that reflects the values we hold dear as a faith community.

Election Night Virtual Prayers Join via Zoom or Facebook Live Election Night Virtual Prayers hosted by The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations from 8 to 10 p.m. ET, Nov. 5. Bishop Sean Rowe, who will become presiding bishop on Nov. 1, will offer an opening reflection and prayer. Episcopalians from around the church will hold silence and lead participants in prayers together for peace, the nation, and all people and countries. For those needing interpretation between English and Spanish, please plan to join via Zoom.

Religions for Peace USA: God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America – October 24th, at 2 pm EDT, moderated by OGR Director Rebecca Linder Blachly, this program offers the definitive account of the rise of far-right terrorism in the United States—and how to counter it.

Safeguarding Refugee Resettlement: Navigating Policy Shifts in a Changing Political Landscape/ Salvaguardar el reasentamiento de refugiados: explorar la alteración de normas en un panorama político – October 25th, at 4 pm EDT, join as we explore this topic with Episcopal Migration Ministries.

Parish Election Challenge: Building Community with Election Engagement The Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the United Methodist Church are together calling on our member parishes, congregations, and worship communities to take part in the 2024 Parish Election Challenge to help facilitate voter participation in this year’s U.S. national election.

United States Government Resources – October Please explore this selection of government resources that you may find useful in your diocese, congregation, and community.

Election Engagement Resources Get your parish ready to help your community vote in the 2024 election.

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God’s people around the world:

Congregational Resources

Lamplight – October 2024

Explore Gifts for Life | Episcopal Relief & Development

 

Other news and upcoming Events:

Press Release Digest from The Episcopal Church – Welcome to “The Episcopal Church Press Release Digest,” a roundup of press releases, announcements, and other updates from the Office of Public Affairs.  Click here to read

UTO E-News – October

CPG (Church Pension Group) Connect

Episcopal News Service

Anglican News Service

Episcopal Public Affairs Office

 

Liturgical Resources

Episcopal Advent Resources

Creation Care

Episcopal Common Prayer

National Cathedral Morning Prayer Online

Daily Office Mission St. Clare

Forward Movement