Applications Open for Academic Year 2024-25

Postulants ready to begin formation for Holy Orders and lay people seeking intensive theological learning may now apply to join the Academy for Vocational Leadership for the 2024-2025 academic year.

The Academy for Vocational Leadership is our three-year, bi-diocesan program of preparation for Holy Orders. Originally founded in its current iteration in 2015, the Academy is one of over 34 diocesan schools in The Episcopal Church forming leaders as part of the Iona Collaborative of the Seminary of the Southwest (SSW) in Austin, TX. All academic classes are developed and taught remotely by SSW professors with support from local faculty. Additional practical classes are taught by local practitioners and experts.

Please complete the application paperwork below and return it by July 15, 2024. Once we receive and review your application, you will receive the “Summer Reading” homework along with instructions for completion.

Please note that participation in this program will require a comfortability with technology. Upon admission to the Academy, you will receive a log-in ID for the Iona Collaborative so you can complete your homework prior to each Academy weekend. You will be required to submit papers throughout the year and the ability to use a word processor will be essential. Additionally, several weekends will gather over Zoom.

Questions? Please contact the Rev. Canon Tracie Little, Canon for the Southern Collaborative and Adult Formation, at 810-300-9177 or tlittle@eastmich.org or tlittle@edwm.org.

SCHEDULE & LOCATIONS

All in-person weekends begin with dinner on Friday evening at 5:30pm and conclude by 3pm on Sunday afternoon.

August 9-13
Opening Retreat, St. Francis Center

September 6-8
St. Francis Retreat Center

October 11-13
Zoom

November 1-3
St. Francis Retreat Center

December 6-8
St. Francis Retreat Center

January 10-12
Zoom

February 14-16
Zoom

March 21-23
St. Francis Retreat Center

April 25-27
Zoom

May 16-18
St. Francis Retreat Center

June 20-22
St. Francis Retreat Center

LOCATION FOR IN-PERSON SESSIONS

St. Francis Retreat Center

703 E. Main Street
Dewitt, MI 48820
www.stfrancis.ws

PAYMENT & APPLICATION

Tuition for the Academy is $4,300 per year, with one half due by November 1st and the remaining due by April 1, 2025. Tuition includes class materials as well as housing and meals at the retreat center. Text books will be an extra expense.

For inquiries about diocesan scholarship funds, please contact Canon Tracie Little at either tlittle@eastmich.org or tlittle@edwm.org.

The application deadline is July 15, 2024.

MODIFIED SCHEDULE & MODE OF GATHERING

and Philadelphia Eleven Documentary Screenings

Due to low registrations for our in-person events, the 2024 Leadership Days and Philadelphia Eleven screenings will adapt to a new schedule of online workshops and in-person documentary screenings, all at no cost.

Please read below for information about each of our workshops, including their revised date and time. Each workshop will be offered once and recorded for later viewing. Please RSVP for each session you plan to attend.

All registrants for the original event will receive an additional email with information about refunds.

In addition to our online workshop offerings, the three regional screenings of The Philadelphia Eleven will take place as planned. The new documentary celebrates the 50th anniversary of women’s ordination in The Episcopal Church, telling the story of the audacious first eleven women to be ordained as priests in our church. The original fee has been removed in recognition of the reduced travel and hospitality costs for each of the regional events.

Questions about this event? Please contact the Rev. Canon Tracie Little at tlittle@eastmich.org or tlittle@edwm.org.

Workshops with RSVP Links

Please use the links below each workshop to RSVP to attend that session. If you plan to participate in multiple sessions, you must RSVP for each one. There is no cost to participate in an online workshop.

Creation Care 101

Hosted by the Rev. Canon Nurya Love Parish, Canon for the Northern Collaborative and Beloved Community, Creation Care

Christian practice of care for Creation is rooted in our understanding of who we are, whose we are, and to whom this earth truly belongs. In this workshop we’ll study Scripture including sections of Genesis 2 and Psalm 24 and create prayers of thanksgiving and intercession for particular places on earth that we hope to tend well to give life and health to future generations and glory to God.

New date and time: Wednesday, June 12th at 7pm
Click here to RSVP.

Transitions Overview

Hosted by the Rev. Canon Tracie Little, Canon for the Southern Collaborative and Adult Formation

All of our congregations at some point will experience a time of transition. During these times, as the regular pattern of clergy presence is disrupted, anxiety within the congregation can result. One of the easiest ways to calm some of this anxiety, is for leadership to be transparent about the process of working through times of transition. This workshop is designed to give a simple overview of the transition’s process to help congregations and leadership understand how they and the diocesan transitions officer work together.

New date and time: Saturday, June 1st at 10am
Click here to RSVP.

Finance 101

Hosted by Sara Philo, CFO & Benefits Administrator
with Julia Quillan, Bookkeeper for the Diocese of Western Michigan

Join our finance staff for an overview of parish financial leadership, including basics of accounting, reporting, audits, available loans and grants, and available resources. This workshop may be especially beneficial for those newly elected as parish treasurers, parish administrators, and all those involved in the oversight of parish finances and administration.

New date and time: Monday, June 3rd at 7pm
Click here to RSVP.

Vestry 101

Hosted by the Rev. Canon Sunil Chandy, Canon for the Central Collaborative and Digital Communities

Are you new to vestry and looking to learn how to be an effective member of your church’s governance? Come and join Canon Sunil as we discuss the canonical responsibilities of the vestry, including the roles and responsibilities of clergy, the executive team, as well as the role of the vestry in God’s mission in the world. Throughout the workshop, we will review real-life case studies that will help us better understand and engage in the concepts we have learned.

New date and time: June 13th at 7pm
Click here to RSVP.

Planning Your Formation Year

Hosted by members of our bi-diocesan children/youth formation team

Christian formation is the lifelong process of growing in relationship with God, self, others, and all creation. In this process, we are transformed into the people God wants us to be. Join members of your bi-diocesan Children/Youth formation team to walk through and share ideas for planning your formation year to support the continued growth in relationship with God, self, others, and creation for our younger generations.

Plan to walk away with a template for planning and resources for formation and come prepared to share what has worked (or not worked!) for you in your spaces and places.

New date and time: Wednesday, May 29th at 7pm
Click here to RSVP.

Building Blocks of Church Communications

Hosted by Katie Forsyth, Canon for Evangelism & Networking

Join our diocesan communicator for a workshop on the basics of parish communications, including an overview of websites, social media, newsletters, and more. How do we define our audiences? How do we articulate our messages? What tools are necessary (and not necessary) to meet our communications and community engagement goals? This workshop open to all and may be especially helpful to those exercising staff and volunteer communications functions, both lay and ordained.

New date and time: Tuesday, June 11th at 6pm
Click here to RSVP.

IN-PERSON AFTERNOON MOVIE:

DOCUMENTARY SCREENING OF THE PHILADELPHIA ELEVEN

At 2:00 pm on each of our three original dates, join Episcopalians and others from your area for a screening of The Philadelphia Eleven, a new documetary telling the story of the eleven women ordained in 1974 as an act of civil disobedience. In 2024, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of breaking the glass ceiling of ordination in The Episcopal Church! Click here to watch the trailer for The Philadephia Eleven.

The screening will begin at 2pm.

Click here to RSVP for any of the three screenings.

 

 Locations for Movie Screenings

May 11, 2024

Trinity Episcopal Church
101 E. Mansion St.
Marshall, MI 49068

trinityofmarshall.org

 

May 18, 2024

St. John’s Episcopal Church
405 N. Saginaw St.
Midland, MI 48640

sjec-midland.org

 

June 15, 2024

Emmanuel Episcopal Church
1020 E. Mitchell St
Petoskey, MI 49770

eecpetoskey.org

Friends in Christ,

During the month of May, Whittemore month, help us make a difference in the West Michigan community with a financial gift to the Bishop Whittemore Foundation. Your gift empowers our efforts to provide grants supporting support communities in the Diocese of Western Michigan with their new ministries, building and accessibility projects, and more.

The Rt. Rev. Lewis Bliss Whittemore was the third bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan serving 1937-1953. Bishop Whittemore was a talented administrator and gifted pastor, bringing the diocese out of a period of financial instability and laying the foundation for growth and advancement over the next several decades. This foundation was created in his name to continue his mission to actively support and encourage growth and advancement of the diocese, its parishes, and its parishioners.

Since its inception in the 1950s, the foundation has made a grant to every single congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan, incorporated as an independent organization. Our most recent grants benefitted the St. Thomas, Battle Creek Laundry of Love program; a ramp replacement and front step repair at Holy Trinity, Manistee; and the Breakfast Café at St. Mark’s, Grand Rapids.

You can find more information about the Bishop Whittemore foundation, our work throughout the Diocese of Western Michigan, information about our grant process, contact information, and ways to donate at whittemorefoundation.org.

We truly appreciate your prayers and consideration!

The Foundation Trustees
The Bishop Whittemore Foundation

The Rev. Valerie Ambrose – St. Mark’s, Grand Rapids
Robert Brower – St. Mark’s, Grand Rapids
Sarah Cross – St. Andrew’s, Grand Rapids
Bobbie Jo Gaunt – All Saints, Saugatuck
John R. Gork – St. John’s, Grand Haven
Anthony Henry – St. Philips, Grand Rapids
Reid Hudgins, III – St. Luke’s, Kalamazoo
Kyle Smith Irwin – St. Mark’s, Grand Rapids
William Malpass – Emeritus
Daniel Monyror – Sudanese Grace Episcopal, Grand Rapids
Walter Moore – St. Philips, Grand Rapids
Kevin Murphy – Holy Trinity, Wyoming
Martha Porter – Grace, Grand Rapids
Michael Redman – St. Mark’s, Grand Rapids
Joan Smith – Grace Episcopal, Holland
Robert D. Stanton – St. Andrew’s, Big Rapids
Wendy Stock – St. Mark’s, Grand Rapids
Thelma Temple – St. Paul’s, Muskegon
Randy Wegener – St. John’s, Grand Haven
Roger York – St, Mark’s, Grand Rapids

Saturday, June 8 from 1-4pm

On Saturday, June 8th, all are invited from across the dioceses to come together to celebrate the planting and official launch of our New Episcopal Community, the AuSable Inclusion Center!

The Rev. Canon Nurya Love Parish, Canon for the Northern Collaborative, Beloved Community, and Creation Care, will preside over the Service of Commissioning and Holy Eucharist. After our liturgy, stick around for light refreshments and opportunities to learn more about our work and upcoming events. There is no cost to attend and no RSVP required!

The AuSable Inclusion Center is a New Episcopal Community in the future Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes, preparing to provide programming for rural LGBTQ+ people and those marginalized by their economic status, organized around four pillars: social/emotional support, material support, spiritual support, and education/advocacy. They will also support and resource parishes in the dioceses seeking to deepen their own invitation to this population through education, advocacy, and potential collaborations.

Questions about this event? Please contact ministry developer, the Rev. Beckett Leclaire, at bleclaire@eastmich.org or bleclaire@edwm.org.

LOCATION

The AuSable Inclusion Center
789 Ryno Rd.
Mio, MI 48647

ausableinclusioncenter.org

JOIN US TO PREP! An outdoor work day will take place the Saturday before our commissioning service. Click here to learn more and RSVP.

Unable to join the celebration but would like to support the new AuSable Ministry Center in other ways? Please check out our building wishlist and library wishlist. Financial donations are welcome also! Please click here to give online or write checks out to “The Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan,” marked for “The AuSable Inclusion Center” and mail to the Diocese of Eastern Michigan, 124 N. Fayette St., Saginaw, MI 48602.

“What difference does ecumenical work make?” was the question at a recent World Council of Churches meeting at the United Nations Church Center in New York. The question was raised by Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, the moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and recent bishop of the Evangelical Church in Bavaria. The discussion which followed did not speak of doctrine, church identity, or even liturgical or polity alignment; but as they surveyed the great needs around the world —climate change, earthquake disaster, famine, and war — they proclaimed the need to work together for the healing of this world which is so beloved by our Creator, and concluding that ecumenical divisions are small, when compared to the work that can be done together; in advocacy, and service, and prayer.

The Standing Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations has proposed eight ecumenical and interreligious resolutions for the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church. They refer to and include interreligious relations in general, but specifically too: to Episcopal / Jewish relations, Episcopal / Muslim relations, to affirm the goal of full communion between the Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church, to commend the dialogue between the Episcopal Church and the PCUSA, and a recommendation to adopt the proposal for exchangeability between ELCA and Episcopal Church Deacons.

The United Methodist Church will gather April 23 to May 2 for its General Conference. It will consider, among other things, a resolution “to affirm and implement a Full Communion Relationship between” The Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church. According to the proposal’s rationale, “This resolution is the fruit of decades of dialogue and reflects the unique history of this relationship.” The United Methodist-Episcopal Church dialogue has been at work since 2002. The dialogue committee’s proposal for full communion, entitled “A Gift to the World,” is the theological foundation for this full-communion proposal.
 
This General Conference will be the denomination’s first since the COVID-19 pandemic began. According to David Field, the UMC’s ecumenical staff officer for faith and order and theological dialogue, there is some concern that the General Conference will not give ecumenical resolutions priority as it tackles legislation focused on internal denominational issues.

In mid-March, the New York State Council of Churches (NYSCOC) hosted its annual Ecumenical and Interfaith Advocacy Days in Albany with faith leaders from across the state gathering to be trained and lobby for a variety of issues facing their communities. Representatives from the Episcopal Diocese of New York were present to become more connected to other faith-based advocates across the state. Key issues for the NYSCOC include a variety of bills that are facing the state legislature during budget negotiations.

In 2023, the Racial Reconciliation Working Group of the Moravian-Episcopal Coordinating Committee hosted a webinar series entitled “Past Reckoning,” which explored the racial history of the Moravian and Episcopal churches. The 90-minute webinars have been reduced to roughly 40-minute segments to be used in an adult-education context in individual Moravian and Episcopal congregations or in a joint study.

Compiled by:
the Rev. Mike Wernick
Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer
the Episcopal Dioceses of Western and Eastern Michigan