Blog Archives - Page 7 of 18 - The Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan

SACRED GROUND FACILITATOR TRAININGS

June 6, 2023/in Blog, Event Details, News/by Michelle Ruiz

June 28th, 1-4pm; July 13, 6-9pm; July 16, 1-4pm

Leaders in Eastern and Western Michigan are invited to be trained as facilitators to lead Sacred Ground circles for congregations and other groups in our dioceses.

Sacred Ground is an eleven-session film-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups gather as “circles,” walking through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The series focuses on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories. The series is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society.

With several congregations and regions interested in developing Sacred Ground circles, our dioceses are in need of facilitators! We will offer three, three-hour opportunities to be trained as a facilitator this summer via Zoom. Those options are:

Wednesday, June 28th, 1-4pm
Thursday, July 13th, 6-9pm
Sunday, July 16th, 1-4pm

Following their training, facilitators will be equipped to host Sacred Ground circles in-person or on Zoom.

Participants must have participated in a Sacred Ground circle prior to training as a facilitator. Facilitators are welcoming, compassionate, and open to differences. They are sensitive to others’ feelings of stress or anger and able to diffuse tension. They are respectful listeners with flexibility and thoughtfulness.

Questions about this training? Please contact Mary Simpson, Data and Resource Coordinator for Dismantling Racism, at dismantlingracism@edwm.org.

RSVP

There is no cost to attend the Sacred Ground Facilitator Training. Space is limited to no more than 15 people per session and registration will close for a particular session once the cap has been reached.

Please RSVP to receive your Zoom access information.

Solar Faithful Webinar

June 2, 2023/in Blog, Event Details, News/by Michelle Ruiz

Solar Faithful Webinar

Thursday, June 22nd from 7-8pm

The bi-diocesan Creation Care Task Force invites parish leaders to learn about opportunities to care for creation and reduce energy costs through the installation of rooftop solar panels.

Solar Faithful, a new 501c3 nonprofit, is a collaboration of the Climate Witness Project, Michigan Interfaith Power and Light, the original Solar Faithful (an informal group from the southeast side of the state), a solar developer (Chart House Energy), and an impact investor (SunWealth).

Solar Faithful makes it possible for congregations and faith-based nonprofits of all faith traditions, ethnic/racial groups, and income levels to participate in the just energy transition by installing solar panels at no cost to these organizations, while reducing their monthly electric bills. Their goal is that 50% of our participants will be either Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), faith groups other than Christian, and/or low income.

Learn how your parish can move to clean, healthy, solar power with no investment. Our conversation will be led by the officers of Solar Faithful: Jennifer Young (MIPL), Rob Rafson (CHE), and Steve Mulder (CWP, member of St. Mark’s, Grand Rapids and our Bi-Diocesan Creation Care Task Force).

Our one-hour Zoom webinar will include time for Q&A and will be recorded for later viewing.

Questions about this event? Please contact Canon Katie Forsyth at kforsyth@eastmich.org or kforsyth@edwm.org.

RSVP

There is no cost to attend the Solar Faithful Webinar, hosted by the Bi-Diocesan Creation Care Task Force. Please RSVP to receive your Zoom access information.

RSVP

Ordination to the Priesthood

June 1, 2023/in Blog, Event Details, News/by Michelle Ruiz

By the Grace of God and with the consent of the People

The Right Reverend Prince Grenville Singh
Provisional Bishop

will ordain

The Rev. Joseph Kennedy

To the Sacred Order of Priests
in Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church

on
Saturday, the Twenty-Fourth of June
Two Thousand Twenty-Three
at Three O’Clock in the Afternoon
Commemorating the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

at
St. David’s Episcopal Church
1519 Elmwood Road
Lansing, Michigan

Your prayers and presence are requested. A live stream is expected to be available on the St. David’s, Lansing Facebook Page and the Eastern and Western Michigan Facebook Pages.

Clergy will process in choir dress with red stoles.

Coordinator for the College for Congregational Development

May 30, 2023/in Blog, News/by Michelle Ruiz

Dear Friends,

With joy, I announce that the Rev. BJ Heyboer will join our bi-diocesan staff, serving as part-time Coordinator of the College for Congregational Development (CCD) in Eastern and Western Michigan. Her new role begins immediately. She continues as rector serving St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Newaygo.

BJ was ordained to the priesthood in 2016 after completing her M.Div. at Sewanee School of Theology. After her ordination, she served as priest-in-charge with St. John’s, Fremont and St. Mark’s, Newaygo, where she was called in 2019 as rector and director of their connected health and wellness center, Vera’s House. Prior to her ordained ministry, BJ worked for more than twenty years in religious book publishing, most recently as cofounder of Brazos Press and senior marketing director at Brazos and Baker Academic. She is a contributor to Common Prayer: Reflections on Episcopal Worship, edited by Joseph S. Pagano and Amy E. Richter. She and her “episcopup,” George Frederick, live in Newaygo.

As Coordinator of CCD, BJ will organize our training weeks, recruit and equip trainers, and recruit and support our participants in the implementation of their new skills and tools within their communities. BJ can be reached by calling either diocesan office and listening for the list of extensions or by emailing ccd@eastmich.org or ccd@edwm.org.

The first offering of our new bi-diocesan CCD program will take place July 23-28, 2023 in Midland, Michigan. The deadline to register your congregation’s team is June 1st (a change from what was previously announced). Click the links to learn more on our websites: Eastern MIchigan and Western Michigan.

Please join me in celebrating BJ’s ministry with us and welcoming her to this new role!

Blessings,

The Rt. Rev. Prince G. Singh
Bishop Provisional
The Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan

Ordination to the Diaconate – Beckett Leclaire

May 25, 2023/in Blog, Event Details, News/by Michelle Ruiz

By the Grace of God and with the consent of the People

The Right Reverend Prince Grenville Singh
Provisional Bishop

will ordain

Beckett Joseph Leclaire

To the Sacred Order of Deacons
in Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church

on
Saturday, the First of July
Two Thousand Twenty-Three
at Eleven O’Clock in the Morning
Commemorating the Feast of Pauli Murray

at
Grace Episcopal Church
1213 Sixth Street
Port Huron, Michigan

Your prayers and presence are requested. The service will also be livetreamed on the Grace, Port Huron Facebook Page and shared to the Eastern and Western Michigan Facebook Pages.

Clergy will process in choir dress with red stoles.

CHURCHLANDS COLLABORATIVE CONVERSATION

May 16, 2023/in Blog, Event Details, News/by Michelle Ruiz

Sunday, May 21st at 3:00pm

Building on our work in developing the ChurchLands Map of Eastern and Western Michigan, church leaders are invited to join Plainsong Farm and Ministry for a conversation about land use on Sunday, May 21st from 3:00pm until about 4:15pm.

ChurchLands is an emerging initiative to educate and equip Christians and churches about land as an asset for ministry in an era of climate change. Wise land care and use can proclaim the gospel, conserve biodiversity, grow community health, create new relationships, and address historic injustices. The vision of ChurchLands is that churches begin to relate to land holdings in a way that is more faithful to the Gospel: integrating discipleship, ecology, justice, and health. This gathering builds on what Plainsong Farm has learned thus far and begins a Michigan network with the goal to encourage and equip disciples to tend land wisely here.

We’ll reflect on Scripture, learn about one another and the lands we care for, learn about national-level work in this area, and hear about the plans and goals that Plainsong has for a future Michigan ChurchLands network. If you care about practical work to care for creation through tending places and people, this gathering is for you.

Following the ChurchLands gathering, participants are warmly invited to join in Blessing the Fields at Plainsong Farm for the 2023 growing season at 4:30, with refreshments to follow. Learn more.

Questions about this event? Please contact the Rev. Nurya Parish at nurya@plainsongfarm.com.

DATE & LOCATION

Sunday, May 21st
3:00-4:15pm

Plainsong Farm & Ministry
6677 12 Mile Rd NE
Rockford, MI 49341
plainsongfarm.com

RSVP

There is no cost to attend the Churchlands Gathering. Please RSVP by May 20th.

RSVP

Ordination to the Diaconate of Linda Scheerer

May 16, 2023/in Blog, Event Details, News/by Michelle Ruiz

By the Grace of God and with the consent of the People

The Right Reverend Prince Grenville Singh
Provisional Bishop

will ordain

Linda Scheerer

To the Sacred Order of Deacons
in Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church

on
Sunday, the Eleventh of June
Two Thousand Twenty-Three
at Three O’Clock in the Afternoon
Commemorating the Feast of St. Barnabas the Apostle

at
St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church
1200 Seminole Road
Muskegon, Michigan

A reception will follow in the Parish Hall.

Your prayers and presence are requested. The service will also be livestreamed on the Eastern and Western Michigan Facebook Pages.

Clergy will process in choir dress with red stoles.

Celebration of Ministry – Shadrack Owuor and Grace, Port Huron

May 2, 2023/in Blog, News/by Michelle Ruiz

The Wardens, Vestry, and People of

Grace Episcopal Church, Port Huron

With our Bishop,
The Rt. Rev. Prince G. Singh,

request your prayers and presence
as we renew and celebrate our ministry with

The Rev. Shadrack Owuor

on the Twenty-fourth day of May
in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-three,
at seven o’clock in the evening

Grace Episcopal Church
1213 Sixth Street
Port Huron, Michigan 48060

A reception with dessert will follow the service.

Clergy: choir dress, red stoles

TRAINING FOR LAY PREACHERS

April 25, 2023/in Blog, Event Details, News/by Michelle Ruiz

Two-part program prepares participants for licensure

We have heard consistent interest in training for licensed lay preachers, especially with so many of our congregations in transition and so many exercising vibrant ministry without a full-time parish priest. To that end, we will again offer our formation program for licensed lay preachers in 2023-24. The courses take place alongside the classes for the Academy for Vocational Leadership, sometimes online via Zoom and sometimes in-person at the St. Francis Center in Dewitt.

To complete the training and receive a preaching license, participants must complete two classes: Bible (ten months) and Homiletics (seven months). These can be completed by participating in both courses over one year, or by taking Bible the first year and Homeletics the second. Participants will join Academy students for worship in addition to meals and breaks.

If you feel a call to be a preacher, please speak to your priest or senior warden and, with their approval, complete the application and submit it before June 15.

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