Fiber artists, crafters, and makers of all kinds and skill levels are invited to join us at Camp Chickagami to retreat and create in the Fall of Northern Michigan!
God invites us to relationship each and every day. Retreats are a great opportunity to take time apart and disconnect from our everyday lives, connecting with this call to relationship through exploration of spirituality, prayer life, and community. Our retreat is facilitated by the Rev. Radha Kaminski, priest in Cadillac and Big Rapids, and bi-diocesan youth missioner for the Northern Collaborative.
The schedule for our retreat is flexible – with time spent both alone and in group, in crafting and in reflection on our retreat theme: “Making Rest.”
Included in the schedule for Saturday will be an optional off-site excursion to the Northern Michigan Fiber Festival in Alpena. More information about the festival can be found at fiberfestival.net.
Partners/families are also welcome to register to attend, whether or not they are also fiber artists or crafters. Children are welcome; please note that there will be no childcare or children’s programming provided during the retreat. If children will need to attend with you, please contact Radha Kaminski for arrangements for the reflective gatherings of the retreat.
What are fiber arts?
Fiber art — practices and creations as old as humanity — is art that employs the use of fiber materials, such as yarn, wool, or fabric. Creations of fiber arts can serve functional roles while also being sources of storytelling, of spirituality, and of deep complexity. Examples include knitting, crochet, weaving, quilting, needlework, spinning, braiding, lacing, and much more.
Photo: Some of last year’s retreatants, enjoying fellowship while working on individual fiber art projects in Camp Chick’s Fletcher Hall.
Questions about this event? Please contact the Rev. Radha Kaminski at 352-727-8927 or rkaminski@eastmich.org or rkaminski@edwm.org.
DATE & LOCATION
September 27-29, 2023
Check-in: Friday, 3-6pm
Check-out: Sunday, Noon
Participants are welcome to linger for the remainder of the day after check-out/departing their cabin.
Camp Chickagami
6952 Kauffman Road
Presque Isle, MI 49777
campchickagami.org/retreats
REGISTRATION
Registration is offered as tiered pricing and begins at $200 for commuters and $300 for those staying on-site. Participants also have the option to add on an extra night’s stay (without meals).
Packing List (in addition to the items in the standard packing list)
Your fiber arts materials, tools, projects, and equipment may be left in Fletcher Hall during the retreat.
There will be extension cords and some lamps available in Fletcher Hall, but bring any others you will need.
Musical instrument if you would like to help lead music during our services.
Learn more about the College for Congregational Development and Thriving in Ministry
The Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan have invested in two major congregational development initiatives, intended to empower leaders and build skills for healthy, sustainable, and thriving faith communities: the College for Congregational Development and Thriving in Ministry.
Join the programs’ leaders for an info session, outlining the programs objectives and processes, giving examples of this work in-action, and encouraging individuals and communities to accept the invitation to invest time and resources into the development of their congregations. We’ll spend the first 30 minutes of our time in presentation and panel discussion, facilitated by Katie Forsyth, Canon for Evangelism and Networking. The final 30 minutes of our time together will be Q&A with attendees.
Our online info session will take place on Thursday, May 16th at 5:30pm on Zoom. It will be recorded and posted for later viewing on the CCD and TIM info pages of the diocesan websites. Please RSVP.
The College for Congregational Development (CCD) is a comprehensive training program, rooted in the tradition, ethos, and character of the Episcopal Church, that seeks to nurture and develop congregational development practitioners from within the local community. Originally begun in the Diocese of Olympia, CCD has grown and expanded, now supporting congregational development in over a dozen dioceses. In July of 2023, thirty-five lay and ordained leaders from thirteen congregations/covenant groups helped launch CCD in Eastern and Western Michigan; the 2024 program will take place July 21-26, 2024 in Midland.
Our director of the Eastern and Western Michigan CCD is the Rev. BJ Heyboer, rector of St. Mark’s, Newaygo.
Last June, a small group of Eastern and Western Michiganders traveled to Virginia Theological Seminary for a one week training to serve as our initial team of mentor/coaches for this two-year, cohort-based program. Together with participants in peer learning groups, we’ll engage and build capacity around connection and bridge building, engaging the local community, collaboration and lay leadership, setting and meeting learning goals, contextualizing the Gospel, new pathways for spiritual practices, assertiveness and conflict adeptness, and bridging the gaps between churchwide patterns and ethnic realities.
Our coordinator of the Eastern and Western Michigan TiM team is Dr. Nancy Foster, member of St. Mary’s, Cadillac.
Questions? Contact Canon Katie Forsyth at kforsyth@eastmich.org or kforsyth@edwm.org.
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Calling all weekend warriors, DIY divas, and green thumbs of all stripes! Join us at the site of the soon-to-be AuSable Inclusion Center for a day of gardening, repairs, and general sprucing-up to serve our mission in the community and prepare for the launch of our New Episcopal Community later in June.
The AuSable Inclusion Center is a New Episcopal Community in the Diocese of Eastern Michigan seeking to officially launch in June 2024. It will 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 through both online and in-person programming. They also envision resourcing parishes in the dioceses seeking to deepen their own invitation to this population through education, advocacy, and potential collaborations.
There are projects for a wide range of gifts and talents, but volunteers with a gift for woodworking and gardening would be especially helpful for accomplishing our tasks.
Supplies, snacks, lunch, and a killer playlist will be provided. We’ll be working from 9-5pm, come for the whole day or as long as you can!
Questions about this event? Please contact ministry developer, the Rev. Beckett Leclaire, at bleclaire@eastmich.org or bleclaire@edwm.org
SAVE THE DATE
AuSable Inclusion Center Commissioning Service, June 8th at 1pm, with light refreshments and celebration to follow!
Unable to contribute labor 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 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.
LOCATION
The AuSable Inclusion Center
789 Ryno Rd.
Mio, MI 48647
RSVP
Please RSVP by May 25th so that we can plan ahead for food and projects.
There is no cost to attend; we’re grateful for your contribution to the planting of this new ministry!
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Bi-Diocesan Partnership for Gospel-based Formation Resources for Children and Teens
Our bi-diocesan Children and Youth Formation Team is excited to announce that we have partnered with StoryMakers, a non-profit creative studio that has published a formation curriculum that allows children and teens to engage with the Bible in creative and interactive ways.
The Storymakers curriculum follows the liturgical calendar, is in line with the traditions of The Episcopal Church, requires minimal prep time, and can be used in both large and small churches, as well as classroom settings.
We invite you to join members of our Formation Team and Brittany from StoryMakers for any of three informational Zoom sessions about StoryMakers and how it can work in your setting. These sessions will provide information on the curriculum for children and for teens, and will also allow time for Q&A.
Our partnership with StoryMakers offers churches a 50% discount, as well as full-service help. This means that you can be resourced by the curriculum, and you can be personally supported by members of the StoryMakers team in implementation and support for your congregation, your formation team, your volunteers and your children and teens to ensure the smoothest implementation possible.
About Storymakers
StoryMakers NYC is a nonprofit creative studio that designed and created a Sunday school curriculum for K-12th grade. Their goal is to help kids, teens, and grownups understand that God is with them, for them, and actively redeeming them. With unique whimsy and engaging social-emotional connectors, StoryMakers shares the Gospel with children who encounter our resources through their families and churches. Each adventure and resource is created to meet children and teens where they are. Join the StoryMakers team as they walk through what makes their curriculum unique and how you can get started with a year subscription for your K-12th graders, utilizing the bi-diocesan partnership code (EWMICH2023).
Questions? Contact Radha Kaminski, Youth Missioner for the Northern Collaborative at rkaminski@eastmich.org or rkaminski@edwm.org.
DATES & RSVP
There is no cost to attend any of the one-hour informational Zoom sessions. Please RSVP to receive your Zoom access link. There is no registration deadline. At least one of the Zoom sessions will be recorded for later viewing.
As church leaders, we have heard you asking for more tools, more support to help your church community thrive. This year, we are thrilled to invite you to an opportunity to participate in a new vitality initiative of the dioceses, Thriving in Ministry.
Last June, a small group of Eastern and Western Michiganders traveled to Virginia Theological Seminary for a one week training to serve as our initial team of mentor/coaches for this two-year, cohort-based program. Together with participants in peer learning groups, we’ll engage and build capacity around connection and bridge building, engaging the local community, collaboration and lay leadership, setting and meeting learning goals, contextualizing the Gospel, new pathways for spiritual practices, assertiveness and conflict adeptness, and bridging the gaps between churchwide patterns and ethnic realities. Logistically, we will:
Gather in cohort groups, each composed of up to eight participants and two mentor coaches
Meet nine times per year (monthly, with a hiatus) for approximately two hours at a time over the two-year commitment
Meet one-on-one, participant-to-coach, for one hour of one-on-one coaching per month for nine months
This program has been considerably subsidized by diocesan congregational development funding. The cost to the participant is $425 per person per year. If this cost would impede your ability to participate, we have limited scholarship funds available–please request a scholarship on the application form.
Each peer learning group is made up of individual leaders from a congregation (you don’t have to attend as a team from one place). All gatherings will meet via Zoom unless the particular group requests to meet in-person. In this pilot year, we will accept 24 participants. The deadline to apply is April 15th and cohorts will begin meeting in early May.
As a congregational leader, we hope you will commit to this exciting program, continuing to build the congregational development capacity of our leaders and congregations. We look forward to working with you!
Sincerely,
The Thriving in Ministry Team
The Rev. Heather Barta – CR, Eastern Michigan
The Rev. Paul Brunell – Christ Church, Owosso
The Ven. Beth Drew – Archdeacon, Western Michigan
Dr. Nancy Foster – St. Mary’s, Cadillac; Former Interim Coach for Northern Collab, Congregational Development
The Rev. Pamela Lenartowicz – St. Mark’s, Atlanta and St. Andrew’s, Gaylord
With support from:
The Rev. Canon Sunil Chandy – Canon for the Central Collaborative and Coach for Digital Communities
The Rev. Canon Tracie Little, D. Min. – Canon for the Southern Collaborative and Coach for Adult Formation
The Rev. Canon Nurya Love Parish – Canon for the Northern Collaborative and Coach for Beloved Community/Creation Care
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Eastern and Western Michiganders and beyond are invited to explore our relationships to and with the Earth, during an all-ages retreat at Camp Roger this spring. Together, we’ll reflect on our care for creation and celebrate Earth Day at Plainsong Farm.
Throughout our retreat, there will be time for hiking outdoors, cozy campfires, songs, fellowship, crafting and learning together. And we’ll will spend Saturday afternoon at Plainsong Farm celebrating their Earth Day birthday through volunteer work, fellowship and fun! Our retreat is faciliated by the bi-diocesan children and youth formation team.
Lodging will be in community bunkhouses with all meals included. Sleeping assignments will be in separate spaces for individual adults, families with children, and youth with our formation team following our Safe Church policies.
Questions about this event? Please contact McKenzie Knill (Director of Children, Youth, and Young Adult Formation) at mknill@eastmich.org or mknill@edwm.org.
DATE & LOCATION
April 19-21, 2024
Check-in: Friday, 4:30pm
Depart: Sunday, 2:00pm
Camp Roger
8356 Belding Rd NE
Rockford, MI 49341 camproger.org
REGISTRATION
WHO IS INVITED?
This retreat is open to all ages: adults are welcome for individual retreat, families are welcome to attend together, and unaccompanied middle and high school aged youth are able to attend under the supervision of our formation team.
OTHER REGISTRATION DETAILS
The cost to attend has been subsidized to $30/person or $20/child aged 5-12.
Children under five years old can register for free.
The deadline to register is April 12th. Space is limited and may fill before the deadline.
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May 11 – Marshall | May 18 – Midland | June 15 – Petoskey
All are invited to join our wider bi-diocesan communities at one of our regional Leadership Workshop Days late this spring. The last time we gathered in-person for Leadership Day Workshops was right before the pandemic!
Join us for a Saturday of fellowship and learning, with workshops especially geared toward newly elected vestry leaders, program staff and volunteers, and all those with interest. Each attendee will have the opportunity to choose two workshops from the offerings. Please read below for workshop descriptions, location details, and registration instructions.
Plus, in addition to our workshop offerings, attendees are invited to stay for an optional, add-on screening of The Philadelphia Eleven, a new documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of women’s ordination in The Episcopal Church. The documentary tells the story of the audacious first eleven women to be ordained as priests in our church. This add-on option is available to attendees and to those just seeking to attend the screening. Please follow registration instructions on the ticketing page.
We anticipate each Saturday to follow this agenda, subject to change.
9 am Check-in table, Resource tables open
10 am Welcome
10:30 am Workshop Session I
11:30 am Break, Lunch
12:30 pm Workshop Session II
1:30 pm Dismissal
2:00 pm (Optional add-on) Philadelphia Eleven Screening
WORKSHOPS
We expect that each workshop listed will be offered twice. Additionally, we anticipate recording (and potentially live-streaming) several of the workshops over the course of the three-event series for later viewing.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
PLUS: RESOURCE TABLES
In addition to our workshops, we anticipate offering several resource tables for general information and resource-sharing, including:
College for Congregational Development
Children and Youth Formation
Evangelism and Communications Resources and Swag
ADD-ON:
DOCUMENTARY SCREENING OF THE PHILADELPHIA ELEVEN
After the workshops are over, stick around for an optional add-on event, 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.
DATES & LOCATIONS
Our three regional locations have been chosen to try to keep all driving distances no longer than about two hours from any of our faith communities.
May 11, 2024
Registration deadline: May 4
Trinity Episcopal Church
101 E. Mansion St.
Marshall, MI 49068
The cost to attend the Leadership Day Workshops is $15/person, which helps us cover expenses and materials across the three Leadership Day events.
The add-on, optional documentary screening is an additional $10 to help cover a portion of the licensing fees.
Scholarship funds are available. Please contact Canon Little at tlittle@eastmich.org or tlittle@edwm.org to inquire.
Registration may be completed as an individual or as a group. Please register at least one week ahead of the event; specific deadlines are listed above with each location.
The Creation Care Task Force provides leadership to the Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan on issues related to the care, protection, and remediation of God’s creation. One of the group’s key goals is to make environmental stewardship and climate care a significant element of every parish’s life and mission. We would love to see members of our two dioceses become practicing “environmental evangelists!”
We invite you to spend part of your Saturday morning with the task force, March 2nd from 10-11:30am, for our third online Creation Care Summit. Our panel of four leaders from our dioceses will talk with us about actions individuals can take to live more sustainably and decrease your personal impact on the environment. The panel’s insights will help inspire and give information to jumpstart your own stewardship of creation, starting at home.
Recordings from our previous Summits are available on the creation care resource pages of the websites – Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan.
Speakers and topics include:
Ben Brown (St. Luke’s, Kalamazoo) – Products and practices for living sustainably
Amy Freeman (St. Jude’s, Fenton) – Composting at home
Lydia Nicholas (Grace, Port Huron) – Caring for one’s watershed
We look forward to sharing our experiences with you and hope this is the beginning of a broader conversation about how Episcopalians can work together to become better stewards of God’s creation.
With questions, please contact Katie Forsyth, Canon for Evangelism and Networking, at kforsyth@eastmich.org or kforsyth@edwm.org.
RSVP
There is no cost to participate in the online Creation Care Summit.
The Zoom session will be recorded and made available for later viewing on the Creation Care resource pages of the diocesan websites – Eastern MI and Western MI.
Please click the button below to RSVP and receive your Zoom link to access the summit.
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To the Delegates, Clergy, and People of
The Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan:
The information for the business meeting of our special joint convention is now available. All information is in the Agreement of Union including the proposed name, the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes; the draft constitution and canons for the proposed new diocese; financial information; steps toward the election of a bishop diocesan; and more. The text of the resolutions on which the conventions will be voting and the rules of order are also attached. The Agreement document is a final draft and no further changes are expected before our meeting.
This notice has been sent to all clergy and general subscribers as well as to 2023 senior wardens, delegates, and alternates and some 2024 Eastern Michigan delegates. We are currently in the window of updating our contact lists for delegates following parish annual meetings, and have an early deadline (Feb. 15) for the submission of Parish Annual Reports in order to better communicate directly with delegates who will serve this special convention and annual convention in 2024. It will be especially important that parish leadership communicate internally to ensure that all delegates have the information for our meeting.
Peace,
Angela Krueger
Secretary of Convention
Assistant to the Bishop
The Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan
The Rev. Joel Turmo
Secretary of Convention
Rector, St. Timothy’s, Richland
The Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan
IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES
Feb. 20
Feb. 22
March 1
Zoom Pre-Convention Meeting – Eastern Michigan
Zoom Pre-Convention Meeting – Western Michigan
Deadline to register for the convention. Deadline to reserve hotel rooms. Deadline to express interest for youth delegates.
THE AGREEMENT OF UNION
The Agreement of Union is the packet of materials that would be submitted to the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church for ratification, should our conventions vote “yes” on the resolutions at our Special Joint Convention. It contains the proposed name of the new diocese, the draft constitution and canons, financial information, steps toward the election of a bishop diocesan and more.
At this convention, the action taken will be to vote on the resolutions for juncture, not to “pass” or “adopt” the Agreement of Union. The Agreement essentially demonstrates to the dioceses and the wider church that we’ve done our homework to prepare for this moment. Should we vote to juncture, the draft canons and budgets would remain amendable prior to adoption at the First Convention of the Diocese of the Great Lakes.
The convention will not have printed copies of the 63-page Agreement available. It is available digitally and for printing at home or at church before you travel. The text of the resolutions will be printed and available as a standalone, one-page document.
A note on what would come after our vote:
Should each diocese vote to approve juncture, our dioceses would submit the Agreement of Union to the General Convention of The Episcopal Church for formal affirmation this summer. We would remain separate dioceses until the adoption of the new constitution and canons at the first convention of the new diocese in October. The transition period of formally aligning processes, structures, and policies would begin in the summer, expand following the convention in the fall, and continue over time as we would live into being one body.
SCHEDULE
9:00 am
11:00 am
12:30 pm
1:30 pm
After
Check-in Opens Book Exchange Opens
Service of Holy Eucharist
Lunch
Joint Business Session
Short Prayer Service Dismissal
*This basic schedule is subject to change. Breaks will be taken as needed.
PRE-CONVENTION MEETINGS
All in the dioceses, especially voting delegates and clergy, are invited to join via Zoom for a pre-convention meeting to prepare for the business session of our convention.
Both pre-convention meetings will be recorded for later viewing for those unable to join in-person. Delegates are encouraged to attend the pre-convention meeting for their respective diocese, but may attend the meeting of the other diocese should schedules conflict.
You must RSVP separately from your convention registration to receive your Zoom link to participate in the pre-convention meeting.
Prayer and worship will be built into our time together during our convention, consistent with our call as followers of Christ and in accordance with our canons for convening a diocesan convention.
Holy Eucharist – 11:00 am
We will begin our gathering with Holy Eucharist. The Rt. Rev. Gladstone Adams, III, our bi-diocesan assisting bishop, will celebrate and preach.
Due to space and timing constraints for this special convention, this service will not include the procession of church banners and clergy are not expected to vest for the procession unless holding a role in the service.
Post-Business Prayer
Before departing from our special convention, our liturgy team will lead us in a short (10-15 minute) service of prayer.
Our planning team recognizes that, no matter the results of our vote on juncture, this is a significant moment in the life of our dioceses and a range of emotions and reactions will be present in the room. Grounding ourselves in prayer at the beginning and end of our day sets the tone for our work in this moment and in the months ahead, and reminds us of our call as disciples in this church and in the communities we serve.
YOUTH DELEGATES
High school-aged young people are invited to participate at the special convention by expressing interest in serving as a Youth Delegate.
Youth Delegates are leaders in their congregation and in the diocese and have voice and vote at convention. For this special convention, youth delegates will be appointmented by the ecclesiastical authority. There is no out-of-pocket cost for the youth delegates to participate. Food, and registration fees are included; no overnight accommodations will be provided for this one-day convention.
Youth with interest should contact Director of Children and Youth Formation McKenzie Knill at mknill@eastmich.org or mknill@edwm.org by March 1.
BOOK EXCHANGE
At the request of some in the dioceses, we will offer an area for a book exchange.
Books related to the church and ministry are welcome to be offered at no-cost to other convention attendees. Any books left over at the conclusion of our convention may be reclaimed or will be donated.
CONVENTION LOCATION
St. Christopher’s, Grand Blanc
The joint special convention, including worship and business meeting, will be held at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, located at G-9020 South Saginaw St., Grand Blanc, MI 48439.
The church building and parking lot are totally handicap accessible.
HOTEL & ACCOMODATIONS
We have several hotel blocks to provide options for those requiring overnight stays, available Friday night. Please read below for information including rate and booking instructions.
All reservations under our hotel blocks must be made by March 1st. A limited number of rooms are available at each site and blocks may fill before the deadline.
—
Hyatt Place Flint/Grand Blanc
Rate: $109/night Features: Free breakfast, free parking, pool Address: 5481 Hill-23 Drive, Flint, MI 48507 Distance from St. Christopher’s: 9.2 miles or a little over 15 minutes
Rate: $109/night Features: Free breakfast, free parking, pool Address: 6060 Rashelle Drive, Flint, MI 48507 Distance from St. Christopher’s: 9.4 miles or a little over 15 minutes
Rate: $119-124/night Features: Free breakfast, free parking, pool Address: 3405 Regency Park Dr Grand Blanc, MI 48439 Distance from St. Christopher’s: 2 miles or a little over 5 minutes
Rate: $139-149/night Features: Free breakfast, free parking, pool Address: 9044 Holly Rd, Grand Blanc, MI 48439 Distance from St. Christopher’s: 1.8 miles or a little over 5 minutes
Rate: $139-149/night Features: Free breakfast, free parking, pool Address: 9020 Holly Rd Grand Blanc, MI 48439 Distance from St. Christopher’s: 1.7 miles or a little over 5 minutes
FOR DELEGATIONS – One person from the congregation (usually a parish secretary, senior warden, or clergy person) must complete the registration form for their group, including all lay delegates and clergy. Additional visitors and attending children may be added to the group order form if desired. Please be prepared to provide accurate email addresses and dietary restrictions for each person. ($25/person.)
UNASSIGNED CLERGY ($25/person) and VISITORS ($25/person) may register individually, regardless of congregational affiliation.
CHILDREN UNDER 12 ($10/person) may be registered individually or with a delegation to have meals provided. High chairs and booster seats are not available. A soft space with quiet toys for the youngest attendees will be set up for use during our worship and business meetings. Please note that there is no childcare or programming for children provided; kids must be supervised by their responsible adults at all times. Children in this age group who will not eat the lunch provided do not need to register.
The deadline to register and submit all payments is March 1.
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Lent is about getting honest: honest with God, honest with ourselves, honest with the community of faith, about who we really are before God. Perhaps you’ve heard the old one-liner about a very non-emotive German farmer who said, “I love my wife so much I nearly told her once.”
We need to be able to speak honestly—as Isaiah does, as Jesus does, not for the purpose of making us feel bad about who we are in our human condition, but in order to establish, maintain, repair, and transform our relationship with God and our relationships with one another, indeed, the entire creation. The purpose of the disciplines of fasting, praying, and almsgiving are gifts to us from God to do just that.
First, we must be honest about who we are. We start with our baptism, and in so doing we are reminded that the entire season of Lent originated in the Church as a time of preparation for Easter baptism. We hear again our baptismal reality from the holy Mount of Transfiguration on the Last Sunday After the Epiphany a couple of days ago, when the welcome words from Jesus’ baptism are echoed and repeated: “This is my Son, the Beloved.” This is the reality for us all as daughters and sons of God. As it is spoken to Jesus, it is spoken to us. You are God’s beloved. If you hear nothing else, go into Lent with that truth close to your heart.
Our honesty must start there—in Christ as God’s beloved. So even as we are reminded today that we are dust, that is, mortal, broken, and not yet fully whole, remember also that we are redeemed dust, totally loved and embraced by the God of all creation. Hopefully, this then prepares us to hear the difficult yet honest words from Jesus, that we sometimes misuse our giftedness, the gifts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, in order to be noticed, even thanked by someone. In other words, doing the right things for the wrong reasons.
Or hear the bold honesty from Isaiah, not holding back, but shouting out and declaring that Jacob’s fast was not bringing about the desired result. Our life as a people of faith is to participate in the loosing of the bonds of injustice, undoing the thongs of the burdensome yoke, letting the oppressed go free, sharing one’s bread with the hungry and homeless, bringing the poor into our house, and covering the naked. It’s why we pray, “thy Kingdom come.” If we do not see this happening, Isaiah is telling us our faith is a sham, a false representation of the purpose of life in God.
So, we find that we are dust, mortal and finite on this earth, yet we are beloved, made in the image of God, and united to Christ in our baptism. It has been said that the glory of God is a human being fully alive! At the same time, we are broken and in need of love, healing, and transformation, as we are always needing to be made new. We are, as Martin Luther said, “simul justus et picatur,” at the same time a saint and a sinner. Or to hear it a different way from John Dominic Crossan: “Heaven is in great shape; earth is where the problems are.”
If we are honest then, we must admit, even confess, that we have a problem as a human race that Ash Wednesday is calling upon us to address. We are out of proper relationship with one another, with God, and the creation itself. Contrary to the manner in which Lent has been too often overly individualized in personal piety, Isaiah and the prophets show us a way of repentance, walking a new way, not merely as an act of individual piety, but an action of the entire community as we make ourselves available to the world. The gifts of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting are not only good Lenten piety, they are ways to move into the heart’s journey of peace, and being awake to addressing the issues of humanity.
Isaiah and Jesus are calling us to see once again why we are here as a faith community. Only when our piety is about God’s justice for the world will our light break forth like the dawn, and healing spring up quickly. If we offer our food to the hungry, and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then our light will rise in darkness and the gloom be like noonday. That is a church people want to be a part of! It has integrity. It is honest.
If we dare to enter into the way to which Ash Wednesday calls us, we find that the call to return to prayer, almsgiving, and fasting is for our sake, yes, but even more for the sake of the world. It calls us once again to do the work we are given to do, knowing who we are and whom God calls us to be.
A blessed and holy Lent to everyone.
Bishop Skip
Saludos a Michigan Oriental y Occidental
La Cuaresma consiste en ser honestos: honestos con Dios, honestos con nosotros mismos, honestos con la comunidad de fe, sobre quiénes somos realmente ante Dios. Quizá haya escuchado el viejo chiste de un granjero alemán muy poco emotivo que dijo: “Quiero tanto a mi mujer que casi se lo digo una vez”.
Tenemos que ser capaces de hablar con sinceridad -como hace Isaías, como hace Jesús-, no con el propósito de hacernos sentir mal por lo que somos en nuestra condición humana, sino para establecer, mantener, reparar y transformar nuestra relación con Dios y nuestras relaciones con los demás, de hecho, con toda la creación. El propósito de las disciplinas del ayuno, la oración y la limosna son dones que Dios nos da para hacer precisamente eso.
En primer lugar, debemos ser honestos sobre quiénes somos. Comenzamos con nuestro bautismo, y al hacerlo se nos recuerda que todo el tiempo de Cuaresma se originó en la Iglesia como un tiempo de preparación para el bautismo de Pascua. Volvemos a escuchar nuestra realidad bautismal desde el santo Monte de la Transfiguración en el último domingo después de la Epifanía, hace un par de días, cuando resuenan y se repiten las palabras de bienvenida del bautismo de Jesús: “Este es mi Hijo, el Amado”. Esta es la realidad para todos nosotros como hijas e hijos de Dios. Como se le dice a Jesús, se nos dice a nosotros. Eres el amado de Dios. Si no escuchas nada más, entra en Cuaresma con esa verdad cerca de tu corazón.
Nuestra honestidad debe empezar ahí, en Cristo como amado de Dios. Por ello, aunque hoy se nos recuerde que somos polvo, es decir, mortales, rotos y aún no totalmente enteros, recordemos también que somos polvo redimido, totalmente amado y abrazado por el Dios de toda la creación. Esperemos que esto nos prepare para escuchar las difíciles pero honestas palabras de Jesús, que a veces abusamos de nuestros dones, los dones de la oración, el ayuno y la limosna, con el fin de ser notados, incluso agradecidos por alguien. En otras palabras, hacer lo correcto por las razones equivocadas.
O escucha la audaz honestidad de Isaías, que no se contiene, sino que grita y declara que el ayuno de Jacob no estaba produciendo el resultado deseado. Nuestra vida como pueblo de fe es participar en soltar las amarras de la injusticia, desatar las correas del yugo gravoso, dejar libres a los oprimidos, compartir el pan con los hambrientos y los sin techo, traer a los pobres a nuestra casa y cubrir a los desnudos. Por ello rezamos: “Venga a nosotros tu Reino”. Si no vemos que esto sucede, Isaías nos está diciendo que nuestra fe es una farsa, una falsa representación del propósito de la vida en Dios.
Así, descubrimos que somos polvo, mortales y finitos en esta tierra, y sin embargo somos amados, hechos a imagen de Dios, y unidos a Cristo en nuestro bautismo. Se ha dicho que la gloria de Dios es un ser humano plenamente vivo. Al mismo tiempo, estamos rotos y necesitamos amor, curación y transformación, pues siempre necesitamos ser renovados. Somos, como decía Martín Lutero, “simul justus et picatur”, al mismo tiempo santos y pecadores. O para escucharlo de otra manera de John Dominic Crossan: “El cielo está en plena forma; en la tierra es donde están los problemas”.
Entonces, si somos honestos, debemos admitir, incluso confesar, que tenemos un problema como raza humana que el Miércoles de Ceniza nos llama a abordar. Estamos fuera de la relación adecuada entre nosotros, con Dios y con la propia creación. Contrariamente a la forma en que la Cuaresma se ha individualizado demasiado a menudo en la piedad personal, Isaías y los profetas nos muestran un camino de arrepentimiento, recorriendo un camino nuevo, no sólo como un acto de piedad individual, sino como una acción de toda la comunidad al ponernos a disposición del mundo. Los dones de la oración, la limosna y el ayuno no sólo son una buena forma de piedad cuaresmal, sino también de adentrarse en el camino de paz del corazón y de estar despiertos para abordar los problemas de la humanidad.
Isaías y Jesús nos llaman a ver una vez más por qué estamos aquí como comunidad de fe. Sólo cuando nuestra piedad se centre en la justicia de Dios para el mundo, nuestra luz brotará como el alba, y la curación brotará rápidamente. Si ofrecemos nuestro alimento al hambriento y satisfacemos las necesidades del afligido, entonces nuestra luz se alzará en las tinieblas y la oscuridad será como el mediodía. Esa es una iglesia de la que la gente desea formar parte. Tiene integridad. Es honesto.
Si nos atrevemos a adentrarnos en el camino al que nos llama el Miércoles de Ceniza, descubriremos que la llamada a volver a la oración, la limosna y el ayuno es por nuestro bien, sí, pero aún más por el bien del mundo. Nos llama una vez más a hacer el trabajo que se nos ha encomendado, sabiendo quiénes somos y quiénes Dios nos llama a ser.
Bendita y santa Cuaresma a todos.
Obispo Skip
https://edwm.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EDWMLogo-01.png00Michelle Ruizhttps://edwm.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EDWMLogo-01.pngMichelle Ruiz2024-02-13 09:28:462024-02-13 09:28:46A Lenten Message from Bishop Skip
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