Episcopal Church Women

Summary

Hutchinson Leader – Called to serve: New priest-in-charge at Trinity Episcopal Church – “Trinity’s new priest looks forward to being a regular and neighborly presence in Litchfield, and to counting herself among.”’

My Ballard – First look at St. Lukes Episcopal Church affordable housing project – The affordable apartment units are for families at or below 60% AMI—for a family of four, that’s $69,420…

Cleveland.com – Episcopal bishop welcomes the Rev. Kelly Aughenbaugh to St. Paul’s Church in Medina –  the new rector is “well qualified” and that she had been “prayerfully and lawfully selected.” She was then given a Bible, a vessel of water and a stole as symbols of her new role as pastor.

———

Called to serve: New priest-in-charge at Trinity Episcopal Church

Hutchinson Leader – Litchfield, MN

“I feel pretty lucky,” said Meyer, who was called in late December to serve as part-time priest-in-charge at Trinity Episcopal. “I am so moved by the history, commitment to the parish, commitment to the community. … We said yes to this invitation to the spirit.” […]

First look at St. Lukes Episcopal Church affordable housing project

My Ballard – Ballard, WA

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church will be redeveloping its property at 5710 22nd Ave NW to create two eight-story buildings with 292 total apartment units.

The project—a joint partnership with Heartland LLC, Bridge Housing, and Security Properties—will include 80 affordable housing units and over 200 market-rate apartment homes. The two buildings will be integrated but separate, along with a new worship space for St. Luke’s congregation. […]

Episcopal bishop welcomes the Rev. Kelly Aughenbaugh to St. Paul’s Church in Medina

Cleveland.com – Medina, OH

The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, visited St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Medina, 317 E. Liberty St., Sunday (Jan. 9) to welcome the Rev. Kelly Aughenbaugh as the parish’s new rector.

Nominations for Distinguished Women Awards Closes January 31st

The National Board of the Episcopal Church Women is encouraging you to submit the name of a woman from your diocese whom you have identified as your Distinguished Women Nominee.

We ask that you and your board give careful thought and consideration in selecting this woman and encourage others within your diocese to assist with this selection. We invite your Distinguished Women Nominee to Triennial 2022 to receive her award. Please make your selection and submit her information via this form by January 31, 2022.

Summary

Lake Oconee Breeze – Upscale Resale donates $12,000 to Greene and Putnam Co. food pantries – The Upscale Resale is a fundraising event held by The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer

Belleview News Democrat – St. Michael’s Episcopal Church project in O’Fallon offers comfort to homeless – Busy hands are happy hands every Thursday in the church basement at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in O’Fallon.

Out Smart – Ademian Pinder and Andrés Herrera provide a platform for queer and BIPOC people of faith – Grappling with the intersectionality of the queer community and Christianity can be a challenge that most people aren’t willing to face. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church began

————–

Triennial 2022: The following members are nominated for board positions

President: Lisa Bortner
Vice President: Gloria Rogers
2nd Vice President: No Nominations Received
Secretary: Patricia Brake Rutenburg and Samar Fay
Treasurer: Margaret Hammond Gordon
Social Justice Chair: Evita Krislock and The Rev. Deacon Twilla R. Two Bulls

More about the nominees […]

Upscale Resale donates $12,000 to Greene and Putnam Co. food pantries

The Oconee Breeze – Eatonton, GA

In September, The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer’s Upscale Resale Committee reached out to Putnam Christian Outreach (PCO) to announce that the 2021 Upscale Resale event would be benefitting the Putnam and Greene County Food Pantries. 

The Upscale Resale is a fundraising event held by The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer where donated handbags and jewelry are resold to generate funds for the local community food pantries. The committee exceeded their goal and has generously donated $12,000 to the Greene and Putnam County food banks. […]

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church project in O’Fallon offers comfort to homeless

Belleview News Democrat – O’Fallon, IL

Busy hands are happy hands every Thursday in the church basement at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in O’Fallon. That’s when volunteers gather to make mats to help homeless people in the area. The community service project has been ongoing for four years, with help from other churches. They deliver the mats to the St. Louis Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral.

“The mats are blessed in church and sent along, with our prayers, to the person in need. On snowy nights when they don’t have any more room in the shelter, they are able to give them a mat,” said Judie Payne, who helped get the project off the ground, along with her husband, Tom […]

Ademian Pinder and Andrés Herrera provide a platform for queer and BIPOC people of faith

Out Smart – Houston, TX

Grappling with the intersectionality of the queer community and Christianity can be a challenge that most people aren’t willing to face. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church began to take on that challenge decades ago, and is now a Montrose haven where Christians of all sexualities and gender identities can proudly profess their faith. 

Through their new podcast Faith from the Margins, church members Ademian Pinder and Andrés Herrera are using their voices and personal experiences to bring queer faith leaders and allies to the airwaves and prove that there’s plenty of room at the table for all. They envision the show as a platform for those who are so often silenced. […]

St. Paul’s hosts felony warrant amnesty clinic

Fayetteville Flyer – Fayetteville, AR

A crowd of people seeking legal counsel filled the parking lot and front hall of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church by 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 6.

The church, along with The Bail Project and Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition, hosted a felony warrant amnesty clinic to provide an opportunity for those with warrants to meet with Washington County public defenders in a safe space. In all, 71 people along with their friends and families, attended the event for support and resources that could help them continue working, caring for their families, and living their lives. […]

Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida Meeting Cancelled

2022 United Thank Offering Grants

The 2022 United Thank Offering grant application materials are now available. The focus of this year’s grants is Care of Creation: Turning love into action by caring for God’s creation to protect the most vulnerable—who will bear the largest burden of pollution and climate change—through justice, advocacy, environmental reparations, or the development of formation materials. [...]

2021 – A YEAR IN REVIEW

Episcopal Relief Fund

2021 was an unpredictable year. Yet through it all, the staff, board, volunteers and partners of Episcopal Relief & Development were able to create lasting change in countless lives.

As we reflect on the top five blogs from the past year, we thank you, the reader. Your readership allowed us to share insight into our work while also amplifying voices that may not have otherwise been heard. One of these voices is Ana, who escaped an abusive marriage with help from our partner Casa Noeli dos Santos. You can read more about Ana’s story below in A Space for Healing in Brazil. […]

Good Book Club returns in Epiphany 2022 with the Book of Exodus

Start the new year with a renewed spiritual practice of reading God’s Word. Forward Movement, with support from partners from around the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion, will celebrate the time of Epiphany with a new round of the Good Book Club.

Summary

The Miami Times – Freedom’s Eve reflects victory over trespass – On Dec. 31, 1862, American slaves were waiting for the clock to strike midnight in order to seize the promise of freedom outlined in the Emancipation Proclamation

Madison.com – Rev. Miranda Hassett, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church – There’s an idea about Jesus that theologians, people who think and write about God, call the scandal of particularity

Daily Freeman – Photos: Angel Food East delivers food to the homebound – Volunteers and staff prepare meals for Angel Food East to be delivered twice a week to the homebound in the area. The home delivery service works out of St. John’s Episcopal Church on Albany Avenue in Kingston, N.Y. (Tania Barricklo/Daily Freeman)

————–

Freedom’s Eve reflects victory over trespass

The Miami Times – Miami, FL

This New Year’s Eve marks the 159th anniversary of Freedom’s Eve, a famous date in Black history when millions of people anxiously awaited the announcement that they had at last been freed from bondage.

On Dec. 31, 1862, American slaves were waiting for the clock to strike midnight in order to seize the promise of freedom outlined in the Emancipation Proclamation. Only 3.1 million of the country’s four million slaves were declared free from the bondage of oppression with the issuance of the decree. The soon-to-be freed slaves stayed awake all night and watched the darkness turn into a new dawn while waiting for the news. Since then, the tradition of celebrating Freedom’s Eve has been a cultural ritual. […]

Rev. Miranda Hassett, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church

Madison.com – Madison, WI

There’s an idea about Jesus that theologians, people who think and write about God, call the scandal of particularity. A scandal means something that surprises and upsets people; that doesn’t fit their expectations of how things ought to be. And particularity is just the noun version of the word “particular,” as in, “I want to wear this particular shirt today,” or “I like that particular kind of candy, or that particular TV show.” […]

Photos: Angel Food East delivers food to the homebound

Daily Freeman – Kingston, NY

Volunteers and staff prepare meals for Angel Food East to be delivered twice a week to the homebound in the area. The home delivery service works out of St. John’s Episcopal Church on Albany Avenue in Kingston, N.Y. Three-hundred meals are delivered twice a week to the homebound in the area. […]

Summary
The Daily Item – Women lead religious groups in many ways – As a scholar of gender and U.S. religious history, I argue that while attention to women’s ordination is important, it does not tell the whole story of women’s leadership.

Quad Cities.com – First-ever female bishop for Episcopal Diocese of Iowa – The Rev. Betsey Monnot will be ordained and consecrated as the 10^th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa

Laguna Beach Independent – St. Mary’s completes food drive supporting Laguna Food Pantry – The church gathered in 144 cans of beans in June, 263 tins of tuna in July, 130 jars of peanut butter and jelly in August, 52 boxes of cereal and 50 packets of rice in September, 52 packets of pasta and 70 jars of pasta sauce in October

————–

Women lead religious groups in many ways

The Daily Item – Sunbury, PA

What constitutes women’s leadership in religious communities is open to many interpretations. In the U.S., more attention has been given to women’s ordination because of the highly public and visible nature of these roles, but the issue is far more complicated.

In her 2010 book “Breaking Through the Stained Glass Ceiling: Women Religious Leaders in Their Own Words,” radio host Maureen Fiedler identifies at least eight types of religious leadership roles for women: denominational and organizational leaders, biblical scholars, theologians, religious activists, spiritual teachers, interfaith leaders and journalists. While each has its own particular challenges and struggles, Fiedler notes that “denominational leadership is hardest for women to achieve, because it involves real power.” […]

First-ever female bishop for Episcopal Diocese of Iowa

Quad Cities.com – Iowa

“I am beyond excited to be your new bishop-elect. My heart is full,” Rev. Monnot said this past summer following her election. “Thank you so much for your confidence in me. I look forward to our ministry together as we follow God’s call into the future that God dreams of for The Episcopal Church in Iowa,” Monnot said in an address to the diocese via Zoom shortly after being notified of her election.

“I am so excited to join you in ministry and to take the next steps soon. May God’s blessing be with all of us as we prepare for our future together, as we journey as disciples of Jesus on the road together, and as we continue to listen for God’s call for the Episcopal Church in Iowa.” […]

St. Mary’s completes food drive supporting Laguna Food Pantry

Laguna Beach Independent – Laguna Beach, CA

St Mary’s Episcopal Church recently finished its food drive to help hungry families who still get free groceries from the Laguna Food Pantry in greater numbers during the pandemic.

Church members donated a different staple food each month for six months and delivered multiple bags of food to the Pantry monthly. By focusing on gathering one or two staple items per month, St Mary’s helped the Pantry staff and volunteers avoid sorting donated food. […]

Holiday church event raises funds for local residents in need

The Sun – Lake Luzerne, NY

The Episcopal Church Women of St. Mary’s Church in Lake Luzerne helped raise funds for local needs through the Spirit of Christmas—Baskets Galore and More event last week.

All proceeds raised will be used by the ECW in its work to benefit the local community and church, according to parishioner Patricia Midura.

“We were honored by everyone’s presence, and we hope they enjoyed their time with us. Thank you to the generous donors who provided gifts and prizes for our fishbowl baskets and gingerbread house awards,” she said. […]

The Good Book Club: Epiphany 2022

Save the Date! The Good Book Club will return in Epiphany, 2022, with its first Old Testament offering: Exodus.

The second book of the Bible, Exodus recounts the journey of the Israelites from slavery to freedom. We hear the great stories of Moses, from his discovery by Pharaoh’s daughter on the bank of the river to the burning bush to his presentation of the Ten Commandments. Along the way, we encounter God’s covenant and explore the grand theme of redemption. […]

Summary

AP News – Women Breaking Through to Top Roles in Black Churches – When an opening for bishop arose in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in 2010, Teresa Jefferson-Snorton looked around to see if any women were offering to be candidates.

The McDonough Voice – Rev. Paula Engelhorn retires; Rev. Dr. Joyce Beaulieu is supply priest – The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd announces that The Rev. Paula Engelhorn has resigned as priest due to health issues.

Venice Gondolier – St. Marks youth shared Tulsa mission experiences – The youth of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, their adult leaders, and Director of Formation and Engagement Melissa Rau shared their Tulsa, Oklahoma mission trip experiences with 116 members of the congregation during a recent parish dinner.

————–

Women Breaking Through to Top Roles in Black Churches

AP News – Fairfield, AL

When an opening for bishop arose in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in 2010, Teresa Jefferson-Snorton looked around to see if any women were offering to be candidates.

None were.

She knew that since its founding 140 years earlier by Black Methodists emerging from slavery, the denomination had never elected a woman bishop.

“I was like, oh my goodness, this can’t be,” she recalled. “If no one steps forward, it gives the church a pass.” […]

Rev. Paula Engelhorn retires; Rev. Dr. Joyce Beaulieu is supply priest

The McDonough Voice – Macomb, IL

The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd announces that The Rev. Paula Engelhorn has resigned as priest due to health issues.

She and her husband plan to move to the St. Louis area near one son’s family as soon as their home sells. Rev. Paula has served as the priest for eleven and one half years, faithfully leading the congregation in moves from spaces in other churches to the Engelhorns’ sunroom to their current location on University Drive. […]

St. Marks youth shared Tulsa mission experiences

Venice Gondolier – Venice, FL

View Past Women in Action News Blasts

March8 Mentorship Programme

We pair professional women at the start of their careers with high-achievers at the top of theirs.

We’re pairing professional women at the start of their careers with high-achievers at the top of theirs. Opening doors, building relationships and helping to develop the next generation of female leaders.

The final sign up for mentees to join is February 17th 2022. For more information and sign up form, please see here: https://march8.com/mentorship

It’s free to take part and there are endless benefits to joining, some include:

World-class mentors

• Unrivalled Access
• Global Network
• Career-Building Experience
• Ongoing support

Applications are open for two grant opportunities offered annually by The Episcopal Church

Constable Fund – grants, which focus on religious education,

Roanridge Trust grants, which support leadership development in small towns and rural communities.

The application deadline for both is Dec. 12.

More information on Constable Fund application requirements and the application forms are available in English at this link and in Spanish at this link.

Dioceses, congregations and Episcopal Church-related organizations and institutions are invited to apply for Roanridge Trust grants. Applications require diocesan bishop approval. More information, application forms and instructions about the Roanridge Trust grants are available in English at this link and in Spanish at this link.

The 2021 Roanridge Trust grants totaled $209,851, distributed among 12 recipients. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $29,000.

For more information about either grant, contact the Rev. Molly James, deputy executive officer of the General Convention, 212-716-6048, or Mr. George Wing, chair of the grant review committee, winggeo@winglaw.com.

Summary

Sequim Gazette – St. Luke’s brings back daily church bells – Sequim residents can soon say, “I heard the bells on Christmas and Thanksgiving, too.”

Fauquier Times – New food pantry opens in Delaplane – On Wednesday, the Fauquier Community Food Bank will open the doors to a “satellite” food pantry in Delaplane.

The Wrap – ‘My Name Is Pauli Murray’ Filmmakers Explain How They Portrayed a ‘Legendary But Little Known American’ (Video) – TheWrap Screening Series: The directors of 2018’s ‘RBG’ and collaborators discuss their new film about a civil rights trailblazer. Private and humble, Murray died in 1985 at age 74 and was largely forgotten.

————–

St. Luke’s brings back daily church bells

Sequim Gazette – Sequim, WA

Sequim residents can soon say, “I heard the bells on Christmas and Thanksgiving, too.”

The once-common Westminster Chime at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church rings once again starting at noon on Thursday, Nov. 25.

It’s been more than 18 months since the bell tower went silent after the church’s system malfunctioned.

Rev. ClayOla Gitane, rector at the church on North Fifth Ave., said she received a call at about 1 a.m. one night in March of 2020 from a 9-1-1 dispatcher asking if she was the pastor. […]

New food pantry opens in Delaplane

Fauquier Times – Delaplane, VA

On Wednesday, the Fauquier Community Food Bank will open the doors to a “satellite” food pantry in Delaplane. The new location is open to everyone who qualifies, but it is meant especially help isolated older people living in the sparsely populated hills of northern Fauquier County.

The new food pantry is located on the Emmanuel Episcopal Church campus next to U.S. 17, just off Interstate 66. Since the “satellite” pantry will run on the same system as the main food bank in Warrenton […]

‘My Name Is Pauli Murray’ Filmmakers Explain How They Portrayed a ‘Legendary But Little Known American’ (Video)

The Wrap – National

It was during the production of their 2018 Oscar nominated documentary “RBG” that directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West fully learned about the incredible life and career of Pauli Murray. An influence on Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Thurgood Marshall and countless others, Murray was a lawyer, legal scholar, civil rights activist, Episcopal priest, poet and (perhaps unknowingly at the time) an icon for LGBT rights, especially transgender rights.

Private and humble, Murray died in 1985 at age 74 and was largely forgotten. But the new documentary “My Name Is Pauli Murray” is meant to remedy that […]

—–

Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida Diocesan Convention is just around the corner

If you or your organization would like to have a display this year, please complete the attached application. The tentative schedule, hotel information, and further information will be available on our website at: https://cfdiocese.org/2022diocon/

Please note that the deadline for applications is January 14, 2022. Any applications received after this deadline will not be approved as we have deadlines at the Ocean Center.

New Bishop Search for Diocese of Virginia

The Diocese of Virginia now invites qualified candidates to discern whether God may be calling them to serve the Savior as the XIV Bishop of Virginia. The Search Committee also invites Virginia Episcopalians to dedicate time in prayer and meditation to discern what the Holy Spirit calls the Diocese of Virginia to be and do in order to further God’s kingdom of love and light in our world, our communities and our congregations.

We encourage all members of the Diocese to explore the search website, read the profile, and take an active part in the search process. www.virginiabishopsearch.org

Diocese of Nevada notified of successful canonical consent process

The Episcopal Diocese of Nevada has received notification from Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry that Bishop-elect Elizabeth Bonforte Gardner has received the required majority of consents in the canonical consent process detailed in Canon III.11.3. The consents received have been certified by the Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, Registrar of the General Convention.

The Rev. Gardner was elected diocesan bishop on October 8, 2021.

A Favorite Chapter Christmas Version of 1 Corinthians Chapter 13

If I design fabulous Christmas cards, with flaw-less family photos and write newsy, clever Christmas letters about my perfect life, but have not love, I’m a phony friend.

And if I have super power to remember the correct sizes and color preferences of everyone on my list; and if I have faith to find parking on Black Friday, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give my Christmas bonus to the church, and work all day Saturday greening up the church, handing out shower towels and free soup, but have not love, I gain nothing. […]

Summary

Episcopal News Service – The end may be near, but radical change can save the earth, says climate activist Mary Nichols – Unless radical changes are made in current energy use, “the guy with the sign that says, ‘The End is Near’…

Royal Oak Tribune – Women’s group makes placemats for Meals on Wheels of Troy, Rochester – The women of Crafting Kindness came together from four different organizations to create handmade placemats, to be distributed with Thanksgiving meals to senior citizens and others…

Countywide Sun – Stained Glass Restoration Illuminates Emmanuel Episcopal’s 125th Anniversary – Red, green, blue, gold—the glittering panes of glass come alive with color in the dusky light. For more than 100 years, sunlight has shown through the stained glass windows

————–

The end may be near, but radical change can save the earth, says climate activist Mary Nichols

Episcopal News Service – Los Angeles, CA

Unless radical changes are made in current energy use, “the guy with the sign that says, ‘The End is Near’ is right – probably before the end of this century,” environmental attorney and climate activist Mary D. Nichols told delegates attending the Nov. 13 annual meeting of the Diocese of Los Angeles in Riverside.

But there is a great deal of hope if people of faith collaborate on solutions, added Nichols, a parishioner at St. James in-the-City Church in Los Angeles, delivering the biennial Margaret Parker lecture at Diocesan Convention. She had just returned from the Oct. 31 – Nov. 12 United Nations Climate Change COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland. […]

Women’s group makes placemats for Meals on Wheels of Troy, Rochester

Royal Oak Tribune – Rochester, MI

The women of Crafting Kindness came together from four different organizations to create handmade placemats, to be distributed with Thanksgiving meals to senior citizens and others. The women are members of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church; Ortonville United Methodist Church; Great Lakes Heritage Quilters and Oakland County Quilters Guild. They share a common goal of trying to brighten the world one stitch at a time. […]

Stained Glass Restoration Illuminates Emmanuel Episcopal’s 125th Anniversary

Countywide Sun – Shawnee, OK

Red, green, blue, gold—the glittering panes of glass come alive with color in the dusky light.

For more than 100 years, sunlight has shown through the stained glass windows of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Shawnee, lighting up the nave and illuminating what is possibly the single largest stained glass window in the state of Oklahoma.

Spanning 12 feet wide by 24 feet high, the stained glass piece is a key piece of Shawnee’s history.

Now, the window is taking on a new life.[…]