Find Your Passion – Eradicating Extreme Global Poverty

The MDG Committee of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Phoenix AZ warmly invites you to attend our seminar entitled: Find Your Passion – Eradicating Extreme Global Poverty.  On Saturday, November 21^st we have the honor of sharing with you the global perspective of both Peter Ng (the National Church Office’s expert on Asia) and Kirsten Laursen Muth heading up the Episcopal Relief and Development program.  We hope to provide a morning of education and an afternoon of introspection devoted to the Millennium Development Goals which inspire our passion to help others.

Cost: $15.00 (includes refreshments and lunch)

Schedule:

9:30am  - Registration

10:00am - Morning Prayer

10:30am - Presentations by Peter Ng and Kirsten Laursen Muth

12:00noon – Lunch

1:00pm - Identifying our passions for ending global poverty.

2:00pm – How can we share these and implement them in our own parishes?

3:00pm – Conclusions

 Please register by sending your check made out to Trinity Cathedral (memo “MDG Seminar”) and mail to Trinity Cathedral 100 W Roosevelt St Phoenix, AZ 85003.     Contact Judy Conley about registration this week (Nov 16-20)

 For further information, please contact Pam Clark at 602-595-1328 or visit our website at http://www.azcathedral.org just click on the News button at the top.

The response at General Convention to the work of the Older Adult Ministries (OAM) Task Force was extremely positive, and we are eagerly moving to Phase 2 of our initiative.  Phase 2 includes

*Gathering of resources that are being used around the church

*Compiling various resources that are available to congregations and dioceses

*Development of an “Elder Friendly” audit for congregations to assist elders in participating fully in the worship experience.

We are asking for your help in gathering information on current programs in use by congregations and dioceses.  This first step of identifying what is happening in Older Adult Ministries is critical to developing programs of ministry by with and for seniors. 

We have developed a very short survey and will be gathering data using a research tool entitled, Survey Monkey.  The following link goes directly to the Older Adult Ministries Survey and should make it very easy for the clergy or Senior Wardens to respond.  The survey is also available in Spanish at the same website.  Deadline for the survey response is October 31. 

Could you please forward the survey to your congregations and ask for their response?  We would like to hear from everybody, even if there are no active programs in the congregation.  That information is also vital to our work ahead.

If by any chance the survey link breaks, the website is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ZDSZbs2HAFslrACzQCSJTw_3d_3d and you can reconstruct the link by highlighting, then doing a right click, hitting hyper-link and naming it Older Adult Ministries Survey.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of the following:

Province I            Ruth Mitman  mitmangroup@snet.net

Province II            Jeri Sedlar   jsedlar@dontretirerewire.com 

                        Sarah Johnson sjohnson@episcopalchurch.org

Province III            Christina Brennan Lee csb1148@msn.com

                        Betsy Bowman 4201bowman@comcast.net 

Province IV            Gary Stewart gary.stewart@insightbb.com 

                        Melody Marshall marshmj@earthlink.net

Province V            Tracy Moore ttmoore9491@sbcglobal.net

Province VI            Warren Frelund wfrelund@bresnan.net

Province VII            John and Alma Belzer jabelzer@allegiance.tv

                        Vycke McEwen vycke@sbcglobal.net

Province VIII            Bud Holland budholland126@gmail.com

Province IX            Bud Holland budholland126@gmail.com

Bud Holland, Task Force Convener, budholland126@gmail.com

Jeri Sedlar, Coordinator for OAM Survey, jsedler@dontretirerewire.com, 212-628-1616

Thank you so much for your participation and your dedication to those who have given so much to our church.

The Rev. Bud Holland, Task Force Convener

Ms. Jeri Sedlar, Coordinator for OAM Survey

We are delighted and proud to announce that our own Brian Prior, Province VIII Youth Coordinator, VP of the House of Deputies, and Rector of Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Spokane has been elected to be the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Minnesota!  Brian is the vanguard of a new generation of church leaders who are taking the helm at a time of challenge and opportunity.  He is the perfect choice to lead the Diocese of Minnesota.  To let him go will not be easy, but it could not be more right.  It has been a great pleasure and privilege to work closely with Brian. There could be no finer role model for our youth and young adults. His work alongside Kathy Hamilton and others in the provincial youth network is a model for building leadership and growing the church.  He has continually reminded us to listen to the Holy Spirit

while working from a place of vision and commitment to the mission of the church. See the Episcopal News Online announcement below.

Prior, 50, rector of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Spokane, Washington, won election on the fifth ballot out of a field of two remaining candidates. He received 153 votes of 233 cast in the lay order and 118 of 205 cast in the clergy order. An election on the fifth ballot required 117 in the lay order and 103 in the clergy order. The results of all five ballots are available here.

The election took place on the second and final day of the diocese's 152nd annual convention at the Marriott City Center in Minneapolis.

"I feel overwhelmed and blessed at this moment for the opportunity to come and serve in a place with such a rich history and with so many saints both past and present," Prior said in accepting the election.

Under the canons of the Episcopal Church (III.11.4), a majority of bishops exercising jurisdiction and diocesan Standing Committees must consent to Prior's ordination as bishop within 120 days of receiving notice of the election. The ordination and consecration is set for February 13, 2010 with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as chief consecrator.

"Our process has been filled with prayer, discernment, and the movement of the Spirit in our midst," said Scott Crow, chair of the diocesan Standing Committee, which oversaw the election, adding that "it has been a powerful experience to witness the church at work."

Prior will succeed Minnesota's 8th bishop, James Jelinek, who has served the diocese since 1993. Jelinek will retire when Prior is ordained and consecrated.

Prior, who holds a master of divinity degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific, was elected to a second term as vice president of the House of Deputies during the July 8-17 meeting of General Convention in Anaheim, California.

Before being called to serve Church of the Resurrection in 1996, he worked on the Spokane diocesan staff as director of education and development, and as executive director of its camp. He was ordained deacon in June 1987 and priest in April 1989, and served as associate rector at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Spokane from 1987 to 1990. During his time at Church of the Resurrection, he helped complete a $1.25 million building campaign.

The Diocese of San Diego bid farewell and honored The Rev. Jenny Vervynck on Sunday, November 1 with a choral evensong and reception.  Jenny served fifteen years in the diocese and nearly ten years as the Commission on Ministry network leader for Province VIII. Jenny provided solid, outcome based, gospel driven vision and leadership. She was always able to help us see the bigger picture of the province and helped set the tone and context for our work together. Her work with COM enabled provincial leadership to respond to local COM diocesan needs.  We will miss her vision, support, intellect, and big heart!  Blessings on your next adventure Jenny!

(photo of altar on Halloween at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Mercer Island, WA 2006)