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Our Covenant has been nominated by the diocese to apply for a new Lily Grant funded project at Iona called "Thriving Bi-Vocational Congregations." This program has been developed in order to support and empower bi-vocational congregations to embrace their unique call and to thrive in it. Bi-vocational congregations are diverse. They can be led by laity, non-stipendiary clergy, or clergy serving multiple calls. The last one is us!
As I said in my Rector's Annual Report, our model of church as a Covenant between multiple parishes is an exciting re-imagining of what church can be. Bi-vocational congregations are one of the fastest growing segments of the church right now.
This program includes workshops and conversation over Zoom, one-on-one mentoring, and work on some projects within the congregation to implement what we are learning in the program. The three prongs of learning are spiritual formation, vocational discernment as a congregation, and asset-based community development to deepen our relationships with our local contexts.
The program is a three-year commitment. They ask that the entire congregation commits to this work together. The meetings are a attended by a team of three people from the congregation, including me as the rector. That team can be made up of a bench of volunteers who rotate attending the meetings. That team of volunteers would share our learnings with the Covenant and work with both churches to develop any projects we do.
Right now we are in the phase of discerning if we do feel called to apply for this program. The application is due April 16. I believe that this is an exciting possibility for our Covenant. The program goals are precisely the questions that your Leadership Council has been beginning to explore. I believe that having partners on that exploration and gifted leaders helping us to discern how we thrive as who we are as a Covenant would be a gift to the council, to me, and two both of our churches.
You are invited to a Covenant-wide conversation about this program on Sunday, February 21 at 1:00 pm. The conversation will take place on Zoom, at the same link we use for our services. I hope that you will bring your hopes for our Covenant and your questions about the program. I hope you will join us!
In Christ,
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Mother Radha distributes Holy Communion in the St. Andrew's parking lot.
Jesus said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him."
John 6:51, 55-56
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What should we call our newsletter?
Our new Covenant e-newsletter needs a name! Please submit your ideas to Mtr. Radha. We will include all submissions in a future e-newsletter and do a poll to choose the new newsletter name. Have fun and get creative! I can't wait to see what you come up with!
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Funeral Announcement
for Lucille Bulson
Lucille Bulson's funeral will take place on Saturday, February 6, 2021 at 3pm at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Big Rapids, MI.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, in-person attendance at the service is limited to worship ministers and family.
You are invited to watch a livestream of the service on the St. Andrew's Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/StAndrewsEpiscopalBR
Click here for the service bulletin.
Lucille will be interred with her husband at the Lincoln Township Cemetery this summer. The date for that service is to be determined.
The family asks that memorial donations in Lucille's honor be made to a Cancer society or to a Diabetes research foundation.
Father of all, we pray to you for those we love, but see no longer:
Grant them your peace; let light perpetual shine upon them;
and, in your loving wisdom and almighty power,
work in them the good purpose of your perfect will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Lent, Holy Week, and Easter Worship Conversation
St. Andrew's will host a worship conversation this Sunday, February 7 at 1:30 pm on Zoom. All are invited to come and share your ideas and hopes for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter worship.
To join by phone, call 312-626-6799 (Chicago).
When prompted, enter Meeting ID: 745 519 1600
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Ash Wednesday
Our Ash Wednesday service on February 17 will be a recorded video. It will be shared by email and posted to both of our parish websites. You are invited to watch the video anytime on Ash Wednesday.
If you would like to participate in recording the service, contact Mtr. Radha by Monday, February 8.
Ashes and a prayer card will be available to pick up in the church parking lots on Ash Wednesday. You may impose the ashes on yourself or as a household by using the prayer on the card or while watching the recorded Ash Wednesday service.
Pick up at St. Mary’s: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Pick up at St. Andrew’s: 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
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Lenten Program
You are invited to our joint Lenten program on Wednesday nights in Lent, beginning February 24. The program will begin at 7:00 pm on Zoom. The Zoom link is the same as the link for services and will be posted on the parish websites.
This program will include a time of contemplative prayer and discussion of Living Compass’ book Living Well Through Lent 2021: Listening with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. Copies of the book will be available for pick up with your ashes in each church parking lot on Ash Wednesday. The books have been made available for free by Living Compass.
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Lenten Conversation Partner
Would you like to have a conversation partner to journey with through Lent? Theresa Williams is in the midst of reading books on three different topics and would love to reflect and ponder with someone by phone on any or all of them throughout the Lenten season. The books / concepts are:
- Book: “The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice” by Cynthia Bourgeault. Concept: What exactly is nondual Christianity and how do we experience it?
- Book: “How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist” by Andrew Newberg, M.D. Concept: How does our biology influence our belief systems?
- Book: “Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do About It” by Brian D. McLaren. Concept: How can faith and doubt coexist?
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Report from the St. Andrew's Annual Meeting
The St. Mary's Annual Parish Meeting was held on Zoom on January 31, 2021.
- The 2021 budget as printed in the Annual Meeting Packet was received.
- We elected two new vestry members: Coleen Dice and Betty Stolarek.
- Isabel Kempton remains our Senior Warden.
- Our new Junior Warden is Betty Stolarek.
- Our delegates to the 2021 Diocesan Convention are Eieleen Patterson and Isabel Kempton. Dianne Lauzon is the alternate.
Thank you to Marlene Shinn and Janie Shepherd for your faithful service on the St. Andrew's vestry, and to Janie for serving as Junior Warden for the last few months!
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Upcoming Class for
Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation
The Northern Region of our diocese will be offering a class to prepare for Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows. This class will be taught by clergy from our region, including Mtr. Radha. We will learn about the Episcopal Church, the Book of Common Prayer, and the rites of our church. We will explore our faith and discern how God is calling each of us.
This class will take place on the 4th Sunday evening of each month from February through October. We will meet on Zoom.
Anyone who has been baptized and desires to explore making this commitment in the Episcopal Church is invited to join us. If you are interested in joining us or have any questions, please contact Mtr. Radha.
What are Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation?
Confirmation is the rite in which we express a mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop (from the Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer).
Reception is the rite in which baptized persons who have been members of another Christian fellowship and who wish to be affiliated with the Episcopal Church may make a public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their baptism in the presence of a bishop. The bishop lays hands on each candidate for reception and says, "We recognize you as a member of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church, and we receive you into the fellowship of this Communion" (BCP, p. 418). Candidates for reception normally have made a mature commitment in another Christian fellowship (An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church).
Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows is the rite in which persons who are already baptized are presented to the bishop in the context of a service of Baptism or Confirmation to reaffirm their baptismal vows. These might be persons returning to the church after a period of unbelief or those who have entered a new level of spiritual life. (An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church).
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Welcome our new consultant and
Assisting Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Skip Adams!
People of Eastern & Western Michigan,
 We write today to announce the exciting news that the joint Standing Committees of Eastern and Western Michigan have called the Rt. Rev. Gladstone “Skip” Adams, III to serve as consultant and Assisting Bishop with our dioceses as we continue through this current phase of life together.
About Bishop Skip Adams
Bishop Adams was the tenth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York, where he served from 2001-2016. He is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and is a graduate of Towson University and Virginia Theological Seminary. In his ordained life, he served churches in New York, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Maryland before his episcopacy. He is committed to the Church’s role in speaking out and advocating around environmental and social issues in response to Jesus’ command to love God and one’s neighbor as oneself.
Most recently, Bishop Adams served as Bishop Provisional with the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina from September 2016 - December 2019. Among other things, he led the diocese through an extended and painful court process concerning diocesan property, names, and trademarks after the former diocesan bishop orchestrated a wide-reaching schism from The Episcopal Church in 2012.
Bishop Adams enjoys fly-fishing, reading, music, camping, and canoeing. He and his wife, Bonnie, a registered nurse, live in Upstate New York. They have three adult children - Peter, Stephen, and Emily - and two grandchildren, Greyson and Hazel.
Consultant and Assisting Bishop
We’d like to offer a note on titles. Because of our unique circumstances, our Standing Committees felt it was necessary to conduct a thorough background and reference check process, including the extensive Oxford Documents background check before we were able to name anyone as our Assisting Bishop. This process takes about six weeks to complete and we are a few weeks into it. Bishop Adams will begin his role with us as a “consultant” to the Standing Committees until that process is fully complete.
In the meantime, we, as your Presidents, have conducted one-on-one reference checks with leaders in his previous dioceses. Additionally, our chancellor met with Bishop Adams separately to conduct a sensitive conversation, which normally takes place as part of a full diocesan bishop search. With these extra measures, we feel confident that we have and are doing our due diligence and that, when the Oxford background check is complete, Bishop Adams will transition to the “Assisting Bishop” role, which will include greater interaction with our wider dioceses.
“Assisting Bishops” are already consecrated bishops (meaning, they’ve served in another diocese before) and are called to serve in a specific role as determined by the Ecclesiastical Authority - for us, this continues to be held by the Standing Committees.
Bishop Adams’ Ministry with Us
Bishop Adams’ consultancy with our dioceses began this week, when he met with our full Standing Committees for the first time. Due to the ongoing pandemic, he will exercise his ministry with us from New York until and unless it becomes safe and necessary for him to be with us in-person. We do not know yet when his time with us will conclude. This is partially dependent on the decisionmaking that will take place later this year related to Bishop Hougland’s suspension.
Please join us in warmly welcoming Bishop Adams to our dioceses. His email addresses are sadams@eastmich.org and sadams@edwm.org.
Thank you to the Interview Team
Lastly, we extend our deepest gratitude to the individuals that served on the interview committee over the holidays and early this year. The committee was ably led by the Rev. Brian Chace (Ret., West Branch) and the Rev. BJ Heyboer (Newaygo) and included the Rev. Canon Michael Spencer (Eastern Michigan staff), the Ven. Linda Crane (Port Huron), the Rev. Curt Norman (Saginaw), Gary Grinn (Gladwin), Tanna Leclaire (Port Huron), the Rev. Canon Valerie Ambrose (Western Michigan staff), the Ven. Beth Drew (Three Rivers), the Rev. Dr. Jared Cramer (Grand Haven), Carole Redwine (Grand Rapids), and Nancy Foster (Cadillac). Thank you for your service in interviewing our three remarkable candidates and your commitment to discerning the right person to help guide us through this moment.
Yours in Christ,
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Janet Huff-Worvie The Rev. Dr. Randall Warren
Standing Committee President Standing Committee President
Diocese of Eastern Michigan Diocese of Western Michigan |
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Invitation to Affinity Group Conversation
People of Eastern & Western Michigan,
Last October, our Standing Committees distributed a survey asking responders to indicate their willingness to gather, preferred mode of gathering, and to indicate which “affinity groups” they may claim. You responded in a big way with over 400 responses!
And now, as we continue through this difficult season - including the pandemic, violence on the national stage, the continuing devastation of systemic racism, and especially our bishop’s suspension - we invite you to participate in an Affinity Group Conversation.
We believe that we would all benefit from processing together our feelings around our bishop’s misconduct and resulting suspension in the midst of these other challenges. This conversation will be about us, both as individuals and as a community and will be focused on wellness and pastoral care. Conversations like these have already begun to take place with certain groups in our wider community, including our joint staff and some regional clergy groups. We look forward to our own opportunity as a joint Standing Committee to participate as well.
As a participant in an “Affinity Group Conversation'' you will be placed in a small group of individuals that share similar characteristics of their life and ministry within the church - from our clergy, to our youth, to the every day member of a congregation. These groups will meet at least once over Zoom during February, March, and early April with the specific schedules to be determined by the participants’ availability. Each small group will have a facilitator, either someone from outside our dioceses or someone that might reside within our boundaries but are not part of the Episcopal Church.
It is important to understand that these Affinity Group Conversations are intentionally not for the purpose of information gathering or decision-making. The facilitators of the conversations may relay to the Standing Committees overarching themes they hear, but there will not be members of Standing Committee or our staffs present to record data from the group or individuals. However, you should also be aware that if a concern arises that would indicate a violation of Title IV of our Canons, this would be shared with the appropriate parties and would require private follow-up with the individual raising the issue. We will gather closer to the end of Bishop Hougland’s suspension to do some intentional data collection and listening sessions ahead of the decision that must be made of whether the dioceses would invite Bishop Hougland back into relationship with us.
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We hope you will consider joining an Affinity Group. We believe that time spent intentionally processing our experience and feelings ahead of the difficult conversations ahead will be truly beneficial to our individuals, our various communities, and our dioceses at-large.
Janet Huff-Worvie The Rev. Dr. Randall Warren
Standing Committee President Standing Committee President
Diocese of Eastern Michigan Diocese of Western Michigan |
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News from the Wider Church
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From the Episcopal Church Foundation:
Cares Act Charitable Giving Incentives
Most Episcopal organizations rely on generous donors to support their mission and ministry. Stewardship can be deeply spiritual, rooted in a desire to reorient our lives towards God, but it also has a practical side. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020, includes several provisions that may affect charitable giving this year. We encourage churches to talk about these opportunities with their congregations.
New charitable deduction for taxpayers who do not itemize. Beginning in 2020, individuals can deduct $300 in charitable contributions from their gross income even if they do not itemize their deductions. Donations must be made in cash to a charity. Gifts of appreciated securities, and gifts to a donor advised fund or supporting organization, do not qualify.
No cap on charitable deductions for taxpayers who do itemize. Donors who itemize their deductions can usually deduct cash contributions up to 60% of their adjusted gross income. For 2020, that cap is lifted, and donors contributing cash to charity may deduct up to 100% of their income, a significant tax savings for anyone able to contribute larger amounts. Again, this is only for gifts of cash, and only for gifts made directly to charity (not to donor-advised funds or supporting organizations).
No required minimum distributions, but qualified charitable distributions still possible. The CARES Act eliminates required minimum distributions (RMDs) from many retirement plans in 2020. Some donors have been using their RMDs for tax-advantaged charitable gifts by making a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) directly to charity. Under the CARES Act it is still possible for donors who are 70½ or over to contribute up to $100,000 directly to a charity without paying tax on the distribution. This remains a beneficial way for donors to make gifts to your church.
The CARES Act is a complex new law. This memo is intended only as a summary of provisions that may be important for church stewardship efforts. Donors should always consult with their own professional advisors before making a gift.
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Change to our Sunday Schedule in February
We are going to shift to holding one service as a Covenant on Sundays, beginning February 7. All services will begin at 10:15 am on Zoom. This joint service will give us the chance to worship together on Sundays as a Covenant in a way that we can only do during this period of online worship. This will be our pattern while we remain online.
1st Sunday of the month: Morning Prayer on Zoom
2nd Sunday of the month: Morning Prayer on Zoom
3rd Sunday of the month - Holy Eucharist on Zoom
Distribution of communion will take place in the parking lot at St. Mary's, Cadillac. We will pray a "Prayer for Spiritual Communion" together on Zoom for all those who are unable to come to the parking lot.
4th Sunday of the month - Holy Eucharist on Zoom
Distribution of communion will take place in the parking lot at St. Andrew's, Big Rapids. We will pray a "Prayer for Spiritual Communion" together on Zoom for all those who are unable to come to the parking lot.
5th Sunday of the month - Morning Prayer on Zoom
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Upcoming Services
- February 6, 3 pm - Funeral Service for Lucille Bulson
- Note: This service will be live streamed to the St. Andrew's Facebook page. In person attendance is limited.
- February 7, 10:15 am - Covenant Morning Prayer on Zoom
- February 14, 10:15 am - Covenant Morning Prayer on Zoom
- February 17, Ash Wednesday
- A recorded video service will be available to watch at any time
- 11:00 am - 2:00 pm - Pick up ashes at St. Mary's
- 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm - Pick up ashes at St. Andrew's
- February 21, 10:15 am - Holy Eucharist on Zoom with distribution in the St. Mary's parking lot
- We will pray the Prayer for Spiritual Communion with all those who are unable to join us in the parking lot.
- At the end of the Zoom service you will be invited to travel to the St. Andrew's parking lot to receive communion. Please remain in your car when you arrive. We will give everyone 45 minutes to gather in the parking lot.
- If you would like to join us for only the parking lot portion of the service, plan to arrive at St. Mary's at about noon.
- February 28, 2021, 10:15 am - Holy Eucharist on Zoom with distribution in the St. Andrew's parking lot
- We will pray the Prayer for Spiritual Communion with all those who are unable to join us in the parking lot.
- At the end of the Zoom service you will be invited to travel to the St. Andrew's parking lot to receive communion. Please remain in your car when you arrive. We will give everyone 30 minutes to gather in the parking lot.
- If you would like to join us for only the parking lot portion of the service, plan to arrive at St. Andrew's at about 11:45 am.
You can join all of our Zoom services by video on your computer, tablet, or smartphone by clicking the link below, or by any phone by calling the number below. When you join the Zoom call you will be placed in a waiting room. You will be admitted from the waiting room as you join us.
Zoom link to join by video: https://zoom.us/j/7455191600
To join by phone, call: 312-626-6799 (Chicago).
When prompted, enter Meeting ID: 745 519 1600
Click here for this week's service bulletin.
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Readings for the Fifth Sunday
after the Epiphany
February 7, 2021
Hebrew Scripture: Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm: Psalm 147:1-12, 21c
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Gospel: Mark 1:29-39
You can find the full text of the readings at The Lectionary Page.
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Special Guidelines for Service and Outreach Ministries:
- Distributions are permitted only for outdoor, curbside delivery. No guest may enter the building at any time.
- There must be no more than ten volunteers inside the building at a time.
- All volunteers must wear masks and maintain six feet of physical distancing between households.
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Contributions are welcome!
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If you would like to submit something for the e-newsletter, please email it to Mtr. Radha (rector.cmec@gmail.com) by Tuesday of that week.
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