I am grateful to you, and to all the members of our congregation. Throughout the year, I have witnessed much generosity as you contribute your ideas, your funds, and your time to our community. Every dollar that we raise, every minute you offer your God-given gifts, every good plan that comes from your hearts, goes toward our mission to serve those who are looking for, and can benefit from, Christian community.
As we emerge from this period of disruption and isolation in our congregation, we have felt the pain and frustration of distance, diminished resources and our ability to connect in the ways to which we are accustomed. Yet, as we take inventory of our spiritual resources, the strength of our community, and our capacity for generosity, we realize that there is now, and always has been, a spiritual hunger for community.
Our pledge campaign this year focuses on building our blessings together! We are BLESSED by the ways in which our means meet the needs of the world; the ways in which we respond to the Gospel; the ways in which we sustain our community.
Together, we can be the hands, feet, voice, inspiration and action, without which our church and our ministry would be diminished. In a few weeks, you will receive an invitation to name and pledge the gifts you will make in the coming year to help our church and our neighbors. I ask that you pray with us as we launch our annual gathering of gifts and gratitude, and consider how you will contribute in relationship to how we are blessed together.
In Abundant Gratitude,
Marya+
The Parish Office will be closed October 27-28. Phones will be answered by a volunteer.
All Saints Day Flowers
If you want to remember someone in a special way on All Saints’ Day, November 6, consider contributing to the flower fund. The names of the people will be inscribed in the Book of Remembrance. There are envelopes in your pledge book and in the narthex. Please return the envelopes to the Parish Office by Tuesday, November 1.
Calling all crafters! We are looking for people to bake, knit, crochet, quilt, make jewelry, can jam, jellies, pickles. All woodworking items welcome, as well as handmade cards and unique craft items.
The Danvers People to People Food Pantry
Please consider adding a few items to your shopping cart and dropping them off at church on Thursdays between 8:30 and 1:30 pm, or on Sunday mornings, or at the pantry itself.
The food pantry is asking specifically for jarred spaghetti sauce, brand name cereals and graham crackers.
Thank you for your generosity!
Diocesan News
Racial and economic justice actions top Diocesan Convention agenda
Racial and economic justice actions top the voting agenda for the upcoming Diocesan Convention--including the creation of a Reparations Fund "as a part of our effort to address our legacy of the wealth accumulated through the enslaved labor of Africans and Afro-Caribbeans." Taking place Oct. 28-29 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel North Shore in Danvers, it will be the diocese's first in-person convention since 2019
Proposed resolutions are available in full in the convention Handbook.
Convention also will vote on the proposed $9.4-million diocesan budget for 2023.
The Diocesan Convention is the primary governing body of the diocese. It convenes annually to conduct diocesan business, including election of officers and members of various leadership bodies; approval of a budget for the upcoming year; setting mission strategy; and establishing diocesan policy and procedure by considering and voting on resolutions and approving changes to the diocesan constitution and canons. It is also an occasion for communication and teaching from the bishops; learning about and participating in shared mission and ministry; fellowship, community building and common prayer; and celebration of the Holy Eucharist together as a diocesan community.
All clergy who are canonically resident in the diocese and two lay persons elected as delegates from each parish and mission in union with the diocese have seat, voice and vote at Diocesan Convention.
Election 2022
Join online for churchwide Election Day Prayers: As polls begin to close on Nov. 8 for the U.S. midterm elections, all are invited to join an Election Day Prayers gathering online hosted by The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations.
At the top of each hour, special guests from around the church will offer 10-15 minutes of reflection and prayer. Participants are encouraged to engage in prayerful conversation in the comments. The gathering will also feature simple video feeds from parishes throughout the U.S.
Scheduled guests include Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris.
“We welcome everyone as we reflect on this key process of our common life and on the importance of fair elections for our democracy,” Rebecca Linder Blachly, director of the Office of Government Relations, said in a publicity release. “We hope many voters will join us that day to pray for our leaders, neighbors and country.”
Bishop Survey
Presiding bishop nominating committee releases churchwide survey, seeks participation by Oct. 31: The Episcopal Church Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop invites all Episcopalians to participate in a survey. The responses will help the committee develop a profile of the skills, qualities and gifts the church seeks in its next presiding bishop, considering what the church and world may look like in the next decade.
The church’s General Convention will elect the next presiding bishop in the summer of 2024.
The deadline for completing the survey—which can be found online here in English, French and Spanish—is Oct. 31.
“We want to hear from Episcopalians throughout the church because their input will help guide us in our nominating work,” committee member Deborah Harmon Hines, who chairs the profile subcommittee, said in an Oct. 10 news release. “The survey is designed to help us all discern some of the characteristics we hope to see in the person we will elect as the next presiding bishop.”
The survey—which takes about 15 minutes to complete—asks respondents to define the most important issues facing The Episcopal Church and the world in the next 10 years, as well as the foremost gifts or skills the next presiding bishop will need to lead the church.
The Canon for Immigration and Multicultural Ministries is inviting you to join The Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris as she offers The Episcopal 101 to our Diocesan Community.
November 15, 2022
Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts: Structure of authority, clerical leadership appointment here as compared to the way appointments are made in Anglican dioceses. Register here.
November 29, 2022
Vestry & Priest relationships in a local worshipping community: Vestry 101 Register here.
December 13, 2022
Financial Matters: Stewardship, Spending Authorization and Accountability. Register here.
All events are 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Zoom.
For more information, contact Margaret Lias, Assistant for Congregations and Grant Administration mlias@diomass.org or 617-482-4826, ext. 229
Dear Friends of the Cathedral,
The Very Rev. Amy McCreath
and the
Cathedral Campaign Committee
cordially request the pleasure of your company at a reception
inaugurating the
“A House of Prayer for all People- In All Seasons”
Capital Campaign
Replacing failing HVAC systems and installing lifts in office buildings is not glamorous, but it is essential for our staff and visitors, and in order to welcome new programs and non-profit organizations into the space. Adding the capacity for zoned, efficient air-conditioning to the sanctuary and Sproat Hall on increasingly long and hot summer days opens up countless possibilities for hosting diocesan, civic, and arts events, and allowing those without other places to stay cool a life-giving welcome.
