Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
I have been saying that one way of moving through this COVID time is to give ourselves to the gift of the liturgical seasons and let them take us where they will. An encouragingly consistent number of us have been engaging in the Epiphany Conversations—a five-week series of questions on how we see the Church in its pandemic shape, based on the book of short essays We Shall Be Changed: Questions for the Post-Pandemic Church, edited by Bishop Mark Edington. I think a weekly group of more than sixty participants shows a solid interest in coming together and in the subject matter. Each week we are broken out into groups of four or five. And we are collecting quite a harvest of thoughts, observations, and ideas from the experiences, which I hope we can analyze and summarize in some kind of report to the diocese as a whole, with a possible proposal that we re-gather (presumably again on Zoom) for a review sometime in Eastertide.
So, what about Lent? It’s a time when as Bishop “I invite you, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word.”
Interestingly this is the “overlap” liturgical season—the one that we will be experiencing twice under COVID protocols; and I wonder if there is not some extra significance in that, given the purpose of the season. Now, maybe, we are ready for its solemn invitation; now, maybe, we can prepare ourselves for the impact of Holy Week and the glory of Easter—at least we will know how to do the latter outdoors if we cannot fully return into the glory of our sanctuaries.
Some of us have congregational plans for traveling through Lent together; and some of us have not, and might find a diocesan-wide resource for Lent helpful. As I write, there is a design team at work still crafting how we might be able to help each other as a diocese pass through Lent and fulfill the Lenten invitation—with “hindsight, insight, and foresight,” to adapt a quote from Ruby Sales; hindsight—the inner examination; insight—the making of space for a new present; and foresight—letting the vision of Scripture lead us on. One piece of that diocesan offering is a Lenten Kindness Calendar, available now on the Youth Ministry page. Each day offers a simple prompt towards an act of kindness for someone in your life, each tied to the Gospel reading from the Sunday before. You will be able to follow along from the webpage, Facebook, and Instagram.
We are beckoned forward by the invitation to walk with Jesus, through the wilderness and ultimately towards Jerusalem. We do this together across the state, as the Diocese of Iowa, as the people of God.
In the peace and love of Christ
+Alan
The Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, Bishop of Iowa
Diocesan Online Worship
Join us this Sunday as we highlight the Holy Eucharist offered by St. Peter’s, Bettendorf at 9:30am.
Remebering Bishop Ellinah
Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. (Iowa) / 7:00 p.m. (Scotland)
Hosted by Companion Bishops Alan Scarfe and Andrew Swift
Many of us in Iowa were blessed to know Bishop Ellinah Wamukoya—through her time with us here in Iowa and those of us who have traveled to the Diocese of Swaziland over the years. Join us by Zoom for a time as companion dioceses to share reflections on the impressions she has made on our lives of faith, to share stories about our time with her, and how we have been changed by knowing her.
World Mission Sunday, February 14
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has issued a video urging observance of World Mission Sunday on Feb. 14. Noting that this year World Mission Sunday coincides with Valentine’s Day, Curry relates the love of God shown forth in the ministry of Jesus and his invitation to love one another to Jesus’ charge, “You will be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth.”
Joint Chapter Meeting & Leadership Gathering
Join us on Saturday, February 27 from 10am-12pm for a Joint Chapter Meeting (with breakouts by individual chapters) followed by Leadership Gatherings from 1-2:30pm offering breakout rooms in the following areas:
• Vestry member orientation
• Treasurers and bookkeepers
• GILEAD grant information session
• Technology forum (live-streaming and communication)
• Safeguarding administrators
• Licensed Ministries: Pastoral Leader, Worship Leader, Preacher, Eucharistic Minister, Eucharistic Visitor or Catechist
Parochial Reports
The due date for the 2020 Parochial Report is fast approaching, March 1, 2021. The report has been revised to also capture the statistics during the pandemic. Tina Austin is more than happy to assist you with questions in filling out the report. Please feel free to reach out to Tina by email at taustin@iowaepiscopal.org or phone 515-277-6165 ext. 201.
Pathways Online Courses by Bexley-Seabury
Bexley-Seabury has a new offering called "Pathways." Pathways offers courses and programs designed "to educate, form and catalyze the Body of Christ to blaze new pathways for prophetic and pastoral service in response to God's call." Explore their offerings, some free and some at a small cost in the areas of personal enrichment, licensure, and church-wide imperatives, and communities of practice.
Grant Opportunity
The National Fund for Sacred Places will be holding a one-hour introductory webinar next Wednesday, February 10th at 2 pm, to learn about the National Fund for Sacred Places and whether any sacred places in your Diocese, or Association would be a good fit for the grant program.
The National Fund for Sacred Places is a matching grant program that offers financial support and technical assistance to active faith communities who are working to preserve their historic houses of worship. Matching grants for capital improvement projects range from $50,000 to $250,000.
Mini Retreats: H.O.P.E.
The Small Church Core Team in the Diocese of Iowa invites you to a series of four mini-retreats focused on HOPE during these changing times.
Join us on Saturday, March 6.
From 9:00 am to 10:00 am. We will gather using Zoom technology.
Topics for each session include:
Healing and Hope in December
Opportunity for Community and Hope in January
Patience and Hope on February
Expectation and Hope on March 6
Dismantling Racism Training
Register for online training
Grounded in The Episcopal Church's commitment to dismantling racism as essential to our formation as Christians, this ONLINE training is open to all persons who would like to deepen their understanding of racism, prejudice, and privilege.
The training will consist of 2 sessions from 10:00am-12:00pm and 12:30pm-2:30pm, with a break for lunch.
Podcast Corner
"The Middle Way is a podcast that explores the interplay between the church calendar and… pretty much everything else.
It's like Sunday School with cussing. Or, the Easter Vigil with dubstep."
If you haven't already, check out this podcast from Rev. Eric Rucker & Hannah Landgraf (members of St. Andrew's, Des Moines). Episode 7 just dropped, and it's all about Epiphany - God showing up to the seekers.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, or on their website.
