Sixth Sunday of Easter
As with every Stewardship Campaign, it is always good to hear from a variety of voices. And the appeal to the GILEAD Campaign is no exception. I am grateful to Kathleen Milligan, Rector at St Stephen’s Newton for her explanation and endorsement of the GILEAD Campaign to her congregation. Her letter to her own congregation follows, adapted for the broader diocesan community.
A few years ago, the Diocese of Iowa embarked on a project of renewal. It began with a series of Revivals across the Diocese — 40 services, in small churches and in larger ones, linking congregations in small clusters. The following year, the clusters became hosts to individually planned programs, bringing in speakers and resources from around the whole church to provide inspiration or information desired by those in the clusters themselves. This was the Growing Iowa Leaders year. These programs in turn became launching pads for various cohorts of people around the diocese to gather around topics for more intensive study and practice. These began at the Ministries Retreat in 2019, and continued to meet virtually throughout the next year. This year was devoted to Engaging All Disciples.
The money for these events came from a generous donation, and the donation became a building block for what has been known as the GILEAD Campaign. The GILEAD Fund was established to raise a capital sum to fund various creative initiatives in evangelism, education, renewal, outreach. It was envisioned as a fund that would allow for ministries that might be innovative even in places with few resources of their own to fund them.
Most Capital Campaigns have been established to build either a physical plant, or perhaps to build a long-term fund where only the interest or the annual growth in the fund would be used. Campaigns to raise funds for these purposes are in many ways easier to promote, as they produce tangible, visible, concrete results. The GILEAD Campaign was built around a desire to invest in people and creative ideas.
In the past year, so many of us have come to see that the work of the church is at least as much about meeting people outside our doors, listening to their stories and their lives on their own terms, and only then sharing what we may of our own stories and the basis for our own faith commitment. Looking at it from this vantage point, the GILEAD Campaign was really ahead of its time. Last year’s grants funded many projects for congregations needing to find ways to use electronic media to stay in touch with their members, as well as to reach and touch the lives of people who may never have been in any church, let alone one of our congregations.
In 2019 people were invited to make a three-year pledge to the GILEAD Campaign. Perhaps many of you did so. At the end of 2020, another appeal was made, either for new pledges, or for a one-time gift. A number of new pledges or gifts were made at that time. During this season of Easter, a new appeal is being presented, for this last year of the campaign. If you watch the diocesan weekly eNewsletter, you will see something of the grants made. St. Stephen’s in Newton received a grant for its Blessing Box ministry. St. Thomas’ in Sioux City received a grant to install a permanent Labyrinth at the back of their church, to draw in pilgrims, those who wish to use the space for meditation and prayer. We are about to enter a new cycle of grant applications and grants made.
Please pray about this, and if you haven’t made a pledge to GILEAD, consider doing so. It really is a creative and unusual fund; and the resources will, we hope, go to build some dynamic and creative new ministries around the diocese. If you give a gift to the diocesan GILEAD Campaign, you may also designate a portion of your choosing to return to your home congregation for your own ministries in your locality. Pledge cards are available in the office, and will be found at the back of the church as well. It would be wonderful to have a great in-gathering on May 23rd, which is Pentecost Sunday.
Blessings,
Kathleen+
We appreciate your willingness to prayerfully consider your participation in this diocesan-wide effort. Congregations may want to hold an in-gathering on Trinity Sunday or the Day of Pentecost as Kathleen suggested for St Stephen’s. There are several ways to give: online through the link below or by scanning the QR code on your phone; or mail your donation directly to the Diocesan Office and include this printable donation form with your check.
God bless you and keep you as we enter into a powerful time of discernment,
In the peace and love of Christ,
+Alan
The Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, Bishop of Iowa
Give Here:
Diocesan Online Worship
Join us this Sunday as we worship with St. Alban's, Davenport at 10:00am.
GILEAD Campaign
Spread the word!
Share information about the campaign with your congregation.
Materials can be copied into your congregation's newsletter, bulletin, website, or social media (and can be customized upon request).
Download here:
Half Page Inserts (8.5x5.5):
-- Vertical layout
-- Horizontal layout
Facebook Post
Text Only Word Document
GILEAD Grant Spotlight: Church of the Good Shepherd, Webster City
Good Shepherd received an "Expanding Tools and Technology" Growth Grant to enhance their technology and electronic equipment for online services and allow for improved outreach to the congregation, local community, and those searching for a community online.
With the onset of the pandemic, Good Shepherd looked to Zoom to be able to visually stay in touch. As the time went by, it was suggested by one of their supply priests that they try having Compline and sharing the service with the other church she supplies, Grace Episcopal in Boone. Services have expanded to include weekly Holy Eucharist, and a combined worship team from the congregations was born. They have created a community of online worshipers that include parishioners who are not only regular Grace and Good Shepherd attendees, but parishioners that aren’t able to regularly attend, those that live out of town/state and even parishioners from other churches and faiths.
Grant funds are being used to invest in good, reliable electronic equipment, including a laptop, tablets, microphone, tripod, encoder, and SD card, and to fund yearly subscriptions that will be necessary to efficiently and legally live stream regular Wednesday and Sunday services.
COVID Vaccine Information
A tool to help you track down COVID-19 vaccine appointment openings at Iowa pharmacies. Updated every minute - keep refreshing the page or clicking "Check for New Appointments"
VACCINE SPOTTER
Now tracking 400+ locations around Iowa. Find a location close to you that has appointments available, then click the 'Book an Appointment' link.
VACCINE HUNTER
Resources:
Iowa COVID Vaccine Information Page
Vaccine Provider Information
on Twitter, follow @IAVaccineAlerts
Global Vaccine Access: Ensuring Equity for all God’s Children
After an unprecedented global effort, there are now numerous vaccines that can provide protection from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Failing to efficiently and thoroughly vaccinate people in every country – regardless of income – raises the risk for variants of the virus that could potentially expose all of us, and continue to kill thousands of people. As we push for increased vaccine production and distribution globally, how can we ensure that all people have access to the vaccine, and not just those in rich countries? Hear from the Office of Government Relations and our Anglican Communion partners about global perspectives on this important question.
Sacred Ground Circles
Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity.
The 11-session series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.
Circles will meet every other week for 11 sessions via Zoom:
Mondays 6:30-8:30pm beginning 5/24
Tuesdays 6:30-8:30pm beginning 5/25
Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm beginning 5/27
Sundays 1:30-3:30pm beginning 5/30
Dismantling Racism Training
Register for 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.
Vestry Update and Training
VESTRY LISTS NEEDED
As Annual Meetings conclude, please send updated Vestry lists to Elizabeth Adams at eadams@iowaepiscopal.org
REQUIRED TRAINING
New Vestry members need to complete these 2 trainings within the first six months of joining the Vestry:
SAFEGUARDING TRAINING
Each congregation has a Safeguarding Administrator to set you up with online training. You can contact Amy Mellies at amellies@iowaepiscopal.org for contact information.
EPIC Diocesan Summer Camp 2021: July 5-9
The EPIC planning team has been very busy planning an in-person camp this year. EPIC will look different for a number of reasons, partly because we will be at a new location, the Christian Conference Center in Newton, and because of COVID protocol.
EPIC is for youth entering 4th grade through 12th grade. Registration will open on May 1 at 10am. 50 spots are available for in-person camp and is based on a first-come, first-serve basis. Cost is $350 per camper and scholarships are available upon request. You can register below or find more information on the Children and Youth Ministry page of the diocesan website.
We will also be offering EPIC Online. Each day you will be sent videos based on scripture and topics for the day, craft supplies, t-shirt and other camp staples. We will have live events throughout the day so online campers can connect with in-person campers as well. Cost is $25. You can sign up for EPIC 2021 Online beginning on May 1 at 10am.
Celebrating 2021 Graduates
As we did in 2020, we would like to celebrate our graduates of 2021. We will celebrate graduates from pre-school, kindergarten, 5th grade, 8th grade, high school or college.
Please send us a photo and brief description of your graduate so we can celebrate them as a diocese in our weekly e-News and on social media. Send information to Amy Mellies at amellies@iowaepiscopal.org.
Zoom Picnic: June 25, 6-8pm
You are invited to a diocese-wide ZOOM picnic of Episcopalians in the Diocese of Iowa.
SAVE THE DATE!
Friday June 25, 2021 6pm-8pm
This fellowship event replaces the Ministry School & Retreat 2021 and all the great social time we’ve come to enjoy as part of that annual gathering.
What will we do?
Pray together
Snack
Play
Breakout rooms for small group or one-on-one interaction.
What should I bring?
Your favorite ice cream or snack
Your favorite beverage
A silly hat or costume
Playful attitude
Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center: Prairie Fire
How's your spirit growing?
Explore PrairieFire -
Open House!
Tuesday, May 25 from 6-7 PM
Do you desire a more meaningful life enriched by a deepening spiritual awareness, new ways of building and contributing to community, or living authentically in an increasingly challenging and unpredictable world? Consider applying for PrairieFire. A new class will be forming in the fall of 2021, and we will begin accepting applications in January, 2021. Please contact Andrea Severson with questions or to register for an open house:
One in the Spirit: Pentecost Way of Love Revival Weekend
The Episcopal Church greets Pentecost with One in the Spirit, a Way of Love Revival Weekend designed to fan the flames of hope, celebrate difference, honor creation, foster beloved community, and send people toward Jesus’s Way of Love. The weekend of events includes the following:
Saturday, May 22, 6-7:30 p.m. ET: Concert for the Human Family and “From Many, One” Community Conversations
Sunday, May 23, 4-5:30 p.m. ET: Churchwide Pentecost Revival Worship from Philadelphia, Navajoland, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.
Podcast Corner
Connected Parenting with Jennifer Kolari
Connected Parenting shares techniques that therapists use to help parents soothe their child as well as enhance the parent-child bond and is based on the understanding that correcting and guiding behavior works best when it is preceded by and linked to empathy. At the heart of this parenting model is the CALM Technique which helps parents accurately attune to children’s affect and experience. These empathic interactions release reward chemicals in the brain that stimulate positive emotions and increase order and balance in the nervous system. The benefits of empathy and compassion have a strong base in science that cannot be underestimated. Simply put, it is brain food, the emotional nutrition all of us need, perhaps our children most of all.
Although many parenting techniques stress the importance of empathy, Connected Parenting will show you how to use it skillfully to repair frayed bonds, deescalate tantrums, contain and correct difficult behaviors and help your child to become more confident and emotionally resilient. We use a collaborative and supportive coaching model and provide inspirational, easy-to-understand techniques grounded in neuroscience and attachment. In the end, your child will be more compliant, more relaxed, and – most importantly – happier. Connected Parenting will bring out the best in you and your child.
