[edow] Church House News

[Church House News]

FEBRUARY 22, 2007
 
*** The weekly bulletin for clergy, wardens, diocesan committee members,
convention delegates and church administrators in the Episcopal Diocese
of Washington ***

BISHOP CHANE'S STATEMENT ON THE PRIMATES MEETING
To see Bishop John Chane's statement and other coverage of the Primates
Meeting that concluded in Tanzania earlier this week, visit www.edow.org

UPDATING COMPUTERS FOR DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
Beginning in this year, daylight saving time (DST) will be extended in
the United States. DST will start three weeks earlier, March 11, and end
one week later on Nov. 4. This results in a new DST period that is four
weeks longer than previously observed. Unless certain updates are
applied to your computer, it is possible that the time zone settings for
your computer's system clock may be incorrect during this four week
period. Information on how to update your computer is available at
http://technology.edow.org/dst.html

START UP! START OVER! 
Clergy and laity will gather in Phoenix, Arizona, for a Start Up! Start
Over! seminar May 7-11. Start Up! Start Over! is a national training
event that provides basic congregational development theory and skills.
Registration materials are available at
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/4519_26440_ENG_HTM.htm. 
Call to verify availability.

PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS
Please keep the following clergy and members of the diocese in your
prayers this week:
*  Doris Attridge - recovery from heart surgery
*  Caroline Fairless - mother's health (Caroline)
*  Simon Bautista - mother's health (Maria)
*  Kathy Jordan - husband's health (Bob)
*  Luis Leon - mother's health (Mary)
*  Mariann Babnis - personal health 
*  Charles Daugherty - personal health
*  Dalton Downs - personal health
*  Velma Brock - personal health
*  Tom Logan - personal health
*  Bishop Ronald Haines - personal health
*  Bishop Bill and Polly Spofford - personal health
*  Rita Steadman Henninger - son's health (Cuthbert)
*  John Talbott - wife's health (Annie)
*  Martha Bonwitt - husband's health (Bill)
*  Michael Marrett - wife's health (Margery)

>>> REMINDERS:

BISHOP JOHN T. WALKER MEMORIAL BREAKFAST
St. Timothy's, D.C., will host its annual Bishop John T. Walker Memorial
Breakfast on at 9 a.m. March 24 in the Parish Hall. Tickets are $20 per
person and the proceeds will benefit The Bishop John T. Walker
Scholarship Fund. Please contact the church at 202/582-7740 for more
information. Tickets will be sold through March 19 and will not be
available at the door.

MISSIONARY TO SUDAN AVAILABLE TO SPEAK
The Rev. Lauren R. Stanley, missionary, theologian and journalist, is
the Episcopal Church's only full-time missionary living and working in
Sudan. Stanley is currently available to visit your parish or group to
discuss her mission experiences as well as the current situation in
Sudan. Contact her at laurenrenk at gmail.com or at 703/678-3892.

AGING STUDY SURVEYS
Episcopal Senior Ministries has distributed a one-page survey to each
congregation in the Diocese of Washington to help develop an "Aging
Agenda" for the diocese. Rectors are encouraged to complete the survey
and return it to ESM by Feb. 23. Parish contacts have been asked to
distribute and collect the surveys for parishioners and return those by
the same date. For more information or additional copies, contact Marcy
Hunter at 202/414-6314 or Mhunter at esm.org. The survey also can be
downloaded at  www.esm.org

EPISCOPAL SENIOR MINISTRIES SUNDAY
Bishop John B. Chane has designated May 6 as Episcopal Senior Ministries
Sunday to increase awareness of and support for the 10 Episcopal
services for older adults in the Diocese of Washington. Information
about these services for newsletters and bulletins, contact information
for speakers for rector's forums on that Sunday, and liturgies on aging
are available for each congregation. Please plan to set aside that
Sunday to recognize all the Episcopal Senior Ministries in the diocese.
For more information, contact Marcy Hunter at 202/414-6314 or
Mhunter at esm.org.  

PRE-MOTHER'S DAY GOSPEL LUNCHEON CRUISE
The Episcopal Church Women of St. Timothy's, D.C., invite all mothers to
join them for a pre-Mother's Day Gospel Luncheon Cruise aboard the
Spirit of Washington. The ECW will set sail at 11 a.m. May 12
(Saturday). Boarding begins at 10:30 a.m. at Pier 4, 6th & Water
Streets, SW, Washington, D.C. The cost is $55 per person and is due by
April 1.  Payment is transferable but non-refundable. For more
information, contact Gloria Clanton at 202/582-1985 or Prattsie Artis at
301/390-3939.

CLERGY: BENEFITS FOR SPOUSES AND DEPENDENTS
Clergy canonically resident in the dioceses of Maryland, Washington and
Easton are eligible to join The Corporation for Relief of the Widows and
Children of the Clergy of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Maryland.
The corporation extends benefits to spouses, domestic partners and
dependent children of deceased members who have been canonically
resident for at least five years in one of the three dioceses. The $50 a
year dues, with membership paid up after 15 years, offer $8,000 promptly
paid upon a member's death and a $1,000 annuity to beneficiaries.
Additional need-based payments, to insure a decent standard of living
for beneficiaries, currently range from $2,000 to $20,000 annually.
Money also is available for special needs. For more information, contact
the Rev. James Crowder at jcrowder at bcpi.net.

20S/30S RETREAT DAY 
A 20s/30s Retreat Day, "On the Threshold of Death and Resurrection: A
Day of Preparation for Experiencing Holy Week" is set for 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. March 31 at the Cathedral College. This event is the second in a
series of retreats led by the Rev. Martin Smith, theologian-in-residence
at St. Columba's, D.C. The cost is $25 and includes breakfast bagels,
tea, coffee and lunch. Sign up at  www.edow.org/events

2007 MISSION TRIP TO HONDURAS
The diocese will be coordinating a mission trip to Honduras from July 28
to Aug. 5. Participants can either stay in one community to work on an
existing project or visit several Honduran congregations to assess
potential opportunities for a future relationship, either on behalf of
your parish or individually. Ongoing projects include school or clinic
construction, reforestation, environmental education, a basic grains
cooperative, and women's crafts. Tasks range from hard physical labor to
giving elementary students some basic notions of English. To find out
more, plan to attend an orientation meeting at 5 p.m. March 25 at St.
Alban's, D.C. (Satterlee Hall, Trenbath Assembly Room). For more
information, contact Dick Marks at 301/589-4927 or richardpmarks at aol.com


MISSION VISIT TO MEXICO
The Anglican Communion's Compass Rose Society, of which the Diocese of
Washington is a member, has announced dates for a spring mission visit
to the Anglican Province of Mexico from April 30 - May 7. Travelers will
be guests of Archbishop Carlos Touche-Porter, and accommodation will be
in the diocesan guest house, south of Mexico City. The itinerary will
include an overnight visit to the city of San Miguel de Allende. Places
are limited to 30. Members will be asked to make their own travel
arrangements but will be met upon arrival in Mexico City. A $500
non-refundable deposit is required. For more information, contact Lynne
Butt at lynne.butt at aco.org.

HEARINGS ON LAY LICENSING, VOCATIONAL DISCERNMENT
The Commission on Ministry will be conducting public hearings on its new
standards for lay licensing and vocational discernment for those
examining lay ministry and ministry to the priesthood. (The vocational
diaconate proposal will follow later this spring.) The hearings for lay
licensing standards are set for 7:30 to 9 p.m. March 20 at St. John's,
Beltsville and from 9:30 to 11 a.m. March 31 at Christ Church, Chaptico.
Lay licensing standards will be posted on the diocesan Web site, and
public comment will be received until April 15. Public hearings on the
proposed process for lay vocations and vocations to the priesthood will
be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon April 14 at Holy Trinity, Bowie and from
7:30 to 9:30 p.m. April 24 at St. Luke's, Bethesda. The proposed
discernment process will be posted on the Web site and comments will be
received until May 4. Public comments should be sent to the attention of
the Rev. Mary Sulerud at Church House or by e-mail to msulerud at edow.org.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING SURVEY
The diocesan Affordable Housing Task Force is conducting a survey as
part of its work to develop affordable housing policy guidance for the
Diocesan Council's review. Please complete the online survey at
www.edow.org/affordablehousing

SPRING CLERGY CONFERENCE - SAVE THE DATE
The diocese's Spring Clergy Conference is set for May 22-24 at Shrine
Mont, Va. Keynote speaker will be the Rev. Margaret B. Guenther.
Program/registration information will follow.

2007 STEWARDSHIP CONFERENCE - SAVE THE DATE
The 2007 Stewardship Conference is set for April 21 at Washington
National Cathedral. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; conference
sessions will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $25 per person and
includes a boxed lunch. Register at www.edow.org/events

SAFEGUARDING GOD'S CHILDREN TRAINING
New dates and locations for Safeguarding God's Children training
sessions (prevention of child abuse training required by all paid church
employees and those working with children and youth - paid or volunteer)
are available on the diocesan Web site at www.edow.org/prevention.
Online registration is required for attendance.

DEPLOYMENT MINISTRY CONFERENCE
The next Deployment Ministry Conference is set for March 11-16 at the
Duncan Conference Center in Del Ray Beach, Fla. Clergy interested in
having their resume and CDO profile presented to other
deployment/transition officers from 35 other dioceses (mainly on the
East Coast) should contact Mary Sulerud at msulerud at edow.org or George
McConnell at gmcconnell at edow.org. Please send your CDO and resume along
with a presentation sheet available from the deployment office no later
than March 5.  

LENTEN SILENT RETREAT
The Diocesan Retreat Committee will hold its 2007 Lenten Silent Retreat
at the Cathedral College on March 2-4. The Rev. Francis Wade will lead
the retreat on the theme of "What Wondrous Love is This: The Collects of
Lent." Cost: $195. Further information is available at
www.edow.org/retreat (click "Our Next Retreat"), or from Margaret
Bennett at 202/ 337-3415.

GRANTS FOR NATIVE AMERICAN MINISTRY INITIATIVES
The Episcopal Church's Office of Native American Ministries has
announced that it will offer grants totaling $86,250 for Native American
Ministry initiatives this year. Each award is not to exceed $20,000 per
applicant and requests must be endorsed by Bishop John Chane and
submitted to the national church's Office of Native American Ministries
no later than March 31. For further information, contact Janine
Tinsley-Roe, National Missioner of Native American Ministries at
1-800/334-7626 ext. 6203.

APPLICATIONS FOR ABSALOM JONES SCHOLARSHIPS
Applications for the annual Absalom Jones Scholarships are now being
accepted by St. Philip's, Laurel. Individuals who will be attending an
institution of higher education and are in need of financial assistance
are invited to apply by March 31. Applicants must reside, work, attend
school or be a member of an Episcopal parish in the Diocese of
Washington. For more information, contact the Absalom Jones Scholarship
Fund Committee at 301/776-5151, ext. 15 or at
absalomjonesfund at stphilips.org. Information also may be obtained at
www.stphilipslaurel.org.

ALZHEIMER'S CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP 
The Alzheimer's Association is sponsoring a monthly support group at
St.James', Potomac (11815 Seven Locks Road) for those caring for someone
with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia. Meetings take
place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall on the third Thursday of
each month. All support givers are welcome to come. Two facilitators
trained by the Alzheimer's Association lead the group. For further
information, contact Linda Pallett at 301/349-5011 or John Miers at
301/656-3359 or Johngmiers at comcast.net 
   
CONTRIBUTING TO THE BISHOP JOHN T. WALKER SCHOOL
The planned Bishop John T. Walker Episcopal School will serve the boys
of Wards 7 and 8 in southeast Washington, D.C., and hopes to provide
collaborative education, with the boys and their families, in a
Christian setting. Your generous contribution will enable the diocese to
continue the planning phase which is a crucial first step toward
establishing the school. Contributions can be sent to: The Bishop John
T. Walker School, Episcopal Church House, Mount St. Alban Washington,
D.C. 20016 or visit www.bishopwalkerschool.org
     
CYCLE OF PRAYER
The Cycle of Prayer through Nov. 25, 2007 is online at: 
http://www.edow.org/parish/congregation/liturgy/cycleofprayer/index.html




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