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Ethnic Ministries
Circles of Color
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Diocese of Olympia
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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
April 29, 2023
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So much has happened over the last week or so that it’s going to take me a couple weeks just to tell you about it. This week I’ll talk about Cathedral Day. Next week I’ll write about what happened the day after Cathedral Day.
Cathedral Day 2023 was a hit. We had good weather and a great crowd on hand. Circles of Color were well represented. It began with the Rev. Daren Chidester bringing the land acknowledgement before the start of the confirmation liturgy.
| The Rev. Eliacín Rosario Cruz and the Rev. Rachel Taber Hamilton assisted in the distribution of the Eucharist as well as presenting members from their respective congregations for confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation of baptismal vows. | |
Alex Flanagan, a facilitator/convener of the Allies Circle, was one of the lectors for the day. | |
It was great to see a number of people of color being confirmed and received into our church and to get to meet several of them. | |
Circles of Color had a booth at the event. Big thanks to Adrienne for pulling together a new banner for us. She and Tonja May teamed up to produce bookmarks and brochures for the booth and for other events. We made a bunch of new contacts and spent time with old friends. | |
It was a wonderful day. My thanks to the Very Rev. Steve Thomason and the Cathedral staff for planning, hosting, and doing all the behind-the-scenes work to make this day happen. And a shout out to my teammates on the bishop’s staff for their work. And thanks to everyone who came and made the day special. | |
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In love and service,
Carla+
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Edie Weller and family
Our community continues to lift prayer for the Rev. Edie Weller and her family as they settle into this next chapter following John's memorial. Edie shares her gratitude and love for Circles' support. We are grateful that it was a time of fullness and love, and pray for their community's continued embrace. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Fred and Kris Jessett
Our community lifts prayers for Fred and his family as he recently fell and has been in the ICU for brain bleeds and broken bones resulting from the fall. We are waiting to hear additional updates. We pray for comfort, healing, and wisdom for the Jessetts and Fred's medical team. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
If you'd like to send a card, the Jessetts' address is 5309 South Myrtle Ln. Spokane, WA 99223.
Vinh Do and family
Our community lifts prayer for Vinh's mother and the rest of their family. Vinh shares, "This is Vinh writing to thank all of you for your heartfelt concern and prayers for my Mom, me, and my family. Mom has been at home for six weeks since her discharge from both hospital and rehab. She's been transitioning closer to independence. It's been amazing progress in 6 weeks given the nearly 3 months in hospital and rehab. There have been real tentative moments in the hospital and rehab and without the love and concern of all, I don't know if we would be the same. Thanks to all."
We pray for Vinh's mother's health and the rest of the family as they all continue easing back into everyday activities. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
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Timi Vann and family
Thank you for your faithful prayers for Timi and her family. Timi is back gradually getting back to work and other elements of life and we continue to pray for an excellent recovery and smooth transition for her and the whole family.
If you'd like to send a card, the Vanns' address is 5056 36th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105. You can find more updates and ways to support the Vanns via their Meal Train.
Carlos and Julianna Caguiat
Our community lifts prayer for Carlos and Julianna as they continue to deal with various health concerns. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
If you have additional prayer requests, please send them to Adrienne.
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Check this space as we highlight Clergy of Color, Circles members, and other offerings from the community!
If you would like to spotlight yourself or others, or would like to highlight resources, books, events, liturgies, or anything else, please send them to Adrienne.
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Circles of Color Retreat: Save the Date!
Friday, June 9th - Sunday, June 11th
We're very excited to announce that our long-awaited retreat will be Friday, June 9th, through Sunday, June 11th, at the Rainbow Lodge Retreat Center in North Bend (about 35 mins southeast of Seattle).
Besides fellowship, relaxation, and recreation, we'll take time to celebrate what we've done, and dream together about where we're going. This is especially crucial as support of the Circles in this interim period was named as a major diocesan focus (and the only consistent focus area named across all governing bodies, clergy, diocesan staff, and Circles themselves).
Stay tuned for more info and get in touch if you'd like to recommend facilitators, help with planning, or have any questions!
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Thank Cod It's Fryday
Sharalyne King shares: "Lent 2023 was an extra special time for St. Stephens Episcopal, Longview WA.
We had our first Lenten Fish Fry. Many parishioners helped with their time, culinary talents and attendance. Cod was the main fish of choice. The Holy Spirit blessed us with 80 attendees, bountiful food and immense joy. We're looking forward to next year's Fry."
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Announcing Members of the Bishop Search Committee | |
The Joint Board for Bishop Transition is excited to announce the members of the Bishop Search Committee. Please pray for this committee and the work they are about to undertake.
We pray especially for Circles members Timi Vann and Lillian Springer, as well as Allies chosen for the committee. Thank you again to all who applied. There will be opportunities to serve on the Transition Committee this fall. You can read the full announcement at the link below.
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Celebrating Doreen Tudor's 101st Birthday
Doreen is a longtime Saint Mark's parishioner and church "mother" to many in Seattle, particularly in the BIPOC community. Doreen is living history and her stories about Black Episcopalians in Seattle and her experiences within that community and the larger church demonstrate such deep faith and resilience.
Stay tuned for ways to celebrate her upcoming birthday (5/31)!
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Called with Complexity: The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton | |
Thank you Becky Clark for sharing, and Rachel+ for continuing to offer your extraordinary gifts across our church! Read more and find the lecture at the link below.
The Rev. Taber-Hamilton's lecture, "The Barbie & Pocahontas Dialogues: Healing the Cultural Divide Between Indigenous Episcopalians and the Church" provided the Sewanee community an opportunity to reflect on the intersection of Indigenous cosmologies, gender identity, and cultural expression.
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Cross-Cultural Ministry in El Salvador
Stay tuned for additional updates as well as invitations to learn and support ongoing partnerships with the Episcopal Diocese of El Salvador and Cristosal!
Jo+ also uplifts the work of the SHARE Foundation which strengthens solidarity with and among the Salvadoran people in El Salvador and the United States in the grassroots struggle for economic sustainability, justice, and human and civil rights.
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Rev. Carla is resurrected after a Lenten fast from preaching and is back on the road!
4/30
St. Peter's, Seattle
5/7
Church of the Redeemer, Kenmore
5/14
St. John the Baptist, West Seattle
5/28
St. Margaret's, Factoria
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Want to share events from your parish or community?
Email details to Adrienne by Friday.
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Dr. Christena Cleveland and the Black Madonnas: The Pilgrimage of a Womanist Theologian
May 10 & 24 @ 6:45 - 8:15 pm | in person at Saint Mark's Bloedel Hall and online via Zoom
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The Rev. Canon Carla Robinson will lead a discussion of the book God Is a Black Woman by Dr. Christena Cleveland, as seen through the lens of pilgrimage.
This two-part series is intended to help people prepare for the material Dr. Cleveland will present when she comes to Saint Mark's in June.
Optional community dinner at 6 p.m. ($6/child; $8/adult; $25/max. family).
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The 42nd Annual Clergy Institute with Jonathan Greenblatt
May 25 @ 9:30 am - 1 pm | Temple De Hirsch Sinai, online | $18
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The Clergy Institute for Interfaith Learning is an annual opportunity for interfaith study and discourse, made possible through the generous support of The Alfred and Tillie Shemanski Trust, the family of Mila and Henry Eisenhardt, and The Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement — Seattle University.
We are pleased to welcome Jonathan Greenblatt as the 2023 Clergy Institute scholar. Mr. Greenblatt is the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and will deliver the keynote, “Antisemitism Today: Building Understanding and Allyship.” Special thanks to ADL Pacific Northwest.
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Table Turning: The Prophetic Tradition in the time of Neofascism-Cornel West at Valley and Mountain Fellowship at Rainier Arts Center in Seattle, WA
May 28 @ 11:00 am | Rainier Arts Center, Seattle & online
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Valley and Mountain Fellowship welcomes Dr. Cornel West, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary, considered one of the greatest public intellectuals our time. Dr. West will off a reflection during their Sunday morning Celebration / service as part of their "Set Us Free From Fear" speaker series.
Find more about the event and Dr. West here.
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Underhill House Listener Training
May 31 @ 12:00 - 2:30 pm | Underhill House, Seattle
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Looking for a new way to serve? Consider sharing your gifts with Underhill House, a quiet place to pause for prayer. Our Listeners come 1-2 times per month, on a Thursday, to sit in sacred silence and pray. Roles include greeting guests and, if desired, listening to what brings them in that day and offering a prayer. The next Listener Training is Wednesday, May 31 from 12:00 – 2:30 pm at Underhill House, on Capitol Hill near Broadway and Republican. Come and discern — no commitment necessary to attend the training.
If you have questions or would like to sign up, please contact Susan Dean at susan@underhillhouse.org. To learn more please visit our web site at www.underhillhouse.org/partners.
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Mothered by God: Divine Feminine and the Black Madonna: A Saturday Workshop with Christena Cleveland, Ph.D.
June 3 @ 9:00 am - 2:30 pm | in person at Saint Mark's Bloedel Hall and online via Zoom; registration required
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The Divine is not limited to one gender or race, but for many people the dominant image of God they've experienced is that of a white male.
Such a poverty of metaphor limits not only our understanding of the Holy One who overflows all human categories but also reinforces white supremacy and patriarchy. Join Dr. Christena Cleveland as she explores the Divine Feminine, especially in the context of her 400-mile walking pilgrimage across central France in search of ancient Black Madonna statues.
Cost: $65. Scholarships available. Includes a light lunch and snacks for those participating in person. Registration required.
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Why Serve 2023
June 22-25 | The School of Theology at the University of the South: Sewanee, TN, $75
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Young Adults (ages 18-30) from the African Descent, Asian, Indigenous and Latino communities of The Episcopal Church, are invited to attend three days of fellowship, training, discernment, self-care, fun, and laughter as they explore this question: Why Serve?
Whether you feel called to leadership as an ordained person, a vestry member, a nurse or a parent; whether you're in school, working, or just in-between, we hope you'll join us for this transformative experience. Share widely!
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55TH UBE ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING & CONFERENCE (ABMC)
June 24-26 | Montgomery, AL
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UBE is headed to Montgomery, Alabama!
Join us on an unforgettable journey through history as we walk the path of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., down the streets where the Civil Rights Movement began.
The Conference takes place in Montgomery, Alabama, from July 24-26, 2023. Our theme is So Flows Our River: NIA – Purpose, IMANI – Faith and UMOJA – Unity. We will visit the National Lynching Museum and the Legacy Museum, as well as offer an optional trip to Selma for crossing the Edmund Pettis Bridge.
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It's All About Love: A Festival for the Jesus Movement - The Episcopal Church
July 9 - 12 |Baltimore Convention Center, register by May 8 for Early Bird rate of $185
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Across the church and around the world, we are hungry for revival and renewal. Join in Baltimore for "It's All About Love," a churchwide festival of worship, learning, community, and action for the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.
"It’s All About Love” features three Jesus Movement festival “tents” – Evangelism, Creation Care, and Racial Reconciliation. Each tent will offer an evening revival worship service and major plenary speaker, plus dozens of day-time workshops, panels, practice opportunities and other ways to engage.
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Next Full Circle Meeting
{budget processes & our next diocesan bishop}
Wednesday,
May 3, 2023
3:00 pm
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Alzheimer's Support Group
If Alzheimer's has touched your life in some way, you're not alone. A group of Circles members meets Saturday mornings to share in community together.
Contact Jerry Shigaki for more info.
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Joint Standing Committee on Nominations invites referrals, shares videos, extends application deadline to April 30 | |
Encouraging Episcopalians to apply and make referrals for churchwide positions, committees, and boards, the Joint Standing Committee on Nominations introduces six informational videos—in English with Spanish subtitles—about what each group does and what qualifications new members should have.
The committee opened nominations in February for the following positions, committees, and boards—and recently extended the application deadline to April 30. Application forms are available online in English, French, and Spanish.
- Executive Council
- Church Pension Fund trustee
- General Board of Examining Chaplains
- Court of Review
- Disciplinary Board of Bishops
- Joint Committee on the Nomination of a Presiding Bishop
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New Spanish, French prayer book translations now available | |
New, certified Spanish and French translations of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer are available online. Created using dynamic equivalence, with an eye toward inclusive language throughout, the translations support the liturgical and pastoral needs of Spanish- and French-speaking Episcopalians.
There are three editions: a pew edition for church use and a personal edition, that are currently available. A bilingual edition featuring selections from the Book of Common Prayer in English and Spanish, will be available in May.
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Episcopal Migration Ministries shares 'Rainbow Initiative' survey results, seeks participant congregations | |
After receiving widespread survey response about a new project to support LGBTQ+ forced migrants, Episcopal Migration Ministries is seeking 10 to 20 "Rainbow Initiative" congregations to discern ways to help migrants during Pride activities and World Refugee Day in June.
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