Learning to See Redemption
By the Rev. Whitney Altopp
I'm passionate about practicing and teaching non-dualistic thinking. Non-dualistic thinking helped me change my question: Is this good or bad? into the following questions: What is good and what is bad in this situation?
How do I know this? Non-dualistic thinking allows me to be in relationship with these questions, which I find myself only capable of doing with God's help.
The by-product of this way of thinking is that I grow in relationship with God through the very events/occurrences of my day.
Each event becomes an invitation to receive grace; an invitation to engage the Holy One - The Sacrament of the Present Moment, as Jesuit Priest Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751) wrote over three hundred years ago.
With all of the changes in our world: declining church attendance, political division, people who are spiritual but not religious, aging Baby Boomers, the "two steps forward, one step back" reality of church leadership, etc., etc., I find freedom in not judging the changes. Instead of declaring from the beginning that something is good or bad, I hold it open to see what threads of good and bad run beside each other. Where these threads of good and bad form a knot of reality, I ask God how I can untangle or pull apart the good from the bad AND how I might be a part of God's redemption of the bad.
Well, if not a part of God's redemptive work, at least not stand in the way. *smile*
This is slow and attentive work which in practice looks like prayer. As I join in the work that God is doing, God is right in there with me correcting my efforts, coaching me in my actions, and forgiving my shortcomings. Richard Rohr stated it succinctly, "Once you have known grace, your tit-for-tat universe is forever undone: God is everywhere and always and scandalously found even in the failure of sin." (The Naked Now, 77)
This is not perfect work. I'm not even that good at it. Nor do I always enjoy it. When things are hard, I growl or yell when I'm alone - sound born from my frustration or impatience or plain-good-ol'-weariness. And these sounds are prayers, too. Inevitably, God reveals what thread of the knot of reality God is redeeming. And by the flash of God's redemptive love at work, I'm inspired and consoled to join in the effort that God is doing. I'll try again. It's obviously not my job anyway-it's God's work. I'm simply on the team.
Non-dualistic thinking has opened for me a way to accept and proclaim the redeeming work of the Living God; the grace known in Jesus Christ. So, I'm passionate about cultivating this practice within myself and coaching others in it as well so that the Always Redeeming Love of God can be made known in the world.
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Preparing For Convention
The 233rd Annual Convention of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut will take place on on Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich, Connecticut. Below are some important details to help you and your worshiping community prepare.
All clergy, delegates, and alternates are encouraged to sign up for Convention eNews for regular updates, information about food and lodging, links to material, reminders, resources, and reports. The form to sign up for the Convention e-News can be found
here.
If you plan to attend convention you can
register online using Eventbrite. Parish offices can register a group and make a single payment or individuals may register and pay on their own. Registration deadlines are as follows:
- $85 Regular Registration - November 14
- $100 Walk-in Registration - during Convention
Elections:
The 233rd Annual Convention will hold elections for positions on the Standing Committee and Mission Council. Details about each election can be found
here
. Anyone who plans to run for one of these seats must complete an electronic nominee biographical form, which can be found
here
. This year's deadline for nominations is Friday, October 6. Please note that endorsement signatures are no longer required for nomination to an elected position.
Resolutions:
ECCT members are invited to submit resolutions for consideration at the 233rd Annual Convention. These must follow the format and guidelines which can be found
here
. The Secretary of Convention must receive all resolutions no later than Friday, October 6, 2017.
For everything you need to know about Convention 2017, visit the
Convention page on the ECCT Website.
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Applications Open for Stewardship of Creation Grants
The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs has announced that
"The Episcopal Church Advisory Council for the Stewardship of Creation is accepting applications for grants that focus on local faith-based projects for mitigating climate change and safeguarding the integrity of Creation."
Applications are open to "congregations, seminaries,
schools, monastic communities, non-profits, dioceses, provinces, etc.
"who are interested in developing missions "that find and establish connections between eco and social justice, engaging the local community as partners and participants."
Recommendations will be made for grants up to $10,000.
The d
eadline to submit applications is August 20.
More information available
here
or by contacting
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Video of June 10 Ordinations
If you missed the June 10 ordination of Carrie Combs, Stacey Kohl, & Benjamin Straley, you can watch the video
here.
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Upcoming Events
Celebration of New Ministry for the Rev. William Burt, September 28, St. John's Church, North Haven.
Liturgy Symposium at Christ Church Cathedral, September
30. The morning plenary session will be offered by the Rev. Dr. Patrick Malloy, noted scholar and liturgist, currently serving at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Following lunch workshops on a variety of subject areas will be offered. More information and registration is available here
Clergy Retreat,
October 10-12: "Spiritual resilience in a time of climate crisis."J
oin your colleagues at our annual Clergy Retreat from Tuesday, October 10 to Thursday, October 12, at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford. Our retreat leader is the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, the Missioner for Creation Care from the Diocese of Western Massachusetts.
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Please spread the word! The office of the Canon for Mission Leadership is now accepting applications (Letter of interest, resume and OTM profile) for the following parishes. All are listed on the OTM website and all have transition information on their own websites:
St. Paul's, Fairfield (full time rector)
St. Peter's South Windsor (85% rector)
Grace, Old Saybrook (full time rector)
We expect to shortly be posting a listing for part-time rectors for St. Luke's, South Glastonbury and Trinity, Trumbull.
Clergy in Transition
The Rev. Dr. Victoria Miller will end her ministry at St. Saviour's Church in Old Greenwich on July 31 for retirement.
The Rev. Norma Schmidt is now half-time rector of St. Thomas Church in Bethel, where she has been serving as Priest in Charge.
The Rev. Elise Hanley has begun a new ministry as Assistant Rector at Trinity on the Green in New Haven. She is from the Diocese of New York.
The Rev. Marcella Gillis is now the Assistant Rector at Christ and the Holy Trinity Church in Westport. She is from the Diocese of Washington, D.C.
The Rev. Stacey Kohl is the new half-time Curate at St. Mark's Church in Mystic. Stacey was ordained to the Transitional Diaconate last Saturday at the Commons.
The Rev. Lynne Grifo has been appointed Priest in Charge of St. Luke's Church in New Haven. Lynne most recently served as Interim Rector of St. Mary's, Manchester.
Parishes in Transition
Christ Church, Watertown..................................Seeking Missional Priest
Epiphany Church, Durham......................................Using Supply Priests
Grace Church, Old Saybrook.....................................Receiving Names
Grace Church, Yantic......................................Seeking Missional Priest
Grace and St. Peter's Church, Hamden..................Seeking Half-time PIC
Holy Trinity, Middletown.........................Interim in place: Dana Campbell
Immanuel Church, Derby..................................Seeking Missional Priest
St. Andrew's Marble Dale..................................Seeking Missional Priest
St. David's, Gale's Ferry......................................Finalizing Interim LOA
St. Gabriel's, East Berlin...................................Seeking Missional Priest
St. John's, East Windsor......................................Seeking Half-time PIC
St. John's, New Haven..........................................Using Supply Priests
St. Luke's, South Glastonbury..........................Interim in place: Joe Pace
St. Martin's, Hartford........................................Seeking Missional Priest
St. Matthew's, Wilton...................................Interim in Place: Alon White
St. Paul's, Fairfield....................................................Receiving Names
St. Paul's, Woodbury..............................................Interviewing Interim
St. Peter's, Hebron.................................................Seeking ¾ time PIC
St. Peter's, South Windsor..........................................Receiving Names
Trinity Church, Milton.......................................Seeking Missional Priest
Trinity Church, Seymour...............................Interim in place: Steve Ling
Trinity Church, Tariffville.............................Interim in place: Ajung Sojwal
Trinity Church, Torrington......................................Seeking half-time PIC
Trinity Church, Trumbull..............................Interim in place: Paul Carling
Trinity Church, Wethersfield...............................Seeking Missional Priest
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