The Episcopal Diocese of

North Dakota



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Welcome to our email Newsletter!

A few highlights from this issue:

• General Convention 2024 (Photos!)
• Award for Deacon Angela Goodhouse!
• WoDakota Appeal Update
• 2024 Diocesan Convention

Read on for other announcements and the calendar!

Did you miss a copy of the Prairie? The past four editions of the bi-monthly Prairie are now online! Click the button below to be taken to the webpage!

General Convention Updates

General Convention and the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Triennial in Louisville, KY began on June 20th.

Representing the Diocese of North Dakota are Bishop Brian Thom and our deputies:

Charlotte Peterson

Carmine Goodhouse

John Baird

Robert Fox

The Rev. Angela Goodhouse

The Rev. Robert Hoekstra

The Rev. John Floberg

The Rev. Kim Fox

ND ECW Members:

Mary Massad

Vanessa Strobel

ND General Convention Deputation

Back Row (L to R): The Rt. Rev. Brian Thom, The Rev. Dn. Angela Goodhouse, The Rev. Robert Hoekstra, The Rev. Kim Fox, The Rev. John Floberg

Front Row (L to R): John Baird, Charlotte Peterson, Robert Fox, Carmine Goodhouse

ND Episcopal Church Women Triennium Representatives

(L to R): Mary Massad [St. John's, Dickinson], Vanessa Strobel [Gethsemane Cathedral, Fargo]

The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe elected 28th presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church

The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, bishop of the Episcopal Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York, was elected and confirmed the 28th presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church on June 26 for a nine-year term beginning Nov. 1.

WoDakota Appeal Update

Thanks to all who have contributed so far to our Annual WoDakota Appeal.

To date 21 gifts totaling $31,340 have been received. We are still working towards our $50,000 goal, approved by the Diocesan Convention in October 2023. Thank you everyone who has participated to date.

St. George’s, Bismarck, joined other groups in support of Pride Day on June 15th.

Kim and Robert Fox recently joined Jim and Diana Gullikson as they visited Yellowstone Point Cemetery in Cartwright and the gravesites of teenage parishioner, Anders Lassey, and veteran Dick Wedel and his wife, Aone. Kim officiated at the Wedels' funerals.

Journeying Together:

Embracing Change, Preserving Identity

When: October 25-26, 2024

Where: Jamestown, ND

What: Annual Diocesan Convention

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT....:

WHO ARE YOU? Congregational Identity

Information gathered for The New Season of Ministry Report (adopted at last October’s diocesan convention) revealed that we deeply value our identity as the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota. Congregations, too, value their identities as Episcopal congregations within their communities. That identity may most often be associated with its name but can be demonstrated in many other ways.

For this year’s diocesan convention (October 25-26 in Jamestown), the convention planning group invites each congregation to explore more broadly what identifies it as a congregation and to bring something that represents that identity to the convention for display. We encourage congregations to be creative – think beyond banners and building photos - and explore unique ways that identify you: a special hanging, an artistic portrayal, or a unique or stylized picture.

We hope this invitation will prompt local discussions in various settings (coffee after worship, fellowship gatherings, vestry meetings, etc.) about congregational identity and what symbolizes or represents your congregation’s identity.

Province VI Grant Opportunities

Province VI provides grants for projects or scholarships that support God’s people in mission throughout Province VI (the dioceses of Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming).

There are two categories of grants available: 

• Project/program – this could include seed money to start a new project across several dioceses, building a network around a particular topic/issue, providing a training program that benefits more than one diocese, a workshop sponsored by several dioceses or a program available to multiple congregations across the province.
• Scholarship – typically offered to an individual who will participate in a wider church event, an individual who will strengthen skills in certain areas to be of service to dioceses. This could include attending trainings/workshops or expenses for serving as a delegate to a wider church gathering when such expenses are not reimbursed by the sponsoring diocese.

Grants are limited to $2500 for a one-year period. The grant request may be resubmitted for an additional year for a total of 2 years.

Details and the application form and instructions are available at https://www.ndepiscopal.org/finance/. Applications are due to the Synod coordinator by August 15.

Please inform the diocesan office (office@ndepiscopal.org) of your intention to apply for a grant by July 15, so that we can coordinate any multiple applications. For more information contact Steve Godfrey at 515-450-9858 or Jess Krzewina at 701-235-6688.