Cape & Islands Deanery

Practical Eco-Stewardship Starts with a Bang!

2009-08-28T09:39:00.010-04:00

On August 27, Grace Church (Vineyard Haven) hosted a conversation with Daniel Goleman, author of Ecological Intelligence. This was the first event in our 2009-2010 deanery initiative in Practical Eco-Stewardship. Of the many in attendance at Grace, we were able to identify at least eight congregations from the people we knew. We aren't sure how many congregations, denominations, and faiths were represented in the audience as a whole.

The Very Rev Brian McGurk, Rev. Robert Hensley,
Dr. Fredrica Thompsett, Rev. Deborah Warner and author Dr. Daniel Goleman
From Practical Eco-Stewardship: Goleman

In addition to those present 'in the flesh', we were joined online by parish groups around the deanery and diocese as well as some folks in California and New York. One group that watched the webcast is involved with 'greening' Jewish children's camps. They have been reading Ecological Intelligence and were excited to have an opportunity to hear Dr. Goleman talk.

We were very excited that Episcopal Life Online reported on our event! You can read the story here.

Anaheim Day 10

2009-07-17T11:45:00.001-04:00

General Convention – Day 10

It seems as if we have been living in a bubble for the last 10 days. The House of Bishops have finished their business and are waiting on the Deputies. We have managed to get through Day 8 business and are almost caught up. Many parliamentary delays by a handful of folks, but the mood of the House has shifted to "Let's get 'er done" in the words of a Florida deputy.

Significant strides have been made in adopting a denominational health plan which will be administered by the Church Pension Fund. While not being mandated until 2012, the Diocese of Massachusetts moved to this last Diocesan Convention and we at Grace subscribed to it this year at substantial cost savings and better coverage that is more widely accepted (Blue Cross).

Also mandated was the mandating of offering lay employees pension benefits. At Grace, we have been doing this for a number of years as a matter of justice, but I was surprised to learn the number of congregations that do not offer this benefit to their employees.

And the big news of yesterday was the adoption of the Church budget for the next triennium. $24M in cuts were made from the previous triennium, virtually eliminating anti-racism programming, women's programming oversight and major cutbacks in almost all areas of ministry and mission. This also meant eliminating almost 35 positions of the current 185 at the New York and regional offices of the Church…the saddest part of the entire convention, knowing the people whose jobs you have had a hand in cutting because of the economic crunch. As the Presiding Bishop said, much of this may look like death, but we are a people of the Resurrection.

Tempering the sadness is much to celebrate and for which we are thankful: the continuing dioceses of Quincy, Fort Worth, San Joaquin and Central Pennsylvania deputations were greeted and acknowledged with joy and thunderous applause. Study of the development of liturgical text for the blessing of same sex unions mandated and a variety of social justice issues received careful attention.

And…of particular import for we environmentalists…next GenCon will be digital. All materials online, and a shortened convention in Indianapolis, deputies on digital notebooks will also streamline the process…not to mention eliminate all of those pesky papercuts!

One more major piece of legislation this morning and multiple housekeeping issues with adjournment later today....Deo gratias!

God Bless!

Rob Hensley+

Day 9 at General Convention

2009-07-16T18:23:00.006-04:00

To lighten the mood as we debated and voted on the budget for the triennium, the younger deputies decided that today was 'Dress like Greg Straub' day. Secretary Straub has worn a different colorful jacket and tie combination each day of the General Convention - providing us with something to look forward to each morning. Sam Gould and Christopher Ashley are seen below in their sartorial splendor.

From General Convention pictures

The budget has a leanness that will force us to be creative in our mission. Brian McClaren was today's preacher at Eucharist. He talked about the 'E word' and reclaiming its true meaning from those who have hijacked its meaning in our society.
Episcopalians and Evangelism - a communion no one should rend asunder. Usually, I find myself suppressing an urge to cringe at the word 'Evangelism'. But this time, I didn't feel any cringe at all. Perhaps it is the increased amount of time to talk about the mission of the wider church with people here that has made me able to say the 'E-word' comfortably. I will try to keep this when I am back home. Evangelism is just telling our story, not trying to co-opt someone's mind, and being there to ask the right kind of questions and to listen: What are you seeking? McClaren calls evangelists 'God's peace ambassadors' and 'reconciling co-workers of God' who are agents of change.

McClaren identified three institutional distractions from a focus on evangelism and mission for The Episcopal Church at this point in our history:

Institutional Conflict - as long as we use the challenge of conflict to reaffirm a deep incarnational identity, and as long as we stay in conversation, we should receive thanks for wading into turbulent waters ahead of the curve.

Institutional Identity - what is the best way to save a beloved institution like the Episcopal Church? Self-preservation is not the answer. Instead, we can focus on leveraging the institution that is our Church for the saving of the world - something we are already beginning to do through our support of the MDGs and the true and deep evangelism that is seen in our outward missional focus.
Institutional Rigidity - McClaren pointed to the complex way in which candidates for ministry are trained as an example of a barrier to evangelism. In balance to that statement, he also said the structure of Episcopal Church has powerful capacities for renewal.

I found that I listened to this third point with the lens of my own experience in Anaheim. Being at General Convention and attending numerous Legislative Committee hearings and meetings, and in reading all the reports from the Standing Commissions, I have a new take on how our denomination functions between General Conventions. As the Legislative Committee on Structures noted, the structures of our denomination are perfectly suited for the early 1900s, but they are cumbersome in the present day.

A sermon on evangelism, working on Public Narratives to share our mission story with others - there is a theme here...
-Helen

Thursday Morning Reflection

2009-07-16T11:32:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends,

Two days to go and the push to get legislation finished is growing. Into this mix came the proposed budget for the next triennium for the Church. Economic realities are that 17 staff positions at the Church Center are being eliminated, women's programs and anti-racism programs receiving the biggest cuts. But like anything else, we are urged and I believed called to view our glasses as half full, rather than half empty and to work from a theology of abundance rather that a theology of scarcity.

What probably eclipsed all of this in the news media (I have not seen a newspaper since we arrived!) was the fact that the House of Bishops overwhelmingly gave their approval to the development of liturgical resources for the blessing of same gender civil unions and marriages in those jurisdictions where it is legal. Final vote 104 in favor, 33 opposed with a few abstentions. Included was consent for bishops to use "general pastoral discretion" in those dioceses where such civil unions are already legal, phrasing that many are interpreting to mean that clergy (me for example) would now be allowed to sign civil marriage licenses without fear of admonition from our bishops; acknowledging the practice that is already taking place and doing away with the era of "don't ask, don't tell" under which we in the Diocese of Massachusetts have labored now for several years. Our bishops will be meeting with the clergy shortly after our return to outline new guidelines.

At the mid-day "paperless" Eucharist yesterday (all done on the big screen), we heard Bishop Steven Charleston, Native American, former Bishop of Alaska and recently retired Dean of EDS in Boston preach, calling us to action re: environmental justice issues. Inspired me to begin thinking of our Labor Day "Mass in the Grass" and making it an island celebration of the earth. Text and video links are all uploaded at the General Convention website.

Last evening next door to the Anaheim Arena, where several thousand people gathered in an amazing celebration of Baptism, Christian rock band music, and incredible preaching by Brian McClarien. Any reports that you may have heard about the poor health of The Episcopal Church are over exaggerated.

Oh...and by the way...the House of Deputies consented to full communion status with the Moravian Church, continued dialogue with the Presbyterian church (USA) - problematic issues around the Eucharist and ecclesial authority - and continued and deeper engagement in shared communion with the United Methodist Church and their African relatives (AME, AMEZ, etc.).

As we sit through the debates it appears things go slowly and we are not making progress...then when I step back and reflect, I can see how much progress is actually being made.

I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and am more energized than I have been in quite some time.

You are all missed and held in constant prayer.

Stay tuned...

Faithfully,

Rob Hensley+

Clergy Alternate

Day 8 at General Convention

2009-07-15T19:31:00.006-04:00

Today Becky Alden, St David's (South Yarmouth) lay deputy, swapped for the morning session with Helen Gordon, our one remaining lay alternate deputy from St Barnabas (Falmouth).

With that being said, I (Helen) am returning to using the first person in this post.

Being on the floor with the rest of the deputation was absorbing. They have these little electronic voting machines that are like remote controlsThe clickers are used for all elections and for votes when the President calls for them. I got to vote in some elections for Executive Council.

It is hard to believe I have become the first (only) lay alternate here. Dick Vanderlippe was unable to come to convention, so Lallie Lloyd moved up from first alternate and Christopher Ashley became the new first alternate. Then Byron Rushing had to leave, so Chris moved up to active deputy and I became the first alternate.

We have just had the joint session of the houses for the presentation on the budget for the 2010-2012 triennium. The presentations of a narrative budget overview by the Presiding Bishop and the Progam, Budget & Finance Committee (PB&F) chairs reflected on how the reduction in resources require us to look at doing everything in new ways. It will require increased development of networks - to think 'outside the box'. Mission is the reason for our existence, and this General Convention reflects a greatly deepened sense in our dioceses and congregations that mission is beyond ourselves.

The PB&F listened to the priorities expressed by speakers at their hearings earlier in General Convention. These reflected hope, mission, honesty, accountability, and transparency. Every area of the budget will have cuts, but 'for each challenge, there is new opportunity'. The budget is divided into three major sections: Canonical, Coporate, and Program.

The Canonical section covers the costs of General Convention, the offices of the leadership of the two houses (Presiding Bishop and President of the House of Deputies), and all the committees, commissions, and boards that meet between General Conventions to do the work assigned to them by General Convention.

The Corporate section covers the administrative support for our church. The Program section provides the budget for the mission of the Domestic & Foreign Missionary Society (yet another -older- name of The Episcopal Church).

Discussion and debate with vote will happen tomorrow.

Sam Gould speaks

2009-07-14T18:03:00.009-04:00

Talk about effective speaking within two minutes! Part of General Convention has been a Public Narrative project. We have been practicing our skills at speaking of ourselves and engaging our audience and urging them to a specific action.

In exactly two minutes, Deputy Sam Gould (from Lynn) spoke passionately about D025, the resolution having been returned to the House of Deputies for concurrence with the amendments made by the House of Bishops. Sam talked about the full inclusion of all peoples in the church to attract young people.

Day 7 at General Convention

2009-07-14T17:34:00.005-04:00

Grace Church Lobster Rolls are being featured today on Rob's t-shirt. His evangelizing has resulted in a great conversation with a deputy from East Carolina whose parish does a lobster fund-raiser. People place orders for live lobsters, they ship them to the church and then deliver them to the parishioners. The deputy wants to have a t-shirt for this, and is examining lobster designs wherever she sees them. Helen brought over our St Barnabas Lobster on the Lawn t-shirt for her to see as well.

Deputations decorate their poles that show their diocese. We like the flamingo on this one. Maine has (what else...) a lobster. East Carolina has a lighthouse. Montana has a cowboy hat, lasso and cowboy boots. From our vantage point in the alternates area, we can see a cat-in-the-hat hat on some deputation's pole.

Below, you can see Lallie Lloyd's back in her azure jacket. That is as close as we can get to the deputation on the floor. We will send a camera in with them at some point to get a better picture of them.

And here are your faithful alternates: Karen Montagno, Helen Gordon, and Rob Hensley.

2009-07-14T09:48:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

A sad start to the day. Byron Rushing's mother-in-law passed away, and he has had to leave convention to be with his wife and family in the Dominican Republic. Prayers to them all.

Youth Representatives made special presentation to House of Deputies. I had begun the day at a hearing of the Standing Commission on Ministry where we were hearing testimony on empowering more youth representation on our vestries, etc. I want to pursue this with you all when I get home. It is past time that the young people were enfranchised.

Speaking of enfranchised, I was present for the House of Bishops debate and PASSAGE with minor amendment D-025 which moves us beyond B-033 to claim to the Church and the world basically that our ordination processes are open to ALL people. It is who we are...it is where we are. Final vote 99 - 45 with three abstentions. Your bishops were and are amazing.

House of Deputies passed a complete revision of Title IV, Disciplinary Canons, to more solidly protect the laity and preserve the right to due process to clergy accused of violating their ordination vows, etc. Years of hard wok overwhelmingly affirmed.

We even managed to get through Day 4 calendar...on...lets see...Day 6(!)

A reception then for Bishop Shaw who received an award from the Association of Episcopal camps...20 minutes for rest and on to the final section of our Public Narrative project for which I have been leading a small group. About 500 of us finished the process and were commissioned as "Missioners"...hard to explain...basically thanking and blessing us for the work we have been doing and sending us out to do the work that we have been given to do...you know...that thing we say every week at the end of the Eucharist?

And speaking of the Eucharist, Bishop Singh of Rochester was our celebrant at daily Eucharist. Linked the civil rights struggles of this country to those in his native India of the lower castes as the church labored to empower the untouchables and others.

So much emotion...hard work...joy...and the overwhelming sense that the Holy Spirit is moving in and among all of us.

And of course there are the ever present protesters and picketers outside the convention hall who just don't get it. But they are also children of God and welcome at the Table.

Onward to another day!

Faithfully,

Rob Hensley+

General Convention

2009-07-12T09:28:00.002-04:00

Anaheim...Sunday, July 12

Dear Deanery Friends,

On Saturday I had the pleasure to attend the committee dealing with all things liturgical and musical. Two themes were prominent in the resolutions being discussed: Adding a liturgy to the Book of Occasional Services (BOS) as well as additional prayers dealing with the loss of companion animals. St. Francis' Church (where else?) in San Diego has an extensive lay ministry that trains and equips companion animals for the elderly and differently abled. Iraq veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome as well as people dealing with mental and other physical disabilities are recruited as trainers, major focus of the training, so the ministry has multiple layers. Several comapnion animals present at Convention were present with their human companions to provide testimony. I learned from others that Angel Grace, Lily and Bron are not the only dogs in church on a given Sunday or weekday Mass. Across The Episcopal Church, literally hundreds of parishes regularly welcome canine friends...and NOT just on St. Francis' Sunday.

The other major area that was discussed was the development of rites of blessing for LGBT couples. The 23+ resolutions have been combined into one, crafted from the best of all being considered. The "common folk" (those of us not on committee) have not seen the text yet. We look for it tomorrow.

During the afternoon, we heard from our Anglican brothers and sisters from Canada, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand and Liberia. All positive, all moving.

Last night all of the seminaries held their receptions and dinners. It was good to see so many old friends, professors and classmates.

This morning I am off to the Episcopal Women's Caucus breakfast prior to Mass, one of the leaders, Carlin Rankin, is a valued friend and former parishioner from St. Margaret's in Washington. Yet more connections...proving that the world is indeed a small place, and we are all of us blessed in so many ways.

The nice thing about Sunday: no committee hearings, but the House of Deputies continues in session this afternoon.

Have a blessed Sunday. Sunny and 70's here!

Faithfully,
Alternate Clergy Deputy (2), Rob Hensley+

General Convention: Friday

2009-07-11T03:01:00.006-04:00

We are settling into the rhythm of go-go-go. Hearings and meetings begin at 7:30am and go until 9 or 9:30pm. Web conferencing looks like it is out of the question for now, but if you go to the media hub for The Episcopal Church, there are lots of on-demand and live stream videos for you to watch.

The Integrity Eucharist was this evening. It is the most uplifting spirited Eucharist I have experienced here yet.

Take a hotel ballroom, transform it with a dias, altar, torches and hangings, add a choir (All Saints Church, Pasadena), hundreds of worshippers, and then Bishops Barbara Harris and Gene Robinson, and what a party and spiritual experience you get!

Bishop Harris' sermon was spirited and - as usual - she had the whole room in the palm of her hand.

Bishop Robinson celebrated the Eucharist. If I am not mistaken, the closing prayer was based on the prayer he used at Obama's inauguration in January.

Here is the start of our photo album of pictures from General Convention.
-Helen

General Convention: Arrivals

2009-07-05T22:54:00.007-04:00

Today was a travel day for some of us. Others in our deputation are arriving tomorrow. The hotel where we are staying is next door to the Convention Center. You can see from the picture above that the Convention Center has a new look for the next couple of weeks!

As one deputy pointed out, the Gospel from Mark for today is a humorous reminder from the Holy Spirit. It included the following passage:

'He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.'

That certainly does not describe the way most of the people I saw coming to our convention!

Our Deanery project to help support the seminarians at St Philip's Theological College in Maseno, Kenya, is underway. The choir's CDs have been pressed and packaged. I brought as many as I could (about 500) with me to have available as 'thank-you gifts' for donations of financial support of the students. That means I was definitely NOT following Jesus' command from the Gospel passage!

Tomorrow the Rev. Michael Russell, the rector of Nan & Gerry Hardison's home parish in Point Loma CA, arrives. He has arranged for Maseno Missions to have a booth in the Exhibition Hall and we will be able to have the CDs available there.

God's peace to you all,
Helen G.

Deanery to Webcast Bishop Barbara Celebration

2009-02-12T11:41:00.004-05:00

Saturday, February 28, 2009
Twenty years ago, the Rt Rev Barbara C Harris was consecrated at the Cathedral Church of St Paul in Boston. She was the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion.

On Saturday, February 28th, the Diocese of Massachusetts will commemorate and celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Bishop Barbara's consecration. There will be a morning program and an afternoon Eucharist. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev Katharine Jefferts Schori will also participate.

If you cannot get to Boston, you can still be part of the festivities!

With thanks to the resources available to us from our Congregational Development Grant, our Deanery is going to stream the Feb. 28 event in our online meeting room. We hope you will join us! Details can be found here.

Advent Quiet Morning - Saturday 13 December

2008-12-09T08:33:00.004-05:00

Christ Church Harwich Port invites one and all to an Advent Quiet Morning on Saturday, December 13 at 9:00 a.m. Here is their invitation:

Please join the Rector for an Advent Quiet Morning (9am to noon) as we study Images of the Nativity in Art including paintings from the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (while not leaving the Cape!) A light breakfast begins the time of study and prayer. Email the Church Office or call to register (christchurchharwichport [at] comcast [dot] net) (508-432-1787). No fee required. Donations for breakfast willingly accepted.

(View and download the flyer)

Godspeed, Dianne!

2008-10-14T18:08:00.005-04:00

Our local missioner, Dianne Smith (St Andrew's in Edgartown), left Martha's Vineyard today on her way to Maseno, Kenya. She will be working at the Maseno Missions with fellow Episcopal Missioners Nan & Gerry Hardison. These pictures were taken in Woods Hole as Dianne got off the ferry and got in line for the Logan Airport bus. She was accompanied to the airport by her friend Dianne Wilson.

Liturgical Art Website

2008-09-29T19:52:00.003-04:00

The visual arts are another way we express our spirituality.

The Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts (ECVA) is an association of visual artists whose mission

...is to encourage artists, individuals, congregations, and scholars to engage the visual arts in the spiritual life of the church. ECVA values the significance of visual imagery in spiritual formation and the development of faith, and creates programs to support those who are engaged in using the visual arts in spiritual life.

Two artists from St Mary's Barnstable who are associated with ECVA, Barbara Hersey and Linda Hunter, have launched their redesigned website,'Now I See, liturgical art to enhance worship and understanding' ...The site features their liturgical artwork.

Barbara got started on banner making out of necessity at Saint Mary's Church, Barnstable as Church School Coordinator. She created the first two 6 foot banners to give the children a colorful backdrop for their annual Christmas pageant. She recieved amazing feedback from parishioners and she had an idea that she was onto something special. She then wanted to work with another artist to make the next set of banners. Barbara asked Linda Hunter, fellow parishioner and artist educator, if they could paint the next banners together. They talked while painting about spirituality, bible stories, color, texture, and all those things that go into the creative process. Twelve liturgical banners, fifty hours and a year later Saint Mary's had an incredible series and "Now I See" had a new mission and portfolio.

Next Assembly: Thursday, September 25 in Plymouth

2008-09-14T13:24:00.002-04:00

Welcome back! Tourist season is winding down and Deanery activities are gearing up.
Upcoming Deanery Events:
Sept. 25: Deanery Assembly - Christ Church, Plymouth (Interactive webcast available)

Oct. 21: Pre-Convention Combined Deanery meeting - Grace Church, New Bedford (Interactive webcast available)

Parishes wanting to participate in either/both of the above via the online meeting room, please contact our Technical Liaison

~~~~~~~~~~~

Details for September 25th Assembly

Our next Assembly is Thursday, September 25th at Christ Church, Plymouth. Bishop Bud Cederholm will be with us, and we will also have a short report from the youth who participated on the Diocesan mission trip this summer.

Agenda:

6:00 pm working supper (brown bag) - discussion groups by topic.
(Youth, Environment, Affordable Housing/Homelessness, Aid to Africa)

6:45 pm Assembly Convenes - reports from discussion groups, standard
reports, and then Bishop Bud's program.

Bishop Bud is planning on leading a discussion on the two articles
listed below. We ask that you follow the links to them, print out each article, and READ both before our assembly.

**Parish Offices & Clergy**

Please check with your delegates this week and make hard copies of the articles and other handouts for those who do not have email.

1. Leadership that matters by Anthony B. Robinson (Christian Century, Dec. 15, 1999)
2. Dimensions of Pastoral Authority by Christina Braudaway-Bauman (Congregations, 2006)

Our Assembly will be available for you to attend 'virtually' via our online meeting room if you are unable to get to Plymouth in person. Please email deaneryweb [at] capeislandsdeanery [dot] org (email address 'spelled out' to avoid spam) if you plan on attending in a 'virtual' sense rather than physical!

For parishes wishing to attend via the online meeting room, please let us know which focus group you wish to participate in.

Recent Video Conferencing...

2008-09-04T20:40:00.011-04:00

On Sunday, August 31st, we met online with Rev. Jane Bearden, Church of the Redeemer (Biloxi MS) before she went to open a Red Cross Shelter before Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast. Jane met with people from St. Barnabas (Falmouth), St Andrew's (Edgartown), St David's (So. Yarmouth), and St Mary of the Harbor (Provincetown). Those of us in Massachusetts welcomed the opportunity to see and talk with Rev. Jane and we were able to convey the love, support, and prayers from our part of the country to Rev. Jane and the people in the the path of Hurricane Gustav.

Our online meeting room was in use again in early September when St David's (South Yarmouth) met with the Rector of St Patrick's in Long Beach, Mississippi. The two parishes are entering into a Partnership to help and support each other as St Patrick's rebuilds from Hurricane Katrina. Rev. David Knight of St Patrick's met with Rev. William Heuss and Sr. Warden Rob Parke of St David's to sign the agreement.

We are excited to welcome another Mississippi parish to our online meeting room!

And Now...A Different Perspective

2008-07-22T19:44:00.003-04:00

We are happy to share with you the link to the blog of the Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio, +Mark Hollingsworth. His blog entries about Lambeth are special because of the sense of spiritual journey and communion being shared with us. We hope you will take a moment and read through Bishop Mark's entries.

The link: http://ohiobishop.blogspot.com

Diocesan Lambeth LInk

2008-07-18T21:26:00.002-04:00

Our diocesan website, www.diomass.org, has now created a Lambeth Updates page. You may view it here.

Lambeth Conference Links

2008-07-17T09:06:00.002-04:00

The Lambeth Conference has begun. Here are some links to find out what is going on and how to support the bishops gathered there with prayer. In addition, the Anglican Communion Office has published a companion Bible study for use in parishes and by individuals that dovetails with the Bible studies of the bishops at Lambeth.

The official Lambeth Conference website
The Anglican Communion website
Bible study materials and information
The "Petitions for a Lambeth Prayer Vigil" from Province One (New England Dioceses of the Episcopal Church) (Two specific times suggested: 7 a.m. and noon, daily during Lambeth - see Province One's website for details)
The Blogging Bishops' Lambeth Journal - a group of Episcopal Bishops who are keeping an online journal of their experiences at Lambeth.
The national Episcopal Church website has a page devoted to Lambeth coverage.

Deanery Confirmation Pictures

2008-05-30T08:29:00.003-04:00

Deanery Confirmation was held on May 17, 2008 in Sandwich. Forty confirmands from six Deanery parishes were confirmed by Bishop Gayle Harris.

Thanks to Ilene B at St Christopher's in Chatham for taking pictures for all of us to share!

Pictures are available for individual viewing and downloading by clicking on the picture of our hosting parish, St John's in Sandwich. If you wish to embed a slideshow of the pictures on your website, please contact our Technical Liaison for the code snippet.

2008 Deanery Confirmation

April Deanery Assembly

2008-04-25T08:20:00.002-04:00

Last night we held our April Assembly at St Peter's in Buzzards Bay. Thank you to our hosts for delectable treats and warm hospitality.

A warm welcome to our new delegates from Edgartown and Nantucket - we were delighted to see and hear from you all!

With the help of our online meeting room, we saw and spoke with folks in Provincetown, Chatham, Nantucket, Ohio and Biloxi. Being able to see and hear each other is wonderful. We are thankful for the faith the Congregational Development Grant Committee placed in us through their generous funding of this initiative.

As a Deanery, we have decided to pursue a matching Sending & Serving grant from the Diocese. A planning committee has been formed to organize our ideas and bring some choices back to our September Deanery Assembly for action.

In addition to applying for the matching grant, we will also be applying for a second year of support from the Congregational Development Grant Committee. More on that will be reported at our May Assembly.

Next Assembly is May 29 at Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans. See you there in person or online!

Marcus Borg Webcast

2008-03-18T09:15:00.008-04:00

From DeaneryWebCast

The Diocese held a Spring Learning Event on Saturday morning, March 15, the day before Palm Sunday. While about 400 people gathered in Boston at Boston University's Student Union, 16 folks from around the Cape gathered in Falmouth at St Barnabas to watch the webcast. Represented parishes were: St Barnabas, Falmouth; St Mary's, Barnstable; St David's, So. Yarmouth; and Church of the Messiah, Woods Hole. About a dozen folks in Hanover, and two in Biloxi MS, also participated in this manner. Other people were able to tune in from their homes, but there was something special about being together.

The discussion periods at St Barnabas were lively and thought-provoking. Connie from Christ Church, Plymouth, was at the event in Boston. She met with us online via our deanery webconferencing 'meeting room' during the discussion periods to see if we had any questions we wanted to have asked on our behalf. Connie provided us with details about what the experience in person at BU was like. It made us feel even more connected to the rest of the Diocese to have this two-way communication during the event.

The Outreach Committee of St Barnabas provided a 'hearty snack' for the break. Our thanks to them for being such gracious hosts. And our thanks to St Barnabas for hosting this event - despite the busy day already on their docket: Youth Group baking cookies in the morning, the Sea Scouts starting their gathering at noon, and a large memorial service and collation in the early afternoon.

We also want to thank Biloxi for joining us - despite the fact that they are on Central Time, so they had to be awake and aware before 8:00 am to participate!

Our especial thanks to the Diocese for making it possible for those of us in far-flung corners of the Diocese to participate without having to drive to Boston!

Sharing Our Resources

2008-01-19T14:19:00.000-05:00

Rev. Jane Bearden, from our diocese, is currently serving at Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi, Mississippi. In addition to her work with Redeemer and other parishes and organizations in Biloxi, Jane serves as a liaison for Massachusetts groups traveling to Biloxi to help in Katrina recovery efforts.

Because she is THERE and we are HERE, this seemed like a perfect use of our online meeting room. The deanery has offered Rev. Jane this service, and she has accepted.

Last Thursday evening our web meeting room had an online meeting between folks in Biloxi, MS and Jamaica Plain and Marblehead here in Massachusetts. We hope these will continue!

Anybody up for cross-parish book study?
Comparing notes about Sunday School curricula?
Something else?

Deanery Assembly: January 24

2008-01-19T14:17:00.001-05:00

January 24th is our next quarterly Deanery Assembly.

Location: St. Barnabas, Falmouth
Date: Thursday, January 24
Time: 6:00pm brown bag supper, program begins at 6:45pm

Please join us!