New Opportunities from the Diocese
From the The Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes (view the original email here on Mailchimp):
Spirituality & Nature Writing Workshop
Saturday, March 22, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. , Free
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Lansing
We all have our own story, a personal narrative of significant events or special encounters with the outdoor world that has shaped our spirituality. Writing it, though, presents a specific kind of challenge: We are trying to capture the ineffable in words. But if we choose the right words, we successfully communicate our own faith and give others a way to access their own. Using as our model the writing of the monk Thomas Merton, who had a particular divine connection to nature, we will spend the day working with prompts and discussing the development of essays and memoir.
The day will be led by Sophfronia Scott, a Merton expert and director of Alma College’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. This program is a joint offering of the Alma College MFA and the Creation Care Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes.
Open Office Hour with Diocesan Staff
Thursdays beginning March 6 , 12 noon , Online
Beginning in March, our diocesan staff will offer a weekly open office hour via Zoom. Any lay or clergy members of our diocese is welcome to pop in to say hello and ask any questions they may have. There will always be at least one staff person on the call. If the staff members present are unable to answer any question, we’ll connect participants promptly with the person who can. If you come to the office hour with a question or problem that should be confidential, you can enter a breakout room with the appropriate staff person to address your concern.
Loving Out Loud Together: A Conversation About How to Best Love our LGBTQ+ Siblings
Tuesday, February 25 , 7 p.m. . Online
As part of our ongoing effort to support living into our discipleship as followers of Christ, all members of our diocese are invited to be part of a conversation about how we might best love our neighbors who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Our goal is to provide information you can use and a chance to connect with other Episcopalians engaging in this work.
You may register to join this meeting by clicking the button below. Please save your post-registration confirmation email from Zoom since it will contain your unique access link to the meeting. If you have any questions or trouble accessing the meeting, please email angela@greatlakesepiscopal.org.
We will open in prayer, hear from community leaders about the state of LGBTQ+ civil rights at the state and federal level, hear about resources available to support faith communities in both growing LGBTQ+ inclusion within the church and supporting the LGBTQ+ community beyond the walls of the church, and hear from members of churches that are already doing this work in their context. Finally, we will announce our 2025 Diocesan Pride Sponsorship Program and give you a preview of our 2025 Diocesan Pride Swag Collection, the proceeds from which will support the ministry of the AuSable Inclusion Center.
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