The Episcopal Diocese of Utah
Living Boldly

Connecting with each other, our communities and the world

Living Boldly aims to inform, enrich and equip you to build connections to individuals and groups; to stimulate information sharing, conversation and growth opportunities in your areas of ministry.

Feb. 15, 2007

Gracious God, you revealed the light to the nations in the star over Bethlehem and in Jesus at his transfiguration; give us grace to perceive your glory in his words and deeds that we may reflect your radiance in all that we say and do. Amen.

Dates & Deadlines

Friday, Feb. 16, 9 a.m.-1;30 p.m.: Utah Issues Citizens Day at the Legislature. Lunch with State Senators and House Representatives. Free, including lunch. Site: Utah State Office Building Auditorium. Register at Utah Issues. Free lunch for first 100 people who register.

Affirmations Date Change: Saturday, March 24 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is the new date for a repeat seminar on What Richard Hooker Has to Say to Today's Church, at Good Shepherd, 2374 Grant Ave., Ogden, UT. $15 donation covers materials and lunch. Wednesday, March 14. To register email Jessica Hatch or call 801-595-5362 and leave your contact information.

More Affirmations: Saturday, March 24, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sowing and Growing Your Parish Website, Diocesan Offices, 80 South 300 East, Salt Lake City, UT. Congregational studies point to the importance of having an attractive, compelling website as a component of evangelism. But time and talent to keep them fresh can be challenging. This workshop tries to put "easy" in the mix.

For busy parish administrators and/or web ministers--. This hands-on workshop will answer "How to create an effective web presence?" and more importantly, "Why bother?"
Bring your laptop to learn how to make an existing website more effective, or learn a simple way to create a presence on the web using a pre-designed template.
Presenters: Both Judy Kiel and Craig Wirth are adjunct professors in the U's Dept. of Communications. Judy Kiel teaches web design and designs webpages for U of U's Continuing Education program. Craig Wirth offers independent consulting for public relations, media and presentation training; he teaches five communications classes at the U. To sign up, email Jessica Hatch or call 801-322-4131, Ext. 362. $15 to cover materials and lunch.
Wi-fi and high speed internet available at diocesan offices. Deadline for sign up is March 15.

March 23-25 Province VIII Conference: Greeting, Growing and Giving: Life Transformed by Water and the Spirit. Diocesan representatives will bring home best practices in Evangelism, Stewardship, New Styles of Worship, and more. To view conference details, go to Greeting and Growing, a .pdf file.

Regional Confirmation Schedule for 2007:
Northern: Sunday, April 15, 3 p.m. at St. John's Logan
Salt Lake 1: Saturday, April 28, at St. Paul's SLC (time to be determined)
Southern: Saturday, May 5, at Grace Church (time to be determined)
Salt Lake 2: Saturday, May 12, 2:00 p.m. at St. James
Southeastern: Saturday, May 19, at Ascension St. Matthew's, 10:30 a.m.

May 17-19, 2007 Rocky Mountain Synod 2007 Assembly, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Our Call to Common Mission increases our involvement in shared facilities and ministry. Details for those interested in attending may be found at ELCA Assembly.

Rumor Put to Rest: The question has come up as to whether privacy rules of HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) prevents churches from listing hospitalized members in the bulletin or newsletter. This is NOT true. HIPAA only applies to health care providers, not to churches. While we certainly want to respect the privacy of congregational members, there are no legal restrictions about including people on a prayer list. [Courtesy enewsletter, Rocky Mountain Synod].

Note: For news about the Episcopal Church, and links to news of the world wide Anglican Communion, and of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America go to Episcopal News Service.

Invitations to a Holy Lent

Retreats and More...

Fast from Violence: In the midst of war talk and terroristic threats, the US Conference of the World Council of Churches announces plans for the third annual Lenten Fast from Violence. View weekly resources or download them as Word or .pdf files. Week One features the Millennium Development Goals Details of the fast are posted at the U.S. Office of the World Council of Churches.

This Lenten effort is part of the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV). Congregational reflection/study guides also available at the WCC weblink. See also Episcopal Peace Ministries and ELCA Worship Resources for Peace for more information and material for individuals and congregations.

Fri.-Sat. Feb. 16-17, 2007: Lenten Retreat at Holy Spirit in Randlett, UT. Discerning Your Spiritual Gifts begins with dinner on Friday at 6 p.m. and closes at 9 p.m. Resumes Saturday at 9 a.m. and concludes at 2 p.m. Retreat Leader: The Rev. Sue Duffield; Worship Leader: The Rev. Richard Mendez.

Fri.-Sat., March 2-3, 2007: A Lenten Retreat for Men and Women, Sacred Image, Deepened Prayer: Praying with Icons. The retreat will introduce the icon as art and as meditative focus.* Icons of the passion and resurrection of Christ will be emphasized along with quiet time for rest and personal refreshment.

The group will begin with dinner on Friday, March 2nd, at 6 p.m. and will conclude at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 3. Participants are responsible for their own overnight accommodations. The Skyline Inn is conveniently located across the street from the Church at 2475 E. 1700 S (Foothill Drive @ 1700 S.) Phone: 801-582-5350 http://www.skylineinn.com/. Some scholarships available For more details, to sign up or to arrange for a one-day retreat in your region, contact The Rev. Canon Mary June Nestler at 801- 595-5347 or email Mary June Nestler.

* Participants may wish to read one or more of the following short books before attending the retreat.
Jim Forest, Praying With Icons (1997)
Henri J. M. Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord (1987)
Linette Martin, Sacred Doorways: A Beginner's Guide to Icons (2002)

Pray Lent with ERD Episcopal Relief and Development offers a Lenten Devotional Series, Essentials: Lenten meditations on necessity and abundance. Visit ERD Lent or call Episcopal Books and Resources at 1-800-903- 5544. Devotionals and other ERD materials are free but a shipping charge of $7.50 will be applied to all orders. (Additional shipping charges are applied to large orders and requests for overnight or second- day delivery.

Stations of the Cross for Global Justice and Reconciliation: Beautifully illustrated stations of the Cross compiled by the Episcopal Public Policy Network. They can be downloaded into a printable booklet form. Available at EPPN.

Lenten Activities: Living the Good News publishes an intergenerational program for observance of the seasonal festivals. Vol. II features Lent through Pentecost. Go to Growing Together.

Episcopal Church Publishing offers a variety of materials for Lenten spiritual reading. Sign up for their newsletter and get 25% off Lenten selections.

Lenten Resources from our ELCA sisters and brothers for growing spiritually during Lent, including Bible study, prayer and Christian practices. Individual and group resources at Lent 2007. New this year, an eight- session worship/study resource from Global Mission called "Living in God's Amazing Grace - Reaching Out in Mission!" and an online discussion of the book Practicing Our Faith edited by Dorothy C. Bass.

Lenten Invitations: Parishes

Streams in the Desert

St. Mark's Cathedral Feb. 28-Mar. 28, 2007, 6 p.m.-8:15 p.m.: Five Wednesdays in Lent series features American Fundamentalisms: Backgrounds, Theologies, and Contributions to Current Events in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion led by the Rev. Mary June Nestler, Diocesan Canon for Education and Spiritual Formation.

The evenings will begin with the Holy Eucharist at 6 p.m., followed by a simple soup and bread supper at 6:30 and a presentation from 7:10 to 8:15. Come for a portion or come for all. Address: 231 East 100 South, SLC. For more information call 801-595- 5347.

St. Stephen's in West Valley City, Feb. 28-March 28: Worship on Wednesdays during Lent begins at 6 p.m. with dinner, Eucharist 7 p.m. and program from 7:40 - 8:30 p.m. Explore the five questions of the Baptismal Covenant. This will also serve as an introduction and review of the theology and worship of the Episcopal Church. The series will be led by Susan Fischer and Dan Herron. Address: 4615 South 3200 West. For more information, call 801-968- 2731.

St. Mary's in Provo Feb. 28-March 28: Lenten Studies program features a simple soup supper at 6:30 p.m. followed by a presentation from 7:15-8:15 p.m. At 8:15 will be a short service of prayer.

Lenten Studies schedule:

Wednesday, February 28: The Rev. Fred Quinn The History of the Diocese of Utah.
Wednesday, March 7: Panel Discussion Stories of St. Mary's and Tree of Life ELCA congregation.
Thursday, March 15: The Rev. Mary June Nestler Early History of the Episcopal Church at the home of the Rev. Kathleen and Ira West.
Wednesday, March 21: The Rev. Caryl Marsh The Ordination of Women.
Wednesday, March 28: The Rev. Fred Quinn The God who Entered History.

Church address: 50 West 200 North, Provo, UT. For more information, call 801-373-3090.

St. Paul's in Vernal on Wednesdays, February 28, March 7, 14, and 21: Lenten Bible Study and Soup Supper, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. Sensing the Passion – Experiencing Holy Week Through Our Human Senses. This series was designed by Nina, drawing upon the book of the same name by Kevin Scully. "How can a study of the senses help to move us from the head to the heart, from information to Christian formation?" Come and find out. For more information, call 435-789-1806.

Lenten Activities: Living the Good News publishes an intergenerational program for observance of the seasonal festivals. Vol. II features Lent through Pentecost. Go to Growing Together.

Looking for Confirmation Resources? Check out this program overview from the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago at Confirmation. See also Resources from Liturgy Training Publications for both Confirmation and baptismal preparation.

New Resource for Baptismal Preparation: Taking the Plunge: Baptism And Parenting by Anne E. Kitch, Morehouse Publishing, 144 pages, paperback, c. 2007, $14.95 What does the sacrament of baptism mean in your child's life -- and yours? In Taking the Plunge, parents explore how the Baptismal Covenant helps to shape the experience of raising children. What are you promising when you baptize your child? Anne Kitch writes with a light touch and includes plenty of real-life stories. To order, go to Episcopal Books and Resources, online at http://www.episcopalbookstore.org or call 800-903- 5544.

Episcopal Church Publishing offers a variety of materials for Lenten spiritual reading. Sign up for their newsletter and get 25% off Lenten selections.

Emerging Ministries

Latino/Hispanic, Native American, Youth & Campus

Charles Denny of St. Elizabeth's in White Rocks took first place in the teen category at the World Hoop Dancing Championships held recently at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ. Charles is the son of Ossie Denny, a member of Diocesan Council.

The hoops represent Unity, while the four colors of the hoops black, red, yellow and white represent the four human races, the four directions, four seasons, four winds, and more. As the Dance concludes, all 28 hoops are interlocked in a spherical union illustrating the interdependence we all share and cannot truly live without. To view this sacred dance and other Native American traditional dances, visit Native American Dances.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, March 2-4: High School Retreat for Grades 9-12 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Logan, UT. Spread the word: The retreat, entitled Millennium Development Goals: What ONE Can Do, will focus on educating teens about the MDG’s and empowering them to explore what they can do to make a difference in the world. Encourage the high school youth in your parish to participate in this event. For complete registration info/downloads go to this page.

Friday, March 9, 8:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m.: Youth Specialties offers THE CORE, a 1/2 day training event for youth leaders. THE CORE will be held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 8575 South 700 East, in Sandy. For details about the training (schedule, topics covered, etc.), and to register online, go to The Core.

eMinistry Resources offers mini-courses by teleconference on a variety of topics, including Jenifer Gamber's Designing a Confirmation Program that Speaks to Youth and Invites Ministry and Knowing and Loving Scripture: A Class for Adults Who Work with Youth

Education & Spiritual Formation

Amazing Grace: Two hundred years after the British Empire abolished slavery - and 144 years after the Emancipation Proclamation - an estimated 27 million people around the world are living in slavery. A new film tells the story of Amazing Grace, the hymn written by John Newton, a reformed slave trader. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the British Parliament's act to end the sale of human beings in its empire. The act was enacted in large part due to the efforts of William Wilberforce and click on "July" or see Lesser Feasts and Fasts for July 30. The act did not end the slave trade between Africa and the Americas, but it set a political precedent and a moral standard for the rest of the world. For information about a renewed effort to end slavery worldwide see Amazing Grace Sunday, Feb. 18.

Wednesday, February 21 2007 - 7:00 p.m. God Grew Tired of Us A 2006 film tracing the journey of Sudan's Lost Boys - Westminster Documentary Speakers Series. Westminster College, Vieve Gore Concert Hall, Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory, 1840 S 1300 E (NW corner of campus).

Introducing eMinistry.com: Features teleconferences on special topics. Sign-up, get a PIN and phone number and you can participate in a web- based discussion using your telephone and your computer. It's fun.

Eministry Teleconferences in February:

Praying in the Celtic Way
The Spirituality of the Labyrinth
Discernment 101: A Gentle Guide for Discerning God's Will for Your Life
How to Find and Do God's Work in Today's World
An Introduction to Faith-based Reconciliation
How Can I Help? How to be "Life Support" for Someone who is Grieving
The Millennium Development Goals: What Are They, and Why Should Christians Care?

Interested? Click on eMinistry.

Justice-Advocacy-Service

Christian Peace Witness for Iraq March 16, 2007. At 7 p.m. on March 16, thousands of people will convene at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., for a time of worship and rededication to the important work of peace and justice. After the service, those present will walk in procession to the White House and continue a vigil for peace. See Christian Peace Witness for flyer, registration, schedule of events, and resources for congregations to inform the heart and conscience on the 4th anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, whether in DC or at home. A toolkit for organizing a vigil in your congregation or community is available as a .pdf file at Witness.

Friday workshop list and descriptions at Peace Witness. The Episcopal Peace Fellowship will host a brunch at St. Albans Episcopal Church on Saturday, March 17th at 10:30 am - come meet other Episcopalians and EPFers, make plans for future actions!

Need Housing in DC? Several Churches are available for sleeping bag housing for Friday night. Write EPF National to attend the brunch and/or secure space.

Living as Peacemakers in a Broken World: is a two-session study resource prepared by Elizabeth Vélez, Plowshares Institute, for the Churches' Center for Theology and Public Policy in cooperation with The United States Institute of Peace and Church World Service. Two one-hour sessions are expandable. Case study approach entitled Jakub's Call. Read online or download at CCTPP.

Take Action on the Millennium Development Goals: Go to Episcopal Relief and Development, Click on each Goal listed to find facts, stories and specific actions you and others in your congregation can take to make a difference. If you have not done so already, check out Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation for their MDG kit. See the MDG sitemap at the bottom of the page.

The Episcopal ONE Campaign offers how to's on becoming a ONE individual, a ONE congregation. Includes excellent theological resources including a setting of Holy Eucharist.

Recommended: God’s Mission in the World: An Ecumenical Christian Study Guide on Global Poverty and the Millennium Development Goals (2006). It is co-authored by Mr Alex Baumgarten, International Policy Analyst for the Episcopal Church, Washington Office, and Ms Kimberley Stietz, Director for International Policy, ELCA Washington Office.

The Study Guide is divided into six sessions and includes appendices providing suggestions for engaging 'Lawmakers', selected web resources, and a glossary. If you haven’t found a Lenten study guide this would serve you well. Even if you have, it will be an important resource for you to have available. Order from Episcopal Bookstore.

Follow the Lawmakers: For a comprehensive treatment of people, bills, briefings of the 2007 Utah State Legislature, plus a wide variety of educational materials, go to Utah State Legislature. To follow a piece of legislation proposed by the U.S. Congress, go to Thomas.

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The Rev. Jessica Hatch
Education and Resource Office
801-322-4131 Ext. 362 jhatch@episcopal-ut.org

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