March 31, 2023 “Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.” This weekend, during Palm Sunday processions, we will pause and pray the Collect above. Even as we parade together, with palm branches raised,
Read MoreGrace Point 2023 Annual Campaign
Dear Friends of Grace Point, We are ramping up for Camp at Grace Point in 2023! 2022 was a wonderful year at Grace Point Camp & Retreat Center as we welcomed many children, youth and adults who experienced this wonderful resource of the Diocese of East Tennessee. Isn’t it a wonderful reality that every member of our diocese is part owner of lake front property? If you haven’t been to this beautiful and well-maintained place of respite and renewal, please
Read MoreBBC Adult Resources April 2023
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Adults, April 2023 prepared by Alvin R. Blount Diocese of East Tennessee Talking through the Door: An Anthology of Contemporary Middle Eastern American Writing -Susan Atefat-Peckham -Kindle $12.49 -hardcover $13.15 -272 pages -Syracuse University Press -2014 -description: This anthology includes writers who are descendants of multiple cultural heritages, backgrounds, and diverse socioeconomic and spiritual sensibilities, such as Egyptian, Iranian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, and Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and atheist. There are many vital contributions
Read MoreBBC Youth Resources April 2023
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Youth, April 2023 prepared by Alvin R. Blount Diocese of East Tennessee Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood -Ibtisam Barakat -Kindle $9.99 -hardcover $11.89 -paperback $9.99 -208 pages -ages 11-15 -Square Fish -2016 -description: This memoir is set in Ramallah after the Six-Day War in 1967. The author tells what it is like to be a child whose life has been altered by war. We learn about her fear of hearing bombs and
Read MoreBBC Children’s Resources for April 2023
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Children, April 2023 prepared by Alvin R. Blount Diocese of East Tennessee The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story -Aya Khalil -Anait Semirdzhayan, illustrator -Kindle $9.99 -hardcover $17.95 -36 pages -ages 4-6 -Tilbury House Publishers -2020 -description: A young girl wraps herself in a beautiful quilt given to her by her grandmother and she writes a poem about it in Arabic. This leads to a project that includes her entire class and not only
Read MoreThe Work of Contemplation, A Reconciling Thought
Transcript Hi, I’m Bishop Brian. I want to invite you to reading a book together in the Easter season, “The City is My Monastery”-it’s by Richard Carter-on April 11th through May 30th for eight sessions, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.. We will take a look at this great new book reflecting on how you and I together can create intentional community either in person or online, to think about what it looks like to make a contemporary rule of life.
Read MoreBBC Who’s Who in East Tennessee: Denise Dean
Becoming Beloved Community Who’s Who in East Tennessee Featuring Denise Dean Denise Dean believes love is a verb and it informs all she does. It is her love for children that led her to start the East Tennessee Freedom Schools (ETFS) where she is the Executive Director. ETFS delivers the Children’s Defense Funds’ Freedom Schools® program that helps children fall in love with reading and engage in social and civic action. They operate three sites, two in Knox County and one in
Read MoreMore Than Numbers: New Parochial Report Encompasses Broader Impact
Originally Published as “Message from our Rector” in The Hoot by The Rev. Lou Parsons, Rector, St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church, Ooltewah March 2023 — Every year of serving in church, there is an additional discipline added to our Lenten practices: the Annual Parochial Report. The first of March is the deadline for the multiple-page report to be completed and filed with The Episcopal Church. Much of the report involves various calculations, from church attendance averages to financial reports. These reports are
Read MorePresiding Bishop Calls for Good Friday Donations to Jerusalem and Middle East
As The Episcopal Church’s Good Friday Offering enters its second century, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry invites bishops, congregations, and supporters—in his annual Lent letter—into “that selfless way of living” demonstrated by Jesus of Nazareth on the cross. First gathered in 1922, the initial Good Friday Offering was an intentional response of The Episcopal Church to support Anglican ministries in the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East that were impacted by the devastation of World War I, the Spanish flu
Read MoreChrist Leads Us Through All Seasons: A Reconciling Thought from Bishop Brian Cole
As Bishop Brian Cole prepared to travel to the House of Bishops gathering, he offered this reflection for the people of East Tennessee as we continue to journey through the season of Lent. Christ Leads Us Through All Seasons Hi, I’m Bishop Brian. In the middle of March, probably when you’re actually listening to this video, I will be at Camp McDowell near Birmingham, Alabama, for the spring meeting of the House of Bishops. Our theme this spring will
Read More