May 19, 2021 Dear Friends in the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee, Greetings! Pentecost Sunday 2021 is quickly approaching. As we pray again for the descending of the Spirit upon the people of God, we do so with encouraging news regarding our response to the COVID pandemic and updated CDC masking guidelines for fully vaccinated persons released last week. Your Diocesan COVID-19 Task Force continues to stress that decisions for regathering for in-person worship and formation are best made at

Communities across East Tennessee are reading March by John Lewis. In partnership with the East Tennessee Freedom Schools, our Episcopal Schools, and our parishes, the Diocese of East Tennessee is offering many ways to engage with the trilogy through interviews, discussion groups, reading camps, and even Godly Play stories. Throughout the coming weeks and months, we will be updating our dedicated resource page for March. There you can also sign up for emails alerting you to new resources and offerings and to

The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee has been chosen along with five other diocese to participate in The Episcopal Preaching Foundation’s Lay Preacher Training Initiative, funded by a generous grant from Trinity Church Wall Street. Bishop Brian Cole commented: “For the Episcopal Preaching Foundation to give intentional energy to equipping lay preaching acknowledges that ministry begins with baptism. In the New Testament Church, we hear a chorus of voices proclaiming the Word with words. I believe the renewal of The

Transcript – Hi, I’m Bishop Brian. I want to speak to you today about being distracted, about paying attention, about turning our face to Jesus. This past winter I was reading an article in the New York Times about Howard Rheingold. Rheingold is a critic, a writer who’s had a longstanding interest in the internet and how in particular social media has shaped us in ways both for good and for ill. Particularly, he’s concerned about what its done with

Transcript Hi, I’m Bishop Brian. There’s a vision from the prophet Zechariah that I want to share with you today. It’s a vision of a city, the city of Jerusalem, where old men and old women sit safely in the streets. Where young boys and girls play safely in the streets. It is a vision of wholeness, it’s a vision of a future where all are safe. Safe to play and sit in the streets. It’s a vision that we

Transcript The Second Sunday of Easter 2021 I John 1:1-2:2 The Right Rev Brian L. Cole   You may not know this about me, but I consider myself to be a movie buff. I love movies, all kinds of movies, and the experience of getting lost in a visual story. In days gone by of Blockbuster and mom and pop video stores, whenever I would tell Susan I was planning to rent a movie for the evening, she would always

Transcript – Hi, I’m Bishop Brian. I want to bring you Easter greeting in Easter 2021. This year, as we gather to celebrate Easter, my mind goes to Psalm 62 and a verse in Psalm 62 that says “God has spoken, twice have I heard it. Power alone belongs to God.” The celebration of Easter, the celebration of resurrection is a chance for us to see how God handles and uses power. God handles and uses power to raise Jesus

Holy Week Reflections 2021 He Loves Us to the End: A Reflection for Maundy Thursday The Loving, Open, Broken Heart of God: A Reflection for Good Friday Death Has a Way of Telling the Truth: A Reflection for Holy Saturday  Transcripts Maundy Thursday – On Maundy Thursday, when we hear the gospel lesson read, we hear that Jesus loves us and that he loves us to the end. I don’t know about you, but in relationships, I’m really good

March 18, 2021 As Bishops of Province IV of The Episcopal Church (also known as The Province of Sewanee) who share in the oversight of the University of the South, we in no uncertain terms condemn the harassment of the Vice Chancellor of the University last month by, as of now, unknown vandals and the more recent racial epithets hurled at scholar athletes from a visiting college by young people in the crowd during a lacrosse game. We hope and

For more information on Appalshop, visit www.appalshop.org. Transcript Hi, this is Bishop Brian. I want to wish you a happy Saint Patrick’s Day. It is Wednesday, March 17th. Every Wednesday morning the diocesan staff, along with guests and friends, gather for morning prayer. We’ve done that each Wednesday now for a couple of years. This past year we’ve done that by Zoom. This morning’s gospel lesson for morning prayer came from the Gospel of John, where Jesus says he is