April 22, 2020 “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear…Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’” -John 20:19 Dear East Tennessee Friends, I am writing to you on Wednesday after the Second Sunday of Easter. I am writing to you in a season when many of us are spending countless hours inside our homes,

  On Friday, April 17, we visited with a small group of clergy and lay leaders from our parish churches in Chattanooga and Cleveland who were most impacted by the tornadoes of Easter Sunday night/Monday morning. We met at St. Francis Ooltewah, fewer than 10 of us, socially distanced and masked. Along with a time for prayer, we updated each other regarding the damage done to homes of parishioners and church buildings. If you would like to make a donation

 Transcript Hello. I’m Bishop Brian, and I wanted to bring Easter greetings to you today. This Easter, 2020, will be unlike any Easter we have ever experienced in our lifetime. A typical Easter Sunday morning, the church is filled with people, the church is filled with the smell of Easter lilies and music, celebration, proclamation. This year, we will celebrate Easter, not together, but in our homes, away from each other, apart from each other, in order to support

Collect for Holy Saturday O God, Creator of Heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Jesus once slept in a boat while a storm raged

Collect for Good Friday Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. On Good Friday in the year 1991, I was a Baptist seminarian in Louisville, Kentucky. I had not grown up with any

Maundy Thursday Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Today, Maundy Thursday, is a day when the Church is called to remember.

April 8, 2020 “Hear my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my petition. Listen to me and answer me; I have no peace, because of my cares.” Psalm 55:1-2 Dear East Tennessee Friends, I am writing to you on Wednesday in Holy Week. Psalm 55 is the Psalm appointed for Morning Prayer today. Like you, I have been praying fervently these last several weeks for God to hear and listen as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend our