In June, St. Stephen’s Oak Ridge reunited with friends in the Clearfork Valley community as they began their 4th year of Reading Camp in the area. Reading Camp seeks to assist children from nearby small elementary schools. Breakfast and lunch are provided every day, as well as take-home bags. Children play games, do crafts or other activities related to a theme, and wind up the camp with a special field trip. This year’s Reading Camp theme was “The Write Stuff.”
Read MoreReconciling Thoughts: The Glory in the Grey
“Thou art there within the cloud to challenge us to love. Show to us the glory in the grey. Awake for us Thy presence in the very storm till all our joys are seen as Thee and all our trivial tasks emerge as priestly sacraments in the universal temple of Thy love.” –A portion of a prayer from the Iona Community A few Sunday evenings ago, I participated in a Celtic Eucharist at Church of the Ascension, Knoxville. The nave
Read MoreBishop Brian’s Homily at the Renewal of Ministry and Welcoming of a New Rector with the Rev. Johnny Tuttle and St. Paul’s, Kingsport
Homily given at the Renewal of Ministry and Welcoming of a New Rector with the Rev. Johnny Tuttle and St. Paul’s Kingsport October 2, 2019 Ruth 1:8, 14-19a, Psalm 85, Ephesians 2:11-22, Luke 1:39-45 Text is below. CLICK HERE to listen to the homily – you’ll get to hear the homily, Bishop Brian’s biggest fan, and a snippet from “Dust in the Wind,” by the 70’s band Kansas! When I was in college, I got a new roommate at the
Read MoreJonathan Myrick Daniels Pilgrimage – A Reflection
By the Rev. Maggie Zellar, rector, St. Christopher’s, Kingsport On August 9, I joined a group of people traveling from St. Timothy’s Signal Mountain to Montgomery, Selma, and Hayneville, Alabama. The main focus of our journey was the Jonathan Myrick Daniels Pilgrimage in Hayneville the second day. In Montgomery, we planned to visit the Peace and Justice Memorial and the Legacy Museum. We arrived in Montgomery at about 2:00 Friday and our first stop was the Memorial which is also
Read MoreThe Rev. Susanna Metz is ‘Not So Little Red Riding Hood’ in The Little Torrington Players production
By The Rev. Susanna Metz The Rev. Susanna Metz is an East Tennessee priest who is a team vicar in a team of nine very rural, very small Anglican parishes in North Devon, England. For The Little Torrington Players, September signals the beginning of our pantomime season. Little Torrington is a tiny village across the valley from, you guessed it, Great Torrington a proper town which was the scene of one of the last battles of the English Civil War.
Read MoreBrother Andrew Aelred to Join Diocesan Staff
Bishop Brian is pleased to announce that Brother Andrew Aelred will be joining our diocesan staff as Missioner for Communications and Evangelism on October 7. Most recently, Andrew has been serving as Communications Coordinator and Associate Music Director at Church of the Ascension in Knoxville. Accomplished in communications and music, Andrew is also a natural leader. At Church of the Ascension, he created and maintains the church website. He is responsible for social media, handles electronic communications, and created the
Read MoreReconciling Thoughts
Today is September 11th. 9/11. For many, this day will always take us back to an incredible national tragedy, a day of deep and unspeakable loss, as deaths in New York City, Washington DC, and a field in Pennsylvania touched all of us. Today is also my mother’s birthday. Before 2001, this day was all celebratory for my family. Now, while we still express thanks for my mother’s continued health and presence in our family’s common life, we do so
Read MoreTouched by a Holy Fire
Sermon given on the 10th Sunday after Pentecost All Saints, Sewanee | August 18, 2019 Luke 12:49-56 Watch the video of the sermon here. Did you know there is such a thing as a fire historian? I knew historians could specialize. Civil War historians, historians of the Reformation, art historians—such ones as these I had heard about. But fire? I have only recently discovered that you can grow up to be a fire historian. So, while those other boys and
Read MoreReconciling Thoughts
Susan and I traveled to Door County, Wisconsin in late July for our summer vacation. While we were there, along with a chance to unwind, take long walks, read books, and enjoy cooler weather, we also celebrated that it had been two years since the East Tennessee bishop election. In that time since the election, it has been a real joy for us to put down roots in East Tennessee and listen to you and dream and plan for common
Read More‘Blessed Jonathan, pray for us’
Reflection on Jonathan Myrick Daniels Pilgrimage by Michelle Simmons Michelle is a Sewanee seminarian from the Diocese of Colorado doing her Field Education at St. Timothy, Signal Mountain I spent the last two days on an amazing pilgrimage in honor of Jonathan Myrick Daniels and the martyrs of Alabama. Daniels was an Episcopal seminarian (like me) studying for the priesthood in 1965 when he responded to a call by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for volunteers to help assist with
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