October 20, 2023 – Recently, we helped Sophia Timmerman-Pelensky launch her Kondoa Knowledge fundraiser as a part of her Gold Project for Girl Scouts. The initial phase has raised over $3,500 for the children of St. Peter St. Paul primary school. That’s equivalent to roughly 700 textbooks! We continue highlighting this fundraiser as Sophia wishes to raise additional funds to help the secondary school. Ready to help? September 5, 2023 – Sophia Timmerman-Pelensky, member of Church of the Good Shepherd,

Episcopal teens ages 16 to 19 are invited to apply to become part of the 81st General Convention’s Official Youth Presence, a group whose members have seat and voice in the House of Deputies and can testify at hearings before and during the summer 2024 convention. The deadline to apply is Nov. 17. Up to two youth from each of the church’s nine provinces will be selected to participate in the Official Youth Presence from June 20-28, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky. Youth

Licensed Lay Ministry in East Tennessee All baptized Christians are called to ministry. The Episcopal parish and its surrounding community are stocked full of opportunities to answer those calls. Some of you, however, are called to be more deeply formed for specific ministries and licensed for more confidence and credibility in the practice in your parish. The Episcopal Church in East Tennessee has dedicated staff and other resources to the discernment, formation, support, and licensing of lay ministers for more than two

Both Bishop Brian Cole, Episcopal Bishop of East Tennessee, and Bishop Kevin Stickland, Bishop of the Southeastern Synod ELCA, along with the Rev. Bob Miller, Rev. Smokey Oats, and other clergy, walked with the people of St. Barnabas Episcopal-Lutheran Worshipping Community as they secularized the building and ended the formal ministry of the community on Wednesday, July 12. Please keep the people of St. Barnabas in your prayers. Thank you to Canon Michelle Bolt for taking the photos.

On Saturday, July 15, Bishop Brian Cole and the people of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Signal Mountain and East Tennessee celebrated the ordination of the Rev. Kat Chappell to the priesthood.

 Were you aware that the General Convention of the Episcopal Church is the largest legislative body outside of our National Government in DC? The one-year countdown to the 81st General Convention and the 51st Triennial Meeting of the Episcopal Church Women, taking place in the Diocese of Kentucky, begins on June 23rd! Alongside the important work towards reconciliation and equality, the convention is set to be filled with exciting events, starting with a revival hosted by Presiding Bishop Michael

 In the latest Becoming Beloved Community Storytelling Initiative Interview, Mr. Alvin Blount, Diocesan Archivist, interview Mr. Elliott Wiggers, an ETNyouth who journeyed on the Trail of Tears Pilgrimage this year. Transcript – [Alvin] Well, good afternoon. – [Elliott] Good afternoon. – We are so happy to have the wonderful Mr. Elliott Wiggers in the house here, at the Diocese, in the house. And we had a chance to interact with each other a lot during the Trail of Tears