Jesus called disciples and then sent them out and trusted them with the mission of the Gospel. Generation after generation in the church, clergy and lay leaders have prayed about, interpreted, and acted on that mission.
Each of our congregations does this, and we do this on a diocesan level as well. This is the last week we are receiving nominations for two important diocesan elected ministries: Disciplinary Board and Standing Committee.
September is the month that our Diocese has set aside to help raise awareness about the effects of incarceration on those who are currently incarcerated, their families, and those who work at the correctional facilities as well as the impact that incarceration has on our communities.
We’re kicking off Prison Awareness Month with the “Straight from the Heart” art show hosted
Election news dominates almost every headline; election ads intersperse most TV programs, our social media feeds brim with opinions, quotes, and opportunities for involvement. Passions and tensions are high–sometimes for very good reasons. I feel in myself a mix of hope, fear, anxiety, and exhaustion. It’s possible that you feel some of those emotions, too.
It is a season of comings and goings at Diocesan House. Dawn Jackson, the Assistant to the Canon to the Ordinary and for Ministry, has taken a new job near her home in Payson. Dawn is currently the longest-serving employee of the Diocese of Arizona, beginning in 2014 as our Receptionist, and then moving forward …
I think we are now in week four (or five? I have lost track) of “breadapalooza,” the summer season during the Lectionary Year B where we hear stories about bread in the gospel for six weeks in a row.
Like many preachers, I am constantly looking for new illustrations to make potent the image of Jesus as the Bread of Life, to keep our sermons varied enough that we don’t simply preach the same thing six weeks in a row–though at some level, repetition is exactly what we are called to do. Gospel: Jesus is the bread of life. Liturgical Action: eat the bread of life. Repeat at least weekly.
There are now less than 90 days to November 4th and the 2024 presidential election. But for many of us, this election cycle has felt like an eternity. With an unstable political landscape and the constant stream of news, commentaries, and ads, it can feel overwhelming to be an engaged and informed voter. Fortunately, The …
This year, I’m also intrigued by the team of refugees and displaced people who are competing under the Olympic flag.
This Sunday we will host our diocesan observance for the 50th Anniversary of the ordination of the first women priests in the Episcopal Church at 4 pm at Trinity Cathedral.
Our preacher at Evensong will be the Rev. Machrina Blasdell, who was one of the first women to go through the ordination process in the Diocese of Arizona. I will let her share her own story—but I will tell the punchline that although she went through the ordination process here, she was not actually ordained in Arizona or by a bishop of Arizona.
Join us at Trinity Cathedral on September 12th, 2024 and best-selling author and pastor The Rev. Jim Wallis in reflections on the current state of our democracy, and his most recent book, The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy.
On October 4, 2022, the crew and host of the PBS Series America The Bountiful visited the Crazy Chili Farm at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. There, Bill Robinson and volunteers shared their work on growing, exchanging, and saving Native seeds of the Yoeme (Yaqui) Blue Corn that were thought to be nearly extinct and lost to the people.
Picture a country where fear of one’s neighbor is rampant, distrust of law enforcement is the standard, destructive riots occur regularly, and threats of political violence loom large over the minds of its citizens.
This evokes images of modern America, but we’re thinking of another country: Northern Ireland, in the lead-up to the violent and deadly multi-decade conflict known as The Troubles. With worries of political violence top of mind for millions of Americans, learning from leaders who have helped navigate conflict in other countries may give us insights for maintaining peace here at home.
Last week leaders from all over the Episcopal Church met in Louisville for the 81st General Convention.
The things I was most personally gratified to see were the approval of the first readings of a gender-neutral marriage rite, and an amendment to our Catechism defining marriage as a lifelong union between two people (rather than a man and woman) as part of the Book of Common Prayer. These were things I was working on the past two years on the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music.