May 21, 2020
A Cascadia District Conversation on "What's Next"
On May 20th, the Greater Northwest Cabinet released a document, Reimagining Life Together, laying out the process and benchmarks by which we will re-open our church buildings and begin in-person gatherings again.
This Sunday, May 24th, Cascadia DS Tim Overton-Harris, will share this process and provide a time for discussion, questions, and concerns about preparations at the local church level.
This Zoom meeting is designed for
- local church pastors
- Lay Leaders
- Board/Council chairpersons
- SPRC chairpersons or representatives
- Finance chairpersons or representatives
- Trustee chairpersons or representatives
- other local church leaders involved in these preparations
Sunday, May 24th
2-4 p.m.
Click here to Register
You can join by computer (best), smart phone (good) or by regular phone call (you can't see, but you can hear and talk). You will receive connection information after you register. We hope you will join us for this very important discussion!
Message from the DS: The Work of the Pause
The Ascension; copyright Sr Mary Stephens CRSS
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…those who had gathered together asked Jesus, "Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?" Jesus replied, "It isn't for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." After Jesus said these things, as they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going away and as they were staring toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood next to them. They said, "Galileans, why are you standing here, looking toward heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you saw him go into heaven." (Acts 1: 6-11 CEB)
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Siblings in Christ,
I greet you this week knowing that you are absorbed in digesting the “Reimagining Life Together” document and beginning to think about your plans for your church and to reimagine what it will be like to be church on the other side of this pandemic.
Erin Martin shared in her devotions as part of the Bishop’s webinar on May 20th, this passage from Acts. Erin spoke of the little known and even less observed season of the Christian Year known as Ascensiontide: the nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost. She referred to this time as an imposed pause – this time between when the physical resurrected Jesus was lifted up away from the faithful and the time when the Holy Spirit descended upon them. What a great way to look at the time we find ourselves in, this time between being the physical church of the pre-pandemic and the reimagined community we will be when this is over. We are in an imposed pause. What we have known is no longer and what will be is still unknown. I will let your mind and soul play with this on its own. But the lesson for us is what the faithful did in this imposed pause: they prayed, and they prepared for whatever was to come (Acts 1: 12-26).
In an effort to help you in your work during this Ascensiontide – this imposed pause – I want to answer a few questions I think you have or will have as you do the work of Reimagining Life Together. These are questions the Bishop posed to the panelist in our preparation for the webinar on Wednesday, May 20th . . .
Read the rest of Tim's reflection on the Conference website by clicking here
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Peace,
Tim Overton-Harris
Cascadia District Superintendent
tim@umoi.org
Cascadia District Celebration!
The Annual Conference Session in June may not be happening, but that is not going to keep us from gathering as a district to celebrate our churches, our people, and our ministry!
The Cascadia District Lunch is reborn as the Cascadia District Online Zoom Celebration!
We'll remember our challenges and our creative solutions. We'll celebrate the way our ministry left our buildings and impacted our communities. We'll hear form our District Lay Leader, Paula Sadler. We'll say goodbye and hello as appointments change on July 1st, including DS Tim Overton-Harris leaving after three years as our DS and Rev. Wendy Woodworth coming in as the new Cascadia DS.
Sunday, June 14th
2-4 p.m
Register here to join us!
You'll receive connection information to the Zoom meeting after you register. You can join by computer (best), smart phone (good) or by regular phone call (you won't be able to see, but you'll be able to hear and talk).
Let's connect -
opportunities to be in conversation with the DS
In April, DS Tim held "Let's Connect" Zoom gatherings on Tuesday and Sunday evenings. He is continuing that in May, but the clergy and lay pastors meeting is shifting to Monday evenings beginning May 4. The Laity meeting will stay on Tuesday evenings.
Tim will continue to share the latest updates on the church's response, as well as engage in a time of fellowship and prayer. Learn more by clicking the links below:
Mondays @ 7 p.m. for clergy and
lay pastors
Tuesdays @ 6:30 p.m. for laity
Wednesday Webinar with the Bishop Offered Weekly
Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky, along with other Conference leadership and local church clergy and lay people, offer fellowship, inspiration, and practical guidance for ministry in these days in a weekly webinar on Wednesday mornings.The hour-long (or so!) webinar begins at 9 am PDT. Clergy and laity from across the Greater Northwest Area are invited to participate.
This coming week, Wednesday March 27, Bishop Elaine and others will lead in Part 4 of the series: Ministry in the New Normal.
There are a lot of decisions laity and pastoral leaders must consider before opening their church doors once more for ministry and worship. The goal of this series of webinars will be providing resources and information to help church leaders make healthy, responsible decisions. This won't be about following a timetable or checklist, but helping leaders to faithfully discern the time we are in and how to respond accordingly.
Click here to register for next Wednesday’s webinar
You can find recordings of past webinars on the GNW Area's Vimeo site:
Resources - a curated list
A lot of resources are being offered to help you be church in these new days. I'm collecting a curated list on the district web page. I hope that it helps you find what you are looking for! Check it out here: https://www.umoi.org/resources-for-a-time-of-pandemic
Here are some new resources this week:
- A link to the recorded webinar which took place on Wednesday, May 20 on the guidelines and pathway to reopening our buildings and gathering in-person again. Lots of good stuff in this - again! These webinars are a great resource -- brought to you by our connection. Click here.
- A link to the guideline document, Reimagining Life Together, released May 20th by the Greater Northwest Area Cabinet. Click here
- Check out all the information at https://www.umoi.org/resources-for-a-time-of-pandemic
If you can't find something there that you know you saw . . . somewhere, contact me and I'll see if I can find it for you! linda@umoi.org or (503) 581-3969
Grace and peace in Christ,
Linda
Linda Grund-Clampit
Cascadia District Administrative Assistant
How Are We Helping?
In So Many Ways!
Continue to support your local church financially.
Our buildings are closed, but the church is open and still doing ministry! Your tithes and donations are critical to continuing that work
The money in this fund will be distributed through local churches to the need they see across our episcopal area (Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Alaska), like the Grocery Gift Card Grants
This fund will assist vulnerable communities in the United States and around the world It is Advance #3022612. You can give through your local church by putting the advance number in the memo line of your check or give online.
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