In his convention address on Saturday, Bishop Ian Douglas looked at the last year in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut through two lenses – change and opportunity. He said, “Change and opportunity can result in feelings of excitement and fear, joy and anxiety.” This past weekend’s convention was full of change and opportunities – and…
Meet Janet Ainsworth: Experiencing and Sharing God in Nature
For some, the turning of the leaves and crisp cool mornings means pumpkin spice lattes and cozy oversized sweaters. Or if you’re Janet Ainsworth, the coming autumn means it’s time to lace up your hiking boots and hit the trails in one of Connecticut’s 109 state parks. That is exactly what we did last week.
Surfing U-S-A and Surfing G-O-D
Probably one of the most commonly recognized relaxing sounds is that of waves crashing along a shoreline. But those waves, although relaxing for some, are exhilarating for many. A couple months ago I recorded the Rev. Matt Lindeman on the Coffee Hour at the Commons podcast, and learned all about his day-off ritual: surfing. Matt has been…
Eating Liturgically
This blog is written by Erika Plank Hagan, member of St. Stephen’s, Ridgefield, and was featured in the September edition of the Northeast Region Newsletter. At the bottom of the blog, you can learn more about Erika and Eating Liturgically. Extra credit: there is a recipe, please comment if you tried out the recipe! I…
Praying and Learning at Hammonasset Beach State Park
Saturday, I pilgrimaged around Hammonasset Beach State Park with 30 other Episcopalians. We visited four spots nearby the Meigs Point Nature Center. At each spot we prayed, learned, sang, and gave thanks. The gathering consisted mostly of folks from the Southeast and South Central Regions, and the prayers and litanies read were adapted from God’s Good…
Joining Jesus in this new Missional Age, Part Two
It has been a couple months since the last blog post featuring St. John’s parish in Vernon and St. Monica’s parish in Hartford, and their participation with Joining Jesus in this new Missional Age (JJMA). When we met St. John’s and St. Monica’s, they were just beginning in this journey, and now they have finished…
Back to school at Kent School, with the Rev. Kate Kelderman
In honor of back to school season, I drove up to Kent, CT and met with the Rev. Kate Kelderman. Kate, or Mama K, as she is known on campus, is the school chaplain, Dean of St. Joseph’s chapel, a chemistry teacher, and varsity field hockey coach at Kent School. Kate gave me a tour of…
Meet Margaret Clark: the importance of perpetual care
I first heard of Margaret Clark and the Cemetery on Hope St. in Stamford from a former co-worker, Don. He told me of the history of the cemetery and Margaret’s initiative and dedication to its perpetual care. So, I drove to Stamford with my camera and recorded Margaret’s story. Here it is: Margaret Clark is…
Creating a culture of kindness at Armsmear
I had first heard of Armsmear about three years ago when I started at The Commons. Bishop Laura Ahrens has a binder on her bookshelf with the word “Armsmear” on the spine, and for three years I would find myself looking at the binder thinking “what a weird name, I wonder what that is.” Fast forward to now, when I was looking for this week’s blog post, I decided I would do some research into this mysterious binder and Armsmear.
Painting Apartments & Building Peace in New Haven
I spent my Thursday painting an apartment in Newhallville, New Haven with the 12 young people from Palestine, Israel, and Jordan and the Christian Community Action. This service project was one of seven offered with IWagePeace.org and Jerusalem Peacebuilders’ Interfaith Service Day.
I had heard about this service day from the Rev. Canon Nicholas Porter, Executive Director for Jerusalem Peacebuilders.
