News Update 07-01-2021

New Spirit Update, July 1, 2021

In this issue: an Episcopal priest’s experience of the 1968 Holy Week riots, St. Matt’s Community Dinner, Reach Out Challenge, and much, much more.

At the Table: Gathering Community

One-Minute read. Imagine how good it feels to be at a table that is warm and welcoming. That is the kind of table At the Table hopes to create in your home or within your congregation sometime soon.  

Short survey

To aid in future planning, we’re asking one leader from each church to please take this short, 2-question survey to let us know what day of the month your Vestry or Bishop’s Committee regularly meets.

Website updates

One-minute read. Details of some administrative updates to the diocesan websites.

I Hear America Singing

When: Sunday, July 18, 2021, at 4 p.m.
Where: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 416 SE Grand Avenue, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063
Who: Admission Free – Everyone Invited.
A Celebration of Thanksgiving for Freedom, presented by The Music Ministry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Lee’s Summit. A Choral Concert Followed by a Watermelon, Wine, Lemonade & Cookie Reception.

Pandemic prompts stewardship innovation, offers lasting lessons for church giving, panel says

Five-minute read. The suspension of in-person worship services early in the pandemic made the traditional passing of the offertory plate impossible, churches, they should commit to maintaining the spirit of innovation in church stewardship, especially with digital tools, according to the clergy and lay leaders who participated in a recent panel discussion hosted by the CEEP Network.

Reach Out Challenge

One-Minute read. Serving in the military can be stressful and lonely, so most service members love getting mail from loved ones and strangers alike. Accept the Everything Holy July Reach Out Challenge!

Executive Council advances church’s work on racial justice issues at June virtual meeting

Six-minute read. Themes of racial justice, including the experience of people of color within The Episcopal Church, the persecution of indigenous peoples in North America and plans to extend and magnify the church’s existing truth and reconciliation efforts, dominated the work of the church’s Executive Council during its June 25-28 virtual meeting.

Explore Scripture: Deepen Faith through Education for Ministry in West Missouri

Three-minute read. People need the kind of theological education which supports their faith and which also trains them to express that faith in day-to-day events. “This is a class I wish I had ‘discovered’ at a much earlier time in my life. It is rewarding beyond anything I ever thought it would be.”

1968 Holy Week Riots in Kansas City, Missouri

10-minute read. April 4, 1968, was a normal workday for me, starting at 8 a.m. and ending around 5:30 p.m. when I would rush in the door and plop down in front of the television for the evening news. At 6:01 p.m. that evening, the world changed for many in America and was on the verge of changing for me.

The Cross – June 2021 Issue

One-minute read. The June edition of The Cross, the magazine of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, a worldwide ministry to men and youth in the Episcopal and Anglican communion is available to read online.

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