Disciple: New, Notable & Newsworthy

Order Your 2024-2025 ‘Gospel-Based Discipleship’ by Sept. 30

Once again it’s time to help us be good stewards of both material and financial resources by ensuring only requested copies of the 2024-2025 Gospel-Based Discipleship are printed.

If you would like copies for your church, or if you are an individual who would like a hard copy for your own use, please place your order with Diocesan House no later than September 30. There is no charge for Gospel-Based Discipleship, and we are happy to supply you with what you need, but we do need you to place your order.

To order hard copies, please email the communications department. Be sure to include the address to which you want your copy(ies) mailed.

Copies will be printed and shipped in early November.

The 2024-2025 Gospel-Based Discipleship will also be available in its entirety—in English and Spanish—as a downloadable and printable PDF on the diocesan website, and its daily offerings will continue to be available on diocesan social media channels.

Receive the daily offerings via social media at:

• Facebook (facebook.com/EpiscopalDioceseNC)
• Twitter/X (@episcopalnc)
• Instagram (@episdionc)

Global Mission Bible Studies

There is something special about the relationships being built with the faithful in our companion dioceses. The sharing of lives lived in different countries, all rooted in a common faith, enriches one’s own life in incredible ways. The Chartered Committee on Global Mission invites you to be a part of this relationship through a new series of Global Mission Bible studies.

The gatherings take place on Zoom with friends in both the Dioceses of Costa Rica and Botswana. Scripture to be discussed is shared ahead of time, and those who take part participate in general discussions and time in breakout rooms.

Remaining dates in 2024 are September 18 and December 18; all gatherings take place at 11 a.m. Eastern time. To learn more or receive the Zoom link, contact the Rev. Rebecca Yarbrough and Dora Mbuwayesango, chairs of the Chartered Committee on Global Mission.

Mission Endowment Grants

Mission Endowment grants support efforts to establish the Episcopal presence of Christ in communities in ways that brings the community to see Christ’s presence among them. One- and two-year grants are available; five grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 are awarded each year.

What makes this grant unique is its support of collaborative efforts. While grant projects must relate to missionary initiatives located within the 38 counties of the diocese, the initiatives themselves do not have to be associated with diocesan entities. Only one member of the proposed project team is required to be associated with a diocesan entity; the rest of the team can build out from there.

The deadline to apply is November 30. Learn more and apply on the Mission Endowment grant page. To explore all grant and scholarship opportunities, visit the diocesan grants page.

Hurricane Preparedness Resources Available

As Tropical Storm Debby demonstrated, the 2024 hurricane season is well under way. Now is the time to take stock and make a plan in case another storm arrives. There are a few easy steps to help you prepare.

• If you already have a preparedness plan in place, take a moment to review it and ensure the information it contains is current. Update it as necessary, and be sure to check in with those involved to keep them up to date.
• If you do not have a preparedness plan in place, the diocese has step-by-step modules to take you through developing your plan. Visit the preparedness planning page to get started.
• The diocese stays in touch with congregations during emergencies via Alert Media. If you haven’t recently updated your emergency contacts, please update them via email to Christine McTaggart. (We request at least two emergency contact people, such as a clergy and vestry member, or a member of your own emergency response team.)

The time to make a plan is always when it’s calm. It is time well spent, even if (hopefully) the plan goes unused!

Help Your Recent Grad Find Their Next Faith Community

As young adults begin new chapters in their lives, help them connect with a campus or young adult ministry wherever they will be. There are a couple of quick and easy ways to do this:

• You may fill out The Episcopal Church’s online campus and young adult ministry referral form, which can be completed by or on behalf of the graduate. The relevant campus or young adult ministry will then be informed so that they can reach out to the graduate.
• For those who will be attending a college or university in the Diocese of North Carolina that has a campus ministry, you may also contact the relevant campus ministry directly.

Those who work in campus and young adult ministry find that the sooner we can make these connections following graduation, the better. You can find all the forms on the campus ministry page.

[Image: Students from St. Mary’s House, Greensboro, during the Greensboro Pride Festival.]

Election and Voting Resources Available

With the November elections drawing near, the information being shared about voting can quickly become overwhelming.

The Diocese of North Carolina has created a landing page with plenty of curated resources to help you navigate the conversations; keep track of key dates; learn what you need to know about the North Carolina voter ID law and the role churches can play in getting out the vote; and more, all for you to use and share.

The page will continue to be updated, so we invite you to visit our curated voting resources.

Second Cohort of Reimagining Curacies Begins Ministries

The diocese welcomes the Rev. Daisy Colon and the Rev. Liam Barr as the curates for the second cohort of Reimagining Curacies.

Reimagining Curacies is supported by a grant from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc.’s initiative entitled “Thriving in Ministry.” The goal of  the initiative is to create or strengthen programs to help pastors build lifelong patterns that sustain ministry in thriving congregations. Our first cohort served from 2020-2023, with each curate serving one year in each of the three host churches.

The second cohort will have a different experience. Our first cohort taught us that serving in multiple places was a gift both to the curates and congregations, but also that one year in each congregation was too short a time. Thus, Colon and Barr will serve at placements around the diocese for the next three years with each of them working in three different ministries for the duration of that time. Each curate will decide through conversation with those ministries precisely how they will allocate their time and effort between them. We hope that this will be a robust and formative experience of collaborative ministry.

Colon and Barr were ordained to the diaconate in June and began their placements at the beginning of July. We look forward to sharing their experiences, as well as the experiences of the six ministry placements where they are serving, throughout their time as curates. Look for more to come in diocesan communication channels.

Faith & Blue: October 11-14, 2024

The annual Faith & Blue Weekend is taking place October 11-14, so now is the time to start planning!

Celebrating its fifth anniversary, Faith & Blue aims to “recalibrate police-community relations through solutions-focused, in-person, socially distanced and/or virtual activities that are organized jointly by faith-based or other community groups and law enforcement agencies.” The weekends are celebrated across the U.S. with events spanning a wide range of offerings, including prayer services, special masses, community meals, service days and block parties.

The Diocese of North Carolina encourages congregations to answer the call and join the 2024 efforts to help build bridges between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The hope is that congregations across the diocese will host events, inviting parishioners, members of local law enforcement and residents in their surrounding communities. Events can be online or in person, and they can be as elaborate or informal as your community likes.

A Faith & Blue Planning Toolkit is available, and a great many resources can be found at faithandblue.org.

‘Bearing Witness’: A Journey with Holy Land Christians

“Bearing Witness” is a new free video-based study program from the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ). “Bearing Witness” shares the stories of people living in Palestine and Israel and the remarkable ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem that bring hope and healing in this volatile part of the world.

This is a particularly timely offering for those who want to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the dynamics, gifts and challenges of belonging to a land that is shared by many faiths, ethnicities and nationalities. It is a way of first listening, then praying and discerning how God might be calling us to be in solidarity with our siblings in Jerusalem, Gaza, Galilee, the West Bank and the entire area where Jesus lived, taught and gave himself up to the glory of God and for the sake of creating beloved community on earth. It models what it means to walk in love in one of the hardest regions on earth and recalibrates our hearts and our ministries in the process.

Even if you missed the informational session or the diocesan-wide class offered this summer, you still have the opportunity to engage with this powerful course in your church community or to take a facilitator training through AFEDJ. Learn more or sign up for a course at afedj.org/bearingwitness/overview/.