Happy Pride 2020!

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In celebration of Pride 2020, people from around the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana shared what Pride means to them.
“During June, Americans and people around the world observe Pride. Today,...I am mindful that Pride is both a celebration and a testament to sorrow and struggle that has not yet ended. Especially this month, I offer special thanks to God for the strength of the LGBTQ community and for all that you share with your spouses, partners and children, with your faith communities, and indeed with our entire nation.”
— Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
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“For over 40 years, when we gather as Episcopalians to renew our own Baptismal promises, one of a number of questions we’re asked is, ‘Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?’ and ‘Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being?’ That’s what Pride means to me. LGBTQ folk made in God’s image and likeness.”
— Bishop Doug Sparks
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LGBTQ+ in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana

To our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender brothers, sisters, and siblings: The Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana welcomes you!

The Episcopal Church warmly welcomes our LGBTQ siblings, but it would be ingenuous to say that the entire church is in the same place on this journey. As with all spiritual journeys, everyone walks at their own pace. Some Episcopal congregations are actively involved in LGBTQ ministry and their arms are open wide; others are more reserved, but their doors are still open to all; some are still wrestling with their beliefs and feelings. But we’re on this journey together, and The Episcopal Church is dedicated to full inclusion and equality in the church as well as in society as a whole.

Our LGBTQ+ webpage has a list of churches that have self-identified as LGBTQ+ welcoming faith communities. Churches marked with an asterisk have also formally adopted an inclusive marriage policy. If your faith community is not listed and you think it should be, please ask your clergy person and senior warden to email Canon Christopher Hillak, Missioner for Digital Communications.

TENS 2020 Annual Pledge Campaign

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Dear Stewardship representatives in ONES - Our Network for Episcopal Stewardship in the Diocese of Northern Indiana:

Available now on the TENS website is all the information you need for planning a successful annual giving campaign. The theme of the TENS 2020 Annual Pledge Program is Faith Filled Generosity. 

To access this information go to: https://www.tens.org/resources/member-resources/

Username and password information was emailed on June 26. If you have misplaced the information, please email Linda Buskirk and she will provide it to you.

We hope you have recruited your Stewardship Ministry team for this year's annual campaign. For a list of other resources, check out our Diocesan website's page for the ministry of Stewardship: https://ednin.org/stewardship

With blessings for faith, health and peace,

Faithful Stewards Commission

Dove Faith Café Receives Grant Funding

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Most people love good stories told well. Our family is like that. In my extended family, we know that when Uncle Tom gets on a roll, buckle up, because he’s got hundreds of great stories, each one funnier than the last. When my mom chimes in with him, well, look out because it’s gonna be good!

As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize that the love of storytelling is universal. Good stories told well draw us in, captivate us, make us forget ourselves. And it’s not just for adults. As kids we would linger on the edges of the conversations as the adults told stories long into the night at family gatherings. When I was a middle school teacher the kids would beg me to tell them stories. “Please tell us the story of Squirrely Joe again!” “Was he a real guy?” I’d reply that if they finished their work and there was still time, I’d tell them again the story of Squirrely Joe and how he cut off his finger TWICE at the roundhouse in Chicago.

As my relationship with God has deepened and matured, I find that my best stories are those that involve how God has shown up in my life, usually in very unexpected ways. The problem with that, though, is that many people are more comfortable hearing the Squirrely Joe stories, not how God performed a miracle for me when I least expected it. When I’m with my Christian friends, though, they’re not so discriminating. We flow back and forth from faith stories to secular stories. For me, there’s not a dividing line. I don’t have to hold back with my Christian friends. They are just as happy to hear about the miracles as they are to hear the roundhouse stories. And they are eager to share their own. When we share our faith stories with one another, it fans the flames of our faith and enriches us both. We come away amazed at how God works in our lives. Our faith is stronger and our gratitude magnified.

That is what The Dove Faith Café (DFC) is all about. It’s a new program that takes well-crafted faith stories and shares them with a live audience of listeners. Beginning in the spring of 2021, the DFC will travel across our diocese on four different nights with five storytellers to share an evening of storytelling, live music, food and drink, and new friends. During each DFC event, our emcee will welcome the audience then introduce the speakers. After each story, the emcee will introduce the next speaker, with an intermission halfway through the event. When all of the storytellers have spoken, the emcee will invite the audience members to turn to those at their tables and tell their own faith story, as they feel called to do. The hope is that hearing one another’s faith stories will rekindle the flames of our own faith journey, reminding us of all that God has done for us.

Traditionally we think of evangelism as introducing nonbelievers to Jesus. I have long thought that it is just as important to stir up the faith in believers as well. It is easy for the embers of our faith to grow cool. Christianity is not a one-and-done event at baptism. It is a lived journey. When we stir up our faith, we can grow closer to God, his blessed Son, and his beloved Holy Spirit. I have witnessed faith stories stir and move believers. I am curious to see what effect this kind of faith sharing will have on someone who does not consider him-/herself a child of God. I believe that God will use these opportunities to draw all of us closer to God.

The Dove Faith Café was inspired by God while in prayer as I was hiking several years ago. This is God’s plan. It always has been. It has proceeded along God’s timeline, pandemic notwithstanding, and it has drawn the people and resources God has called to it. One of those resources has come in the form of a grant from the United Thank Offering. The UTO generously awarded Deacon (soon-to-be-priest) Cynthia Moore and The Dove Faith Café $5,000 from their Young Adult and Seminarian 2020 Grant monies to help bring this program to fruition. Additionally, a $670 award from the Commission on Ministry’s Continuing Education Grant will cover the cost of teaching our speakers to craft and deliver their experiences into a compelling faith story.

The Dove Faith Café is an opportunity for us to gather and enjoy one another’s stories. Perhaps along the way, it will rekindle our own embers of faith, deepen our relationship with our Creator, and remind us, “Oh, this is gonna be good!”

 

-Marie Gambetta, St. Paul’s Munster, Calumet Episcopal Ministry Partnership

2020 EDNIN and United Thank Offering Grants Awarded

EDNIN Social Outreach Grants

The Diocesan Social Outreach Committee has awarded the following grants totaling $9464.90.

  • Calumet Episcopal Ministry Partnership - Food Pantry; $1,750.00

  • The Cathedral of Saint James - Madison School Shoe Tree Project; $2,714.90

  • Saint Augustine - School Supply Giveaway; $1,250.00

  • Saint David's - Feeser School Backpacks; $1,250.00

  • Saint Michael and All Angels - SOS Ministry; $1,250.00

  • Trinity - Free Laundry and Meals; $1,250.00

EDNIN Continuing Education Grants

The Continuing Education Subcommittee of the Commission on Ministry has awarded the following grants totaling $1,797.00

  • Marie Gambetta - EDNIN Dove Faith Cafe Storytelling Training; $670.00

  • The Rev. Bernadette Hartsough - Online Spanish Courses; $872.00

  • Roscinda Rinehart - The Little Rule of St. Benedict and The Little Way of St. Therese; $255.00

United Thank Offering Grants

United Thank Offering 2020 Young Adult and Seminarian Grant

Special Diocesan Convention in October

Dear Clergy and Lay Delegates,

The COVID-19 pandemic has required all of us to change how we live, worship, and conduct business. One of the items we must now deal with is how we conduct business as a diocese and specifically whether we must be physically present to conduct that business. For us, that is our Diocesan Convention. With an abundance of caution, and following the lead of most of our surrounding dioceses, we are most likely going to have an entirely virtual or a partially virtual Diocesan Convention this year. (Partially virtual may mean people gather in socially-distanced small groups at a parish location. More details on that later.)  

The Constitution and Canons Committee have carefully reviewed Indiana state laws, our Diocesan Canons, and The Episcopal Church canons applying to virtual meetings. They suggested a three step process: 

  • First, they recommended to Diocesan Council, which acts as the interim legislative body between conventions, a Resolution (Attachment A) providing just the bare minimum change required for Convention to meet virtually (a one-time change to the Rules of Order). Council adopted this resolution at its June 13th meeting. The Committee also made a recommendation to the Bishop about the form of worship to be used for a virtual Convention, and he has indicated that he will plan accordingly.

  • Second, the Committee recommended that a Special Convention be called to consider three resolutions (Attachment B) more thoroughly amending all of the Canons that bear on virtual meetings. Those three resolutions will be the subject of the October 3 convention.

  • And third, the Committee recommended that our next non-virtual meeting of Convention, whenever that turns out to be, ratify the amendments made by the Special Convention, just to be sure that no-one can later claim that they are invalid. 

In order to simplify the process, and to both fine tune and shorten our November convention, we will have a short Special Convention on Saturday October 3rd beginning at 10am EDT/9am CDT. The only item of business will be the ratification of these resolutions (although the meeting itself requires items like establishing a quorum, approving minutes from the last convention, etc.). Please reserve 2 hours for this meeting. If there is little/no discussion, we hope to complete the meeting within 30 minutes. 

Please mark your calendar for our Special Diocesan Convention on Saturday October 3, 2020 beginning at 10am EDT/9am CDT for TWO hours. More details will be provided in the coming weeks.

Our November 7, 2020 regular Diocesan Convention will occur as planned, in some sort of virtual format. 

This is new to all of us!  If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions please don't hesitate to reach out to Missioner Michelle Walker.  Thank you!

Safeguarding in Social Media

Many of our faith communities are responding to the need for continued physical distancing by converting their summer programs for children and youth (Vacation Bible Study, Youth Events, etc.) into an online format. While many of these will be one-way video presentations, others will involve online interaction among children and adults. Please remember that many of our Safeguarding policies governing face-to-face interactions will still be relevant in this online context. These include but are not limited to:

  • 2-Deep Ministry—The presence of at least 2 unrelated adults, who have undergone Safeguarding training, is required during all Program activities.

  • Screening—No person will be allowed to volunteer to regularly work with children or youth until the person has been known to the clergy and congregation for at least 6 months.

  • Appropriateness of Content—Reference to individuals’ personal sexual conduct or drug use, and the use of sexually explicit materials is prohibited. 

  • Sobriety—using, possessing, distributing, or otherwise being under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while participating in or assisting with programs or activities specifically for children or youth is prohibited.

  • Protecting Dignity—using harsh or degrading language or participating in or allowing others to conduct any hazing activities is prohibited.

  • Appropriate Boundaries—Adults are required to maintain appropriate boundaries among participants with regard to signs of affection and gift giving. 

Those who have undergone requires Safeguarding training should already be aware of such policies.

Other challenges also arise in the online context. If your ministry is planning an online gathering of children or youth, please review the Social Media Safety module on the Safeguarding Online website. The site requires login, and you should have received account information shortly after you completed the required face-to-face Safeguarding training. If you have not completed the face-to-face training, please contact Missioner Terri Bays to participate in such training over Zoom.

We give thanks to God for your participation in tending to the welfare of the children and youth God has entrusted to our care!

We Acknowledge...We Lament...We Repent of the Sin of Racism!

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Stewardship Webpage Launched

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Dear ONES representatives, Clergy and Treasurers:

Stewardship now has its own page on our Diocesan website!  From the ednin.org home page you will find it under “Ministries and Programs,” but here’s the direct link: https://ednin.org/stewardship   Scroll down the page to find information about Our Network for Stewardship (ONES), The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS), and the list of online resources and book recommendations.   Also posted here will be copies of past E-News and other messages sent to the ONES email list. 

Thanks to Bishop Douglas Sparks for making this spot on the website available and to Diocesan Missioner Christopher Hillak for creating it so well!

With blessings for your stewardship ministry,

Linda Buskirk, Chairperson
Faithful Stewards Commission

Four Ideas for Stewardship Chairs

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  1. Set up your Stewardship Committee. Your Rector or Priest should be included. It might be helpful if your Treasurer OR Finance Committee Chair were also on this committee. This committee will review past budget information, current membership information, any plans for new or expanded programs or projects, etc. to determine the goal for your Fall Campaign. Once the goal is determined, the Committee will plan the series of events that will make up the campaign: letters that ask for a pledge commitment, homilies, testimonials, and a kick off or end of campaign celebration. (The TENS resources, paid for by the Diocese, will provide you with letter templates and bulletin inserts that can be downloaded and customized for your church).

  2. Establish the timeline for your campaign. When will you kick off? When will you end? When will you post stewardship messages on social media? When will your pledge request letters be mailed? When will you insert stewardship messages into the Sunday bulletin? When will you have members give a stewardship testimonial on Sundays? Which services? How and when will you celebrate your successful campaign?

  3. Take a good look at your church website. Changes might need to be made to allow for: online giving, monthly giving, access to the Stewardship Materials like bulletin insert messages, stewardship homilies, and the Pledge Card itself. Take a look at whether these things are easy for folks to find. How long does it take for someone to make an online gift currently? Recent research by fundraising software company Blackbaud says: “Online donations should not take more than 20 to 30 seconds to complete. If someone has to click multiple times, potential donors start dropping out of the gift process.” There is a wonderful program available through TENS called tithe.ly that can boost your online donations, online monthly gifts, and even create an app for cell phones that members can download to their phone to make gifts using a credit or debit card. There is no set- up charge, but each transaction is charged a service fee of 2.9% plus 30 cents. The 2.9% covers the credit card transaction fee, and the 30 cents goes to tithe.ly (a service fee is pretty standard across most major payment gateway services, including PayPal. But the value add for tithe.ly is that they will set up your website portal for you and give you a mobile app.). More information can be found on the TENS website.

  4. Start gathering information and success stories that you can share with the congregation via social media, your church newsletters (print and electronic) and get those messages out BEFORE you ask them for money for the 2021 budget. People will always give more generously if they know their gifts make a difference. How is their pledge helping with outreach or missions? How is their pledge helping with Christian Formation? How is their pledge helping maintain your building and grounds? Tell these stories and say thank you to the congregation for making this Kingdom work possible. Where do you find these stories? Talk to your clergy, your committee chairs, your volunteers, and your Vestry members. The stories don’t have to be amazing. They don’t have to be more than a paragraph long. They just need to tell how God is working in and through your church family.

Blog post written by Brenda Rigdon

A Joint Statement from the Bishops of Indianapolis and Northern Indiana Regarding a Phased-in Approach to Regathering

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May 1, 2020

Dear People of God in the State of Indiana,

The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows XI Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis

The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows
XI Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis

As you may have heard, Governor Holcomb this afternoon sketched out a five-phase roadmap that he hopes will return our state to pre-pandemic levels of openness and activity by July 4. Under this plan, communities of faith can return to worship in their buildings beginning on May 8.

In granting this permission, however, the governor made it clear that he would prefer that churches continue to worship online, or outdoors, rather than in person, and he expressly asked Hoosiers over 65 remain at home. We appreciate both the governor’s commitment to freedom of religious expression and his candid admission that gathering to worship in person still poses risks to people of faith and those with whom they come in contact.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks VIII Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks
VIII Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana

We remain committed to doing everything we can to slow the spread of the pandemic. For that reason, we will not be reopening our church buildings for in-person worship this month. The restrictions that Bishop Baskerville-Burrows announced on March 24 and that Bishop Sparks announced on March 26 remain in effect, and we urge that you continue to observe them.

Like so many of you, we are eager to return safely to our church buildings and look forward to celebrating the Eucharist with the people of our diocese. But we must do so with the utmost care, or else we put the lives of vulnerable people at risk. To help guide us in this endeavor, we will release a detailed plan next week explaining the conditions and sketching out a possible timeline for a return to our church buildings. The plan will require some serious thinking on the part of each congregation about the ways a return to in-person worship might best be achieved, and we urge you to begin giving this some thought immediately.

In his recent Word to the Church, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry wrote: “As our seasons of life in the COVID-19 world continue to turn, we are called to continue to be creative, to risk, to love. We are called to ask, What would unselfish, sacrificial love do?”

We believe unselfish, sacrificial love requires abstaining a while longer from worshipping in person. We invite you to embrace this discipline as a way to express your care for the most vulnerable among us. You are in our prayers, and we will be in touch again soon.

Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrow
XI Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis

The Rt. Rev. Douglas E. Sparks
VIII Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana

Foreclosure Prevention Network

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May 1, 2020 - Foreclosure Prevention Network

Did you know that the Indiana Foreclosure Prevention Network runs a federally-funded program that provides assistance for homeowners in danger of foreclosure and renters in danger of eviction. For example, homeowners can get mortgage assistance for up to 6 months or $30,000. Learn more about this free program at https://www.877gethope.org/

Questions? Contact Canon Terri Bays, Diocesan Disaster Coordinator and NGO/Government Liaison

SNAP Benefits

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April 24, 2020 - SNAP Benefits

Wondering whether you might be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)? The state SNAP website has a confidential screening questionnaire to help you find out. First, gather the following information to help you answer questions: - Household financial information, such as:•Money spent on rent, house payments or heating and cooling•Cash on hand or money in a bank account•Income from a job or training•Payments for adult or child care•Unearned Income such as Social Security, SSI, child support, unemployment benefits- Benefits you get now or have gotten in the past (for example, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, veteran's benefits, etc.) - Medical information related to you and the people who live with you Then visit: https://fssabenefits.in.gov/bp/#/screening/screen-for-services

Questions? Contact Canon Terri Bays, Diocesan Disaster Coordinator and NGO/Government Liaison

Five Items to Virtually Connect Your Faith Community

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  1. Video capable smartphone or tablet. Tripod and holder recommended. (iPhone, Android, iPad, etc)
    The newer the version, the better the features/quality, but most are capable.

  2. Good Internet Access and Speed.
    Consider upgrading your facility Internet speeds. Contact your provider and explain that you want to be sure to have ample bandwidth to be able to livestream. Also, be sure you have strong WiFi signal where you are streaming. (Sanctuary, Parish Hall, etc). OR Physically move your router into the location you are planning to stream.

  3. External Microphone that works with Smartphone or Tablet.
    This is not necessary but will give better sound and flexibility.
    A couple options are: (Google search for retailers)
    - Rode Wireless Go - Compact Wireless Microphone System, Transmitter and Receiver $200.00
    - USB Microphone Snow Ball Kit $80.00

  4. YouTube and/or Facebook page associated with your Faith Community
    This would be the place that the live or recorded videos would be posted. Both sites allow for Live Broadcasting and even have some basic editing and production options that could be used.

  5. Laptop with video editing software

    1. Apple MacBook Computer and ECamm program subscription
      While this is a larger investment, it would open additional options for creating quality content.
      With a MacBook, an ECamm subscription. ($12/month) could be used.
      ECamm Live (ecamm.comis a versatile subscription program that allows you to easily produce and broadcast to YouTube and Facebook

    2. PC Laptop running OBS program
      OBS is an open-broadcast system that allows many of hte features of ECamm and works on a PC computer. The downside is it does not have the same simple user-interface of the ECamm program, so it will require someone comfortable with understanding and tweaking the settings. It is a very popular and highly used program.

Special Enrollment Period for Marketplace Health Insurance Coverage

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April 22, 2020 - Special Enrollment Period for Marketplace Health Insurance Coverage

Did you know that if you lost your job or have experienced a reduction in hours due to COVID-19, you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period for Marketplace Health Insurance Coverage (commonly known as Obamacare)? Visit https://www.healthcare.gov/coronavirus/ to learn more about this and other situations in which you might qualify.

Questions? Contact Canon Terri Bays, Diocesan Disaster Coordinator and NGO/Government Liaison

No Stimulus Check Yet?

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April 17, 2020 - No Stimulus Check Yet?

All US citizens who have not been listed as a dependent on somebody else’s taxes are eligible for stimulus checks under the CARES Act. Have you received your stimulus check yet? If not, check this website to make sure the IRS has the right information for you! https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments

Questions? Contact Canon Terri Bays, Diocesan Disaster Coordinator and NGO/Government Liaison