In June, St. Stephen’s Oak Ridge reunited with friends in the Clearfork Valley community as they began their 4th year of Reading Camp in the area. Reading Camp seeks to assist children from nearby small elementary schools. Breakfast and lunch are provided every day, as well as take-home bags. Children play games, do crafts or other activities related to a theme, and wind up the camp with a special field trip. This year’s Reading Camp theme was “The Write Stuff.”
Read MoreJonathan Myrick Daniels Pilgrimage – A Reflection
By the Rev. Maggie Zellar, rector, St. Christopher’s, Kingsport On August 9, I joined a group of people traveling from St. Timothy’s Signal Mountain to Montgomery, Selma, and Hayneville, Alabama. The main focus of our journey was the Jonathan Myrick Daniels Pilgrimage in Hayneville the second day. In Montgomery, we planned to visit the Peace and Justice Memorial and the Legacy Museum. We arrived in Montgomery at about 2:00 Friday and our first stop was the Memorial which is also
Read MoreThe Rev. Susanna Metz is ‘Not So Little Red Riding Hood’ in The Little Torrington Players production
By The Rev. Susanna Metz The Rev. Susanna Metz is an East Tennessee priest who is a team vicar in a team of nine very rural, very small Anglican parishes in North Devon, England. For The Little Torrington Players, September signals the beginning of our pantomime season. Little Torrington is a tiny village across the valley from, you guessed it, Great Torrington a proper town which was the scene of one of the last battles of the English Civil War.
Read MoreBrother Andrew Aelred to Join Diocesan Staff
Bishop Brian is pleased to announce that Brother Andrew Aelred will be joining our diocesan staff as Missioner for Communications and Evangelism on October 7. Most recently, Andrew has been serving as Communications Coordinator and Associate Music Director at Church of the Ascension in Knoxville. Accomplished in communications and music, Andrew is also a natural leader. At Church of the Ascension, he created and maintains the church website. He is responsible for social media, handles electronic communications, and created the
Read More‘Blessed Jonathan, pray for us’
Reflection on Jonathan Myrick Daniels Pilgrimage by Michelle Simmons Michelle is a Sewanee seminarian from the Diocese of Colorado doing her Field Education at St. Timothy, Signal Mountain I spent the last two days on an amazing pilgrimage in honor of Jonathan Myrick Daniels and the martyrs of Alabama. Daniels was an Episcopal seminarian (like me) studying for the priesthood in 1965 when he responded to a call by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for volunteers to help assist with
Read More‘Still a Need to Fight for Women’s Proper Role in the Church’
July 29 is the 45th Anniversary of the first ordinations of women in The Episcopal Church, the “Philadelphia 11.” In April 2015, East Tennessee Episcopal Church Women sponsored a Symposium and Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Women’s Ordination with two of the Philadelphia 11, and the author of a book about the 11. Below is a reprise of the article written by Pam Strickland about the celebration. They were compared to witches and called names by male priests that
Read MoreForming New Habits: The Ecumenical Order of Charity Comes to East Tennessee
By Bro. Andrew Aelred “In all times and places, the Eternal One calls forth souls to help creation realize its destiny. God so calls us, believers from many Christian denominations, to come together into the Ecumenical Order of Charity. Through living out the principles embodied in our rule of life, The Founding Document, and through the profession of our five unique vows, we dedicated ourselves to becoming active conscious participants in the unfolding of the Reign of God on Earth, co-workers with Our
Read MoreBrother Reich’s Journey to Answer God’s Call
By Brother Larry Walter Reich In 2009 I began my journey to answer God’s call. At my age, the priesthood and diaconate were not in my future. At that time we had two brothers at St. Paul’s in Chattanooga that were in the Brotherhood of St. Gregory (BSG). This is a large order of Friars in The Episcopal Church. I began to ask questions of them and I had a dream that this was what God has called me to
Read MoreThank You from Bishop George
Dear friends in East Tennessee, When I retired from serving as your bishop, so many of you were so kind and gracious to give me a monetary gift. I initially told some folks I thought Kammy and I would take a trip to the island of Iona in Scotland – a holy place that’s long been on my list. I still hope to go there someday, but I decided something more active sounded better. The Camino to Santiago de Compostela
Read MoreMary Embler to Join Diocesan Staff
Bishop Brian is pleased to announce that Mary Embler will be joining our diocesan staff as Diocesan Administrator when Kirby Purjet retires in August. But you’ll be seeing Mary at the Diocesan House before then as she and Kirby will be working together as August approaches. Mary is a Knoxville native and has been a member of Good Samaritan in Knoxville for 36 years. She is a graduate of Tennessee Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in
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