Transcript Hello East Tennessee! Recently, we discovered this beautiful topographical map of the diocese —in a closet here at the diocesan house. I have kept it in my office as a visual reminder of the geography of our whole ministry region and it has helped me to recruit clergy and inform church leadership of the beautiful breadth of communities I’ve had the privilege of serving as your Canon To the Ordinary for the past 5 years. In these last 5
Read MoreChurch of the Nativity Calls The Rev. Maribeth Manoff as Priest-in-Charge
The East Tennessee Episcopal community is excited to announce that The Rev. Maribeth Manoff has accepted Church of the Nativity’s call to be their Priest-in-Charge. Mother Maribeth will begin her work at Nativity on November 1, 2023. We give thanks for Fr. Robert Thompson’s good work in continuing the work and ministry of Nativity in the interim. Below are two letters that comprised Nativity’s announcement: October 1, 2023 Beloved Parish Family, The Search Team and the Vestry have good news!
Read MoreEast Tennessee Celebrates Legacy of Bishop Barbara Harris
On Sunday, September 17, 2023, the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee and the Chattanooga community gathered at Grace Episcopal Church, Chattanooga to celebrate the legacy of Bishop Barbara Clementine Harris, the first female and first female African-American bishop in the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church. Bishop Phoebe Roaf (pictured above), Bishop of the Diocese of West Tennessee, the first female and first female African American bishop of that diocese, was the guest homilist and celebrant. The service was accompanied
Read MoreSt. James Knoxville Celebrates 100 Years
On Sunday, September 17, 2023, Bishop Brian Cole and the people of St. James Episcopal Church, Knoxville, celebrated 100 years of ministry in the community. The community of St. James was chartered in 1923 with the first part of the church complex being completed in 1927. As the St. James community has lived out its call to ministry and mission in the Knoxville area, it expanded the facilities in the 1960’s and 1990’s. The current rector, the Rev. John Mark
Read MoreHow do you take up your cross? A Reconciling Thought
Bishop Brian Cole reflects on a recent visit to St. Paul Episcopal Church, Seymour, where the readings for the day and a particular bulletin insert spoke to him about taking up our cross. Transcript Hi, I’m Bishop Brian. Let’s begin by reading from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in
Read MoreSophia’s Kondoa Knowledge to Bring Books to Kondoa Children
October 20, 2023 – Recently, we helped Sophia Timmerman-Pelensky launch her Kondoa Knowledge fundraiser as a part of her Gold Project for Girl Scouts. The initial phase has raised over $3,500 for the children of St. Peter St. Paul primary school. That’s equivalent to roughly 700 textbooks! We continue highlighting this fundraiser as Sophia wishes to raise additional funds to help the secondary school. Ready to help? September 5, 2023 – Sophia Timmerman-Pelensky, member of Church of the Good Shepherd,
Read MoreApplications Open for Youth Presence at 81st General Convention
Episcopal teens ages 16 to 19 are invited to apply to become part of the 81st General Convention’s Official Youth Presence, a group whose members have seat and voice in the House of Deputies and can testify at hearings before and during the summer 2024 convention. The deadline to apply is Nov. 17. Up to two youth from each of the church’s nine provinces will be selected to participate in the Official Youth Presence from June 20-28, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky. Youth
Read More’23-’24 Licensed Lay Ministry Formation Opportunities
Licensed Lay Ministry in East Tennessee All baptized Christians are called to ministry. The Episcopal parish and its surrounding community are stocked full of opportunities to answer those calls. Some of you, however, are called to be more deeply formed for specific ministries and licensed for more confidence and credibility in the practice in your parish. The Episcopal Church in East Tennessee has dedicated staff and other resources to the discernment, formation, support, and licensing of lay ministers for more than two
Read MoreSecularization of St. Barnabas Episcopal-Lutheran Worshipping Community
Both Bishop Brian Cole, Episcopal Bishop of East Tennessee, and Bishop Kevin Stickland, Bishop of the Southeastern Synod ELCA, along with the Rev. Bob Miller, Rev. Smokey Oats, and other clergy, walked with the people of St. Barnabas Episcopal-Lutheran Worshipping Community as they secularized the building and ended the formal ministry of the community on Wednesday, July 12. Please keep the people of St. Barnabas in your prayers. Thank you to Canon Michelle Bolt for taking the photos.
Read MoreOrdination of Kat Chappell to the Priesthood
On Saturday, July 15, Bishop Brian Cole and the people of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Signal Mountain and East Tennessee celebrated the ordination of the Rev. Kat Chappell to the priesthood.
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