Year 2021 Will Mark Our 175th Anniversary!
Paul Wanter, Priest: (859) 707-1643
QUOTE OF the Day
“Do not seek the because — in love there is no because, no reason, no explanation, no solutions.”
— Anaïs Nin (1973-1977)
30 Days of Prayer in August
A Call to Love, Prayer and Concrete Actions by Our Bishops
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Bishop Mark Van Koevering have prophetically called us to honor God’s covenant of love, to respect the dignity of every human being, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to become the Beloved Community. They have spoken about the need for prayer to be accompanied by concrete actions. Daily prayer can transform our hearts and minds and shape our attitudes, behavior and actions. However, much of our attitudes, behavior and actions have implicit and unconscious bias and prejudice. To have our actions reflect the will of God, we need to have a more comprehensive understanding of the many ways in which our society and lives are influenced by the systemic racism that surrounds us.
Bishop Mark is calling all of us to a month of prayer and action, as we work together to address the brutal reality of racism in our society and church and to have the courage to be the change in our society and church that we desperately need. The Diocesan Commission for the Racial Reconciliation of All God’s Children is offering a program of daily prayer and actions during the month of August. The work we have to do is different depending on whether we are white or persons of color. Therefore, we are offering one program for persons who identify as white and one program for persons who are black, Latinx, Native American or persons of color.
It is our hope as members of the Diocesan Commission that this initiative will be meaningful and transformative for everyone. May God be present with you and all of us as we journey together in becoming the Beloved Community.
“Yes Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right side or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so we can make of this old world a new world.”
— The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. February 4, 1968
— Whit Whitaker and Rev. Carol Ruthven, Diocesan Commission Co-Chairs
Join us on daily on Facebook and Instagram beginning August 1 for the prayers, scripture readings, and an action for each day that you can take to deepen your engagement with this material. The information, including a list of web, film, and literary resources, will also be available on our website.
Show your support for 30 Days of Prayer! Facebook users, download the 30 Days of Prayer profile frame here.
Detailed information, including the prayers and lists of daily actions, can be found on our website here: http://diolink.org/diolex/index.php/2020/07/27/30-days-of-prayer/
Promotional video here: https://vimeo.com/442169732
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/657557108440047/
UPCOMING: PENTECOST 11, Curry’s Meditations, VIRUS LINKS
August 16: The Canaanite Woman
Every Monday: “Habits of Grace”
Every Monday: “Habits of Grace”
This Sunday is Pentecost 11, Proper 15, Year A, in the Liturgical Calendar.
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Our church has reopened (with mandatory masks, social distancing and temperature checks — and remember to enter in the front, the bell-tower entrance). If you prefer to stay home, explore the online worship options, below, under “Great Place to Worship Online.”
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This Sunday is Pentecost 11, Proper 15, Year A, in the Liturgical Calendar.
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Our church has reopened (with mandatory masks, social distancing and temperature checks — and remember to enter in the front, the bell-tower entrance). If you prefer to stay home, explore the online worship options, below, under “Great Place to Worship Online.”
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This Sunday’s Gospel reading is about the woman from Canaan (she was not a Jew, but a Syrophoenician) who would not take no as an answer from Jesus when she wanted her daughter healed. Jesus had said to the woman, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But the woman said to Jesus, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus, convinced of her faith, answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”
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IMAGE: The Woman of Canaan by Michael Angelo Immenraet, 17th century.
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The lector this Sunday is Dan and the altar guild is Darlene. See the vestment colors, the altar colors, the Bible readings and the liturgical calendar by clicking HERE and selecting the date. Note that a date’s numeral color is the vestment and altar color for that day.
Every Monday: “Habits of Grace”
Every Monday: “Habits of Grace”
Every Monday: “Habits of Grace”
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry recently commented on the need to “social distance” ourselves and suspend church services. Read his letter on the topic HERE.
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Habits of Grace: An Invitation from Presiding Bishop Curry: “As we learn how to adjust our lives given the reality of the Coronavirus and the request to do our part to slow its sprea
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry recently commented on the need to “social distance” ourselves and suspend church services. Read his letter on the topic HERE.
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Habits of Grace: An Invitation from Presiding Bishop Curry: “As we learn how to adjust our lives given the reality of the Coronavirus and the request to do our part to slow its spread by practicing social distancing, I invite you to join me each week to take a moment to cultivate a ‘habit of grace.’ A new meditation will be posted on Mondays through May.” Follow the meditations by clicking HERE.
Useful Links for COVID-19
Every Monday: “Habits of Grace”
Useful Links for COVID-19
The coronavirus is having widespread effects on our society, economy, patience and faith. For the latest information — and inspiration — regarding COVID-19 from our diocese and Mark Van Koevering, our bishop, click HERE. For up-to-date scientific facts and instructions on COVID-19, see the CDC’s coronavirus page HERE and Kentucky’s page H
The coronavirus is having widespread effects on our society, economy, patience and faith. For the latest information — and inspiration — regarding COVID-19 from our diocese and Mark Van Koevering, our bishop, click HERE. For up-to-date scientific facts and instructions on COVID-19, see the CDC’s coronavirus page HERE and Kentucky’s page HERE. For the CDC’s guide for churches, click HERE. For the science behind the virus’s origins, click HERE. For the official Federal Government site, click HERE. To see if you will receive a stimulus check, and the amount, click HERE.
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For articles and resources on dealing with the pandemic-related stress, click HERE, HERE and HERE.
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For resources from St. John’s, Corbin, about Pastoral Care in the Time of Coronavirus, Talking with Kids about Coronavirus, and Tips for Staying Home, written by Tracey Herzer Huston, click HERE.
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For ways to watch or create live-streamed church services, click HERE and HERE.
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Cynthiana has set up a volunteer hotline at (859) 234-5801. Call to ask what volunteers may be needed at this time.
Great PLACES To worship ONLINE
Services from Episcopal Churches Nationwide, Worldwide
For an extensive calendar of live-stream services from across The Episcopal Church, click HERE.
Recommendations from Fr. Paul are as follows (click the names to go to the websites): The National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.; St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue, New York City; and Trinity, Wall Street.
A Spiritual Communion with Homily, by Our Bishop Mark
For a Spiritual Communion with Homily, led by The Rt. Rev. Mark Van Koevering, Bishop of the Diocese of Lexington, click HERE.
From the Diocese’s Standing Committee and the Presiding Bishop
Click HERE for video messages (posted Saturday, March 21) from: 1) The Rev. Amy Dafler Meaux, Danville, Standing Committee President and Mary T. Yeiser, Diocesan Chancellor; 2) The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church; and 3) The Very Rev. Carol Wade, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Lexington.
Live Streams From Our Diocese and Member Churches
Cartoon by Michael Kountouris / Greece / CagleCartoons.com
In the NEWS: George Floyd’s Impact
Co-creator of George Floyd Mural Is an Episcopalian with a Passion for Social Justice Art
Co-creator of George Floyd Mural Is an Episcopalian with a Passion for Social Justice Art
Co-creator of George Floyd Mural Is an Episcopalian with a Passion for Social Justice Art
A mural honoring George Floyd near where he died on May 25 has become a prominent visual landmark among the sprawling makeshift memorials at East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis. Cadex Herrera, 45, one of the creators of the mural, is a member of St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Read
A mural honoring George Floyd near where he died on May 25 has become a prominent visual landmark among the sprawling makeshift memorials at East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis. Cadex Herrera, 45, one of the creators of the mural, is a member of St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Read the full story by clicking HERE.
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IMAGE: Cadex Herrera, left, was one of the artists who created a memorial mural of George Floyd near the site in Minneapolis where he died. CREDIT: Xena Goldman.
Episcopal Peace Fellowship Vice-Chair Says “There Is No Peace Without Justice.”
Co-creator of George Floyd Mural Is an Episcopalian with a Passion for Social Justice Art
Co-creator of George Floyd Mural Is an Episcopalian with a Passion for Social Justice Art
By Rev. Will Mebane
I am a black man. I spend literally every day of my life looking over my shoulder wondering from where the next glare, taunt, invective, and threat will come my way because I am black. I am a black father. I place my head on my pillow each night praying that my two black sons will not meet their demise at the hands of a
By Rev. Will Mebane
I am a black man. I spend literally every day of my life looking over my shoulder wondering from where the next glare, taunt, invective, and threat will come my way because I am black. I am a black father. I place my head on my pillow each night praying that my two black sons will not meet their demise at the hands of a police officer drunk with power, or a vigilante living out the dogma of white supremacy.
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These concerns may seem illogical to you. If so, then I know you are neither black nor the parent of a black child. My indoctrination to this fear began when I was just a little boy facing severe repercussions should I drink from the water fountain marked “Whites Only” or try to sit on the main level of the movie theater and not in the balcony reserved for blacks. That fear intensified when the KKK began sending letters to our family’s home outlining the fate that awaited me if I continued glancing at white girls in our recently integrated school.
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I am a black man in search of peace. However, I know there can be no peace without justice. The institutionalized and systemic racism that permeates every part of American society denies my sister, brothers, wife, children, and me the inalienable rights purportedly guaranteed all citizens of this country. There is no life, liberty, and justice for all in this nation. Not if you are black. Happiness cannot be pursued as long as those sworn to protect and serve deliver with impunity, pain, suffering, and death to black people.
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Too many that cloak themselves in the flag, and sing a national anthem that was first heralded as a pro-slavery song, are concerned more about Colin Kaepernick kneeling than about the knee that was in the neck of George Floyd for 8 minutes and 46 seconds squeezing every breath of life out of his black body. Such lynchings might end if more allegiance was paid to the Cross of Jesus than to the “Stars and Stripes.”
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I am a black man that has been in search of the land of the free for six decades. My father never found it. His father never found it. My sons will likely not find it in their lifetimes. It’s possible peace that grows from justice can be found. However, it will take more courage than my white sisters and brothers have shown they have. Demonstrations, protests, vigils, and even riots now in streets across America, are indicators that people may finally be fed-up with the virus of racism that infects our healthcare, housing, education, athletics, entertainment, economic, and injustice systems.
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A black man offered words more than 50 years ago that have profound relevance for today:
“The time is always right to do what is right. The ultimate measure of a person is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Life's most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?”
“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.”
“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people.”
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The Episcopal Peace Fellowship is looking for some more “good people,” as The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described, to work for the removal of the knee of racism from the neck of America. EPF has space reserved for those seeking peace through justice who have the courage to speak-out, and act against this Spirit-destroying pandemic. No experience is necessary.
Will Mebane is the rector of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Falmouth, Mass.
Outraged Episcopal Leaders Condemn Tear-Gassing of Clergy, Trump Photo Op at St. John’s
Co-creator of George Floyd Mural Is an Episcopalian with a Passion for Social Justice Art
Outraged Episcopal Leaders Condemn Tear-Gassing of Clergy, Trump Photo Op at St. John’s
Leaders from The Episcopal Church have condemned the reported use of tear gas and rubber bullets to clear clergy and protesters from the area around St. John’s Episcopal Church, across the street from the White House, so that President Donald Trump could use it for an unauthorized photo op on June 1. President Trump “used a church buildin
Leaders from The Episcopal Church have condemned the reported use of tear gas and rubber bullets to clear clergy and protesters from the area around St. John’s Episcopal Church, across the street from the White House, so that President Donald Trump could use it for an unauthorized photo op on June 1. President Trump “used a church building and the Holy Bible for partisan political purposes. This was done in a time of deep hurt and pain in our country, and his action did nothing to help us or to heal us,” Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said. Read the full story HERE.
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IMAGE: President Donald Trump holds a Bible as he stands outside St. John’s Episcopal Church, across from the White House, in Washington, D.C., on June 1, 2020. CREDIT: Patrick Semansky/AP.
BE the CHURCh... Be the Change
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Bishop Mark’s Vision for Our Episcopal Diocese Is Encapsulated as “Be the Church, Be the Change”
Bishop Mark Van Koevering: “Together, we can make this vision a living vision that is shared by all. As promised at Special Convention 2019, a Vision Study Guide has been produced to: 1) Enhance our mutual understanding of our common vision; 2) Enable each faith community to put the vision into context locally; and 3) Strengthen our unity as a Church.” Download the guide by clicking HERE.
What does “Episcopal” mean?
The Episcopal Church is “Protestant, yet Catholic.” Episcopal means “of bishops.” The Episcopal Church traces its bishops (its ministers and clergy) and its origins back to the Apostles (the early followers of Jesus) via holy orders, which are a direct line of succession back to the time of Jesus.
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News and Views
We have leased space to Community Action Council to provide a daycare. Contact Melissa at (859) 233-4600 x 1208, or see their website by clicking HERE.
News and Views
Advent’s Building, Bell and Organ
News and Views
Our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, recently generated new interest in the Episcopal Church at the Royal Wedding. See the story HERE. See Bishop Curry’s sermon HERE. See the “Saturday Night Live” spoof of Curry by clicking HERE.
Advent’s Building, Bell and Organ
Advent’s Building, Bell and Organ
Advent’s Building, Bell and Organ
Our Hymnal
Which Color? Reading? Saint?
Which Color? Reading? Saint?
Our hymnal is online, too. The 1982 version can be found by clicking HERE. It's a beautifully organized site.
Donations & Pledges
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Click HERE for our donation link, and remember to choose “Advent, Cynthiana” from the pull-down list that says “Select a fund.” You can set up donations either one-time or recurring. Your contribution will be processed through the Diocese of Lexington’s payment system with ACS Technologies, Inc. on a secure platform.