​A Gathering of People of Faith on Saturday, April 13, includes a personal appearance of award-winning film producer Katrina Brown. In seminary, Browne discovered her Rhode Island ancestors were the biggest slave-trading family in U.S. history. She decided to confront this painful past. The resulting award-winning film, Traces of the Trade (PBS: 2008, tracesofthetrade.org) follows her modern-day family’s journey of discovery as they come to grips with this buried Northern history and its ripples in the present day.
 
“As a white woman,” Browne shared in a recent interview, “I’ve come to feel called to this work of racial repair not out of guilt, but grief.”
 
The gathering starts at 10:00 a.m. at The Beloved Community of Intercession Episcopal and Redeemer Lutheran, 900 Brilowski Road on the east side of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Registration is at diofdl.org/tott. It is open to the public.
 
Event planners from four area denominations are working cooperatively to promote healing across racial divides. The morning includes a viewing of Traces of the Trade followed by discussion led by Browne. The afternoon includes presenting information about Sacred Ground (episcopalchurch.org/sacred-ground), a new free resource from the Episcopal Church which is a film-based race dialogue series for small groups in congregations.
 
The event sponsors include the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac, the East Central Synod of Wisconsin (ELCA), the North East District of the Wisconsin United Methodist Church, and the Winnebago Presbytery. Denominational leaders meet regularly to discuss ways they can work together to enhance their ministry.
 
Additional details at diofdl.org/tott.

Bishop Matt Gunter will be the guest preacher at Nashotah House on Thursday, March 28, 2019. The Solemn Eucharist will be held in St. Mary Chapel on the Nashotah House campus at 4:30 p.m. 

Nashotah House was founded in 1842. It exists to form persons for ministry in the breadth of the Catholic Tradition, for the Episcopal Church, Churches in the Anglican Tradition, the wider Anglican Communion, and Ecumenical Partners, thus continuing to serve the historic role as “The Mission,” empowering the Church for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Diocesan Postulant (a person approved to pursue ordination) Julia Hendrix is a seminarian at Nashotah House.

Prayers are asked for the repose of the soul of the Reverend Deacon Arthur Allen Good who died March 2, 2019. He was 90. 

Art served in the United States Army stationed in Alaska during the Korean Conflict. He then moved to a rural farm in Fletcher, Ohio and began attending St. James Episcopal Church in Piqua, Ohio. Arthur and his wife Rose were members there for 50 years before relocating to the Green Bay area in 2003. A cradle Episcopalian, after retirement he was ordained to the Vocational Diaconate on October 26, 1996 in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. After moving to Wisconsin he served as a deacon with St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, De Pere.  The funeral will be at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, De Pere. Visitation will be from 12:00 p.m. until 1:45 p.m. at the church. Obituary here.

Are you a lay leader or pastor who seeks to ground your commitment to justice in a deeper spirituality, and connect with the message of the scriptures in a more profound way? Are you looking for an educational opportunity that allows plenty of room to breathe, reflect, and integrate what you’ve learned? The Washington Island Forum experience is what you’re looking for. 

This year's Forum topic of “A Revolution of Values: The Bible, the Poor, & a Moral Imagination for Faith in Our Common Life” is cosponsored by the Wisconsin Council of Churches and The Christian Century magazine. Enjoy worship, workshops, discussion, and contemplation in an ecumenical retreat setting on Washington Island, just six miles off the tip of Door County Wisconsin. The week begins on Monday afternoon with a welcome and opening picnic at Trinity Lutheran Church. Tuesday through Thursday, ground yourself in morning prayer, then attend presentations by our speaker at the Trueblood Performing Arts Center. In the afternoon, choose optional discussions or island recreation. Friday begins with a Eucharist, features a final presentation, and concludes by noon.

For more information, visit wichurches.org.

The National Board of the Episcopal Church Women is inviting people to nominate a qualified person to be Chaplain as well as a qualified person to be Musician at the Triennial Gathering in 2021. The Chaplain will provide spiritual support, advice and direction for the duration of the Triennial Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. The Musician will provide uplifting music for the duration of the Triennial. Please make sure you ask the possible candidate if they are interested before nominating them. Deadline for nomination is June 15, 2019.

St. Luke Episcopal Church, Sister Bay is collecting food and other items in February to donate to the Door of Life Church’s 24/7 Free Pantry. Each week items collected are delivered and the shelves stocked. The pantry is open to everyone and while many may not see it, northern Door County has a significant number of people and families struggling to make ends meet. The pantry helps to stretch food aid and allows the dignity of remaining anonymous to those who use it.  There is also a need for paper goods and personal care items along with a freezer for frozen items and meats.

The Diocese of Fond du Lac will welcome visitors from its Companion Diocese of Masvingo  from May 29 - June 6, 2019. The visit will include a celebration of Companion Diocese Sunday on June 2.

Those visiting will be Bishop Godfrey Tawonezwi, his wife Albertina Tawonezwi, and the Rev. Fungayi Nyandoro, Friar of The Community of Holy Transfiguration. The Companion Diocese Task Force is planning a number of opportunities for members of the diocese to meet those from Masvingo. More details to come

Plans are in the works for a Big Provincial Gathering from Friday, July 12 through Saturday, July 13 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This is an event open to all Episcopalians. Activities will include worship, workshops, networking and vendor tables. The Episcopal Church is divided into provinces and Province V (or Province of the Midwest) are those dioceses in the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and the eastern part of Missouri.

The theme of the workshop of BEHOLD!  I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU AN OPEN DOOR will examine: How do we reach deeper into our community’s needs? Who are the people around our church that we need to network with? How do I connect our ministry with others? What are the ways we can support one another in ministry?

The Keynote Speaker is the Rev. Michael Michie who is the Episcopal Church Staff Officer for Church Planting Infrastructure and is anticipated to speak on "Focusing on Mission Enterprise Zones: how to revitalize your parish."

To encourage attendance from the diocese, the Executive Council has committed funds from the Congregational Vitality Fund. Anyone attending may request up to $100 reimbursement for expenses after they return. We hope that folks planning to attend might be able to carpool and share lodging to keep expenses low. The Diocesan Office will work with the Province V Coordinator to help those attending to coordinate such plans.

Registration opens March 1. More details may be found at provincev.org/bigprovincialgathering.

The Rev. Jim Conradt is now serving as Regular Supply Priest at St. John Episcopal Church, New London. Fr. Jim, a retired priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac, will Celebrate the Holy Eucharist each Sunday, and on other occasions, and provide pastoral care to members of the congregation. St. John is seeking a new Vicar which you can read more about here.

Youth currently in grades 9, 10 and 11 are invited to apply to attend a Provincial Youth Event to be held March 8-10, 2019 at Waycross Camp and Conference Center in Indiana. The focus of the event is on leadership. This event will include folks from the dioceses of Province V, which are the diocese found in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and eastern Missiouri. The cost is $100 for the event with  travel costs provided by the Diocese of Fond du Lac youth budget. 

Diocesan Youth Ministry Coordinator, Erin Wolf, notes that space is limited to FIVE students and ONE additional adult chaperone. If you our someone you know might have interest, please submit an application no later than Sunday, January 6, 2019. Those selected will be notified shortly thereafter with further information regarding registration and the weekend itself.

The application is found here.

The Executive Council of the Diocese of Fond du Lac has approved the 2019 Clergy Minimum Compensation and Benefits Schedule. The schedule establishes minimums for clergy working on a full-time basis. It also establishes a basis of expectation for compensation and benefits for clergy working on a less-than-full-time basis. The scale includes a 1.5% increase of the base above the 2018 schedule.

Clergy compensation, what some would call "take-home pay" is composed of two parts: a stipend and housing allowance. The housing allowance is split out because of certain tax benefits to clergy for housing. The stipend listed includes a self employment compensation allowance (SECA) because clergy hold a dual tax status, being self-employed for Social Security/Medicare purposes. Benefits include pension, medical and dental insurance, group term life insurance and travel reimbursement.

"The purpose of compensation is to provide for the livelihood of the cleric serving the congregation," noted Matthew Payne, Lay Canon for Administration. "It helps our diocese to compare favorably to others in the Episcopal Church. Currently our median compensation for clergy working full-time is slightly above the median of other Episcopal clergy in the upper Midwest."

The schedule and additional information used to make comparisons is available here. 

On Wednesday, December 12 at 6:00 p.m., St. Mark Episcopal Church, Waupaca welcomes the Waupaca High School’s Madrigal Singers. The talented teens who make up the group have been practicing from before the beginning of the school year. Come. Listen to the lyrical melodies of the Renaissance. There will be an informal meal in the Parish Hall after the performance. Invite friends and neighbors. Open to the public. Freewill offering will be collected.

Holy Nativity, Jacksonport will host a service of Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 2 at 4:00 p.m. The Anglican tradition of performing the festival of Nine Lessons and Carols during the season of Advent dates back to 1880. This year they continue the tradition in collaboration with members of St. Luke, Sister Bay. Refreshments will also be served.

The worshiping community of St. Anne Episcopal Church, De Pere, will celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Tuesday, December 11 at 7:00 p.m. All are invited to join this commemoration. This celebration commemorates the appearance of Mary to the Mexican peasant Juan Diego in 1531. Many Episcopal Churches nationwide celebrate this Feast Day. Discover more here.

The annual St. Nicholas Faire is from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Saturday, December 1 at the Cathedral of St. Paul, Fond du Lac. In addition to the famous Cathedral Mice made by the Mouse Factory (and a raffle to get your own mouse if you didn't pre-order), there is a Silent Auction, baked goods, a cookie walk, and crafts. Come visit and enjoy!

The Mouse Factory started in 1960, when parishioner Dorothy Duket was looking for a craft to make and sell at the annual St. Nicholas Faire.  She made 25 little "mice" dressed as elegant ladies, but had some misgivings as to how they would sell.  They were quickly sold for $1.00 each.  The next year she made mice dressed as members of the choir.  At the faire she was asked if the mice from last year were available, and she realized she had a collectible item going.  Parishioners were enlisted to help in the production and it became a fund raising effort to provide funds to restore and maintain the buildings at The Cathedral Church of St. Paul campus.  

Today, there are dozens of volunteers who do their part to create about 3,000 mice per year, with a new character added each year.  Ideas for the characters come from the volunteers as well as the many people who collect the mice.   The mice are created using an assembly line type production.  The pieces are cut using punch dies at a local factory, then they go to the hands of our workers.  The pieces are sorted and packaged, they then go through the various hands of sewers, stuffers, assemblers, facers, and dressers.  There is a second "line" of people who make the clothing and props.

Orders are taken each year in December through February for distribution the first week in December and at our St. Nicholas Faire on the first Saturday.  Mice are shipped all over the United States, and even have customers overseas. see a list and pictures of past mice here.

As we approach Thanksgiving, we are thankful for support shown by members of the diocese in two areas of outreach. The United Thank Offering will receive $378.33 collected in the blue UTO boxes on delegates' tables at our Diocesan Convention. These funds will be distributed through the UTO granting process. Learn more about UTO here.

All Saints, Appleton is hosting an Advent Quiet Day led by Bishop Matt Gunter. Members of the community and diocese are welcome to attend from 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 8th. If you plan to attend, please email the All Saints office so there will be enough food for lunch.

​Julian of Norwich was a 14th century mystic and theologians whose visions and reflections have inspired. Her’s was a tumultuous time of social, political, and religious upheaval. In spite of that, she was able to live in the peaceful assurance of God’s mercy and delight. This quiet day will include meditations on her most famous vision with time for quiet prayer and reflection.

Diocesan UTO Coordinator, Cheryl Dobrzynski, wants to let you know that 100% of funds collected by UTO are given away! Many wonder how UTO can give away 100 percent of what is collected and still offer Blue Boxes and other materials for free. Some funds come from the churchwide budget and other groups, but the majority comes from a trust created so UTO doesn't need to use Ingathering Funds to offset expenses. Would you like to give so 100% of contributions to UTO are given away? The support the Memorial Trust here.

We're helping our colleagues in the East Central Synod of Wisconsin (ELCA Lutheran) in a search. They have a job opening for a full-time Communications Manager with primary responsibility for all communications of the Synod, including but not limited to online, social media, print and press relations. Interviews for this position will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. If you might have interest, or know someone who might, please check the links below for for information.

• Communications Manager Summary
• Communications Manager Job Description

Mark your calendars!  This year the annual Christmas Gymanfa Ganu (Welsh hymn sing), directed by the Rev. Tom White of North Fond du Lac and accompanied by Steven Jensen of Milwaukee, will be held Sunday, November 18 at 2:30 p. m., at the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, Fond du Lac. Prepare for Advent and Christmas the "Welsh Way" with a traditional, four-part harmony singalong. The carols will be sung mostly in English, and special numbers will be performed by area musicians. Te Bach (refreshments) will follow in the Parish Hall.  The Welsh Gymanfa Ganu Association of Wisconsin at wggaw.org.

A verger assists clergy in the conduct of public worship and wears a gown while carrying a staff called a virge. The duties vary from parish to parish but it is said the verger serves the church in a ministry of welcome. The office dates from the Middle Ages when the verger was the “Protector of the Procession,” clearing the way and protecting it from vagabonds and animals that may attack it.
 
“Serving as a Verger today gave me tears of joys!” Martina shared in a Facebook post. “It was an awesome feeling using my Spiritual Gift Serving in God’s House of Prayer!” If you might have interest in verging, speak with your parish priest. Additional information may be discovered from the Verger Guild of the Episcopal Church (VGEC) at vergers.org.