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.

Stop by and do some holiday shopping that benefits people around the world at the 21st Annual Alternative Gift Market at All Saints Episcopal Church in downtown Appleton! The market, located downstairs in Kemper Hall (Room 10) will be open Saturday, Nov. 10 from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 11 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. View the list of vendors, including the Order of Julian, here.

The Rev. David Klutterman will serve as Priest-in-Charge of St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, Wisconsin Rapids of the Diocese of Fond du Lac, the Episcopal Church in northeast Wisconsin. The responsibilities of the position are similar to that of a Rector.

​The appointment was made by the Rt. Rev. Matthew A. Gunter, Bishop of the Diocese of Fond du Lac and affirmed by the Vestry. The position is on a part-time basis. Fr. David retired from active service in February 2018.  He previously served St. John the Baptist, Wausau, St. James, Mosinee, St. James, Manitowoc, St. Matthias, Minocqua and St. Mary of the Snows, Eagle River.  Fr. David's first Sunday with St. John's will be January 6, 2019.

St. John the Evangelist is had its start in the 1870s when the present Wisconsin Rapids area was settled. The congregation moved from mission to parish status in 1941. It is a worshiping community  of about 50 people. It has a tradition of supporting community outreach including the Neighborhood Table, a feeding program, and Personal Essentials Pantry. Learn more about this congregation stjohnschurchwr.org. 

​The 144th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac was held October 19-20, 2018 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The convention began in prayer in Evensong at the Cathedral of St. Paul. This was followed by a time of fellowship and a banquet at a local hotel. Banquet guests viewed the “Way of Love” video featuring from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. The expected guests from our Companion Diocese of Masvingo were unable to attend because of last-minute Visa issues.
 
Saturday also started in prayer at the Convention Eucharist held at the Cathedral. Bishop Matt Gunter gave his Pastoral Address “Abide in Jesus, the Way of Love.” The focus was that in a time of political, economic, social and religious upheaval and uncertainty, we can still experience the abiding love of God. After the service, worshippers moved four blocks to the Thelma Sadoff Center of the Arts for the business session.
 
Regular business was conducted with a constitutional amendment passing its second reading. Its effect is setting a more practical quorum for the convention of a majority of clergy and lay delegates duly registered. Stewardship of financial resources across the diocese was addressed by raising awareness of the need to complete financial reviews in a timely manner, some required by canon to ensure voting privileges for lay delegates.
 
Several presentations were made including these topics:  the diocesan discernment process, youth ministry, Cursillo, the 2019 Way of Love revival, and a revitalized United Thank Offering under a new diocesan coordinator. Elections were held to fill diocesan positions and appointments were made and confirmed. Three new deans were installed to serve deaneries. A proposed budget was approved.
 
One of the exciting reports was from the team leading the Faithful Innovations Learning Community process. This process builds on last spring’s diocesan vital congregations conference and is a multi-denominational process facilitated by Luther Seminary. Faithful Innovation is not a program, but a process to assists congregations and their members to be more deeply involved in their faith and how to live it out in their community.
 
One delegate summarized the convention this way, “It dealt with the needed business of being the diocese without getting mired in peripheral issues.” Information on aspects of the diocesan convention, including the Pastoral Address, election results, video and images may be found at diofdl.org/convention.

Each October, Grace Episcopal Church Sheboygan, hosts a Quiet Day and Pilgrimage in commemoration of Our Lady of Walsingham. This year, the Rev. Chris Arnold led the three meditations on Friday and preached at the Holy Eucharist on Saturday. You are invited to watch the videos for all of the events. Texts of the meditations will be available online shortly. 

Hardly a day goes by that Islam is not raised as a subject of concern by the news media. Islam has been on the minds of Americans since the events of 2001; however, it seems clear that most Americans know little more about Islam than they did before 9/11. “What exactly is Islam?” “What do Muslims believe?” “How should we as American Christians relate to Muslims?” Oftentimes, when we don’t understand a group of people whose faith and culture is different than ours, we approach them with fear and distrust.

​In Unveiling Islam, Episcopal priest and former Muslim, the Rev’d Canon Ezgi Saribay Perkins, will present a series of talks intended to engage the Fond du Lac community in a meaningful dialogue about the beliefs practices of Islam, paying particular attention to its similarities with and differences from Christianity. The talks will be held on Wednesday nights from October 10-31 at 6 pm in Trakel Hall of the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul the Apostle, 51 West Division Street in Fond du Lac. Refreshments will be served.

The Rev’d Canon Ezgi Saribay Perkins was born in Western Turkey and raised as a Muslim. After coming to the United States for college education, she converted to Christianity. In 2008, she became an Episcopalian and continued her faith journey in the Episcopal seminary, where she met her husband, the Very Reverend C. Patrick Perkins. She currently serves the Canon Precentor to the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul the Apostle.

T​he Diocese of Fond du Lac, the Episcopal Church in northeast Wisconsin, is pleased to announce the appointment of Cheryl Dobrzynski as Diocesan Coordinator of the United Thank Offering (UTO). The Diocesan Coordinator is charged to promote UTO activities in the diocese and encourage and support them in each diocesan congregation.
 
UTO is a ministry of the Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Individuals are invited to embrace and deepen a personal daily spiritual discipline of gratitude. Notice the good things that happen each day, give thanks to God for those blessings and make an offering for each blessing using a UTO Blue Box. UTO is entrusted to receive the offerings, and to distribute the 100% of what is collected to support innovative mission and ministry throughout the Episcopal Church and Provinces of the Anglican Communion.
 
“We look forward to Cheryl’s working with congregations to raise awareness of UTO,” Bishop Matt Gunter shared. “Our goal is to have 100% of our congregations participating in UTO. How? Contact Cheryl, of course.” Dobrzynski follows Carol Feller-Gottard, who served in this volunteer position for over a decade.
 
Cheryl is a long-time member of St. Peter Episcopal Church, Sheboygan Falls, serving as Senior Warden, vestry member, Altar Guild and coordinator of a local monthly meal program. She is on the Cursillo Secretariat, enrolled in EfM (Education for Ministry), been a delegate to diocesan conventions, and was deputy to General Convention 2018.
 
For information on the United Thank Offering, visit diofdl.org/uto.