Episcopal Election Activators is an Episcopal Church program, run by the Office of Government Relations, that seeks volunteers to help promote and facilitate local non-partisan election engagement efforts in their state or region of the U.S.!
Applications are open for the 2024-2025 cohort, which will run from January 2024 to December 2025 with varying levels of engagement based on the election calendar.
Individuals may apply at any time, even as the program is underway.
To apply, please fill out the application below. Questions? simply email us at eppn@episcopalchurch.org
January 15 is the federal holiday honoring the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota and other dioceses across The Episcopal Church will be closed Monday.
MLK Jr Day is observed on the third Monday of January each year. Born in 1929, King's actual birthday is January 15.
So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
–Susan Cooper, The Shortest Day
Borrowed from the Daily Almanac.
Thanks to the people who sent donation boxes to the Diocese of South Dakota.
BCU (Brotherhood of Christian Unity) was able to distribute some nice things for the homeless and street people. We were able to help one man in particular who is sleeping inside a cardboard box, he lives in the street by my grandaughter's apartment. We were able to provide him with some warm clothing and blankets.
The Rev. Mercy Hobbs and The Rev. David Hussey along with several of the LeBeau family gathered to help make goodie essential bags for the Men and Women who find themselves homeless. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
From the Public Affairs office, On Dec. 3, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was admitted to the hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina, after experiencing a fall in Syracuse, New York, that resulted in a subdural hematoma. He underwent surgery, which was successful, and he will continue his recovery in the hospital in Raleigh.
Please pray for Bishop Curry, his family, and his medical team. Updates will be provided as they become available.
From our church's Racial Reconciliation Office
“Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?”
And written by The Rev, Shaneequa Brokenleg
As many of you know, November is Native American Heritage Month. As an Indigenous person and an enrolled citizen in my tribe, the fact that Native American Heritage Month happens in the same month as Thanksgiving is not lost on me. It’s a time when many people like to harken back to the first Thanksgiving, thinking about settlers and Indians enjoying a meal together, in some sort of romanticized version of history. It is one of our quintessential “American” holidays.
Unfortunately, those who colonized North America saw the First Peoples of the land as other and not American. In fact, the right to vote, something citizens do, was originally restricted to White-land-owning men. Native Americans were not declared citizens until 1924; and until 1957, some states still barred Native Americans from voting, whether we owned land or not.
From an Indigenous perspective, the land was never something that we “owned.” We see the land as our relative, sibling or mother; it is something that we all have to care for. Relatives aren’t something that you own. In Western culture, we often think of ourselves as being autonomous individuals and having “rights.” In Lakota culture, we think of ourselves as part of a community, being related to all of creation. We don’t think of ourselves as having “rights,” insomuch as we see ourselves as part of the family of creation and having responsibilities and obligations to that family.
We have a phrase in Lakota, “Mitakuye Oyasin,” which means “all my relatives,” “we are all related,” or “God bless all my relatives.” It’s what we say when we end a prayer. When we say “we” and “relative,” we aren’t just talking about people but about plants, animals, rocks, and all of creation. As citizens of creation, we are called to be good relatives and care for it all…to build right-relationship with all.
God sent her son, Jesus, to show us how to be a good relative, how to build that right-relationship. Throughout his ministry, that is what Jesus was doing. Building relationship, bringing reconciliation, bringing healing, and calling us back into that sacred relationship, of love…as relatives, as family, and as interconnected citizens of creation. Jesus fed folks, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. That is certainly something to be thankful for.
Thanksgiving is important, gratitude is important, and generosity is important. In fact, in Lakota (and most Indigenous) cultures, one’s wealth is not measured by how much one owns or has, but rather by how much they can give away. Wouldn’t our world be such a better place if we were all so wealthy that we only kept what we needed and gave the rest away? Wouldn’t our world be a better place if we focused more on our obligations and responsibilities to one another as relatives in the family of creation? This Thanksgiving, I encourage us to follow Jesus’ example by reconciling, building relationships, and sharing a meal with those who live, play, pray, and love differently than you do. Mitakuye Oyasin.
—The Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg is the staff officer for racial reconciliation at The Episcopal Church and the associate rector at Church of the Good Shepherd in South Dakota.
From the Office of Public Affairs:
November 7, 2023
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on 10,000+ dead in Gaza: "Stop the killing"
You may know me as the pastor who is always talking about love, and I am. But today I am mindful that the urgency of love—true, sacrificial love that respects all of humanity—is not just a good feeling, and it is not easy.
We are called to a love that demands much from us. We are called to a love that tells the truth.
Today I raise my voice for love because more than 10,000 people have died in Gaza, including more than 4,000 children.
The violence is horrific, and the geopolitics are complex, but my call to love is simple: Stop the killing. Stop all of it. Stop it today.
We will not be silent while an entire population is denied food, water, electricity, and fuel needed to run hospitals. We cannot stand by while thousands of civilians die. Our partners in the region tell us they live in terror—that they feel they have died even while alive. They feel that the international community is tacitly sanctioning the killing of civilians and the bombing of schools, hospitals, and refugee camps.
Staying quiet in this moment would be a stain upon our souls and would deepen our complicity.
U.S. leadership must tell Israel to stop bombing civilian areas and allow access for full humanitarian aid to flow freely into Gaza.
Every human child of God—Palestinian and Israeli—deserves safety and security. We need to stop the killing. Today.
Vengeance will not bring back the dead. Retaliation will not repair the harms and the hurt. We are called to love, even and especially when it seems impossible.
We must stop the next 10,000 from being killed. As Episcopalians, we must call upon our leaders—President Biden, members of Congress, and others—to be unequivocal that we need to stop the killing. Today. This is clearly what love demands of us.
Dear Ones in Christ Jesus:
Earlier this morning, I notified all clergy and lay leaders in charge of congregations that we had learned that Holy Innocents' church, Parmelee, located in Rosebud Mission West, had burned to the ground. This is devastating news for the parishioners of Holy Innocents, for all members of the Rosebud Mission, and for all of us as a diocese, and we are in mourning at this time.
Blessedly, there has not been and continues not to have been any reports of injuries or deaths. Our first fear was that someone had broken in the church and built a fire to stay warm as has happened in other places and had perished as a result. This has not been reported as being the case so far. However, and most unfortunately, it is strongly suspected that the fire may well be the work of an arsonist. Authorities already have begun their investigation and we will be supporting them to our fullest extent.
I ask you all to please keep all of Holy Innocents in your prayers, This is a tragic day of loss that is being felt far and wide. Please, too, pray for Zollie Moran, their Bishop's Warden, and all members of their Bishop's Committee, and for Erroll Geboe, the Itanchan of Rosebud, and all members of the Mission Council.
May God be with all of us who mourn. May the Holy Spirit bring promised comfort. And in due course, may we rise from the ashes of this loss and show everyone that our Lord and his Church remain undefeated, unwavering in our faith, and ever confident in our ability to love and to serve as our Creator has made us to be and do.
Faithfully,
Bp. Jonathan
The Presiding Bishop has bid all of our continued prayers for this conflict, and I know that we will continue to faithfully respond.
For Peace:
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn
but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that
all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of
Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and
glory, now and forever. Amen.
-- Prayers for the World, Book of Common Prayer, p. 815.
Due to pastoral concerns, the installation service for the Rev. Michelle Dayton on the Pine Ridge Episcopal Mission, has been postponed. There will NOT be a service on Saturday, Oct. 21. When it is rescheduled, the date and time will be announced.
https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2023/10/10/christian-leaders-call-for-end-to-violence-after-hamas-attack-ignites-new-war-with-israel/
Please join me in prayer for peace in the Middle East, and a cessation of all violence. "Blessed are the peacemakers," said Jesus, "for they shall be called children of God." (Matthew 5:9)
Faithfully,
Bp. Folts
Continued prayers for Presiding Bishop Curry.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry hospitalized for reoccurrence of internal bleeding
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was admitted to the hospital this past Thursday night, Aug. 17, with a reoccurrence of the internal bleeding that required him to be hospitalized over Memorial Day Weekend.
Doctors were able to intervene and monitor earlier in this instance, and Bishop Curry’s whole medical team is weighing the potential benefits and risks of surgery to remove his right adrenal gland and an attached mass, which appears to be the source of the internal bleeding. Please pray for the doctors’ discernment.
“I am so grateful for your prayers,” said Bishop Curry. “I expect that the work of the medical team will lead to healing that will make a difference. Fervent prayer plus good medical care is a powerful combination. In all things God is good.”
Bishop Curry is expected to be released Tuesday, Aug. 22, and updates will be issued as they become available.
Save the Date:
"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" Matthew 11:28-30
From the Office of Public Affairs
Electing the 28th presiding bishop is a decisive moment for The Episcopal Church. Today we joyfully announce the release of our profile and invite you to join us in our journey to nominate individuals to stand for election.
Help choose our next presiding bishop.
https://bit.ly/3W1kaeN #JNCPB #episcopal
Check out the Diocesan Websites page for Niobrara Convocation. https://www.episcopalchurchsd.org/page/niobrara-convocation
Here is where you will find hotel information, who their guest speaker is, and where to send your hospitality checks.
Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community
Across our church and our society, we are having profound dialogues about race, truth, justice, and healing. We explore where this dialogue intersects with our faith. Join us and our invited guests as we share prophetic voices and explore the readings.
You'll hear ancient texts interpreted in new ways, find fodder for preaching and teaching, and make present day connections to the prophetic voice of the Bible. This podcast will help us rethink
Hello ladies, the 2023 Nomination form for our Honored Women is ready and available now.
Please go to the Diocesan Website at episcopalchurchsd.org and look 2/3 of the way down the page.
Here you will see a block under PROGRAMS, Episcopal Church Woman.
By clicking LEARN MORE you will be directed to the ECW page and there you will find the Nomination form.
Don't forget the deadline is April 15.
Clergy we hope you will share this with your congregation members.
Some of our leaders at St. Michaels, Bastesland, Pine Ridge Episcopal Mission were interviewed on NBC's Today Show, which will air on Earth Day April, 22. The creativity and innovation of their greenhouses and the distribution of fresh vegetables and microgreens in their community are being highlighted.
Please watch the broadcast on April 22, Earth Day.
Rev. Zephier’s Funeral arrangements.
3/12
3:00 – 5:00 PM Visitation at St. Mark’s Church
5:00 PM Prayer Service/Wake
3/13 11:00 AM
Burial of the Dead & HE
Clergy White or beaded Stoles
Lunch to follow
Mission companionship with Christians in Sudan and South Sudan will be the theme of the Mission Thursday on Feb. 16, sponsored by the Global Episcopal Mission Network. Congregations, dioceses and organizations with connections to the Sudans are welcome, as are all others interested in learning about ministry with Christians there.
This Mission Thursday, hosted by the American Friends of the Episcopal Churches of the Sudans (AFRECS), will be held on Zoom at 1 p.m. Free registration is accessible here at Eventbrite for this opportunity in mission networking.
AFRECS executive director Dr. Dane Smith, a former US ambassador and envoy in Africa, will host the webinar, assisted by Dr. Richard Jones, retired mission professor at Virginia Seminary. A Sudanese church leader opening the session will be followed by brief presentations by Episcopalians pursuing mission companionship with Sudanese Christians. Q&A will close out the one-hour session.
The Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) is a rapidly growing faith community in a country characterized by communal violence and a dysfunctional government. ECSS is bringing Jesus' message of good news to the poor at the local level through literacy, livelihood generation and trauma healing with help from AFRECS. It is also building the newly accredited Episcopal University of South Sudan.
The Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) operates in a country where more than 90 percent of the population are Muslims. It has enjoyed greater autonomy since the overthrow of Islamist President Omar Bashir in 2019, though the transition to democracy was halted by the military in 2021. The ECS has been growing quickly in the Nuba Mountains area to the south.
A consultant and lecturer on international peacebuilding, with a recent focus on faith-inspired peacebuilding, Dane Smith , Jr., was US ambassador to Guinea and Senegal, and special presidential envoy to Liberia, and senior advisor to the US Government on Darfur. He was deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Khartoum, Sudan. He and his wife Judy were Peace Corps volunteers in Eritrea.