Episcopal Diocese of Albany - Priests and Deacons Update

Business Office: 68 South Swan Street - Albany, NY 12210 - (518) 465-4737
Christ the King Spiritual Life Center: 575 Burton Road - Greenwich, NY 12834 - (518) 692-9550

July 23, 2008

From our short term mission to Bolivia: Fr. Gus Calvo and the Bolivia Team report they have moved to Isa del Sol and have good work to do. They will be out of touch for the rest of the week. But all is well and the group is praising God for the construction and spiritual opportunities which they have been given. Fr. Gus points to lessons in patience and being ready to do God's will. More news as soon as it come in.

The Mudge Family (Fr. Shaw, Mtr Julia, and Lydia) are preparing for a 10 year commitment as missionaries in Peru. Their prayer support team is starting a blog - www.mudgeperureport.blogspot.com.

Coming Events

Saturday, August 16, 2008, Second Annual Bible Conference - "Were Not Our Hearts On Fire?"
Catch the fire and learn how to use these skills in your adult bible study programming:

Choosing the right study for your group
Increased biblical literacy
Leadership skills that work with any size group

Where: Christ the King SLC
Time: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
8:30 – coffee and check-in
Cost: $15 per person (early registration until August 8th)
$20 per person (after August 8th or at the door)
$100 maximum per church for early registrations only - bring as many people as you can get to caravan - must provide complete list of those attending at time of early registration.
Guest speaker: Patricia Heidebrecht, author, consultant, and Executive Director of the Kerygma Bible Study series.

AND,

Second Annual Chili Cook Off - in conjunction with our Bible Conference.

Register online for the conference at http://www.albanyepiscopaldiocese.org/
Indicate you are bringing your 'prizewinning chili'—give us a name if you have one for your special recipe.
Bring your chili with you in a crock pot on the day of the conference.
Bring all chili to the Welcome Center Dining Room before the conference begins.
Bring a list of ingredients in the recipe.

PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED FOR:
HOTTEST chili
BEST TASTING chili

Competition will be held at lunchtime and winners will be announced at the end of the conference. Bp Love is entering again this year and he does make a mean pot of chili.

Mutual Ministry Revue Workshop led by Fr. Alan Hansen of ACTS 29. September 4 from 10 – 3 at Christ Church, Schenectady. This is for clergy and vestry leadership. To register contact Fr Brad Jones here. Donation of $30 is requested to cover lunch and conference materials.

"This workshop is designed to help the clergy and the leadership of a church develop a win/win environment. The clergy need clear and specific goals and expectations so their evaluations are connected to standards that are measurable. The leadership needs to be accountable, too, since they are there to support the rector and help him/her succeed. When the effort is made to establish goals and expectations on the front end, then evaluations can be objective, less subjection and truly bear fruit.
This teaching helps the vestry understand the difference between clergy role and clergy function and outlines the numerous demands on the clergy’s time weekly, monthly, seasonally and annually (including diocesan activities and community involvement). In reality, the clergy have a huge task that needs to be managed well. By working with the vestry, goals and expectations can be established for the ministries of the church that are S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented and Time-Phased).
The result of this training will be a very good evaluation process that is non-threatening, fully understood and has the potential of great reward for the clergy and the leadership.&qout;

Crying Out To God...The role of fasting, intercession and corporate prayer for the renewal of the church. This one day conference is Saturday, September 6, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (check-in at 8:30). Cost is $15 per person, which includes lunch and all conference materials. To register call Lorraine Coleman at Christ Church, Schenectady – 518-374-3064.

This conference will be led by Fr Alan Hansen, Acts 29 and is co-sponsored by the Diocese, Christ Church, Coxsackie, Trinity Church, Lansingburgh, Christ Church, Schenectady, and St. Andrew’s, Scotia. If you would like to become a co-sponsor, call Lorraine.

"Crying out to God is a biblical principle that is repeated all throughout scripture. We see kings, priests, prophets, slaves, soldiers, shepherds, merchants and even pagans (remember Nineveh and Jonah?) cry out to God, finding Him strong to save and deliver. This conference is designed to teach us how to seek the Lord in earnest, for help in the day of trouble and to seek His face for wisdom and guidance in times of need.
From the Book of Joel we will learn the divine strategy and how to respond when we encounter a day of trouble and judgment from God. The prophet calls the nation Israel into a season of fasting, prayer and "crying out to God"; the gathering of solemn assemblies to seek God’s mercy and pardon. We can learn much from this chapter in Israel’s history.
We will also consider the ancient Christian discipline of fasting. Although there are no specific instructions about fasting in the Bible, it is clearly practiced and encouraged. Jesus, Moses, Joshua and Elijah fasted 40 days. Daniel fasted 21 days. Paul fasted 14 days and we have mention of seven day, three day and even one day fasts. Fasting is always connected with prayer and seeking a clear word from the Lord. We will look at fasting individually and corporately.
Lastly, we will focus on intercession, also an ancient discipline of the church. Intercessors move mountains in the heavenlies and are mighty in the spirit realm. Restoring and elevating the work of intercession is critical for the renewal of the church. We can have all the programs and activities going but without the covering of intercession the impact will be marginalized. We will cover both individual and corporate intercession in the conference and give some practical suggestions to implement these disciplines into the life of the parish."

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