Provincial Ministry Networks are groups of Episcopalians from two or more dioceses in New England engaged in shared ministries. Some ministry networks, including the ones listed below, have been meeting in various forms for several years; other networks form to put on specific events or address specific ministry needs and dissolve afterwards. Ministry Networks are led and run by their participants, with limited administrative support from the Provincial Coordinator, and are eligible to apply for Provincial grants for financial support. If you want to get more involved in a Provincial ministry network or want to see a network come together, or if you are convening a Provincial network and wish it to be included on this page, please reach out to the Coordinator.
Becoming Beloved Community Network
A call to appreciate one another as children of God continually has been repeated at the General Conventions of the Episcopal Church. In 2009, the General Convention urged every leadership body of the Church to institute programs or sessions on ‘anti-racism’. Dioceses around the globe instituted anti-racism training and many use Seeing the Face of God in Each Other: The Antiracism Training Manual of the Episcopal Church, a curriculum designed to make us all more aware of how society’s racist past still haunts us today. A new framework for racial reconciliation toward creating Beloved Community was approved at General Convention 79 (2018).
Building on the work done since 2013 by the EXPLORING DIVERSITY & NURTURING CULTURAL COMPETENCY Task Force, the Province 1 Becoming Beloved Community Network seeks to bring together those interested in working toward racial reconciliation, healing, and justice. We provide share resources and experiences in doing this work through the Province 1 website, social media, and quarterly gatherings.
The next quarterly Zoom meeting of this network will be Sunday, February 23 2025 from 3-5 p.m. Register here for this call.
For more information on the network, reach out to James McKim.
This Ministry Network recordings of previous calls may be found on the Province 1 YouTube page.
DIACONAL MINISTRY
The Diaconal Ministry of Province I provides opportunities for networking, support and further enrichment of deacons and various supporters of this servant ministry.
Since the 1980s there have been periodic regional gatherings to provide education, support and fellowship for deacons, deacons-in-formation and those families, friends and colleagues who support deacons and diaconal ministries in New England and neighboring dioceses of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church in Canada. Since 2004, there have been biennial regional gatherings planned and conducted by volunteer design teams led by a convener or co-conveners and in coordination with staff and administrative support from Province I of the Episcopal Church. In the Spring of 2015, diaconal leaders piloted a series of web conferences designed to share wisdom and continue conversations between biennial conferences. Deacons Talking on the Road to Emmaus was launched as a monthly web conference series (October to May) after the 2016 conference. In September 2015, after two years of development, diocesan representatives interested in sharing diaconal education, training and formation activities launched the Province I School for Deacons with a two-year deacon formation program.
FAITH FORMATION
Faith formation is the lifelong, life-wide and life deep process of growing in our relationship with God, self, others and all creation. The Christian Formation Network at Province I seeks to collaborate, curate and catalyze relationships and resources to nurture and expand opportunities for faith development across the lifespan.
We know that our world is changing but our God is constant, so we support one another in sharing what’s working, asking big questions, and committing to worship and gratitude to God for the journey. We invite you – lay or ordained; parish-based volunteer, diocesan staff, or something else – to join us at our yearly conference, on our quarterly Zoom check-in calls that feature different aspects of forming Christian disciples in a variety of contexts, or to be in touch in other ways so we can connect and share the gift of the formation work God has given us. To connect with this ministry network, email Bird Treacy.
This ministry network also organizes the Conversations with Noted Speakers series each year monthly from September-June. To get involved with the Conversations, email Linnae Peterson.
Indigenous Peoples Justice Network
Province 1 Indigenous People’s Justice Network meets monthly, generally on the second Wednesday of the month at noon,
The Province 1 Indigenous People’s Justice Network invites you to join a series of book discussions. The next discussion is on March 19 from 7-8:30 p.m.
The next book being discussed is Ceremony, a novel by Leslie Marmon Silko.
“Tayo, a young Native American, has been a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II, and the horrors of captivity have almost eroded his will to survive. His return to the Laguna Pueblo reservation only increases his feeling of estrangement and alienation. While other returning soldiers find easy refuge in alcohol and senseless violence, Tayo searches for another kind of comfort and resolution.
Tayo’s quest leads him back to the Indian past and its traditions, to beliefs about witchcraft and evil, and to the ancient stories of his people. The search itself becomes a ritual, a curative ceremony that defeats the most virulent of afflictions—despair.”
Register in advance for the book discussion by clicking here.
For additional information about the network, contact the Rev. Vicki Ix, Canon for Communications at the Diocese of Western Massachusetts.
Young Adult and Campus Ministry Network
The ministry network gathers on Zoom monthly for a facilitated conversation; to join those meetings or learn more about the topics, email Will Harron at coordinator@province1.org. This network is also a place to learn about grant opportunities for young adult and campus ministries, and we’re hoping to plan retreats for students, young adults, and chaplains and ministry leaders.