A few years ago the Diocese of Oregon approved a resolution to mark July 14th as Thomas Fielding Scott Day.

As described in the resolution:

The General Convention of 2009 authorized the creation of Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints which “seeks to expand … and give increased expression to the many and diverse ways in which Christ … has been present in the lives of men and women across the ages.”  (from the Forward to Holy Women, Holy Men)  This new guide for our Church Calendar includes many good people who did good things.  Thomas Fielding Scott went beyond that. He gave his life to bring the Gospel of Christ and the Episcopal Church to our Pacific Northwest.  We need to remember and give thanks for his work and for the gifts  he has given us through the planting of the church here, where we live.

Our Missioner for Camping, Retreat and Youth Ministries, Beth Dieker, resigned her position at the end of May. At our last staff gathering we thanked Beth for her wonderful work with us and wished her well in her new pursuits. 

As we look at future permanent staffing, the work with camping and youth ministries continues this summer. Please join us in welcoming The Rev. Carol W. Sedlacek, who is taking on the position of Interim Camping and Youth Ministries Coordinator. This is a temporary, four month, half stipend position from June through September.  

Rev. Carol Sedlacek was born in Astoria, Oregon and has served the Episcopal Church throughout her life. After participating in church camps and the Youth Ministries Commission as a young person, Carol graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary and was ordained a priest in 1994. She has served at St. Bartholomew’s in Beaverton, Good Shepherd in Austin, Texas (while her husband, The Rev. Wes Sedlacek, went to seminary) and has served as rector at St. Martin’s, Lebanon since returning to Oregon in 2002. In addition to parish ministry, Carol is the coordinator for the Fresh Start ministry of the diocese.

The Commission for the Poor and the Homeless is soliciting grant applications from congregations. The CPH Fund is supported by the Thanksgiving Offering and the proceeds from the baskets at Convention.

The Fund supports many projects throughout western Oregon, including food pantries, community gardens, medical clinics, and temporary shelters. The Fund especially seeks to support new ministries that involve children and youth and/or display innovative ways of addressing poverty's many challenges.

More information can be found after the jump.

Embracing Interfaith Cooperation: Eboo Patel on Coming Together to Change the World

In this engaging five-session DVD, speaker and author Eboo Patel leads a small group of adults from diverse religious backgrounds (Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Hindu) in an exploration of the challenge and necessity of interfaith cooperation. The Participants Workbook was written by Tom Scorer of Vancouver, BC. This is the latest in the "Embracing…" series published by Morehouse.

More information after the jump.