News | The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia

Supremacía Blanca y la Epifanía: Una Declaración del Obispo Rickel

English “Estas tragedias nos han recordado que las palabras importan y que el poder de la vida y la muerte está en la lengua”. Capellán del Senado, el Rvdo. Barry Black. 6 de enero. El día de Reyes según nuestro calendario cristiano. Gran parte de todo eso desapareció en casi todo el territorio de los Estados Unidos el miércoles. En mi caso, el día comenzó con oración, ya que la época navideña finalmente llegaba a su fin. También terminó en

Congregational Leadership Conference: Wardens, Treasurers, and All Members of Vestries and Bishop’s Committees

February 13, 9:00am Join us for a day-long exploration of what it means to serve on a Vestry or Bishop’s Committee and gain important tools and insights that will help you fulfill your role as an elected lay leader in the congregation. Please note: The workshops and content of this conference will be tailored for senior and junior wardens, treasurers and bookkeepers, as well as any interested lay leaders considering elected lay leadership. Note: Registration has now closed. RESOURCES AND

White Supremacy and the Epiphany: A Statement from Bishop Rickel

Español “These tragedies have reminded us that words matter and that the power of life and death is in the tongue.” Chaplain to the Senate, The Rev. Barry Black. January 6th. The Feast of the Epiphany in our Christian calendar. Much of that was lost on most people in the United States on Wednesday. For me, the day started with prayer, our Christmas season finally coming to its end. It also ended in prayer, a prayer offered by the Chaplain

Clergy Wellness Report

In October of 2020, the Office of the Bishop in the Diocese of Olympia conducted a survey among our clergy who are actively serving congregations. The goal of this survey was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and all that followed on our clergy’s health and wellness, as well as to investigate how supported (or not) our clergy felt by their lay leadership. The primary purpose of the survey was to gather data to share with lay leadership

Appointment of Acting Treasurer

With the continued absence of our Diocesan Treasurer Barbara Fox as she continues to recover from her June 2020 medical difficulties, Bishop Rickel has appointed Jim Beckwith as the Acting Treasurer for the Diocese of Olympia. In this role Jim will provide links between our finance office and governing bodies, and he will bring items and issues to the notice of the appropriate governing body – Diocesan Council, Joint Finance Panel, Board of Directors – at the appropriate time for

The Feast of the Epiphany and Prayers for Our Country

Dear Ones, The scenes from our nation’s capital today are surreal, appalling, and unprecedented. In our Christian calendar today is the Feast of the Epiphany, the day the Magi arrived to be in the presence of the baby Jesus and for us then, the physical manifestation of Jesus to us all. There is no small irony that this chaos and unrest happen on this day. As Christians, it is in this reality, the reality of Jesus Christ, a real person,

New Transitions in the Diocese of Olympia

It is a time of transition within the Diocese of Olympia, and we have three new clergy calls and three clergy departures to announce as we end the year and look forward to 2021. Calls All Saints’, Tacoma has called the Rev. Dr. James (Jim) Warnock as their Vicar. Father James Warnock earned a PhD in History from the University of Washington in 1989 and served as a History Professor in several institutions of higher learning before heeding his call

Best Practices for Virtual Annual Meetings (Technology and Logistics)

Downloadable PDF As we prepare for the start of 2021 and make plans to hold our annual meetings virtually due to the continuing COVID-19 crisis, the Office of the Bishop wanted to prepare a brief document on best practices on virtual meetings based on the things we learned during our own virtual Convention. While the virtual meeting space can be intimidating, we do believe that there are some basic settings and procedures you can put into practice to make your

Guidelines for Conducting a Virtual Annual Meeting (Canonical and Legal Requirements | Rules of Order)

Downloadable PDF COVID-19 has forced us to rethink many of our current practices and adapt to new restrictions. The Episcopal Church has a long tradition of democratic governance at every level. One of the core principals of that tradition is the gathering of our congregations and other communities to elect leadership and decide on major initiatives and endeavors. One of the defining characteristics of the Episcopal Church is we act as a community. Annual meetings are a key part of

Chaplains on the Harbor: Harbor Roots Farm Blessing and Christmas Appeal

From Aaron Scott, Missioner for Anti-Poverty Organizing and Staff Organizer for Chaplains on the Harbor: Dear friends and family in struggle and hope, What a year it’s been! We broke ground at our new permanent site for Harbor Roots Farm, overhauled all our outreach programs to meet COVID safety protocols, marched for Black lives and an end to police brutality and got help up by a militia, expanded our shelter to operate every night from November through March, hired four