Dispatches

Dispatches is a monthly update that seeks to keep you advised of news, developments, and resources that support our shared mission across the diocese. 

New Registration Options for Reawakening this Year

In our efforts to make the conference more accessible for everyone and more affordable for families we have created a new menu of registration options from which to choose. Please note the early registration discount is available until September 19th!

Standard Registration: This covers the entire conference for Friday & Saturday - $189 $169 until Sept. 19

NEW! - Family Registration: Standard Registration for 2 adults and 2 children under 18 - $269 $249 until Sept. 19

Saturday Registration: Attend Saturday only - $139 $119 until Sept. 19

This year we want to encourage you to bring more guests so we are going to make the Friday Evening of Worship, Art, and Intercession FREE!  This is a great opportunity to show friends and neighbors what the ADNE is all about!

ADNE Clergy can take advantage of Standard Registration or the Family Registration: the Bishop requests you to be present for the entirety of the conference.

Here are our recommendations for hotels close to Grace Chapel, 59 Worthen Drive, Lexington, MA. You will want to book your reservation soon as availability is limited in the Boston area for this weekend! 

Budget: Red Roof PLUS+ Boston - Woburn/Burlington

Location: 19 Commerce Way, Woburn, MA Driving Distance: 6.2 miles (approximately 12-15 minutes) Avg rate: $190 per night

Key Features:

• Most budget-friendly option with clean, modern rooms

• Pet-friendly with no additional fees

• Free parking and Wi-Fi included

• 24-hour front desk and fitness facilities

• Quick highway access and close to Burlington Mall

Good: Fairfield Inn Boston/Woburn Burlington

Location: 285 Mishawum Road, Woburn, MA Driving Distance: 5.8 miles (approximately 12-15 minutes) Avg rate: $240 per night

Key Features:

• Complimentary hot breakfast and outdoor pool

• Marriott brand reliability with Bonvoy points

• Free Wi-Fi and parking

• Business center for work needs

• Near shopping and dining at Burlington Mall

Better: Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston/Burlington

Location: Burlington area Driving Distance: 7.1 miles (approximately 15-18 minutes) Avg Rate: $250 per night

Key Features:

• All-suite rooms with full kitchens for extended stays

• Free hot breakfast and evening social hour (Mon-Thu)

• Indoor pool and 24-hour fitness center

• Hilton Honors points and grocery shopping service

• Spacious accommodations ideal for families

Best: Aloft Lexington

Location: 727 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA Driving Distance: 1.4 miles (approximately 3-5 minutes) Group rate: $320 per night with taxes and fees. Book with the group rate for ADNE

Key Features & Benefits:

• Closest location - practically walking distance

• Modern, tech-savvy rooms with contemporary design

• WXYZ bar, live music, and on-site dining

• Indoor pool, 24/7 fitness center, free Wi-Fi and parking

• Pet-friendly with premium amenities in historic Lexington

Gospel Contextualization: Rural Ministry Panel Discussion

This September, as part of our virtual workshop series, we are excited to host a panel discussion concerning rural ministry. The work of communicating the universal truth of the gospel to our particular season and setting can be challenging. This discussion will feature thoughtful and prayerful ministers that have successfully proclaimed the gospel in rural communities. Their passion and insight can inspire all of us, regardless of our setting - to adapt our communication to the people we hope to serve.

The date is yet to be settled, but it will be a weekday evening in September. Email me to join the contact list (micah.thompson@adne.org), or watch for the announcement of time, and the link to join the Google Meet.

The discussion features Dr. Jason McConnell (Franklin United Church: Franklin, VT), The Rev. Dr. Brian Barry (St. Nicholas House, Brookline, NH), and The. Rev. Christian Huebner (Brownsville Community Church: Brownsville, VT).

Fall Launch

In June, we gathered for our Strategic Planning Summit: two days of prayerful consideration, worship, and excitement about what the Lord has for our churches, missions, and ministries in the days ahead. I ran face first into summer as soon as I got home. Meetings got harder to plan. People were harder to reach. And our plan got put in a corner.

Now it’s August, and the fall is picking up some momentum. Events are being put together, people are back around, and there are dreams of what we might do from September through Christmas. It’s time to get our “swim map” out of the corner and remember that the Spirit that was speaking to us in June knew that the summer would be slow. Our fall plans will be based on our June vision.

Even if you’re doing better than I am on your strategic plan, mid-August is a great natural inflection point to take a look around and see how the plan is going. What has changed? What has worked? What needs attention? What needs communication? What has God done this summer?

I want to encourage all of us as August moves on, and before September begins, to gather the vestry, ministry team, mission committee, volunteers, or whoever needs to be part of the conversation. Dust off the swim map. Pray through the fall. Listen to the Spirit. Plan the fall to step toward the vision that God has given to your community for the sake of His Kingdom.

*If you would like help, coaching is available. Please contact me (micah.thompson@adne.org) or Josh Vanada (josh.vanada@adne.org) to set up a call.

Art Outreach: Promise North Fork

Through Dandelion Ministries, Sean and I use art to create space to experience the grace of Jesus in your place of need.  On a warm Saturday in July, during cocktail hour, we gathered with old friends and new ones to share a promise that has changed our lives and inspired our art.  We used the art show to invite the neighborhood to hear about this promise through art, music, poetry, and dance.  We hosted open studios throughout July to invite kids to paint and hear about how Jesus’ promise has given me hope even in the face of real grief, death, loss, and confusion.  Some of their art went into the show.  All of it helped to share Jesus’ love for them in a visual way… they shared it with their parents… many do not attend church.  The build up and inviting was just as important as the night itself.

Our friends own a church building, now out of use.  They always saw art and faith in that space.  They welcomed us to use it.  Thank you J and S!

The neighbors were curious.  Some visited.  Those who stayed said they were blessed.  Others were just glad the place was open once again.  That is what Jesus does, after all - bring life from the dead.

We brought Jesus’ promise of forgiveness and life beyond death through song, poetry, dance, ink and paint.  It brought creatives together and churches linked arms over what is most important.  It opened up conversations with new and old friends and the Lord’s grace slipped into the places in all of us needed his promise the most.

We didn’t take many pictures… we were too busy talking to folks!  But this gives a glimpse.  Thank you to our friends, Bethany and Doug Fotia, for helping!  Check out Bethany’s music here!  Sean shared some of his newest songs… check out his music here!

Thank you to our friends from The Porch started by Jay and Erin Urena who brought coffee, music, and new friends!  They have a coffee ministry and do lots of things to love folks in Riverhead, NY in Jesus’ name. 

We were blessed by the support from Mattituck Presbyterian, Mattituck Church of Christ, The Vine, and True Light plus other friends who joined in.  More to come.  Perhaps you could see this blessing your neighborhood?  When Peter was filled with courage from the Holy Spirit, he said this promise of forgiveness and of life beyond death through Jesus is for you, for your children, and for all who are far off.

Read more here

The Rev. Kate Norris

dandelionministries.org

Gospel Crash course for Parents and Youth Workers

Contact The Rev. Kate Norris to set up a visit with your church! kate@dandelionministries.org or kate@adne.org

Recently, The Rev. Eliud Mwangi from Holy Trinity Anglican Church invited me to lead a training for his youth volunteers.  He wanted to get creative ideas for sharing the Gospel with different developmental ages of kids.  He wanted to empower his team with a greater knowledge of Scripture and how to use every story to give the kids Jesus.  

I have a passion to empower parents and youth leaders/Sunday School teachers, and mentors to share the Gospel with their kids.  It’s not always clear how an Old Testament story leads you to Jesus’ forgiveness and love and reassurance for you.  It is so easy to fall into a moral message: “be like David,” or “be like Esther.”  Yet, that denies the power of Jesus’ promise and make Jesus seem like a coach who is never satisfied… this can turn kids away when they need Jesus the most.  I needed to be taught how to do this - it wasn’t clear to me on my own.  I needed sound teachers and preachers of the Word to show me how to pull out the Jesus promise for you and for our child.  I would like to share what I have learned and what has fed my ministry to children and parents alike.  

In this power-packed 90 minutes, I give a gospel framework that you can apply to any curriculum or any Scripture story that you are telling, whether with your own kids or kids you teach in Sunday School or youth group.  Then I gave some practical tips on methods for different developmental stages - things that I have learned that connect with kids (of all ages;). 

Reach out to me if you’d like this for your parents and youth teams.

Contact The Rev. Kate Norris: 

kate.norris@adne.org  or  kate@dandelionministries.org

dandelionministries.org

cell: 516.279.7896

Here’s what Eliud and his team thought about it:

“I was delighted to have Revd Kate Norris train our kids, teens and youth ministry teachers.  This was in line with our ADNE 12- month missional plan of starting teachers’ education and training.  And it is with this reason that we reached out to Revd Kate to help us build up and empower our teachers through the virtual gospel crash course held in the spring of this year.

She managed the session with a well laid foundation of the scripture, which she presented using the powerpoint presentation. She broke it down into several topics. On this, I would like to share some takeaways that were most helpful to us as a team viz: The gospel framework and model of teaching kids the Christian faith among others.

Suffice to mention, this became the eye opener to our team as they found a new approach for ministering  to our kids, teens and youths. It's imperative that I would recommend this training to all the teachers and volunteers of the said groups and in our respective churches within the ADNE.

With the youth, teens and kids church being our mission tool as a church and I believe the same with other churches in our diocese I would highly recommend Revd Kate, to consider having these one-on-one sessions with various teams to help us navigate the dynamics of the latter. And perhaps if we can have the training compacted into an audio and video clips, such that after she is done with training the teams; they can use them for future reference."

With every blessing,

Revd Eliud Mwangi

Holy Trinity Anglican Church -Auburn MA.

Kids Around The World

We arrived in the community of Los Caras, Ecuador to a bevy of exited children and grateful parents and grandparents. Despite the language barrier, the welcome was warm and the love instantaneous.  

Kids Around The World (KATW) established themselves in this community three years earlier through partnerships with local church leaders. It all began with an invitation to start a Storyclub; a weekly gathering where a trained storyteller tells biblical stories in a way that is fun and engaging and easy for the kids to learn. Through creative repetition, interactive games, and opportunities for reflection, kids not only learn the bible, but they also engage with the Holy Spirit to learn and make the Gospel personal.  

Our team participated in two different Storyclubs, and it was here that I had my most meaningful moment of the trip. I was completely captivated by Marlon’s telling the story of Jesus forgiving the sins and healing the paralyzed man in Luke 5. Even though Marlon was telling the story in Spanish and I was only able to understand a few words, it was his body language and hand motions that kept me mesmerized. I literally had to remind myself to breathe, and it was in that moment I experienced the power of God’s word like never before. 

Thanks to their One Meal program, the health of the community is also being transformed. The One Meal program helps to subsidize the food insecurities that many impoverished families experience. What makes this meal program different is that each packet includes key vitamins, minerals, and nutrients critical to physical growth and brain development. During our trip we had the privilege of participating in home visits, sharing in a One Meal while listening to families rave about the improved health of the children. We learned about their hopes and dreams and how much KATW has changed their community.  

The purpose of the trip was to ultimately build a new playground for the Los Caras community. Having built more than 60 playgrounds in Ecuador and 1275 playgrounds around the globe, the KATW team knew exactly how to put us to work and transform an open space into a wonderland for a child’s imagination. The most encouraging part of the playground build was seeing the dads in the community come to the playground after work each day and lend a helping hand. With their help, we poured concrete, spread out two truckloads of gravel, and trimmed all the trees and bushes. 

KATW is a remarkable ministry. Their generosity to give away their resources to anyone who wants to empower future generations to live a hope-filled, Christ-centered life is so inspiring. There are so many ways that individuals, families, churches, and even our diocese could partner with KATW, through packing One Meals, going on trips to build playgrounds, sponsoring staff members, and ultimately helping them create more Hope Zone communities. 

There were so many God moments on this trip, but this photo best captures the power of the week for me. It was only five years ago that KATW started to create Hope Zone communities in Ecuador. Each of these files now represents an established Hope Zone. What God is doing through KATW is truly miraculous. 

Mission Projects and Dates

September 17-20 - New Wineskins Conference in Ridgecrest NC

https://www.newwineskinsconference.org

Please contact Canon Leah if you are interested in carpooling down or are attending, please let us know! We will be having a diocesan dinner hosted by Bishop Love while there.

October 17-18 - ADNE Reawakening Conference

Friday afternoon Missions Conference led by Audrey Patra and Canon Leah

November - Church of the Redeemer, Franklin heads to Arusha Tanzania for a short term mission

Advent 2025 - Potential partnership with Kids Around the World: We have an opportunity to raise funds to fill 1/3 of a shipping container with food bound for Peru to feed families. Read the article from Fr Craig and Althea for more information on this amazing organization.

December 31 - Uganda 2026 Mission Team applications due

August 2026 - All new diocesan mission trip led by Canon Leah and Fr. Ben Giuffrida to Uganda. This mission will focus on a building and water scarcity project for Centennary School, leading VBS in two diocese, and a safari! This will be a multi-generation trip for youth and adults 16 years and up. Full details will be shared at ReAwakening.

If your congregation would like to hear more about missions in general or what the ADNE is doing Canon Leah would love to meet with your church or missions group. Please contact her at leah.turner@adne.org

Anglican Society of Widows - Part 1

Luke 2:36-38

And there was a prophetess Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to God and spoke of him to all who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.

The Presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple is a multi-layered event, drawing upon all of God’s formative work with His people into the pinch-point of time when Emmanuel, God in flesh, arrives at the Temple: Creation, formation, illumination from the Light of Christ, and, soon, the sending out of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, into the whole world for all peoples.

Called by the Holy Spirit, righteous Simeon meets the Holy Family and praises God for fulfilling His promise to show to Simeon the Christ, the salvation of the world. Simeon blesses Mary and Joseph and speaks further to Mary.

Then arrives the prophet Anna, who had devoted her long widowhood to worshiping God and serving His will. Anna recognizes Jesus. She openly praises God and begins telling others about their Redeemer. In potential contrast to pre-conceived notions about Anna as someone who would need the care of the community as a widow, instead by the grace and calling of God, Anna is a messenger of hope to her community. She is one of the first to publicly proclaim the arrival of the Christ.

As my late husband was living with his diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer, there came a time when his health began to clearly, rapidly decline and I knew widowhood was approaching. The decision to commit whatever was left of my time on earth in service to God and His Church gave me profound peace and was an anchor of calm during my husband’s last days and the horrible months and months of grief that followed. Still, there came an unexpected moment when I recognized a sense of deep connection to widows in the Bible.

The calling of a widow to serve a particular role in the formation and building up of Christ’s Church is not unique to Anna. Over the next few months I will further highlight examples from the Bible and the early Church of known widows and associations of widows who were called to do God’s work in the midst of what is otherwise a very difficult time of life.

If you are a widow who would like to network with other widows within the Anglican Diocese in New England, and to possibly discern a formal Society of Widows within the Church, please contact me, The Rev. Laura Peckham, at MotherLaura67@gmail.com. Please share this information and feel free to contact me with any questions.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE MINISTRIES AND PRIORITIES OF THE ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF NEW ENGLAND.

The Anglican Diocese in New England wants to be on mission together: every parishioner, every leader, and every church. As a family of churches reaching across the breadth of New England, God is calling us to serve in the reawakening of the Northeast. 

We can do so much more in God when we work together.

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