Last week, along with 850 other clergy and laity, I attended the Episcopal Parish Network (EPN) conference in Charlotte, NC. It was my first EPN conference, and I found it to be very enriching. My favorite meeting was a talk led by our new presiding bishop, with only rectors and cathedral deans in the room. While I didn’t meet him personally, it was wonderful to be in a small setting of 150 church leaders where all could speak freely. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe was just insta

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” —John 4:10 In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, we are going to read about Jesus’s interaction with a Samaritan woman. Mother Nina will preach on who the Samaritan woman was, and how Jesus knew her. But what is he talking about when he offers her “living water”? In the ancient world, the term “living water” could simply refer t

What is the catechumenate ? An organized preparation for baptism. What is the catechism ? The outline of our faith found on pages 845-62 of our Book of Common Prayer . What is the catechuminute ? A 60-second social media video that explains the catechism! (Get it? Father Jacob cleverly made this up.) At St. Bart’s, we are preparing not only for Easter but also for our bishop’s visitation. One of our youth, along with Father Jacob and me, are creating minute-long reels to