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Dear Friends in Ministry,

I’m reaching out today with an opportunity for those who have and continue to work faithfully with Youth & Young Adult Ministries in ECCT. Whether you’re a youth leader, mentor, parish staff, clergy, parent, youth, or young adult, we’ve been thinking about you as we begin to discern “What’s Next?” for these ministries in ECCT.

We’ve partnered with Ministry Architects to support our work in building a sustainable model of youth and young adult ministry for the next season of our life together in ECCT and, as we embark on this process together, we need your voice in the room. To that end, Ministry Architects will be hosting listening sessions across ECCT from February 6–11, and you are invited to join one of these important conversations. Click on the button below to see all the times, dates, and locations available.

We realize these dates are close upon us, and it is our hope that you can find a way to join us—we’d so value your presence and your voice!

If there’s someone in your community who is engaged in youth and young adult ministry, feel free to share this opportunity with them. We want a variety of voices in these conversations and we need your help to make that happen.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact me at rhatch@episcopalct.org or 203.639.3501 ext. 126

Faithfully,

The Rev. Canon Rebekah Hatch
Canon for Lay & Ordained Vocations

Continuing the work of youth and young adults across ECCT, and building on the submission of a report from the Young Adult Task Force in 2021, ECCT is moving forward with the important work of discernment around youth and young adult ministry. We’ve partnered with Ministry Architects to support our work in building a sustainable model of youth and young adult ministry for the next season of our life together in ECCT. We value the presence and faithfulness of youth and young adults across our diocese.

How can you be involved?

Can’t make a listening session? Be on the lookout for more opportunities for engagement, imagination, and discernment in ECCT’s bi-weekly eNews and via our social media.

On February 6–9, Ministry Architects consultants Elaine Pendergrass and Bryant Johnson will be onsite across ECCT hosting listening sessions. If you have passion and energy around Youth and Young Adult Ministry, we need your presence. If you’re a parent, volunteer, staff, young person, connected to a college or university, school or college chaplain, or someone who wants to see youth and young adult ministry faithfully thrive in ECCT, we need your voice and presence in these listening groups. And if you know someone that should be part of this conversation, let us know!

Registration is required to attend a Listening Session.

Friday, February 6 at Camp Washington

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Saturday, February 7 at the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, The Commons

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Sunday, February 8 at Christ & Holy Trinity, Westport

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Monday, February 9 at Christ Church, Guilford

Living in Hope: A Pre-Lenten Clergy Retreat

January 20–21, 2026
Camp Washington

Our Clergy Retreat planning team is looking forward to welcoming the Rev. Callie Swanlund, Episcopal priest and author of From Weary to Wholehearted: A Restorative Resource for Overcoming Clergy Burnout, and YOU to Camp Washington (190 Kenyon Road, Lakeside, CT 06758) on Tuesday, January 20, and/or Wednesday, January 21. Here are some things to know before you go.

First, for those who hadn’t initally planned on an overnight stay, there may still be a few accommodations available. Please reach out to Jeanette Wheeler at jwheeler@episcopalct.org by Friday, Jan. 16 at 8 AM to inquire.

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WHAT TO BRING

• Comfortable attire; sweatpants are highly encouraged!
• Suitable footwear and outerwear as we will be moving between buildings.
• A reusable beverage container for coffee, water, etc.
• Any additional snacks you’d like (we will have snacks provided both days as well).
• Whatever you need to help you rest, pray, reflect, craft, read, and/or catch up with friends old & new. For example: a journal, a good book (like, From Weary to Wholehearted), yoga mat, the craft you’re currently working on that doesn’t take up a ton of space, jigsaw puzzle, board game, your favorite prayer or devotional book, etc.
• Your copy of From Weary to Wholehearted or $20 if you’d like to purchase a copy of From Weary to Wholehearted on-site for Callie+ to sign.
• Overnight attendees: A flashlight or other light source as it gets very dark at night at Camp.

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ARRIVAL & CHECK-IN

Tuesday

• You can arrive anytime after 3 PM to checkin, get settled, and enter into retreat space. Snacks will be available.
• Our program will begin at 5:30 PM with dinner.
• If you registered for “Wednesday Clergy Retreat Day Only” you are welcome and encouraged to join us on Tuesday afternoon/evening, as well. Dinner is included.

Wednesday

• Our program will begin at 9 AM, breakfast will be available beginning at 8 AM.
• Snacks will be available both days.

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HELPFUL INFORMATION ABOUT CAMP WASHINGTON

• Cell signal can be weak, consider giving people back home a heads up that you may be hard to reach.
• WiFi is available in all buildings.
• There are hiking trails available, come prepared for the weather if you plan to hike..
• For those staying overnight: Single-person bathrooms are located in the hallway adjacent to the rooms and showers are available in the Shower Rooms, also adjacent to your room.
• There is limited access to refrigeration. Please contact Jeanette Wheeler at jwheeler@episcopalct.org prior to the retreat to arrange access.

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JUST FOR FUN!

We’ll be learning Bring Me a Little Water, Sylvie together. Get a head start learning the song!

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AGENDA*
Subject to change, but meal and start times are fixed.

Tuesday, January 20

3 PM: Arrival & Checkin

5:30 PM: Dinner

6:30–8 PM: Retreat Session 1, closing with Compline

8 PM: Sound Bath (optional)

8:30 PM–onward: Fellowship, Games, Sleep, etc.

Wednesday, January 21

8 AM: Breakfast w/ options to come late or take food back to your room

9–11 AM: Retreat Session 2

11–12:30 PM: Relax & Reflect (Labyrinth, crafting, journaling, reading, etc.)

12:30 PM:  Lunch 

1:30–3:30 PM: Retreat Session 3

Bishop Jeffrey Mello, Bishop Laura Ahrens, and the Episcopal Church in Connecticut welcome author, priest, and prophetic leader the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers to spur conversation and transformation among us in February 2026. Based on Canon Spellers’ new book, Church Tomorrow?: What the ‘Nones’ and ‘Dones’ Teach Us About the Future of Faith, the Rev. Canon Spellers will help us to wrestle with the decline of traditional religion, the firsthand wisdom of nonreligious Millennials and Gen Zs, as well as our call to be courageous, bold representatives of Jesus Christ in the world.

Feb. 1, Feb. 2, Feb. 3 and Feb. 22
Various sites across ECCT

Livestreaming on Feb. 1 from St. Luke’s, Darien, and Feb. 2 from St. John’s, West Hartford, on ECCT’s YouTube channel

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers is one of the Episcopal Church’s leading thinkers around 21st-century ministry and mission. The author of The Church Cracked Open and Radical Welcome, her newest book – Church Tomorrow?: What the ‘Nones’ and ‘Dones’ Teach Us About the Future of Faith – wrestles with the decline of traditional religion and the spiritual wisdom of nonreligious young Americans. After nearly a decade working alongside the Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, she is currently Canon in Residence at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York.

Spellers has served as a chaplain to the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops, directed evangelism and reconciliation at General Theological Seminary, and led church vitality efforts in the Diocese of Long Island. Her professional ministry began at St. Paul’s Cathedral-Boston, where she founded The Crossing, a ground-breaking church that weaves Episcopal tradition with voices from the margins. Prior to priesthood, she was a newspaper reporter in East Tennessee. A graduate of both Episcopal Divinity School and Harvard Divinity School, she grew up in Kentucky and now lives in New York with her husband Albert and their two cool cats. Keep up with her work at www.stephaniespellers.com.

Pre-Advent Clergy Day

Tuesday, November 18, 9 AM–2 PM
St. Andrew the Apostle, Rocky Hill

We look forward to seeing you at tomorrow’s Pre-Advent Clergy Day as we gather for worship, good food, fellowship, time with our bishops, and an opportunity to hear from ECCT’s Director for Lay Vocations & Ministry, Marsha McCurdy Adell, and Director for Congregational Development & Networking the Rev. Jill Morrison.

We will begin promptly at 9 AM with Morning Prayer; light breakfast snacks and coffee will be available. Lunch is provided.

Spring Training & Gathering 2025 is well underway, with over 400 people attending 23 virtual courses this week. This email provides information about what you need to know before you go to the in-person trainings at Berlin High School (139 Patterson Way, Berlin, CT 06037) on Saturday, April 5. Doors open at 8 AM for check-in, with the program beginning at 8:30 AM.

Parking

• Parking is free and ample at Berlin High School.
• If mobility is a challenge, flag down an ECCT staff member at the front entrance of the school. They will be wearing gray vests with ECCT’s blue logos on them.

Check-In

• All attendees must check-in by the auditorium to receive a nametag.
• The back of the nametag includes each person’s course selections.
• Please wear your nametag while you’re participating in our day together. There will be a place at the check-in desk to return them at the end of the day, so we can reuse them for future diocesan-wide gatherings.

Food and Drink

• Bring a water bottle; refill as needed at the bottle filling station in the cafeteria.
• Berlin High School will provide breakfast, lunch, snacks, and warm beverages across the day.
• Meals will be served buffet-style and include gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options.

Technology

• Please bring a laptop, tablet, or phone to access materials. We will have limited paper handouts available for people without electronic devices.
• Information about Spring Training & Gathering 2025 is available online.
• WiFi is available. Participants can connect to the BHS guest network:

SSID: Redcoats
Password: iX5!o$MDEC

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Reminder!

Bring your donations of flour, sugar, and oil on Saturday

Our Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, is once again seeking to support their neighbors in downtown Hartford at Connecticut State Community College – Capital (CCCC) by collecting much needed items for their Food Pantry. You are invited to bring sugar, flour, and oil, the three most needed items at the food pantry, to Spring Training & Gathering In-person Training Day on April 5 for transport to Hartford. 

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Agenda

8 AM: Check-In in the Lobby in front of Auditorium
8:30 AM: Opening Program & Worship
9:45 AM: Walk-time to Class 1
10 AM: Class 1
11:15 AM: Walk-time to Class 2
11:30 AM: Class 2
12:45 PM: Lunch
1:45 PM: Class 3
3 PM: Walk-time to Auditorium
3:15 PM: Closing Program in Auditorium

If you have questions about Spring Training & Gathering 2025, please reach out to ECCTcommunications@episcopalct.org. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Dear Colleagues,

We are looking forward to welcoming you to Camp Washington on Thursday, March 13 for our Clergy Retreat Day gathering. Our day will begin at 9:30 AM in Kenyon Hall with coffee, pastries, and worship.

The day has been designed for you to have opportunities to worship, relax and connect. Please bring with you whatever you need to lean into those spaces: a reusable water bottle or hot beverage holder, a journal, a Bible, access to The Book of Common Prayer, walking shoes, appropriate layers for whatever the weather will bring, a book you’re reading, a rosary or other prayer aids, a camping chair, a knitting/portable craft project, etc. 

Meditations from our bishops and myself will be interspersed throughout the day and we will send you on your way by 2:30 PM.

See you Thursday!

The Rev. Canon Rebekah Hatch
Canon for Lay & Ordained Vocations