As the adage goes: “Necessity is the mother of all invention.” In part-time ministry the way we’ve always done it can be killer, setting up unrealistic expectations and tipping us toward failure. If we only focus on what we can’t do, we risk feeling defeated and lacking. Part-time ministry requires a shift in mindset to be successful, even joyful! And there is so much opportunity for joy and creativity in part-time ministry. This workshop will look at the gifts of part-time ministry. We will use appreciative inquiry to consider together what practices are working well in our parishes. What resources are there for us to tap into within the community, neighborhood, and our network. What we are doing well. Where we might want to focus our energy in the year ahead. And, how we can use flexibility to our advantage as part-time leaders.

FACILITATOR: The Reverend Erin Flinn currently serves as a half-time rector at St Stephen’s, East Haddam and an all-the-time mum to an exuberant four-year-old. For Erin, part-time ministry is full of gifts and potential as long as she maintains a posture of holding things lightly, giving and receiving heap loads of grace, and staying nimble. Prior to St Stephen’s she served as the North Central Region in ECCT from 2017 through 2020, before that she worked as a professional lighting designer in opera. Erin is a big believer that relationship and flexibility are everything! She keeps a list of phone-a-friends in her back pocket and pivots often. She delights in creative ministry, growing vegetables, fishing, working with her two Newfoundland dogs, and sitting on the back deck with her family.

Discernment is the faithful work of listening for where God may be calling us next. This workshop will offer a simple introduction to what discernment means in our life of the Church and how it can take shape in our parishes and personal lives. Join in conversation about the support available across the diocese, and the different pathways people may explore as they listen for God’s call. This session is meant to reassure you that discernment is not something you have to do alone. There are resources and people ready to be engaged as you seek clarity and direction on how to live out God’s will more deeply. 

FACILITATOR: Marsha Adell is the Director for Lay Vocations and Ministry. Her charge is to provide vital support and resources for the development and formation of lay leaders across the diocese. She brings both knowledge and experience as a consultant, building strong teams to the role. Driven by a deep sense of servant leadership, Marsha continues to answer the Spirit-led call to serve others by fostering growth, inclusion, and spiritual formation within the Church. She has held key leadership positions within the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, including serving as a member of the Commission on Ministry, Co-Chair of the ECCT Bishop Transition Committee, and Deputy to the 81st General Convention. She has served the wider Church as an Election Consultant and is a parishioner at Trinity Episcopal Church in Hartford. She has a master’s degree in public administration from Purdue University and is a Berkeley Divinity School at Yale Leadership Fellow.

Eucharistic Visitors play a pivotal role in the church community, serving as a bridge between the Church and the World, serving those who are shut-in, sick, or unable to be inside the church to worship. We hope to inspire and guide attendees by introducing the many aspects of this sacramental ministry as well as offering a guide, using a standardized order of service for taking the Church (Body of Christ) to such members. We will also discuss some of the difficult and/or unusual challenges as well as the joys the Eucharistic Visitor encounters while encircled with the busyness and speed bumps that encroach on our lives today.

FACILITATORS: The Reverend Pat Jackson and The Reverend Liz Knauff are graduates of the final Ministry Education and Exploration Program (MEEP) held in 2005. They went through Deacon Formation together and were part of the largest group of (ten) Deacons ordained in ECCT in 2007. Pat and Liz are both members of the Deacons Council. Pat holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Empire State College, Saratoga Springs, NY and is now retired after serving 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry. She served as Deacon for four years at Trinity, Hartford, eleven years at Church of the Holy Trinity, Middletown and is currently on assignment at St. Andrews, Meriden. Liz is on the staff of Warehouse Point Library, East Windsor, where she has worked for 24 years. She is currently Children/Youth Services staff member along with a wide range of responsibilities including front desk. She served as Deacon for four years at Trinity, Tariffville, nine years at Church of The Good Shepherd, Hartford. Currently she is a member of Grace Church, Windsor.

Prayer is at the heart of the Christian life. For lay people, the Daily Office offers a time-tested model for liturgical leadership, and an opportunity to empower the laity to take ownership of their local life of prayer. Praying the Daily Office in its fullness requires training. While the BCP contains all that is necessary to pray the office, it does require some close reading to learn how to do it. This workshop is designed to streamline that process. Participants will learn the structure and rubrics of the Office, how to use the lectionary, practical guidance for leading worship, and tools for training and mentoring lay officiants. Common challenges with be addressed (such as confidence, consistency, and liturgical variation), offering adaptable templates for contexts of varying size and resources. Attendees will leave with a replicable training framework and renewed vision for their role as leaders in their local life of prayer.

FACILITATOR: Sean R. Glenn, a member of Haven Religious (Hartford), serves the church by sharing vocational gifts for composing, singing, spiritual direction, retreat-leading, preaching, teaching, writing, and liturgy. Sean earned his Master of Theological Studies from the Boston University School of Theology and his MA in Music from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College (CUNY). For six years, he lived and worked as a brother of the society of St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge, MA). He has served the church as a musician, scholar, preacher, and administrator. He presently serves his community, Haven Religious, as Sacristan, Precentor, and Clerk.

Reading scripture in the context of worship can be a deeply spiritual practice. How we share the Word of God in our communities matters. Join Bishop Jeff for this workshop in which we will share tips and tools. We’ll get on our feet and take turns reading for one another.

FACILITATOR: The Right Reverend Jeffrey W. Mello is the 16th Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, elected in May 2022 and ordained bishop in October 2022. As Bishop Diocesan, Bishop Jeff oversees and is responsible for the spiritual and temporal needs of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut as, together, we participate in God’s Mission.

This course focused on steps to take when you’re leading a church without settled clergy. Join Vicki MarkAnthony as she shares her wisdom and experience as a lay leader in a parish without a priest.

Vicki MarkAnthony is a retired teacher and has served Christ Church Easton as Lector, Chair of Mission and Outreach, Chair of Concerts on the Hill, Stewardship, Lay Leader, and Preacher. She is currently serving as Senior Warden. Being without a priest-in-charge has been an education and a challenge that has brought her closer to the congregation.

Have you ever wondered what a Vestry does? Have you ever thought of offering your gifts and serving on your parish’s Vestry? Please join this workshop as we engage these questions and others.    

FACILITATOR: The Reverend Canon Ranjit K. Mathews has served as Canon to the Ordinary and Chief of Staff since October 2023, following nearly two years as Canon for Mission Advocacy, Racial Justice, and Reconciliation. Previously, he was rector of St. James, New London, where he was recognized in 2019 as a Community Partner by the local NAACP. He also served on the Presiding Bishop’s staff as Partnership Officer for Africa, working with Anglican provinces and dioceses south of the Sahara on shared mission priorities. As a clergy deputy from ECCT, he served as secretary of the Social Justice and International Policy Legislative Committee for the 80th General Convention and chairs the interim Task Force on Dialogue with South Sudanese Anglicans in the diaspora. He sits on the boards of Episcopal Relief & Development and the Episcopal Evangelism Society and serves on The Episcopal Church’s delegation to the Anglican Consultative Council.  

Preaching is a gift from God’s Spirit to all who will receive it. As more parishes in our Diocese have part time clergy or no clergy while in transition, the need for lay preachers has grown. The benefits are: helping to avoid clergy burnout, new voices for the congregation to hear, and growing confident new leaders for the parish. The workshop will be presented by Ginnie Glassman who has been leading Lay Preacher Training sessions for six years and Roger Coutant, who is a long-time lay preacher. 

You will learn how lay preachers get started preaching (call of the Spirit, nudge by their clergy, challenge to themselves?). We will discuss how preaching has shaped our lives of faith. We will share an overview of the eight-week lay preacher training sessions with some resources to help as speakers of God’s word. It is open to any who are interested; no previous experience required. 

FACILITATORS: Ginnie Glassman is a parishioner at Christ Church Tashua in Trumbull, where she serves as Vestry member, worship leader, and lector in addition to preaching (3-4/year).  For the last six years, she has been leading Lay Preacher Training sessions over Zoom, helping ninety people encounter and practice the basics of preaching. Her joy comes in seeing lay leaders grow and develop, and hearing their insights into Scripture and the resulting sermons. 

Roger Coutant is a parishioner at Trinity, Torrington, where he serves as a Vestry member, lay reader, usher, and lay preacher (3-4/year).  He has had the pleasure of serving in a number of ways over time, with teaching Sunday school and Journey to Adulthood being close to his heart. 

Seeking to study the Bible and how to apply it to your daily life? Education for Ministry (EfM) helps us understand how we are called into relationship with God, neighbor, and creation wherever we are – at home, at work, in all the places we spend time. Learn about this 36-week adult formation program developed by the School of Theology at the University of the South. Experience how we study Christian tradition: the Bible, Christian history, ethics, and spirituality while reflecting theologically on our lives and where God is calling us to live out our baptismal promises in our communities.  

FACILITATORS: Sharon Ely Pearson is an EfM graduate (1998) and has mentored numerous groups in ECCT over the course of 20 years. She worships at St. Mathew’s in Wilton which hosts an online group with individuals from 7 congregations in Fairfield and Litchfield Counties. A graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary, she believes in empowering the laity for ministry in daily life. Before her retirement she served as an editor and formation specialist at Church Publishing Incorporated.  

Victor Friedrich, a retired neuroscientist, is a member of Church of the Holy Trinity in Middletown, where he is active as a musician and lay preacher. He graduated from EfM in 2008 and has served as a mentor ever since, currently leading two online EfM groups with a diverse membership scattered between the two coasts of the U.S. and Mexico.