Take a step in exploring how God may be calling you Have you ever felt a nagging deep inside, wondering about whether you may be called to ordained ministry? Have you been fighting that feeling? Have others in your life told you you should consider becoming a deacon or priest? Are you interested in exploring a call to ordained ministry? This is the weekend for you. The Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan, in collaboration with the Academy for Vocational Leadership and the Iona Collaborative from the Seminary of the Southwest, extends an invitation to come together for a weekend ..read more

June 15th – Farmer’s Creek at Oakdale, Lapeer Join Holy Hikes Great Lakes on our third hike of the 2024 Season at Farmer’s Creek at Oakdale in Lapeer! Together, we’ll hike, we’ll pray, we’ll engage in fellowship with one another, and we’ll celebrate the diversity of God’s creation! All hiking sites have been carefully selected to be rated “easy” treks to ensure access for all generations and most mobilities. We expect to spend about 90 minutes on the trail, including time both hiking and stopping for prayer and reflection. We end each hike with trailside fellowship! In the case of heavy rain ..read more

Dear People of the Future Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes, On March 16th, gathered in a special convention of the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan, our lay and clergy delegates voted to affirm the creation of one, new diocese: the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes. Our diocesan leaders have been hard at work over the last couple of months, preparing a process and structure for how our dioceses will engage this transition. This memo outlines several important areas of our impending work: Timeline for the process toward the new diocese and aligning our systems Working ..read more

Two-part program prepares participants for licensure We have heard consistent interest in training for licensed lay preachers, especially with so many of our congregations in transition and so many exercising vibrant ministry without a full-time parish priest. To that end, we will again offer our formation program for licensed lay preachers in 2024-25. The courses take place alongside the classes for the Academy for Vocational Leadership, sometimes online via Zoom and sometimes in-person at the St. Francis Center in Dewitt. If you feel a call to be a preacher, please speak to your priest or se ..read more

Applications Open for Academic Year 2024-25 Postulants ready to begin formation for Holy Orders and lay people seeking intensive theological learning may now apply to join the Academy for Vocational Leadership for the 2024-2025 academic year. The Academy for Vocational Leadership is our three-year, bi-diocesan program of preparation for Holy Orders. Originally founded in its current iteration in 2015, the Academy is one of over 34 diocesan schools in The Episcopal Church forming leaders as part of the Iona Collaborative of the Seminary of the Southwest (SSW) in Austin, TX. All academic classes ..read more

Building Faith Community using Digital Tools Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, our faith communities across the dioceses have rapidly grown their capacities and skills for invitation and community through digital tools. We know that this development and investment is not a COVID-era phenomenon: to remain relevant and accessible for generations to come, our congregations and organizations must intentionally engage online platforms for their ministries of invitation, gathering, and worship. Thanks to congregational development funding from the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Mic ..read more

MODIFIED SCHEDULE & MODE OF GATHERING and Philadelphia Eleven Documentary Screenings Due to low registrations for our in-person events, the 2024 Leadership Days and Philadelphia Eleven screenings will adapt to a new schedule of online workshops and in-person documentary screenings, all at no cost. Please read below for information about each of our workshops, including their revised date and time. Each workshop will be offered once and recorded for later viewing. Please RSVP for each session you plan to attend. All registrants for the original event will receive an additional email with in ..read more

Learn more about the College for Congregational Development and Thriving in Ministry The Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan have invested in two major congregational development initiatives, intended to empower leaders and build skills for healthy, sustainable, and thriving faith communities: the College for Congregational Development and Thriving in Ministry. Join the programs’ leaders for an info session, outlining the programs objectives and processes, giving examples of this work in-action, and encouraging individuals and communities to accept the invitation to invest time ..read more

Friends in Christ, During the month of May, Whittemore month, help us make a difference in the West Michigan community with a financial gift to the Bishop Whittemore Foundation. Your gift empowers our efforts to provide grants supporting support communities in the Diocese of Western Michigan with their new ministries, building and accessibility projects, and more. The Rt. Rev. Lewis Bliss Whittemore was the third bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan serving 1937-1953. Bishop Whittemore was a talented administrator and gifted pastor, bringing the diocese out of a period of ..read more

Dear Ones of Eastern and Western Michigan, Eastertide joy to you and yours. As our registration deadline (June 1) approaches, I am taking this opportunity to again invite you and a team from your parish to participate in our second College for Congregational Development (CCD). We are looking forward to building on the success of our 2023 diocesan CCD launch as we gather to take next steps in becoming more healthy, more faithful, and more effective congregations. CCD is for parish teams of leaders—lay and ordained—who have a keen interest and capacity to learn, grow, and engage with others—and ..read more