Our dioceses are on a journey to discover how collaborating can help us transform our congregations and communities through the power of Jesus Christ. In our churches, everyone is welcome, without exception.
Welcome! God is calling us into a new reality here on the southeastern shores of Lake Erie. We hope you will join us in answering this call as we reach out to people who do not know the transformational power of Jesus Christ, people who have been pushed to the margins, and people who feel like they aren’t worthy to step into one of our big stone churches. The road to transformation may be rocky at times, but we hope you will walk it with us.
In 2018, our dioceses pledged themselves to an unprecedented collaboration because we believe that God was calling us to embrace new ways of working on behalf of the Gospel here along the southeastern shores of Lake Erie. We are 90 congregations, spread across 20 counties, but we are one church, united by faith and dedicated to serving our communities and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. Here in this part of the country that many have forgotten, we believe that we have the potential to lead the church into a new season of growth.
It isn’t always easy to find our way to God. The disciples we encounter on the road to Emmaus were heading in the wrong direction! They didn’t even recognize Jesus, whom they had followed for years—until he broke bread with them. Our church finder was created to make your search a little easier. Use it to locate congregations, ministry centers and church-related organizations across the region. You don’t have to be a member to attend our services, get involved in our work, or find solace and sustenance through our ministries.
Bishop Sean gave this address on October 25 to the joint convention of the Dioceses of Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania: Last October, our two conventions made a bold decision to set into motion a partnership between two dioceses that has led us, and will lead us, on quite a new adventure. We are…
Bishop Sean is often heard to say that Episcopalians need to experiment for the sake of the gospel. Last month, St. David’s in West Seneca did just that when its rector, the Rev. Claudia Scheda, and several parishioners experimented with a new kind of prayer ministry. The idea originated when a member of the congregation…
In this new video, Bishop Sean offers an update on what’s happened since April, when the partnership of the Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York got underway. He invites everyone to convention in Erie on October 25 and 26, but don’t expect business as usual! Convention begins with registration and continental breakfast from…
The NWPA Clergy Retreat will be held November 17-19 at Olmsted Manor in Ludlow, PA. The retreat will begin at 5:30 on Sunday and end following lunch on Tuesday. Please register online. The registration deadline is November 12.
At this retreat, by popular request, we will be taking a deeper dive into the Enneagram as a follow up to the last clergy retreat. We will be welcoming Sandra Smith, an accredited Enneagram professional, to lead us through the retreat. Sandra has a podcast called The Heart of the Enneagram and co-authored the companion book to her podcast, entitled Heart of the Enneagram: A Companion for Deepening Personal and Spiritual Growth. She will be leading us through Growing our Spiritual Lives and Leadership with the Enneagram Map. Download a synopsis of the retreat.
FYI: there is currently a boil water order in Ludlow. The order is expected to be lifted by the time we are there, but it may not be. They will provide us with bottled water for our time there if that is the case.
Bishop Sean invites the clergy of Western New York to join him at the Diocesan Ministry Center in Tonawanda on November 20 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. for a conversation about practices and priorities that can help us build a common life as clergy leaders in our region. Dress is casual, and lunch will be served.
Please register to attend online.
