As Episcopalians, we believe the message Jesus Christ embodied is as relevant today as it was when he actually walked this earth. In his life we find Jesus to be a model towards which we ourselves strive. It's a journey of the spirit and an exploration of faith that we embrace both individually and together in our worshipping communities.
While there is a similar rhthym and order to our worship, you'll find a wide diversity of worship styles within our congregations that mix traditions of the early Christian Church with contemporary language, life and thought.
| Sat May 19 @ 2:00PM - 04:00PM St. John's-Grace Sacred Sites Open House |
| Sun May 20 @11:15AM - 12:30PM Free Bread & Soup |
| Mon May 21 @ 1:00PM - Denominational Health Care Plan Informational Meeting |
| Mon May 21 @ 7:00PM - Denominational Health Care Plan Informational Meeting |
| Tue May 22 @10:00AM - Denominational Health Care Plan Informational Meeting |
| Tue May 22 @ 2:00PM - Denominational Health Care Plan Informational Meeting |
| Wed May 23 @ 6:30PM - 08:00PM The Other 20% |
| Mon May 28 Memorial Day Holiday |
Police agencies from Western New York and Southern Ontario will honor the memories of law enforcement personnel who gave their lives in the line of duty during the 15th Annual Niagara County Police Appreciation Day Interfaith Memorial Service on Thursday, May 17. The service will begin at 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 400 Ridge St., Lewiston, NY.
Held during National Police Week, a time to pay special recognition to law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others, the Niagara County service will feature the reading of the Roll of Honor – the roster of officers killed in the line of duty through the years – and a presentation of memorial wreaths by representatives from law enforcement agencies. Agency honor guard members will join area musicians in rendering a rifle salute and “Taps” to the memories of those we will honor.
The guest speaker for this year’s service will be Sen. George D. Maziarz, vice president pro tempore of the New York State Senate. The host pastor will be the Rev. Claudia Koczka. The media and public are invited.
Sen. Maziarz represents the 62nd District, which includes all of Niagara County outside the City of Niagara Falls. Associated with many landmark pieces of legislation, he helped develop “Megan’s Law,” the registry that helps law enforcement officers and communities track the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders, and is a serving member of the senate’s Crime Victims and Crime & Corrections committees.
A reception sponsored by St. Paul’s Church and the Niagara Falls Block Club Council will be held in the church hall immediately following the service.
by Laurie Kaiser
Possibly as soon as Easter, St. James Episcopal Church in Batavia will celebrate a personal renewal and resurrection of its own. The church's bell will joyfully ring again after more than two years of remaining silent. The front doors once again will swing open to welcome parishioners inside. Neither bell nor front door has been able to be used due to the risk of falling rocks and mortar from the deteriorating bell tower in the 104-year-old church.
Thanks to the work of a small but dedicated congregation, along with young people in the community and even bottle redemption centers, St. James secured the $500,000 necessary to restore the historic bell tower.
Read more: Restoration Project Breathes Life, Hope into Batavia Congregation
Seven hardy souls from St. Mark’s Church in Orchard Park found out, up close and personal, what it meant to experience the wrath of Mother Nature and the devastating loss afterwards. The disaster was a tornado that hit the Springfield, MA, area in April 2011. The up close and personal part involved cutting felled trees, clearing debris and providing support to the victims of the storm by just being there to listen and console, five months afterwards.
We seven met with 80+ Episcopalian volunteers the evening of Sept 2 at St. Marks, East Longmeadow, MA. The Church provided a lovely evening meal for us, explained the weekend’s activities and ended with evening prayers. Early the next morning we were separated into smaller groups of 7 or 8 and given our assignments. Local volunteers provided their personal cars to take us to our sites. Many of the men brought their trusty chainsaws. They were quaking with excitement in anticipation of using their power tools! Many of their chainsaws were dusty with non-use, so imagine the anticipation of their “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” moment when they powered up their saws the next morning! The women were not allowed to use the saws. (None of us knew how to use them anyway!) We were allowed to lift, tote, stack and toss brush and logs. It was quite a sight to see the geriatric set sawing and tossing—holding their own against younger workers!