Hi COTC! 

I’m looking forward to being with many of you tomorrow at our Parish Retreat! Whether or not you are able to be there, please join me in praying for this to be a formative time of community and fun.

One of the more subtle gifts of our shared life at COTC is that we are a part of a larger network for churches through our diocese, Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO). On October 9th, we had a reminder of that blessing as Bishop Todd Hunter led us in a service of consecration. As we move through this season of the “Thanks Be To God” campaign, I’m deeply grateful for Bishop Todd’s presence and wisdom, as well as the support and prayers of other colleagues and leaders within our diocese. 

If you’re interested in learning more about our diocese, you can check out the C4SO website here. I also want to invite you to “sit-in” via Zoom on our diocesan convention on Saturday, November 12th (10:30 am to noon). COTC clergy and a few lay delegates are required to participate and vote on a few institutional matters, but everyone is invited to be present. A group of us will be watching online together at the church (you are welcome to join us and stop by for the toy and clothing swap!), or you can sign up to watch individually. 

One important way our diocese supports fruitful ministry at COTC is through resources related to safeguarding. C4SO provides (and requires) training related to protecting against misconduct and harassment, as well as a mechanism through which those who experience or witness wrongdoing can make a report. These resources are a wholly appropriate expression of the Bishop’s pastoral and leadership role over the diocese and local churches, COTC included, and are necessary in our fallen and broken world.

In our commitment at COTC to demonstrate the reality of God’s kingdom in our relationships, I’m deeply grateful for these resources. It’s important for you, as a member of the COTC community, to be aware of them. Periodically we remind the community of these resources. Please take a moment to check out them out here. 

In Christ, 

Peter+