UPDATE: Registration for this event has now closed.Young Adult Festival at General ConventionMany Stories, One Body: July 6–10, 2022 The Young Adult Festival is designed for young adults 18-30(ish) years old to meet peers from across the globe, pray and learn together, engage in the church’s legislative process, and help discern God’s call for the Episcopal Church. General Convention is … Read More
Proposed Canonical Changes
Proposed Canonical Changes Related to the Operations of Camp MitchellCanon 15, section 3PASSED – 19 Feb 2022Canon 15, section 3, shall be amended by replacing section 3 with the following: Section 3. Camp Mitchell is an institution and function of the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, and is either governed by: (a) A special commission of the Convention known as the … Read More
Recommendation to Resume Normal Activities and Worship Services
An Update from Bishop Benfield Since March 2020 we have learned much about how the COVID virus spreads and the best steps to take to ensure our health. As a result, last spring I recommended that congregations stop having in-person worship, later followed by numerous recommendations on how safely to resume worship services. Given the high percentage of people attending … Read More
Be Both Welcoming and Safe
19 May 2021 The increasing number of people who are vaccinated and the recent recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control allow us to take a new look at how we gather for worship. Individual congregations may find it useful to be more conservative, but the general recommendation for worship is: We welcome both masked and unmasked worshippers. No matter … Read More
Music Lives Here [VIDEO]
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in North Little Rock has hosted the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s River Rhapsodies series during the pandemic. This is just the latest musical offering from the parish. To learn more about how St. Luke’s uses music to reach out to the community, watch the video.
Camp Mitchell Working Group Report
An Update from Bishop Benfield The working group that has been looking into various possibilities for the future of Camp Mitchell has completed its report and presented it to Executive Council, a PDF of which you can download here. This is the same report the Executive Council has received. Executive Council additionally received attachments with more in-depth fundraising ideas, budget projections, … Read More
Recommendations for Restarting Church Activities
March 24, 2021 I spoke with clergy and lay leaders this week regarding my latest detailed recommendations for restarting church activities, based on new guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here are the highlights: Until we reach a higher percentage of the total population vaccinated, masks need to be worn and social distancing continued at any … Read More
As Cases Decline, Indoor Worship Is Possible for Some Churches
Feb. 24, 2021 The recent decline in Covid-19 infections in Arkansas means that it is possible for several of our congregations to consider indoor worship if infection rates stay low. No, we are not going to be sitting in crowded rooms and singing next Sunday. Social distancing and masking will still be necessary, and please remember that it is the … Read More
Bishop Benfield’s Address to Diocesan Convention
February 13, 2021 It was only a year ago that I stood at diocesan convention and told you that one of the best ways I know of gauging a congregation’s health is in the quality of its potluck lunches. Given what happened to the entire concept of public health a month after I made that comment, I have come to … Read More
An Update on Worship During the Pandemic
Nov. 18, 2020 The governor of Arkansas and the Arkansas Department of Health have issued revised guidance for worship as we enter the holiday period, with the goal of attempting to control the spread of the coronavirus. The governor’s latest guidance recommends that churches not use a choir, but instead use a soloist who stands at least twelve feet from … Read More