Find a Church

  705 Doctors Drive, Kinston, NC 28501  ·   (252) 522-0885  ·     Resources

Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina
  • Welcome
    • About the Diocese
    • Worshipping Communities
    • How We Got Here
    • Bishop's Corner
    • Our Bishop & Diocesan Staff
    • Contact Us
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Communications Submissions
    • Diocesan Digest Magazine
    • News & Notes Archive
  • Governance
    • What is a Diocese
    • Executive Council
    • Standing Committee
    • Trustees
    • Constitutions & Canons
    • Diocesan Convention
    • General Convention of the Episcopal Church
  • Diocesan Life
    • East Carolina Chapters and/or Joint Ministries
    • Lifelong Christian Formation
    • Trinity Center
    • Diocesan Committees, Commissions & Ministries
    • Spanish Language Ministry
    • Photo Galleries
  • Leadership
    • Clergy Transitions
    • Lay Positions
    • Commission on Ministry
    • Clergy Resources
    • Call to Ordained Ministry
    • Vestry & Parish Resources
    • Congregational Development
    • Disciplinary Board
  • Administration
    • Administrative Resources
    • Resources
    • Model Policies for Safeguarding
  • Resources

Christmas 2021: a letter from Bishop Skirving

Christmas 2021

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word:
Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Collect for the First Sunday After Christmas

Dear Friends,

Greetings to you this Christmas season, as we celebrate again “the birth in time of the timeless Son of God.” [1] Although we continue to find ourselves living within limitations imposed upon us during this time of pandemic, I pray that your celebrations will be both joyful and safe!

Attached to the acoustic guitar which sits on a stand in my home office, there is a battery powered gadget which provides me with a visual signal indicating whether each of the six strings is sharp, flat, or in tune. With the help of this guitar tuner, I can then adjust each of the strings until they are perfectly in tune with one another and together able to produce beautiful harmonies.

Imagine if we had a device which could similarly provide a visual signal for us as to whether our heart, soul, mind, and strength were perfectly in tune such that the light of God’s love could shine forth from our lives? That’s the image that emerges for me from the Collect for the First Sunday After Christmas, an image which seems particularly powerful for me as we enter the Christmas season.

What if we were to pray that the light of God’s love would burn in our hearts in such a way as to brighten the dark places of this world? How might our lives and our relationships be transformed? How might the world be transformed? Each Christmas, we hear these words from John’s gospel, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” [2]

This Christmas, I pray that the light of God’s love will burn brightly in your heart, pushing back every darkness. And I pray that this same light will shine out from our lives into the world where we live, so that all may know the great gift of God in Christmas!

Yours in Christ,

yHyDWr1weEwJ2hLWOi8Wm3LNlr3meXSYlFhh8Nra6osWmSMAA82ACt-wAENHaaA4k-wjGBdaKYtagVbvfTccRNKxMg-41Kn5AjiU4bC4fiGz8_SUMQ51N5VNEA2BknILsA2Ngi4a



Diocesan Bishop
Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina


1 The Book of Alternative Services (Anglican Church of Canada), page 120.
2
The Gospel of John, Chapter 1, verse 5, NRSV.


Tags: News & Events / News

Subscribe to News & Notes

Addresses

Mailing Address:
PO Box 1336
Kinston, NC 28503

Physical Address:
705 Doctors Drive
Kinston, NC 28501

Contact Us

Diocesan House Phone:
(252) 522-0885

Trinity Center Camp & Conference Center:
(252) 247-5600

Email Us

Social Media

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram by clicking the links below:

  View Entire Post

Service Times

Find churches and church service times here.

Location

Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina
705 Doctors Drive
Kinston, NC 28501

Contact Us
(252) 522-0885

Newsletter Signup

Resources Administrative Resources Clergy Resources Parish Resources Spiritual Resources

Here are some of our most frequently requested resources. To see our entire list of resources, click on the All Resources button below.

Worship Guidelines Letters from the Bishop Hurricane Hub 2023 Cycle of Prayer

All Resources

2023 Due Dates for Canonically-Required Reports and the 2023 Parish Contact Form and 2023 Audit Criteria Request Form are now available in our Resources. You can also find them here:

2023 Due Dates for Canonically-Required Reports 2023 Parish Contact Form 2023 Audit Criteria Request Form

The current mileage reimbursement rate is 62.5 cents per mile, established June 9, 2022.You can learn more here.

More Administrative Resources

As of March 31, 2022 there are updated Guidelines for Public Worship in the Diocese of East Carolina. You may view them by clicking the button below:

Guidelines for Public Worship

Bishop's Visitation Guidelines 2022-2023 Bishop's Visitation Schedule

More Clergy Resources

Building your volunteer ministry?

  • Model Policies for the Protection of Children, Youth, and Vulnerable Adults
  • Background Checks

Guidelines for Public Worship 2023 Cycle of Prayer Stewardship Resources

More Parish Resources

Ready to go deeper in your spiritual life?

  • Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation
  • Center for Action and Contemplation
  • The Growing Edge
  • Wild Goose Festival
  • The January Adventure
More Spiritual Resources