Ember Days | Message from Bishop Kevin | Cascadia Women’s Retreat | Ministry Changes in the Diocese | Chaplains in Cascadia | Church Plant Update | New Communications Team | Union Like God’s

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

The Bible has many references to time, seasons, and cycles. As the earth circles the sun, we are encircled by seasons—a time to plant and a time of harvest; a time to labor and a time to rest; a time to feast and a time to fast.

The church’s liturgical calendar commemorates Ember Days, a quarterly three-day period of fasting and prayer, which align with the four seasons throughout the year.

The word “Ember,” possibly a reference to a common Old English prefix ymb, means “around” or “recurring.”

While the origin is obscure, Ember Days align with similar periods of time when agricultural festivals were commemorated in ancient Rome—celebrations of seasons and harvests believed to be animated by pagan gods. As the gospel of Jesus Christ spread throughout Rome and beyond, Christians adopted the four seasons into their own liturgical calendar for prayer and fasting. In this way, it is also possible that Ember Days were influenced by Judaism and the four fasts described in the Law of Moses. Yet, Ember Days, unveiled, point to a redemption of seasons and cycles through the reconciliation of all things in Jesus Christ.

This shift is not arbitrary but profound. The seasons and the sustenance they provide are no longer attributed to elemental gods, nor are those in Christ under the guardianship of the Law. No. Redeemed creation is shot through and through with God's real presence, restored to their original form and function in the body of Jesus Christ. In the appointed and opportune time, God sent forth His own Son to redeem those under the elements of the world as well as those under the guardianship of the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters. (Gal 4:1-4) In Ember Days, with fasting and prayer, we recognize our dependence on God, we celebrate the sacrament of life and communion inherent in each season, and we share this life, together, as a new creation in Christ.

Over time, Ember Days became synonymous with devoted prayer and fasting for those being ordained to Holy Orders. Today, the first Ember Day of the season is dedicated to Matthias the Apostle. On this day, we pray the Collect:

Almighty God, who in the place of Judas chose your faithful servant Matthias to be numbered among the Twelve: Grant that your Church, being delivered from false apostles, may always be guided and governed by faithful and true pastors; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Ember Days are a Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday on the heels of the first Sunday in Lent, Whitsun (or Pentecost), the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14), and St Lucy's Day (December 13). The Cascadia Diocese is honored to offer a quarterly newsletter for release at the beginning of each of the Ember Days. The purpose of the Cascadia Newsletter will be to Recognize, Celebrate, and Share what God is doing in and through the Cascadia Diocese throughout the year.

Dear friends in Christ,

Even though it is still winter, I find great joy in witnessing new life emerging: flowers and tree buds, birds returning to the yard, and impatiently awaiting the March birth of our first granddaughter! What also brings me joy is the spring-like emergence of our churches and people from the pandemic lockdown… in-person worship and seeing friends in the same room I haven't seen since the pandemic began. It has been a weary season for many reasons this past year, yet despite this, we have cared for one another, persevered in worship online, prayed for our people and leaders, and sustained Christ's mission.

Thanks be to God!

Because of our faithfulness, the Holy Spirit's work, and the vaccine's eventual relieving us from the pandemic, I am very much looking forward to the reopening of our Churches. It is exciting to see new life emerging when we finally are all back together and renewing our ministries.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

I think you will find signs of such welfare, future, and hope in our new format e-newsletter articles this edition. Please join me in thanking Canon Edward Leche and the communications team for their excellent work and in praying for and anticipating what the Lord will do with and for us in the coming Spring!

Love in Christ, +Kevin

Format: Short lectures, followed by small group discussions in on-line breakout rooms

Preparation: Please buy Tim Keller’s Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power and the Only Hope That Matters, and read before the zoom retreat (available paperback on Amazon and in bookstores everywhere)

Registration: Online via Cascadia website, cascadiadiocese.org from April 5-April 30 for $10.00 per computer used to zoom (multiple family and friends can use the same computer)

Late Registration: May 1-10. On-line Cascadia website for $15.00 per computer. Registration closes May 11

Questions: Please contact the Diocese of Cascadia office via the website. Sponsored by CWU, Cascadia Women’s Union

Diocese of Cascadia Council 2021

The Rev. Roger Vehorn - President
Anne Ni - Treasurer
Jim Long
Rev. Canon Edward Leche
Rev. Canon Ryan Brotherton
Very Rev. Dean Billy Gaines
Rev. Canon Steven Tompkins
Gary Johnson
Tiffany Ann Butler

Deputy Division Chaplain Patrick Lowthian, stationed in Joint Base Lewis McCord in Tacoma, has many nuggets of wisdom, but one is more jarring than the others:

“I have become an expert in death.”

Chaplain Lowthian has seen three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. When the seemingly imperturbable soldiers of his units lose a comrade, he’s there to tend to their souls, the souls of commanders, and the souls of bereaved families. It has to be one of the toughest jobs in the world, but it’s one that brings the light of Christ into some of the darkest situations.

When combat officers accompany him to deliver casualty notifications to next of kin, they frequently tell him it’s the hardest thing they’ve ever done. They don’t know how he holds it together, but Chaplain Lowthian knows: God has made him to do this sort of thing.

He finds solace in the Bible’s teachings about death and suffering. Sometimes, the weight of it all catches up with him, but he bristles at the thought of being considered a martyr or put on a pedestal.

He is made for this. This is his job, and he does it well.

It’s a unique calling. Chaplains are on the frontlines not only of actual battlefields but of the raw personal lives of military personnel in every branch. As parishioners, soldiers have nowhere to hide from their pastors. Chaplains see their parishioners in their daily lives, at their rowdiest and under extraordinary circumstances. It creates a unique bond.

While Anglicanism in general tends to attract an educated demographic in the military, Anglicanism has a draw for different reasons. The life of a soldier is inherently physical. It’s full of physical cues and physical discipline, and grueling exercises meant to train troops to instinctively move and fight without hesitation in life-or-death situations. Because the life of a soldier is so physical, many feel drawn to the physicality of Anglicanism.

“It’s participatory; I am not here to entertain you. The reason I wear these clothes is so I can hide and you can see Christ,” Lowthian says.

The young soldiers, bombarded by drill sergeants and Army life rigors, appreciate chaplains who treat them like grown-ups and yet love them and feel loved through the liturgy. Within the walls of the chapel, officers and enlisted soldiers kneel side-by-side in prayer and confession.

Chaplain Lowthain says if there is one lesson the layperson can take from the chaplaincy, it’s to “take people as they are and love them to Jesus Christ.” Every day, he encounters questionable moral decisions, but he knows he has to pick his battles for the sake of the souls in his charge. “You aren’t doing anyone any favors if you go in and attack every little thing.”

The same lesson applies itself to the pluralism found in the military. The military is a melting pot of race, gender, and religious background. Chaplains must strike a balance of being fully, authentically Christian and being fully, authentically kind to those of different faiths. Many of the civilian world's social flashpoint issues manifest themselves in the military and become further complicated for chaplains, who are government employees and directly subject to government policies. Ultimately, it is up to chaplains to gauge the receptivity and spiritual needs of their soldiers when it comes to sharing Jesus with them.

Patrick asks that we would pray for military chaplains in our diocese, that they would be ever more deeply grounded in Jesus Christ to navigate the pitfalls of careerism and coercion.

Finally, we should remember that Cascadia’s chaplains are human beings with families who need our prayer and support as they support their military spouses. Patrick Lowthian has a wife and three children, aged 12, 15, and 17. He has been married 23 years.

The way that these two plants started to take place was a miracle in itself, but what happened next was truly astounding. We were in touch with the seller of a church building in South Spokane, blocks away from our church planter, Deacon Carter Stepper lives with his family. Rev. Carter said he and his wife would regularly pass by this church and often prayed for it to become a place they could worship in and serve the community.

The woman who owned the building was the widow of a long-time pastor; they had purchased the building when he was still alive (it had not been used as a church for quite a while) and had made some plans for the property. After he passed, the building had sat, and she could not fulfill the plans they had made. When she found out that we were interested in it being a church again, she was filled with excitement and worked with us to make it possible to purchase the property.

Her generosity was inspiring, and as a result, we have a church building that can operate as a hub of mission and service for a community in south Spokane and house worship services for St. Aidan’s and St. Nicholas Anglican Church. While the long-term goal is for St. Nicholas to discern where God will have them establish themselves long term, in the short term, both of these mission parishes will have a place to hold public services. Along with hold worship services, we hope to develop a community garden.

We intend to paint the building and bring back the joy of this beautiful property to the neighborhood once again. We will also establish this property as a place where God’s redeeming love is found in the service of others as the people of God witness to His kingdom through acts of love and service in their neighborhood.

Reverend Canon Ryan Brotherton – Canon for Church Planting

We invite you to partner with Cascadia’s effort to support church planting and its ministers. Consider praying with us, going, or giving. Learn more at Cascadiadiocese.org.

Introducing the Diocesan Communications Team

Communications at the Diocesan level have been faithfully championed by a few very dedicated and capable individuals. This year the Bishop has asked that we focus on our communications both internally and publicly to keep up with our growth and share the work by inviting more Cascadians into ministry. Therefore, since the beginning of the year, we have been prayerfully building the nucleus of a team with the skills and passion for this ministry.

Justin Foltz has been faithfully carrying the mantel of Communications for several years since Al Lansdowne, the ministry's early pioneer, stepped down. The Diocese is very grateful to Justin for so capably and faithfully keeping this ministry afloat, and we are grateful that he remains on the team in a lead position. Joining Justin, we have two very capable and passionate new freelance writers. Kevin Walthall (kevinw@cascadiadiocese.org) is a freelance writer based in Bremerton and a member of St Charles Anglican Cathedral. Joining Kevin as a writer for the Diocese is Tiffany Butler. Tiffany (tiffanyb@cascadiadiocese.org) is a member of both our Diocesan Council and a member of Holy Trinity Edmonds. This year, Tiffany will be starting her Ph.D. in Orthodox/Anglican ecumenism at the University of Edinburgh's School of Divinity, Scotland. Thank you, Kevin, and Tiffany, for offering your many gifts to our Diocese!

There is more room on the team for those with the passion, skills, and call to this type of ministry. We are looking for more writers to tell the Cascadia story from more regions around the Diocese, including the Washington Inland Empire, Oregon, and Alaska. We also need folks interested in web design, content providers and managers, graphic artists, multimedia, and audio-visual production. Contact me if you are interested in joining the team!

Grace and Peace,

Fr. Edward Leche
Canon Missioner – Cascadia

Lessons in Unity from the Converging Paths of Anglicanism and Orthodoxy

Bishop Kevin's leadership role for the national province includes being Dean of the ACNA College of Bishops and the Orthodox Ecumenical Task Force leader. This link is an interview wonderfully written by local free-lance writer, Kevin Walthall (a member of St Charles Cathedral), as an article first published by Nations Media on January 12, 2021.

Mr. Walthall captures both the heart and soul of Bishop Allen's ecumenical work with the Orthodox while also helpfully framing many of our own Anglican distinctions and perspectives. In a national time of heightened division at every level of our society, may you find this article on seeking Christian fellowship and unity in the middle of diversity both encouraging and full of hope.

If you have some news or want to share something important happening in your community or ministry, send a message to us, or complete the ‘contact us’ form on the diocese website. You can also share it with us through the diocese Facebook page.

Communications Team:
Canon Missioner Edward Leche edward@cascadiadiocese.org
Justin Foltz communications@cascadiadiocese.org
Tiffany Butler tiffanyb@cascadiadiocese.org
Kevin Walthall kevinw@cascadiadiocese.org