Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
In my Easter homily, I reflected on the story of Jesus walking with His disciples on the road to Emmaus shortly after His resurrection. Christ walked alongside His disciples as they grieved. Even as their faith was weak and their spirits broken, He walked with them.
As we seek to emerge from this period of isolation, loss, and injustice, we too may feel broken. But we can learn much from the disciples in this story: they recognized Christ in the breaking of the bread.
We are called to be an Easter people. Across our diocese, you and your fellow parishioners are indeed walking with Christ, breaking bread with the broken, and strengthening your love for God and God’s children in service to each other. This past year, the ministries supported by Episcopal Ministries of Long Island have recorded upwards of 30 thousand volunteer hours and have distributed over 80 thousand meals. Even in this uncertain time, you have been a church that feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, and shelters the unhoused. Thank you.
Still, the challenge of uplifting the inherit dignity of each person across Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk and protecting our shared, sacred earth is far too great to bear alone. Episcopal Ministries of Long Island gives us the opportunity to share knowledge and resources so that we can effectively respond to the injustices that surround us.
The Episcopal Ministries Annual Appeal is our yearly call to invest in the life-giving work of those leading ministries from the Brooklyn Bridge to Montauk Point. We have set a diocesan goal to raise $100,000 by June 19, 2022. If you have the financial means to ensure that these ministries grow and flourish, I ask you to give generously to the Episcopal Ministries Annual Appeal. Your investment brings the love of Christ beyond the walls of your own church and helps us be the Easter people Christ calls us to be.
Blessings,
The Right Reverend Lawrence C. Provenzano
Bishop of Long Island