The Bishop of Iowa, who has designated 2017 as a year of revival in the diocese, has replaced his regularly scheduled parish visits with weekend gatherings supporting that vision.
The Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe writes on his weblog:
I want us to take deliberate time to look at the gift of our calling as people baptized into the body of Christ, and energized by the Spirit of God. We will gather on a Friday or Saturday night in a more informal way to offer our praise to God, listen to the Word both preached and shared in personal testimony from our peers, and seek to recommit ourselves to the life God calls us to live in service and love.
To this end I am suspending my regular visitation rotation and replacing it with twenty weekend gatherings under the banner of Revival 2017. Through the twenty gatherings we will cover each congregation. I hope by now that you have seen where I have invited your congregation to attend and that you are marking the date on your calendar.
We have begun forty days of prayer for Revival 2017, which begins in Durant, and Davenport. We also hope that you will be encouraged to spread the news about the meeting to your ecumenical friends, as well as those who have little connection with Church.
Bishop Scarfe announced the theme of revival in November, before the Episcopal Church announced its plans for revival meetings in multiple cities throughout the year.
