Image Description: The stamp for the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes. The bottom of the stamp is a orange-yellow shield with a dark blue outline that reads "Estd. 2024" in highly stylized type with two Episcopal-style crosses. On the top of the shield, like it's sailing on it, is the two-sailed ship from the diocesan seal, along with the three stars in the sky. the largest of which represents our new diocese while the two smaller stars represent our two legacy dioceses.
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Image Description: The wordmark for our diocese that reads, "EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF THE GREAT LAKES." The first four words are in all caps in a simple-yet-wide sans serif font. "Great Lakes" is also in all-caps, but in a highly stylized font that is reminiscent of vintage sign art. The G, L and S all have added flourishes that look like waves. This is the horizontal orientation of the wordmark and it is shown in the warm gray (off-white) brand color.

Our Stories

We could rattle off stats about our diocese (and we do, in other spaces on this site!). We could link you to the catechism, 20 or so pages of tiny print in the back of the Book of Common Prayer that are “An Outline of the Faith” for The Episcopal Church. But to really tell you who we are – we as a diocese, we as a community of believers, we as a community of humans, we as individuals wrestling with what it means to be people of faith in our times and places – we have to tell you our stories.
Three people stand smiling in front of a beige building. The man on the left wears sunglasses and an apron, the woman in the middle holds a drink, and the man on the right has his arm around her. Text reads being & becoming.

Beaches, Woods, and Picnics

We live into our call to embody the love of Jesus Christ with grace, hope and joy in many different ways across the Mitten. Check out these updates from parishes in our diocese.

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October 2, 2025

Holiness and Happiness

I never expected to find God in pirate-speak, but Pirate Mass at St. Luke’s in Kalamazoo reminded me that holiness and happiness go hand in hand. Arrgh! Aye, aye! Amen! ⚓️ 🏴‍☠️ 🌊

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September 29, 2025

Introducing Our Deans

At the end of August, we introduced our new, canonically-required Mission Regions, ten groupings of congregations, summer chapels, companion ministries, and programmatic organizations that exist

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September 17, 2025
Bishop Anne Hodges-Copple, in her mitre and a red chasuble and the Rev. Jed Fox, also in a red chasuble, asperge the congregants at St. Mark's in Grand Rapids at the CNM for that parish and Rev. Jed. ark On the right side of the image is a blue bar over which is the text, "being & becoming."

Diocesan Staff: Week of September 14

One of the best parts of being on Diocesan Staff is that we we get to travel around this very pleasant peninsula to connect with people, parishes, and communities. AND, even when we are in our offices and not on the road, we still get to do cool and meaningful work to support Episcopal ministries in our diocese. Here’s a look at what some of us have been up to September 8-14.

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September 17, 2025
The Rev. David Blank anoints the Rev. Jay Johnson on the forehead while the Rev. Canon Val Ambrose looks on at the leadership retreat for the Bishop Search and Transition Committees in September 2025. On the left side of the image is a semi-transparent dark blue bar over which is the text, "being & becoming."

Diocesan Staff: Week of September 7

One of the best parts of being on Diocesan Staff is that we we get to travel around this very pleasant peninsula to connect with people, parishes, and communities. AND, even when we are in our offices and not on the road, we still get to do cool and meaningful work to support Episcopal ministries in our diocese. Here’s a look at what some of us have been up to September 1 – 7.

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September 10, 2025
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A group of 16 parishioners stand at the front of the nave at St. Barnabas in Portage and smile for the camera. Behind them is a beautiful, geometric stained glass window, the panes of which form a colorful gradient from purple, through mauves, into light greens and blues. There is a semi-transparent blue color block on the left side of the image. In a bold yellow and rich orange, text over the box reads, "being & becoming"

Diocesan Staff: Week of August 31

One of the best parts of being on Diocesan Staff is that we we get to travel around this very pleasant peninsula to connect with people, parishes, and communities. AND, even when we are in our offices and not on the road, we still get to do cool and meaningful work to support Episcopal ministries in our diocese. Here’s a look at what some of us have been up to August 25-31.

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September 3, 2025

Being & Becoming: Staff Structure Changes

In yesterday’s video, we shared lessons learned from interviews across the diocese about people’s expectations for and experiences with diocesan staff. Today, we’re sharing the changes we’re implementing in light of those lessons.

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August 29, 2025
Image Description: Image reads "staff & structure lessons."

Being & Becoming: Staff & Structure Lessons

Nearly 50 lay and clergy leaders from around the diocese gave feedback on their experiences and expectations of diocesan staff in recent interviews conducted by Interim Executive Officer, the Rev. Alan James, and the Staffing and Structure Committee. Watch the video to learn about the takeaways from that work.

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August 28, 2025
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A selfie of five ministers in a sacristy before a church service, including the Revs. Canon Tracie Little, Kris Veldheer, and Liz Kinsey. In a bold yellow and rich orange, text over the box reads, "being & becoming"

Diocesan Staff: Week of August 24

One of the best parts of being on Diocesan Staff is that we we get to travel around this very pleasant peninsula to connect with people, parishes, and communities. AND, even when we are in our offices and not on the road, we still get to do cool and meaningful work to support Episcopal ministries in our diocese. Here’s a look at what some of us have been up to August 18-24.

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August 27, 2025