We actively seek volunteers, including women, persons of color and non-Episcopalians. If you feel a call to help here, please leave a comment or e-mail the Vicar; see below.
Our Episcopal Visitor
The Rt. Rev. Catherine M. Waynick
X Bishop of Indianapolis; Provisional Bishop of Eastern Michigan
Bishop Cate Waynick served as 10th Bishop of Indianapolis from 1997-2017. She was the seventh woman elected bishop in The Episcopal Church and the fourth woman to be Chief Pastor of a diocese. She attended Central Michigan University, graduated from Madonna College with a B.A. in religious studies, was awarded the M.Div. from St. John Provincial (RC) Seminary in 1985 and received an honor Doctor of Divinity from the General Theological Seminary in 1998. She was the spiritual leader of 10,000 communicants and 47 parishes in Central and Southern Indiana.
She was also the first visitor to this website in 2004 and has been steadfast in her support ever since.
Our Vicar
Br. Josh Thomas
CONTACT: joshtom at mediacombb dot net
Josh Thomas, a lay Commissioned Evangelist with a national preaching license in The Episcopal Church since 1977, founded dailyoffice.org in 2004, in thanksgiving after buying his first house. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati (social work) and the National Institute for Lay Training at the General Theological Seminary in New York; his mentors were Robert Ervin Faulkenberry, Howard E. Galley, Jr., the Rev. Sr. Brooke Bushong and Capt. Tom Tull of the Church Army, as well as Fr. Bill Coulter of the Diocese of New York. Josh spent much of his career in journalism and GLBT community organizing; he is the author of three novels. He lives in Northwest Indiana and is a member of St. John’s, Lafayette, his boyhood parish, where he fell in love with The Hymnal 1940 and The Book of Common Prayer 1928, and has never been the same since.
Our Chaplain
The Rev. Gwen Hetler
Mtr. Gwen is a member of the Ministry Support Team of Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, a house church in the Diocese of Northern Michigan—the Upper Peninsula. She retired in 2014 from a teaching career which spanned 53 years, after teaching in a high school, middle school, pregnant teen program, and a state university. She holds a BA degree from Albion College and a MS degree in genetics from Wayne State University. She was ordained a priest in 2001.
Anchorman & Honorary Deacon for Interesting Things
Clint Gilliland
Clint Gilliland, an Episcopal layman from Texas, formerly conducted Morning Prayer five days a week for a small but growing congregation at St. Peter’s, Pasadena, using printouts from our website so the People didn’t have to flip books. He’s retired from Data General Corp. and SAP Americas, where he was involved in the internet from its infancy. He has very important items in his Office portfolio: Anchorman for our daily webcasts; military and veterans, for whom he complies our They Have Names feature every Tuesday of those killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan; and crucial Information Technology support, on which all our services depend. Clint and wife Jena are the parents of grown twin daughters, and grandparents of many.
Media Specialist
Jo Riley
Jo Riley is our Media Specialist and the Keeper of our Prayer List, one of the most important and demanding jobs on our staff. She keeps our master list; we pray for every request for at least one month and welcome updates as circumstances change. The Vicar uses Jo’s master list to post excerpts every day. To request prayer for yourself or someone else, leave a comment at the bottom of any page.
Our Verger & Acolyte
Luke Thomas
Luke is a rat terrier, 12 years old, who has lived at the Vicarage since 2008 after being rescued from the streets of Kokomo, Indiana, thanks to the Humane Societies of Kokomo and Indianapolis. He has a sweet character and loves to romp and play. His favorite day in the Church year is the Feast of St. Francis. He is diligent about herding God’s creatures and leading them into the virtual cathedral, prancing proudly down the center aisle. When he races up the chancel to the Sanctuary, he always sits before the Altar like a good Episcopalian. To every human he’s ever met, he jumps and wags his tail, “Doggie ‘Piskies Welcome You!” He’s an expert in making sure the Human With The Food is where he’s supposed to be every Morning and Evening, and is annually voted the best Evangelist on our staff.
Our Mission Board
Josh Thomas, Indiana – Vicar, ex officio
Linda Barry, Texas
Jocelyn Burrell, Michigan
The Rev. Deacon Maria L. Evans, M.D., Missouri – Missioner, ex officio
Clint Gilliland, Texas – Anchor, ex officio
Stephen C. Helmreich, Ph.D., New Mexico
The Rev. Gwen Hetler, Michigan – Chaplain, ex officio
Cantors’ Guild
Alison Saichek, Head
Gwen Hetler, Assistant Head
Anjel Scarborough
Debbie Graham
James Beckwith
Jim Livingston
Jocelyn Burrell
Katrina Soto
Lisa Cressman
Maria Evans
Michael Hartney
Robin Sperry
Valerie “Scotty” Scott
Steve Helmreich*
Josh Thomas**
* junior apprentice
** apprentice to the junior apprentice
Clericus
+Cate Waynick, Episcopal Visitor
Gwen Hetler, Chaplain
Maria Evans, Missioner
Anjel Scarborough
Debbie Graham
Elizabeth Jones
Jim Livingston
Michael Dresbach
Michael Hartney
Susan Reeve
Database Manager
Jo Riley
Officiants
Josh Thomas, Vicar
Clint Gilliland, Anchor
Debbie Graham
Gwen Hetler
Katrina Soto
Michael Hartney
Valerie “Scotty” Scott
Production Team
Josh Thomas
James Beckwith
Jo Riley
The Daily Office 
I just re-joined the “ebook” subscription form of this but an odd thing has happened twice today. About one hour each after receiving my 02/20/2012 Morning and Evening Prayer the item defaulted to a 02/01/2012 blog (which has a note about an email address not working). In the morning this corrected itself after about another hour, but this evening I had to go into my computer to send the correct blog again.
Is this just a temporary glitch (do you even know about it)? I just thought I would let you know in case you did not. Otherwise, I know that this is in capable hands.
Thanks!
Peter
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Thanks for letting us know this, Peter; we haven’t had a problem with the e-mail subscriptions, but people using smartphones, tablets and Kindle did have this weirdness happening. It’s been fixed for two months now; I only found your comment above today because I wasn’t getting comment notices either. We’re pretty sure all is well with the technology.
josh
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Hows Luke doing these days? He is adorable. Thank you for all the work you and your staff do. Appreciate it, and this brings me closer to the Lord and my bible reading.
Laurel Alexander
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Luke is doing good, hoping for warmer weather so he can spend more time outdoors. He didn’t like yesterday, though, lightning and thunderstorms, deadly tornadoes in the southern part of the state; he hid under the bed.
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Do you publish either morning prayer or evening prayer? Would really appreciate receiving both if possible.
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One subscription gets you both morning and evening; see the link in the upper right.
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Hi Josh: Since the changes were made I can no longer receive the Daily Office on my Kindle white-page, most recent generation. I have not been able to follow with my BCP — My father was very ill and subsequently passed from this earth. The time has been very chaotic and I so miss following on your blog.
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This is so helpful. Thank you
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I’ve just found your website thanks to a good friend in our parish. As an occasional EP leader, it would be helpful to me to have the Evening Prayer posted (or have a link to it) at same time as the MP. +
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Sonia, you can get EP ~ 12 hours early by visiting our Daily Office East site. We post both services at almost the same time; when it’s morning here it’s evening there.
Our Subdeacon Clint leads daily MP at his parish, so he goes to our East site every afternoon to print copies for use the next morning. We’re thrilled when worship leaders use us this way.
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Interesting juxtaposition to follow the war casualty statistics with that particular opening sentence in MP! I don’t think I will ever hear it quite the same way again. Thank you and thank you and thank you.
Carolyn in Albuquerque
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I’m glad it touched you, Carolyn. After 8 years we’re learning to tell a coherent story here. I’m also glad that people are reading and praying about our War Dead.
For those who wonder why we don’t print as much information as we once did about “foreign” and civilian casualties, we now publish that on the first Tuesday of the month.
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Thank you so much for all that each of you does to make this site happen. It is now such a vital and sustaining part of my regular daily routine, and I am so grateful to have this place of worship. I can’t imagine the work that goes into keeping this site alive each and every day. God bless you for your mission.
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Thank you so very much for doing this. I travel for business and today, Palm Sunday, am home with a bad cold. My loyal Episcopal cats, Gilda and DC and I pray with you each day. Our gratitude abounds. Blessings, peace and joy!!
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Thank you, Patricia. People who can’t make it to church are uppermost in our minds, the most basic reason we do this.
With your permission I’ll copy a bit of your comment and add it to “Our Faith Stories.” People will like reading about Gilda and DC, and picturing you all praying with us.
Josh
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Thanks be to God that a friend recommended your site to me. Unfortunately I do not have time at the moment to volunteer to help, but I wonder if I might help support the effort financially. I was unable to find a way to pledge or donate on line. Please advise. God bless
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Todd, we’re glad to have you with us; thank your friend for us. We’d also be pleased to receive your donation; we are having some unusual expenses right now as we seek to expand our service. You’ll find a small gold Donate button in the sidebar, near the top. You don’t need to have a PayPal account to use it.
Thanks,
Josh Thomas
Lay Vicar
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Thanks for the reflection about the church in Wahiawa, Hawaii. I grew up in that Diocese, my parish was St. Andrew’s Cathedral. My husband, sons and I spent another 28 years in ministry in the Diocese until he was called to Missouri. I thank God for years and years in the middle of the Pacific ocean amongst diverse cultures and peoples, and for the opportunity to experience the beauty of creation that is uniquely the Hawaiian Islands.
Beverly Van Horne
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The picture of Grace Cathedral on Evening Prayer on the 25th is out of this world. Grace is one sacred place in my life. is it possible to get a hard copy of this photo (I would love to frame it). Thank You. Br. John Ryan, O.C.P.
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Br. John,
I’m glad you enjoyed that photograph of Grace Cathedral in the fog. I agree, it’s outstanding, the work of Justin Chung of SF.
When I Google him there seem to be two artistic Justin Chungs in town. So I can only suggest you do the same, visit their sites and contact them both.
It’s also possible the staff at the cathedral will know. I bet they’ve seen it and appreciated it.
Josh
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Josh, Thank you for your reply, I’ll give it a shot. Bro. John
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Hello, I enjoyed knowing that whatever time I joined that I was praying in the same moment with folks around the world, but cannot see that information anymore. Am I just looking in the wrong place? Thank you for this huge gift to my daily prayer life. —Beth Watson
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Thanks, Beth. That widget suddenly stopped working on us a few weeks ago, and all our efforts to get it back (or replace it) have come to nought so far. We’ve received many notes like yours, and we want it back too! We’ll keep trying, it’s just a matter of making all the bits of technology work together. An update on one end can cause an incompatibility on another, so we’ve contacted the widget provider. So far they’re stumped too.
Merry Christmas.
Josh
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I want to send you a picture of my church all dolled up for Christmas. What is the email? I see joshtom at mediacombb dot net to the right of this page. So is your email joshtom@mediacombb.net ?
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I just donated to your sight. What you are doing here is such a tremendous blessing. I can’t stand just going to church on Sunday. I hope you can keep this going for a very long time. May you keep hearing that voice inserted in your head. It is a very prescious gift.
Robin
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Robin, thank you for your donation, and just as much for your vote of confidence. It is a good thing to hunger and thirst for the Lord!
The results today have been an outpouring of support, both financial and spiritual, from all corners of the nation, as well as Canada and the UK. We have raised a couple of thousand dollars in just a few hours, and more donations have been promised by mail. I am tremendously proud of this initial response from our congregation.
I have learned in these past ten years that it doesn’t take a lot of money to do what we do – but that it definitely takes some. That is one key to our longterm survival. It is not difficult to compile the basic services of Morning and Evening Prayer once a storage system for the lections and prayers has been created. A trained monkey can do it – that is, a database like other sites use. What computers cannot do is to form a community. That takes human beings, including staff with a vision and the ability to listen and connect with others. Churches-with-walls do not employ clergy to put together services; we employ them to think and feel and imagine and lead. God gives us clergy and lay ministers who are very skilled at all those things, so what I’m trying to do is to develop an organization that’s strong enough financially and vibrant enough spiritually to employ such persons when the time comes. Indeed, we’re starting now. With sufficient income we’ll be able to employ Christian “imagineers” who can support themselves while doing what they love to do in prayer, art and service to others.
Last night I watched a video of “Let It Go,” the Oscar-winning song from “Frozen,” which has been so popular with girls around the world. It’s a great pop song, well-sung by Ilina Mendel, but what really impressed me was how the visuals just pop all around it. I was in awe of what I saw. The video alone has been viewed over 300,000, 000 times! And while this may seem like a ridiculous stretch, the combination of visuals and music and thought behind that song provide an example of what we can do on some level here.
Every now and then the liturgical elements of the lectionary and calendar come together with what is happening in the Church and the world so that I can form a service that is a coherent, thematic whole – which is what all worship leaders strive for. Our aim is to give each person a holy experience – enough of a glimpse of God that everyone says “Wow!” and can’t wait to get more of that. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens enough that I know what I’m trying to do every day. I know what people hope to receive every time they come here. (And of course I’ve got fabulous material to work with!)
Now if, every once in awhile, I can assemble that kind of experience for you with my paltry gifts, I want to see what other imagineers can do in this medium, because they will be better at it than I am.
And if there’s one thing Mr. Disney knew, it was “ya gotta pay the talent” – not least to keep them working here and not somewhere else!
So yes, we want money, and we don’t apologize for that. But we don’t want much, because it doesn’t take much here. We have a lean budget that nevertheless will allow us to continue to expand our services and reach more people – always in conjunction with, in support of, the local church and diocese.
We can’t baptize, marry you or bury you; for those things people need a gathering place, a church-with-walls (even if it’s just a house). We will never be able to offer the weekly meal – and I thank God for that, because s/he didn’t plant it in my brain to be a priest! She had other things in mind, so I’m trying to live up to my commission.
Within the confines of what we are able to do, we want to learn to excel at it. The internet is a wide-open medium and it is still in its infancy. We’re not trying to do Hollywood, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or a cathedral Evensong; those places already exist and don’t need help from Josh. What’s unique about the internet is that it’s interactive. It’s not about me, it’s about you and about us.
So I think it’s a wonderful place to gather people together, unlimited by time and space. And – I admit this – I am to claim a part of this space for The Episcopal Church; as big a part as we can get. We’re perfectly positioned for it; we’re early adopters. And man, do we have a story to tell – the Greatest Story.
Meanwhile we have to take our baby steps: an online presence; a lively community; a spiritual focus; a supportive and reliable financial mechanism. If we do this right, we will only grow from here. So do not worry about how long we’ll survive.
When God did that implanting you alluded to so well, it wasn’t so Josh would have something to do, or get a paycheck, or meet new people, or even just say my prayers. God invented the internet so that we would learn to talk to each other – so that good ideas would finally be heard, wherever they come from – so that the love of God would increasingly be known by all. Over time – if there’s one thing God has plenty of, it’s time – little sites like ours can become an important means of grace. Already the internet pervades all of human life. We can use it for good or we can use it for evil. At dailyoffice.org, we’re learning to use it for good.
Last anecdote: today on Facebook I saw another video; can’t tell you who produced it, but it was mighty impressive. It wasn’t religious, though it contained a whole lot of Good News. (I wish I could show it, but I haven’t figured out how yet. The people who made it are wanting it to go viral, and perhaps it will, but I think they’re limiting their reach by confining it to Facebook.) I “liked” their page, but noticed that as impressed as I am with our 2200 members, they’ve already got 45,000.
They sent a confederate into a Subway shop to approach people at their tables and say, “Do you have any food?” Everyone they approached stiffened up. “I’m pretty hungry,” he would say. No one gave him anything.
Next they sent two more confederates to a park where homeless people were sleeping. In one case they gave a man $10 and in another they asked a man if he was hungry and wanted some food; “we’ve got a couple of extra burgers, would you like some?” The homeless people not only said yes, they were effusive in their thanks.
Next – and here’s the payoff – they sent their first confederate to approach the man who got the extra burgers. “Do you have any food?” he asked. “I’m pretty hungry.” The homeless man thought about it, then gave him one of his burgers. A confederate also approached the man who received $10 and asked if he could maybe get a dollar. The homeless man reached in his pocket and gave him one – and blessed him.
The poor are more generous than the rich; every survey shows it. But these young producers didn’t conduct another survey; they made a 3-minute video.
And it was awesome – which is why they’ve got 45,000 members and we’ve got 2200. The medium makes a difference!
+Cate, Clint, Lani, Rebecca and I, and our Advisory Committee, want to learn to use this medium better than any church ever has.
This is our ministry; it’s why we exist. Thank you for helping us get the Word out.++
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I am a bit confused. When I first subscribed to dailyoffice.org I thought it was coming from New Zealand. Now I just noticed that it is coming from Indianapolis. Can you clarify, please. Caroline
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Two sites, East & West. This one is West. The East is here:
http://eastdailyoffice.wordpress.com
And there’s a link in our blogroll above.
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Thanks. I love having it online when I am away from home and throughout the day at home.
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The Daily Office stopped updating on my Kindle this past weekend. Any suggestions?
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I’m sorry to hear it, Bob. Our posts have been timely, WordPress seems to be functioning correctly and we haven’t changed anything; our homepage is actually set up to deliver posts smoothly on Kindle. Is the following link any help?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200127470&tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=59955733360&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3722981171217673823&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_6p4ce4lr8u_b
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hello.i am phillip faulkenberry. i just want to say to anyone who gives a damn about people that josh thomas is one of the finest people i have ever met in my life and i am a better person because of him. wow what a guy. if you look at this josh i lo;e you .
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Good morning. I have been reading the Daily Office every morning until today when it was not in my laptop inbox. I googled The Daily Office.org, entered my email address and clicked Follow. I received an email from Word Press telling me that my subscription had expired. Can you help me understand this? I look forward to the Daily Office – can you help me understand why this happened? Many thanks. Maryanne Lacey
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No, Maryanne, I cannot. I’ve never heard of such a thing. We have subscribers dating back years, to our first posts on WordPress in 2006. Subscriptions don’t “expire,” they run indefinitely – at least up till now! Please forward that e-mail to me: joshtom (at) mediacombb (dot) net. We’ll get to the bottom of it. I’m sorry they’re giving you such trouble. Every subscriber is important to us.
Josh
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I have been missing my connection via early morning prayer the last couple weeks. Have done all sorts of troubleshooting on this end but cannot seem to get connected in via Adobe Connect mobile. Completely restarted phone and Ipad, disconnected and reinstalled adobe connect mobile. Feedback on the adobe connect mobile ap sounds like maybe there was an update and it may have created issues? Are others able to connect via i phone etc? Phyllis in NC–please respond with suggestions: phyllis.kombol@gmail.com Thanknyou and God bless all y’all.
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Phyllis, thanks for your note and sorry for your trouble. I’m going to pass this on to Debbie, who is fielding mobile app questions for us today. I’ll make sure she has your e-mail. We don’t want you left out!
Josh
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I am so grateful for you all for doing this life-giving ministry. I am an Episcopal priest, out on disability retirement. In this strange and daunting new life, your ministry brings me Communion and hope and life. Bless you all!
Sincerely,
The Rev. Stephanie Wethered
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We’re glad you’re with us, Stephanie! This is a vital community where everyone fits in, has a place and an opportunity to contribute as they are able. Come, minister with us and be ministered to. You’re not done yet!
Josh
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I was delighted to find your daily prayer list and then noticed your (((echo))) around the word “Jews.” I’ll no longer be visiting your website as I don’t choose to honor racism in any form. You should be ashamed.
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Dear Junkyard S. Dogg,
I had the same reaction when I saw that on our prayer list, but Josh explained that the (( )) are hugs, and that many Jews have embraced that as a backlash against the bigoted meaning. I hope you will reconsider your stance. I have never found in my many years that the site reflects anything but full love and inclusion.
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Thanks, Katrina, for reading and replying. Personally, I’d probably drop them as it’s easy to misunderstand. I wouldn’t use the “n” word as a a backlash against using the “n” word. I guess I can go back to being delighted. Have a blessed new year.
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Actually it causes quite a bit of conversation, so I’m glad about that. It’s worth it to me even to risk a misunderstanding (especially when one of our members was so quick to defend us) in order to have that conversation. I appreciate the views here expressed, but anyone who’s come here more than once knows that we are socially and politically liberal and theologically conservative; we’ve got dozens of photos of Standing Rock to prove it. (We’re mission partners with the Rosebud Reservation next door.) One thing though has surprised me; the number of progressive Christians who know the anti-Semitism behind the {{Jews}} dog whistle, but haven’t heard that many more others use it to say “We are all Jews.” Same idea as ISIS targeting Christian homes; 100 million Arabic symbols for the Nazarean sprang up on Facebook, including on ours.
Thanks, both of you.
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Prayer request: For Ashlee, victim of a vicious assault that left her terribly injured with many broken bones & internal injuries, and for Jason, her husband who is grieved and worried., Summarize this as you like Thank you, Deacon Marcia
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Hi and from a United Methodist, thank you for your daily prayer website. It’s much appreciated! Just wanted you to be aware of a misspelling of George Whitefield’s name that appears on Nov. 15. The name is misspelled in the top heading for this day as George Whitehead. It’s correct down below with the collect prayer for him and Asbury. Blessings! (I also left this comment on the Frequently Asked Questions link. Sorry for the duplication!)
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Peace and Blessings Bob ((13) 504-9984 2020: 100th Anniversary Negro Leagues ⚾️
>
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Thank you, Robert. We apologize for the mistake.
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Hello Mr.thomas,
A Fidelity Charitable® donor has recommended a grant to Daily Office in Nothing like Ordinary Time. Fidelity Charitable® is an independent, 501(c)(3) public charity that operates a donor-advised fund program exclusively for charitable purposes. In order for us to proceed with the recommendation additional information is needed.
Additional Information:
Tax ID:
Legal Name:
Address:
Please feel free to respond via email or call me at 800-952-4438, select option 4, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, and reference the following number:W998380-30NOV20
Thank you,
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