A committee of

The Diocese of Southern Ohio

Faith IN

Life

Faith in Life: a major program focus of the Diocese of Southern Ohio. The mission of the Faith in Life Committee of the Diocese of Southern Ohio is to engage in and facilitate theological discussion and reflection in the Anglican tradition. Using the resources entrusted to it, the Committee supports programs that provide a critical, thoughtful, and ethical framework consonant with the baptismal cove-nant to assist the people of the diocese, the wider church, and the lar-ger community to translate faith into action. A Centennial Beginning To commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Diocese of Southern Ohio in 1975, a special Convention in February 1974 authorized the Second Century Centennial Fund to strengthen ministry in the diocese. Five projects were chosen to reflect the interests of the five bishops who had led the Diocese during the first hundred years. One project was the Faith in Life Endowment Fund, desig-nated to honor Bishop Henry Wise Hobson, the fourth Diocesan (1931–1959), who was strongly committed to lay ministry. This fund was intended to translate people's faith into action and to provide sup-port for the critical decisions of daily life. The campaign brochure read:

Students, professional people, businessmen and women, labor leaders, housewives and scientists are all confronted with ethical concerns in such areas as abortion, family life, business, politics and human equality and justice. Income from the fund will be used to stimulate conferences, produce printed materials, pro-vide expert and informed leadership, and subsidize meetings for church people of all denominations to consider these ethical questions. Conferences may be held at the three major university centers in the diocese, other convenient sites or in local parishes. The fund will be administered as a permanent Foundation by a group of lay and clergy educational leaders appointed by the Bishop and ratified by Convention vote.

As a result of the Second Century campaign, the diocese assigned nearly $353,000 to the Faith in Life Committee, which invested the full principal in an endowment fund, of which only the income would

Centennial

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be used to support the program's activities. In 1975, Bishop John M. Krumm appointed the first Committee to oversee program planning and appropriate use of the funds.

Major activities of the Faith in Life Committee through the years have included a significant conference or presentation each year, visit-ing theologians, support for the Kenyon Conference, grants to sup-port individual lay persons in development of their ministries, and various special events. Hobson Conferences Shortly after its organization, the Committee initiated an annual weekend event—the Hobson Conference—at the Center for Tomorrow at The Ohio State University. The seven Hobson Conferences were considered as windows to look at societal issues; the first five used the Book of Common Prayer's Pastoral Offices (in re-verse order) as their topics. Conferences began with a major address by the key-note speaker on Friday evening and ended with a Eucharist on Sunday morning. In between, the format involved a combination of lectures, workshops, and group sessions The following Hobson Conferences have taken place: 1976: The Burial Office. "Christian Perspectives on Life and Death Issues." Dr. John Macquarie and Dr. Margaret Mead. 1978: Ministry to the Sick. "In Sickness and in Health." Dr. Edmund Pellegrino. 1979: Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage. Dr. Ann Ulanov. 1980: Confirmation. Dr. Martin Marty and Dr. Michael Novak. 1981: Holy Baptism and Caring for the Family of God. Ms. Madeleine L'Engle and Dr. Robert Coles.

Conferences

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The 1982 and 1983 conferences were designed by the University Ministries Task Force of the diocese. 1982: "Living as a Christian . . . in an Unjust World." 1983: "Living as a Christian in a Pluralistic World." In 1984, the conference format changed from a centralized lecture- and work-shop-oriented program to one with a more regional, personal approach to cur-rent issues, with the hope of broadening the conferences' impact. Thus from 1984 through 1988, the Hobson Conferences focused more and more on the is-sues of peace in the world and of understanding the people of what was at that time the Soviet Union, seen in many quarters as the nation's enemy in a great Cold War and a threat to its safety. Peace and International Understanding be-came the focus. 1984: "Where are the Peacemakers?" This conference was held at Dayton's Ber-gamo Center in May of that year. Diocesan members committed to world peace came together with the hope of bringing that message to every parish over the following three years. Dr. Paul Ward and Dr. Stephen Mitchell, co-authors of A Trial Balloon on War and Peace as Moral Issues for Christians, attended the initial meet-ing and led the workshop sessions. 1985: "Loving Your Enemies: Who Are the Russians?" Dr. Jerry Pankhurst, an Associate Professor of Sociology at The Ohio State University who specializes in Soviet Studies, led the training sessions, attended by five people (two clergy, three lay) from each of the four regions of the diocese. All participants made a two-year commitment to the program, then returned home to lead a creative regional event of their own choosing. These regional events led to peacemaking presenta-tions in a number of congregations, several involving a "traveling trunk" of sym-bolic items. 1986: "Understanding the Soviet Union." The focus was a network of confer-ences held throughout the diocese to discuss the history, politics, sociology, and religion of the Soviet Union. The series was again led by Dr. Jerry Pankhurst, who had prepared a comprehensive study guide. Help from team members re-sulted in widespread parish participation.

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1987: "Visits from Russian Orthodox Leaders." Interest generated the previous year encouraged Faith in Life to host visits to the diocese by Russian Orthodox Archbishop Pitirim and Bishop Clement, Patriarch of Moscow. 1988: "The Soviet Union: Person-to-Person." Fifty members of the diocese went on guided visits to the then Soviet Union in April and August. The trips, subsi-dized by grants from Faith in Life and the William Cooper Procter Fund, ob-served the millennium of the coming of Christianity to the Soviet Union. In co-operation with the National Council of Churches, Dr. Jerry Pankhurst and Ms. Madeleine Trichel from the Interfaith Center for Peace in Columbus provided the leadership, arranged the itinerary, and made all arrangements. This event gen-erated a dramatic conclusion to the five-year Hobson focus on peace issues and international understanding. Theologian In Residence In 1982 Faith in Life embarked on a series of visits to the diocese by internation-ally known leaders in religion, ethics, and spirituality. Originally conceived as month-long programs, the Theologian-in-Residence events have evolved into pe-riods of varying length. In many cases, theologians have been scheduled for at least one appearance in each of the diocese's four regions, frequently for a week at a time. Faith in Life assumed all expenses, along with establishing an itinerary, arranging publicity, and making arrangements to maximize exposure and minimize stress on the visitor. 1982: Ambassador Moorhead Kennedy, captured at the Iranian embassy in 1979, was a two-week guest in the diocese. His experiences formed the backdrop for a dramatic series of talks on International Justice and Peace, continuing the theme of Hobson VI for that year. 1984: Dr. Norman Pittenger became the first theologian to spend a full month in the diocese. He challenged popular icons, encouraged creative thought, and de-fended his public stance on current issues with style and humor. 1985: The Rev. Michael Moynahan, S.J., a Roman Catholic priest, introduced methods of spreading the Gospel through Biblical story-telling and an

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effective clown ministry, both of which he demonstrated to diocesan audiences.

1986: No Theologian In Residence was scheduled as the Committee devoted its full attention to the Hobson Conference. 1987: As several invited guests were unable to spend a whole month in southern Ohio, the Committee instead brought four people for a shorter period. Ms. Verna Dozier, Dr. Rosemary Radford Ruether, the Rev. Earl Brill, and the Rev. O. C. Edwards each spent a week in a re-gion of the diocese. 1988: Dr. Phyllis Trible demonstrated her ability to convey her inspi-rational and challenging writings orally. Using both persuasion and confrontation, she created a spiritual reawakening wherever she went. 1989: The Rev. Beaumont Stevenson, a priest of the diocese living in England, spoke of his experiences as a chaplain in a psychological hospital and an advisor to the Bishop of Oxford for ordained minis-try education. 1990: The Committee's resources enabled the presence of two theolo-gians. The Rt. Rev. William Davidson, retired bishop of Western Kan-sas and a member of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, continued the exploration of world peace. Dr. Marilyn Keiser, noted organist, musi-cologist, and professor at Indiana University, combined workshops on church music with organ recitals in several cities. 1991: Southern Ohio Bishop Herbert Thompson led four Quiet Days. Each day was devoted to prayer and reflection as the events moved from Cincinnati to Dayton, Worthington, and Circleville. 1992: Dr. William Dols, director of The Educational Center in St. Louis, brought a new philosophy of learning and introduced some novel techniques and materials developed at the Center. He returned later for a training session at Procter Conference Center. 1993: The Rev. Robert Capon, a gourmet cook, author, and Episcopal priest from Long Island, took "The Parables" as his topic in a nine-teen-day tour of the diocese.

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1995: Maggie Ross (Sr. Martha E. Reeves), an author and Anglican contemplative, left the cloistered environment of an English retreat house to bring her views on the spiritual life to the diocese. She advo-cated an intensely personal and reflective relationship with God. 1996: The Rev. Lorentho Wooden, a priest of the diocese, spoke about Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Orthodox Islam, and the Black Muslim movement in America. Attendees learned about the similarity in the objectives of and the contrast in the approaches of Orthodox Islam and the Black Muslim movement and considered how the mixture of a strong religious code with societal racism con-tributed to the dynamic growth of this movement. 1997: "Friends of the Groom," a creative Christian drama group from Cincinnati that had made frequent previous appearances in the dio-cese (including a regional tour sponsored by Faith in Life in 1983), returned to give a series of dramatic episodes and weekend work-shops. They trained youth and adults alike to tell Biblical stories with humor, style, grace, and flair. 1998: Dr. Henry Carse, Director of Studies at St. George's College, Jerusalem, brought the lands of the Bible and the times of Jesus viv-idly to life for eager audiences throughout the diocese. Accompanying him as part of the program were a Jewish and a Muslim friend from Jerusalem. 1999: Dr. Margaret Guenther, author and spiritual formation facilita-tor, emphasized intentionality in the practice of prayer. 2000: Dr. Philip Turner, retired Dean of Berkeley Divinity School, Yale University, presented programs focusing on Anglicanism, the parish, and evangelism. 2001: Dr. Tex Sample, lecturer and consultant, helped groups look to-wards transforming the church in an electronic culture. 2002: Dr. Phyllis Tickle, author and teacher, addressed the engage-ment of popular culture and religion.

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2003: The Rev. Barbara Crafton, priest, teacher, and author, enthralled audiences with her story-telling ability as she brought the Gospel of Christ alive in a modern context.

2004-5: The Rev. Dr. Walter Bouman, a Lutheran and professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, explored various questions of theology, ecumenism, and church and culture. 2006: The Rev. Frank Wade, Rector of St. Alban’s, Washington, DC, visited the diocese on three occasions of times of transition, focusing especially on General Convention issues. Hobson Lectures In 1990 the Committee devised a program to provide a speaker of note for the diocese, someone who would spend a short time in the diocese and speak in two cities. The first speaker was Bishop Herbert Thompson, invited to enlarge on his vision for the Diocese of Southern Ohio. He spoke in March at the Church of the Redeemer in Cincinnati and again a month later at St. Paul's, Columbus. In 1991, the Committee provided two Hobson Lectures. The first be-gan as a short visit in April to two cities by the Rev. Canon Michael Sadgrove, Vice-Provost and Precentor of England's Coventry Cathe-dral, then expanded to eleven appearances across the diocese. The Rev. Sadgrove brought news of the Cross of Nails movement and its orderly discipline of prayer and service that originated at Coventry. In November, the Committee brought the noted educator Dr. Robert Coles back to the diocese for presentations on "The Spiritual Life of Children" in Columbus and Cincinnati. 1992: The Rt. Rev. Paul Moore, retired Bishop of New York, spoke in Cincinnati and Columbus on "Survival or Resurrection: The Church Faces the 90s." He challenged all congregations, particularly city par-ishes, to consider their roles in light of the urban crisis.

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1993: The Episcopal Church's first woman bishop, The Rt. Rev. Bar-bara Harris, Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts, spoke in Southern Ohio in October. 2007: Rabbi Steven Greenberg, an openly gay Orthodox rabbi and founder of Jerusalem Open House, presented a series of talks in Columbus. The presentations were designed to engender dialogue and learning in order to help communities of all sorts become more vigor-ously inclusive. 2008: Dr. Miroslav Volf, a native of Croatia and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, spoke on "Giving and Forgiving in a Cul-ture Stripped of Grace."

2009: The Rev. Dr. Mark McIntosh (the Van Mildert Canon Professor of Divinity Designate at Durham Cathedral and University in the United Kingdom), gave a presentation at Bexley Hall / Trinity Lu-theran Seminaries on February 28 entitled "Discerning God's Delight: A Theological Life of Spiritual Discernment" including subtop-ics "Distinguishing the Spirits" and "Discerning God's Will." The Kenyon Conferences The annual summer Kenyon Conference, held on the campus of Ken-yon College, Gambier, Ohio, is a long-time joint venture of the Dio-ceses of Ohio and Southern Ohio. A committee of clergy and laity from both dioceses develop the theme and plan the full event. The conference brings people from the two dioceses together for five days of close fellowship in a comfortable campus setting. Attention has tra-ditionally been paid to the involvement of children, which has often made the Kenyon Conference a special family event. In 1985, Faith in Life began providing financial support for a keynoter for the Conference. The Committee also began providing a number of scholarship grants to enable persons from this diocese to attend the Conference. Kenyon keynoters have included Christian educator the Rev. Martin Bell (1985), theologian the Rev. Dr. William Willimon (1986), the Rev. Michael Moynahan (1987), the Rev. Dr. Minka Sprague (1988), the Rev.

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Herbert O'Driscoll (1989), Dean Frederica Thompsett of the Episco-pal Divinity School (1990), and Mr. Ed Stivender, the great story-teller (1991). The Rev. Dr. William Countryman of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific was the 1992 Kenyon keynoter. In 1993 the keynoter was the Rev. Canon Nan Peete, Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Atlanta, followed in 1994 by the Rev. Fred Shaw, a Methodist minister and noted Shawnee storyteller. The two diocesan bishops, the Rt. Revs. Herbert Thompson and Clark Grew II, led the 1995 Kenyon Confer-ence, and the Rev. Barbara Crafton spoke in 1996. In 1997, the Rev. Canon John L. Peterson, General Secretary of the Anglican Commun-ion, was the keynoter.

In 1998, the Rev. Canon Lorentho Wooden of the Diocese of South-ern Ohio spoke about Saint Paul and the multicultural church of the twenty-first century. Musician Ana Hernandez was keynoter in 1999, followed in 2000 by Dr. Timothy F. Sedgwick, professor of Christian Ethics at Virginia Theological Seminary. Kenyon hosted Dr. Marcus Borg of Oregon State University for the conference in 2001, and in 2002 Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas of Howard University Divinity School was the keynoter. In 2003 the Friends of the Groom came to Kenyon, and in 2004 the keynoter was Dr. Frank Wade. In 2005 The Rt. Rev. Ken Clarke, Bishop of the Church of Ire-land's diocese of Kilmore, Elphin, and Ardagh, addressed the confer-ence. The Rev. Barbara Crafton inspired the conference attendees in 2006, and the bishops of the Ohio and Southern Ohio dioceses, The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth and The Rt. Rev. Thomas Breidenthal, were keynoters in 2007. Granting Programs Throughout the years, Faith in Life has offered limited financial assis-tance for various events and programs of value to individuals and groups. Three of the longest standing sources were the Anna Budd Ware Memorial Education Fund, offering grants each year for persons pursuing studies to alleviate social ills; Beyond Our Borders, which made grants available to individuals and groups involved in mission, ministry, service, and learning outside the Diocese of Southern

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Ohio; and General Lay Ministry Grants, which were available to sup-port and encourage laypersons in their ministry in the service of the mission of the church in both their congregations and the broader community.

Faith in Life now offers grants of $2,000 to $6,000 to laypersons, congregations, and other entities in the Diocese of Southern Ohio to provide partial support for programs or activities offering theological or spiritual development that advance Faith in Life’s mission. These grants may be used for costs of tuition, registration, transportation, special fees, supplies, and other necessary costs. Grants are not available for programs leading to ordination or for the continuing education of clergy, who should seek professional development funds according to the criteria set by that committee. Specific plans to involve "the people of the diocese, the wider church, and the larger community" are essential, as is an ethical and social dimension. A funda-mental value guiding decisions on grants is that theological reflection ought to engage the challenges of this world, so that we may "translate faith into action." Substantial involvement by laypersons in any proposed activity is a necessary condition for support. Please see Faith in Life’s page on the diocesan website for guidelines and an ap-plication.

In Summary Through the many years of the Faith in Life program of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, countless numbers of Episcopalians as well as people beyond the Episcopal Church have found their faith strength-ened and their educational horizons strengthened through the many and various programs. The Committee emphasizes the ministry of the laity while including clergy in its varied offerings, all made possible by the funds available through its endowment.

Summary

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