The Harvest, November-December 2010

Inside The Harvest

FFFFFrom the bishoprom the bishoprom the bishoprom the bishoprom the bishopBishop Wolfe describes the efforts of theCrossroads Campaign, and unprec-edented early pledges, in his address toDiocesan Convention. Page 2

PPPPPaper for aper for aper for aper for aper for The HarThe HarThe HarThe HarThe HarvvvvvesesesesestttttCurious about the heavier paper on whichthis newspaper now is printed? Find outmore. Page 3

FFFFFood pantriesood pantriesood pantriesood pantriesood pantriesTwo large pantries in the diocese recentlyhave seen increases in the number ofpeople seeking aid. As the economy stayssluggish, there’s no sign that will changeanytime soon. Page 5

ECW presidentECW presidentECW presidentECW presidentECW presidentLonnie Isaak thanks the Episco-pal Church Women of thediocese as she completes herthree-year term as president. Page 6

Mega camMega camMega camMega camMega campppppEpiscopal church camp will be extraspecial next summer, as all age groupswill be together at Camp Wood for oneweek of “mega camp.” Page 6

Homecoming aHomecoming aHomecoming aHomecoming aHomecoming awwwwwardardardardardCanterbury House at K-Statetook home a third-place awardduring a recent homecomingactivity. Page 7

Small cSmall cSmall cSmall cSmall churchurchurchurchurch, big hearh, big hearh, big hearh, big hearh, big heartttttSt. Timothy’s, Iola, generated more than$6,500 for Episcopal Relief and Develop-ment this fall. That’s quite an accomplish-ment for a church of 30 people. Page 7

TTTTTrinity Trinity Trinity Trinity Trinity TreasuresreasuresreasuresreasuresreasuresTwo parishioners at Trinity, ArkansasCity, wanted to start a resale store tobenefit the church. Five years later, it’sraised more than $40,000. Page 7

Around the dioceseAround the dioceseAround the dioceseAround the dioceseAround the dioceseA new banner filled with saintsgraces a Wichita church, St.Nicholas and his horse visit inMission — and there’s lotsmore going on. Page 8

ConConConConConvvvvvention aention aention aention aention awwwwwardsardsardsardsardsAnnual awards for exemplaryservice to the diocese by a layperson, a deacon and a priestwere awarded at Diocesan

Convention to four women. Page 9

VVVVVTTTTTS recoS recoS recoS recoS recovvvvvering from fireering from fireering from fireering from fireering from fireVirginia Seminary is making plans fortemporary worship space after anaccidental fire in October that destroyedits 129-year-old chapel. Page 10

Special needs kidsSpecial needs kidsSpecial needs kidsSpecial needs kidsSpecial needs kidsSpecial worship services have beendesigned to serve special-needs childrenand their parents. Page 11

ConConConConConvvvvvention shoention shoention shoention shoention shows spirit of cooperationws spirit of cooperationws spirit of cooperationws spirit of cooperationws spirit of cooperation

Photo by Deacon Bob HirstBishop Michael Curry of the Diocese of North Carolina preaches at the opening Eucharistof Diocesan Convention Oct. 22. The service took place at Topeka’s Grace Cathedral.

By Melodie WoermanEditor, The Harvest

The 151st meeting of the conven-tion of the Episcopal Diocese ofKansas Oct. 22-23 in Topeka was

marked by a spirit of cooperation,preaching that had usually staid church-goers saying “Amen!” and an announce-ment by Bishop Dean Wolfe of the larg-est fundraising total ever reached by thediocese.

That amount — $2.2 million — rep-resents initial pledges to the Crossroadscampaign designed to provide adequatespace and funding for the Kansas Schoolfor Ministry.

Echoing KSM’s mission to provideclergy and lay leaders for parishes in thediocese, Bishop Wolfe asked in his con-vention address, “Does anyone here re-ally doubt that we stand at a crossroads?Can anyone here seriously doubt this isthe moment to decide? The question isthis: Will the Episcopal Church in Kan-sas fade from prominence and become amere archival memory, a historical foot-note? Will we close church after churchafter church, unable to continue offeringa supportive sense of community, oursoaring worship and a passion for caringfor others?”

He then offered the delegates and clergyassembled another question to ponder. “Orwill we reassert our holy ways of follow-ing Christ and grow into the vibrant churchwe were created to be and be the invitingtradition so many spiritually inclined per-sons are desperately seeking in this age?”

In announcing the amount pledged sofar, the bishop said he is certain the remain-der of the $6 million goal can be raised

before the 152nd convention in Septem-ber 2011. (The full text of the bishop’s ad-dress can be read starting on page 2.)

A rA rA rA rA rousing starousing starousing starousing starousing startttttThe convention got off to an invigo-

rating, even rousing, start as the Eucha-rist celebrated at Grace Cathedral came

Diocese launches new website

Crossroadscampaign to reachparishes in Lent

Please see Convention, page 3


Parishioners across the Episcopal Dio-cese of Kansas will have the chanceto learn more about the Crossroads

campaign in Lent, as parish-based informa-tion is made available.

Diocesan Director of Development andStewardship Char DeWitt said a programto describe the efforts of the Kansas Schoolfor Ministry and how Crossroads will sup-port that work will be provided in everyparish in March and April.

At the end of that time, people will havethe opportunity to make a three-year pledgeto support the effort.

Information to rectors and vicars will goout in early January, she said, with parishrepresentatives selected and trained in eachconvocation.

The diocese will supply that person andclergy leaders with turn-key materials toenable them to share the information withmembers of their congregations.

Crossroads seeks to raise $6 million toendow KSM and its mission to educate layand clergy leaders for parishes across thediocese, and to build a Leadership Centerto house it and diocesan offices.

Bishop Dean Wolfe in his address to Di-ocesan Convention in October announcedthat initial pledges totalling $2.2 million al-ready have been received. (His conventionaddress is printed beginning on page 2 ofthis issue.)

The diocesan website — www.episcopal-ks.org — has a new look after beingcompletely redesigned in early December.

The Episcopal Diocese ofKansas

The web address for the Episco-pal Diocese of Kansas is thesame — www.episcopal-ks.org

— but everything else about it is newafter a revamped site was launched thefirst week of December.

The design was created by River CityStudios in Kansas City, Mo., with thecreation of the pages and their contentthe work of Melodie Woerman, dioc-esan director of communications.

Photos of sunflowers, wheat and theFlint Hills are at the top, and they ro-

tate as different pages are clicked. TheFlint Hills image was taken by TomPott of St. John’s, Wichita.

Easier tEasier tEasier tEasier tEasier to fo fo fo fo find thingsind thingsind thingsind thingsind thingsThe site is designed to be easier to

navigate, and it puts links to frequentlyused items, including the diocesan cal-endar and the cycle of prayer, on thefront page.

It includes information with lots oflinks to aid people who are exploringthe Episcopal Church, and it also pro-vides background information about

Please see Website, page 3

2 • The Harvest • November/December 2010

Publisher: The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe, BishopEditor: Melodie Woerman

A member of Episcopal News Service and Episcopal Commu-nicators, The Harvest is published six times a year by the Officeof Communications of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas: Feb-ruary, April, June, August, October and December.

Stories, letters and photos are welcome. They will be used on aspace-available basis and are subject to editing. Send all mate-rial (preferably in electronic format or by e-mail) to:

Melodie Woerman, editorThe Harvest

835 SW Polk St.Topeka, KS 66612-1688phone: (800) 473-3563

fax: (785) [email protected]

Send address changes to:Receptionist

835 SW Polk St., Topeka, KS [email protected]

Upcoming deadlines:January/February 2011 issue: Jan. 15, 2011

March/April issue: March 15

Subscription rate:$1.50 annually

Third class mailingPermit No. 601, Topeka, Kansas

POSTMASTER:Send address changes to

Episcopal Diocese of Kansas835 SW Polk St.

Topeka, KS 66612-1688

The Anglican CommunionA global community of 70 million Anglicansin 38 member churches/provinces in more than160 countries.

Archbishop of CanterburyThe Most Reverend and Right Honorable Rowan Williams

Lambeth Palace, London WE1 7JU, United Kingdomwww.anglicancommunion.org

Episcopal seat: Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, England

The Episcopal ChurchA community of more than 2.1 million mem-bers in 110 dioceses in 16 countries in theAmericas and abroad.

Presiding BishopThe Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori

815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017(800) 334-7626

www.episcopalchurch.orgEpiscopal seat: Washington National Cathedral,

Washington, D.C.

The Episcopal Diocese of KansasA community of 12,000 members in46 congregations, two diocesan institutionsand one school in eastern Kansas.

BishopThe Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe

835 SW Polk Street, Topeka, KS 66612-1688(785) 235-9255(800) 473-3563

www.episcopal-ks.orgEpiscopal seat: Grace Episcopal Cathedral, Topeka

From the BishopThe Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe

SSSSStanding at the crtanding at the crtanding at the crtanding at the crtanding at the crossrossrossrossrossroadsoadsoadsoadsoadsBishop Wolfe’s address to Diocesan Convention

Photos by Melodie Woerman

In 1859, about the time ofthe founding of our diocese,Charles Dickens wrote one

of the most famous openingparagraphs of any novel everwritten, in A Tale of Two Cities.

He wrote:It was the best of times it

was the worst of times, it wasthe age of wisdom, it was theage of foolishness, it was theepoch of belief, it was theepoch of incredulity, it wasthe season of Light, it was theseason of Darkness, it wasthe spring of hope, it was thewinter of despair, we hadeverything before us, we hadnothing before us, we wereall going direct to Heaven,we were all going direct theother way.Dickens knew what it was to

stand at the crossroads ofhistory, to be positioned in theplace of the greatest possibilityand then, to be called to decide.

WWWWWelcome telcome telcome telcome telcome to Bishop Curro Bishop Curro Bishop Curro Bishop Curro Bishop CurryyyyyIt’s a great joy for me to

welcome to our convention theRight Reverend Michael Curry,bishop of the Episcopal Dioceseof North Carolina. For those ofyou who were part of ourconvention Eucharist, he needsno introduction. A quietpreacher, a man who needs to bedrawn out.

You know, the House ofBishops is a very interestingthing. You have about 190people who are used to beingthe last word in most of thediscussions they participate in.We’re not in any short supplywhen it comes to ego or gifted-ness.

But when Michael Currygoes to the microphone tospeak, there is a respect,because not only will Michaelsay it in the most articulate andpassionate way possible, he willsay something that is worthsaying, and it will come from acentered place.

It’s a great joy to haveMichael here. I could go throughall this wonderful biography andembarrass the heck out of him,and that alone might be worthdoing.

But he has had an extraordi-nary ministry in the church andreally is one of the EpiscopalChurch’s chief spokespersonsfor the gospel of our Lord.

It’s a delight to have Michaelhere, and I hope in the breaksand other times you’ll get achance to meet with him. He’sreally a nice guy, and you shouldget to know him and make himfeel welcome here in Kansas.

We’ve asked a lot of him —he’s preaching, he’s teaching,he’s speaking, he’s the keynoter.If we could have thought of any

other thing for him to do, we’dhave asked him. We thank youfor your willingness to come andbe with us.

The Lord be with you. (Andalso with you.) Come HolySpirit and kindle the fire that isin us. Take our lips and speakthrough them. Take our heartsand see through them. Take oursouls and set them on fire.Amen.

The prophet Jeremiah, in theSpirit of the living God, gaveinstruction to God’s people,saying: “Thussays the LORD:‘Stand at thecrossroads, andlook, and askfor the ancientpaths, wherethe good waylies; and walkin it, and findrest for yoursouls.’”That’s thetheme for thisyear’s conven-tion, but whatwe did notinclude is thevery next line:“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand atthe crossroads, and look, andask for the ancient paths, wherethe good way lies; and walk init, and find rest for your souls.’But they said, ‘We will not walkin it.’”

CrCrCrCrCrossrossrossrossrossroads foads foads foads foads for us tor us tor us tor us tor us todaodaodaodaodayyyyyToday, we stand at a cross-

roads, facing a choice betweengoing forward or slipping back,a choice between ignoring themoment we’ve been given orembracing the opportunity to actwith faith and passion.

Does anyone here reallydoubt that we stand at a cross-roads? Can anyone here seri-ously doubt this is the momentto decide?

The question is this: Will the

Episcopal Church in Kansasfade from prominence andbecome a mere archivalmemory, a historical footnote?Will we close church afterchurch after church, unable tocontinue offering a supportivesense of community, our soaringworship and a passion for caringfor others?

Or will we reassert our holyways of following Christ andgrow into the vibrant church wewere created to be and be theinviting tradition so many

spirituallyinclined personsare desperatelyseeking in thisage?

This is life atthe crossroads.We sometimesthink of acrossroads as arelatively emptyspace where twosolitary roadsmeet, but thecontemporarycrossroads weface, at least inmy own imagi-nation, is a vast,

chaotic intersection.There are voices shouting,

“Yes!” “No!” “Go this way!”“Go that way!” “Don’t gothere!” “Follow us!” “No, no,no, this is the way!”

There’s pushing and shoving,horns blowing, and exasperatedpeople screaming over radios,cable television shows and theInternet.

There are texts and phonecalls and exhausted, bewildered,gridlocked people trying todecide which way they shouldgo, all the while, harassed bymarketers constantly hawkingtheir wares and whispering,“You should have this! You musthave this! You need this! You’ve

The question is

this: Will the

Episcopal Church

in Kansas fade

from prominence

and become a

mere archival

memory, a histori-

cal footnote?

Please see Bishop, page 4

November/December 2010 • The Harvest • 3

first in Friday’s agenda. Worshippers weretreated to a sermon by Bishop MichaelCurry of the Diocese of North Carolina,regarded by many as one of the finestpreachers in the Episcopal Church.

In a sermon that ranged from quiet com-ments to fiery oratory in a style often seenin African-American churches, BishopCurry called the congregation to ask, “Whynot?”

He said, “Why not a world where wework together to make sure nobody goesto bed hungry, where we work to bring jus-tice and peace and wholeness to all God’schildren?”

Business quicBusiness quicBusiness quicBusiness quicBusiness quickly dispatckly dispatckly dispatckly dispatckly dispatchedhedhedhedhedThe business portion of convention went

quickly, in spite of the multiple electionsthat were on the agenda. For the first timein recent memory, all eight General Con-vention deputies were elected on the firstballot. Only one more ballot was requiredto determine eight alternates.

Election of at-large members of theCouncil of Trustees and a priest to fill anunexpired term on the Ecclesiastical Courtalso were accomplished in one ballot foreach office. (Election results accompanythis story.)

Convention also approved without de-bate one amendment to the canons of thediocese, which will enact new changes atthe national level on the process for hear-ing clergy disciplinary complaints.

One debatable resolution also waspassed, calling on parishes to establish en-vironmental teams that would provide edu-cation and practical suggestions on howcongregations and individuals can be bet-ter stewards of God’s creation.

Treasurer Doug Anning presented theproposed 2011 mission plan (or budget) forthe diocese, amounting to $1,862,745, a$63,880 increase over 2010.

Since delegates already had asked ques-tions about the plan during regional con-vocation meetings a few weeks before con-vention, the plan was adopted withoutdebate.

KSM recognizes graduatKSM recognizes graduatKSM recognizes graduatKSM recognizes graduatKSM recognizes graduatesesesesesFour ministry areas made presentations

to the convention. The Rev. AndrewGrosso, coordinator of the Kansas Schoolfor Ministry, offered a description of howKSM seeks to support small and large par-ishes in the diocese through its program,and he explained how the success of theschool is tied to the success of the Cross-roads fundraising initiative, which would

quadruple the amount of space availablefor KSM classes.

He and Bishop Wolfe then awarded cer-tificates to three people who had completedthe two-year course after the school re-opened in 2008. The three — BarbaraGibson, Jeff Roper and Frank Wheeler —will be ordained as deacons in a morningservice Jan. 8 at the cathedral. (More in-formation on the three is available onpage 9.)

Deacon Steve Segebrecht, director ofthe Kansas to Kenya effort, showed a videodescribing the mission trips taken by mem-bers of the diocese to the east Africa na-tion last summer and invited people to joinfuture trips.

Campus Missioners the Rev. MichaelBell and the Rev. Susan Terry showed avideo describing ministry taking place oncampuses across the diocese, and YouthMissioner Chad Senuta gave an overviewof existing diocesan youth programs andannounced a one-week “mega camp” for

all ages in 2011. (See page 6 for more in-formation on “mega camp.”)

Four workshops also were offered ontopics related to church growth.

A request tA request tA request tA request tA request to stao stao stao stao stay in Ky in Ky in Ky in Ky in KansasansasansasansasansasMany of the delegates’ evaluation forms

described Bishop Curry’s presence as thesingle best part of the convention. BishopCurry himself had joked that three peoplehad asked him to please stay in Kansas,adding, “But they’re all from North Caro-lina.”

Bishop Wolfe surprised his episcopalcounterpart by presenting him with a spe-cial certificate of recognition from the Kan-sas School for Ministry, making him, ineffect, the first honorary graduate. The cer-tificate recognized “his outstanding accom-plishments in the field of preachingand leadership in the Episcopal Diocese ofNorth Carolina and throughout the Epis-copal Church.”

The only somber moment in convention

came when word was received of the firethat was raging at that moment at the chapelat Virginia Theological Seminary, BishopWolfe’s alma mater. He stopped the workof convention and offered a prayer for thosefighting the fire and all who would be af-fected by its outcome.

Three Kansas seminarians who are stu-dents at VTS had returned home to attendthe convention, and they could be seenhuddled over laptops and cell phones try-ing to learn more so they could pass it onto clergy who are alumni. The fire ulti-mately destroyed the structure. (See page10 for more information.)

Bishop Wolfe also announced that nextyear’s convention will be about a monthearlier than usual, due to scheduling con-flicts, with delegates and clergy meetingSept. 23-24 in Topeka.

ConConConConConvvvvvention: ention: ention: ention: ention: Quick ballots, ministry areas highlighted

Above: Bishop DeanWolfe (left) hands acertificate from theKansas School ofMinistry to keynotespeaker BishopMichael Curry of NorthCarolina.

Left: For the first time,convention delegatesraised green or redcards to vote,replacing the old styleof relying on voicevotes.

Continued from page 1

These people were elected to variousoffices during Diocesan Convention:

Council of Trustees, lay at-large:Dick Coulter, Grace, Chanute

Council of Trustees, clergy at-large: the Very Rev. Jerry Adinolfi,St. Paul’s, Coffeyville

Ecclesiastical Court, unexpiredterm: the Rev. MarcusCunningham, Epiphany, Sedan

Lay deputes: Larry Bingham, St.Michael and All Angels, Mission;Mike Morrow (deputation chair), St.John’s, Wichita; Bob Skaggs, St.Michael’s; and Natalie Vanatta, St.Luke’s, Wamego

Lay alternates: Steven King, St.Margaret’s, Lawrence; TeresaRogers, St. James’, Wichita;Harriet Duff, St. Michael’s; and JoeMitchell, Covenant, Junction City

Clergy deputies: the Rev. CanonCraig Loya, diocesan canon to theordinary; the Rev. Juli Sifers, St.Aidan’s, Olathe; Deacon SteveSegebrecht , Trinity, Lawrence; andthe Rev. Betty Glover, TrinityArkansas City and Grace, Winfield

Clergy alternates: the Rev. MattZimmerman, St. Margaret’s; theRev. Gail Greenwell, St. Michael’s;the Rev. Mary Siegmund, St.Matthew’s, Newton; and the Rev.Matt Cobb, St. Luke’s, Wamego

ELECTION RESULTS

WWWWWebsitebsitebsitebsitebsite: e: e: e: e: Church maps are included

the diocese.Pages for Bishop Dean Wolfe include an up-to-

date biography and downloadable photos for use byparishes in publicizing his visits.

A drop-down menu lets viewers find a churcheither by clicking on a city name or by going to amap that indicates every location. Every parish en-try also includes a map to the church’s location, viaGoogle maps, a free service.

The diocesan calendar is shown an entire monthat a time, and users can click each entry for addi-tional information. The same features are availablefor Bishop Wolfe’s visitation schedule.

TTTTTabs describe ministriesabs describe ministriesabs describe ministriesabs describe ministriesabs describe ministriesA variety of diocesan ministries are grouped to-

gether under the heading “Diocesan Life.” It and all

The most recent two issues of this newspaper have beenprinted on whiter, heavier stock, and you may wonder why.

The reason is financial, but not because the new paper costsless. It actually cost about $300 an issue more, but it will save usmore than $500 in mailing costs for each of the six issues pro-duced a year.

Recent postal regulations are designed to either eliminatepieces deemed too flimsy for its new high-speed machines or tocharge a substantial penalty for those that don’t meet new require-ments. The Harvest fell into the “flimsy” category, so the choicewas between a $500 postal penalty or a $300 paper increase. Wechose the $300 option.

Some like the whiter, crisper look of this paper. Others find theheavier weight harder to hold and turn. I agree with both descrip-tions.

I’m committed to providing the people of the EpiscopalDiocese of Kansas with the highest quality newspaper ourresources can provide, and I’d welcome hearing what you think.You can e-mail me at [email protected].

— Melodie Woerman

From the editorthe other tabs across the top include “fly-down”menus, allowing users to see at a glance what itemsare included there. They can click directly there orgo to a main page to make their selection.

A staff directory, with photos and contact infor-mation, is part of the “About Us” section.

The current issue of The Harvest, the diocesannewspaper, is provided in an embedded flip-bookformat on its own page in the “News and Informa-tion” section, and the latest version of DioLog, thediocesan electronic newsletter, also is there.

A variety of resources are grouped together, in-cluding helpful links for parish administrators, formsparish offices are apt to need, and the diocesan con-stitution and canons.

Pages created by diocesan Youth Missioner ChadSenuta remain in place via a “Youth” link, and the“Campus Ministry” link offers information on thatministry.




earned this!”And if we do not take great

care, if we do not squint to seethem, we might overlook thecountless people huddled on theedges of the crossroads: thepoorer people from around ourdiocese and around the globe,afraid, alone and too oftenhungry.

The sick, the very young andthe very old — our brothers andsisters in Christ — are watchingoh-so carefully to see whichpaths we will choose, watchingoh-so expectantly to see if wewill choose paths that will allowthem to join us on the journey.

AlwAlwAlwAlwAlwaaaaays cys cys cys cys choose hopehoose hopehoose hopehoose hopehoose hopeA crossroads is a place of

decision. A crossroads is aplace, and sometimes a momentin time, where hope and despaircan beckon with equal voice,and where the people of Godmust always choose hope —always, always, always.

A crossroads is also anintersection of ideas and values,where the megaphones ofconsumerism and politicaldemagoguery lure us down dark,shallow roads, while the stillsmall voice of God quietlyinvites us to climb higher and togo deeper.

I might just say in passingthat, as it turns out, the truestthings in life don’t need to beshouted from the rooftops, andbecause we already know themin our bones, they can bewhispered and still be recog-nized as absolutely true. AsEpiscopalians, we need to hearthat.

TTTTTrain our orain our orain our orain our orain our own leaderwn leaderwn leaderwn leaderwn leadersssssThe second Bishop of

Kansas, Elisha Thomas, wrote in1892, “I have come to theconclusion that there is but onepath left open to me. I musteducate my own missionaries.”

One hundred and eighteenyears later, in the year of ourLord 2010, it is clear to me thatif we are to have the leadershipnecessary to “secure the path totomorrow,” if we are to guaran-tee the vibrant presence of theEpiscopal Church for the next100, 200, 300 years in Kansas,we will need to have the abilityto train our own lay leaders,deacons and priests.

Creating educated andempowered leadership is the keyto almost every single strategywe have for growth and evange-lism in this diocese.

Everywhere I go, Vestrymembers, deacons, priests, evenyouth group members all havethe same question. They all ask,“How can our church grow?”

It’s actually a complexquestion that invites a series ofresponses, but to begin simply, Ibelieve the key to church growthis directing our preciousresources to the place wherethey are most desperatelyneeded.

The key to church growth is

developing highly motivated andhighly trained leaders in everyorder (lay, deacon and priest),and the key to developing highlymotivated and highly trainedleaders in every order isdeveloping an excellent schoolwhere these values and thesetraditions are faithfully taught.

NeNeNeNeNew resourw resourw resourw resourw resources neededces neededces neededces neededces neededI knew even before I was

elected your bishop, like most ofyou knew, that whoever waselected the ninth bishop ofKansas would need to raise newresources to do ministry in thisdiocese.

With the exception of apartially completed campaignfor campus ministries, nodiocesanwide capital campaignhad taken place in the Dioceseof Kansas in the past 30 years.

And so we began.For eight months, from

February until September of2008, a group of clergy and layleaders from around the diocesemet with more than 300 leadersin the diocese to present aninitial vision for the KansasSchool for Ministry and to hearwhat the people of Kansas hadto say in response.

As it turned out, you had a lotto say, and we learned a tremen-dous amount from thoseconversations. The initial visionbegan to evolve, and our planswere dramatically revised as aresult of our conversations withall of you.

As it turns out, the people ofKansas weren’t all that inter-ested in a diocesan center with aschool thrown in. The people ofKansas were interested in a first-rate leadership and theologicaltraining center with some spacefor the diocesan staff thrown in.We got it. We got it.

With the unanimous vote ofthe Council of Trustees, on Sept.23, 2008, we hired a respectedstewardship and fundraisingfirm, RSI, to coach us through acapital campaign to build aleadership center, to endow thefaculty for the school and totithe 10 cents of every dollarraised toward outreach. We

weren’t going to do anythingwithout caring for the least, thelost and those whom Jesusloves.

We were set, and I might say,we were looking good.

The marThe marThe marThe marThe markkkkkeeeeet then sankt then sankt then sankt then sankt then sankLess than one week after we

signed our contract with RSI,the stock market lost $1.2trillion in value, with the Dowdropping 7 percent and theStandard and Poor 500 dropping9 percent. The situation quicklyevolved into the worst financialcrisis in our nation since theGreat Depression.

What now? What do we do?A moment of truth!

Well, we panicked (okay, Ipanicked, but only for a littlebit), and then we prayed and weplanned and we recalculated.

And then we did whatKansans always do. We did whatChristians always do. We got up,we dusted ourselves off and weclimbed back into the saddle.We believed then as we believenow that God had called us tosomething that is not finallydependent upon the financialnews of the day.

We put our contract with RSIon hold between October 2008and February 2009 and used thattime to gather a capital cam-paign leadership team (includingan invaluable prayer commit-tee).

We wrote a fresh case forsupport, and we formed aninitial building committee. Weidentified an architect and beganto discuss preliminary drawings.We just kept moving forward,step by step by step. We workedwith a construction company toclarify our building costs.

We discovered our originalworking goal of $4 millionwould not cover the costs of theleadership center and theendowment for the KSM facultywe needed. So with faithfulaudacity, we moved the workinggoal to $6 million, and we tookthe next step.

We reengaged with RSI inNovember 2009 and visited withhundreds of members of the

diocese to talk about what wewere developing.

Meanwhile, our canontheologian, the Rev. Dr. AndrewGrosso, along with a talentedteam of educators, began torevision the Kansas School forMinistry. We rethought thecurriculum and the courseschedule and developed one-,three-, five- and 10-year goals.

The Kansas School forMinistry, version 2.0, reopenedin 2008 with seven students inthree groups, 11 courses andeight instructors. By the 2009-2010 academic year, we had 14students in four groups, 20courses, 13 instructors, and wehad three graduates.

This wasn’t some theory wehad. This was a real school!

Need fNeed fNeed fNeed fNeed for a local scor a local scor a local scor a local scor a local schoolhoolhoolhoolhoolNow, we know there will

always be a need for residen-tially trained priests, and asmany of you know, it took mesome time to agree with BishopThomas’s vision about trainingclergy locally.

I wanted the best, the finest,lay and ordained leadershippossible for our diocese, andinitially I believed that goalcould only be achieved throughour existing seminaries.

But in a diocese where halfof our parishes are served bypart-time and non-stipendiaryclergy, in a diocese where wetake the notion of empoweredlay leadership seriously, theneed for local leadershiptraining became imperative.

People who are willing andable to serve a parish withoutpay are neither willing nor ableto sustain the debt that accompa-nies a contemporary three-yearresidential seminary degree, norare they able to be away fromtheir jobs and families for thelength of time such studyrequires.

The closest Episcopalseminary to our diocese is inAustin, Texas, and this does notmake for an easy commute.Additionally, we find that whenpeople are trained in the hills ofBerkeley, California, or thesuburbs of Washington, D.C.,where I was trained, there’s acertain degree of retrainingnecessary before candidates forordination are prepared to dotheir best work in the uniquecontext that is Kansas.

KSM is KSM is KSM is KSM is KSM is the the the the the stratstratstratstratstrategyegyegyegyegyIn a time when so many

efforts in the church are beingscaled back and so many visionsare compromised and in retreat,we have a vision for the KansasSchool for Ministry that remainsundaunted. Simply put, buildingon a firm foundation laid bythose who came before us, weplan to build the finest diocesan-based school in the EpiscopalChurch. Period.

You see:The Kansas School for

Ministry is the strategy forsmaller, rural churches whocan’t afford to pay a seminary-

trained priest a full-time salary(along with pension and healthcare costs), and who wouldbenefit enormously from havingteams of one or two localpriests, two deacons and a cadreof trained lay leaders.

The Kansas School forMinistry is the strategy forgrowing suburban parishes whowould like to add additionalclergy to help their parishesgrow, but who need to investlimited resources in a variety ofother mission initiatives.

The Kansas School forMinistry is the strategy forlarger, established parishes whoneed highly trained lay leadersfor children, youth and youngadult ministries, music minis-tries and the like, but who arefinding it difficult to effectivelytrain such leaders.

The Kansas School forMinistry is the strategy for moreextensive Christian educationfor our adults, many of whombelong to parishes in ourdiocese who find it difficult tooffer in-depth biblical andtheological education for theirmembers.

The Kansas School forMinistry is the strategy fordeveloping better continuingeducation for our clergy. Everydeacon, priest and bishopresident in the Episcopal Churchis mandated by canon toparticipate in annual continuingeducation programs, and theKansas School for Ministry willbe the educational resourceproviding innovative continuingeducation locally, at pricesclergy (and their parishes) canafford to pay.

The Kansas School forMinistry is the strategy forincreasing the number ofdeacons available to serve inthis diocese, and this is crucial.

Over the past several years,we have lost a number of ourdeacons to illness and death, andwe have called several others tothe priesthood because wedesperately needed their skills inthat order. We need to reinvigo-rate the diaconate in thisdiocese, an order that has playedsuch an integral part in leadingour outreach ministries.

Of course, the Kansas Schoolfor Ministry is not a newinitiative. We’ve been traininglay and ordained persons in theEpiscopal Diocese of Kansas foryears, and many of KSM’searliest graduates have gone onto distinguish themselves inservice to Christ and the church.

What is new is the level ofacademic expertise we expect tobe able to bring through thefaculty in this moment. Eight ofour current faculty membershold Ph.D.s, two facultymembers have earned Doctor ofMinistry degrees, and theremainder of the faculty holdMasters of Divinity degreesfrom some the finest seminariesin the Anglican Communion.

What is new is the academic

Bishop:Bishop:Bishop:Bishop:Bishop: $2.2 million pledged for Crossroads CampaignContinued from page 2

Continued on page 5


rigor we hope to be able toprovide in balance with practicalfield training experience,making certain the KansasSchool for Ministry is notsimply a last-chance alternativeto a seminary education, but anoutstanding theological educa-tion in its own right.

$2.2 million in pledges$2.2 million in pledges$2.2 million in pledges$2.2 million in pledges$2.2 million in pledgesOver the past couple of years

I’ve wondered if this momentwould ever come, but I have totell you this is one of the mostexciting moments in my episco-pate.

My brothers and sisters inChrist, it is with high and heartythanks to our gracious God andthe generosity of the people ofthis diocese that I stand beforethis Diocesan Convention toannounce that we now havecommitments for $2.2 million.

We have several other gifts inthe final stages of decision-making.

In other words, we are now atthe point where we can bringthis effort to the full attention ofevery member of the diocese.

So we are asking every singleperson in this diocese — everyvestry member, every smallgroup, every men’s or women’sgroup, every Bible study, everyaltar guild, every deacon, everypriest — to help us raise theremaining $3.8 million neededfor this effort, which willpositively affect every single

member of the diocese.It took us a year and a half to

develop our vision and to raiseone million dollars from fewerthan 24 people. It took us twomonths to raise the secondmillion dollars from an addi-tional 47 generous people.

And I firmly believe we willraise the remaining $3.8 millionfrom the 11,929 Episcopalianswho have not yet been asked toparticipate in this effort, and wewill do so in time to celebratethe successful completion of thiscampaign at next year’s 152ndDiocesan Convention.

Largest fundraising eLargest fundraising eLargest fundraising eLargest fundraising eLargest fundraising evvvvverererererThis represents the largest

fundraising venture ever in thisdiocese, and because of our titheto mission, it will result in thelargest amount of money raisedexclusively for outreach in thehistory of the diocese, some$600,000.

If it were entirely up to us, Iwouldn’t be so confident aboutour chances for success.

But if God wants this schoolto be built, then I believenothing on heaven or earth willbe able to stop it. Not stockmarkets, not our own inability tolet go of our hard-earned money,not our lack of faith — nothing.Nothing.

Nothing will keep us fromachieving this goal, if God seeksit to be so.

I love the Haitian prayerwhich goes something like,“Lord, there is a big devil called

discouragement. We ask you tosend him away, because he isbothering us!”

‘What y‘What y‘What y‘What y‘What you haou haou haou haou havvvvve lefe lefe lefe lefe left’t’t’t’t’Writer Margaret Wheatley

tells the story about YitzhakPerlman, thegreat violinist,who wasplaying aconcert in NewYork.

YitzhakPerlman wascrippled bypolio as ayoung child, sothe bottom partof his bodydoesn’t workwell, and hewears thesevery prominentleg braces andcomes in oncrutches, in avery painfullyslow way,hauling himselfacross thestage. Then hesits down and,very carefully,unbuckles theleg braces andlays themdown, puts down his crutchesand then picks up his violin.

So this night, the audiencehad watched him slowly,painfully, walk across the stage,and he began to play.

And suddenly, there was a

loud noise in the hall thatsignaled that one of his fourstrings on his violin had justsnapped.

Everyone expected that theywould be watching YitzhakPerlman put back the leg braces,

walk slowlyback across thestage and finda new violin.But this is whathappened.

YitzhakPerlman closedhis eyes for amoment.YitzhakPerlmanpaused. Andthen hesignaled for theconductor tobegin again.And he beganfrom wherethey had leftoff. And here’sthe descriptionof his playingfrom JackRiemer in theHoustonChronicle:

“He playedwith suchpassion and

such power, and such purity, aspeople had never heard before.Of course, everyone knew that itwas impossible to play thissymphonic work with threestrings. I know that. You knowthat. But that night, Yitzhak

Perlman did not know that. Youcould see him modulating,changing, recomposing the piecein his head. At one point, itsounded like he was de-tuningthe strings to get new soundsfrom them that they had nevermade before.

“When he finished, there wasan awe-filled silence in theroom. And then people rose andcheered. Everyone was scream-ing and cheering and doingeverything they could to showhow much we appreciated whathe had just done.

“He smiled. He wiped thesweat from his brow. He raisedhis bow to us. And then he said,not boastfully, but in a quiet andreverent tone, ‘You know,sometimes it is the artist’s taskto find out how much music youcan still make with what youhave left.’”

That is our task, we whostand at the crossroads of thissacred moment. Let us discoverjust how much music we canstill make with what we haveleft.

Let’s not be discouraged bysmall churches, by tasks thatseem overwhelming. Let’s notbe discouraged by the thingsthat confront us that seeminsurmountable.

Let’s see what we can do withwhat we have left.

“Thus says the LORD: Standat the crossroads, and look, andask for the ancient paths, wherethe good way lies; and walk in it,and find rest for your souls.”

We are asking every

single person in this

diocese — every

vestry member,

every small group,

every men’s or

women’s group,

every Bible study,

every altar guild,

every deacon, every

priest — to help us

raise the remaining

$3.8 million needed

for this effort, which

will positively affect

every single member

of the diocese.


Bishop: Bishop: Bishop: Bishop: Bishop: Amount promised is the largest ever in the diocese

Requests for food help are on the rise as economy stays sluggish

Photo by Deacon Gail Reynolds

Leila Potts (left), a member of St. Thomas’, Overland park, assists a woman who hascome to the food pantry at St. Paul’s, Kansas City, for help. The pantry has seen a bigrise in requests in recent months.


Food pantries in the diocese are see-ing increasing demand for assistanceas unemployment remains high and

the economy remains sluggish.The largest pantry in the diocese is at

St. Paul’s, Kansas City, which serves aneighborhood surrounding the church ininner-city Kansas City that includes someof the poorest neighborhoods in the stateof Kansas.

Big jump in recent wBig jump in recent wBig jump in recent wBig jump in recent wBig jump in recent weekseekseekseekseeksThe week before Thanksgiving, volun-

teers handed out food to 112 people, rep-resenting households totaling about 250people. That followed weeks with 98 or 100people coming for assistance.

That’s up substantially from the 40 to60 people they were seeing weekly just thissummer and nearly quadruple the numberof two years ago.

According to Deacon Gail Reynolds,who helps oversee her parish’s pantry whenit is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays,the pantry sees new “neighbors,” as theycall their clients, every time it is open.

She said people tend to be hurting mostnear the end of the month, calling this the“more-month-than-money season.” That’swhen the pantry sees people who might nothave been there in a year or more.

She said, “Typically they apologize andsay, ‘Well, I thought I was going to do OKthis month, but then my car broke (or wehad medical bills, fill in the blank), and I

knew we are going to need help.’ And werespond, ‘That’s why we’re here. Comein.’”

She said the pantry has benefitted fromfood and monetary donations in recentweeks, including several vans full of foodcollected by St. Thomas in Overland Parkand a truckload supplied by St. Aidan’s,Olathe, as well as other area churches.

The week before Thanksgiving, a St.Paul’s parishioner augmented the pantry’s

stock of whole fresh chickens with another30, enabling every visitor to take one homefor the holiday.

‘I’d rather ha‘I’d rather ha‘I’d rather ha‘I’d rather ha‘I’d rather havvvvve a job’e a job’e a job’e a job’e a job’Trinity, Lawrence, coordinates the Trin-

ity Interfaith Food Pantry, and it, too, re-ports an increase in those seeking help.

During the third quarter of the year, thepantry was open 26 times and served a to-tal of 595 households, of which 70 were

new clients. That represents nearly 1,700people, up from the 1,500 or so in the pre-vious three months.

Barry Molineaux, the pantry’s coordi-nator of servers, said in October a mancame in seeking food for his wife and twochildren. After being handed a bag of gro-ceries he shook hands with the volunteerand said, “Thanks, but I’d rather have ajob.”

The pantry received some special do-nations this fall when 11-year-old Jesse Cox(who with his mother assists there) askedguests at his birthday party to bring foodinstead of gifts. He also donated part of themoney gifts she received, too.

WANT TO HELP?Both food pantries featured use

donations to purchase additional food.

To make a contribution, send acheck made payable to the churchassociated with the pantry and mark“food pantry” on the memo line.

Send them to:

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church1300 N. 18th St.Kansas City, KS 66102-2798

Trinity Episcopal Church1011 Vermont St.Lawrence, KS 66044-2921


I have finished my term aspresident of the EpiscopalChurch Women for the Dio-

cese of Kansas. I want to thankyou for giving me the opportu-nity to provide leadership for ourcommunity of women.

Being on the ECW board is avery rewarding experience. Inparticular I appreciate the friend-ships and relationships I haveformed with the other women onthe board.

I am grateful to the women onthe ECW board for their support.They have been patient, kind,loving and supportive as we haveworked to make ECW relevantin our diocese and in the lives ofthe women in this diocese.

To make ECW relevant —this is not only a goal but also aprocess. The board learned thatit is important to have a “vision”for ECW.

Last November we had a re-treat, and the board explored ourvision by examining the ECWmission. We reaffirmed our pur-pose — to work among womento foster, develop and affirm theministry of all people in the Dio-cese of Kansas.

I want to review what ECWoffers. The Annual Gatheringprovides a forum for fellowship,inspiration, education and wor-shipping together. Every year wehave a distinguished speaker toencourage us to learn and expe-rience new forms of prayer andto inspire us to study and con-tinue growing spiritually.

ECW offers continuing edu-cation scholarships of $100 sowomen can take advantage of op-portunities to continue learning.

The ECW board makes con-tributions on behalf of thewomen of the diocese. This yeardonations were sent to the Haitirelief effort sponsored by thediocese and to Episcopal Reliefand Development.

ECW coordinates the ingath-ering for the Church PeriodicalClub and the United Thank Of-fering throughout the diocese.These two organizations —CPC and UTO — were startedby Episcopal women and con-tinue to be run by EpiscopalChurch Women. Both distributemoney to worthy projects inter-nationally.

Next year we will introducean event intended to givewomen an opportunity to take aday off from their routines toexperience a spiritual retreat. Itwill be held at St. Stephen’sEpiscopal Church in Wichita onSaturday, April 2. The cost willbe $15 per person.

Our presenter, Melissa Rob-erts, is a young Episcopalwoman who received her Mas-ters of Theological Studies andis now pursuing her goal of lead-ing spiritual retreats.

This will be a day of renewal,and we hope women of all ages

will come and enjoy the experi-ence. Watch for information aboutthe retreat that will be sent to yourchurch.

ECW is funded by contribu-tions from the churches in ourdiocese. We appreciate the faith-ful support we have received overthe years. We continue to encour-age all churches to participate andsupport our community of Epis-copal Church Women.

We are very fortunate thatmany years ago several ECWleaders decided to establish an en-dowment for ECW, because theincome we receive from that en-dowment is very important to us.

I want to acknowledge whatyou, Episcopal women through-out the diocese, do in your com-munities. You feed the hungry,help with Vacation Bible School,participate in and support recy-cling, collect and provide schoolsupplies for needy students, col-lect for the Church PeriodicalClub and the United Thank Of-fering, and more.

Even if there is no formalECW organization in yourchurch, you, the women of eachparish, undertake many projectsto help others, because this iswhat Episcopal women do.

You are the hands, feet andface of Christ in your communi-ties. Thank you for giving yourtime, energy and money so gen-erously.

May you be blessed in yourlives and efforts as EpiscopalChurch Women for the Dioceseof Kansas.

Lonnie Isaak of Epiphany, Se-dan, served as ECW presidentfrom 2008 to 2010.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN

By Mary Roberts

The Episcopal Church Women of the Dio-cese of Kansas held their Annual Gather-ing on Saturday, Oct. 2, at St. John’s Church

in Parsons. Women from 11 parishes attended.The Rev. Gail Greenwell, rector of St. Michael

and All Angels in Mission, gave this year’s pre-sentation, “Pathways to Spiritual Growth: Re-sponding to God’s Call.”

The Rev. Greenwell shared St. Michael’s pro-gram for discerning calls in Christian communityat the parish level.

She described a process where individuals de-velop an awareness of their spiritual gifts in a car-ing, confidential and spirit-led process of groupdiscernment.

In the afternoon session, ECW ladies got a tasteof her program in action. Small groups engaged ina series of questions designed to help them learnabout and encourage each others’ spiritual gifts.

Many discovered gifts in themselves they hadnot recognized before.

Participants also learned ways of developinggift-orientated ministries based on the needs andresources of their faith communities.

The Rev. Sharon Billman, vicar of St. John’s inParsons, led a midday Eucharist, followed by anexcellent lunch made and served by Daria Condonwith some help from the ladies of St. John’s.

The ECW Board would like to thank the Rev.Greenwell, the Rev. Billman, Daria Condon andall the many others who worked toward making

From thepresident

of theEpiscopal

ChurchWomen

Lonnie Isaak

ECW head offers thanks as her term ends

the Annual Gathering such an enjoyable and re-warding occasion.

Mary Roberts serves as publicity chair for theECW.

ECW speakECW speakECW speakECW speakECW speaker describes spiritual gifer describes spiritual gifer describes spiritual gifer describes spiritual gifer describes spiritual giftststststs

NEW ECW OFFICERSThe following people were selected as

officers at the recent annual meeting of theEpiscopal Church Women of the diocese:

President: Beth Criss (until 2013)

Vice-President: June Mendenhall

Secretary: Senta Meister

Treasurer: Sharon Atherton

Northwest Convocation Representative:Lynn Bonney

Northeast Convocation Representative:Barbara Robrahn

Southeast Convocation Representative:Daria Condon

Past president: Lonnie Isaak

The following people were appointed by theboard:

Continuing Education: Mary Simpson

Publicity: Mary Roberts

Devotions: Dee Farris

Photo by Chad Senuta

A camper enjoys the ropes course at Camp Wood during a recentdiocesan summer camp. Three weeks of camp will be combined intoa one-week “mega camp” in 2011.

‘Mega camp’ t‘Mega camp’ t‘Mega camp’ t‘Mega camp’ t‘Mega camp’ to bring allo bring allo bring allo bring allo bring allages intages intages intages intages into one wo one wo one wo one wo one week in Juneeek in Juneeek in Juneeek in Juneeek in June

Diocesan Youth MissionerChad Senuta has an-nounced a change in the

schedule for next summer’scamps, with programs for all agegroups offered during a singleweek in June.

Senuta is calling it “megacamp,” and it will take place June5-11 at Camp Wood YMCA nearElmdale, southwest of Emporia.

Recent expansions at the camphave added lodging that now canhouse at the same time the morethan 200 campers the diocese hasevery summer, Senuta said.

In recent years there have beenthree weeks of camp — one forsenior high, one for middle schooland one for elementary school.

AAAAAge-geared prge-geared prge-geared prge-geared prge-geared programmingogrammingogrammingogrammingogrammingSenuta stressed that each age

group will be housed in differentparts of the camp and will retainseparate programming geared toits level, staffed by separategroups of adult counselors.

There will be opportunities forsome joint worship and recre-ational activities.

Senuta said in recent yearsEpiscopal campers have sharedCamp Wood with outside groupstaking advantage of YMCA pro-gramming.

During mega camp, he said,diocesan campers will be sharingthe facility only with other Epis-copalians, and in some instances,other members of a youngster’sown family.

Senuta said he’s heard fromparents with different-aged camp-ers who are excited about havinga single drop off and pick up timefor their children.

Summer camp sponsoredby the Episcopal Dioceseof Kansas

June 5-11, 2011

Camp Wood YMCA, nearElmdale

Individual program,schedule and activities forgrades 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12

Both individual worshipexperiences andopportunity for all ages toworship together

Separate lodging facilitiesfor grades 3-5, 6-8 and9-12

Adult staff for each agegroup

More than 50 adult staffmembers, including clergychaplains and registerednurses

Exciting activities such ashorseback riding, climbingtower, water sports andmore

Age appropriate religiouseducation and faithformation

One drop-off and pick-uptime for all age groups

HIGHLIGHTS OF‘MEGA CAMP’

Senuta said that Camp Woodcan accommodate up to 300campers, but he hopes the megacamp grows enough that a secondweek would be needed. The dio-cese remains committed to offer-ing excellent camp programmingat affordable prices, he said.


Iola cIola cIola cIola cIola churhurhurhurhurccccch makh makh makh makh makes aes aes aes aes abig contributionbig contributionbig contributionbig contributionbig contributionfffffor Episcopal reliefor Episcopal reliefor Episcopal reliefor Episcopal reliefor Episcopal relief


St. Timothy’s, Iola, is asmall church, with a mem-bership of 30 people, but

it more than makes up for its sizein its commitment to outreach.

A glance through EpiscopalRelief and Development’s “Giftsfor Life” catalog at an OctoberVestry meeting sparked an idea.

Junior Warden Bud Sifers sug-gested that if parishioners contrib-uted $1,005 to the ERD program,the church’s general fund couldmatch it, for a total of $2,010.

The rest of the Vestry agreed,so parishioners started chippingin, and on Nov. 21, the last Sun-day of Pentecost, collections hadtopped out at $1,640.

The church’s vicar, the Rev.Jan Chubb, estimated that 90 per-cent of the congregation had con-tributed.

Some gifts, she said, were ear-marked for specific projects, suchas micro-loans for women, com-munity gardens, food for students,and bees and hives, but most weregiven for general needs.

The parish’s match brought St.Timothy’s total to $3,280 — butit didn’t stop there.

An anonymous national donorhad pledged to match gifts madeuntil Nov. 30 to ERD, up to a to-

Church with 30 members generates $6,560for ER-D’s “Gifts for Life” program

Photo by the Rev. Betty Glover

Trinity Treasures, a store located in the undercroft of Trinity, Arkansas City, has raised more than$40,000 since it opened five years ago.


In just five years, an unusedportion of the undercroft atTrinity, Arkansas City, has

been turned into a resale storethat not only provides unique,quality merchandise to shoppersbut also has contributed morethan $40,000 to the church.

Trinity Treasures was startedby parishioners Judy Clark andColleen Taylor, assisted in recentyears by Nancy Erickson, and isopen Thursdays, Fridays and Sat-urdays.

tal of $500,000.Chubb checked to see if her

church’s gift would qualify for thematch, and it did. That meant theparish’s efforts netted a grand to-tal of $6,560 for the Gifts for Lifeprogram.

That’s an average of more than$219 generated per St. Timothy’smember, all to help provide toolsfor development to poor peoplearound the world.

This effort is in addition to theparish’s efforts to feed hungrypeople in town by stocking a lo-cal food pantry with fresh-made,frozen hearty entrees. Communitydinners raise the funds to buy theingredients needed to make themeals.

Photo by Nic Mather

Canterbury project nets awardat KSU homecoming event

Amanda Jennings, a peer minister at the Canterbury Houseat Kansas State University, adds paint to an Episcopal-themedwindow in Aggieville during homecoming week in October.

The design, which uses the Episcopal shield as one slice in apizza, took third place for student organizations in the “Paint the‘Ville” competition.

A lucky draw assigned the Canterbury group to paint a windowat Kite’s Grille and Bar, one of the most prominent locations inAggieville, a student-themed dining and entertainment area nearcampus.

The group titled their winning design “A Big Slice of the LittleApple.”

WHAT IS ER-D?Episcopal Relief and De-

velopment is an internationalrelief and development agencyand a compassionate re-sponse to human suffering onbehalf of the Episcopal Church.

It supports unique local,long-term initiatives thataddress poverty, hunger,disease, economic develop-ment and disaster response.

— From www.er-d.org

It stocks a variety of merchan-dise, including fine china, crys-tal, antique linens, cookie jars,books, stuffed animals and homeaccessories.

“It’s everything but thekitchen sink,” said the churchrector, the Rev. Betty Glover.

Items come from estate andother sales, and some is donated.All are displayed in attractivearrangements in the spaciousfacility.

Glover said the funds gener-ated have provided much-needed items for the parish, in-cluding vestments, altar supplies

and serving pieces for parishpotlucks.

It also has made some contri-butions to the general operatingbudget.

All this support, she noted,comes at no cost to the churchand is generated by space thatpreviously was unused.

Of the contributions Clark andTaylor have been able to make totheir church, Glover said, “Thisis a remarkable thing these twowomen have done, simply be-cause they thought they could anddidn’t set limits on themselves orGod.”

Parish store raises more than $40,000for Ark City church in five years

DrivDrivDrivDrivDrive adds names te adds names te adds names te adds names te adds names to bone marro bone marro bone marro bone marro bone marrooooow registrw registrw registrw registrw registryyyyy

St. Aidan’s, Olathe, hosted a combinationblood drive and bone marrow registrySept. 18 at the church, designed to add names

of potential donors to the registry list and to gener-ate awareness of the need for donors of these life-giving substances.

Doreen Rice, a parishioner who was coordinatorof the event, said people donated 25 pintsof blood and added 25 names to the “Bethe Match” registry.

The registry seeks to provide potentialdonors of bone marrow for patients withleukemia and other life-threatening illnesswho need a bone marrow transplant.

Rice said 19 people not associated withthe parish came to the event, thanks toposters placed in local stores, signage infront of the church and the parishFacebook page.

She noted that one young woman whocame demonstrated “the power of the day.”

The woman said she wanted to donateblood and be added to the bone marrowregistry. Just six weeks before, Rice said,her boyfriend had been diagnosed withaplastic anemia, was extremely ill and wasawaiting a transplant. Neither the girl-friend nor his siblings were a match, andso far no match had turned up on the reg-istry.

Rice said, “Despite this, she wanted toget on the registry to help someone else.And, of course, she hoped someone weregistered that day will match her boy-friend.”

The young woman also brought nine

coworkers with her to do the same.Rice said, “It was inspiring for St. Aidan’s to be

available to this woman at her point of need. It re-minded us that something as simple as hosting ablood or bone marrow registry drive can make aworld of difference in a life.”

— Melodie Woerman


Around the dioceseSt. John’s, Abilene spent Sun-

days in early November explor-ing “the politics of Jesus” duringthe adult class, exploring the right-ful place of the church in politics.

Trinity, Arkansas City raisedmore than $1,800 Oct. 18 througha taco salad dinner that brought240 diners into the church.Themed baskets that were sold atthe meal helped add to the total.

Trinity, Atchison membersread and discussed PhilipYancey’s book, What’s So Amaz-ing About Grace?, an explorationof the nature of grace and the wayit works in the lives of believers.

St. Mark’s, Blue Rapidswomen hosted their second annualLadies Christmas Tea Dec. 4 at thechurch. In addition to women ofthe parish, invitations went out toall women in Blue Rapids andnearby Waterville, as well as theValley Heights community.

St. Paul’s, Clay Center gavemembers a chance to go carolingDec. 12, to pay visits to those whowere homebound or ill. The eventconcluded with a stop at the localPizza Hut

St. Paul’s, Coffeyville offersthe service of Evening Prayer ev-ery Sunday at 6 p.m. in the chapel.It is led by members of the con-gregation.

St. Andrew’s, Derby collectedpersonal care items in order toprovide more than 300 hygienekits for use by clients of Episco-pal Social Services in Wichita.

St. Martin’s, Edwardsvilleoffered copies of the parish’scookbook for sale for $9, for a

variety of gift-giving occasions.

Trinity, El Dorado hosted itsannual St. Nicholas Cookie FairDec. 4 at the church, completewith sales of pecans, white el-ephant items, James Avery jewelryand a variety of baked goods.

St. Andrew’s, Emporia cel-ebrated its 140th anniversary onDec. 1. Festivities included a Eu-charist celebrated by Bishop DeanWolfe, and a dinner. Participantswere encouraged to wear some-thing plaid, since Andrew is thepatron saint of Scotland.

St. Thomas, Holton asked fordonations to help the Kids Closetclothing bank costume exchange,allowing young people in need tohave their perfect Halloween cos-tume. Members were asked toprovide new or gently usedchildren’s costumes for the effort.

Epiphany, Independencehosted the annual Southeast Con-vocation service of Advent Les-sons and Carols on Dec. 5. Wor-shippers enjoyed refreshments inthe parish hall after the service.

Covenant, Junction Cityraised more than $1,300 during aspaghetti supper Nov. 17 at thechurch. Proceeds were earmarkedfor parish ministries.

St. Paul’s, Kansas City co-sponsored the Kansas City ap-pearance of author Kevin Salwen,whose book, The Power of Half,describes his family’s commit-ment to consume less in order togive more away. Salwen’s lecturetook place Nov. 10.

St. Margaret’s, Lawrenceadopted 18 people this Christmas

through the local agency ECKAN.The congregation supplied eachperson with gifts and a Christmasmeal.

Trinity, Lawrence madenearly $8,000 during the first halfof 2010 by selling grocery cardsfor local stores that accept themlike cash. Merchants then returned6 percent of sales bought with thecards to the church.

St. Paul’s, Leavenworth wel-comed more than 275 people Oct.4 to its monthly supper, this timefeaturing spaghetti. The crowdwas so large that cooks ran out ofsalads and desserts. The eventraised about $1,200.

St. Paul’s, Manhattan hostedan Oct. 31 concert by the Man-hattan chapter of the AmericanGuild of Organists. Musicians in-cluded 12 organists and a cellist.Funds from a free-will offeringwere designated for maintenanceand upgrading of the parish organ.

St. Paul’s, Marysville mem-bers spent part of a work day Nov.6 painting a railing on a buildingramp and adding to a new land-scaping project.

St. Michael’s, Mission onDec. 2 offered a Blue Christmasservice, geared in tone to peoplewho find Christmas a particularlydifficult time, often because of thedeath or loss of a loved one. Theobservance was part of theparish’s quarterly healing service.

Ascension, Neodesha joinedmembers of Epiphany, Indepen-dence in a Christmas carolingparty Dec. 13, followed by a soupand chili supper at Epiphany.

St. Matthew’s, Newton of-fered an all-day retreat Nov. 13based on C.S. Lewis’s The Great

Divorce. The retreat was led bythe Rev. Jerry Skillicorn of theDiocese of West Missouri.

St. Aidan’s, Olathe expandedits outreach efforts to include col-lecting mattresses and bedding forSleepyhead Beds, a Kansas City-based agency that provides bedsto children who don’t have one.

Grace, Ottawa provided piesand salads for the Ottawa Com-munity Thanksgiving dinner thatwas served at the local highschool.

St. Thomas, Overland Parkagain hosted the Johnson CountyInterfaith Hospitality Networkholiday party Dec. 11 for familieswho use the IHN shelters. Partici-pants were treated to gift cards, aholiday food basket and specialgifts.

St. John’s, Parsons raisedmoney for its campus ministry“Laundry and Latte” program bywrapping Christmas gifts at theCoffeyville distribution center forAmazon.com. They made 65cents per gift wrapped on Dec. 6and 85 cents on Dec. 18.

St. Peter’s, Pittsburg servesas one of three sites for a Tuesdaymorning breakfast program thatrecently received a $2,000 grantfrom the Southeast Kansas Com-munity Action Program.

St. Luke’s, Shawnee will hostits annual New Year’s Eve partyat the church. Participants areasked to bring games, snacks andbeverages, and all will mark thenew year at midnight with a prayerservice, followed by breakfast.

St. Clare’s, Spring Hill heldan intergenerational Sundayschool class Oct. 31, with parish-ioners and friends making 138

fleece scarves to provide warmthto some of Kansas City’s home-less residents.

Grace Cathedral, Topekahosted its annual chili cook-offNov. 7, with some parishionersbringing crock pots of homemadechili and many others serving astasters. Local firefighters werejudges, and they declared MaryBecker as the winner.

St. David’s, Topeka provideda Christmas Bazaar on Nov. 6 atthe church, with the public invitedto stop by and shop for craft itemsand baked goods and eat a heartybreakfast. Parish ministry groupsalso staffed booths to tell peopleabout the parish. Proceeds weredesignated for church programsand outreach.

St. Luke’s, Wamego hosted itsannual cookies-by-the-pound saleDec. 4 in Guild Hall, with womenof the First Baptist Church alsoattending. The event also featuredtables for home-based businessesto share information.

St. Jude’s, Wellingon for thethird year handed out candy dur-ing “Trick or Treat Down theStreet” through downtownWellington, with more than 600bags of candy distributed.

Good Shepherd, Wichitayouth marked Veteran’s Day Nov.11 by visiting the Dole Veteran’sLong-Term Care Facility and de-livering bags of toiletry items. Theevent was designed to say thankyou to those who live there.

St. Bartholomew’s, Wichitaculminated its annual decoratingof the sanctuary for ChristmasDec. 19 with a soup-and-sandwichlunch after all the work was done.

St. James’, Wichita took aspecial collection on Dec. 5 tosupport parish outreach projects,including an overflow shelter forthe homeless that serves those inWichita for whom no permanenthousing is available.

St. John’s, Wichita parishio-ners were invited to the home oftheir rector, the Rev. CathieCaimano, and her husband, ChrisChapman, Wednesdays in Decem-ber leading up to Christmas. Theevenings included a potluck sup-per, a time of sharing and an in-formal Eucharist.

St. Stephen’s, Wichita offereda special invitation to women ofthe congregation to join theparish’s chapter of the Daughtersof the King, an order of Anglicanwomen who promise to pray,serve and work for the spread ofthe Word of God.

Grace, Winfield welcomed 98people to church for Homecom-ing Sunday Oct. 17. Organized bythe parish’s Membership Devel-opment Committee, the day in-cluded a barbecue lunch.

Photo by Karen Schlaubaugh

A young parishioner at St. Michael and All Angels, Mission, feedscarrots to Spirit, a horse that accompanied “St. Nicholas” on a visit tothe church Dec. 5. The saint was portrayed by Cecil Allen, and Jimand Margie Burton of St. Clare’s, Spring Hill, brought Spirit to assist.The event took place on the eve of the saint’s feast day.

Welcoming St. Nicholas

Photo by Deacon Bob Hirst

For all the saintsGood Shepherd, Wichita, has a new All Saints banner, thanks to

the skill of parishioner and fabric artist. Dorla Waddell.

Waddell has made other hangings for the church, including Stations

of the Cross, and for this banner she used scraps of fabric from other

projects to create a variety of saints.

Her work was influenced by the tapestries of saints that hang in

the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady in Los Angeles. The banner

also will be displayed during baptisms.


People

Above: Deacon Gail Reynolds(right) waits to receive theArchdeacons’ Cross Award fromArchdeacon Charles Pearce(center), while Archdeacon MonteGiddings looks on. The award isgiven annually to a deacon forexemplary service. Reynolds servesat St. Paul’s, Kansas City.

Left: The Rev. Sharon Billman (left)listens as the Rev. Jan Chubbspeaks after the two priests receivedthe Canon’s Award from Canon tothe Ordinary the Rev. Craig Loya.This award is presented yearly to apriest for outstanding service.Billman is vicar of St. John’s,Parsons; Chubb is vicar of St.Timothy’s, Iola.

Jerry Malone (seated) watches as Bishop Dean Wolfe explainswhy she was this year’s recipient of the Bishop’s Chair Award,given to recognize outstanding service to the diocese by a layperson. Malone is a member of St. James’, Wichita.

ConConConConConvvvvvention aention aention aention aention awwwwwards honor serards honor serards honor serards honor serards honor service of fvice of fvice of fvice of fvice of four wour wour wour wour womenomenomenomenomen

The Rev. Dixie Roberts Junkhas been named the new JubileeOfficer for the diocese by BishopDean Wolfe. She serves as dea-con-in-charge at St. Paul’s, Kan-sas City, which is a Jubilee Cen-ter.

The Rev. Robert Hutchinsonwas honored Nov. 20-21 for his50 years of ministry as a priest atSt. Bartholomew’s, Wichita,where he is rector. Hutchinsonwill retire at the end of this year.

The Rev. Jane Smith, whoserved in the early 2000s at St.John’s, Wichita and St. Andrew’s,Derby, died Nov. 28 after a briefillness. She was 66. She was serv-ing as rector of St. James inLewistown, Mont., at the time ofher death. A memorial service forher took place there.

Clergy news

Annual awards handed out at the Di-ocesan Convention banquet onOct. 23 this year honored four

women for their outstanding service to thechurch.

Jerry Malone, St. James’, Wichita, re-ceived the Bishop’s Chair Award, presentedby Bishop Dean Wolfe to a lay person.

Malone was recognized for her ongo-ing service in a variety of areas, including

efforts on behalf of stewardship and devel-opment, and organizing a special 150th di-ocesan anniversary trip to Washington,D.C., last year.

She also served as master of ceremo-nies at a fundraiser for campus ministry theevening before convention started.

The award is a rocking chair inscribedwith the diocesan seal.

Deacon Gail Reynolds received the sil-

ver cross and chain of the Archdeacons’Cross Award, presented by ArchdeaconsMonte Giddings and Charles Pearce forservice by a deacon.

Reynolds, who serves at St. Paul’s, Kan-sas City, is instrumental in the parish’s foodpantry, which last year distributed morethan 135 tons of food.

The Revs. Sharon Billman and JanChubb were presented with the Canon’s

Award by Canon to the Ordinary the Rev.Craig Loya, receiving an engraved plaquethat features a military-style canon.

Loya said the two women, who are vic-ars of parishes in the Southeast Convoca-tion — Billman at St. John’s, Parsons, andChubb at St. Timothy’s, Iola — exempli-fied the collegiality and steadfastness thatmark outstanding priests.

— Melodie Woerman

Three graduate from Kansas School for Ministry

(From left) Jeff Roper, St. James’, Wichita; Barbara Gibson, GraceCathedral, Topeka; and Fran Wheeler, St. Aidan’s, Olathe, wait duringDiocesan Convention to receive their diplomas as the newestgraduates of the Kansas School for Ministry.

Photo by Melodie Woerman

Three people were recog-nized at DiocesanConvention for having

completed their course of stud-ies at the Kansas School for Min-istry, the first time since 2006that there have been graduatesfrom the program.

They are:Barbara Gibson, Grace Ca-thedral, Topeka;Jeff Roper, St. James’,Wichita; andFran Wheeler, St. Aidan’s,Olathe.All three were in a two-year

program to prepare them for or-dination as deacons, and their or-dinations are set for Jan. 8, 2011.

This will be the first timesince June 2006 that people havebeen added to the diaconate.

Ordinations seOrdinations seOrdinations seOrdinations seOrdinations setttttfffffor deacons, priestsor deacons, priestsor deacons, priestsor deacons, priestsor deacons, priests

To be ordained to thediaconate:

Barbara GibsonJeff RoperFran Wheeler

To be ordained to thepriesthood:

The Rev. Dixie JunkThe Rev. Antoinette

TackkettThe Rev. Michael Bell

(on behalf of theBishop of Los Angeles)

Saturday, Jan. 8, 201110:30 a.m.Grace Cathedral, Topeka



National and international newsAnglican news briefs

Episcopal News Service

Prayers originate in Bethlehem and Washington. Christiansin Bethlehem and Washington. D.C., participated in a joint si-mulcast service Dec. 18 in English and Arabic that connectedworshippers on two continents. Christians in the D.C. area as-sembled at Washington National Cathedral for the fourth annualservice, with Palestinian Christians gathered at the ChristmasLutheran Church in the town where Jesus was born. Because ofthe time difference, worshippers gathered at 10 a.m. in Washing-ton and at 5 p.m. in Bethlehem. Presiding Bishop KatharineJefferts Schori and Jerusalem Anglican Bishop Jerusalem SuheilDawani were among the clergy participating.

Chicago chaplain to be ordained in a hospital. On Dec. 3 inChicago, hospital chaplain Carol Reese was ordained to the priest-hood in a service at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, the former CookCounty Hospital, where she has served as a chaplain in the traumadepartment since 2005. For Reese, formally entering the priest-hood at the hospital — her parish, really — is an opportunity tocall attention to the plight of the medically underserved. She isthe first paid chaplain in the history of Stroger Hospital, and theonly paid chaplain in the Cook County system. Presiding BishopKatharine Jefferts Schori, who was in Chicago for a speech onreligion and health care, participated in the ordination.

Pakistani Christians face persecution. Pakistan’s first andonly female Anglican priest, the Rev. Jane Shaw, has warned thatpersecution of Christians in the country is prompting talented po-tential future church leaders to settle abroad. Shaw, who four yearsago became the Church of Pakistan’s only female presbyter-in-charge, said she knew of four young pastors sent overseas fortraining who decided not to return to Pakistan. She said that whilethere have been incidents of Christians being attacked and killed,the majority of persecution was more insidious. As a result, fami-lies with the resources to do so are either moving abroad them-selves or sending their children overseas to study. Too few mem-bers of her former congregation can see a future for their chil-dren in Pakistan. “Many go and don’t return,” she said.

Oregon Episcopal School team wins $100,000 prize. TwoOregon Episcopal School high school students, inspired by themovie “I, Robot,” took top honors Dec. 6 in a national sciencecompetition for their research to recognize emotion in the humanvoice. Juniors Akash Krishnan, 16, and Matthew Fernandez, 17,will share the grand prize for a team — a $100,000 college schol-arship — from the 12th annual Siemens Competition in Math,Science & Technology. Six individuals and six teams competedat the national finals at George Washington University in Wash-ington, D.C. Their work has applications for autism research, com-puter games, lie detection and even cell phone technology.

Pension Fund will skip 2011 cost-of-living increase, spe-cial supplement. The trustees of the Church Pension Fund havedecided not to grant a cost-of-living-related increase for retireesand surviving spouses in 2011, according to fund president Den-nis T. Sullivan. He added that the trustees will not make a “one-time special supplement” benefit payment as they did in 2010.This will be the second year in a row that the Fund has not madea cost-of-living-related increase. Sullivan also said that the twodecisions do not affect the payment of the annual Christmas Ben-efit that eligible retired clergy and surviving spouses receive eachDecember. The fund uses the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Con-sumer Price Index as a benchmark for cost-of-living increases.

Nominations sought for churchwide bodies. Nominationsfor membership on seven bodies or positions to be elected at theEpiscopal Church’s General Convention in 2012 are now beingaccepted by the Joint Standing Committee on Nominations. Bish-ops, priests, deacons and lay persons may be nominated, andnominees need not be current or former General Convention depu-ties. Positions are open for Executive Council, General Board ofExamining Chaplains, Disciplinary Board for Bishops, Trusteeof General Theological Seminary, Secretary of the House of Depu-ties, Treasurer of the General Convention and Trustee of theChurch Pension Fund. Information about the positions is avail-able at http://generalconvention.org/gc/gc2012-nominations

SeminarSeminarSeminarSeminarSeminary plans ty plans ty plans ty plans ty plans temporaremporaremporaremporaremporary cy cy cy cy chapelhapelhapelhapelhapel

Reports from Virginia TheologicalSeminary and Episcopal News Service

In the wake of the Oct. 22 fire that destroyed its129-year-old chapel, Virginia TheologicalSeminary’s committee charged with finding a

semi-permanent worship space announced plans torenovate the existing seminary auditorium into atemporary, flexible prayer hall.

The committee said the auditorium would needa variety of changes, including laying a wooden floorfrom the back of the auditorium to the stage to cre-ate a level floor in place of the current sloped floor;turning the existing stage into a sacristy and vestingroom; and placing flexible seating around the altar,which would be placed in front of a wall of win-dows.

The seminary hopes to have the new worshipspace ready in the first quarter of 2011.

It also is accepting donations for a permanent

Photo by U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alexandria Fire Department/ENS

The fire that destroyed the 129-year-old chapel at Virginia Theological Seminary has been ruled accidental.The seminary also plans to renovate its existing auditorium into a temporary worship space until a newchapel can be built.

Move follows devastating Oct. 22 fire that was ruled accidentalchapel through its “New Chapel for a New Century”fund.

Fire ruled accidentalFire ruled accidentalFire ruled accidentalFire ruled accidentalFire ruled accidentalThe fire that engulfed the chapel was ruled as ac-

cidental by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,Firearms and Explosives. A seminary spokeswomansaid the fire began in a trash can left near a heater inthe sacristy.

Damage to the chapel, consecrated in 1881, isestimated at $2.5 million, the Bureau said.

Noting that the fire was caused by “humanagency,” the Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, VTS deanand president, nonetheless said, “It is agreed that allinvolved behaved with integrity and thoughtfulness.”

There was no smoke detector or sprinkler systemin the late Victorian wooden structure, he said.

Founded in 1823, Virginia Theological Seminaryis the largest of the 11 accredited seminaries of theEpiscopal Church. It is located in Alexandria, Va.

Bishop of Cuba is installed in HavanaEpiscopal News Service

The Rt. Rev. GriseldaDelgado Del Carpio wasinstalled as bishop of the

Episcopal Church of Cuba duringa Nov. 28 ceremony at Holy Trin-ity Cathedral in Havana.

Among those attending the cer-emony were Episcopal ChurchPresiding Bishop KatharineJefferts Schori and ArchbishopFred Hiltz of the Anglican Churchof Canada.

Delgado, 55, was consecratedas bishop coadjutor of the Epis-copal Church of Cuba on Feb. 7and has since worked with BishopMiguel Tamayo of the AnglicanChurch of Uruguay as he com-pleted his six-year tenure asCuba’s interim bishop.

With Tamayo’s retirement,Delgado becomes Cuba’s dioc-esan bishop and the first womanto serve in that role.

Bolivia-born Delgado, who

formerly was rector of SantaMaria Virgen in Itabo, Cuba, wasappointed as bishop coadjutor inJanuary by the MetropolitanCouncil of Cuba, which governs

the Cuban church in matters offaith and order.

The council, which is chairedby Hiltz and includes JeffertsSchori as a member, has overseenthe church in Cuba since it sepa-rated from the U.S.-based Epis-copal Church in 1967.

Earlier this year, Jefferts Schorisaid that the council was “deeplyimpressed” with Delgado’s re-sponses to questions it had askeda number of candidates about theirunderstanding of episcopal min-istry, the challenges and opportu-nities facing the church in Cuba,and how they would embracethem through their leadership.

In September 2009, the Cubanchurch, for the second time, failedto elect a bishop coadjutor.

After 13 inconclusive ballotswere cast, the choice of a coadju-tor fell to the council.

The Cuban church includesabout 40 congregations and some10,000 Episcopalians.

Cuba Bishop Griselda DelgadoDel Carpio celebrates theEucharist at her installation asbishop Nov. 28 at Holy TrinityCathedral in Havana.


Episcopal News Service

In the midst of increasing vio-lence in the Haitian capital ofPort-au-Prince Dec. 9, Pre-

siding Bishop Katharine JeffertsSchori assured that country of theEpiscopal Church’s concern for itscitizens.

“Our prayers continue for thepeople of Haiti, particularly at thistime of increased anxiety, uncer-tainty, and outbreaks of violence,”Jefferts Schori said in a statementto Episcopal News Service.

“May the Prince of Peace comespeedily,” she added, echoing theseason of Advent.

The presiding bishop was dueto spend Dec. 10-13 with thepeople of the Episcopal Dioceseof Haiti, but she cancelled her trip

earlier in the week at the requestof Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin.

Angela Galbreath, EpiscopalChurch-appointed missionary tothe Haitian diocese, reported thatmany of the lay leaders and theclergy of the diocese who hadgathered Dec. 5 for a four-dayEpiscopal CREDO conferencewere stranded because of the un-rest. She and CREDO ManagingDirector William Craddock re-ported that many of Haiti’s al-ready nearly impassable roadswere blocked by protestors, mak-ing travel unsafe.

Violence broke out in thecountry’s earthquake-ravagedcapital late on Dec. 8 shortly af-ter Haiti’s Provisional ElectoralCouncil announced the results ofNov. 28’s presidential election.

Episcopal ChurEpiscopal ChurEpiscopal ChurEpiscopal ChurEpiscopal Churccccchhhhhcalled tcalled tcalled tcalled tcalled to prao prao prao prao pray fy fy fy fy for Haitior Haitior Haitior Haitior Haiti

‘Blue’ Christmasservices offer comfort

Photo by Leslie Jones/ENS

A child at the Episcopal Church of Our Savior in Plainville, Conn., scoops dirt into a clay pot as part of the“Rhythms of Grace” service there for special needs children and their families.

Churches offer unique worship servicesfor special needs kids and their parentsBy Sharon SheridanEpiscopal News Service

Crucifer Scott Collins stood at the front ofSt. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Harring-ton Park, N.J., and lifted high his cross.

“Who’s ready for a cross parade?” he asked.About a dozen children and adults holding small

wooden crosses lined up behind him, waving bluepom-poms and shaking noisemakers as theymarched twice around the nave before returning totheir seats.

A few minutes and a brief Scripture lesson later,they left the pews again, gathering in the center aisleto grasp a “prayer rope” and recite, or listen to, theLord’s Prayer. After a gluten-free Communion,congregants ended the 30-minute service as theybegan, parading behind the cross before turning intheir bells and plastic clackers and heading to theparish hall for snacks, children’s videos and adultconversation.

It’s not your typical Episcopal Eucharist. But itis part of a growing trend of alternative worship ser-vices geared to special-needs, and particularly au-tistic, children.

SeSeSeSeSevvvvveral feral feral feral feral formats are in useormats are in useormats are in useormats are in useormats are in use The Harrington Park service, held every other

week since October, follows a liturgy called “AllGod’s Children” launched at Christ EpiscopalChurch in Budd Lake, N.J., three years ago.

The Rev. Audrey Scanlan, a Connecticut Epis-copal priest, and Linda Snyder, missioner for chil-dren and adults in the Episcopal Diocese of Con-necticut, developed another model called “Rhythmsof Grace” that has been replicated in several statesand is starting in the United Kingdom. Last sum-mer, Morehouse Education Resources published thefirst volume of their three-year curriculum.

Monthly Rhythms of Grace services last longer,from an hour to an hour and 45 minutes, and em-ploy a “gathering activity” such as placing paper-doll cutouts on a mural of a church, plus sensory artactivities based on each day’s theme, Scanlan said.

The biblical storytelling time might employ play-acting, call-and-refrain or a felt board. The congre-gation might play “Red Rover” or dance the Hokey-Pokey before sharing Communion.

SerSerSerSerServices ofvices ofvices ofvices ofvices offffffer wer wer wer wer worororororship and acceptanceship and acceptanceship and acceptanceship and acceptanceship and acceptanceBoth liturgical models strive for the same goal:

to offer worship, acceptance and community to spe-cial-needs children and parents who often feel un-welcome in traditional church services.

“I’ve been looking for a church home,” saidDavid M. Rice, attending his second service at St.Andrew’s with his 5 1/2-year-old autistic son DavidJr. “We’ve been kicked out of church a few timesbecause he’s kind of rambunctious and a little loud.”

Baptized in a Baptist church and raised Presby-terian, Rice said he’d found a home with All God’sChildren. “I will be a devoted parishioner.”

In Connecticut, Scanlan was a newly ordainedcurate at Trinity Episcopal Church in Torrington witha background in special education when a parishio-ner with an autistic son e-mailed the rector saying,“I can’t come to church anymore because my son istoo disruptive in our Sunday school class and inchurch, and he’s too old to hang around in the nurs-ery.”

“I said, ‘Let’s see what we can do for them,’”recalled Scanlan, now rector at the Episcopal Churchof Our Saviour, Plainville.

“To this day, the format is really the same. It com-bines biblical storytelling with what we call thera-peutic crafts and then a time of Communion, whichis extremely informal. We sit on the ground aroundan apple crate covered with a fair linen and shareCommunion.”

PrPrPrPrPrograms draograms draograms draograms draograms draw tw tw tw tw toddleroddleroddleroddleroddlers ts ts ts ts to to to to to teenseenseenseenseensThe program is in its eighth year, drawing every-

one from toddlers to teens to a boy with Asperger’ssyndrome who’s “got the Gospel of Luke memo-rized” and likes to recite parts of the service to chil-dren who are mostly nonverbal and some with sig-nificant mental retardation, she said.

All God’s Children evolved after Bishop MarkBeckwith of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark vis-ited Christ Church and spoke to the vestry about iden-tifying the church’s need for a unique ministry.

When he mentioned seeing a billboard aboutAutism Awareness Month during his drive to BuddLake, “the room went dead silent,” parishioner RayBonker recounted. “The Holy Spirit filled the room.… Everybody else in the room knew I had two au-tistic kids.”

Bonker spoke up, describing how he’d ended upspending Sundays in the church basement with hischildren instead of participating in the services andhow he had been dissatisfied with worship that didn’tspeak a “language” they understood.

The bishop’s offhand comment proved a catalyst,as Bonker spent the next few months trying to seechurch through his children’s eyes and design a ser-vice that would “let them know that they are as muchmembers of the church or as much God’s childrenas anybody else.”

“What we’re doing,” Scanlan said, “is really re-sponding to a pastoral need that was identified, notby us, but by the parent. We also have found this tobe really a program of evangelism. We’re findingparents who have been disaffected or feeling uncom-fortable or in some cases unwelcome in otherchurches … who are still hungry for a church com-munity.”

Sharon Sheridan is a correspondent for Episco-pal News Service.

By Pat McCaughanEpiscopal News Service

For the first time in fouryears, Margaret Rogers ofMira Loma, Calif., felt she

could face Christmas in a newway.

“The holidays have been soawful, so lonely,” since her 22-year-old son Derek Crawford wasshot and killed in Los Angeles inJuly 2006, said Rogers after at-tending a Nov. 30 “Blue Christ-mas” service at St. Mark’s Churchin Upland, Calif.

After years of “shock, of feel-ing like I couldn’t even hold athought in my head,” lighting acandle in her son’s memory, sing-ing the familiar songs, and hear-ing the Christmas story gave herhope for healing, even a sense ofpeace, she said.

“It felt like such a communityof caring. It’s such a healing thingto be in a place like this,” saidRogers, 57. “After my son waskilled, I needed support, butthere’s been nothing to recognizemy grief. Once the funeral wasover, it was just over.”

A neA neA neA neA new kind of Christmasw kind of Christmasw kind of Christmasw kind of Christmasw kind of ChristmasSome churches call them Blue

Christmas services; others, the“Longest Night.” They are heldat various times throughout theAdvent season.

The liturgies vary but their in-tent is the same, “to invite peopleto celebrate Christmas in a newway,” said the Rev. MichaelWright, rector of Grace Churchin Charleston, S.C.

“Someone will say to me thatthey can’t celebrate Christmas.That it’s the anniversary of atragic death or something elsethat’s happened. I suggest there’san option between celebratingChristmas the way you always didand in a new way,” he said in arecent telephone interview fromhis Charleston office.

“We remember all those feel-

ings of pain and darkness and lossthat are in the Christmas story andwe’re reminded there’s somethingmore than a Hallmark Christmas,”he added.

No false sense of joNo false sense of joNo false sense of joNo false sense of joNo false sense of joyyyyy“There’s no false sense of

Christmas joy,” he said. “Thereare lots of tears and the ability tofeel whatever they’re feeling andto not have to put on a Christmassmile for everyone.”

Wright said the sudden deathof a sister-in-law when he was inhigh school eventually led him toexplore alternative liturgies for theseason.

“She died in a car accident, andthat introduced me to this otherworld of grieving people at Christ-mas that I’d never known before,”he recalled.

“I met all these people I didn’tknow existed who didn’t enjoyChristmas because it was too pain-ful. They don’t want to destroyeverybody else’s Christmas sothey just fade away and hide dur-ing the season.”

But the alternative service can“allow you to come and observeChristmas if you’re not going toobserve it,” he said. “It’s also aplace to put all these things in con-text. Then when Christmas comesmaybe you can celebrate in a morejoyous way because you’ve beenable to grieve where you’veneeded to grieve.”

At St. Peter’s Church in Lake-wood, Ohio, the Blue Christmasliturgy “is a service of light, anearly evening service of hymns,Scripture and we also have anoint-ing,” said the Rev. Canon NancyWittig, assistant to the rector.

It’s also a reminder that “theytoo are welcome under the um-brella of a loving God, eventhough right now they’re havinga hard time,” she said.

The Rev. Pat McCaughan is anational correspondent for Epis-copal News Service, based in LosAngeles.

12 • The Harvest • November/December 2010T

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Diocesan Calendar

The mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansasis to gather, equip and send disciples of Jesus Christ

to witness to God’s reconciling love.

Sharing the Good NewsReflections on faith and life

January 2011 February 2011

8 Ordinations, GraceCathedral, Topeka

9 Bishop Wolfe at Trinity,Lawrence

11 Council of Trusteesmeeting, Bubb Room,Grace Cathedral, Topeka

15 Miqra youth weekend.Grace Cathedral and St.David’s, Topeka (throughJan. 17)

16 Bishop Wolfe at St.David’s, Topeka

22 Commission on Ministrymeeting, Bethany PlaceConference Center

25 Northeast Convocationclericus, St. Aidan’s,Olathe

30 Bishop Wolfe at St.Christopher’s, Wichita

13 Bishop Wolfe at Trinity,Atchison

15 Council of Trusteesmeeting, Bubb Room,Grace Cathedral, Topeka

22 Northeast Convocationclericus, Trinity, Atchison

26 Lay Leadership Academy,Grace Cathedral, Topeka

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For the latest news of the diocese, full calendar listingsand more, visit the diocesan website:

www.episcopal-ks.org.

Follow the diocese on Facebook:www.facebook.com/EpiscopalDioceseofKansas

and on Twitter:www.twitter.com/EpiscoKS

RRRRRemember the poemember the poemember the poemember the poemember the powwwwwer of lighter of lighter of lighter of lighter of lightThe Presiding Bishop’s Christmas message

The people who walked in darkness haveseen a great light. — Isaiah 9:2

That’s how the first lesson of ChristmasEve opens. It’s familiar and comforting, as the familiar words go on to say

that light has shined on thosewho live in deep darkness,that God has brought joy topeople living under oppres-sion, for a child has beenborne to us.

The name of that child isWonderful Counselor,Mighty God, EverlastingFather, Prince of Peace —and God is bringing anendless peace through an heirto the throne of David (verses3, 4, 6 and 7).

This year we’re going tohear a bit we haven’t heard inEpiscopal churches before, inthat missing verse 5.

It’s pretty shocking, but ithelps explain why the hungerfor light is so intense, and thejoy so great when it comes: “For all the bootsof the tramping warriors and all the garmentsrolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for thefire.”

The coming of this prince of peace willmean the end of all signs of war and violence.An occupied people will finally live in peace,without anxiety about who or what willconfront them the next time they go out theirfront doors.

People in many parts of this world still livewith the echo of tramping boots and thememory of bloody clothing.

Many Episcopalians are living with thatanxiety right now, particularly in Haiti andSudan.

Americans know itthrough the ongoing anxietyafter Sept. 11 and in thewounded soldiers returningto their families and commu-nities, grievously changed bytheir experience of war.

Remember the terror ofwar when you hear thosewords about light on Christ-mas Eve.

Remember the hunger forpeace and light when youhear the shocking promisethat a poor child born in astable will lead us all into aworld without war.

Remember the power oflight when you go out intothe darkness after hearingthose words — and pray that

you and those around you may becomeinstruments of peace.

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and onearth peace among those whom he favors! —Luke 2:14

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts SchoriPresiding Bishop and PrimateThe Episcopal Church

Remember the

hunger for

peace and light

when you hear

the shocking

promise that a

poor child born

in a stable

will lead us all

into a world

without war.

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The Harvest, November-December 2010

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