A PUBLICATION OF THE ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH • VOL. 36, NO. 2
In This Issue... New Additions to Prince of Peace Hopewell
The Rev. Rege Turocy’s Journey to the Diocese of Pittsburgh
Page 10
Page 14
Join Kairos Prison Ministries Page 20
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O N T H E S U R E FO U N DAT I O N
Two Kingdoms By The Most Rev. Robert Wm. Duncan, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, Archbishop Emeritus of the Anglican Church in North America
Beloved in the Lord, In more than fifty years of commitment to reading Scripture every day – I started as a teenager and regrettably have missed some days over the years – I have learned that Holy Scripture is always giving fresh instruction and insight. The Bible has proved to be what it claims to be: “a living word” (Hebrews 4:12) and “a light on my path” (Ps.119:105). One of the very interesting things that has happened to me recently is to be given fresh understanding of the differences between the way “the kingdom of the world” and “the kingdom of God” operate. Our Lord Jesus drew this contrast in all his teaching. From the first day of his ministry (Mk 1:15) to the day of his Ascension (Acts 1:3), Jesus spoke of and taught about human society as it is contrasted with what it would be if we allowed God to reign. Five contrasts have been made plain to me about the two kingdoms and about daily life. These contrasts are observable both
in God’s Word and in contemporary society. I have seen them everywhere in the daily readings and in the nightly newscast. Here are the contrasts: The Kingdom of this World
The Kingdom of God
Operates in the head
Operates in the heart
Humanity is perfectible without God
Men and Women are sinners
No savior required God is irrelevant
Savior required
All phenomena must be explainable
Signs and wonders (miracles) abound
Jesus and his Father are at the center
When George Frederick Handel (d.1759) composed his immortal work the Messiah, he built his Hallelujah Chorus around Revelation 11:15: “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.” This is Scripture’s promise about what the end times – Jesus’ coming again – will accomplish. As you read your Bible this summer or observe events in contemporary life, see if the contrasts I am describing do not stand out for you. As you read this issue of TRINITY Magazine, consider whether you can see evidences of the Kingdom of God breaking into the Kingdom of this World. As you allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen your life in Christ (and that of your family and congregation), see if Our Lord’s teaching does not come alive for you in new ways. n Faithfully in Christ,
Bishop, Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh Archbishop Emeritus, Anglican Church in North America
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TRINITY
By The Most Rev. Robert Wm. Duncan, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, Archbishop Emeritus of the Anglican Church in North America
In This Issue...
On the Cover: ARDF runners before the Pittsburgh Marathon. Back row, from left: Emily Jensen, The Rev. Charles Treichler, Erin Harvey, Matthew DeFusco, Sarah Bray, Todd Murden. Front row, from left: Emily Bell, Katie Lau, Alicia Sufrinko, The Rev. Steve Palmer. More on page 17.
Editor Ian Mikrut
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10 Prince of Peace in Hopewell adds hand-made wood editions, a memorial garden and columbarium as well as a specially crafted “Bishop’s Chair.”
The Rev. Rege Turocy of Christ the Redeemer in Canonsburg reflects on his life and career which eventually led him to the Diaconate in Pittsburgh.
20 Join Kairos Prison Ministries western Pennsylvania outreach and Bring the Hope of Christ to those behind bars and their families.
FEATURES 4 • In Ministry: Wrestling with Church Growth in Butler by the Rev. Andrew DeFusco 7 • Laying a Foundation for Growth in Ambridge by Dave Ketter 8 • What’s a Church Plant? Q&A with Deacon Bryan Jarrell of Morgantown Anglican Fellowship 10 • A New Home A New Sanctuary by the Rev. John Heidengren
Communications Director Ian Mikrut
14 • A Guiding Hand by Ian Mikrut 17 • ARDF: “Runners of Steel” Raise Money for Education and Share the Love of Jesus by the Rev. Charles Treichler 18 • The Rev. Dr. Rodney Whitacre Retires by the Rev. Christopher Klukas 19 • BLTF: The Last Thing I Say is Important! by Gail H. Macdonald 20 • Kairos Prison Ministries International: Bringing the Hope of Christ to those behind bars by Stacey Regan 22 • Clergy Milestones | Diocesan Calendar 24 • New Curriculum for Developing Lay-Leaders at Trinity School for Ministry
EDITORIALS 2 • On the Sure Foundation: Two Kingdoms The Most Rev. Robert Wm. Duncan, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, Archbishop Emeritus of the Anglican Church in North America 23 • Extravagant Love: Bearing Fruit The Rev. Canon Mary Maggard Hays
Contributors Andrew Defusco John Heidengren Dave Ketter Chris Klukas Gail H. Macdonald Heather Strong Moore Stacey Regan Tracey Russell Charles Treichler CONTACT INFORMATION
13 • The Timothy Collaborative by Heather Strong Moore
Columnists Archbishop Robert Duncan Canon Mary Maggard Hays
9 • Women Alive in Christ’s Women’s Blessing by Cindy Thomas 12 • The Joy of Engaging by the Rev. Tracey Russell
Design Kostilnik & Associates Graphics, Inc.
Phone: (412) 281-6131 Email: communications@pitanglican.org Web site: www.pitanglican.org Fax: (412) 322-4505 SUBMISSION INFORMATION Fax: (412) 322-4505 TRINITY is a quarterly publication of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh. Submissions for the next issue of Trinity must arrive at the diocesan offices by August 14 to be considered for publication. Documents that are not created in MS Word should be sent as text documents. Photos should be minimum 300 dpi and include photo credit when necessary. If physical photos are sent and must be returned they must be accompanied by a selfaddressed, stamped envelope with proprietary information on the back of each photo.
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In Ministry:
WRESTLING with Church Growth in Butler By the Rev. Andrew DeFusco
Like every other church I know, St. Peter’s has for years been asking how best to help new individuals and families find their way into our community of faith. I was asked to share briefly about an initiative that we undertook in Butler with the hope that it might be an encouragement to other parishes thinking about church growth. I’ll give just a little background before describing our recent project.
I
spent the first four years of my ministry at St. Peter’s not at all focused on church growth, but rather on church health. And I think that may be for two completely different reasons, one negative and one positive. First, negatively, I don’t like thinking about church growth. It is easier to focus on church health because it is less tangible, less measurable. If I set goals for church growth, then success or failure is plain to
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see: the risk is far lower if I set goals for church health. Beyond that, I am also uncomfortable with most of the conversations I overhear regarding church growth. It could be the cynicism of my generation, or it could just be my aversion to marketing speech, but I am very quickly turned off by talk that essentially boils down to marketing strategy. I think we often objectify “new people” in extremely unhelpful ways, ways which far too close-
ly mimic the world around us and ironically defeat the Christian goals of church growth anyway. We are happy when new people visit because it is good for our church, but it doesn’t even cross our minds to ask if it is good for them. So, I don’t like talking about church growth. But second, and more positively, I truly did think it best for St. Peter’s to focus on church health before church growth. I wanted to be able to say honestly that St.
Peter’s was the kind of parish that someone would do well to join. Not for our sake, but for theirs. I wanted my church home to be a place where I could confidently invite one of my friends without any embarrassment, apology, or caveat. And so we spent a great deal of energy focusing our vision for parish life into a reasonable, healthy pattern into which we could all feel comfortable inviting a friend. That took a lot of work. It required asking many of the same questions that church planters ask. We can’t do everything, so what are we being called to do and be in our context? How are we going to do that, practically speaking? What plan of action will actually accomplish the goal of seeing this vision come to life? We answered those questions together, and the result was a vision that we could articulate to newcomers and be excited about inviting them to participate in. At the end of that season of self-examination and reprogramming, St. Peter’s was in a far healthier place, and some of my excuses for not thinking about church growth had diminished significantly. I had said all along that heathy things grow: if we focused on church health, we could expect growth to come naturally. But now that St. Peter’s was in a place of relative health (always relative! there is always room for even greater health) it seemed natural to ask how we might begin more deliberately to invite new people to join us. And so we developed the six-month initiative that I was invited to share about here. I was extremely hesitant to share at all, because what we did seems so simple. We have no special programs to offer and certainly no silver bullet for church growth. Rest assured, St. Peter’s has not tripled in size in the past six months! But we were able to connect with a number of new individuals and families with whom we likely would not have had contact were it not for the intentional decision to try something. We added nothing new to what we do as a parish. Which means that we stuck to doing the three things we do: upward
worship and Christian education on Sunday mornings; inward growth in the context of weekday small groups; and outward mission in the form of organized service projects. We simply turned these three things into deliberate opportunities for parishioners comfortably to invite their friends. We had a series of “Visitors’ Sundays” that were specifically tailored to be appropriate for newcomers. I shared a handout of practical pointers for parishioners nervous about inviting someone to church. And, as a huge blessing, we had a number of folks from Grace Anglican Church in Slippery Rock agree to join us at St. Peter’s on these Sundays. These ‘missionary’ visitors from Slippery Rock bolstered our attendance, making for an especially positive environment for visitors, and they also provided helpful feedback about what it is like to come to St. Peter’s as a visitor. One doesn’t often have the opportunity to survey visitors about their experience visiting a church. We also encouraged the children of our parish to make a special effort to invite their friends to join them for Sunday School at St. Peter’s on these visitors’ days.
“I truly did think it best for St. Peter’s to focus on church health before church growth.”
Rev. Andrew DeFusco
As we invited the whole parish to sign up for a weekday small group this year, we asked that everyone try to think of one other person from outside the parish to bring with them to small group. Sadly, many folks without a church home work regularly on Sundays and would never be able to attend a Visitors’ Sunday. But a Wednesday night small group with dinner and a simple time of Evening Prayer is sometimes far more doable. While small groups in some places tend to be intense times of Bible study or intimate prayer, we have deliberately tried to shape
our small groups into spaces open to new people, which has meant giving up a certain level of exclusive intimacy for the sake of inclusive hospitality. In addition to these lay-led small groups, I also led an 8-week Bible study covering the basics of the Christian gospel, requiring every member of St. Peter’s who signed up to bring one non-member along with them. The last thing we did as part of this initiative was to turn our service projects into deliberate invitation opportunities. We normally organize at least one outreach project each quarter, and we intentionally keep the projects eclectic. But for this season we settled on simply providing free meals for anyone hungry in the Butler community. On the last Sunday of each month we fed about 100 people and made contact with many folks we would otherwise never have met. In addition to the folks from the community who came for the meal, we also invited unchurched friends from outside the parish to help prepare and serve the meal. Many people who would never cross the threshold of a church door for worship will gladly cross that threshold for community service, so we used these outreach projects as occasions to introduce new people to the community of St. Peter’s outside the sometimes intimidating experience of a Sunday morning worship service or a weekday prayer group. Our efforts were not overly complex or drastic. Not everything we tried worked. And during this season we welcomed several newcomers who came to St. Peter’s through no effort of ours whatsoever. As we all know, the whole life of the church depends on the activity of the Holy Spirit, and thankfully that is not something any of us can control. I didn’t expect this initiative to have especially dramatic results. My real hope was that this season of explicitly focusing on church growth would begin to help us at St. Peter’s to reimagine our whole pattern of life together as a complex of opportunities to invite people to encounter the mercy of God in the cross and resurrection of Jesus. And I think I can say that by God’s grace that reimagining has begun. n
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Laying a Foundation for Growth in Ambridge By Dave Ketter
The Village Church and its ministry team in Ambridge continue to overcome obstacles as their outreach grows throughout the community.
“I
’m Dave Ketter and I’m the lay pastor for the Village Church in Economy-Crestview Village in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.” Some variation of that line has been all over my life lately—networking, conferences, and social media—as I’ve had the opportunity to share about the exciting work of God in an isolated community in Ambridge. The Village Church ministry team is seeing five years of children’s outreach being used by God to create the opportunity for a new congregation. The Holy Spirit is taking creative engagement with the community to create a community that worships Jesus and proclaims His Gospel in Word and Sacrament. That is the vision for the Village Church. In the past two months, I’ve personally cooked or at least coordinated two large meals that weren’t in my budget or calendar, taught a Bible lesson for children with very little opportunity to prepare for it (or the kids!), been discouraged at the seeming ineffectiveness of my leadership and desperately searched for evidence of the Kingdom of God in the fruit of my ministry. I’ve cried, kept at least two of my intercessors up late and thought a few times that I had nothing more to give and God should let me retire at the ripe old age of 26. And I imagine a few things named above would sound familiar to members of the Village Church ministry team. The two verbal portraits sketched above have strong points of contrast, but they are true to the life of the Village Church. Five years of ministry by Church of the Savior in partnership with the Child Evangelism Fellowship of Beaver County and Village residents has borne a great deal of fruit, and discipleship continues. There are dozens of testimonies of God’s miraculous intervention in this missionary adventure. The kids are learning—sometimes while offering incredible resistance—that God’s love for them is unbeatable, unrelenting, and unwilling to let go of them and that Jesus’ death and resurrection changes everything: a new life, with a new family and hope for a new world. We’re on our way to taking that same Gospel message to the rest of the community of teens and adults. We are not ministering in uncontested territory. We are engaged in a war against the world, the flesh and the devil for Economy-Crestview Village. Anyone engaged in any ministry, whether lay or ordained, can attest to the battle involved with fulfilling the Great Commission. This isn’t new information, but it’s a testimony to the reality of church planting in the Village. Right now, we meet most Tuesday evenings of the
year for children’s outreach that involves sharing the Gospel, prayer, praise, and supper. Our team is a committed crew of twelve volunteers and leaders, two CEF teachers, Deacon Laura Wicker and myself, with room for more. Students from Trinity School for Ministry have gained valuable ministry experience by joining us and we are currently working to extend those opportunities to students at Geneva College as well. We see evidence of God’s work in the Village as kids open up to pray publicly for one another. They hear Jesus’ love for them through the Gospel week by week and are invited to become part of His family. At our Christmas Eve service just a few months ago, one of the parents joined her kids for worship and shared a meal with us. I shared with her that my hope, and the hope of the team, was to expand the ministry—to minister to kids, teens, parents and everyone else in the Village. She jumped ahead of me at that point: “We need a church here. We need Jesus.” Up until that point, I had my doubts about church planting in the Village. I had my doubts about whether it was the right time. Whether we were the right people. But the growing faith of the children and the quiet words of this mother galvanized my faith. In Acts 16, the Scriptures tell us that St. Paul and his companions enter a frustrating season of ministry. They have the desire and opportunity (they think) to preach the Gospel and minister in all sorts of places, but the Holy Spirit forbids them. The Spirit of Jesus doesn’t allow them to go where they wanted to go. One night, St. Paul has a dream, and a man from the other side of the river speaks to him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” As a ministry team, we have heard our Macedonian call to the Village. God is growing what began as an outreach to the children of our community into a family of saints. We are eagerly watching and working for the days (God willing, in the coming year) when we see people of all ages and backgrounds gathering together at the Village Church to hear the Gospel proclaimed in Word and Sacraments. We envision sending them to their families, friends, and neighbors to share that same powerful Gospel that the kids are learning now: that though we were lost, sick, and trapped in the darkness of our sins, Jesus came into the world to seek us, heal us, and transfer us into the great light of His Kingdom through His cross and resurrection. And that no matter how far we run, or how much we resist, His love will relentlessly pursue us and claim us as His own. There is so much more still to come, as we lay the foundations and take steps toward weekly worship, discipling leaders in the community and developing more creative outreaches. To get there we have many questions that we continue to ask and seek answers for: How can we find musicians to help our community to grow in praising Jesus? Where are the hands and feet to grow the children’s outreach ministry in the Village? What can we do to more effectively instruct both young and old in the faith once for all delivered to the saints? Who can we partner with to share God’s grace with more of our neighbors in the Village? Why don’t you join us? www.facebook.com/VillageChurchAmbridge www.twitter.com/VillageChrchAMB n
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What’s A Church Plant?
Q&A with Deacon Bryan Jarrell of Morgantown Anglican Fellowship
Q. A.
When and How did the idea of planting a church in Morgantown come to fruition? I came to The Diocese of Pittsburgh as a student from Grove City College in 2006, when Grace Anglican Church was initially planted. I was really overwhelmed with the grace and nurture I received from that congregation, and I saw firsthand what a church plant could do for a community. So when I started the ordination process and enrolled at Trinity School for Ministry in 2009, I had church planting on my mind. As realignment was taking shape, and geographic diocesan borders lost their sharpness, I started to ask around about where I might join the church planting movement once I graduated from seminary. College towns seemed like a good fit- I was young, I enjoyed academic communities, and alcohol wasn’t a stumbling block (all three of those things are still true!). Discovering that major influential towns like State College PA, Columbus OH, and Morgantown WV were now “fair game” for church planting was exciting to me. And when I realized Morgantown was a mere 7 miles away from the Pennsylvania border, it really caught my eye. A community of 100,000 people within a two hour drive of Pittsburgh, without an ACNA church? In fall of 2011, with the help of a handful of Pittsburgh clergy (including Paul Cooper of All Saints Anglican in Cranberry Twp, Ethan Magness of Grace Anglican in Slippery Rock, and Karen Stevenson of Trinity Anglican in Washington), I made the pitch that a church plant in Morgantown WV was worth exploring. There was agreement and permission given to start researching a potential ministry. It didn’t take us long to figure out that an Anglican Church in Morgantown would fill a unique niche- we could provide a clear and unmuddied message of God’s grace to an intellectually
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curious community who had already rejected a faith rooted in moralism. The follow-up question turned to the logistics- how might we go about planting in Morgantown? Between July and August of 2012, my then fiancé (and now wife) Beth and I started to look for apartments and jobs. After I secured a job on campus at WVU, which would cover church planting x-factors like income and insurance, Paul Cooper agreed to officially coach and oversee our work. After our wedding in October of 2012, Beth and I moved to Morgantown, and in December of that same year, a group of eight of us met to pray and ask God’s provision for growing an Anglican Church in our community. Fast forward two-and-a-half years, and we’ve gathered a group of between 15 and 20 folks who meet for worship on Sunday evenings- a group that even now is praying about how to grow and best serve the community we love.
Q. A.
Your worship space looks unique, how did that come together? In the process of researching a place to meet in Morgantown, I met Fr. John Peck, who was the pastor of St. John’s University parish. He is a Benedictine who knew our story from his time in the monastery at St. Vincent, where our diocese has held Convention and hosted the Provincial Assembly in the past. I’m often amazed at how our reputation precedes us- Fr. John was not the only person to know our story before we arrived here in Morgantown. He graciously offered to let us use his parish’s Newman Center Library/Chapel for our weekly meetings, an irony that is not lost on me, for sure! Fr. John has since returned to St. Vincent, but St. John’s University Parish and their current vicar Fr. John Paul still welcome us as we seek to get established.
Q. A.
What kind of challenges have you faced?
We knew from the beginning that this ‘parachute drop’ method of planting is the most difficult, and so far it’s been proven true. And yet, we’ve had our first adult baptism and three confirmations. We’re commending one of our own into the ordination process. I’ve watched our people share with those
who are in need ala Acts 2, grieve with each other in tragedy, and celebrate with one another in joy. Our folks have volunteered in job training programs, won prizes in evangelistic pub trivia nights, and swapped notes about how to best talk about the gospel in a secular academic context. So while we want to become a bigger church with a full time pastor, the Lord is certainly at work here in our midst.
Q. A.
How do you stay connected with the Diocese of Pittsburgh? I’m thankful that my day job gives me flexibility to attend many diocesan functions, including conventions. I’m in contact weekly with Paul Cooper, who continues to keep me up to date on all the news in the diocese, and even while he’s on sabbatical, I’m in regular contact with other clergy locally as well. I’m always thankful that Bp. Duncan keeps in touch with me and our work, helping me to see ways that my growth in grace and my growth in leadership will affect our work here in Morgantown as well.
Q. A.
What do you hope for the future of Morgantown Anglican Fellowship? This prayer for mission has always been one of my favorites: “Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your name.” Of course we want to grow into a “normal church,” but the real goal behind what that church does is evangelism. When the light-bulb of God’s grace gets switched on, it becomes a catalyst for love, whether it’s the local homeless population, the secular university community, the student party scene, or the family next door. It would be a joy and a privilege for us to continue that work of baptism and confirmation, and that work is the real vision behind why we started to plant in the first place.
Q. A.
Anything else you want to add?
Would you ask readers to say a prayer for us? There are lots of lost people left to reach in our city, and we’re in a unique place to reach them. Pray for wisdom, pray for opportunities to share the gospel, and pray that we might be, as that prayer says, clothed in the Holy Spirit to bring people into the knowledge and love of the Gospel. Morgantownanglicans.org
Women Alive in Christ’s
Women’s Blessing By Cindy Thomas, on behalf of the leadership team of Women Alive in Christ
“I
cons: A Closer Look” was the topic at the Women’s Blessing for the women of our diocese on May 16, 2015. Iconographer Judy Gorecki spoke to women from 22 congregations across the diocese. Judy spoke of the history of icons and the various meanings within them, describing Jesus’ red tunic as representing His divinity and His blue cloak, or mantle, as His humanity. The oversized eyes in icons represent having spiritual eyes. Taking an even closer look, Judy showed us the cross inside Jesus’ halo and taught us about the lettering around it. That’s just a small taste of some of the things those of us in attendance learned and will hold in our hearts as we look upon icons in the future. Judy reminded us that Jesus Christ became “the icon of the invisible God.” We have icons because they portray the spiritual reality of the presence of our incarnate Lord as we experience Him with our senses: as we gaze at icons, as we hear the prayers and music of worship, through the smell of incense and through taste when we share in the Eucharist. The Women’s Blessing began with Eucharist celebrated by the Rev. Dr. Lang Pegram, followed by our speaker and a delicious catered lunch with great fellowship. It was a joy to see sisters in Christ we haven’t seen in a while. A special thanks goes to Church of the Savior in Ambridge and their women for hosting the event. It was the largest attendance of a Blessing so far, with 63 women and men registered. The next Women’s Blessing will be on July 18th, 2015, hosted by Christ our Hope in Natrona Heights. The Rev. Tracey Russell will be our guest speaker talking about our busy lives and keeping Christ in our daily walk. The title of her talk is “When We Can’t Even Get the Fun Stuff Right.” Please announce this at your local congregation. n Pentecost 2015
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A New Home A New Sanc By The Rev. John Heidengren
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hen God called the nation of Israel to be His unique people, and to build a special space for worship, he gave them special gifts “with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.” (Exodus 31:3-5 ESV) When God called Prince of Peace Church in Hopewell Township to leave its former building and move two blocks to its new home, He gave similar special gifts of artistry and craftsmanship. Over the past three years, several members of Prince of Peace, with the prayers and generous support of the congregation, have designed and constructed a brand new sanctuary in which to worship Almighty God. In May, 2012, a hundred-year-old Christian Missionary and Alliance Church was first rented and then purchased by the Anglican congregation in Hopewell. The front of the sanctuary was very plain, with just a platform, podium and aging carpet. Bill Hovanec, a long-time member of the church, offered his
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skills in carpentry and woodworking. Along with his “righthand man”, Jeff Smith, and assistants Jim Miller and Deacon Greg McBrayer, Bill designed and installed a beautiful hardwood floor complete with an altar rail and a ledge for kneeling. He also constructed a magnificent altar, with a matching pulpit, and credence table. Finally, he built a very large wooden cross, similar in size to the massive cross in the congregation’s former building, to adorn the wall directly behind the altar. “When I first started attending Prince of Peace, almost 20 years ago, I noticed how members like Bill Smith and George Smith and others did a lot of original work to build different pieces of the sanctuary and took pride in what they did for the Lord,” said Hovanec. “Now it’s time for the younger generation to step up to the plate and contribute.” The project was completed just in time for Holy Week in 2014. The whole congregation celebrated God’s gracious provision of a new home and a new sanctuary, built with love and in the
ctuary Anglican style. God’s timing was evident in so much of the project; especially when the altar kneeling cushions were delivered half an hour before the Maundy Thursday service. In May of 2014 the entire building (including the sanctuary and worship furniture) was consecrated by Archbishop Duncan. But there was still more work to be done. This past year, Bill completed his work on the new sanctuary by crafting a wooden tabernacle with a lighted cross on top, affixed to the wall behind the altar. He also made a lectern matching the pulpit design, and a freestanding pulpit for use at the Saturday evening contemporary service. Another member of the congregation, Phil Adkins, built a Bishop’s Chair and two special tables for urns to be used at funerals. The Bishop’s Chair is the first in the diocese with the Diocesan Seal wood-burned into the chair back. If you are interested in having a Bishop’s Chair or other wood crafted items for your congregation, please contact Phil at the church office. Another important addition to the church was the construction this spring of a memorial garden and columbarium. Many of those buried in the previous building’s columbarium remained
without a final resting place since the congregation moved. Now some of these urns have been reinterred, including my son, Alex Heidengren. Engraved paver stones adorn the sidewalk and garden patio, remembering loved ones from the parish family and beyond. Bishop Duncan dedicated these recent additions and used the Bishop’s Chair for the first time when he made his annual visitation this past April. In building a new sanctuary and memorial garden, the congregation was reminded that the most important building is the spiritual life of the church. It is our prayer that all that has been constructed would be used for the glory of God and for the building up of those who worship there together – that they all might be the kind of Christian described by Jesus: “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.” (Luke 6:47-48) n
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The Joy of Engaging By The Rev. Tracey Russell
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ver 40 people from parishes all over the Diocese attended the Young Anglicans Project training in January. They came to learn a simple method to disciple teenagers called Engage. Engage is designed to equip and encourage ordinary, faithful believers to engage in meaningful and life changing relationships with young people. Four months later, this is what the participants are saying about Engage: “It is going really well, better than we expected.” “My team is really loving it!.” “My teen really looks forward to it every week, of course, that may be because of the free breakfast…” Across the Diocese, adults are finding that engaging young people in prayer and bible study is a joyful work, and not nearly as scary as they thought. The simple method of talking, studying and praying makes discipling young people accessible to anyone. Seven parishes in the Diocese of Pittsburgh have answered the call to engage youth. Many of these Parishes are too small to employ a youth pastor, but wanted to find a way to serve their youth. The simplicity of the Engage program means teens who once may have felt marginalized are now being cared for and
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encouraged by a Christian adult. Some Engage parishes do have a youth pastor. In this context, the Engage program has been able to reach out to kids who are not connected to the youth program, as well as give extra support to the Pastor’s kids. Other Engage participants are finding it is a great way to connect with their own kids. Engage has also had some unexpected results. In two different parishes. Young adults have come forward and said, “Will someone Engage with us?” Engage has proven easy to adapt to different situations. Engage participants are meeting in the parish hall after church, in coffee shops or pinball arcades, and even on the track. Some Engage with physical activity-walking and talking before sitting down with the Bible. However it looks, the act of praying and reading the Scriptures with a teenager is work that will shore the foundation of their faith. It is a work anyone who loves the Lord can do. And as for the teen who may just show up for breakfast, there is good Biblical precedent (John 21) for using breakfast as an excuse to teach a disciple! The Engage training vidoes are available on the Diocesan website: www.pitanglican.org Find out more about Engage through Young Anglicans Project: younganglicansproject.com/engagepittsburgh/ n
“The aim of our charge is love” – 1 Timothy 1:5
H
ow do we get young adults more involved in the life of the church? This is a question that many in the Diocese and ACNA are asking. Our leadership has weathered extensive conflict and self-sacrifice to preserve a denomination that is Christ-centered and rooted in biblical truth. For this we are deeply grateful. The issue now becomes, to whom will this legacy be left? A group of young leaders in the Diocese of Pittsburgh have begun praying and brainstorming about ways to involve and empower the college students and young professionals in our congregations. To this end, a new initiative called The Timothy Collaborative will be launching at Diocesan Convention this November. This will be a specialized track that will run concurrently with Convention and will include workshops and sessions designed to equip young Anglicans for expanding participation and leadership in the life of the Diocese and the ACNA. The millennial generation is characterized by a desire to serve and be a part of something bigger. This age group also values being individually invited into opportunities. This helps affirm that their presence is appreciated and considered integral to the life of their churches.
In general they want to serve and their entry point needs to be a personal invitation into something specific. The goal of The Timothy Collaborative is to provide that “something specific” into which congregation leaders can invite this rising generation. Just as Paul co-labored with Timothy and discipled him as a young leader, so our Diocese can begin discipling and guiding the Timothys in our midst. Paul and Timothy’s relationship was also a twoway street and Timothy opened doors for Paul that had previously been closed (Acts 16:1-5). All of the generations in the Body of Christ need one another, and we are stronger when each member is bringing their gifts and experiences to the Church. Throughout the course of the summer and fall our team will be shaping the schedule for the Collaborative and will be sharing details as they are confirmed. We hope to have at least one follow-up event in the spring to keep building interest. The Timothy Collaborative will also be active on social media platforms to make communication interactive and accessible. How can you help? We need you to start assessing your congregation and dis-
cerning who you would like to invite to attend Convention and participate in this ministry track. Part of the Collaborative will include urging them to engage an on-going involvement in their congregation, so think about people that you would like to see take on new commitments in your faith community. We will not have a number restriction on how many Timothys can come with you, invite as many people as will benefit from this investment and encouragement. Please be praying for the planning of this initiative that it will always be guided by the Spirit and that God will be raising up leadership for His Church. Also pray for the Lord to give you eyes to see the people that He wants you to invite. We are excited to keep moving forward together in ministry and look forward to sharing more details in the coming months. Questions? Want more information? Contact: Heather Strong Moore CCO Partnership Coordinator Grace Anglican, Slippery Rock TimothyCollaborative@gmail.com @PittTimothy
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A Guiding
14 | TRINITY Pentecost 2015
Hand
By Ian Mikrut
It’s funny how things come full circle. Sitting in the Center for Compassionate Care (a small enclosed office space right next to the altar and healing center) in Christ the Redeemer Church in Canonsburg, soft hymns play and a small light glows under a corner altar complete with a sculpture of the cross. The Rev Rege Turocy reflects on a twenty-one year military career as a physical therapist, twenty more as a college professor and how those journeys and struggles in his personal life eventually led him to the Diaconate in Pittsburgh.
“I
get humbled by the whole thing,” he says. “It seems like just a natural part of my life, but I’ve never really talked about it.”
Turocy, Deacon and Assistant for Pastoral Ministry at Redeemer, is from Pittsburgh’s South Hills. After high school he attended West Virginia University in pursuit of his undergraduate and moved on to the University of Pittsburgh for Physical Therapy school. But the Vietnam War draft altered what would have been a normal graduate pursuit.
Photo by: Mary Beth Pierson/St. Thomas More Catholic Church
“My number came up ten. So I would have been drafted right out of PT school,” said Turocy. So instead of relinquishing the time spent towards his degree, Turocy turned circumstance into opportunity. Through a special program with the Navy that he was selected for, the military paid for the rest of his education in exchange for his service.
His military career saw him travel even more places all over the world- to Korea and the Philippines to treat people. He continued to rise in rank, ending his career as a Naval Captain at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda (Maryland), where he was in charge of all Navy physical therapists, was a consultant to the Surgeon General as well as a consultant to the White House for Physical Therapy. Turocy even personally treated former President George H.W. Bush. “I got to spend some time up at Camp David and things of that sort so I got to know him pretty well,” he said. “I can’t give a lot of specifics…but he’s a great guy, his wife Barbara Bush was a wonderful woman and it was just a great experience for me.” While he always saw his work as a physical therapist as a ministry and enjoyed helping people in that way, Turocy felt more of Continued on page 16)
“I went to the Naval Hospital in Great Lakes for a couple years and then I was sent overseas near the end of Vietnam to Japan,” he said. “I was there for five years. I was going to get out but I enjoyed it. And before you know it I made a career of it being in the Navy.” His service during Vietnam consisted of treating and rehabilitating service men and women and their dependents from all branches of the service at the Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan, just outside of Tokyo. As one of the closer hospitals to Vietnam, many active duty military who were injured came through for treatment before being sent home. “There was a lot of activity, hundreds a day- wounded, burned- we were busy almost seven days a week,” said Turocy. “It was a lot.”
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Turocy was ordained in 2011, and now does pastoral care for Redeemer while also heading his own healing ministry which came natural because of his extensive background. He created the Center for Compassionate Care, which he runs personally as a hands on healing ministry. Rather than a conventional healing ministry with some form of prayer and an anointing, Turocy’s is a bit more involved since he combines his medical knowledge.
a specific call to pursue the Diaconate. He began pursuing that path in the mid-1980s while still in the military in Bethesda through churches in the Maryland/Washington D.C. area. But plans were delayed when his first wife developed breast cancer. When the cancer aggressively returned in 1991, the couple decided it was best to retire and come home to Pittsburgh with their three children to be around family. She passed away in 1994 which sent Rege on a long journey, one he calls a “dark night of the soul.” “I mean I wasn’t angry, but I was heartbroken. I was crushed, I had no feelings,” he said. With three children to raise now on his own, Turocy says that he drifted away from the faith for roughly a decade, just trying to rediscover who he was. During that time he met his present wife Paula Sammarone. Paula is a strong and compassionate woman who was instrumental in bringing him back to reality and life. Rege believes their paths crossed for a reason and that it was through the hand of God. Then God reached out again one afternoon as Rege stumbled into Saint Thomas More Church, a Catholic church in Bethel Park near where he was living. It was there he felt a direct call from God. “They have this amazing sculpture on the back of their church. A wooden sculpture, it’s huge, one of the Risen Christ [see page 14]. And I was praying there and all of a sudden I saw myself being lifted up out of this dark place,” said Turocy. “He said ‘It’s Time’.” Even now Turocy sits back with a deep sigh, still amazed at the magnitude of the experience. From there he got back on track in pursuing the Diaconate, beginning the ordination process around the time of the split with the Episcopal Church. In another happenstance moment he crossed paths with the Rev. David Wilson (now the Rector and Senior Pastor at Redeemer) who, along with their congregation, supported Turocy in the Diaconate process. They’ve been working together ever since.
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“I know where all the various nerve networks and organs are in the body so I can direct my hands specifically to those areas,” he said. “I pray that I’m an intermediator, a conduit of God’s healing power and that healing will flow through my hands on the patient, whoever comes to seek healing.” Along with the healing ministry, he’s also a consultant for sanctity of life issues. He received a Doctorate in healthcare ethics at Duquesne University – he taught there and at Slippery Rock University from 1991-2005. Turocy is full of surprise careers and pursuits. His specialty is end of life issues, the proper documentation for living wills, guiding congregation and community members who are struggling on the ethical and Christian ways in handling various end of life issues and questions. Turocy has taken each new part of his life in stride, but sitting back in realization of how each path led to the next he can truly appreciate how connected they have been in leading him here now. “I’ve been blessed to have a really interesting and full life,” he says. “And I do believe that God’s hand and presence has been involved, I mean I’ve been lead from one to another and they’ve all been connected in some way.” Now Rege is just happy to be spending what he calls his retirement doing the Lord’s work. “I used to take care of bodies, now I take care of souls.” n
“Runners of Steel” Raise Money for Education and Share the Love of Jesus On May 3rd, Seventeen Local Anglicans Took on the Pittsburgh Marathon for The Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) The Rev. Charles Treichler
A
s it turns out, Pittsburgh Anglicans love to run—and they can be pretty speedy too.
On May 3rd, seventeen runners from three local parishes took to the streets as part of ARDF’s charity team. Runners from St. Stephen’s Church in Sewickley, South Side Anglican Church in Pittsburgh and St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Butler raised money to provide education for young women and girls around the world—especially in South Sudan where only 16% of women can read and write. Some donations will also help provide clean water in needy communities. Ten team members took part in the marathon relay, while others ran the half marathon. One intrepid soul took on the entire 26.2 mile course (The Rev. Andrew DeFusco, who completed the race in just 3 hours THANK YOU to everyone who and 36 minutes!).
supported ARDF’s marathon charity team through your donations and prayers!
“The Marathon is an exciting and accessible way to get young adults involved in world mission. Often international mission seems so overwhelming – so much need and so many projects,” said the Rev. Steve Palmer of St. Stephen’s Sewickley. “But the Marathon makes things manageable for our young adult ministry – everyone runs a certain number of miles, raises a certain amount of money, and contributes significantly to an ARDF project.”
and/or non-members to be involved in a non-threatening way. Vitally, the team helped to raise awareness about the need for education and how to help through ARDF. “The marathon program enhanced our ministry by giving us an easy way to invite some of our non-Christian friends to be involved in our church,” said Palmer. “One of our neighbors ran a leg of the relay and was interested in hearing more about ARDF. On top of that, it inspired her to say that she was thinking of checking out our worship service for the first time!” ARDF funds locally initiated, sustainable community development projects run by Anglican churches in the developing world that permanently transform lives and incorporate evangelism. We thank you all so much for your support, and we thank God for setting us free by his grace to love our neighbors in this way! If you would like to learn more or get involved, please get in touch! Contact: admin@anglicanaid.net, 724-251-6045. Donate online: www.anglicanaid.net n
Now in its second year, ARDF’ s marathon charity team has grown from only five members in 2014 raising a few hundred dollars, to seventeen runners this year and more than three thousand dollars in donations. Taking part in the marathon allowed Anglicans in Pittsburgh to make a huge difference in the lives of individual women and girls around the world, without traveling overseas. It also provided the opportunity for churches to invite new members
South Side Anglican Church members: Back row, from left: Tabitha Lyda, Emily Jensen, Kristen Parise, Erin Harvey, Emily Bell. Front row, from left: Matthew DeFusco, The Rev. Charles Treichler, Alicia Sufrinko
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The church is rightfully grateful for his years of service and ministry.” Rod has been active in the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh as well where he has been a part of the clergy team of Grace Church, Edgeworth since the early days of that ministry.
The Rev. Dr. Rodney Whitacre Retires By the Rev. Christopher Klukas
After 32 years of teaching at Trinity School for Ministry and working with the Diocese of Pittsburgh at Grace Church, Edgeworth, the Rev. Dr. Rodney Whitacre retires.
T
he Rev. Dr. Rodney Whitacre first came to Trinity School for Ministry in 1983 with his wife, Margaret, and two small children. He had a common connection to the school since its early beginnings as one of Trinity’s founding board members, the Rev. Jim Hampson, was also the Rector of the church where Rod worshipped while studying and teaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. When he finished his doctorate in New Testament studies it just so happened that Trinity was looking for a professor to teach the very same subject. That was thirty-two years ago. Now his children are grown, he is a grandfather and he has just retired from his teaching ministry. Over his years at Trinity, Rod has taught many of the clergy of this dioceses to “rightly handle the word of Truth” (2 Tim 2:15). Rod’s classes were sometimes compared to drinking from a fire hose. Amid the vast quantities of information, however, students could always tell that the insights they were hearing were coming from deep and prayerful reflection. In fact, Rod would sometimes pause in the middle of his lectures, close his eyes, and revel in the beauty of the truth of the scriptures.
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“I am so thankful to God for my time serving on faculty alongside Rod,” reflected the Very Rev. Dr. Justyn Terry, Trinity’s Dean and President. “His commitment to maintaining the highest level of teaching, to promoting a love of God’s word, and to inspiring students to be people of prayer have been a huge gift to generations of Trinity students. I shall miss him as a colleague and as a friend.” While he has had a license to officiate in the Diocese of Pittsburgh for many years, it is interesting to note that he was ordained into (and remained canonically resident in) the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), an early sign of the unity we now have with our REC brothers and sisters through the ACNA. “Dr. Rod Whitacre has been a wonderful asset to our Diocese,” said the Rt. Rev. David Hicks, Rod’s Bishop in the REC. “His gift for teaching has benefited our clergy and their spouses for several retreats; and more recently, he provided excellent instruction to the laity and clergy at our Diocesan synod. Rod is an exceptional expositor of Holy Scripture, who brings a depth of personal devotion to his work.
“Rod’s ministry…[at] Grace Church is multi-faceted,” said the Rev. John Porter, Rector of Grace Church. “He preaches thoughtful and accessible sermons that challenge us to discern God’s presence and working in our everyday lives, he offers a listening ear and pastoral wisdom to those who seek him out for guidance or with theological questions, he pitches in to help clean up after coffee hour and he plays a mean ukulele at monthly ‘Roots Jam’ sessions!” Rod’s love of the Ukulele and of “Old Time” music is well known on Trinity’s campus as well where he has held lunch time jam sessions for many years. Rod also served on the Board of Examining Chaplains for many years, reviewing candidates for ordination in the area of biblical studies. This was actually my first experience in working with him. Though I was quite nervous entering that room, I remember his quiet demeanor in the midst of that stressful situation and the sense of peace I felt as we talked about the Scriptures. Rod’s teaching ministry was celebrated at Trinity School for Ministry with a day-long retirement event on April 10th. He was also recognized at Trinity’s Commencement ceremony where he was given the title “Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies.” Now that Rod is retired, he is getting some well-deserved rest and time with his family. In the future he may return to Trinity to teach an occasional class, and he has a number of book projects underway. Recently Trinity’s publishing division, Whitchurch Publishing, released an eighteen session video series on the Book of Revelation taught by Rod. The series will be available for purchase in June, but a free email preview of the series is available at www.tsm.edu/whitacrerevelation. n
The Last Thing I Say is Important! By Gail H. Macdonald of the Biblical Literacy Task Force
I
teach five year olds in the Pre-K class at Noah’s Ark Preschool and Kindergarten, a weekday ministry of St. Stephen’s Church, Sewickley. As I teach Bible stories and introduce scripture memory verses, it is sometimes a challenge to present the material in a way that truly makes sense to the children. However, when I study the assigned passage with the class in mind, the Lord often shows me something I had not previously noticed or considered. Recently, we covered the story of Christ’s Ascension and the Great Commission (Mt. 28:16-20). It jumped out at me that these were Jesus’ last words to his disciples before he left, and that this was a key to helping the children understand. We talked about how when they are dropped off at school in the morning, parents usually save anything important they have to say until the last minute: “Remember, your grandma is picking you up today”; “Don’t forget, your chapstick is in your pocket if you need it”; “I might be a little late, but don’t worry – I AM coming!”
Here are some ideas for
how to do more than you have been doing with
these four commands...
So what was the last thing Jesus told the disciples after spending three amazing years together? Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20a
Four things on the To Do List: Go! Don’t stick around Jerusalem – there is a world out there. Make disciples of all nations – make more disciples, of anyone anywhere.
See that they are baptized, integrated into the Body Teach them – stick with them, teach them everything you had from me, teach them not just to know but to obey, to put the teaching into practice. Even teach them this that I am commanding you right now! At Noah’s Ark, we then go on to study Peter and Phillip and others, checking to see how they followed through on Jesus’ final instructions. What about our families, our congregations, our diocese today, in 2015? Have we remembered what we are supposed to be doing? Are we doing it? Here are some ideas for how to do more than you have been doing with these four commands, for there is always more that could be done. Bible Studies—It is good to be in a Bible study so you, yourself learn more about God and how to be a disciple. What about starting up a new Bible study and involving a new set of people? This way, more disciples would be formed. If this seems daunting to you, why not attend the next Training Day for Bible teachers, presented by the Biblical Literacy Task Force? And bring a few friends with you! Plan now to involve your family in a summer study next year through BibleBee.org. This is a serious (but fun) approach to discipling the next generation. Teach – Are you a school teacher or a professor? Do you feel God has gifted you to teach even if that is not your day job? How are you using that gift to make disciples as Jesus asked—in your congregation, in your neighborhood, on the mission field? Engage – This is a diocesan program through Young Anglicans Project in which adults invite a teen to be discipled through an ongoing relationship, Bible study, and prayer, one-on-one. Learn more at younganglicansproject.com/ engagepittsburgh/ These are just a few ideas to get you thinking. Why not memorize the Great Commission yourself and ask the Lord regularly to show you where you are to go and what you are to do to obey these four commands? n Pentecost 2015
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Kairos Prison Ministries Bringing the Hope of Christ to those behind bars Stacey Regan, Church of the Ascension
J
esus said, “…I was hungry… I was a stranger… I was in prison and you visited me.’ … ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:34-40 Interfacing with prisoners or even their families isn’t something that most of us do, but many from our diocese are stepping into this much-needed role of visiting Jesus in prison. Do you want to know the time you are putting into a ministry is helping bring a harvest for the kingdom? Do you want to do something for Jesus that takes you out of your comfort zone? Consider Kairos. Kairos, a Greek term meaning “God’s Special Time,” is an inter-denominational prison ministry with a mission to “share the transforming love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated men, women, and youth, as well as their families, to become loving and productive citizens of their communities.” Running in 35 states including nine Pennsylvania prisons, Kairos Inside reaches out to inmates while Kairos Outside offers support for their family and friends. Both bring the love of Christ to those in deep despair with lifechanging results.
Kairos Inside The Kairos Inside Weekend is a basic, introductory course in Christianity similar to Cursillo or Anglican 4th Day, where a team of volunteers take the heart of Jesus inside the prison to share his love and forgiveness, and an equally important team of volunteers support them on the outside. Serving male inmates, teams of clergy and lay volunteers take their 4-day Weekend of carefully coordinated talks, discussions, chapel meditations, and music into State Correctional Institution Greene County (SCI Greene) in Waynesburg, PA, a maximum security prison for men, many serving a life sentence, and the home of death row. Many are forgotten by those on the outside and most have never received mail, let alone visitors. “Forgiveness, love, trust and joy are absolutely foreign to that environment. It was the most desolate place I have ever been,” said Wendy Scott of Church of the Ascension. Reaching out to incarcerated women occurs at SCI Cambridge Springs, a medium security facility southeast of Edinboro. Whether in a men’s or women’s prison, the same format is followed across the country. Thanks to God’s blessing and volunteers who keep coming back to testify to God’s love, bleak perspectives are changing. “When we meet the women, they are tight little green buds, and at the end of the weekend they are beautiful flowers in God’s garden of love,” said Gail Simpson of Christ Church Fox Chapel. After almost a decade of two Weekends a year at SCI Greene and an annual Weekend for 16 years at SCI Cambridge Springs, the staff and other inmates recognize, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 Prisoners interested in participating on a Weekend apply, and the prison staff encourages the “positive” and “negative” leaders to apply since they carry influence. The 30 participants attending know very little about what will occur and are blown away by total strangers who show up, pray for them, write notes for them and basically let them know they are not forgotten and there’s a God who loves them.
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International “Unless the participant flatly turns their back on Jesus, they cannot help but be deeply touched and significantly changed by this love,” said Dn. Greg Malley, formerly of Pittsburgh now serving Kairos in Savannah, GA.
from 1:30-5:30 beginning June 7 and an overnight the weekend prior to the event.,
There is much laughing and crying, wrestling with past hurts, songs and silliness, and opportunities to be heard. Thanks to the willingness of volunteers to take a step of faith themselves, prisoners are being set free.
“It’s easy to make the commitment when you see God working,” said Simpson. To volunteer or ask questions, contact her at gailsimpson@verizon.net or 412-963-1137.
After a Weekend the “graduates” are invited to form Prayer & Share groups of 3 to 6 individuals which meet weekly to pray and fellowship together, to nurture one another in their faith walk and provide accountability. “This is the most transforming ministry I’ve ever been a part of. It’s such a blessing to just eat the crumbs off their Friday Prayer & Share,” said Stu Simpson of Christ Church, Fox Chapel. “Was there fear the first time I went into prison? I was scared to death! But now I consider [the Friday night Prayer & Share] to be the oasis in my life.” Twice a year a reunion is organized by volunteers. “It is designed to get those who don’t participate in a Friday Prayer & Share Group back into the fold. At K-19, we had 24 residents, but over 90 signed up to attend the reunion,” said Joe Gorecki of Christ Anglican Church, Brownsville. “We want to give them a chance to get in a group to support their walk with Christ.”
Sign me up! The next men’s Weekend, K-20, will take place November 19-22, and the recruiting of volunteers begins now with team meetings beginning in July. The team, both the men who will go into SCI Greene and the men and women who will support them outside the prison, gathers for a series of trainings so everyone knows what to expect, those with specific duties can prepare with mentored guidance, and so Christ-centered love and community is a reality for the group presenting the Weekend. “The effort is the reward,” said Joe Ruffing of All Saints, Rosedale who is a Weekend Leader for K-20. “I didn’t understand why the Lord was giving that to me until I walked into the prison and it all made sense to me.” To serve or find out more, contact him at ruffing3@icloud.com or 412-965-7780. The next women’s Weekend, K-17, will take place October 8-11 with meetings in Edinboro once or twice a month on Sundays
Kairos Outside of Western Pennsylvania (KOWPA) The imprisonment of an offender impacts others. Kairos Outside is designed to support the spouses, parents, and other relatives/friends, who also “do time” right along with the incarcerated. This support is provided in a safe environment with volunteers demonstrating God’s grace and love in a Christian setting that creates an opportunity for a relationship with God, encourages the sharing of their life journey, fosters spiritual growth, and promotes participation in support groups. KOWPA takes place at St. Paul’s of the Cross Retreat Center on the South Side Slopes and is for adult women. The Outside Weekend is a series of talks and meditations by other women, opportunity to discuss the talks in small family groups, and includes a lot of music, prayer, fun activities and general pampering. To rent the facility alone costs $12,000 for the weekend, so some much-needed support is in the form of simple financial aid. Many of the male KOWPA volunteers are spouses and other men who take Kairos into SCI Greene. Because of this interest, the KOWPA and KI Weekends and training meetings are scheduled to not conflict. “KOWPA is a powerful work of the Lord. You are reaching out to people on the fringe who are in their own prisons. This is definitely a servant ministry where you see God touching and transforming lives,” said Judy Yadrick of Church of the Ascension. The next KOWPA Weekend, K-6, is October 30-November 1. Anyone interested in volunteering, men or women, may contact Jackie McKee at mckeejk@gmail.com or 724-991-9843. Continued on page 22)
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Diocesan Calendar June through August 2015
For the most current schedule, consult our website
Bishop’s Schedule/Clergy Gatherings June
2-4 Tues. – Thurs. Ordinand’s Retreat 6 Saturday Diaconal Ordinations, Redeemer, South Hills 7 Proper 5 Christ’s Church, Greensburg (AM) Jonah’s Call, East End – PM 10 Wednesday Redbank, St. Mary’s 11 Thursday Ordination to Sacred Order of Priests 13 Saturday Ordinations, Redeemer, Nashville 14 Proper 6 Redeemer, Nashville St. John’s, Franklin - PM 16 Tuesday Bedford Anglican Church 20 Saturday Ordination to Sacred Order of Priests 21 Proper 7 Epiphany, Ligonier 22-27 Provincial Council & College of Bishops, Vancouver, Canada 28 Proper 8 St. Peter’s, Uniontown
July
12 Proper 10 13-17 18-Aug 1
Good Shepherd, Harrisburg International Catholic Congress, Fort Worth, TX Family Time
Clergy Milestones n The Rev. Canon Ellis English Brust and The Rev. Cynthia Patrick Brust transferred in from the diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others on September 17, 2014. n The Rev. Diana M. Gorgos transferred in from the Anglican Church of Kenya, Garissa Missionary Area, on January 5, 2015. n The Rev. Richard L. Gillert was licensed to function as a deacon within the diocese on February 1, 2015. n The Rev. Karl J. Petterson transferred in from the Missionary Diocese of All Saints on April 4, 2015. n The Rev. Amanda Goin Burgess transferred to the diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others on April 21, 2015.
Ordinations June 6, 2015 – 10 am
Christ the Redeemer, South Hills Ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons
n Ardath Louise Smith – Ascension, Oakland; Transitional Diaconate n William Adam Lytle – True Vine, Monongahela; Transitional Diaconate n Nancy Cain McCombe – Redeemer, South Hills; Vocational Diaconate n Barbara L. McMillen – St. George’s, Waynesburg; Vocational Diaconate June 11, 2015 – 6pm
Prince of Peace, Hopewell Twp. Ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests
n Gregory Scott McBrayer – Prince of Peace, Hopewell Twp. June 13, 2015 – 11am
Church of the Redeemer, Nashville, TN n Andrea Herlong Hale – Church of the Redeemer, Nashville, TN; Sacred Order of Priests n Chance Andrew Perdue – St. John’s, Franklin, TN; Sacred Order of Deacons (Transitional Diaconate) June 20, 2015
St. George’s Anglican Church, Waynesburg n William “Biff” Carpenter to the Sacred Order of Priests
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KAIROS (Continued from page 21)
Other ways to support Kairos Prison Ministries Prayer – Call and sign up to pray on the weekend or volunteer to garner names from your congregation. A Prayer Chart with the first names of those praying for the participants is posted on Friday mid-morning. The participants are always stunned; K-19 had over 1400 names listed. Pray for those who serve at the state level, like Scott McKee (Church of the Ascension) who is facilitating the introduction of Kairos into SCI Forest or Dn. Marion Kush (Bedford Anglican Fellowship) who is the current Chair of KPMI-PA. Letters – Handwritten notes of encouragement are powerful testimonies that the love of God is real. Certain guidelines are necessary, so contact Joe, Gail or Jackie to get those details. Children’s art – Many of the testimonies given by participants reference a meaningful coloring they received from an unknown child. Certain guidelines pertain, so find out what they are. Support financially – Renting St. Paul’s of the Cross costs $12,000 for one weekend. Someone could cover that expense; or give according to your ability so your contribution bolsters someone else’s. Attend a Closing ceremony – Every Kairos Weekend has a Closing ceremony where the participants may share what they have experienced. At the Inside Closing, former participants are present to cheer on the graduates along with the members of the Prayer & Sacrifice team. The KOWPA Closing is open to anyone. Gail Simpson never imagined she’d be leading a team inside a prison, but “The joy of serving on the support team for the men going into SCI Greene gave me a heart to serve on an Inside team.” Joe Ruffing joined Kairos just three years ago and encourages you to contribute any way you can. “Help us to continue this important work, God’s work. In this dark place, help us bring light.” n
E X T R AVAGA N T LOV E
Bearing Fruit By The Rev. Canon Mary Maggard Hays, Canon to the Ordinary
I
love the way Psalm 1 describes the benefits of a life lived for God. The one who chooses to listen to God’s voice, who meditates on God’s word and delights in His ways: Is like a tree planted by streams of water
They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright;
tion. May we emulate Ascension’s OWLS who are “learning still” and bearing fruit. Faithfully,
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
That yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Jesus certainly had this psalm in mind when he told His disciples that they would bear fruit – fruit that will last. Whoever abides in my and I in him, he told them, bears much fruit…fruit that will last. It is a vivid picture, especially during the spring and summer, when everything turns green and snowy apple blossoms begin to turn into bright red fruit. That’s what we are like, the Bible tells us. When we ground ourselves in God and His words, allowing them to shape our thoughts and decisions, we become fruitful, flourishing. Our lives are as lush as the green leaves we see swaying in the breezes around us. We bear beautiful and nourishing fruit. And there is no age limit to this promise! Fruitfulness is not a benefit reserved for the young. Listen to these words from psalm 92: The righteous flourish like the palm tree And grow like a cedar in Lebanon, They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age – they are ever full of sap and green. The Diocese of Pittsburgh is full of older “fruit-bearers,” some of whom think that their fruitful days are on the wane. They get discouraged because they do not have the stamina they once did, and assume that the lessened pace means lessened fruitfulness. But God’s perspective is different. Older ones flourish and bear fruit. They are just as full of sap and just as green as younger followers of Jesus.
PS: As I was writing this, Tom Nunnally, a member of All Saints, Rosedale, sent me this article http://www.philly.com/ philly/news/Mama_Arlene.html about a woman he supports as she bears fruit in old age. May many more of us allow God to use us as fully! (Editor’s Note: the story chronicles PA native Arlene Brown, 84, who has devoted her “retirement” to running Urukundo Village, the orphanage and school she opened in Rwanda on 10 mountainside acres in 2006). n
A few weeks ago, I spoke to the OWLS at Church of the Ascension – a new group of “over 55ers.” (OWLS stands for “Older, Wiser, and Learning Still.”) There was so much energy, joy, and wisdom in the group that I couldn’t help but think of the psalmist’s words: they still bear fruit in old age. As this spring turns into summer, the blossoms will fall, replaced by fruit ripening ever so slowly. May all of us find this season to be a time of continued growth and sweetening. May we take time to soak in the warmth of God’s love – to read and meditate on His word with greater leisure, to pray with less hurry, to enjoy God’s presence with less distrac-
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New Advanced Curriculum for Developing Lay-Leaders
T
rinity School for Ministry, in partnership with the Robert E. Webber Center, is pleased to announce a new curriculum called Foundations for Christian Ministry. This eight-module training program is designed for adult Christians seeking greater preparation for Christian life and ministry. Originally published as the Christian Foundations Program, a trusted Trinity resource for many years, the series is being completely revised and updated and some new modules are being added. Course titles will include: Discovering the Old Testament, Discovering the New Testament, Confessing the Faith (Anglican Doctrine), Living the Faith (Christian Ethics), Learning the Church’s Story (Church History), Learning the Anglican Story (Anglican History), Loving the Lord (Christian Worship & Spiritual Life) and Serving the Lord (Christian Vocation & Mission). The first course, Confessing the Faith, was revised by the Rt. Rev. Dr. John Rodgers and it will be available for purchase in mid-July. One new course will be released each July and November until the entire series has been published. Course books will be produced by Whitchurch Publishing and sold through the Trinity School for Ministry Bookstore. The price will be $21.99 per volume. For more information please contact the Rev. Dr. Joel Scandrett (jscandrett@tsm.edu). n
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