Seek: Our Stories of Following Jesus (July 2018)

Seek!

July 2018

Our stories of following Jesus in the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

A Miracle in Kiryandongo

Rebuilding trust with a gift of peace, how benches are reconciling former enemies in a refugee camp miles away from the civil war at home. page 4

ph: 314-231-1220 www.DioceseMo.org Episcopal Diocese of Missouri Offices of the Bishop 1210 Locust St. St. Louis, Missouri 63103

Bishop announces retirement in 2020

Calls for election of the eleventh Bishop of Missouri in November 2019 April 27, 2018 Dear Brothers and Sisters, It is with a whirlwind of emotions that I write this letter, for no ministry have I loved more than serving as the Tenth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Even so, the time has come for me to set in motion a process for electing and calling the Eleventh Bishop. In a lengthy meeting yesterday, I announced this decision to the Standing Committee, who from this time forward will have complete responsibility for the process. The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, Bishop for the Office for Pastoral Development, was present to present a framework for this season ahead. I have called for the election of my successor during the 2019 meeting of Diocesan Convention, November 22-23. The ordination of the new bishop will be sometime in the spring 2020, probably in April. My resignation will become effective on that date.

I am young and healthy, and I am not at all certain that my active ministry will come to an end with my retirement from Missouri. I am indeed open to new possibilities. It is clear to me, nonetheless, that it is time for a transition in episcopal ministry in this venue. Conversation with my wife, Debbie Smith, and our family, consultation with colleagues in this diocese and with other bishops, and extensive pondering and praying have brought me to this point. I am at ease with the decision.

It is usual and customary for a bishop, writing this sort of letter, to claim that his or her tenure as bishop is not over, that there is still time left (in my case, two years) for the ministry to continue. This much is true, and I pledge to remain faithful in my duties in providing oversight for the Diocese of Missouri, and to take my place in the councils of the wider Church. I realize, however, that this announcement alters the trajectory of our work together, and that emotionally, spiritually, and realistically, attention turns to the next chapter in the Diocese’s life, both in its continuities and its necessary changes. I pledge to honor that shift, and support your work in making it.

I write this letter with some sadness and some relief—but most of all with deep gratitude for the privilege of serving as your bishop these past sixteen years—with a couple more yet to come.

Ever faithfully, in Christ The Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith Bishop of Missouri

Latest from Standing Committee on the progress to call the next Bishop of Missouri can be found at www.diocesemo.org/bishopsearch 2

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Bishop Wayne announces retirement

Bishop Search begins with announcement to Standing Committee, bishop's staff, and clergy and leadership of the diocese Following a period of discernment, prayer, and conversation with family and colleagues, Bishop Wayne Smith announced his intention to resign as bishop in 2020 and set in motion the process to call the eleventh bishop diocesan of Missouri.

At a four hour meeting of Standing Committee on Thursday, April 26, he shared his letter to the diocese which begins, "It is with a whirlwind of emotions that I write this letter, for no ministry have I loved more than serving as the Tenth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri..."

Bishop Todd Ousley is the Episcopal Church's bishop for the Office of Pastoral Development and one of his responsibilities is to "provide oversight of the bishop search processes churchwide, which includes providing materials and support for the bishop election process." Bishop

Todd worked with Standing Committee at their meeting and was also at the bishop's staff meeting the next morning.

After that meeting, Bishop Wayne's letter was sent to Missouri clergy and vestry leadership, parish communicators, and diocesan group and task force leadership.

The Standing Committee is now in charge of the search process.

They'll work with a consultant who has been trained in bishop transitions by the Episcopal Church. Guided by the canons of the diocese and wider church, and best practices, their work will include setting up a timeline, creating the position announcement and diocesan profile, creating the (at least) two working committees (Search and Nomination, and Transition), among other tasks large and small.

As the Standing Committee begins its work, it will report out about process and progress to the diocese. We've set up an area of "Bishop Search" pages at diocesemo.org.

The Committee's next tasks are interviewing, selecting, and beginning work with the consultant, and setting up timelines for the process.

The election of the 11th Bishop of Missouri will occur at diocesan convention in 2019, scheduled for Nov. 22-23 in St. Louis. The Ordination, Consecration, and Installation of the next bishop, when the crozier passes from the 10th to the 11th bishop, will take place in Spring (likely April) of 2020.

Photos: Bishop Smith announces to Standing Committee and then his staff in the Offices of the Bishop his plan for retirement and an orderly call for election of the next Bishop of Missouri.

Bishop Todd Ousley attended both sessions.

The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

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The Story (and theology) of the Miracle in Kiryandongo

by Deborah Goldfeder

The Moru tribe was at war with the Dinka Bor tribe when I arrived in the Diocese of Lui, now South Sudan, on December 7, 2005. I witnessed the murder of a Dinka man by Moru tribesmen at the airport when I landed. He bled to death in front of our eyes in the middle of complete chaos. I was ordered into a truck and we fled the scene as quickly as possible.

The Morus would hear rumors of attacks expected to happen. They heard that an attack would take place during the 2005 Christmas midnight mass. They didn’t tell me anything until after the fact so I just thought they celebrated Christmas in the dark and very quickly. What did I know? That attack didn't happen.

Young Moru men would attack the Dinka cattle that were eating the Moru gardens by cutting the tendons on the back legs of the cows. If they were caught, those Moru men were murdered. Three brothers of one of the Lui priests were murdered in one night in 2005.

An attack would happen and the other tribe would retaliate. This continued until the United Nations’ troops drove the Dinka Bor back across the Nile.

The hatred between these tribes continues.

The president of South Sudan is Dinka. I had no hope for peace between these two groups, or for any of the other tribes! None at all. With the present day conflict, many of our friends have hidden in the bush or have fled for refugee camps in Uganda.

Kiryandongo Refugee Camp in Uganda

The events that happened in 2005 in Lui, South Sudan stand in sharp contrast to the story taking place today in Kiryandongo Refugee Camp in Uganda. Many of us heard about this camp when Bishop and Mrs. Smith visited there in 2016. They returned with news of the horrible infestation of jigger fleas in the refugee camp and of starvation in Lui Diocese. The Companion Diocese Committee mounted a campaign to get seeds to the Moru in Lui and some remedy for protection against the fleas in the camp (shoes, Vaseline, antibiotic ointment).

When the shoes finally got to Uganda, we were surprised to learn that the Moru shared everything with camp neighbors from eleven different tribes in South Sudan. Even from the Dinka tribe. Hard to believe, but this is what the Moru did.

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The Miracle of the Benches

How did benches become a symbol of peace and reconciliation between two tribes that have been enemies as far as anyone can remember?

On March 13, I traveled with our Swedish partners in mission from the Diocese of Lund the Kiryandongo. It is a practice to give a sum of money from the Diocese of Missouri to the communities when we visit them, so I gave the money to the Rev. Sosthen with the instruction that it was a gift from Missouri and it could be used in whatever way he thought was best for the community.

The next day, Sosthen said he hadn’t been

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able to sleep all night trying to decide what to do with this (small) windfall of money. He told me what he felt that God had put on his heart to do, and he wondered how we would feel about his decision. He told me he had recently been invited to the Dinka church to preach and he noticed they had no place to sit. They sat on the floor.

What would I think if he spent about a third of the money to purchase benches for the Dinka church?

I was stunned and I told him that I thought it was a wonderful thing to do! He also decided to give half the money to the School Teachers’ Incentive and the remainder he would spend to purchase a water tank for the community so they could collect the rainwater and have plenty

Miracle in Kiryandongo of free water. He said in a recent text, “Now we are having water during the day time because the tank is helping us.”

I am because we are

The philosophy of ubuntu is an African school of thought that says, “I am because we are.” The purchasing of the benches for another tribe’s church is an example of ubuntu.

The Moru people recognized the need of the Dinka for benches for their worship space—they noticed the needs of the other even if they were once their worst enemies.

Former Archbishop of Capetown, South Africa, Desmond Tutu said, “None of us comes into the world fully formed. We would not know how to think, or walk, or speak, or behave as human beings unless we learned it from other human beings. We need other human beings in order to be human. I am because other people are. A person is entitled to a stable community life, and the first of these communities is the family.”

(Tutu, 2015) The Morus need the Dinkas and that is astounding.

Ubuntu theology calls everyone to recognize and affirm the humanness of all people and to bring people to restorative justice whenever harm has happened between them.

Restorative justice, such as carried out by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, brought people who had been

deeply hurt in the time of apartheid together with those who caused their harm. Wounded people shared that pain with the ones who caused it. The guilty listened to the harm they caused and, in so doing, healing began.

We, too, are wounded people who have caused others harm

During the long years of conflict between the Moru and the Dinka both sides caused pain and both sides bore guilt as well. This act of generosity and grace between these two enemy tribes in a refugee camp in Uganda give us hope for peace not only within this camp of refugees but in South Sudan should they be able to go home eventually.

That is our prayer but we, too, are wounded people. We, too, have caused others harm. We, too, need to be reconciled with the wounded other so that all can begin the process of healing.

Our common lives are in need of healing through restorative justice, too.

To view the wounds of the other requires becoming vulnerable to them. It means that all must take a risk, but we need to acknowledge wounds—theirs and ours—in order to bring about a community of ubuntu. The church gathered is the Body of Christ. More specifically, we are the wounded Body of Christ. We bring all the wounds we have suffered and, together we begin to heal.

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The ubuntu church finds its true healing at the great Feast of Healing, the Eucharist. Together, we are healed. Just as the disciple Thomas needed to see the wounds of Christ before he proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” so might we need to acknowledge those wounds, too. We are because He is!

A meal, a confession, a prayer

The real miracle happened on a Sunday after the benches were delivered. Some twenty adults from the Dinka church came to the Moru church to thank them for the gift of the benches.

Sosthen sent pictures and a recording of the Dinka singing a song of alleluias. In his accompanying letter he wrote that they ate lunch together, they confessed to each other what had happened in 2005 in Moru land between the Dinka Bor and the Moru community, and then they prayed together.

God is good!

All the time!

Deacon Deborah Goldfeder, DMin, chairs the Companion Diocese Committee, and is a faith community nurse at Advent Church.

Photos: pg 1 Veronica (Sosthen's wife)greeting a member of the Mother's Union from the Dinka congregation; pg 4 Morus and Dinkas who worshiped together; pg 5 interior of the Dinka church after the gift of the benches

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The Waters of Baptism in this Diocese Bishop's appointed Task Force on Baptism begins their work and introduces projects In his Convention address last November, Bishop Wayne called on the Diocese of Missouri to live more fully into a theology of the Church based in baptism, which marks the “new” (1979) Book of Common Prayer.

To that end, he has called together a task force on baptism. He has asked the task force to propose to the diocese at the next convention ways of enriching our understanding and experience of baptism (in his address, he quipped that in baptism, someone ought to get pretty wet).

The task force has undertaken several projects

First, we hope by next Convention to curate an installation of artwork that will encourage reflection on what the Church does when it baptizes, and what has happened to each of us in baptism.

We hope that congregations will take the opportunity to host the installation around the diocese over the year following Convention.

The task force will also put together a booklet of recommended instruction for baptisands and their sponsors that will focus on baptism as entry into the life and ministry of Christ’s Body, the Church.

While the booklet will allow local adaptation, it will provide a kind of minimum expectation, and give clergy and other educators a baseline from which to begin baptismal instruction.

We will also compile a list of scriptural passages and images of baptism, as well as other resources for preaching and teaching about baptism. We will also include material to help parents, educators, clergy and others to do ongoing instruction after baptism, helping the baptized grow into the full stature of Christ.

The task force would also like to compile a list of current practices around baptism as well as some best practices. We would like to know how congregations give liturgical expression to our baptismal ecclesiology.

We seek answers to questions like the location of the congregation’s font, if any congregations practice baptism by immersion, whether congregations use chrism for the signing with the cross in baptism, what kind of certificates congregations use, and questions along these lines.

We will issue an electronic survey in the coming weeks to each congregation. Clergy should look for it in their email inboxes.

We also hope to use social media to develop ways congregations can share their baptismal practices with one another (for example, multiple congregations or the whole diocese praying for those about to be baptized in any of our congregations, remembering baptismal anniversaries, etc.).

We hope people in the diocese will also use this platform to think about what difference

baptism makes in their daily lives.

—by the Rev. Dan Handschy Members of the task force on baptism are: Dan Handschy, chair, Donna Hawk-Reinhard, Ian Lasch, Kate McCormick, Tamsen Whistler, and Jeff Wunrow.

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JesusHacked Podcast wins award, begins second season of recording with a new feature All five hosts are returning for a second season of the podcast JesusHacked: Storytelling Faith. Recording as commenced, and you'll hear fresh episodes through the summer and fall and into wintertime.

While we were recharging our conversational batteries, word was received of a first place award of excellence from the Episcopal Communicators group and we wanted to humble-brag some of the feedback received: Their use of storytelling is an extremely compelling method that draws listeners in and engages them. The stories shared are emotional and very relevant to life today. The topics and stories are ones that everyone--people of all faith, as well as people who don't believe in religion—would be interested in and can learn from. The format—intro with vocals and music, Q&A format, closing with vocals and music is well done, and we like that the hosts add their own stories and experiences to the conversation.

That was terrific to hear, because we strive to share conversations that explain any "insider" language and try to relate our experiences being Church, and being followers of Jesus in everyday speech.

New feature—should we talk about it or surprise you when listening? It's a planned midway break in our 20 minute format and ties into the work of the baptism task force. We've our hearts set on the section intro music and are negotiating licenses to use it. At our first annual host and producer debriefing party, it proved to be a powerful moment and we're excited to see how it might shape this season's podcasts. Spoiler alert: "Wade in the Water."

Also, this season we're hoping to get more serious about our social and share some quotes and soundbites. Dear listeners, are any of you up to help us push these out some JesusHacked memes on Instagram and Facebook?

Last year we made road trips to Cape Girardeau and Jefferson City. They were fun episodes to produce, and we want to do more this season. Across the state or across town, we're ready to bring the mobile studio to your parish on a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon and record three or four episodes. Interested? Pitch your ideas for one or more episodes to any of the JesusHacked hosts: Barbi Click, Deborah Nelson Linck, Harry Leip, Shug Goodlow, or Dan Handschy, or producer Beth Felice.

Online at JesusHacked.blubrry.com or www.diocesemo.org/podcast

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The Way of Love: Defining the Jesus Movement In the first century Jesus of Nazareth inspired a movement. A community of people whose lives were centered on Jesus Christ and committed to living the way of God’s unconditional, unselfish, sacrificial, and redemptive love. Before they were called “church” or “Christian,” this Jesus Movement was simply called “the way.”

Today I believe our vocation is to live as the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement. But how can we together grow more deeply with Jesus Christ at the center of our lives, so we can bear witness to his way of love in and for the world?

The deep roots of our Christian tradition may offer just such a path. For centuries, monastic communities have shaped their lives around rhythms and disciplines for following Jesus together. Such a pattern is known as a “Rule of Life.” The framework – The Way of Love: Practices for Jesus-Centered Life – outlines a Rule for the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.

It is designed to be spare and spacious, so that individuals, ministry groups, congregations, and networks can flesh it out in unique ways and build a church-wide treasure trove of stories and resources. There is no specific order you need to follow.

If you already keep a Rule or spiritual disciplines, you might reflect and discover how that path intersects with this one.

By entering into reflection, discernment and commitment around the practices of Turn – Learn – Pray – Worship – Bless – Go – Rest, I pray we will grow as communities following the loving, liberating, life-giving way of Jesus. His way has the power to change each of our lives and to change this world.

Your brother in the Way of Jesus, +Michael The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Primate and Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Read about and download materials on the Way of Love at www.episcopalchurch.org/way-of-love

Royal Wedding sermon heard by 2 billion worldwide Nearly 2 billion people heard the words of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry about the redemptive love of God at the wedding of HRH Prince Harry of Wales and Ms. Meghan Markle, now Duke and Duchess of Sussex on May 19. Many, for the first time, some for the first time in a long while.

"I think the world is hungry for love right now," said Bishop Curry, "I think there's great interest in rediscovering the self-giving, self-sacrificing love of Jesus and the ways we can put that into our lives."

Bishop Curry's sermon invited s all to imagine this Christian way of love. During the ceremony, "that sermon" was the most tweeted about topic, with some 40,000 tweets per minute. And articles and media attention followed for weeks. You can find links to the sermon and coverage in the media at www.tiny.cc/RoyalWedding.

After another media tour n NYC, Bishop Michael traveled to Washington DC to participate in the Reclaiming Jesus service and vigil, and you can read and watch this ecumenical expression of realigning with the teachings of Jesus collected here: www.tiny.cc/ReclaimingJesus.

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General Convention The every-three-years meeting of The Episcopal Church was held in Austin, Texas this July. Action on a record 489 (out of 517) resolutions was completed in both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. 'Completed' meaning the resolutions were passed, rejected, or referred to an interim body in these next three years.

The mood this convention was mostly congenial. Major legislation included beginning a process of prayer book revision. A Task Force will be called to reach out to dioceses and parishes to help shape the beginning conversation.

Other major legislation provides a way forward for same-sex marriages to proceed in dioceses with bishops not currently allowing them. Budget was approved for the next three years to fund our common work in evangelism, care of creation, and racial reconciliation. Holy moments included a Liturgy of Listening to personal stories of sexual harassment and exploitation in the Church, a vigil and service outside in the fierce Texas sun at an immigration detention center housing women and separated young children, and a joyous celebration as the Diocese of Cuba was welcomed back into the church, with deputation and bishop then able to participate fully.

The deputation is working on plans to share some of their experiences with the wider diocese, and we'll include notices of that in the diocesan weekly, iSeek, and also on the webpage www.diocesemo.org/gc79. Visit there for links to all of the deputation's blog posts and photo galleries, resources on the newly introduced churchwide program The Way of Love: Practices for Jesus-Centered Life, as well as updates on the pre- and official versions of the resolutions passed as published by the office of the General Convention. (If this year is like previous conventions, that list will include a list of resolutions that affect parishes and dioceses.)

The Episcopal Church Women Triennial was held at the same time in Austin, and delegates from Missouri included Jeanne King and Deborah Caby from the ECW diocesan board, and Sharon Meusch, Missouri's Distinguished Woman.

Many thanks to our bishop and deputation for the countless hours of preparation and ten days of daybreak to late night work to help chart the future course of this denomination.

Loren Lasch appointed diocesan Canon for Christian Formation Bishop Wayne Smith has appointed diocesan Youth Missioner the Rev. Loren Lasch to newly created position of Canon for Christian Formation. In addition to her ongoing work with youth, her portfolio now includes Children and Family Ministry, coordinating the discernment process to Holy Orders, as well as all Safeguarding and Safe Church training.

Canon Loren said, "I am thrilled to be serving as the Canon for Christian Formation in the Diocese of Missouri! As followers of Jesus, it is vital to be formed by Scripture, worship, prayer, and community at all stages of our lives. I am excited for the opportunity to join parishes in exploring the rich variety of ways in which the children, youth, and families of our diocese can grow as disciples!"

Recently moved with her family to Jefferson City where husband Ian was just called as rector of Grace Episcopal Church, Loren is in the St. Louis office each week and maintains her travel around the diocese as per usual. Contact her via email: LLasch@diocesemo.org.

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About The Jesus Movement We’re following Jesus into loving, liberating and life-giving relationship with God, with each other and with the earth. we follow Jesus. We are simply the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement, seeking every day to love God with our whole heart, mind and soul, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).

About The Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church: 1.75 million follower of Jesus in 109 dioceses and three regional areas in 17 nations, led by the Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate.

The Episcopal Church is in communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Moravian Church in North America.

The Diocese of Missouri: 10,000 members in 41 churches, and campus ministry and Deaconess Anne House (Episcopal Service Corps), led by the Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith, 10th Bishop of Missouri.

SEEK, July 2018

Episcopal Diocese of Missouri Offices of the Bishop 1210 Locust St. St. Louis, Missouri 63103

Seek is a publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Diocesan members may request a complimentary subscription by mail: send address to the Offices of the Bishop attn: Seek Subscription.

Archived editions of Seek are online at diocesemo. org/seek.

Editor: Ms. Beth Felice, Director of Communications Editorial Board: the Rev. Daniel Handschy, Dean of the Episcopal School for Ministry; the Rev. Edie Bird, rector Christ Church, Cape Girardeau; Mr. Kurt Greenbaum, St. Martin’s Church, Ellisville; Mr. Paul Jokerst, Transfiguration Church, Lake St. Louis; Dr. Carter Whitson, Trinity Church, St. Louis; the Rev. Canon Joe Chambers, Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of Missouri.

Submissions by post attn: Beth Felice, or online via diocesemo.org/submit. Deadline: Monday, Sept. 17 2018 for the edition available October 2018.

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2018 DIOCESAN COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE

The Anglican Episcopal family consists of an estimated 85 million Christians who are members of 45 different Churches around the globe, led by the Most Rev. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. The member churches of Communion are joined together by choice in love, and have no direct authority over one another.

Archbishop Justin is acknowledged as the spiritual head of the Communion, but does not have direct authority over any Anglican church outside of England.

Hands-On Social Media Training for Parish Evangelists •Sat, Oct. 13 •10 am- 2 pm •at St. Tim's •40 spaces For anyone who wants to tell

the story of their church and

faith on social media.

Bring your own tools of smart-

phone and tablet or laptop. By the end of this day you will have created, posted, and automated your own prayer and event memes and graphics.

Details and advanced RSVP at:

diocesemo.org/commconf

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The people of St. Paul's Church in Carondelet neighborhood of St. Louis are discerning* the best use for their vacant rectory.

Let’s take a moment to remember what discernment is and isn’t.

First off, it isn’t quickly making a decision because the answer seems obvious. I do that a lot in life and I’m sure you do too. But discernment takes the word “quickly” and pulls it to a full stop.

Discernment takes time. It assumes that the answer is NOT obvious and that it is to be found in God’s timing and with God’s wisdom and counselors involved.

We want to discern what is the best way to use the vacant Rectory.

Think about it, get creative, and ask God’s Spirit to guide your thoughts as you imagine St. Paul’s opening the doors and doing something new.

—The Rev. Rebecca Ragland, newly called rector of St. Paul's Church is leading the people of St. Paul's in discernment

God's timing, or just another day at Trinity Food Pantry It was a couple of days after Christmas when I arrived for my regular late-afternoon food pantry duty. But the church was dark everywhere, the doors locked.

Of course, I had forgotten —no pantry the week between Christmas and the New Year.

Usually that would have meant welcome free time. But my problem today was a very large roasted turkey breast, one that I was looking forward to bestowing on a lucky pantry client.

A neighbor of mine had prepared it for Christmas dinner, but at the last minute he had accepted an invitation to dine elsewhere, leaving the turkey untouched and in need of a table full of hungry mouths. I’d assured him I could easily take care of it at the pantry, and to show his thanks he’d added four cans of turkey gravy to the bag.

Grateful for church keys, I let myself and the turkey into the building and sat down on a bench back in the dark parish hall, pondering what to do with this large bag of food. After several unproductive phone calls, I was out of ideas, I had decided to try to force the turkey into the already-crowded kitchen freezer when a knock came at the parish-hall door. I opened it to a young woman who was distressed to find the food pantry dark and quiet.

She said she was out of work and had run out of food at home to feed her large family—and had been counting on the pantry for help today.

She was overjoyed to get the turkey and gravy and thankful that she had come to the parish hall door even though it was dark inside.

As we often say, “Just another day at the Trinity Food Pantry.”

—Ellie Chapman, Thursday pantry volunteer at Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Louis

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As religious leaders in Missouri: 1) We are troubled by the epidemic of gun violence affecting our community. We mourn with those who are affected by recent heavily publicized shootings, and we witness that gun violence disproportionately affects many of our most vulnerable communities, including communities of color.

Missouri Faith Leaders oppose allowing concealed weapons in houses of worship On Wednesday, April 11, Missouri faith leaders including Bishop Wayne Smith and Archbishop Robert Carlson spoke at a press conference in opposition to several bills currently proposed in the Missouri General Assembly which seek to expand where concealed weapons are allowed, including in houses of worship.

Organized by the Rev. Mike Angell (Holy Communion) and Marie Kenyon (Director of the Peace and Justice Commission of the Archdiocese of St. Louis), it was held at Catholic Charities office in St. Louis.

The leaders were united in five points, including, "We oppose the current proposal before the Missouri House to amend our conceal carry law. Our pastors, rabbis, and leaders should not have to place signage in our sacred spaces to prevent weapons from entering. We stand together and object to this proposal. Such a change would be a violation of our First Amendment rights.

Additionally the proposal could threaten the

public safety of our religious school campuses and day care centers as "conceal carry zones" are extended into these places. We urge the leadership of the Missouri Legislature not to enact this proposal," (See sidebar for full text).

Bishop Smith issued a statement to the Assembly before the conference (see below for full text).

The Rev. Marc Smith, Bishop's Deputy for Gun Violence Prevention outlined how the diocese has been a leading voice advocating for sensible gun regulation and developing resources for the care of victims of violence in its many contexts (see next page for text).

Even with major news breaking later in the day regarding Missouri's Governor, this conference was covered in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Kansas City Star, KSDK, KMOV, KMOX, FOX2, Missourinet, and other media outlets.

Bishop's letter to the Missouri Assembly I write as a servant of Jesus of Nazareth, who comes in peace.

I also write as the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, for our churches, our clergy, and our laity. I express our profound dismay that the Missouri General Assembly continues to press for the expansion of the state’s conceal and carry gun laws. Despite arguments to the contrary, the evidence is unambiguous. Carrying a concealed weapon does not make either any person or the larger society one bit safer.

A concealed weapon in the possession of a civilian is more likely to be used to harm the owner than an attacker. And the pall cast over public and private gatherings by the fear that someone might be “packing heat” diminishes the quality of life we share together.

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Current proposals to allow concealed weapons on university campuses and in bars—venues where alcohol use might well impair judgment— are incalculably dangerous and infringe on the rights of the of the majority of university students, faculty, administrators—and the general public who patronize bars.

Furthermore, we do not accept the premise of “conceal and carry” as normative for public life, to be tempered only by those organizations and facilities which post signage to prohibit these weapons. For most houses of worship, long acknowledged as nonviolent sanctuaries, this default assumption is deeply offensive.

Some faith communities may in fact welcome guns in their midst, but they are a distinct minority and, consequently, should bear the bur-

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2) We wish to acknowledge that many faithful people of good will are gun owners, including several of the bishops and faith leaders standing together to make this statement. There is a role for responsible gun ownership in our society.

3) We oppose the current proposal before the Missouri House to amend our conceal carry law. Our pastors, rabbis, and leaders should not have to place signage in our sacred spaces to prevent weapons from entering. We stand together and object to this proposal. Such a change would be a violation of our First Amendment rights. Additionally the proposal could threaten the public safety of our religious school campuses and day care centers as "conceal carry zones" are extended into these places. We urge the leadership of the Missouri Legislature not to enact this proposal.

4) We urge the Missouri House to consider new legislative priorities such as banning “bump stocks,” limiting high capacity magazines, better access and resources for mental health care, and strengthening background checks.

5) We hope and pray that the political leaders of our State will overcome partisan divisions for the sake of safety. As leaders of differing faith traditions, we are united in the belief that life is a gift from God. We lament the polarization of the “gun issue.” In our public work to end violence, we must work together.

The Most Rev. Robert Carlson, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis; The Rev. Bob Farr, Bishop of the United Methodist Church in Missouri; The Rev. Charles Norris, Vice-President, St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition; Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg, St. Louis Rabbinical Association; The Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

den for posting signage to allow for concealed weapons.

Hospitals, similarly, are havens for healing and safety, and they too often, and tragically, are places to treat victims of violence. Allowing more weapons into this place of refuge compounds the danger of violence and retribution. Such a law would put patients, staff and visitors at substantial and unnecessary risk.

Implicit in proposals to expand conceal and carry is an assumption that a civilian with a weapon will deter crime and, when it does occur, will be able to mount a successful defense. First, continued on page 18

April 2018, St. Louis. Bishop Wayne Smith and the Diocesan Council approved this statement on safe gun storage. A copy has been distributed to diocesan parishes to encourage them to regularly include the sentence on gun safety in their service bulletins and on their web sites.

Position Statement

The Rev. Marc D. Smith, Ph.D., Bishop’s Deputy for Gun Violence Prevention in the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, respectfully requests that Diocesan Council adopt the following position statement regarding the safe and secure storage of guns.

“The Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri implores gun owners to lock and secure weapons against use by children or those suffering from agonizing despair.”

Furthermore, it is requested that Diocesan Council encourages all parishes in the diocese regularly to include the following sentence in their service bulletins and on their web sites.

“Please ensure that all guns in your home are locked and secured against use by children or those suffering agonizing despair.”

Background and Rationale

(Photo credit Lock it for Love, 2018)

In 2017, the Vestry of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in the Bowery, New York City, adopted this position on gun safety and placed an advertisement in The Episcopal New Yorker encouraging each parish to take similar action. Support for the safe storage of guns is broadly endorsed by the medical and public health communities as essential to eliminating accidental shootings of children and markedly reducing suicides without compromising rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Recognizing the vulnerability of children and those suffering from depression or profound despair, the Diocese of Missouri entered into a partnership in 2016 with Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice for the purchase a distribution of gun locks through its “Lock It for Love” initiative. To date, almost 3,000 locks have been purchased and distributed free-of-charge throughout eastern Missouri. The current request of Diocesan Council is an extension of this ministry.

In addition to its work on “Lock It for Love,” the Office of the Bishop, through the Deputy for Gun Violence Prevention, also is engaged with the newly organized regional Violence Prevention Commission, Washington University and various social service agencies and community organizations to support safe gun storage, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of specific strategies.

Gun Violence Prevention Initiatives in the Diocese The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri has been a leading voice advocating for sensible gun regulation and developing resources for the care of victims of violence in its many contexts. Elements critical to its ongoing ministry include: • The appointment of a Bishop’s Deputy to coordinate gun violence prevention and intervention initiatives with organizations throughout the diocese and eastern Missouri (June 16, 2016); • Partnership with Washington University School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and the Walker Leadership Institute at Eden Seminary in the development and presentation of seminars to equip clergy and laity to care for the victims of gun violence; • Partnership with Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice to raise funds for the purchase and free-of-charge distribution of gun locks, especially in atrisk communities; • Facilitation of the development of the St. Louis City and County Violence Prevention Commission through funding from the Episcopal Presbyterian Health Trust; • Collaboration with the American Hospital Association in the promotion of its national violence awareness and prevention initiative, #HAVhope; and • Development of a 6-module curriculum for use by faith communities to explore the many different forms of violence in American culture and the church’s responsibility for responding to them.

Learn more about gun violence prevention at diocesemo.org/gvp.

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Introducing a new disaster response coordinator for the diocese: Joan Keenan She grew up in deep rural Missouri near Diamond, college and career took her to the big cities but motherhood and family brought her back to Jefferson City and Grace Church where she is a member. As her youngest was headed off to college, and she was ready to transition out of human resources, a colleague in the office of disaster services was recruiting—might she have any interest?

Joan took the interview, and the job in 2010, and for the first six months it was quiet. Coming from HR where the phone rang “every five minutes” it was a change. She was learning all the aspects of preparation and recovery, attending meetings, networking with faith based, community and state agencies. Her boss remarked, “Now that you’re in disaster, you do not want the phone to ring!” Her boss went on vacation, and then the phone rang.

The Joplin Effect

Late in the afternoon of May 22, 2011, a tornado had hit Joplin and she needed to prepare to deploy. “A lot of what we now do developed out of our response in Joplin,” said Joan. It was a hinge point in history for disaster response. “It demonstrated the phenomenal power of people coming together.” Joplin showed the rest of the country how to pull together as a community, and it was stunning—people are still learning and evaluating from that event. Being there in the midst of the coordination of local, state, and regional levels was a huge learning experience.

Missouri experienced prolonged flooding in 1993. Then Governor Mel Carnahan saw NGOs and faith based groups kicking into gear and taking care of things locally, not talking to state agencies, just working. He created a partnership of state agencies, NGOs and faith based groups that respond in Missouri. The state provides a place and support for them to meet on a quarterly basis. It’s unusual in the world of state governments, but it organizes people across the silos of their organizations. “So we don’t all show up with the same resources. I know the Baptists will bring chain saws and the Methodists bring the muck-out buckets. We’ve had time to become familiar with each other and the resources we have to share.”

What's next?

work in some capacity. And that’s when Deacon Nancy Belcher called. Nancy was working as one of the two disaster deacons in the diocese, and invited Joan to travel with her to south central Missouri after the flooding on the Gasconade River. A few months later, Nancy decided to step down from her diocesan disaster work, and Bishop Wayne appointed Joan to fill the position.

She’s just begun some of her “Episcopal” flavored disaster training and working with Deacon Jerre Birdsong, the disaster coordinator for the St. Louis metro area and liaison to Episcopal Relief.

Do we have many disasters in Missouri?

“Surprisingly, we’re in the top five to ten position each year for number of federally declared disasters,” noted Joan. “And, at some point, everyone is going to be involved in a disaster.” With her background in behavioral health, she observes that when someone gets their world shaken to the core all of a sudden, the same physiological and emotional responses take place.

Might be a tornado, a spouse walking through the door asking for a divorce, a car wreck—all can trigger this similar kind of human response and the resources for coping are similar, too.

“When you’re knocked off your emotional pegs, it takes a while to get your equilibrium back.” Joan loves teaching skills for recovery, for helping people be and feel in control of their lives again.

When she thinks about disaster preparedness in churches, Joan says, “You can't throw this whole world of preparedness out at once, because it's overwhelming.” So she starts with the kids, engaging in dialogue in the family: What do we do in different kind of situations? Small preparedness steps like twice a year when resetting clocks, check your tote bags with supplies for an emergency. After some families are involved, then she suggests taking it to the congregations: What can we offer as a church, What are our physical plant resources, What are the skills and assets of our congregation members? What are we lacking and who can we collaborate with?

Who might we help in our neighborhood? Many congregations have limited resources, but they can collaborate.

We’re looking forward to what Joan will teach us about disaster preparedness, response, and collaboration.

Joan had just retired, and was pondering what she was going to do to continue disaster

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All-Parish Read Digs Beyond Skin-Deep The parishioners of St. Tim’s examined issues of race, racism and white privilege during a spring All-Parish-Read Event of Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things, sponsored by the parish’s Ministry of Racial Reconciliation (MORR) group.

Small Great Things, which is fiction based on an actual event, centers around the tragic, unexpected death of a newborn of white supremacist parents, who is cared for by an African American registered nurse.

“Ms. Picoult is a very popular author, who addresses contemporary issues,” says MORR member and project originator, Jan O’Neil. “I thought that based on that alone, we’d have a good turnout, but parish interest and commitment to this project went far beyond my expectations.”

The MORR Committee handed out 50 library-borrowed and donated copies of Picoult’s novel during a March ‘kick-off’ call to read during weekend services. Other parishioners purchased their own copies or borrowed from friends.

In mid-April, MORR hosted a discussion of the novel at St. Tim’s.

“We had 44 parishioners, plus seven guests from St. Martin's, join us for a light supper, small group discussion of issues raised by the book, and group activities,” says All Read event leader Leslie Corey. “It was the largest turn-out for a MORR book discussion that we’ve ever had.”

She adds, “The book clearly intrigued our readers. Some of them said that they began the book assuming that they had a firm grasp on issues of race, racism and white privilege. And with each turn in the plot, their grasp on what they knew slipped a little and was reformed.”

by Florrie Kohn “As you can well imagine the personal testimonies and witnessing ranged in subject matter, depth, substance and tension. And all of which was good,” says Corey. “Every conversation about race is valuable.”

The Ministry considers the All-Parish-Read of Small Great Things to be an important stepping stone for MORR. The collective reading and the enthusiastic parish response supports one of MORR’s key goals: To expand the race narrative to a broader segment of St Tim’s while respecting one of MORR’s guiding principles of doing so in a caring and loving manner; respecting and meeting people where they are.

St Tim’s Ministry of Racial Reconciliation is one of seven racial justice teams operating in the Diocese of Missouri under the guidance of the Commission on Dismantling Racism, chaired by Deacon Chester Hines, Jr.

Grace Church in Jefferson City calls next rector: Ian Lasch Grace Church's vestry announced that the Rev. Ian Lasch accepted the call to become the next rector of the church. He is currently Associate Rector for Formation and Fellowship at St. Peter's Church in Ladue. Grace's vestry wrote, "During our discussions with Ian, his passion for Christian formation for all ages and his recognition of the importance of fellowship became increasingly clear... That these passions are something that Grace shares with him is very evident from our most recent self-study. We firmly believe that he will lead us as pastor, priest, and teacher in the years ahead." Ian's first Sunday at Grace was June 24, 2018.

Fr. Ian wrote in his letter to St. Peter's, "I will never forget my time at St. Peter's, or how special it has been to be a part of this community. I can never thank you enough for your loving support and encouragement."

The Rev. Canon Loren Lasch continues working with diocesan youth. See additional information on Loren's new appointment on page 9.

Clergy transitions and ordinations The Rev. Emily Hillquist Davis has stepped down from being an associate priest at St. Martin's Church where she led the 505 contemplative service on Saturday evenings.

That service continues and the Rev. Emily continues as the Vicar of St. Thomas Deaf Church.

On June 3, the Rev. Sally Weaver retired as Vicar of St. Francis' Episcopal Church in Eureka.

The Rev. Kevin Selle was ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons on April 19 at St. Francis' Episcopal Church in Eureka. His ordination to the priesthood is planned for later in the year.

The Rev. Richard Wiskus will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests on August 8, 6 PM, at Christ Church Cathedral. All are invited to this service, and clergy participating invited to wear white stoles.

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Legacy of Anne Branch Cushing remembered at fifth generation's baptism On Sunday, April 15, 2018, little Alice Elizabeth Arnette became the fifth generation of her family to be baptized at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Webster Groves and the sixth generation to become a member.

Joseph Branch (b. 1826) left England for a grand tour of the Americas. He rode by horseback from Mexico to California. As he was making his way back east to return to England, he discovered a town of opportunity and hope in St. Louis, where he settled. In the 1880s, Joseph saved Grace Church from an unpaid tax sale.

Joseph and Annie Branch's daughter Anne grew up in the Episcopal Church. After her marriage to Edward Cushing she made her home in Webster Groves and the Cushings became members of Emmanuel in 1888.

Anne Branch Cushing was deeply involved in mission and by today’s definition was an activist for social justice. She was an active suffragist, was president of Emmanuel's Women's Auxiliary for 30 years, and was the only woman to speak at the 1927 dedication of the Bishop Tuttle Memorial Building (the building connected to Christ Church Cathedral where the Offices of the Bishop are located). She organized young people to spend Christmas Eve caroling for shut-ins all over Webster Groves, traveling by wagon with an organ on the back. She was president of Webster Groves Peace Council and gave speeches to raise money for Liberty Loans & other WWI work.

The Cushing Family Tree at Emmanuel: • 1st Generation— Anne Branch Cushing (1st communed at Emmanuel in 1888. Baptized at St. George’s Church, St. Louis 1862) • 2nd Generation—Edward F. Cushing, Jr. (baptized October 25, 1896) • 3rd Generation—Jeanne E. Cushing Deutsch (baptized July 29, 1928) • 4th Generation—Anne Maria Deutsch Kovac (baptized September 30, 1956 & married) • 5th Generation—Abigail Cushing Kovac (baptized December 29, 1991) • 6th Generation—Alice Elizabeth Arnette (baptized April 15, 2018) —by Mimi Shipp, Emmanuel member and communications coordinator

Emmanuel called next rector: Jenny Hulen With great pleasure the vestry of Emmanuel Church has unanimously voted to call the Rev. Jennifer L. (Jenny) Hulen as the nineteenth rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Webster Groves.

"Jenny's ministry statement is a wonderful match for Emmanuel's current needs and goals: I seek to serve in a full-time ministry where I can utilize my gifts of making disciples, spiritual formation, evangelism, preaching, and strategic leadership," wrote the wardens and discernment committee.

She became a Baptist minister after graduating from college and served as a missionary to China. Discovering that the Baptist faith no longer reflected her experience of Jesus, she worked in the corporate sector for eight years, gaining great experience in budgeting, HR, and management. But she still experienced a call to ministry, attended seminary, received a diploma in Anglican Studies, and was ordained in the Episcopal Church. She served first as a Curate at St. Paul's (Indianapolis) and, since 2013, as Associate Rector at St. Christopher's (Carmel, Indiana).

Her first Sunday at Emmanuel was on June 10.

Dick Clark, Senior Warden; Clark Hotaling, Junior Warden; Ann Marie Ruhlin, Bob Shillito, Discernment Co-Leads, Emmanuel Church

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Building Congregations

For the Life of the World

Portland Daughters of the King

The Order of the Daughters of the King, Daughters of St. Marks chapter in Portland, Missouri has 7 members. We are a very blessed group of women to have each other’s friendship and to be called together to become Daughters.

It was clear to all of us that forming a chapter was an opportunity to continue our spiritual growth, to serve Christ more purposefully, and to help us understand and do the work Christ has called us to do.

Our chapter meets once a month and after our initial meetings and a period of discernment on becoming members and starting our new chapter, we decided to do a book study. We chose None Like Him by Jen Wilkins. The author is an evangelical women, passionate in sharing the path to wisdom and the majesty of God. The book explores God’s attributes and how God’s nature transcends our own while helping us to acknowledge our own limits. This was a perfect

book for us; each chapter has prayers, scripture to review, and questions for reflection.

We read two chapters between each meeting, would discuss the questions, sharing our personal thoughts about each chapter. Our discussions were thoughtful, lively and sometimes intense. After each chapter we were encouraged to say or write our own prayer.

The book study encouraging collaboration, support and inspiration in a safe place. Our chapter usually meets in our parish hall but we decided to change it up for a few in-home meetings. Each meeting was lead by a different member. This gave us each the opportunity to lead prayer as well as the discussion.

“For Lent this year I began praying again the ACTS prayer. The ACTS prayer is adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication," said DOK member Deacon Nancy Belcher. "This study helped me focus on God’s mystery. Spend-

Missie Leisinger shares one of her prayers from the book study: Dear Lord, You are my God and I will forever praise you.

Step by step I need you and will forever love you. Thank you for all that you have let me witness; past, present and hopefully future.

You have truly blessed me beyond words and I don't praise you enough.

Please help me grow stronger, and Lord, my God, above all else I want to praise you, thank you and bless you that you are always with me.

In Jesus name I pray.

ing time reflecting on God’s infinite, incomprehensible, self-existent, self-sufficient, eternal, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent and sovereign character has given me a deeper way to praise God.”

St. Martin's calls Priest-in-charge: Leslie Scoopmire The Vestry of St. Martin's Church in Ellisville as called the Rev. Leslie Barnes Scoopmire as their priest-in-charge. She'll start on Aug. 1: her first service will be the 5o5 on Saturday, August 4, and her first Sunday will be the following day. In his announcement, senior warden Tom Allen gave credit and thanks to the vestry for accomplishing in "six months what has in the past taken more than 2 years."

Her call represents many firsts for St. Martin's, including as the first female lead cleric.

Mother Leslie wrote, "I am excited and humbled by this new chapter in our common life together, and am so thrilled by the opportunity to walk alongside the wonderful people of St. Martin's as their priest."

St. Martin's interim pastor the Rev. Alfred Jewson will preach his last Sunday service at the parish on July 29.

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Enter the No-Fake Zone

by Christopher Kurth, Lay chaplain with the Community of Hope International

I know a place where caring people meet the Christ in others Honesty reigns supreme and there's nothing fake about this place. It’s a zone of genuine love and support from fellow Christians working out their baptismal covenant in the world, and saving a part of that world. And it’s called the Community Of Hope International (COHI).

COHI is an ecumenical, pastoral care ministry dedicated to equipping volunteers to be present in a compassionate and listening manner to the sick, elderly, imprisoned, and under-served.

Created in 1994 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston, Texas by the Rev. Helen Appelberg, COHI is rooted in the principles of the Rule of Benedict. Lay chaplains are trained in clinical pastoral practices through a twelve week course.

Chaplaincy is open to and enriched by participants from many Christian denominations.

COHI has grown to over 125 centers established across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Africa.

Our ministry in the Community of Hope is scripture based and lived out in great humility and honesty It incorporates the Benedictine principles of a balanced life with non-judgmental listening and engagement within the community. Lay chaplains are united in prayer and sustained by support circles of colleagues as their ministries lead them to serve their congregations and wider community.

Learn more this summer

Several informational forums are planned for July, along with outreach to the Christian community in the St. Louis area. It's a good introduction to the organization and will answer your questions about the 12 week training course slated to begin on September 8th. (diocesemo.org/coh)

Take the training this autumn

The fall Community of Hope training course is especially timely given our General Convention’s consideration of Resolution A029: Commending Evangelism Practices to all Episcopalians. The resolution directs communities of faith to engage in evangelism OF the Church by engaging in daily practices of prayer and scripture reading and service…the same practices espoused by Benedictine principles.

Resolution A029 also commends evangelism BY the Church… to “listen deeply to the stories of everyone you encounter.” Such is the experience and skill set of the dedicated volunteer chaplains at two churches (St. Michael & St. George and Grace-Kirkwood) who comprise the Community of Hope in the St. Louis area.

Next steps

So if you’re tired of our present me-first, win-at-all-cost, truth-is-fiction and fiction-istruth society then come to a forum and find out how your life can be transformed into a spiritually centered pastoral caregiver and a life supported by a community of like-minded Christians.

For more information about the fall training, please contact either Christopher Kurth (c2kurth@sbcglobal.net) or Deborah Caby ( debbiecaby@yahoo.com ) the leaders, no faking, of the training course.

Bishop's letter to the Missouri Assembly, continued from pg. 12 there is no credible evidence that conceal and carry provides any deterrence. And, second, empirical research documents that trained police officers hit their intended target only 27% of the time when they fire a weapon in the course of a criminal encounter. That students and teachers in crowded classrooms, reveling patrons in bars, the faithful focused on worship, and health professionals caring for the sick and injured

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would improve on those results is at best naive.

At worst, such a policy would put innocent and unintended targets at risk.

Respectfully, therefore, I urge you to remove the expansion of conceal and carry from the General Assembly’s agenda. The arguments above come from empirical evidence. But I also write as a person of faith committed to nonviolent witness, a servant of Jesus who comes in

Building Congregations

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peace. In any event, the Episcopalians in the Diocese of Missouri pledge our prayers and a strong desire to work with you in fostering safer lives for all our state’s citizens.

Faithfully, The Right Reverend George Wayne Smith, Episcopal Bishop of Missouri

Episcopal School for Ministry Ecumenical Opportunities

by Dan Handschy, Dean, Episcopal School for Ministry Since its inception, the Episcopal School for Ministry has followed the same basic pattern – a three year curriculum based loosely on the course of study typical at a seminary. To complete a course of study requires a three-year commitment to one weekend of classes per month. The School was originally formed for the purpose of the training and formation of deacons for the Diocese of Missouri.

At the time of its formation, the canonical requirements for ordination to the diaconate were very close to the requirements for the priesthood, as most deacons were transitional deacons, on their way to becoming priests.

As the Church at large has lived into a deeper understanding of the diaconate as a separate order, the canonical competencies for the diaconate have changed, and the original three year course of study at Episcopal School for Ministry may no longer be meeting the needs of those to be ordained deacons. Likewise, the three year course posed a hardship for lay persons who wanted to deepen their own theological education.

In the last several months, Episcopal School for Ministry has been approached by both the Lutheran School of Theology, Saint Louis, and the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy about the possibility of collaborating in the training of lay ministry in both denominations. The ELCA has a category of ministry called Pastoral Ministry Associate, PMA, lay-persons licensed to preach and provide sacramental ministry in congregations in interim situations. The PCUSA has a category of ministry called Certified Ruling Elder, CRE, much the same as the ELCA’s PMA. Many of the requirements for PMAs and CREs overlap with the training ESM offers for candidates to the diaconate in our Church. In an effort to condense our training from a three year course of study to a more realistic two year course of study (in light of the changed canonical requirements for deacons) and to combine resources with the Lutheran School of the Theology and the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy, the Board and Faculty of ESM will meet with representatives of the ELCA and PCUSA on Saturday 2 June 2018, to discuss how our various courses of study might be combined to best effect.

ESM’s goal is to shorten the course of study for deacons to two years (perhaps by intensifying the weekends, and taking summers off), and run more parallel courses available to lay persons who would not have to take the full course of study. Combining resources with the ELCA and PCUSA would allow us to broaden the faculty and offer courses of three or four Saturdays duration (once a month).

The joint meeting of the ESM board and representatives from LSTSTL and Giddings-Lovejoy will probably appoint a task force to consider changes to the curriculum and course of study for all three institutions. We hope to roll out the new program by the fall of 2018. Watch this space for more news.

Episcopal School for Ministry

Now is the time to enroll for our next session.

Come explore the spirituality of the baptized!

Class begins August 25, 2018.

For more information visit www.diocesemo.org/ESM The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

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Sharon Meusch Every three years Episcopal Church Women from around the denomination gather for Triennial during the church's General Convention. Leading up to the event, the dioceses are invited to name a distinguished woman who “takes her Christian values out into the world.” In the Diocese of Missouri, nine churches responded with submissions, and at a luncheon celebrating all nine, Sharon Meusch from Christ Church in Rolla learned she was the distinguished woman from Missouri and would represent the diocese in Austin.

Also attending were diocesan ECW board members Jeanne King and Deborah Caby.

Sharon was impressed with the size and variety of experiences at triennial and convention, where the legislative work reminded her of the advocacy work she does in Jefferson City and Washington DC. In the evenings during Convention, the Missouri Diocese offers a suite for the deputation, bishop, staff, ECW delegates, and any visitors from the diocese to discuss the work of that day over snacks and sodas. At the first night’s meeting, Deputy the Rev. Beth Scriven described her work with the President of the House of Deputies’ task force on the church’s response to #metoo. She asked for volunteers to testify at the next day’s hearings, three of which were scheduled at the same time. Jeanne King suggested Sharon explaining, “Sharon told us many heart-wrenching and uplifting stories about her work with trafficked and abused women, and survivors of date-rape in Rolla” on the car trip down to Austin. Sharon is the Executive Director of the Russell House, Phelps County Family Crisis Services. It’s named for a renowned Rolla pediatrician, Dr. Barbara Russell, and was started by Sharon in the late 1980s. Opening as a seven bed facility, it’s now a 54 bed house.

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ECW Missouri's distinguished woman

Beth Scriven connected Sharon with task force member Diana Wilcox from Newark. They shared notes, and the next morning coordinated their testimony to Committee 14 on Resolution D031 (for recognizing and ending domestic violence in our congregations), with Diana presenting statistics and Sharon sharing from her work stories, best practices, and resources. Sharon was able to call attention to an nationwide advocacy organization available in each state, the Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. Missouri’s Coalition is a centralized domestic and sexual violence clearinghouse for information and resources in Missouri (www.mocadsv.org) and is supported by Christ Church, Rolla.

Sharon was inspired by the worship, both the large setting with thousands in the convention hall, also with a Sunday service she attended at St. David’s Church in Austin. ECW is very active at Christ Church, but like many chapters they’re getting older and finding younger members is challenging.

Today's women are working, parenting, and caring for parents, with little time to be present. At Triennial, they heard that Rolla’s story is not unique, and spent time renewing spirit, strategy, and purpose.

The workshops were rich with ideas to take back to Christ Church.

The launch of the new United Thank Offering app is another spotlight on our churchwide exercise in gratitude. “This had been such a great learning for me," said Sharon.

"I’d encourage all our churches to nominate a ‘distinguished woman’ for the next triennial.” She’s enthusiastic about the future of diocesan ECW, as well. “We can be one as a diocese, we have the people and we have the ability. I’m excited to get back to the next ECW meeting at Christ Church.”

Read more about the Episcopal Church Women of the diocese on their Facebook group: http://tiny.cc/DioMOECW

Building Congregations

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