Volume 3, Number 3 June/July 2010
Reflections on Sabbatical Let me first reiterate my thanks to the Diocese of Missouri, the Diocesan Council, and the Standing Committee for making the months of March and April available to me as time away, sabbatical, and to the staff in my office for tending to the logistics of diocesan life. Re-entry into my day-to-day ministry has been smooth and uneventful, I am glad to say, which has everything to do with the people of this diocese and their gifts. I had promised to lay before you some reflections and learnings from my time away—and here they are. There is a personal quality to every one of them, but the trajectory is toward the communal. • I treasure the ministry entrusted to me. This insight arose at about the six-week point when I found myself turning toward my return with anticipation. The work which I get to do as Bishop of Missouri is endlessly fascinating. I find it both satisfying—and often indescribably difficult. These qualities are not mutually exclusive; they encompass the sort of language which many theologians use to describe vocation. I realize that there is no other work about which to pine away. And it is not being a bishop in the abstract which makes this ministry such a sweet spot in my life. It is the specifics inherent in being Bishop of Missouri: this geography, these congregations, these people, these challenges and opportunities. I realize that I do not want a theoretically perfect diocese, as if such a thing were possible. I am deeply satisfied with the diocese where I am blessed to live and serve. • We may be living through an epochal shift. And this may be the case in the world even more so than in the Church. Let me make a disclaimer: sometimes the tone used in describing such things lies between melodrama and cataclysm. I am not interested in taking such a tone. I have had the sense for twenty plus years that things cannot be the same, in the Church and in the world. But two streams converged during this sabbatical to cement such understanding in my mind. First, in March the House of Bishops heard presentations from Phyllis Tickle and Diana Butler Bass about “the great emergence.” (Google it.) In Tickle’s own words, “Every 500 years or so, the church—and the world—experience huge social, political, economic, and cultural shifts.” These two believe that we are now living through such a world-turning time, not least because of the revolution in electronic communication. Now, I cherish my skepticism about some of the details of their work, but I also believe that they are onto something crucial. We cannot recreate the Church or the world of the 1950s, or even of the 1990s.
by the Right Reverend
Wayne Smith
The second stream bore into my awareness from some reading I did about global climate change—hardly new information for me or for anyone else paying attention. But for the first time the consequences of this change have become crystal clear in my mind. The beautiful fragility of Padre Island, one of the low-lying barrier islands of the Gulf Coast, provided the backdrop for my reading. With rising sea levels, the island could be inundated within one hundred years. I read a series of essays in The Economist, and I read Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, by Bill McKibben, all of which points toward planet Earth having past the tipping point in climate change. And there is the homework and consultation I have been doing on this issue with the House of Bishops Theology Committee, on which I serve, which suggest that the Church has been largely silent on this crucial matter of the Christian moral life. This must change, and you should expect to hear more from me about Christian discipleship in the face of climate change: If all the data are truth, how then shall we live? • The ordained life is full of blessing—and stress. Again, this is another point which is not a new learning. Current literature on the practice of ministry addresses this matter as one requiring careful attention by anyone engaged in the pastoral life. I was not prepared, however, for the level of tiredness I discovered in myself once I got to the beach. I am grateful for the rest I found there and also for the time and space to uncover my own weariness. I write these words not for the sake of self-pity, or eliciting pity from anyone else. I write them for purposes of consciousness-raising and for the sake of the clergy of this diocese. As recently as the 1960s, pastoral ministry was a high-status, low-stress vocation. A couple of generations later those qualifiers have flipped, and most of the ordained now experience their vocation as highstress, low-status. With the gradual demise of Christendom in recent decades and the lower regard for religious institutions and even distrust of them, the culture no longer by default will see to the “care and feeding” of clergy. It is instead up to the people of our parishes to take up this task—and to do so intentionally, and with understanding. Deal compassionately and gently with your clergy. This is no comprehensive list of “what-I-learned-on-sabbatical,” but these are the highlights. Much of what came to me is more subtle and intuitive in nature. And some insights are emerging as I continue re-entry. This time away has been extraordinarily valuable to me personally, and I hope that by extension it will prove itself of use to our entire diocesan community.
United Thank Offering (UTO) in the Diocese of Missouri In November, 2009, Episcopal City Mission (ECM) was awarded a United Thank Offering Grant of $6,500 for Interactive Chapel Services for the Juvenile Detention Centers. The purpose of the grant was to fund the purchase of laptops, projectors, screens, and software in order for the chaplains to more powerfully engage the youth in detention during the weekly chapel services. During the weekly non-denominational service, our chaplains will now be able to project on a screen or a wall the words to hymns and songs, quotes from the Bible, and even movies of stories from the Bible. They believe that services which allow children to participate actively will deepen their spiritual experi-
Some of the UTO funded equipment for enriching worship services at ECM.
ence. Words and music come alive on the screen; singing along with these recordings helps the children feel the message more deeply. ECM is very appreciative of the funds from UTO which provide this enriching opportunity for children in detention. We are constantly striving for new ways to reach the children and bring them the message of a loving and forgiving God. We know that the interactive chapel services will be a successful avenue for hope and healing.
In addition to ECM, the United Thank Offering awarded 62 other grants in 2009 totaling The Rev. Mickey Hassler, Chaplain with Episcopal City Mission, $2,065,472.43. In recent years, with one of the new projection systems. UTO has helped to combat crossborder and internal trafficking of taking time each day, if possible, to think women and children in Eastern Himaabout the things we are grateful for and laya, assisted female victims of domestic expressing that gratitude by placing a violence in Coxsackie, NY, provided a coin in the UTO Blue Box. Watch for summer camp experience for children the dates of the Spring and Fall UTO of incarcerated parent(s) in Indiana, and Ingatherings in your congregation. made funds available to create a handicap Mary Kay Digby is the Executive Director of accessible bathroom at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Chelsea, MI. Episcopal City Mission. Rosemary Bagin is the The United Thank Offering is about
The Modest Blue Box UTO at Work In the May 2010 issue of Grace Episcopal (Jefferson City) Church’s newsletter, The Messenger, author Ken Luebbering noted: “Each year we are urged to pick up the little blue boxes and save money through the year to offer on UTO in-gathering Sunday. I suspect many of us don’t really know what it’s all about.” The article then quoted some information from the UTO website, “Each year approximately $2 million in grants is distributed..., which are used to significantly impact the lives of women and children across the Anglican Communion.” The grants given by UTO go to the U.S. and to other provinces of the Anglican Communion. I have not looked at their financial statement to know exactly which grants are given, but I can offer one story.
UTO in Lui Many of us at Grace remember early 2006, when Bishop Smith visited and led the Adult Forum with a story of his first-ever trip to the Diocese of Lui in the Episcopal Church in Sudan. Among other things, he recounted how women and girls had to spend hours every day grinding sorghum into flour to make bread for their families, and he explained that – if they could be freed from that drudgery – many of them could go to school. He also told us that grinding mills could go a long way toward solving that problem. It took a while for our Companion Diocese Relationship Committee to do the necessary research and have the necessary conversations with our friends in Lui, but we finally identified a grinding
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by Mary Kay Digby & Rosemary Bagin
United Thank Offering Coordinator for the Diocese of Missouri
by Lisa Fox
mill that would be appropriate, figured out how to transport it into Sudan, with our Lui Diocese partners developed a viable “micro-finance” business model, and applied for a UTO grant. In May 2008, UTO awarded a $19,200 grant to the Diocese of Missouri to purchase the grinding mill and associated supplies (such as a cash box, bags to contain the flour, etc.) and construct a modest structure to house the grinding mill. Our vision is that this could be a model that could be emulated elsewhere in the Diocese of Lui. Today, thanks largely to the grinding mill and the many wells we have drilled throughout the Diocese of Lui, our missioners who have spent time in Lui report that the children are remarkably more healthy and many more girls and women are now attending school! These developments have made a major improvement in the lives of our friends in Lui. And our contributions through our “little blue boxes” from UTO made that possible.
About the “Little Blue Boxes” I learned about UTO’s “little blue boxes” about the same time the Episcopal Church found me in the 1990s. That was a bleak time in my life – personally, professionally, and financially. But I put that Little Blue Box on my dresser, and every evening I put all my pocket change into that modest little box. As I did so, I said a little prayer of thanksgiving that I had a place to live, a job, and food. Now 14 years later, I still have the same discipline. Each evening when I come home, I put my pocket change into
The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
the Little Blue Box, and I say a prayer of thanks for all that I have – recognizing that everything I have is a gift and blessing to me. I know that I could easily be among those who are hungry, homeless, friendless, or unem- The grinding mill in Lui, picture from Evelyn Smith, taken durployed in the this ing the 2009 mission trip. country. Worse yet, I could have been born elsewhere into abject poverty with few options and little hope. However much I struggle, I recognize that God has been good to me, and the coins I drop into the Little Blue Box are a tangible way for me to remember and give deep, fervent thanks. Every coin in my Little Blue Box has been bathed in prayers of thanksgiving. I echo the Messenger’s appeal: Please give generously at your parish’s UTO ingathering. You have the opportunity to change lives and communities with those contributions. Better yet, establish a regular habit of feeding your Little Blue Boxes on a daily basis and pray thanks as you drop those coins into that modest little box.
Lisa Fox is a parishioner at Grace Episcopal Church in Jefferson City, a member and former chairperson of the Companion Diocese Relationship Committee, and a missioner to Lui.
Making Disciples • Building Congregations • For the Life of the World
A Heart’s Desire Did you know that my heart’s desire is to write poetry? It doesn’t make sense. So I usually keep it secret, even from my family. It doesn’t make sense because very few people read poetry, fewer by a long shot than read church newsletters. It doesn’t make sense, because the “board of directors” (which is what I call all that chatter and debate known to English teachers as “interior monologue”) insists that there are far more compelling religious and financial reasons to write sermons and news releases. It doesn’t make sense because I know a lot more about writing or telling a story than I do about poetry. But there is this voice who whispers to me with heartbreaking urgency that there is something much more important to say. Poetry alone seems able to sing uniqueness and the beauty, the fragility and the brokenness of this precious life we human beings have been given amidst our animal, vegetable and mineral neighbors. I can’t preach about most of these people and creatures. It would be unconscionable if I betrayed the intimacy of those encounters by making them into “examples” of anything. So I dream about making poems. I can share a few encounters with prayer, because, well, God, though just as shy about being seen in public, is a bit less strict about confidentiality. One day this week, whilst in silent contemplation in the sanctuary, God came up behind me as a tall
by Robert Towner
one-eyed man with the voice of a bear. He was hard to understand, but after a few minutes I puzzled it out: “Would you let your silent reverie be disturbed, if I came to you with inarticulate groans? If I were hungry, would you go out of your way to find me something to eat?” I struggled with him, until He blessed me. Next day, on my way home, I stopped at the church for a few minutes’ prayer, and stumbled upon God, already in the sanctuary. Who left the door unlocked? He was stooped and sunburnt, skinny as a rail. I think I scared him, because he jumped up, said, “I like it here. It’s pretty and peaceful.” As he ran from my quizzical eyes, I had only enough time to say, “Please, come again!” And, no sooner had I stepped into the cool shadows of the sanctuary, than She did! She said, She had once been at our free Community Meal, where I had prayed with her, and now She wanted to come back and volunteer. Later last Sunday afternoon, He met me in prayer and wouldn’t stop asking me questions for the better part of an hour. In one single day this week he asked me to kneel on the cement parking lot, on a tenement stairway, and on the hard tile of a hospital room. Each time, He was already there, I just had to get down to His level.
I wonder why some human beings seem to come to prayer with a leaden sense of duty or only to silence nagging guilt? Haven’t they met the One who never fails to find me in prayer? Christ Episcopal Church’s “little” services during the week may be the loneliest times, whenever I am waiting for someone who is not there. Or the most amazing, surprising and nourishing times, when I tarry with the One Who Is. Centering Prayer is teaching some of us how to develop a deep trust in the presence of God. It is free. It is not hard, not boring. It is always perfect. It delivers one from loneliness to solitude, from the inner racket to silence, from worries about many things to simplicity, from fear for self to service. God is so faithful, a few feeble efforts on my part bear fruit way out of proportion. When I show up, once in a while, She shows up everywhere. Someday I shall write poetry. For now, He knows my heart’s desire, and now, so do you.
The Rev. Robert Towner is Rector of Christ Episcopal Church, the Red Door Church, in Cape Girardeau, reddoorchurchcape.org
Christ Church Cape and the Shelter of Hope Last month Christ Episcopal Church opened the Red Door for a fundraising Evensong and High Tea for the Homeless. CEC’s musicians led the song and Chaplain Terry Wildman, lead minister at Cape’s brand new outreach center, shared his personal witness and passion for the homeless. With typical Red Door hospitality—radically generous—we put on a delicious spread, everything from cucumber sandwiches to BBQ pulled pork, petit fours to three layer cake, Eng-
Experience Lectio Divina A Summer Opportunity facilitated by the Rev. Susie Skinner at Grace-Kirkwood, June 4 - July 16
lish tea to Missouri wine. Those in attendance were generous too, donating $3,500 for building supplies for the new men’s dormitory. The Shelter of Hope was incorporated in February, 2010, in the Parish Hall of CEC. It is an independent and ecumenical nonprofit created to serve the homeless and at-risk in Cape. Donors include churches, bankers, a few big hearted contractors, community minded businesses, and many individuals. The Shelter of Hope opened its “day center” in May. On Broadway across the street from Dollar General, the day center includes offices, a resale/freesale store, and free lunchroom. Work on the men’s dormitory has also begun in earnest. Volunteers have gutted the facility, located across the street from the Salvation Army’s worship center on South Sprigg Street. Several professional contractors have stepped up to offer their labor as a gift. The dorm will sleep up to twelve men a night and offer meals, showers, and laundry facilities. Women will be housed in the homes of volunteers.
There many ways to read the Bible. One is to engage in Bible Study and another is to "pray the scriptures." When we do Bible Study we use our head to understand how the scriptures came to be written and what the words mean for us today. The ancient practice of "praying the scriptures" is reading God's word more with our heart than our head. Called "lectio divina," literally "holy reading," it begins with cultivating the ability to listen deeply, to hear "with the ear of our hearts" the words of Holy Scripture.
Seek is published six times a year by the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Executive Editor: The Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith, Bishop of Missouri Editor: Ms. Beth Felice Editorial Board: the Rev. Teresa K. M. Danieley, St. John’s, St. Louis; Mr. Jerry Martin, St. Louis; Mrs. Susan Moenkhaus, St. Louis; the Rev. Jason Samuel, Transfiguration, Lake St. Louis; the Rev. Beverly Van Horne, Trinity, Jefferson County; the Rev. Dan Smith, Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of Missouri. Vol. 3, No. 3, June/July 2010
In "lectio divina" we listen for the still, small voice of God - that "faint murmuring sound" which is God's word for us, God's voice touching our hearts. As we read the Scriptures in this contemplative way we discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves and lives to God. Using the readings for the coming Sunday, The Rev. Susan Skinner will facilitate a group in the practice of lectio divina for six sessions this summer. The group will meet on Friday mornings from 11:00 a. m. to noon in the chapel at Grace Church Kirkwood, 514 East Argonne Drive, Kirkwood, MO 63122 beginning June 4 and will continue through July 16. (There will be no meeting on July 2.)
Episcopal Diocese of Missouri Offices of the Bishop 1210 Locust St, 3rd floor St. Louis, Missouri 63103 314-231-1220
Diocesan members may request a complimentary subscription by mail; send address to the Offices of the Bishop, attn. Seek subscription. Seek is distributed to each parish, mission, and preaching station in the diocese. Seek is available online at diocesemo.org. Submissions by post, attn. Beth Felice, or by email to bfelice@diocesemo.org. Except for contributed articles and images labeled ©, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.
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New Designation for Bishop’s Visitation Offering
May and June Ordinations
Beginning in August, the Bishop’s Visitation Offering will be designated for the mission of the Diocese of Missouri: Both far off . . . . Our partners in Lui Diocese are eager to build a Diocesan Conference Center where people can come from all around the Church in Lui to teach and learn, to be together, and to collaborate. Half of the offering will go toward supporting this priority of theirs. And near . . . . Pockets of dire need and poverty exist within the borders of the Diocese of Missouri, in urban locales and rural. Half of the offering will go toward seed money for mission within our own diocese. New remittance envelopes are being printed and material for bulletins or bulletin inserts will be available on the diocesan website in July. Bishop Smith’s Visitations and Ordinations Sunday, June 6 Church of the Ascension, Northwoods Sunday, June 13 Ft. Leonard Wood Saturday, June 19 Ordination of Pamela Dolan, Cathedral Sunday, June 20 Trinity Church, Jefferson County Sunday, June 27 Mass in the Grass, Tower Grove Park (presiding) Sunday, August 1 St. Timothy’s Church, Creve Coeur Sunday, August 8 All Saints’ Church, St. Louis Sunday, August 15 St. Matthew’s Church, Warson Woods Sunday, August 22 St. Alban’s Church, Fulton Sunday, August 29 Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis
Sunday,
Selected Upcoming Events
Sat, Jun 5 (and most Saturdays) The Peace Meal Project at St. John’s, Tower
Grove, every Saturday. Serving from 4-6 p.m. To sign up as a volunteer, please contact Scott Splater at ssplater@yahoo.com or 314-497-1050. Sat, Jun 5 Diocesan Council Sat, Jun 5, 9:00 - 10:00 AM Community of Hope (information-introduction),
Grace Kirkwood.
Sun, Jun 6 - Tue, Jun 8 Discernment conference Thu, Jun 10, 10:30 AM What Does Federal Health Care Reform Mean for Mis-
sourians? (Lunch will follow) Episcopal Church of the Advent 9373 Garber Road, Crestwood Sun, Jun 13 St. Mark’s - Portland, Community Celebration. Special Guests: The Portland community, and sister churches Holy Eucharist and Ice Cream Social
Mon, Jun 14 New Ventures in Community Ministries, abstracts due in the di-
ocesan offices
Tue, Jun 15 Church of the Transfiguration: community wide FREE Senior
Event and Lunch (every third Tuesday), 1860 Lake St. Louis Boulevard, Lake St. Louis. From 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Seniors (age 55 and up) from around the area are invited to enjoy a relaxed environment. At noon, a free lunch is served to all in attendance. For more information, call 636-561-8951. Thu, Jun 17 Standing Committee
Episcopal City Mission’s Summer Solstice Festival at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 9 South Bompart, Webster Groves, MO. For tickets, please call Episcopal City Mission at 314-436-3545. Fri, Jun 18, 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Tue, Jun 22 Standing Committee Thu, Jun 24, 7:00 PM Celebration of New Ministry, St. Barnabas’, Renee Fenner,
Rector. 2900 St. Catherine, Florissant, MO 63033, ph 314-837-7113, www. stbarnabas-stl.org Sat, Jun 26 20th Annual Concert Under the Stars-St. Timothy’s Church, 808
N. Mason Rd., Creve Coeur. Reserved tables of 8-$180. Lawn seating: $7 in advance, $9 concert night. Featuring the music of the Gateway City Big Band. All proceeds benefit St. Timothy’s Outreach programs Mon, Jun 28 ESM Book Club Online. For an invitation by email contact Fr.
Rod Wiltse, wiltse@charter.net June - A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story by Diana Butler Bass Fri, Jul 9 -- Sat, Jul 10 Dismantling Racism training, St. Peter’s-Ladue
Fri, Jul 16 Call for Art “Good News” and article/event submission deadline for
Aug/Sept Seek. Submissions to Beth Felice, Director of Communications for the diocese, bfelice@diocesemo.org, 314-255-1387 Thu, Jul 15 Standing Committee Fri, Jul 16 ESM Summer Term - July Session
Thursday, May 13th, the Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith ordained Eric J. Lobsinger to the Sacred Order of Deacons in Washington D.C. at Saint Paul’s Parish on K Street. Eric has lived in Washington, DC since 2007. He is a judge advocate for the U.S. Coast Guard and is assigned to Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC. He is active with St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – K Street and is involved with several ministries of the parish, including serving as chair of the parish’s domestic and international outreach ministry, the Commission on Mission. Moreover, he serves as the parish convener for the Seminarian Lay Committee and assists liturgically as an acolyte, chalice bearer, and a Morning Prayer lay officiant. From the fall of 2009, he has also been involved with St. Paul’s catechumenate program, Pilgrims in Christ. Prior to living in Washington, DC, Eric was a graduate student and lived in Chicago, Japan, and St. Louis. In each place, with permission from Bishop Smith, he continued the formation and discernment process for the diaconate by being active in local parishes, including extensive involvement with the Anglican Church of Japan during his studies there. In addition to church ministry and working in the legal field, Eric enjoys traveling, sampling different cuisines, and spending time with family and friends. On Saturday, May 22, Bishop Smith ordained Robert Ard, Jr. to the transitional diaconate at Christ Church Cathedral. When asked about his journey to this moment, Robert said, “My spiritual journey is more than a little serpentine, but one word that describes my spiritual journey is grace. If you had asked me to describe the narrative arc of my life when I was 19 or 20, I would have given you a list of jobs and accomplishments that I might achieve. I have, though, realized over the last fifteen years that the only narrative that matters is that of grace. I have experienced the crucified Christ in many unexpected places and people. I have experienced the resurrected Christ in ways that I could have never planned or imagined. My ministry is rooted in the belief that I am called to witness and proclaim the centrality of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ, even when the world believes that God is absent or Jesus Christ does not exist.” Robert looks forward to ministry with the people of the Diocese of Missouri and proclaiming God’s grace throughout Missouri and the world. By the Grace of God and with the consent of the people, the Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith will ordain Pamela Dolan to the Sacred Order of Priests on June 19, 2010, 10:00 AM at Christ Church Cathedral. A reception in her honor and hosted by Emmanuel Episcopal Church will follow. Dolan, who is currently serving at Emmanuel, will remain as curate.
Tue, Jul 20 2011 Diocesan Budget requests due in the office Sun, Jul 25-Sat, Jul 31 Camp Phoenix Wed, Aug 25, 6:30 PM Celebration of New Ministry, St. Martin’s, Ellisville, Jon
Hall, Rector. 15764 Clayton Road, Ellisville, MO 63011, ph 636-227-1484, www.stmartinschurch.org Complete information and more events listed online at http://diocesemo.org/calendar
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The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reflecting on Spiritual Growth Recently I read in Parade Magazine a celebrity interview with a very young Hollywood teen star. The young woman was being complimented on her ability (at the age of 17) to deal with the distractions of both a Nashville and Hollywood career. She attributed her stability to a good upbringing and said that as a child she attended church regularly with her family, but now, although she does not attend church services, she regards herself as “spiritual” rather than religious. Clearly, the young performer see religion and spirituality as two separate things. She suggest that one can make a choice to do one of the other of both depending on one’s current life situation. It also seems to me that, for her, “religion” means going to church and praying with other people, while spirituality is a more etherial, individual state of mind. Without criticizing the young woman and many other people who claim spirituality free of the constraints of religion, I think spirituality is richer and more complex than a single individual’s state of mind. Spirituel growth requires other people. God made us to need other people. As John Donne, the 17th century poet and preacher said, “No (one) is an island entire unto (one’s) self.” We need each other to grow spiritually. We need people to help us up when we feel down. We need to be there to do the same for them. The early Christians knew that they needed each other to stay strong in the face of official condemnation and attack.
by Lynette Ballard
Yes, we find meaning in groups, and we also grow through our individual journeys. “Be still and know that I am God,” Psalm 46 tells us. Be still, be quiet, and be open to God. I have established a relationship with a spiritual director with whom I have a private session once a month. With my spiritual director I share privately the journey I am making-with plenty of details about what’s going on at St. Matthew’s Jesus went out into the wilderness to meditate and to pray, and then he would return to the hectic world of clamoring crowds and conflict that followed him through his ministry. He found solace in the wilderness and temptation, too. Always, he came back to home base, where the people were. A classic cartoon situation shows a pilgrim climbing a mountain to ask for words of wisdom from the old bearded man at the top. More often than not, the “wise” words the pilgrim hears are a disappointment or downright silly. Spiritual growth isn’t a lonesome journey to the mountain top. We grow together-by praying, worshiping, reading the Bible (alone or together), fellowship, and service to others. For me religion is about the formal and informal gathering of God’s people. As a church community we are given many opportunities to grow spiritually. I can’t imagine doing it alone. I can’t imagine doing it without my friends at St. Matthew’s.
Lynette Ballard is a parishioner at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Warson Woods, an elected delegate to diocesan convention, and serves on the diocesan Standing Committee.
We come together as the Church to serve on another, to pray, to worship and to grow in love. There things are not done in isolation. Jesus was intimately connected to his disciples. They sustained one another and modeled for us the way to be in Christian St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Warson Woods’ Core Values: community . At. St. Matthew’s we do the Spiritual Growth: We seek a deeper faith and a closer connection with God. same. Our adult Christian education group Concern for Others: We seek out and respond to people’s needs. meets at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays and is a treaTrust: We strive to earn trust through integrity of word and action. sured part of my spiritual life. Each person Respect for Others: We hold sacred and respect the dignity of every person. in the group helps to feed the spirit of each Stewardship: We are responsible stewards of persons, material possessions, other person., Trudy Morrow, in particular, the Earth. is a model for me of spiritual growth with Community: We journey together as a community of God’s children. her candid and wise questions and the way Love: Love animates our relationships with God and others. (April 2008) she generously shares her life experiences and thoughts.
Celebrating Grace Church Last year, Grace Church in Kirkwood celebrated 150 years, and Rebecca Entenmann had an idea. She designed a wreath of interlinking, overlapping doves and imagined each dove made from fabric which held some memory or significance for members of the parish family.
Pictured are banner committee members (from left to right): Ruth Moore, Gretchen Logue, Becky Entenmann, Bets Salisbury and Joan Emmert. Not pictured are committee member Marty O’Leary and Christie Boyle, who worked on the memory book. Grace’s Creation Care Ministry sends the diocese a few energy saving ideas for this summer: 1) Turn off lights when leaving the room. 2) Completely stop power to game consoles with Smart Strips. Most electronics continue to draw power when in standby. This is called ‘Phantom or Vampire’ power. Xbox, PS3 game consoles can draw as much energy as a small refrigerator when left in standby mode continuously. So, plug them into a smart strip and turn it off after you are done playing. 3) Turn down the water heater when on vacation. For more information or to leave a green tip yourself, visit the Creation Care Ministry blog: http://gracecreationcare.blogspot.com/
As the fabric pieces arrived, with attached memories, the committee knew they had to preserve and present these stories, so they created a scrapbook. The Dove Banner was designed for processions; there is lettering on both sides. One side of the banner looks to the present and future, with three words from Grace’s Mission Statement cut and sewn of gold fabric onto “streamers” of red linen: Growing, Spiritually, Together. The dove shape, often used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, was chosen to represent the spirits of individuals or families who donated to the project. An unending circle became part of the design as a symbol of the continuity and eternity of God’s love, His Church, and our faith in Him. Doves became a circle through the weaving and sewing, just as Grace parishioners are woven into the circle and fabric of Grace and God’s Church at large. Fabrics contributed included curtains in a home, a childhood security blanket, from favorite Halloween costumes made by a mother-in-law. There are fabrics from mission trips abroad, snips of favorite clothing from departed loved ones, a darned section of a family tablecloth, and part of a purificator with the “I Love You” sign stamped on it from St. Thomas Church for the Deaf. Next time you visit Grace, look for the new banner and don’t miss the memory scrapbook, which is often in the Narthex.
Making Disciples • Building Congregations • For the Life of the World
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Giving Mission a Personal Face: Gayle Birdsong The Background
In December of 2009 Gayle Birdsong had a party. A survival party. Gayle is diagnosed with a Glioma Blastoma brain tumor and is participating in an aggressive treatment schedule in a program from Duke University. The treatments have been difficult on her overall health and her friends rallied around with calls of support, offers of help, preparing meals, sending prayers and wishes; all the things that friends do. Gayle said, “So many friends were calling and asking what they could do for me.” She wanted to take all of this energy and direct some of it towards God’s mission. Gayle sent a message to her friends and colleagues; in good health, she would be volunteering her time and efforts to assist food pantries. Would her friends help her celebrate six months of survival with a donation to one of the three food banks where she volunteers? Gayle set a goal of collecting $1500 in two weeks. Gayle collected over $4500 was donated to support local food banks at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Webster Groves, Trinity Episcopal in the Central West End, St. Louis, and Kingdom House.
“I just want to do everything that I can to do God’s work.” To celebrate her tenth month of survival, Gayle invited her friends to join her in a mission work trip to New Orleans. She wasn’t sure how much work she’d be able to do each day, but was between treatments and eager to push forward. If you’ve met Gayle, you know how infectious her spirit is, she simply won’t be slowed by this disease. So maybe it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, that at 22 months of survival, Gayle was again working on finding mission. Finding another window, she sent out a mass email to friends and family to organize a work day on a house renovation project in north St. Louis on May 6th.
9 people put in 65 hours of hard work, which saved homeowners Vivian and Cornell between $5,000 and $6,000. It was a great success and there are plans in the works for another Rehab Saturday. Gayle also used her power list to invite people to a Nurses for Newborns (NFN) baby shower held on May 16th. Friends donated 260 individual items and several hundred dollars which NFN will use to purchase still needed items. “Every day more stuff is coming in,” Gayle said. “ It is amazing and great fun. If any of you missed this event and would still like to donate, NFN’s biggest needs today are large-size diapers (45) and Pull-Ups. Your donations already helped some of their other most pressing needs, such as smaller diapers and formula.” Gayle continues to collect for Kingdom House; since January over 500 items have been donated, with over 1,500 items to the Dress for Success program. Life with cancer can be awful, and while Gayle’s MRIs are clear, days can be filled with fatigue and struggle. After the disappointment of a seizure in April, more medicines, and no driving for six months, Gayle began the planning of the May events. “I have now survived 22 months. A longevity miracle with this cancer. For that I am exceedingly thankful,” she said. “Life is good. God is good and my friends, family, and
doctors are wonderful. God bless you all.”
If you’d like to be on Gayle’s mission partner list, please send your name and email address to the diocesan communications office, care of Beth Felice, bfelice@ diocesemo.org. To conserve energy and resources, email is the primary way of contact.
Gayle Birdsong is a parishioner at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Webster Groves.
Pictures from Homecoming: Collecting for the children of Haiti St. Mark’s Church, Portland Christ Church Rolla raised over $1450 for the Heifer International Project in Haiti. As part of their Lenten practice, Heifer “ark” banks were distributed to the congregation. Emma the Heifer (a stuffed toy) watched over the baptismal font, where additional donations were collected. At a special ingathering on Easter Sunday, the Sunday School children hunted for small animals. For each animal found another coin was donated. Pictured (from left) are Carys, Rosalia, Sunday School teacher Rebecca Robertson, Lydia, and Lyla, holding Emma the Heifer. Photo from Joan Aronstam, which was featured with an article in the Rolla Daily News.
Investing in Our Future Helping to lay a foundation for the spiritual journey of our children is a priority we can no longer delay simply because our numbers are few. That was the decision of our small congregation at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Eureka, when we resurrected Christian Formation classes for our elementary students. At first we had two children; now we have four. We hope that by providing a framework of time, place and a curriculum that is both interesting and teacher-friendly, more children will find a path to our door. Through the enthusiastic efforts of our Vicar, the Rev. Sally Weaver, our high school students have partnered with the Youth Group at Eureka Methodist Church. Partnership with other congregations and seeking their help was key in getting our Christian education up and running. In these times of budgets cuts and staff reductions, it is vital that we help each other. Janis Greenbaum, Christian Formation Director at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, was the “wind beneath our wings” when she offered her encouragement and experience. She directed us to a number of web sites to search for the most suitable curriculum for our children. Many thanks to Janis and, as we move forward in growing our children in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Linda Doolittle Chairman of Christian Formation St. Francis Church, Eureka
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June/July 2010
The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
The faithful parishioners of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Portland, have kept the flame burning for the past 100 years and look forward to the next hundred. Built in 1910, the church was one of four diocesan churches built from the same set of plans. “Archdeacon William Walton came up with this idea and as we understand it, they were built assembly line fashion,” noted Sue Rehkopf, Diocesan Archivist. “The stonelook concrete blocks were poured and cured on site.” Rehkopf worked with the parish providing history and previous articles; as part of the celebration year St. Mark’s is creating a memory book. These photos were taken at the second of four events planned this year, a parish homecoming during the Bishop’s annual visitation. Following worship, confirmation, and an abundant fried chicken picnic lunch, there was plenty of time for fellowship. (Thanks to photographer Beverly Wilhelm.) Upcoming celebrations: Sunday, June 13, 2010, St. Mark’s Community Celebration (Special Guests: the Portland community, and sister churches), following worship, an Ice Cream Social and live music. Sunday, October 17, 2010 Afternoon Holy Eucharist followed by a Hayride and live music. (Special Guests: Members and clergy of other West Convocation Episcopal churches.)
May Confirmations at the Cathedral In the Diocese of Missouri, under the episcopate of Bishop Wayne Smith, parishes may elect to participate in diocese-wide confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation services at Christ Church Cathedral or schedule them in parishes during the Bishop’s annual visitation. Just under one hundred were confirmed, received, and reaffirmed in their Baptismal Vows on May 15th at the cathedral by the Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith. Participating parishes included: Trinity-St. Charles; Trinity-Kirksville; St. Timothy’s-Creve Coeur; St. Martin’s-Ellisville; St. John’s-Tower Grove; GraceKirkwood; Good Shepherd-Town & Country; Christ Church Cathedral; Campus Ministry-Columbia; Calvary-Columbia; All Saints-Farmington. After the presentations and celebration of Holy Eucharist, each parish posed for the traditional picture with Bishop Wayne. Pictured (clockwise from above): Standing room only at the cathedral; the group from St. Martin’s Church, Ellisville; family and friends; Bishop Smith and Deacon Mark Sluss in front of the queue of those to be presented and their presenters.
Trinity-Kirksville: Stations of the Resurrection Trinity Episcopal Church in Kirksville held a first-ever Stations of the Resurrection on May 21, in their Meditation Garden. The Stations of the Resurrection, or Via Lucis (Way of Light) represent a recent form of devotional worship first debuted in the Roman Catholic Church on Good Friday, 1991. Based on the Stations of the Cross, one of the more ancient forms of devotional Christian worship, the Resurrection Stations move beyond the Passion of Christ through the Easter phase of the Paschal mystery. One of the modern criticisms of the Stations of the Cross is that its endpoint is the burial of Christ, with no emphasis on the Resurrection. The Stations of the Resurrection were first conceptualized by Father Sabino Palumbieri, of the Salesian University of Rome. The Via Lucis consists of fourteen appearances of the risen Christ between Easter and Pentecost. Although some variations exist in the number of stations and New Testament events used in the Stations of the Resurrection, TrinityKirksville used these fourteen stations, one of the more popular formats: 1. Jesus is raised from the dead (Mt. 28:1-7) 2. The finding of the empty tomb (John 20:1-9) 3. Mary Magdalene meets the risen Jesus (John 20:11-18) 4. Jesus appears on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-19, 25-27) 5. Jesus is known in the breaking of bread (Luke 24:28-35) 6. Jesus appears to the disciples in Jerusalem (Luke 24:36-43) 7. Jesus gives the disciples his peace and the power to forgive sins (John 20:19-23) 8. Jesus strengthens the faith of Thomas (John 20:24-29) 9. Jesus appears by the Sea of Tiberias
Prayer from Station Thirteen: Mary and the Disciples Wait in Prayer Ever-patient God, we thank you for that wondrous mixture of Incarnation and humanity within us, but sometimes we don't know what to do with it. Teach us to wait and listen. Patience is not a natural state for us, but we desire to do your will. When we are unsure, comfort us to the place where we can sit still and pray. Calm us enough to simply attune the ear of our hearts to you. Let us look up in our apprehension and see your Son's Blessed Mother, a calm and consoling parent to our souls. Amen. (John 21:1-9, 13) 10. Jesus forgives Peter and commands him to feed his sheep (John 21:15-17) 11. Jesus commissions the disciples upon the mountain (Mt. 28:16-20) 12. The Ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:6-11) 13. Mary and the disciples wait in prayer (Acts 1:12-14) 14. The Holy Spirit descends at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-6)
This expression of the Stations emphasizes the message of hope in the Resurrection story. Although relatively new, this devotion continues to gain popularity, particularly among Roman Catholics and Episcopalians/ Anglicans.
was written by Evans and is available on her blog (http://kirkepiscatoid.blogspot. com). Each of Trinity’s stations used an item for illustration, filling the garden with such varied attractions as a bag of livestock feed, a red stole, and a Tiki torch. The procession of stations wound around the rock garden with a white sheet in the center, and out towards Harrison Street, representing a circle of Biblical events beyond the empty tomb and the Holy Spirit being "taken to the streets" following Pentecost.
Evans writes, “The emphasis on this version of the Stations of the Resurrection was the range of huThe center of the Stations, with representation man emotions encountered of shroud, in Trinity’s Meditation Garden. by the disciples during the time between Easter and Trinity's version of the stations was Pentecost, as a companion of our own the brainchild of Julie Seidler, Cole range of emotions as we grow in our asWoodcox, and Maria Evans. The liturgy surance of a Christ-centered life.”
Making Disciples • Building Congregations • For the Life of the World
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June/July 2010
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Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis • All Saints’, Farmington • All Saints’, St. Louis • Church of the Ascension, Northwoods • Calvary Church, Columbia • Calvary Church, We are 13,500ofbaptized members in 45• Church congregations Louisiana • Christ Church, Cape Girardeau • Christ Church, Rolla • Church of St. Michael & St. George, Clayton • Church the Advent, Crestwood of the Good in the eastern half of •Missouri, Shepherd, Town & Country • Church of the Holy Communion, University City • Columbia Hope Church • Emmanuel Church, Webster Groves Grace Church, Jefferson City • Grace Church, Kirkwood • Holy Cross Church, Poplar Bluff • St. Alban’s, Fulton • St. Barnabas’, Florissant • St. Francis’, Eureka • St. John’s, Eolia (Prairieville) • Camp Phoenix • Care and Counseling, Inc. • Conversations with the Bishop • Christian Formation • COEDMO • Commission on Dismantling Racism • Commission on Ministry fromand theWellness Episcopal Diocese of Missouri • Community Gardens • Community Health Ministries • Community of Hope • Companion Diocese Relationship Committee • Diocesan Council • Diocesan Convention • Diocesan Mission Trips • Episcopal Campus Ministry • Episcopal City Mission • Episcopal Church Women • Episcopal Recovery Ministry • Episcopal Relief and Development • Episcopal School for Ministry • Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation • Fresh Start • General Convention • Grace Hill • Happening • Hunger and Food Ministries • Journey 2 Adulthood • Missional Model Congregations • Oasis Missouri • Paseo Con Christo • Rite 13 • St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System The Mission of the Diocese of Missouri is (STARSS) • St. Luke’s Hospital • Standing Committee • Sustain A Faith • Task Force for the Hungry • United Thank Offering • Youth Ministry • St. John’s, Tower Grove • St. the mission of allPortland baptized Luke’s, Manchester • St. Mark’s, • St.Christians: Mark’s, St. Louis • St. Martin’s, Ellisville • St. Matthew’s, Mexico • St. Matthew’s, Warson Woods • St. Paul’s, Carondelet • St. Paul’s, Ironton St. Paul’s, • St. the Paul’s, Sikeston • St. Peter’s, Ladue • St.Diocese Stephen’s, Ferguson • St. Thomas’ Church for the Deaf, Kirkwood • St. Timothy’s, to •teach andPalmyra to spread Gospel Episcopal of Missouri 1210 Locust Street Creve Coeur • St. Vincent’s-in-the-Vineyard, Ste. Genevieve • Church of the Transfiguration, Lake St. Louis • Trinity Church, Jefferson County • Trinity Church, Hannibal • and its knowledge of salvation to all people; St. Louis, Missouri 63103 Trinity Church, Kirksville • Trinity Church, St. Charles • Trinity Church, St. James • Trinity Church, Central West End • Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis • All Saints’, Farmand to make the love of Christ known in the world ington • All Saints’, St. Louis • Church of the Ascension, Northwoods • Calvary Church, Columbia • Calvary Church, Louisiana • Christ Church, Cape Girardeau • Christ actions individuals, Church, Rollathrough • Church our of St.own Michael & St.asGeorge, Clayton • Church of the Advent, Crestwood • Church of the Good Shepherd, Town & Country • Church of the Holy Communion, University City • Columbia • Emmanuel Church, Webster Groves • Grace Church, Jefferson City • Grace Church, Kirkwood • Holy Cross as congregations, and asHope theChurch diocese, Church,by Poplar Bluff • St. Alban’s, Fulton • St. Barnabas’, Florissant • St. Francis’, Eureka • St. John’s, Eolia (Prairieville) • Camp Phoenix • Care and Counseling, Inc. • feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, Conversations with the Bishop • Christian Formation • COEDMO • Commission on Dismantling Racism • Commission on Ministry • Community Gardens • Community naked,• Community housing the homeless, Health andclothing Wellness the Ministries of Hope • Companion Diocese Relationship Committee • Diocesan Council • Diocesan Convention • Diocesan Mission caring for the sick, •visiting theCity prisoner, Trips • Episcopal Campus Ministry Episcopal Mission • Episcopal Church Women • Episcopal Recovery Ministry • Episcopal Relief and Development • Episcopal School for Ministry • Episcopalians and comforting thoseforinGlobal timesReconciliation of trouble. • Fresh Start • General Convention • Grace Hill • Happening • Hunger and Food Ministries • Journey 2 Adulthood • Missional Model Congregations • Oasis Missouri • Paseo Con Christo • Rite 13 • St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System (STARSS) • St. Luke’s Hospital • Standing Committee • Sustain A Faith • Task Force for the Hungry • United Thank Offering • Youth Ministry • St. John’s, Tower Grove • St. Luke’s, Manchester • St. Mark’s, Portland • St. Mark’s, St. Louis • St. Martin’s, Ellisville • St. Matthew’s, Mexico • St. Matthew’s, Warson Woods • St. Paul’s, Carondelet • St. Paul’s, Ironton • St. Paul’s, Palmyra • St. Paul’s, Sikeston • St. Peter’s, Ladue • St. Stephen’s, Ferguson • St. Thomas’ Church for the Deaf, Kirkwood • St. Timothy’s, Creve Coeur • St. Vincent’s-inthe-Vineyard, Ste. Genevieve • Church of the Transfiguration, Lake St. Louis • Trinity Church, Jefferson County • Trinity Church, Hannibal • Trinity Church, Kirksville • Trinity Church, St. Charles • Trinity Church, St. James • Trinity Church, Central West End • Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis • All Saints’, Farmington • All Saints’, St. Louis •
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June-July 2010
Making Disciples Building Congregations For the Life of the World
We Are the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri Please Join Us This Week
This month’s call for art on themes of
Celebration presents a work by the
Reverend Dr.
Charles H. Morris Titled "Revelation and Grace," this work is done in one of the styles of the Russian artist Vassily Kandinsky, with Morris' own Christian iconography employed. Done on Arches paper, media used were colored pencil and acrylic paint (© 2001); dimensions are 11.25 by 14.75 inches. Symbolic features of the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Spirit, and Holy Trinity are found in the painting. Charles Morris, inspired by a drawing class with George Bartko in ‘82, has been studying and creating art with renewed vigor since retiring in 1996. Morris enjoys working in pastels and acrylics, and drawing in pencil and charcoal. In addition to work with these media, he's studied sculpture and art history, foreign languages (principally Spanish), and spent many hours with music as a percussionist. A still-active-in-retirement priest, Morris regularly assists in worship, adult education, and pastoral duties at the Episcopal Church of the
“Good News” is next The Next Call to Visual Artists in the Diocese for Artwork We are seeking your artwork for publication in Seek and online. Photographers, digital artists, textile artists, painters, illustrators, sculptors; digital photographs of any genre of work will be accepted. The Editorial Board and Offices of the Bishop will choose one or two selections for each Seek issue. Please consider your sub-
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Transfiguration in Lake St. Louis. He's married and has three children and seven grandchildren, plays tennis two or three times a week, and loves the outdoors. A graduate of Schreiner University in his hometown of Kerrville, TX, he received a B.A. in English at Texas U. ('54) and both M. Div. and D. Min. degrees ('57 and '80) from the Virginia Theological Seminary. He served churches in Texas and Missouri for nearly 39 years before his retirement.
mitting your artwork which echoes part of our baptismal vow: to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ. Artwork chosen for publication will include a brief bio of the artist, and statement about the work and its relation to the theme. Artists selected will receive our thanks and a small token of appreciation from the Offices of the Bishop. Submission deadline for “Good News” artwork is Friday, July 16, 2010.
DioceseMo.org
Digital files may be emailed to communications director Beth Felice at bfelice@diocesemo.org, or phone us to make other arrangements, 314-255-1387.
Future calls are: “Reconcile,” submission by Sept. 17, 2010; “Whole heart,” submission by Nov. 12, 2010.