Seek, Eastertide 2012

Volume 5, Number 1, Eastertide 2012

The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri 1210 Locust Street St. Louis, Missouri 63103 ph: 314-231-1220 online: diocesemo.org email: info@diocesemo.org

A Parish in Iron County There are around 10,000 residents in Iron County, Missouri. It’s an impoverished area, losing population and schools and jobs, with a lot of young families caught up in the destructive cycle of meth use and production. And there, too, is St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, membership around 40, reclaiming the understanding of “parish” as neighborhood.

Catherine Hillquist came to Ironton from the Diocese of Los Angeles. A self-described “urban” person, she felt God’s call to rural ministry and became St. Paul’s rector in 2001. St. Paul’s, on the national register and known for its distinctive painted roof, is open every day for prayer and Hillquist’s office door is open. One of the only full-time pastors in the area, she is available, and there is a constant stream of people seeking help, sharing updates about their situations, or simply needing to pray.

“As a small parish, we have to keep our ear to the ground about what is going on in the community.”

The community food pantry was in a decrepit house owned by the county,

scheduled for demolition. A new facility was proposed for $100K. The pantry board connected with Carol Douma, recent widow with an estate to settle. She rented them a large warehouse for $1 a year for the next ten years. St. Paul’s applied for a New Ventures in Community Ministry grant from the diocese, was awarded $12,000. They spend $10K to make it useful as a pantry and put the rest on account for maintenance and utilities.

“One church is not the savior of a community,” said Hillquist. “It is the church working together, loving one another the way we are, helping one another out.”

The roof tiles painted just 8 years ago are peeling and St. Paul’s has hired Rick Kuhn, Emmanuel parishioner and Lui pilgrim, and construction company owner, as contractor. They’ll replace with aluminum tiles in teal and terracotta colors, materials that will preserve the traditional look and last a long time. The roof features 18 spires with finials and three crosses, which were all in states of decay.

“Rick was so enthusiastic about these new materials,” said Hillquist, “I wanted to share that.” Hillquist invited retired shop

Individuals, in Community

Photos (clockwise from top left): Catherine Hillquist, rector of St. Paul’s-Ironton; the parish on bishop’s visitation day; l. to r. an old finial, Bo Layton’s new polymer finial, one of the three crosses to be recast; Kuhn Construction working on the roof, with an inset of the new tiles laid on the peeling roof.

teacher Bo Layton into the project. After testing out the material, creating a prototype, Layton will create the finials and crosses for the project.

Hillquist was named Woman of the Year by the Arcadia Valley Chamber of Commerce this year.

“God has provided this church,” said Hillquist, “where people can touch one another and where they are at home.”

Wayne Smith

learn that the Bible’s The special gift and characvision for wholeteristic of American life is its awareness and salvation ness of the individual—so much so is lived in the firstthat individual-ism marks us. There person plural, not in are few places on earth that guard the singular? How personal rights as zealously as we do, do Americans learn for which we do well to be grateful. that faith is not so The religious heritage of our much about me as it nation has developed in similar fashis about us? Or inion, with its concern for personal consofar as faith is about version and salvation. The destiny of Fresco of Fractio Panis (Breaking of Bread) in the Catacomb of Priscilla, me, it is about how Rome, Italy, from around 350 A.D. the individual soul has been the conI find a place among cern of the revival movements in this the larger us? land since the eighteenth century. Inlost, but it found its meaning in the context The refocusing requires a lot terestingly, recent trends in self-fulfillof first-person plural. So Cyprian of Carthage from us, an abrupt shift ment—all the books (who died in 258) wrote, “Outside the church in awareness—but a necand literature and there is no salvation”—a bafflement, if not essary one. But there are media about it—repto moderns. But for Cyprian How do persons, resources for us. The pi- embarrassment, resent a secularized and the rest of the ancient Christian writversion of that oldschooled in indi- ety suggested in the Book ers, the very idea of a church-less Christianof Common Prayer 1979 fashioned revivalist ity would have made no sense, for salvation vidualism, learn acknowledges the perconcern for the soul’s and faith were about belonging to a people, to be a people? ... sonal but emphasizes the a community, who were in together. All their fate. Both are about communal. (This change, personal salvation. images of salvation were corporate in nature.

How do Ameriinterwoven to the whole I think our The rites of Holy Week invite us all cans learn that Book, may account for very culture tilts us into the context of first-person plural. There a lot of the initial resistoward the personal, are crowds in which to lose ourselves, both faith is not so tance to it. It seemed simply because the on Palm Sunday and on Good Friday. There much about me different, not just in lanpersonal has served is the action of mutual servanthood, washguage, but in intent, beus so well for so long. ing and being washed, on Maundy Thursas it is about us? cause it was different.)

The concern for the day. There is the cosmic community held Baptism, once mostly a individual, his or her out for us to experience at the Easter Vigil. private matter celebrated dignity and rights, is There is this strange bunch called the people privately, now is a celebration of pubnot something I want to see destroyed of God, shaped in the mighty works of God lic worship on Sunday. To understand in our national character and practice. and made present in baptism at the Vigil. that one shift in practice is to grasp Our bent toward the personal, And—not least of all—resurrecwhat Prayer Book renewal has been up however, sometimes makes it diffition is not about something that happens to to—a recovery of the scriptural vision cult to imagine a proper place for the me, in isolation (from God’s people, from all so honored by the ancients, the escommunal and the corporate—which creation). Resurrection, perhaps most of all, sential place of belonging in commuhappen to describe the world of God’s is about life lived in the first-person plural. nity. For the ancients, the Christian people in both testaments of scripture.

The Right Reverend Wayne Smith faith was never about me; it was always How do persons, schooled in individuis the Tenth Bishop of Missouri. about us. The personal aspect was not alism, learn to be a people? How do we

For th e Lif e of th e Worl d

Eastertide

Katharine Jefferts Schori

One of my favorite Easter hymns is about greenness. “Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain.”

It goes on to talk about love coming again.

It’s a reminder to me of how centered our Easter images are in the Northern hemisphere.

We talk about greenness and new life and life springing forth from the earth when we talk about resurrection.

I often wonder what Easter images come in the Southern hemisphere, and I think that the church in the south has something to teach us about that.

I was in Japan a month or so ago,

and visiting the area of Japan that was so affected by the tsunami and the aftermath of the earthquake. The earth there is — was at that point — largely colorless, brown, in the middle of winter. No greenness.

But at the same time the work of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the Japanese church in that part of Japan, has brought a great deal of new life, life abundant for people who have been devastated and displaced, who are still mourning their loss of loved ones, the loss of their homes and employment.

New life comes in many forms, even in seasons that seem fairly wintry.

As we began Lent, I asked you to think about the Millennium Development Goals and our work in Lent as a re-focusing of our lives. I’m delighted

to be able to tell you that the U.N. report this last year has shown some significant accomplishment in a couple of those goals, particularly in terms of lowering the rates of the worst poverty, and in achieving better access to drinking water and better access to primary education. We actually might reach those goals by 2015. That leaves a number of other goals as well as what moves beyond the goals to full access for all people to abundant life.

In this Easter season I would encourage you to look at where you are finding new life and resurrection, where life abundant and love incarnate are springing up in your lives and the lives of your communities. There is indeed greenness, whatever the season.

Give thanks for Easter. Give thanks for resurrection. Give thanks for the presence of God incarnate in our midst.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church.

Photo ©2011 Richard Schori, Bishop Katharine’s visit to Christ Church, Cape Girardeau in November 2011.

Rowan Williams to step down as Archbishop

Archbishop of Canterbury, March 2012. (cc) photo from National Assembly for Wales, Cynulliad Cymru on flickr.com.

Rowan Williams announced on March 16th that he intends to leave the position of Archbishop of Canterbury in the end of December 2012 and begin as Master of Magdelene College, Cambridge, in January 2013.

Following the announcement Williams was asked about the best and worst parts of the job, to which he replied, “The best part of the job has certainly been seeing churches at grass roots worldwide – seeing why and how they matter to people. And being given the privilege and the possibility of sharing what you hear in one part of the world, or in one part of the Church of England with other parts. You can become a kind of ‘switchboard’ for good news. You can receive good news about what’s happening in one part of the world and pass it on elsewhere, and feel very much enriched and stretched in the process. The worst aspects of the job I think have been the sense that there are some conflicts that won’t go

Williams Reflection I’ve just read (3/16/12, New York Times) that Rowan Williams has formally announced his resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury effective at the end of this year.

I read this while taking a break from writing my monthly article for St. Tim’s in which I was going to quote…Rowan Williams!

I met Abp. Williams at Oxford, at a critical time in my own transition. I was in a group of Episcopal clergy and lay folk (I was neither at the time) taking summer classes at Lincoln College at the University of Oxford. The class was entitled, “Christian Poetry after T.S. Eliot.” Williams was a great teacher and class time would extend through lunch at the college dining hall, which looked and felt like Harry Potter’s Hogwarts dining hall. Williams was not yet a bishop, but a man of great wit and intellect…and deep faith. His tenure as Archbishop has been marked by great tensions and conflict in the Anglican Communion.

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Jack Fleming

His new position as Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, should be a whole lot less stressful than his current one—concern about student behavior and faculty parking problems should be a relief.

I have been reading one of his earlier books titled, simply, Resurrection, as part of my Lenten reading and want to share a passage with you. “…To speak of the resurrection of Jesus is also to speak of one’s own humanity as healed, renewed and restored, re-centred in God. Williams writes, “you cannot see your own face, except in a mirror; you cannot describe with satisfactory completeness and objectivity the new life of grace except by looking at the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’ risen-ness and our risen-ness are visible only obliquely, in relation to each other. And this means that they are really uttered and manifested only in a speech that belongs directly within that relationship, a speech that is an

The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

away, however long you struggle with them. And that not everybody in the Anglican Communion or even in the Church of England is eager to avoid schism or separation. I’ve certainly regarded it as a real priority to try and keep people in relationship with each other. That is what bishops have to do – what archbishops above all have to do.”

Presiding Bishop Katharine wrote, “I am grateful for Rowan Williams’ service as Archbishop of Canterbury during an exceedingly challenging season... May the coming months bring welldeserved peace to him and his family, and may we join in blessing his ministry. ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’”

Full text of the Archbishop’s announcement, Presiding Bishop Katharine’s statement, and links to how the process for selecting the next Archbishop will commence can be found on the diocesan website: www.diocesemo.org.

intrinsic part of the process of discovering myself, and the human future. Overall, in the presence of Jesus.”

Now, I didn’t say that reading Williams was easy work. A few years ago the St. Timothy’s theology book group studied another of his works, Rays of Darkness —and a very bright group of folks had their work cut out for them.

As we journey through another Easter together, take an extra moment to re-read these quotes from Rowan Williams. I know that they will add depth and additional insight into the mystery of Jesus’ resurrection and our own.

Easter peace, Easter blessings.

The Rev. John Fleming is rector of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Creve Coeur.

Making Disciples • Building Congregations • For the Life of the World

In Fall 2012, All Saints' Episcopal Church in St. Louis will begin the first music and art classes of Music & Art Village. Born from a dream and a desire to share the love of the arts, the program will offer free music and arts instruction to neighborhood children.

Initially, the program will focus on three public schools in the surrounding neighborhood (Lexington & Ashland Elementary Schools and YeatmanLiddell Middle School) and be limited to 30-40 students.

The program will offer basic art and music instruction, the music concentrating on keyboards and guitar.

Donations of supplies, instruments, volunteer time and funds will be appreciated. The first fundraising event is planned for Friday, April 27 from 4-7 PM at the new Blackfinn Restaurant in the north end of the Galleria in Brentwood. More details available from Fr. Michael Dunnington and the All Saints' team at 314-367-2314 or allsaintsadminasst@sbcglobal.net.

Called to Sikeston St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Sikeston called the Rev. Suzanne Wolfenbarger to be their next rector. Organist Harry Howard remarked that the congregation felt very blessed to have her as pastor. Wolfenbarger and husband Bill have relocated to Sikeston and are enjoying getting to know the congregation and community.

“This is a new day in the life, mission, and ministry of St. Paul’s. Please join me in a prayer of thanksgiving.” Photos l. to r.: celebrating Eucharist; the parish worships; organist Howard.

In the back of St. Martin’s sanctuary the chapel is set invitingly with draped altar linens, candles, lighting focal points and about 25 chairs that slowly fill to the accompaniment of recorded harp music. In the calm, children seem to sink into coloring activities and play, service leaflet notes boldly state “Noises of children do not hinder worship—All of us tune in and out of worship in our won ways; we trust this time together will feed and transform us all.”

Emily Hillquist Davis, assisting priest at St. Martin’s, leads this service.

Davis is also rector of St. Thomas Church for the Deaf in Kirkwood, and signs much of the service—joined by 505 participants learning to incorporate this expressive motion into their worship.

It’s a mix of familiar structure and new accents, an opening centering bell, confession and prayers which encourage anyone to read aloud, as the Spirit moves them. Engaging the Gospel, the scripture is read thrice, the first time worshipers note a word or phrase and let the words soak in; a second reading with the lens of a couplet from our Baptismal vow, Will you strive for justice and peace; a conversation, questions posed, and then, standing, a final reading. Eucharist and prayers are familiar touchstones, then the centering bell, reclaimed collects and scented oil gently dismiss us back into the evening. The 505 is celebrated on Saturday evenings at 5:05 PM at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Ellisville.

Deposition of Joseph Carlo March 13, 2012, St. Louis The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri has a zero tolerance policy for any type of clergy sexual misconduct.

The Offices of the Bishop first received reports in August 2011 of the sexual abuse of boys and adolescents by Joseph Carlo, rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Rolla from 1960-1991.

Under Title IV of the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church, Canon to the Ordinary the Rev. Dan Smith, appointed

by Bishop Wayne Smith as diocesan intake officer, began initial investigation. At the time of the initial reports, as a mandated reporter, Canon Smith contacted the State of Missouri Child Abuse Hotline and was informed the criminal statute of limitations had expired.

Canon Smith interviewed in-person and by telephone the lay and ordained leadership of the congregation. After those interviews he interviewed primary and secondary victims of the sexual abuse. The reported abuse by Carlo happened between 1975 and 1985.

In November of 2011 the Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri, the Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith, visited Joseph Carlo and informed him of the charges. By the conclusion of this interview Carlo agreed to all the essential points of the charges and submitted himself to judgment. Under Title IV, Canon 9, Bishop Smith deposed Joseph Carlo [meaning he is no longer a priest]. This is the strongest sanction available to a bishop.

The primary concern of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri is the healing of any and all victims of this sexual abuse. Canon Smith has interviewed five people who report incidents of abuse by Carlo between 1975 and 1985.

The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri has offered the victims of this sexual abuse pro-

Photos of the 505: Chapel space at St. Martin’s, Eucharist, Emily Davis.

General Convention July 5-13 Meeting this summer in Indianapolis, the governing body of the Episcopal Church worships, prays, discerns, discusses, and votes on matters great and small. Members of the Missouri deputation will be working hard: Bishop Wayne is the co-chair of the cognate Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music committee and will be addressing the many resolutions submitted on Same Sex Blessing Liturgies. Rector Dan Appleyard (Emmanuel) is the chair of the Ecumenical Relations committee. Other deputation members will be on the Evangelism, Ministry, Education, and Credentials committees. The deputation will schedule pre-convention listening sessions in June. You can keep up with convention news in iSeek and on the deputation’s blog: missourideputation.blogspot.com .

“As Bishop, I have primary pastoral responsibilities to the survivors of the abuse perpetrated by a now deposed priest of this Diocese. I also have pastoral responsibilities to the people of Christ Episcopal Church in Rolla. My responsibility begins with hearing from victims and taking them seriously. It continues with holding abusers accountable and meting out consequences. A crucial point in healing comes with telling the truth about the matter, insofar as it can be known, in the midst of the affected community. This is what Diocesan leaders and I did among and for the people of Christ Church on Sunday [March 4 church meeting in Rolla]. It is important to know that these are first steps toward healing, and by no means the last ones.”

Wayne Smith Bishop of Missouri March 6, 2012 fessional counseling by the counselor of their choice. The diocese will cover the costs of any such counseling, including offering to the victims the opportunity to meet with Joseph Carlo if that will aid in their healing process.

The Diocese of Missouri deeply regrets that this investigation took place long after the events of sexual abuse transpired.

On March 4, 2012, a meeting was held at Christ Church with the bishop, the canon, the Chancellor of the Diocese, counselors from Care and Counseling, some victims, clergy and lay leadership in addition to members of the parish. In his report at that meeting, Canon Smith answered the question why do this investigation after such a long period of time, “As Intake Officer I have three responses to

that question. Under Title IV of the Canons there is no statute of limitations for this type of offense. Secondly and most importantly, we owe the victims of this type of abuse the truth and our support. This is not canonical it is moral. Victims of this type of abuse often spend the rest of their lives seeking healing.

Bringing into the open that which was a secret aids that healing. Third, Congregations whether they realize it or not suffer wounds as the result of secrets and rumors. The only way for the healing of congregations to occur is to take away the power of secrets and innuendo by being as open and transparent as possible. I acknowledge the many feelings that are probably present in you personally and corporately.

I have shared in many of those feelings during this process. This is a lot to take in and I appreciate that fact. We want you to know that the Diocese of Missouri and your Bishop stand ready to help in any way possible with the healing process that now begins.”

Bu i l di n g C o n gre ga ti o ns

The 505: Restless people welcome

Maki n g Dis c i p l es

Music and Arts Village

“Each of us, in our own way, has been affected by the tragic news we received from our Canon and Bishop at the beginning of March. Please continue to pray for the victims and their families, Joseph, and our parish community as we all begin the process of healing and reconciliation.

I firmly believe that God is with us in our present turmoil and that He will guide us and empower us for new opportunities for service and mission.”

The Rev. Aune Strom Rector of Christ Church, Rolla Easter 2012, Letter to the Parish Seek

Eastertide 2012

DioceseMo.

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Time for Common Ground Our similarities bring us to a common ground; our differences allow us to be fascinated by each other. – Tom Robbins Taking care of our own has always been a part of the American nation. Reaching out has also been a key part of the role of churches.

During the current recession and the many recent challenges we have met, from terrorism to the devastation of multiple natural disasters, we have risen to work in unity to meet those challenges regardless of any real or perceived differences. Common Ground in Jefferson City has brought people together

Photos: Interior space at Common Ground (top), ready to break ground for the garden (lower left), the renovated building.

City Streets

to reach out to those in need and to support community connection in Jefferson City.

Jefferson City is a small capitol city, as state capitols go. With the state and several other large employers here, and with a welleducated workforce, Jefferson City has an arguably stronger local economy than many of the counties in Missouri. Yet, here we have seen and felt the effects of this difficult recession in terms that are both clear and disheartening.

Anyone who has not been directly impacted by the recession knows someone who has, whether a friend, a relative or a neighbor. The service organizations in town, such as the Salvation Army and the Samaritan Center, have seen a steady and continuing increase in requests for assistance, sometimes from people who previously donated to or volunteered with the very organization from which they now seek assistance. Local churches, too, have seen an increase in appeals for assistance.

To help meet the needs for support and to build for the future, several churches have united around Common Ground, a community ecumenical center designed to provide assistance to those who need it, to provide a positive environment for people to grow and develop, and to provide an opportunity for unity to work in action. Under the leadership of the First United Methodist Church, an old building on the east side of Jefferson City has been rehabilitated to become Common Ground. The City of Jefferson supported rehabilitation of the exterior. A lot of sweat and tender loving care went into the interior. The Building now features a great deal of usable space. Central United Church of Christ, First Presbyterian Church, and Grace

Two years ago, the people of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Webster Groves partnered with AmeriCorps and the Cold Weather Outreach to become an overflow shelter during periods of extreme cold. If temperatures fell below 0°on the weekends they’d signed up for, the parish would welcome up to 30 homeless persons, provide safe sleeping areas, warmth and meals.

“The Holy Spirit came to us, invited us to do this,” said project co-chair and Diocesan Council member Rudy Walz. “We didn’t know where we’d find the resources to do this.” But with help from the mission committee, the Men of Emmanuel, Miss Carol’s breakfast*, a fundraiser, and a grant from the diocesan New Ventures in Community Ministry fund, along with 45 team members to organize and head the cooking and baking teams, “the little mustard seed grew into a tree.”

This year the weather was warmer, but the group staged clothing ingatherings and cook-ins for AmeriCorps and area shelters. “One day when we took food to the Gateway Shelter, the cook came out to thank us. She didn’t have enough for that evening’s meal, but knew God would provide,” said Walz.

And next year? Walz said they’ll be back and “doing even more, because that’s how the Spirit works.”

Emmanuel’s Senior High Youth Group worked with Christ Church Cathedral to offer a special breakfast every December for the downtown homeless, in memory of Carol Bledsoe, longtime Emmanuel parishioner and cathedral secretary, senselessly murdered in December 2003. When the cathedral announced it would no longer hold the breakfast (it now provides breakfast every Saturday through the year), Emmanuel member Kelsey Mitchell challenged the collegiate and the Sr. High Youth Group to hold the breakfast at Emmanuel, and donate money raised to the cathedral’s Saturday program. That first year, 2010, they raised over $2400.

Cathedral parishioner and breakfast program coordinator Tom Rogers (the son-in-law of longtime Emmanuel members) reported back that the money helped with monthly expenses, an on-demand water heater, a bagel slicing mandolin, and an upgrade to the utensil washing sink.

Seek is published quarterly by the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Executive Editor: The Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith, Bishop of Missouri. Editor: Ms. Beth Felice, Director of Communications . Editorial Board: the Rev. Teresa K. M. Danieley, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, St. Louis; Mr. Jerry Martin, St. Paul’s Church, St. Louis; Mrs. Susan Moenkhaus, St. Timothy’s Church, St. Louis; the Rev. Jason Samuel, rector of Church of the Transfiguration, Lake St. Louis; the Rev. Beverly Van Horne, Interim Dean of the Episcopal School for Ministry; the Rev. Dan Smith, Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of Missouri.

SEEK, Vol. 5, No. 1, Eastertide 2012 Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Offices of the Bishop 1210 Locust St, 3rd floor, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, ph. 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 also distributed to each parish, mission, and preaching station in the diocese. Archived editions of Seek are 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. Printed in St. Louis by Nies Artcraft Companies, using soy-based ink on recycled stock.

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Gary Harbison

The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

Episcopal have all contributed to staffing the center and providing for special projects.

Grace Episcopal Church parishioners expressed an interest in working on issues related to a ministry of food education. Common Ground is located in a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse neighborhood. As a whole this area includes the most economically marginalized portion of the city’s population with the lowest household income, highest rate of free and reduced cost school lunches, and the highest proportion of households without a vehicle. Grace parishioners feel that supporting local interest in and capacity for healthy-eating and gardening is a positive and needed addition to the community that will also support positive interactions within the neighborhood.

Through the hard work and dedication of several church members, Grace was able to apply for and receive a $5,000 matching local food grant from the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The grant will partially support the work of Grace at Common Ground, which will include a demonstration garden, and diabetes and general nutrition education. The grant will help fund completion of the Common Ground kitchen, and the construction of the garden.

Neighbors will be invited to share in the gardening work and the produce.

Grace parishioners look forward to sharing the positive contributions of Common Ground.

Gary Harbison is a member of Grace Church in Jefferson City and the Executive Director of the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health.

Around the Diocese St. Martin’s annual Trivia Night to benefit mission in Joplin and Lui. RSVP Heidi Gioia at 636-227-1484 Sat, Apr 14, 9 AM Diocesan Council Meeting at Trinity-St. Louis Sun, Apr 15, 3 PM Recital for Organ and Voice, St. Mark’s-St. Louis with

organist Tim Allen and soprano Christine Westhoff. Free.

Wed, Apr 18, 7 PM Celebration of Renewed Ministry at Church of the Good

Shepherd, 1166 S. Mason Rd.,Town & Country, 63131.

Fri, Apr 20, 6:30 PM Trivia Night to benefit St. John’s-Tower Grove. RSVP

to John McDonald at 314-802-7495.

Fri, Apr 20, 7 PM & Stanley Lectures at St. Peter’s-Ladue present Apocalypse: Sat, Apr 21, 9 AM Revealing a Message of Hope with Barbara Rossing and Stephen Patterson.

Sun, Apr 22, 5 PM Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral, Celebrating 100

years of the Bell Tower Sun, Apr 22, 7 PM

Taize Worship at Church of the Good Shepherd Tue, Apr 24, 3:30 PM Standing Committee, St. Martin’s, Ellisville Sun, Apr 29

Flower Sunday, Christ Church Cathedral. Dean Tracey

Lind, Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland will preach.

Wed, May 2, 6 PM 12-Step Eucharist at Church of the Ascension Thu, May 3

Clergy Day at St. Martin’s-Ellisville Sat, May 5, 10 AM Kemper Convocation Meeting Sat, May 5, 10 AM Commission on Ministry, St. Martin’s-Ellisville Sun, May 13, 2:30 PM Mothers’ Day Concert - Piano Four-Hands at Christ

Church Cathedral. Shepley series, free.

Tue, May 22, 3:30 PM Standing Committee, St. Martin’s, Ellisville Mon, May 28

Offices of the Bishop closed for Memorial Day Jun 3-4

Discernment Conference, Marianist Center Sat, Jun 9, 9 AM Diocesan Council Meeting, Christ Church Cathedral Tue, Jun 26, 3:30 PM Standing Committee, St. Martin’s, Ellisville Wed, Jul 4 Offices of the Bishop closed for Independence Day Jul 5-12 The 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church Tue, Jul 24, 3:30 PM Standing Committee, St. Martin’s-Ellisville Jul 29-Aug 4 Camp Phoenix, diocesan youth summer camp Fri, Apr 13, 6-9 PM

Bishop Wayne’s Visitations and Schedule Sun, Apr 15 Sun, Apr 22 Sun, Apr 29 Sun, May 6 Sun, May 13 Sat, May 19 Sun, May 20 Sun, Jun 3 July 3-12 Sun, Jul 22 Sun, Jul 29

Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Webster Groves St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Sikeston Church of St. Michael and St. George, Clayton Christ Church Cathedral St. Martin’s Church-Ellisville Confirmations at Christ Church Cathedral St. Peter’s Church-Ladue Church of the Transfiguration-Lake St. Louis General Convention in Indianapolis St. Vincent’s in the Vineyard-Ste. Genevieve St. Stephen’s Church-Ferguson

These are just a few calendar listings of special services and events around the diocese. Please check our online calendar for all listings and more complete information about individual listings.

The Life of the Diocese Advent-Crestwood’s rector Dan Handschy

invited the parish and diocesan colleagues to his doctoral dissertation defense in February at St. Louis University. After a short adjournment, the dissertation committee awarded him the degree.

All Saints’-St Louis runs a food pantry with

help and donations from parishioners, The Task Force for the Hungry, CSMSG and the diocese. It’s been running since 1981.

studied Jane Shaw’s “A Practical Christianity” this Lent.

They continue to offer a 12-Step Eucharist at 6 PM each first Wednesday of the month.

Ascension-Northwoods

Calvary-Louisiana/St. John’s-Eolia Calvary’s youth group is going to Joplin this summer. Calvary participates in LANE (love and nutrition enclosed), a partnership of the Louisiana Elementary School and area churches to provide 130-136 backpacks filled with food on Fridays (to be eaten throughout the weekend) for kids who struggle with food insecurity. In a population of approximately 4000, 60-100 families use the food pantry. An Epiphany Evensong at St. John’s was well attended, the church is now dormant until Easter. Bishop Wayne will attend St. John’s homecoming service this year, held the first Sunday in October.

Calvary-Columbia invited Fr. William Beers

this Lent to preach and talk about Food for the Poor, an international charity that provides direct relief assistance to poor communities in the Caribbean and Latin America. Calvary’s Church School and Children’s Chapel children are helping raise funds for Food For the Poor as their outreach project this year.

Ministry-Mizzou spent spring break helping with the helping with the Reyes family Habitat for Humanity home in Springfield. A couple of days of hard work were followed by some hard play at Silver Dollar City.

Campus

president and campaign chair Cheryl Ward led the diocese in Rebuild Our Church in Haiti. People in the Diocese of Missouri contributed over $5800. Supporters from 92 dioceses have raised over $1.5 million dollars. Many thanks to the diocesan Episcopal Church Women for their efforts, which concluded with an ingathering at ECW’s annual convention.

Episcopal Recovery Ministries thanks out-

going chair Mydie Sant, Good Shepherd, for dedication and leadership and welcomes new chair Wayne Norwood, St. Michael and St. George. ERM will now meet at GraceKirkwood on the second Thursday of each month.

Good Shepherd-Town & Country: The parish is brainstorming ways to increase outreach, both in the neighborhood and larger community. Their monthly Taize service continues on 4th Sundays at 7 PM. They invite members of the diocese to celebrate their renewed ministry with recently called Rector Pamela Dolan on Wednesday, April 18 at 7 PM. Grace Church-Jefferson City is looking for-

ward to Earth Day and considering how to be better stewards of the environment. The parish embraces energy saving sensors, programmable thermostats, asbestos-free tiles, and recycled paper, glass, and cans.

One of senior warden Dennis Belcher’s favorite efforts is the reuse of coffee grounds and other vegetable waste via compost. The Stewardship Committee is reviewing environmental stewardship programs which may be implemented at Grace Church, including, EnergyStar for Congregations and GreenFaith’s Green Church Certification.

Grace-Kirkwood Thanks

These notes from convocation reports by parish representatives, parish newsletters and web sites. and Pacific Heights school districts. It is starting small but they hope that it will grow through word of mouth. In addition to prayer and book groups, they serve at Trinity Food Kitchen every 5th Sunday.

St Stephens’-Ferguson continues to distrib-

St. John’s-Tower Grove continues with the

has set up a Facebook page and encourage you to “like” them. They are working on developing a website with the help of the Rev. Lydia Speller.

weekly Peace Meal Project. Volunteers prepare a meal every Saturday afternoon from 2-4. A free fellowship meal for all is served from 4-6 PM. Several diocesan parishes sign up for a regular shift. Contact Peace Meal Project Coordinator Scott Splater at ssplater@yahoo.com for more information.

St. John’s and St. James-Sullivan: Now has

an average Sunday attendance of 9. They had a great success with “Undy Sunday”— with the help of local parishes (Peace Lutheran and First Presbyterian) in Sullivan, diocesan congregations (Emmanuel and St. Mark’s-St.Louis) and several Friends of Jack and Jimmy’s, they collected over 1,000 pieces of clothing for men, women, and kids served by the Meremac Community Mission in Sullivan.

St. Luke’s-Manchester is proud to report

that they now have two college students on their vestry. This fall marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of their contemporary service—look for an upcoming celebration.

St. Mark’s-St. Louis continues with their search for a new rector. They invite members of the diocese to a concert of organ and voice with Timothy Allen, Canon Precentor at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Little Rock, Arkansas and lyric soprano, Christine Westhoff, Sunday, April 15 at 3 PM. Following the recital there will be a reception in the parish hall.

St. Martin’s-Ellisville Proceeds from the parish garage sale were donated to Lui and ER-D, parish nursing, St. John’s Peace Meal, and Joplin recovery. The vestry spent time prayerfully considering the distribution of over $13K. Warden Jane Klieve said “We spent time thinking about what stewardship means to us.”

Sunday on April 29. Preaching and presiding will be the Very Rev. Tracey Lind, Dean of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland. Lind led the development of Trinity Commons, an award-winning, environmentally sustainable campus that is home to Trinity Cathedral and the Diocese of Ohio. During her tenure, Trinity has experienced tremendous growth and development as a diocesan cathedral, a vibrant and inclusive community of faith, and a leading institution in the city.

to the skill and craftsmanship of Grace members David Jayne and Bill Harrison, Grace celebrated Lent and Holy Week with a new wooden processional cross.

Grace’s Creation Care Ministry invites diocesan St. Matthew’s-Mexico as members on Saturday, part of their Lenten disciApril 22 at 11:30 a.m. pline collected non-perto view and discuss the ishable food items for the PBS Special “Nourish,” a Mexico Area Help Center. conversation about food and sustainability. To Calvary Episcopal Church, Columbia St. Matthew’s-Warson Woods RSVP and for more informaparishioner Deborah Caby returned from tion please contact gracecreationcare@ pilgrimage in Africa, where she attended gmail.com Bishop Desmond Tutu’s birthday cel-

Christ Church-Cape Girardeau parishioner

Holy Communion-University City will again

Campus Ministry-Wash U focused on the

what it means to be a human made in the image of God in Lent, which included watch and responding to the documentary Traces of the Trade.

Christ Church Cathedral celebrates Flower

and retired history professor Dr. Bonnie Stepenoff received the prestigious Rozier award from the Missouri Preservation Society for lifetime accomplishments as a preservation professional, historical writer, and as the coordinator of Southeast Missouri State’s Historic Preservation Program.

Christ Church-Rolla: For more than a decade Christ Church has conducted the Open Door. The doors are opened every Sunday after coffee hour to those who need a nourishing meal. Nine teams of forty-six people prepare and serve meals. Open Door has been feeding over 50 people regularly.

Emmanuel-Webster Groves’s Senior High

Youth Group is gearing up for its annual mission trip, this summer to Pipestem, West Virginia, in the heart of Appalachia.

This will be their second visit. Last trip they spent several days refurbishing a home in the small town of Princeton that was owned by a single woman with many health problems. The youth plan a pig roast for the parish in April, to raise funds for the trip.

Episcopal Church Women and ECW vice-

be on the route of the St. Louis Marathon on April 15, and man a water station at the Delmar and Hanley intersection. They are station number (mile marker) 18, and the first runner expected at 8:35 AM. Holy Cross-Poplar Bluff The Adult Sunday School Class has done mighty things the past few weeks. They sponsored Sylvia Raquel from El Salvador with a $25 Kiva microcredit loan to help her run a tortilla shop and sell coffee to support her family. She repaid her funds and the class collected $20 for a matching challenge to Nets for Life from ERD (Episcopal Relief and Development). The class decided to collect from those who wish to donate a couple of dollars every week and reach out to others in new ways.

St. Barnabas’-Florissant The ECW is coor-

dinating a collection for Dress For Success, an organization that provides disadvantaged women with professional attire and a network of support and the career development tools.

St. Francis’-Eureka has begun a tutoring program for students in the Rockwood

Making Disciples • Building Congregations • For the Life of the World

ebration in South Africa and worked with his daughter on anti-apartheid issues in Cape Town, Johannisberg, and Soweto.

St. Michael & St. George-Clayton is celebrating 100 years with, among other festivities, a weekly series of “Centennial Stories” by some longtime parishioners, retelling important milestones in the church’s history.

St. Paul’s-Carondelet is refinishing their main door, removing red masonite and refurbishing the old wood themselves--members, clergy and organist. Every Friday night from7-9 PM they have Game and Movie Night for elementary age kids, K through 6 grade, for any kids from the neighborhood or the diocese who want to come have fun and meet other kids. Adult or senior high diocesan members who would like to volunteer, please contact Rector Robert Ard, carondeletchurch.org.

St. Peter’s-Ladue continues the search process for a new rector with hopes to have a parish profile completed by June, when a search committee will begin its work.

The Rev. Kelly Carlson has been named Associate Rector. The women’s Lenten retreat this year was Looking Through Grace, Finding the Holy in Everyday.

ute food and personal items to people in need every Tuesday and Saturday at their food pantry.

St. Thomas’ Church for the Deaf-Kirkwood

St. Timothy’s-Creve Coeur Ongoing out-

reach continues with monthly rice bagging for Trinity’s food pantry, tutoring at Sigel School, and Kiva plus which provides micro financing to women. The youth had a Souper Bowl, with monies collected going to outreach.

Transfiguration-Lake St. Louis Plans are underway for the popular Ladies Tea scheduled for May 6. Their Youth Group’s pancake dinner raised money for scholarships to Camp Phoenix. Member Dawn Henry heads up the parish’s participation in Paul Crews ministry feeding local homeless & underemployed on the second Monday of each month. Transfiguration’s congregation has grown more than 20% in the last 5 years.

Trinity-DeSoto member Steve Rowe was able to find limestone to match the existing church exterior, to finish their new sign.

The Rev. Jim Clark, retired ELCA pastor, has been preaching and officiating most Sundays.

Trinity-Hannibal/St. Paul’s-Palmyra The Rev. Dawn-Victoria Mitchell spent some time behind bars in March, to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Parishioners and friends raised money to “free” her and collected enough to send one camper to a week at MDA camp this summer. Trinity has 7 adults in their inquirers’ class, to be received by the bishop in fall.

St Paul’s congregation is holding steady at 6 people, including 99 year old Herb Lucke.

Trinity-Kirksville is embarking on an ac-

cessibility initiative which would add a new entryway, a lift, two accessible bathrooms, a multipurpose space, library and office space on the main level, as well as two additional classroom spaces and an additional accessible bathroom on the lower level, adjoining the existing undercroft.

Trinity-St. Charles will join St. Charles

residents and observe the National Day of Prayer at Noon, May 3, on the steps of the Old Court house. This annual observance was designated by Congress in 1952; this year’s theme is, “reaching out to a nation with the power of prayer” based on Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

Trinity-St. Louis will host a Sunday noon

forum April 15 about community gardening with three speakers: Arthur Culbert, in charge of a community garden on Waterman that provided Trinity’s Food Pantry with 1000 pounds of produce last year; and Dennis Cummins and Piera from First Unitarian Church speaking about their community garden that helps supply food pantries.

If there is interest and the weather permits, plan to walk to the gardens to see them.

United Thank Offering Twenty diocesan

congregations contributed $11,147.85, the total of both Spring and Fall 2011 Ingatherings. This amount will be combined with all other dioceses in The Episcopal Church and given out in the form of grants during the Triennial Meeting in July 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. In Fall 2011, we received two United Thank Offering grant applications from within our diocese. The one from All Saints’ Church in North St. Louis was picked by the Diocesan UTO Grant Screening Committee to be sent on to the national level. Thanks to diocesan coordinator Rosemary Bagin and the many UTO Parish Coordinators who organize the Ingatherings in churches, and all contributors who use the Blue Boxes to recognize their many blessings.

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Scripture and our Anglican Identity Knute Jacobson The result of the application of these tools is that Episcopalians do not typically quote the Bible “chapter and verse” to prove their points. Nor do we necessarily think that everything written in Scripture applies equally to our life as disciples today. (The absurdity of trying to fulfill the commands of Scripture to the letter was shown recently by Jewish humorist A. J. Jacobs, who wrote a book entitled, The Year of Living Biblically.) Finally, we are less troubled than many Christians by the findings of modern science, especially when they contradict aspects of the Biblical worldview. In fact, we sometimes think that, had the Biblical writers been cognizant of some of the findings of modern science, they might have expressed themselves somewhat differently.

For instance, they might have recognized Epilepsy as a type of neurological disorder, instead of a form of demon possession. Calling Epilepsy by its proper name makes Jesus' ability to provide relief from it no less remarkable.

All the forgoing serves to remind us why refugees to our Church often find the ethos of the Episcopal Church such a welcome relief after they have spent much of their lifetime wrestling with doctrines of Biblical inerrancy that they find frankly quite unbelievable, and, consequently, oppressive.

But, the fact that we are not literalists does not mean we aren't serious. The Episcopal Church is every bit as serious about Scripture as were the great early theologians Anglicans often quote—the “Church Fathers.” It is worth noting that some of the greatest among them—Augustine, for instance—were masters of allegorical interpretation—something very far from today's literalism.

So, how do we interpret Scripture, and why, despite our willingness to “interpret it critically”, do we still believe it to be the powerful, life-changing Word of God—“a sharp, two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), able, in fact, to judge us?

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. —Isaiah 40:8 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. —John 1:14 * Holy Scripture is of key importance in our Anglican understanding of the Christian life. In addition to quoting, paraphrasing, and alluding to the Scriptures extensively, our Prayer Book in two places talks quite directly about the role of the Scriptures, and how we interpret them—in pages 853-854 (The Catechism), and pages 868-869 (Articles VI and VII of the Thirty-Nine Articles).

In General, these passages from the Catechism and the Thirty-Nine Articles tell us that we regard both the Old Testament and the New as having canonical authority for faith and doctrine; that we accept the Apocryphal Books as valuable for exhortation and edification (but not the formulation of doctrine); and that Scripture plays such a key role in our understanding of what God requires of us that nothing shall be considered necessary for Christian living that cannot be proven or justified by “the Word of God written”. Such Word, we are also assured, contains “everything necessary for our salvation”.

These affirmations should help us to understand why Episcopalians object (or should object) strongly to assertions that our Church is not “biblical”. We are every bit as much a “Bible” church as any church. The difference between Episcopalians and some other types of Christians is that we are very comfortable using the tools of modern historical, literary, linguistic, and textual scholarship—as well as archeology and comparative religion—to try to ascertain the original meaning of our sacred texts, in hopes of better understanding what they can and should mean for us in our world today. In fact, we are not merely comfortable using these tools; we would say that it is essential to use such tools, if we wish to avoid misunderstanding God's message to us.

We are every bit as much a “Bible” church as any church.

*New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Driving Prayers

Maria Evans

I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. Obviously this doesn't mean to stay home from work and be on one's knees all day. What are the ways you have discovered as means to pray without ceasing? One of the ways I do it is on the 20 minute drive to and from work, simply by paying attention to the scenery. This is a prayer I composed several years ago: Lord God, you knit the threads of time into the garment of the universe in amazing ways. Thank you for gift of my twenty minute drive to and from work each day, five days a week, 52 weeks a year, a drive that some might find a chore. Within that twenty minutes are the seasons of the year, the mysteries of life, and nature’s coat of many colors.

Take the pristine white January snowdrifts, the earthy muck of April, July’s pow-

der blue chicory flowers, October’s orange fallen leaves, and the heavy gray horizon of December, and splice them together into a never-ending, always changing kaleidoscope of colors and patterns--so much the same day by day, yet stunningly different from season to season.

Synchronize the motions of my familiar journey with the joyful motions of your natural kingdom--bounding deer with tails held aloft, hopping baby rabbits, scurrying coveys of quail, and the creeping pace of the box turtle.

Keep me aware of unexpected roadside delights--owls landing with outstretched wings onto fence posts, newly born calves, shy flocks of turkeys, hawks flying lazy circles in the sky. Use them to teach

Windows at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Ellisville

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The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

1. We begin with the New Testament.

The New interprets the Old. 2. We realize that at times the New supersedes the Old. 3. We believe the Old points to the New. 4. We see Jesus as the key that unlocks the meaning of the whole.

5. We believe the Spirit of Jesus continues to help guide us into God's truth—which itself may still be unfolding.

6. We trust the power of community as a guide against individualistic and egocentric misunderstandings 7. We wrestle with the meaning of Scripture as did the saints of old, expecting to be—and finding ourselves—changed by the process.

8. We are not flummoxed by actual contradictions or disagreements in Holy Writ, knowing that there has been both “unity and diversity in the New Testament” from the beginning.

9. We believe that God works with our consciences as we try to follow Jesus.

10. We believe that we need to be able to justify our pattern of discipleship before God. 11. Our trust, ultimately, is in the GRACE of God, revealed in Christ.

12. We know that, as the Word become flesh, Jesus himself is God's ultimate communication to us. Consequently, a living relationship with Jesus himself is more important than even Scripture. We understand God's written Word most easily when we give our hearts to God's Living Word fully.

The Rev. H. Knute Jacobson is rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Columbia. He adapted this article from a Calvary Adult Forum he led in January 2012.

The Council of the Diocese of Missouri announces applications being accepted for

New Ventures in Community Ministries Grants Meant as start-up funds to develop new projects and to inspire congregations to dare great things for God by developing new ministries in response to changing social needs throughout the diocese. The projects are to be do-able, manageable, replicable, and sustainable by congregations.

Application packets available in the Offices of the Bishop.

Deadline for abstracts: June 1, 2012

Maria Evans, M.D. is member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Kirksville, and a prolific blogger at Kirkepiscatoid.

me that unexpected joys still await within my most mundane work days.

Embed in my heart the knowledge that what I see along the road today is but a fleeting shadow, put there by You for today’s viewing only--yesterday’s view is gone, and tomorrow’s is not yet here.

Transform the seconds of those twenty minutes into hours of inner strength as I prepare for my day’s work, and unwind the watchspring of the stress of my day in those twenty minutes towards home.

Even in the visages of nature’s death by the roadside, make me mindful that I, too, will become dust, and I may not take this journey again. What I do today must matter.

Weave these threads of time, oh Lord, so finite, so similar, into the carpet of your kingdom--a kingdom with no end, no beginning, illuminated by perpetual light. In the name of Jesus Christ, whose 33 finite years stretches into infinity, Amen.

The minister came to greet me after the service was over. “I didn’t recognize you,” she said, “but I could tell from the way you handled The Prayer Book that you were doing okay.” Midway through my two weeks as a guest chaplain at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp—the place where I first entered the ministry as a 13-year-old Vacation Bible School leader—I drove up the road a few miles to worship with the twenty people who made up the summer congregation of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Seeing a visitor in the tiny sanctuary, the minister considered stopping to explain their routines, but when she saw me confidently navigating the BCP, she realized I wasn’t a real stranger, just a relative from far away.

That’s the wonder of worshipping in a liturgical church. Even on those Sundays when I’m far from home, I need only to find a church with that familiar shield and I will know what to expect and how to participate.

It’s comforting, after a week of Bible school songs and worship by the campfire, to return to the habits I know Sunday after Sunday the rest of the year.

For Episcopalians, one of the best reminders that God is present everywhere in our world is the fact that we can find a church that worships from The Book of Com-

mon Prayer and The Hymnal 1982, wherever we go. Following God doesn’t need to be an abstraction for us, since we know where He will meet us every Sunday and linger for coffee and doughnuts and polite conversation afterward.

On mission trips with the youth ministry, we plan our outbound and return trips carefully. At the midpoints, we find churches to house us for the night—letting us bed down in the building, and often providing a meal. In the morning our group often divides along a simple question: should we wake up early and rush to get on the road, or stay for church and make up the time later?

When we’ve landed in an Episcopal church, the question is especially pressing. On mission trips, we worship daily to praise choruses and rock bands, and, while that is meaningful in its context, on Sunday mornings we long for the way of worship that brings us home again.

When we travel, I make a point of looking through the building to find the photos of the past years’ Confirmation classes, displayed along some hallway or part of the fellowship hall. I wasn’t there for these ceremonies...but in a way, I was. When we confess our faith in “one holy, catholic and apostolic Church” we say that what we do as

Isaac Arten

Christians in one place is shared by the Christians in another place. When we praise God, we join the voices of all heaven and earth.

When we pray, we lift up the concerns of all believers. When we take responsibility for raising up children in God’s way, and building up our friends and neighbors in Christ, our efforts reach past our own doors and into every other gathering where Christ is present.

These people, scrubbed and neatly dressed (for once, say their parents!) and prepared to answer for themselves, “Will you continue in the apostles’ fellowship and teaching, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers?” are my brothers and sisters, and I am glad to see them again, for the first time.

That’s the feeling I get whenever I visit another Episcopal church. The furniture may be a little different, the name may honor a less familiar saint, but the order of the service will guide me through the doors of God’s house and up to the place at God’s table that my family in this faraway place saves for me each week.

Isaac Arten, Youth Minister at St. Michael and St. George in Clayton, just learned he’ll start the Master of Divinity program this fall at Duke in Durham, NC, where his wife Samantha will begin a PhD. in Music History.

Camp Phoenix the official summer camp of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

Sunday, 2012 Sunday, July July29 29through throughSaturday, Saturday,August August4,4, 2012 Camp Phoenix is a traditional summer camp with Episcopal values that seeks to bring campers into contact with God and into closer community with each other. In support of our mission, we focus on three main priorities: to value and love each other, to provide a positive experience and opportunities for spiritual growth.

• • • • • • • •

Making Disciples Building Congregations

Glad to see you again, for the first time

takes place at the DuBois Center. DuBois, IL ages 8 to 15 canoeing, horseback riding, archery, campfires and all-camp games a place to get to know God better; through daily reflection, spending time in nature, and by “seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself…” fee for 2012 is $325 per camper, with a $25 discount for returning campers, and a $25 discount for families sending more than one child to camp.

No child should miss camp due to financial need. Assistance through the Daniels Scholarship Fund is available. scholarship application due by May 15 camp-phoenix.org

The Power of Daily Devotions

Mary J. Renneckar

Windows at Christ Episcopal Church in Cape Girardeau

It’s Saturday morning, and I have just finished the Daily Office—scripture readings for each day beginning on page 933 of our Book of Common Prayer. Today I was reminded in Hebrews that “His powerful Word is as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense...” Aren’t my doubts and defenses what are keeping me from living my best life? So I pray, “Lord, my doubt keeps the vision of my best life at bay, and my defenses get in the way of reaching its reality. Give me the ability to see the vision and ‘go for it.’”

Daily God’s Word comes alive and speaks to something in my life or relationships. Daily it hones my thoughts and brings more of God’s “new creation” into my inner being where (and here’s the trust part) it will spill over and bring witness to my Creator.

Daily it has been a part of my morning routine for the greatest part of fifty years—ever since I got my first Day by Day with my new Bible from Sunday School.

Making Disciples • Building Congregations • For the Life of the World

Mary J. is a choral conductor who has used her gifts of teaching in church, school, and professional arts settings. She is a member of Calvary Episcopal Church in Columbia.

There is a time to study, and there is a time to read the Bible. This is my time to read. The passages are short and guide me through a Psalm, a book of the Old Testament, an Epistle, and a Gospel, sequentially.

Each passage gives both a “bird’s eye view” of the over-arching story, as well as details which serve as a rudder for my day. Year after year I see layer after layer being laid on the foundation of my faith in God’s story of love and redemption.

Given the fast and jammed days (24/7 of them) in today’s world, I’ve noticed the new buzz words have to do with finding solitude and quiet. This quiet time, the personal reflections, and the foundation laid by daily devotions are powerful. Regardless of your interpretation of the words, this foundation is what prepares you for the hard times and helps you put the good times into perspective. What about taking just ten minutes each morning or evening with your Maker?

“Be still and know that I am God.”

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Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis • All Saints’ Church, Farmington • All Saints’ Church, St. Louis • Church of the Ascension, Northwoods • Calvary Church, Columbia • Calvary Church, Weofare 12,500 baptized members Louisiana • Christ Church, Cape Girardeau • Christ Church, Rolla • Church of St. Michael & St. George, Clayton • Church the Advent, Crestwood • Churchinof46 thecongregations Good Shepherd, in the eastern half of Missouri, Town & Country • Church of the Holy Communion, University City • Emmanuel Church, Webster Groves • Grace Church, Jefferson City • Grace Church, Kirkwood • Holy Cross Church, Poplar Bluff • St. Alban’s Church, Fulton • St. Barnabas’ Church, Florissant • St. Francis’ Church, Eureka • St. John’s Church, Eolia (Prairieville) • Camp Phoenix • Christian Education • COEDMO • Commission on Dismantling Racism • Commission on Ministry • Community Gardens • Community Health and Wellness 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 • Fresh Start • General Convention • Grace Hill • Happening • Hunger and Food Ministries • Missional Model Congregations • Oasis Missouri • Paseo Con Christo • St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System (STARSS) • St. Luke’s Hospital • Standing Committee • Sustain A Faithof• Task Force for the Hungry The Mission the Diocese of Missouri is • United Thank Offering • Youth Ministry • St. John’s Church, Tower Grove • St. Luke’s Church, Manchester • St. Mark’s Church, Portland • St. Mark’s • St.Christians: Martin’s Church, Ellisville • St. Matthew’s Church, Mexico • St. Matthew’s Church, Warson Woods • St. Paul’s Church, Carondelet • St. Paul’s Church, the Church, mission ofSt.allLouis baptized Ironton •to St.teach Paul’s Palmyra • St. Paul’s Church, Sikeston • St. Peter’s Church, Ladue • St. Stephen’s Church, Ferguson • St. Thomas’ Church for the Deaf, Kirkwood • St. andChurch, to spread the Gospel Timothy’sand Church, Creve Coeur • St. Vincent’s-in-the-Vineyard Church, Ste. Genevieve • Church of the Transfiguration, Lake St. Louis • Trinity Church, Jefferson County • Trinity Church, its knowledge of salvation to all people; Hannibaland • Trinity Church, Kirksville St. Charles • Trinity Church, St.Episcopal James • Trinity Church, Central West End • Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis • All Saints’ Church, to make the love of Christ• Trinity knownChurch, in the world Diocese of Missouri Farmington • All Saints’ St.individuals, Louis • Church of the Ascension, Northwoods 1210 • Calvary Church, Columbia • Calvary Church, Louisiana • Christ Church, Cape Girardeau • Christ through our ownChurch, actions as Locust Street Church, Rolla • Church ofand St. Michael & St. George, Clayton • Church of the Advent, • Church of the Good Shepherd, Town & Country • Church of the Holy Communion, as congregations, as the diocese, St.Crestwood Louis, Missouri 63103 UniversitybyCity • Emmanuel Church, Webster Groves • Grace Church, Jefferson City • Grace Church, Kirkwood • Holy Cross Church, Poplar Bluff • St. Alban’s Church, Fulton • St. feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, Barnabas’ Church, • St. Francis’ Church, Eureka • St. John’s Church, Eolia (Prairieville) • Camp Phoenix • Christian Education • COEDMO • Commission on Dismantling clothing theFlorissant naked, housing the homeless, Racism •caring Commission on Ministry • Community for the sick, visiting the prisoner, Gardens • Community Health and Wellness Ministries • Community of Hope • Companion Diocese Relationship Committee • Diocesan Council •and Diocesan Convention • Diocesan Mission Trips • Episcopal Campus Ministry • Episcopal City Mission • Episcopal Church Women • Episcopal Recovery Ministry • Episcopal comforting those in times of trouble.

Relief and Development • Episcopal School for Ministry • Fresh Start • General Convention • Grace Hill • Happening • Hunger and Food Ministries • Missional Model Congregations • Oasis Missouri • Paseo Con Christo • 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 Church, Tower Grove • St. Luke’s Church, Manchester • St. Mark’s Church, Portland • St. Mark’s Church, St. Louis • St. Martin’s Church, Ellisville • St. Matthew’s Church, Mexico • St. Matthew’s Church, Warson Woods • St. Paul’s Church, Carondelet • St. Paul’s Church, Ironton • St. Paul’s Church, Palmyra • St. Paul’s Church, Sikeston • St. Peter’s Church, Ladue • St. Stephen’s Church, Ferguson • St. Thomas’ Church for the Deaf, Kirkwood • St. Timothy’s Church, Creve Coeur • St. Vincent’sin-the-Vineyard Church, 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’ Church, Farmington • All Saints’ Church, St. Louis • Church of the Ascension, Northwoods • Calvary Church, Columbia • Calvary Church, Louisiana • Christ Church, Cape Girardeau • Christ Church, Rolla • Church of St. Michael & St. George, Clayton • Church of the Advent, Crestwood • Church of the Good Shepherd, Town & Country • Church of the Holy Communion, University City • Emmanuel Church, Webster Groves • Grace Church, Jefferson City • Grace Church, Kirkwood • Holy Cross Church, Poplar Bluff • St. Alban’s Church, Fulton • St. Barnabas’ Church, Florissant • St. Francis’ Church, Eureka • St. John’s Church, Eolia (Prairieville) • Camp Phoenix • Christian Education • COEDMO • Commission on

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Quarterly from the Episcopal Church in Missouri Diocese

Eastertide 2012

Making Disciples Building Congregations For the Life of the World

We Are the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri Please Join Us in Worship This Week

Pilgrimage

From Missouri to Moruland The next mission trip to Lui is organized by the Blackmore Vale Deanery, (Church of England).

Four of their members, one missioner from Lund, Sweden, and our Deacon Susan Naylor make up the group that will travel to South Sudan from April 13-28, God willing.

Team members hope to help the Mothers’ Union in their goal of starting a pre-school group in Lui Town, and possibly in two other locations in the diocese. Others will help the Lui diocesan office with training in computer skills, basic accounts, and project and report writing. They will bring some funds that Blackmore Vale’s parishes have donated to provide additional basic transport (bicycles and motorbikes) for pastors in Lui. Naylor will serve as team medic and chaplain, work with Lui Hospital nurses, and advise on children’s health for the pre-school project.

Again we will pray together each day at the same hour, and invite you to join us at 7 AM central time, 3 PM Lui time. We’ll use social media to mark the prayer time as well; look for prayers on Facebook and Twitter (@diocesemo).

From Moruland to Missouri When Bishop Stephen Dokolo and his wife Lillian were in Missouri for a month last Nov-Dec, plans were made to bring four key members of Lui Diocese to Missouri for two months. A lot happened in the interim.

Debbie Smith writes on the Luinotes blog, “First we were on hold, because Archbishop Daniel’s letter to the Presiding Bishop called our whole Lui relationship into question. Finally we got some closure on that, and have affirmed the relationship with Bishop Stephen. Then we tried to wire money

for the four travelers to get their new South Sudan passports and apply for US visas.”

At first the money didn’t get there. Smith details the complexity: U.S. economic sanctions on Sudan require a special license to wire money; the U.S. has no sanctions against the new country South Sudan but the Episcopal Church of Sudan operates now in both Sudan and South Sudan; each bank in the transaction chain seemed to have its own interpretation. But the wire finally went through and now the four have passport and visa appointments, and hopefully soon we’ll hear of their success and arrange travel dates.

The Rev. Gordon Solomon is diocesan secretary in Lui. He hopes to spend some time in the offices of the bishop with Canon to the Ordinary Dan Smith and Financial Officer Desiree Viliocco.

The Rev. Margaret Obedayo, priest, head mistress of the Lui Senior Secondary School and former head of the Mother’s Union hopes to spend time with educators and women priests.

The Rev. Noel Knight, formerly priest of Lozoh parish (the sister parish of Advent in Crestwood) has recently been appointed diocesan Education Coordinator. He will be working with the archdeaconries to establish church schools. He was also appointed assistant to the Dean of Fraser Memorial Cathedral in Lui, and attended a training of Deans last November, organized by the Episcopal Church of Sudan.

Deborah Goldfeder, an R.N. with several trips to Lui writes she is especially excited to see Veronica Sosthen again. “She is one of the best nurses I have ever had the pleasure to work with.

She is tall and beautiful and is the one woman I got to know the best while I was in Lui. We worked together in the Pediatric Ward at the Lui Hospital.”

Veronica’s husband is a most gifted translator. He will remain in Lui to take care of their son, Buna, who has nodding disease.

Clockwise from top left: Gordon Solomon, Veronica Sosthen, Margaret Obedayo, Noel Knight. Photos (c) by Deb Goldfeder

As soon as passports and visas are had, and travel dates are set, the plan is for the four to spend time with counterparts in Missouri diocese, to attend some diocese-wide events (maybe May confirmations at the cathedral, for instance), and to visit with Missouri parishes and diocesan members.

We’ll utilize a similar online group calendar, that we successfully used for Bishop Stephen and Lillian’s visit in December 2011. You can read everything on the calendar and site at LuiNetwork.ning. com . To post anything, you’ll need to register your email address and name.

Registration continues for the Episcopal School for Ministry, 2012-2013 academic year The Episcopal School for Ministry of the Diocese of Missouri offers educational resources to make disciples and build congregations for the life of the world. The three-year cycle of theological studies program, beginning with the Introduction to the Old Testament, is the primary training and education program for those preparing for ordination as Deacons in the Diocese of Missouri. One does not have to be a postulant or candidate for Holy Orders as a Deacon in order to register to begin the program, and acceptance to, attendance and completion of the 3 year School program of theological studies does not guarantee one will be given canonical standing as a postulant and or a candidate, or be ordained to Holy Orders.

• Deepen the spiritual lives and strengthen the ministries in the church and the world of all who seek to grow in the knowledge and love of God; • Prepare people to serve the church as priests and deacons; • Strengthen the ministries of lay and ordained people through continuing education.

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Seek

Eastertide 2012

Those who wish to spend the night pay an additional fee for the semester to cover the room expense. In addition there are textbooks to purchase for each course. Currently the tuition is $400 a term, or $1200 a year, and the cost for an overnight room is $50 a term, or $150 a year.

Limited scholarship help for those with canonical standing is available, and an application is required. Meals for the weekend, dinner, breakfast and lunch are included in tuition. Students provide refreshments for the social time after Compline on Friday evenings. For information about the classes offered online at www.diocesemo.org/esm .

DioceseMo.org

The School holds its classes at Eden Theological Seminary in Webster Groves, MO. On weekends the School is in session, we begin with Evening Prayer at 6:00p.m. On Friday and end at 3:00p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Students are expected to attend the entire weekend. Three times a year the School meets on Saturdays to begin the next term.

Each time the members of the School gather, time is spent in worship, fellowship and study.

Academic Year 2012-2013 Fall Term 2012 Aug 18, Sep 28-29; Oct 26-27; Nov 30-Dec 1 Spring Term 2013 Dec 15, 2012, Jan 25-26; Feb 22-23; Mar 22-23 Summer Term 2013 Apr 20; May 17-18; June 14-15; July 19-20