August 2011 Interchange

Congregations | Newcomers | Formation | Mission

Interchange

news from the Diocese of Southern Ohio

Mountain Grace explores Christian witness

Summer camp soars

By Ariel Miller Interchange contributor

Ministry teams from throughout Appalachia will share powerful news of how local churches are responding to drug dealing, addiction, post-traumatic stress and equipping young people to transcend psychological shackles during the Mountain Grace Conference Sept. 9-10.

St. John’s in Huntington, W.V., will host the annual Episcopal conference on Christian witness in Appalachia. Launched by the Diocese of Southern Ohio in 2004, Mountain Grace has become a regional showcase for dynamic ministry throughout the region. It now draws participants from several states including Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Keynote speaker Bob Walton of All Saints, Portsmouth, will kick-off the conference Friday night with the searing story of the drug crisis in Scioto County.

As a township trustee, Walton uncovered the factors that led the DEA to rank Scioto County as one of nation’s 10 worst counties for prescription drug dealing. He pulled together families, health professionals, law enforcement and the faith community to organize a unified response that has rocketed the county to national media attention.

Walton’s story illustrates the powerful witness of the church, all the way from the funeral homily for a brutally murdered teen to striving to change state and federal law to close the pipeline of addictive prescription painkillers.All Saints, the downtown parish which has hosted 12-step groups for decades, serves as

AUGUST 2011 Volume XXXVIV, No.7 www.diosohio.org

More than 400 campers spent time this summer at Procter Camp, learning about God, strengthening their faith and building community.

Plus, they had lots of fun on the newest toy – the Blob.

Here, camp director Rob Konkol shows his Blobjumping prowess.

See pages 10-11 for more camp stories, pictures.

please see MOUNTAIN GRACE, PAGE 14

Leslie Stevenson, an AmeriCorps Vista, checks out the community garden at Gabriel's Place.

Victory kitchens bring volunteers, neighbors to the table

By Ariel Miller Interchange contributor In July, two gifted young adults embarked on a year of national service. Their mission will be to aid inner-city neighbors to develop strategies to eat well despite living in communities where convenience stores are the only place to buy anything to cook.

Nicholas Stanich and Leslie Stevenson were chosen from a bumper crop of enthusiastic applicants to

launch Episcopal Community Service Foundation’s new Victory Kitchens project. Teaming up with innercity community gardening initiatives in Columbus and Cincinnati, they will help residents connect to dependable supplies of wholesome food. They also will recruit church volunteers to share the lore of home cooking with parents and children who may rarely have had the pleasure of experiencing it. please see KITCHENS, PAGE 18

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Common Ministry

Russian trip challenge: Be agents of change

This June I was part of a trip to Russia sponsored by MVERN (Miami Valley Episcopal Russian Network), a lay-led group, mostly from Dayton-area congregations, who have partnered for many years with a Russian Orthodox congregation in Sablino, a poor community an hour down the long road linking St. Petersburg to Moscow. This relationship was established in the 1990s, when then Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning, at the request of the Patriarch of Moscow, invited Episcopal parishes to help the Russian Orthodox Church reconstitute itself after the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Some background: In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Episcopal Church forged a close relationship with the Russian Orthodox, helping Russian immigrants to the United States get established, welcoming Orthodox worshipers to our altars and participating in the building of Russian Orthodox churches. St. Vladimir’s, the first Russian Orthodox seminary in North America, was housed originally at our own General Theological Seminary. So it is not surprising that, as it emerged from the Soviet era, the church in Russia turned to the Episcopal Church for help.

Many Episcopal congregations responded to this request but only a few established ongoing relationships with their Russian counterparts. MVERN is one of the exceptions.

Since the 1990s, it has worked closely with Fr. Nikolai to support his development of a center that ministers to youth and increasingly provides Sablino with its only place for public gatherings.

I came back from Russia with new perspectives on what it means to be a traditional church in the 21st century.

Margaret and I had a delightful meal in the home of an artist couple, both of them members of Fr. Nikolai’s congregation. Grigory had abandoned his career as a professional artist to make a living writing icons for new and restored churches. (I wish I had been bold enough to ask him why he had made this shift.) On a different day, I participated in Bible study with young theologians (all men, I should note), who comprise the faculty of a new lay training institute in

St. Petersburg. I was not surprised to see how well-versed priests were in the Eastern Orthodox theological tradition; I was surprised to see how well they knew the western tradition, and how up-to-date they were in contemporary ecumenical advances. Near the end of our stay, I was amazed to hear a highly placed clergyman confess to me that the Russian Orthodox Church might be squandering a God-given opportunity: “We know what we should do, but we don’t know how to do it.” Reading between the lines of our subsequent conversation, I think he meant that the church in Russia could now move beyond victimhood and state support to a powerful witness to the Gospel that would attract the young – but would it?

All of which is to say, Russian Orthodoxy is still undergoing a complex emergence from the Soviet era. On the one hand, its leadership is overwhelmed with its new responsibilities, as the church is invited once again to take up its role both as the symbol of Russian unity and as the nation’s conscience. On the other, it is faced with an enormous temptation to become a tool of an emerging power-structure that is undemocratic, corrupt and increasingly ruthless. At every level, that power structure is pouring money into the rebuilding and restoration of churches, the re-establishment of monastic communities and the revival of theological education. The restored churches are breathtakingly beautiful, but at what price? We must wait and see whether the church will be able to maintain a critical distance from the state and from its own czarist history.

Perhaps the situation of the church in Russia presents a mirror image of our own in the United States. Our Russian brothers and sisters are struggling with the temptations of too much worldly power and the gravitational pull of an all-too-easily romanticized pre-Soviet past. By contrast,

Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal

we Episcopalians may be too hesitant to involve ourselves in worldly affairs, precisely because we are forgetful of our past. When a parishioner at Sablino, expressing shock on learning that we were not funded by the state, asked if our situation were not therefore similar to that of Christian believers in the Soviet era (!), I responded by saying that communities of faith in America are proud of their independence from government and their consequent freedom to speak out against any injustice.

But how true is this of us? We are certainly proud of our autonomy, and we don’t shrink from criticizing policy when we are so moved. But we no longer assume that the exercise of religious freedom involves deep and committed engagement in public discourse about our common life. We Episcopalians are good at fellowship among ourselves, and fairly generous in our outreach to those in need, but in my experience, nothing makes us more anxious than the challenge to step out as agents of change. Perhaps this is because we do not agree among ourselves about what needs to change or how the change should happen. But when we take the risk of arguing together in a spirit of trust and mutual respect, we model a culture of civility and decency in the face of deep disagreement – a culture for which our nation hungers.

In any case, I was struck to hear more than once that the Episcopal Church remains important to the Russian Orthodox, not only because of our long history of friendship with them but also because we have learned how to apply the spiritual riches of an ancient tradition to the spiritual needs of a secular democracy. For me this was not only an unexpected compliment but also a not-so-subtle challenge.

I’ll be sorting out the implications of our journey to Russia for a long time. I am grateful to MVERN for arranging this trip, and to all my travel companions for their prayerfulness, thoughtfulness and lively congeniality – there could be no better company to encounter the beauty and the challenge of that land.

See more stories and pictures about the trip on pages 15-17.

Suffer the little children: Giving them a name By the Rev. Canon Bill Scrivener Interchange contributor In 1959, a generous donor provided Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with a large burial plot at Spring Grove Cemetery. The plot was to be subdivided to provide burial space for children of indigent families who could not otherwise afford it. Space was provided for more than 150 plots, most of them for infants.

The gift was generous, the space provided was lovely, but there was one catch – no markers were allowed to be placed on the graves. If the families wanted to know the precise location of their child’s grave, they would have to consult a grid located in the cemetery's offices. Understandably, many families who were offered this opportunity declined, even though the plot, as well as opening and closing costs, was free.

They wanted to see their child’s name.

About three years ago, the Pastoral Care Committee (a board committee of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital that provides oversight for the Pastoral Care Department) decided it was time

to revisit this issue. With leadership from Lee Carter and Gunner Blackmore, Spring Grove was approached to see if the policy could be changed.

The cemetery management was quite open to this.

A decision was made to do two things: provide a marble plaque with the names of all the children engraved on it and add ground level metal markers for each plot, with the child’s name inscribed.

On July 21, Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal joined several members of the committee and the chaplain’s staff for a re-dedication service. The service was multi-faith, with the bishop being joined

by Rabbi Ken Kanter from Hebrew Union College and Tanvir Hassan from the Islamic Center. It was a joyful moment, not simply for the presence of the plaque but also for the realization that all the children buried here, and any who will be buried here in the future, will be named and known.

The Rev. Canon Bill Scrivener serves as senior director of pastoral care at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Bishop Breidenthal delivers the benediction at the special service. Photo by Julie Murray

Common Ministry

The Episcopal Church In the Anglican Communion A global community of 70 million Anglicans in more than 160 countries The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Rowan Williams Archbishop of Canterbury In the United States A community of more than 2.4 million Episcopalians in 114 dioceses in the Americas and abroad.

The Most. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori Presiding Bishop In the Diocese of Southern Ohio A community of nearly 25,000 Episcopalians in 40 counties.

The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, Bishop Interchange (USPS 020-933) The official publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio covers news, features and opinions about the congregations and programs of the diocese, the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. www.diosohio.org Richelle Thompson Director of Communications, Editor Julie Murray Communications specialist, assistant editor Amy Svihlik Designer Interchange encourages the submission of articles and pictures. We reserve the right to select and edit material offered for publication. All submissions must include name, address and phone or E-mail for verification.

Interchange is published monthly (except July and October) by the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, 412 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, OH 45202-4179. Periodical postage paid Cincinnati, OH. This newspaper is sent to all members of Episcopal congregations in the Diocese of Southern Ohio and is funded by mission share payments to the diocesan operating budget. Other subscriptions are $10 annually.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Interchange c/o Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, Addresses, 412 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, OH 45202-4179.

Send news to: Interchange, 610 Fourth St., Portsmouth, Ohio 45662-3921.

Phone: 740.355.7964 or 800.582.1712 Fax: 740.355.7968 E-mail: rthompson@diosohio.org Website: www.diosohio.org Deadline: August 15

presentation of constitutional and canonical 3 amendments. Amendments to the Constitution and Canons of the diocese must be submitted in writing by 60 days prior to convention – Sept.12.

This is a canonical requirement. Because of the time involved in research and preparation, and to ensure that each proposed amendment is properly drafted, the committee requests that all proposed amendments be submitted 90 days prior to convention – Aug. 13. Please submit any proposed amendments to convention@diosohio. org.

Contact: Joseph J. Dehner at 513.651.6949 or jdehner@fbtlaw.com

Diocesan Convention

The 137th Convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio will explore the theme of “On eagles’ wings,” based on the lesson in Exodus 19:4.

This year’s convention will be held at the Hope Conference Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and hosted by the Dayton Deanery.

Diocesan convention is a tangible extension of our connection to one another. Let us share in the planning, prayer and preparation for this gathering.

Watch upcoming issues of Interchange for more convention information or visit the diocesan website at www.diosohio.org

Nominations The Nominating Committee requests your assistance in obtaining nominations for the various elective offices to be voted on at the 137th Diocesan Convention. We seek candidates who are broadly representative of diocesan demographics. You are the best source of nominations we have, and we depend on your initiative to provide suitable nominees for all available positions.

You may download and print a nomination form from the website or fill out an online nomination form at www. diosohio.org.

Each nominee is required to respond to two questions and submit a photo for the nomination to be complete.

The maximum word count is 300.

Nominees are expected to attend a nominee forum on the first day of convention.

In addition, nominees for these positions are required to take anti-racism training. This is in keeping with General Convention’s resolution requiring standing commission members to have such training.

All nominations must be received no later than September 27. Only submissions received by the deadline will be printed in Interchange. Please send submissions to convention@diosohio.org.

Contact: Marsha Calloway at mcalloway1@insight.rr.com.

2012 Leadership Positions

Budget Committee: Elect two lay, Class of ‘14 The Budget Committee is a committee of Diocesan Council responsible for preparing and reviewing the annual operating budget of the diocese. (Canon XIII) Diocesan Council: Elect three lay, Class of ‘14; Elect one clergy, Class of ‘14

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Diocesan Council is the continuing Diocesan Convention throughout the year. Council meets six times each year, or as called. They review budget and mission share requests, oversee the systemic review and work with the bishops on ministry and mission decisions in the diocese. (Canon XII) Episcopal Community Services Foundation: Elect three people (lay or clergy), Class of ‘14 An independent supporting foundation of the diocese that encourages, supports through grants and education programs and helps to sustain volunteer community service performed under the sponsorship of Episcopal Church congregations and deaneries.

Standing Committee: Elect one lay, Class of ‘14; Elect one presbyter, Class of ‘14 The Standing Committee is the bishop’s council of advice and the ecclesiastical authority in the absence of the bishops. It also shares responsibility for the ordination process, is consulted for consent for the election and consecration of new bishops in the church and reviews requests from congregations to encumber their property. (Constitution VIII) Trustees of the Church Foundation: Elect one lay or clergy, Class of ‘16 Trustees are responsible for administering loans and funds for church buildings. (Articles of Incorporation) Trustees of the Diocese: Elect one lay, Class of ‘16 The elected trustees are responsible for management of diocesan and certain other investments and property owned by the diocese; and for serving as the board of advisors to the bishop on administration of the William Cooper Procter Fund. (Canons XI)

Resolutions Resolutions are a key way for the people of the diocese to discuss and reflect upon issues in the church and beyond. Bishop Breidenthal encourages the submission of resolutions. All proposed resolutions must be received

by Sept. 27 at convention@diosohio.org. The Resolutions Committee will meet that week to review the resolutions.

Those submitting resolutions are expected to attend, or have a representative at, the deanery pre-convention hearings. A sample resolution is posted on the diocesan website at www.diosohio.org, How Things Work, Convention.

Contact: Jim Heathcote at 937.446.2108 or jheathcote@earthlink.net.

Dates and deadlines

The Committee on Constitution and Canons is charged with assisting in the screening, preparation and

Upon Receipt Congregations should submit Certificate of Election of Delegates if not already reported. (Download form from diocesan website, www.episcopal-dso.org, Convention) August 13 - (90 days) Requested date for Constitution & Canonical Changes September 12 – Deadline for Constitution or Canonical changes 27 - (45 days) Deadline for nominations and resolutions.

27 – Journal reports due. Deadline for recommendations for commission appointments October 12- (30 days) Necrology (list of those who have died in each congregation during the past year) due to Geri McDaniel at gmcdaniel@diosohio.org. Credential letter due from congregation if delegates have changed November 11-12 – 137th Convention, Hope Conference Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton

sions for those employees who may want to optout or who are compensated for between 1,000 and 1,499 hours annually.

Diocesan Council’s Advisory Committee on Compensation and Resources has spent the past 20 months both learning about all aspects of the Denominational Health Plan and evaluating the principles that should guide our diocese’s participation. The committee recognizes that while implementation of the DHP should ensure the provision of healthcare benefits for full-time lay employees who may not be receiving them now, there still will be both clergy and lay employees who fall outside the provisions of such a plan.

While the work is not done, the committee believes the proposed Denominational Health Plan represents an important and faithful step

toward the provision of such benefits for all clergy and lay who work for the church.

Committee members will be meeting with clergy around the diocese in the six weeks prior to the pre-convention meetings to respond to their questions about the diocese’s proposed Denominational Health Plan and to solicit their support. Further discussion will, of course, occur at those pre-convention meetings. The resolution will be available in late September, after being received and reviewed by the diocesan Resolution Committee. In the meantime, we encourage you to become familiar with as many of the details of the Episcopal Church’s Denominational Health Plan as possible. A link to the Medical Trust’s Frequently Asked Questions booklet is available on the diocesan website under forms.

Constitution and Canons

Delegates to consider new health plan

By Jon Boss Interchange contributor Delegates to the 137th Convention in November will be asked to approve a resolution outlining the key aspects of a Denominational Health Plan for our diocese. This is in keeping with actions taken by the 2009 General Convention establishing such a health plan for clergy and lay employees who are compensated for 1,500 or more hours annually (essentially all full-time employees).

Among other provisions, the resolution confirms the “no later than January 1, 2013 date” by which all full-time employees must be covered by the Denominational Health Plan; establishes a minimum for such coverage; and details provi-

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Strengthening congregations

Joshua Walk: Christ Church joins community in prayer The Rev. Sallie Schisler Interchange contributor

The return address on the envelope was Central Church of Christ. As the snow piled up outside the office, I thought I ought to leave for home before opening the mail, the road between Ironton and Portsmouth can get slick and often goes untreated, plus it was nearly dusk. But it would only take a minute more to finish the mail.

The letter from the pastor was a request to consider taking part in an event scheduled for June called the Joshua Walk.

The premise was that Christians from the Ironton/Lawrence County area would surround the perimeter of the town in prayer for seven days, praying specifically for Ironton’s community needs. I did a quick calculation, the city limits stretched 11 miles, and the organizers wanted a prayer station at every quarter mile with 20 participants at each station. Nearly 1,000 people would be needed to make the project work. I nearly pitched the letter but was drawn to the concept and marked it for the next vestry meeting.

One of the members of Christ Church, a reporter at the local paper, kept me up-to-date on the meetings. Another friend, the local Presbyterian pastor, encouraged me to take the invitation seriously. By the kick- off worship service on June 5 at Ironton High School, Christ Church had 10 participants signed up.

Based on the story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho, we began our seven days of prayer at 7 p.m. on Pentecost Sunday.

We pulled in to the parking lot to find more than 700 people waiting to pray and to be sent out after the shofar was blown.

There was a sense of energy and the presence of the holy as we arrived at our stations to pray and walk. Our station was in an

The Rev. Sallie Schisler (second from left) and members of Christ Church, Ironton, gathered for seven consecutive nights with more than 700 people to pray for the city and its needs. older section of the city. Some of the houses were run down, and mangy dogs ran loose. An acolyte led our walk with the Christ Church banner. It was hard that first night not to judge our surroundings and keep to the list. Night two found us developing our own prayer litany, answering each petition with, “Lord, have mercy” or “God, hear our prayer.” Night three we prayed the Great Litany at the beginning, adding our own prayers for the community’s needs. On the next night we walked in silence, as if our path was a labyrinth, selecting found objects along the way that reminded us of the holy. One walker produced a holly leaf, another a flower from a Mimosa tree, another a penny, one a child’s plastic toy and one woman two sticks that formed a

cross. We met our Lutheran neighbors and prayed together on a street corner. Our walkers grew to 15.

At first the streets were nearly empty as we walked our assigned route, then people began to appear, a smile, a wave.

We threw up our hands in greeting and told some of our effort.

They said thank you, or God bless you. We decided to leave our path better than we found it, and the next night, we filled three garbage bags with litter. The final walk on Saturday afternoon ended with the walkers encircling the high school football field, holding hands for a closing prayer.

Someone asked, “Couldn’t we have saved all the trouble and prayed our list at home?” The answer is yes, of course, but we would have missed out on forming new friendships and the power we felt from community. Later this person said, “Prayer changes the one praying, God has heard the prayers of the people, but now the community is energized to be the change they want.”

It remains to be seen if the walls of poverty, homelessness, hunger, unemployment, domestic, child and drug abuse come down. As we shared our feelings about the walk, we know that if there is to be change, our baptismal covenant makes it clear: We are the hands and feet God will use in the community to effect change.

As one member said, “I’m glad you didn’t pitch the letter in the trash.” I’m thankful as well for God’s Holy Spirit that moved us to participate. At the closing, one woman said, “I don’t think I’ve ever hugged an Episcopalian.” We were glad to oblige her with at least 10.

The Rev. Sallie Schisler is priest-in-charge of Christ Church, Ironton.

Contact her at schisler@aol.com.

Our Saviour super-sizes outreach

By Emily Rozmus Interchange contributor Community outreach for the Church of Our Saviour, Mechanicsburg, has always been important to the small but devoted congregation. Whether serving the people of the community through a church food pantry, or feeding the youth of the community with a meal and spiritual sustenance at a bi-weekly youth group, Our Saviour has been dedicated to reaching out to those in need. Food is one thing the church does well, from delicious coffee hours each Sunday to an annual Turkey Supper fundraiser held in November. It is no wonder then that the congregation chose to feed others monthly at a free Community Dinner.

Church member Amy Boeck brought the idea to the congregation, and the concept was embraced by a core committee of six. In the first two months, the small group fed more than 70 people. The free dinners are held on the last Wednesday of each month, with money and food items donated by church members and community businesses.

Plans to begin delivery of meals are in the works, but those hungry for company or food may carry out or sit down for a meal provided at no charge.

Dinner is served by different groups in the community. The high school football team and marching band, 4-H groups and Mother’s Memorial Circle are on the schedule to

Church volunteers Vicki Rammel and Jodi Compton serve during the new community dinners. serve food to the community. Attendees at the meals represent a wide array of community members, from the village

of Mechanicsburg’s mayor to single mothers and working class families.

“It is amazing to see the variety of people we are feeding,” said Boeck. “When we planned for this, we wanted to target those who are needy, but we ended up serving more than them. So many people are hungry for fellowship as well.”

The Rev. Tim West, who retired as the priest of the Northern Miami Valley Episcopal Cluster in July, sees this new effort as a logical extension of Our Saviour’s historic commitment to serve the poor and build relationships with others.

“We understand that our charism is to build partnerships in the village to serve those in need,” he said.

The church has built collaborative relationships over the years with community organizations as well as other churches.

“This is the essence of ministry in a small town,” said West. “We have to leverage our presence by building relationships if we have any hope of significantly impacting our community for Christ.”

Though small, Our Saviour makes big efforts in the community, remembering our diocesan mission statement to: Know the common story ~ Proclaim our common faith ~ Pray our common prayer ~ Drink the common cup ~ Serve the common good ~ in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Strengthening congregations

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Diocese launches newly designed website Prompted by the convention's embrace of our mission priorities, the diocesan website has undergone a major redesign. The content is organized around the mission priorities: strengthening congregations, engaging new audiences, formation and mission.

The new design is meant to appeal to both frequent users and first-time visitors (according to Google Analytics, the diocesan website receives about 14,000 unique visitors a month, with 75 percent as first-time users). The navigation is aimed to be more user-friendly and to reflect the needs of congregations, commissions and individuals. Many of the changes are based on feedback culled from a communications survey earlier this summer. More than 350 people responded to the survey, and in comments and rankings, indicated a desire for easier access to forms, calendars and directories. Those links are now global links, either at the very top of the site or in the main menu, so you can quickly find what you need. We also updated the content, added more pictures and reorganized in a way that hopefully makes it easier for you to use.

Using cascading style sheets and the intuitive structure of our web host, Digital Faith, the new

website continues to use the same web address (as do most of the interior pages) so webmasters don’t have to change the links from their local sites.

We also have two new sites that are connected to the diocesan site: www.news.diosohio.org is the central location for news. From this site, you can read (and subscribe to) the daily news briefs, link to e-Connections (our digital newsletter) and its archives, follow us on Facebook, access the calendar and events pages and read the latest news from the bishop.

On the second site, www.publicpolicy.diosohio.org, we are gathering all of the resolutions for the past 20-30 years and putting them in digital form. This way you can easily see what the diocese as a body has said on certain issues.

You’ll also find information about local, state and national issues, networks of people with shared interests and ways to get involved. We still have a lot of content to post on this site, but the framework is up and running.

What do you think? Want to upgrade your site with Digital Faith? Send feedback or a request for website assistance to Richelle Thompson at rthompson@diosohio.org or 800.582.1712.

The diocesan website over the past decade.

Do you have the wRite Stuff?

Celebration of common ministry

The Communications Department is pleased to introduce “The wRite Stuff,” a newsletter competition for the congregations of Southern Ohio. See how your newsletter stacks up against other congregations—and you could be the recipient of a first-ever “Gold Quill” award!

There will be two divisions, one each for printed and electronic newsletters, with multiple categories within each division. Congregations that produce both electronic and printed newsletters may enter in each division. Independent judges will assess the entries and award the gold, silver or bronze Quill to the outstanding entries in each category. Anyone who contributes to a congregation’s newsletter (ie. editor, priest, volunteer writer) is eligible to enter their work. Winners will be announced at the annual diocesan convention in November.

This is an opportunity not only for church communicators to show off their hard work but also for receiving valuable feedback on improving communications at your church. Judges will be asked to provide critical evaluations of all entries, not just the winners. A special award of “Best of Show” will be awarded to the overall most outstanding printed and electronic newsletter.

Best of Show recipients will receive a paid membership for Episcopal Communicators, a national organization of people with communication responsibilities in The Episcopal Church.

The competition will cover communications for the “program year” of September 2010 until June 2011. The deadline for entries is September 16. Entry requirements are listed below and are also available on the diocesan website. Entry forms can be downloaded from the website.

Gather up the communications you send to your congregation and the community and send it in. See if you have “The wRite Stuff!”

Visit www.diosohio.org/Whatwedo/write-stuff for the entry form and details. Mail entries to Julie Murray at Diocesan House, 412 Sycamore Street, Cincinnati 45202.

Entries must be received by Sept. 16 and will not be returned. Winning entries will be displayed at convention. Direct any questions to Julie Murray at jmurray@diosohio.org or 800.582.1712 ext. 110.

Representatives from the five congregations who participated in the diocese’s pilot program for Common Ministry gathered in July to share their stories and celebrate their completion of the program – and the next stage of living into common ministry.

The congregations completing the program are Grace Church, College Hill; Good Shepherd, Athens; Trinity, Columbus; Trinity, Newark; and St. John’s Worthington. The participants shared their successes and their struggles and all affirmed that developing Common Ministry is an ongoing commitment of shared leadership and developing and supporting the ministry of all.

The day concluded with a Eucharist and Commissioning with participants creating and presenting their offerings of signs of Common Ministry.

The pilot program was an 18-month training and formation period to develop and strengthen common ministry in participating congregations. The planning team is incorporating the learning from Participants in the pilot program prepare for the the pilot project to strengthen the program celebration and commissioning for Common for the second group of congregations.

Ministry.

In the spring, additional congregations were given the opportunity to apply for the training program. Six new congregations will begin the Common Ministry leadership training this fall. The two-year program offers training for leadership teams to assist their congregation in discerning God’s call, expressing this in a clear sense of mission, developing ministry teams and assessing gifts for ministry for all the baptized. The second year of the program focuses on leadership training relating to worship, evangelism, pastoral care and engagement in the needs of the community beyond the congregation.

Learn more: www.lifeformation.diosohio.org – The Rev. Canon Karl Ruttan

Strengthening congregations

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New grant guidelines encourage listening to God, neighbor

By Ariel Miller Interchange contributor “This is definitely God saying, ‘these are my people!’ We have to make sure we’re not making it worse. We owe it to them to be effective.”

With these words, Amy Rehfus of Partners in Hope in Troy – a longstanding recipient of ECSF grants – eloquently summed up the goals that moved the ECSF board to revise its grant guidelines this year.

“Ohioans are still suffering layoffs and bankruptcies. Even something as far away as Japan's tsunami affects Ohio livelihoods,” said the Rev. Gary Givler, an ECSF trustee who, who helped write the new guidelines. “Stress is at an all-time high, and people are very tender right now. What this board is calling on you to do is un-common ministry: to look again.”

Any Episcopal church or team in this diocese can apply to the Episcopal Community Services Foundation (ECSF) for grants to aid their response to local human need. Money for ECSF grants comes from the freewill donations of churches, individuals and other donors who recognize churches as effective partners in overcoming hunger, homelessness and other serious problems.

ECSF’s new grant guidelines are designed to help applicants discover how to leverage the greatest possible good at a time when needs continue at generational highs and funding from many secular funders has been slashed.

There are four new questions applicants must address if they apply for an ECSF grant for the coming year: • Consulting those affected and others responding: Applicants are asked to describe what they have learned about the need they are addressing by consulting those who are enduring it, as well as at least one other local service provider working on the same issue.

• Grounding in Christian faith: How are the applicants applying their faith to identify what’s out of balance, to shape goals for better community conditions and to support those implementing the ministry? This question explicitly involves a wider circle – such as the worshipping congregation and Bible study groups – than those providing direct service. It’s meant to give those front-line folks strong support.

• Engaging the wider community: The proposal asks applicants to describe what they are doing to inform their community of the need and engage their compassion, talents and resources in overcoming it. St. Andrew’s, Washington Court House and Epiphany, Nelsonville have demonstrated that small congregations can leverage big impact through vision, pluck, and community organizing: think grains of leaven!

• Checking to see if the project really helps: Finally, the new proposal asks applicants to explain how they will circle back next year to ask those served and other partners whether the ministry is improving the situation

At ECSF’s grantseekers’ workshop in June, Holly Jenkins described how St. Simon of Cyrene draws on spiritual resources to envision and build a bright future for this little girl and other Lincoln Heights children beset by dangers. or needs to be adapted.

After hearing about the changes, the Rev. Terri Thornton of Holy Trinity, Kenwood, offered another wonderful insight.

“One of the hardest things is to help people see the difference between charity and ministry,” she said. “Is this really ministry that God is calling you to, or is it charity that makes you feel good?”

The Rev. Canon Joanna Leiserson, an ECSF trustee and canon at Christ Church Cathedral, explored the changes in an essay that provides suggestions on ways to ground mission in faith.

“The ECSF application is more like a discernment or discovery process than a financial process,” she wrote.

The spiritual foundation “is there,” she said.

“It wants to be uncovered for the ministry to realize and move toward its full potential. In answering our questions, perhaps you may experience an ‘aha!’ or a ‘Eureka’ moment in seeing most clearly the relationship between your project, your faith, your community, and God’s desires for us as we seek to ‘serve the common good in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ.’”

ECSF’s board and grants committee held seven briefings throughout the diocese between June 5 and July 9 to explain the new guidelines.

The regional sessions were timed to occur at least two months before the grant deadline to ensure current and potential applicants had several weeks to adopt the guidelines.

The annual ECSF grantseekers’ workshop in July at Procter Center included a grantee panel and workshops led by ECSF grants committee members on ways to interview those in need and support the work spiritually. People representing more than 50 churches and several local partner non-profits participated.

ECSF presenters assured participants that they are not asking people on the front lines of service – many of whom risk burn-out – to take on a crushing new workload of additional chores. The goal is to raise awareness within and beyond the congregation, so that more people will understand community needs and be moved to respond with prayer, skills, resource and advocacy.

One of the top concerns expressed by grantees is the difficulty and potential intrusiveness of asking people in need to explain that need.

Social worker Rhonda Abban, ECSF’s grants committee chair-elect, wrote out suggestions on using appreciative inquiry, both for soulsearching within the congregation as well as to invite those served to share their stories and offer advice. Grantees shared lots of additional ideas ranging from prayer request boxes to using Facebook groups.

Leiserson’s essay was distributed, combining discussion questions with a list of fruitful Scripture references and resources from the Book of Common Prayer to help applicants find sources of guidance and encouragement in rooting the ministry in their listening to God. At each session, in addition to answering questions, the ECSF team invited churches to brief each other on what they are already doing in line with the new logic. Their responses – a collaborative cookbook of tested ministry recipes – have been written up and posted on ECSF’s website together with the grants guidelines and other suggestions.

Rogation days The people of Trinity, Newark, “beat the bounds” of the estate, led by a piper, blessed the soil for the gardens and consecrated the memorial garden in observance of Rogation Day. Then the congregation gathered for fellowship – and ice cream and cake. Photos by Paula Getreu

How to apply and where to turn for help ECSF’s new grant proposal guidelines are posted at the Grants and Grantees link of ECSF’s website, www.

ECSFsouthernohio.org This link also includes the suggestions written by Abban and Leiserson as well as the many great tips shared by churches at the regional workshops.

Requests for ECSF ministry grants for 2012 must be received by Sept. 15, either in hard copy at the diocesan office, 412 Sycamore Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202, or by email (far easier for the grants committee and useful in saving the lives of trees) at ECSF@eos.net ECSF’s board, staff and grants committee are all volunteers experienced in human services and community ministry. They are glad to field questions and help you find practical ways to implement the cycle of consultation and teamwork embodied in the grant guidelines. They come from all corners of the diocese; their names, communities, and email addresses are listed at the Contact Us link on the website, or you can start by calling ECSF’s executive director Ariel Miller at 513.221.0547.

Engaging new audiences

7

Auction benefits camp scholarships

Southern Ohio's delegation to the Wild Goose included (from left): Nic Shaver, Teckla Akinyi, the Rev. Jane Gerdsen, Andrea Bardelmeier, Matt Dawson, Larry Bourgeois, Ross Frischmuth and Dale Lature. Below: The group prepares dinner at camp.

By Sally Johnson Interchange contributor Sugar and spice and fresh eggs and pies, produce and artwork and shirts just your size, that’s what an auction is made of.

Those are just a few of the items claimed by the high bidders during the Northern Miami Valley Episcopal Cluster’s (NMVEC) annual camp fundraiser held at the Church of the Epiphany, Urbana.

The auction raised more than $3,000, which was distributed as scholarships to individuals and families who wanted to attend one or more of the week-long summer camps offered by the Diocese of Southern Ohio at Procter Center.

The fundraiser was a complete evening, beginning with a 5:30 p.m. worship service led by young people, followed by brief comments from those who had previously attended camps. Participants in the service included the Rev. Nancy Hardin, Sarah Murphy, Monica Hartzler and Janet and Art Baer.

Guest Chris Tokarz, director of the Procter Center, brought greetings from the staff and praise for the cluster’s dedication to the summer programs.

The camp theme was continued by a picnic-style supper with hot dogs and hamburgers, grilled by Marc Stadler and Fred Tolley.

After supper auctioneers du jour Ed Hardin, Art Baer and the Rev. Tim West, the cluster’s missioner, extolled the merits of the donated items.

Epiphany treasurer Shary Stadler served as cashier.

An auction tradition, Dorothy Headlee’s peanut butter fudge sold for $30 a plate and her two lemon pies for $35 each.

Another highlight of the auction was a stained glass art piece, an original design of a Madonna and child, in shades of blue and white with a beveled glass border, created by longtime Epiphany member Rhonda Heffner. It sold for $300, the most offered for any single item.

It was bought by a coalition of bidders whose spokesperson, Marc Stadler, then presented the artwork to Rev. Tim and Becky West as a parting gift. West, who has served the Cluster for the past 12 years, retired in July.

Auctioneer Ed Hardin also had tributes for the Wests. He presented several framed photos of West as auctioneer at previous camp fundraisers as well as fleece jackets with diocesan logos to the departing couple.

As the auction got underway, handmade candles, prize-winning jelly, coffee cakes, freshly-harvested asparagus and rhubarb and free-range eggs were quickly claimed. Fresh strawberries were popular, some dipped in chocolate and others baked in pies. There were oatmeal cookies in a crock, blueberry chutney, coffee and cookie mix, maple syrup in elegant bottles and a sloppy joe dinner for six.

A hanging basket of blooming plants, a flat of impatiens, two clay pots of herbs, boxes of all-occasion greeting cards and a little gold picture frame all found new owners.

Also offered were golf balls, a wall clock, handcrafted jewelry, signed, matted and framed waterfowl prints from Ducks Unlimited and gift certificates from Williams Hardware, 795 Scioto Street and Ben and Me, antiques, furniture, collectibles and interiors, 18 Monument Square, Urbana.

Reservations were taken for a September chili cook-off at the home of Epiphany members Jim and Karen Boian.

Out-of- the-ordinary items included a postcard with a picture of the Church of the Epiphany taken about the turn of the century, flip flops and a dog collar bearing the Episcopal Church logo, a coffee table book on Christendom, high quality art prints, and a railroad signal lantern and a Union Pacific, long-spouted oil can, produced in Urbana by the Johnson Manufacturing Company in the early 20th century.

Handsome knit shirts in various sizes with Episcopal insignia were donated by Fred Tolley, and Art Baer’s contribution of T-shirts, caps and visors bearing the Dayton Dragon logos put auction proceeds over the $3,000 mark.

“If you want to walk faster, you walk alone.

If you want to walk farther, you walk together.”

-- African saying

Embracing the Wild Goose chase By the Rev. Jane Gerdsen Interchange contributor It feels a little like a dream but it really happened: a few weeks ago that eight of us drove 10 hours to participate in the first-ever Wild Goose Festival held in the hills of beautiful North Carolina. Wild Goose was a gathering focused on arts, justice and faith and modeled after the Greenbelt Festival held each August in England.

The Wild Goose is the Celtic image of the Holy Spirit. The festival featured some wonderful musicians, activists who are working for peace and justice in the world, and an amazing line-up of Christian writers and thinkers.

The opportunity to sit at the feet of modern-day mystic Richard Rohr, to be inspired by the simple life founder Shane Claiborne and to be challenged by the theology of Pete Rollins was incredible. But more importantly for me was the opportunity to get to hear and see and talk with some of the practitioners who have formed new, engaged and intentional Christian communities. Every person I talked with at the festival was dreaming of a better way -- a way for God to break into the brokenness of our world and bring about new life. These were people with a deep desire for our faith to mean something tangible, who believe that following Jesus must be lived in ways that are both simple and profound.

The festival for me was about stepping outside

of my comfort zone: camping in fields crawling with ticks, carrying a big water jug back from the spigot for our campsite, waiting in line for the stinky port-a-potties. But more importantly it required that I put aside my pre-conceived notions about what evangelicals think or why I love the Episcopal Church. It meant listening with open ears to different perspectives about the future of the church, about issues of faith and sexuality. It was a place of conversation about our faith journey at different stages of life, about wrestling with doubt and about how to be Christian in a pluralistic world, with so many different denominations and faith traditions. It was about taking a posture of receptivity and being willing to walk with others as we seek the kingdom of God. It was about slowing down, paying attention and realizing that it is OK not to have all the answers. It was refreshing to be with a group of people who were not pretending – so often in the church, we want to put on our best selves. This was a place where people of faith could have conversations about where we sense the Holy Spirit is leading us. It was an affirmation that we can follow God without having to know where we are being led. And it involved following a deep intuition, a sense that we might actually find our way if we go together.

With the Wild Goose as our guide, the journey might not be as simple and straightforward as we might like, but it is a lot more interesting!

Engaging new audiences

8

Episcopal Celebration: ‘Midwives of the new life of the Spirit’

By Meribah Mansfield Interchange contributor More than 100 adults, teens and children gathered on the peaceful campus of Kenyon College in Gambier in late June for the annual Ohio Episcopal Celebration at Kenyon, hosted jointly by the dioceses of Ohio and Southern Ohio, with support from Bexley Hall Seminary.

Through three sessions, the Rev. Thomas Brackett led attendees to embrace a sense of their own belovedness so that they could be confident “midwives of the new life of the Spirit.” Brackett, program officer for Church Planting, Ministry Redevelopment and Fresh Expressions of Church for The Episcopal Church, encouraged participants to be outrageous, provocative, strategic “mischief makers” in engaged community, working together to achieve God’s dreams for all humankind and Creation. He challenged attendees to move from a churchshaped mission to a mission-shaped church.

Brackett introduced Hilary Camblos, a Yale seminarian who helped form the Episcopal Evangelsim Network. The network arises from students asking the questions: “How can we form intentional ministries with effective, grass-roots style evangelism?

How can we foster the development of vibrant Episcopal faith communities where people can meet Jesus and be transformed?”

These seminarians are practicing and modeling a process called “Invited Spiritual Conversation,” in which people share their stories and empathize with each other. They have found people long to share spiritual stories but often wait to be asked.

This group is trying to make the connection between theological beliefs and daily practices.

Workshop leaders inspired participants with how they are being intentionally Christian in engaged communities. Paul Clever from Good Earth Farms in Athens and Patrick Kaufman and Ashley Laughlin, co-managers of Franklinton Gardens in

Far left: Sister Nadine from the Community of the Transfiguration adds a ribbon to the cross during one of the worship services.

Left: The Rev. Thomas Brackett challenged participants to be strategic “mischief makers” in building engaged, intentional communities.

Columbus, an urban agriculture intiative that partners with St. John’s Columbus, shared how engaged communities can develop community gardens and sustainable agriculture for our neighborhoods. They also shared their experience of founding and living in small intentional Christian communities that are committed to a life prayer, fellowship and service. Clever and his wife, Sarah, started the Common Friars at the Good Earth Farm. The Common Friars are men and women, married and single, lay and ordained, of an emerging religious order in the Episcopal Church. They are seeking to understand and live out what it means to be a Christian disciple today. They place utmost importance on being connected to the land, to each other and to those on the margins of society.

They live and work together and contribute their individual talents and gifts to one another and to the broader community by sharing the joy of food with all who hunger. Their three values are gospel poverty, joy and hospitality.

Laughlin lives in the Jerzeel Community in Franklinton with five other people. They feel that to understand the needs of the community, they need to live there. They took part-time jobs and gave away more than half of their belongings so that they

could focus on meeting the needs of their neighbors directly by feeding and caring for them, and through the community gardens and a bicycle co-op. They have now started a neighborhood Girl Scout troop, in order to help keep the girls from becoming prostitutes.

Matthew Leahy and Philip Storer from St. John’s, Columbus, shared how they engage in theological conversation through pub theology and discussing films. The Rev. Canon Karl Ruttan, the diocese’s canon for life formation, explored practices that deepen the spiritual life of communities, including the labyrinth.

Other sessions explored programs such as house church and global communities.

Children participated in an Abundant Life Gardening program, discovering how to use their resources to help others in need. Through Bible stories, children learned about water, seeds, soil, animals and harvest. The children created their own garden and explored the meaning of the covenant we make as baptized Christians. The teen program theme was "Out of the Box and Into the Zone." The entire conference community worshipped together several times. Participants also enjoyed eating s’mores at a campfire on Friday night, a Contra Dance on Saturday evening as well as swimming, biking and hiking.

Lay theologian: Two or three juicy rationalizations Caldwell has begun using a newfangled pedometer for keeping track of his runs. He convinced me to get one too. It works with my phone, which has an app that communicates with a “sensor” I put between the tongue and laces of my right running shoe.

With the additional help of a free Nike website, I now know how far and at what pace I’m running. I’ve been in denial about what a slacker I had become. Now that some computer program knows what I’m actually doing, I’m far more motivated to do what I’ve been assuring myself I was doing all along.

I learned as a Southern Baptist child that my heavenly Father knows my most secret thoughts and intentions, as they are occurring. It worked. I knew the fear of the LORD. I tried to keep dubious intentions to a minimum. At least before adolescence.

My pace has picked up a bit, and my runs have gotten a little longer. I’m setting goals on the website and am trying to meet them.

In one of my favorite scenes from the 1983 movie, “The Big Chill,” the Jeff Goldblum character asserts that nobody thinks they’re a bad person. We may even realize, Michael says, that we sometimes do manipulative, self-serving things, but we tell ourselves there’s a good reason for doing them. In fact, people who are openly selfish are in a way more admirable for their honesty than those who may appear more charming but are still just trying to get what they want.

Sam asks him why that seems like such a massive rationalization of his selfishness. “Don’t knock rationalization,”

Michael replies, deflecting. “Where would we be without it? I don’t know anyone who can get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations.”

The psychologist, Jonathan Haidt (pronounced “height”), argues that our reason is much more like an inner lawyer than an inner judge. It does our bidding, trying to win for its client – our impulsive, emotion-driven, self-inflating self. Our reason doesn’t weigh the evidence impartially and decide objectively. It makes the case we want made, even or especially to ourselves.

There is significant empirical evidence from some fairly ingenious experiments that this is true, at least partly.

It would be good form at this point if I could give an example of such a rationalization in my own experience, but I live totally by reason rather than merely rationalizing my gut reactions, self-centered biases and herd instincts. I asked Charlotte whether she could think of an example, and without hesitating she mentioned “the thing in the garage.” But that doesn’t really work.

I traded vehicles this summer. I loved my gray, two-door Honda Civic. Charlotte told me when I got it in 2008 that it was just the right car for a 50-year-old man. Do you think she meant it wasn’t a red Porsche?

Dr. Don Reed

I’d been eyeing Honda Elements for months. Fang (my Mastiff) rode on the back seat of the Civic, often with his front paws on the front seat armrest and his large head over my right shoulder. He was poised to go straight through the windshield if we had an accident. I became increasingly nervous about this possibility. Charlotte’s suggestion that Fang could wear some sort of restraining device was obviously way off base.

I finally got permission to look at Elements and began in earnest. I found a 2008 that is my favorite color, Atomic Blue Metallic, with red tail lights. It goes perfectly with the Episcopal shield that I put on right away! The back seats fold up for dogs, summer flower-pot-garden supplies, bikes, you name it. On a recent trip to Cincinnati, I learned that it gets less than 27 miles per gallon on the interstate, but I don’t do much interstate driving anyway.

So I still need an example. Appearances to the contrary, I do all I really should to keep down my carbon footprint. I’m still as active and fit as I was in my 20s. I do enough already for those who are barely getting by. I don’t eat goodies or drink beverages I don’t need or at least deserve. And I give enough to my church.

So even if there were an app or computer program, or the fear of the LORD, keeping track of such things, it wouldn’t find anything I need to change. Or very much I hope.

Don Collins Reed is a member of Christ Church, Springfield, and is professor of philosophy at Wittenberg University. Contact him at dreed@wittenberg.edu.

Engaging new audiences

Moving day I have been thinking a lot about moving lately, as we sort through our house, deciding what to put into boxes, what to give away and what needs to be thrown away. There are some things – wedding photos, family heirlooms and memories from childhood that will come with us wherever we go. We will find room for them in any home we ever live in because they are part of who we are. There are other things like that fryThe. ing pan and wooden spoon Rev. Jane that are just useful, we use Gerdsen them everyday – nothing special but important to our life together nonetheless.

Some of our things – the clothes we haven’t worn in years (and can’t remember ever being in style), the old computer in the attic that we just haven’t ever figured out what to do with, or that never-ending pile of plastic bags that just needs to be given away.

Some things are quite simply garbage: old magazines and papers, a broken lampshade or Christmas lights that have long since lost their sparkle. If we don’t do this hard work, we will unfortunately end up on an episode of Hoarders (my husband says that we are already there as the closets empty and the boxes pile up around us). If we’re honest, most of us wait until the moving truck is almost pulling up outside before we really start taking inventory of all the things pushed to the back of closets and stored in the attic.

I am afraid the church is at times guilty of this same moving-day procrastination

9

About the conferences missio will be a gathering of emergent leaders and fresh expressions practi-

-- not just in our physical spaces, but in our spiritual practices as well. We hold onto old traditions because it’s easier than looking for the ways God’s mission is calling us to live anew. We keep coming back to that string of lights, hoping they will sparkle again and become both sad and frustrated that they won’t work when we need them. How can we let go of things that don’t fit anymore or have been broken for years? Can we make the hard decisions about what we need to take with us wherever we go because they a part of our identity as people of God and what things are no longer necessary or useful in our ever-changing world?

I think that when we do this work, we actually feel better. When we simplify our lives and take inventory of what matters, we have more time and more freedom to do the things that really matter. We can begin the journey again, seeking the way God is inviting us to live our lives fully and abundantly, trusting that God will provide.

If you would like to join in a conversation with others who are wrestling with the difficult questions of what parts of our tradition we need to carry with us and what new gifts of the Spirit we are discovering as we seek to live simply and freely as the people of God, I invite you to join us for missio: a fresh expressions mission conference, Sept. 30 – Oct. 1 at Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati. This conference will explore a variety of missional and emerging practices for Christian communities in a post-modern world. I hope you might join us as we explore the ways God is inviting us to move in new ways and share the always good news in our local communities.

tioners for conversation and collaboration in (re-) imagining church in ways that are radically incarnational and contextual and embody the gospel and reign of God in today’s culture. It will be an opportunity for people in traditional congregations to dialogue with leaders of emerging Christianity, to discover innovative resources for building community with young adults, campus ministry collaboration, radical hospitality, emergent worship, and missional church planting within a postmodern and post-secular world. Together, we will explore what it means to be what the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, calls a “mixed-economy church,” where traditional congregations and new expressions of church work together to participate in God’s mission in the world.

The conference will include a talk by Karen Ward, founder of Church of the Apostles in Seattle, Wash., one of the first Episcopal emergent churches in the United States. It also will include conversation workshops by a variety of young adult leaders on topics such as the culture of emergence, how to start a new Christian community, formation for young adults, living in intentional community, coffee ministry and third spaces, how churches can re-shape themselves as mission-shaped communities and tools for developing emergent worship services.

The event will be curated by Episcopal Village in partnership with the dioceses of Southern Ohio, Ohio and Indianapolis and hosted by Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati. The cost is $50 for the two-day gathering.

sustain is a pre-conference event for mission that will explore what it means

to live our faith collectively and in a particular place. This unique gathering will explore local food, community gardening, neo-monastic practices and building local economies. There will be a walking tour of the neighborhood, lunch provided by the community and a neighborhood barbecue for dinner.

This event is hosted by the Norwood Collective and Vineyard Central and curated by Episcopal Village in partnership with the Diocese of Southern Ohio. Cost is $55 for the day, including lunch and dinner.

Register at https://diosohio.wufoo.com/forms/missiosustain-registration/

Holy Spirit plays havoc with best-laid plans Sometimes, when well-made plans go awry, if you can only remain hopeful, something even better may emerge to rescue the situation. This became a reality when the long-held plans of St. Luke’s, Granville, and All Saints, New Albany, to organize a joint youth mission trip to the Good Earth Farm began to unravel as participants were forced, one after another, for a variety of reasons, to cancel.

“We were down to three youth members between our two congregations,” said the Rev. Michael Way of All Saints. “Lacking the critical mass to make this a successful and meaningful trip, we feared that we might have to cancel.”

However, unexpected interest in the trip was shown by young people from two other neighboring congregations – St. Andrew’s, Pickerington, and St. Matthew’s, Westerville.

They were interested too in a week of worship, fellowship and hands-on experience

with ministries that involved gaining a greater awareness of sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, and social justice.

“By joining forces with these other congregations, our numbers bounced back up to where they were originally,” said Way. “We were able to proceed with our plans after all. What’s more, it became a real blessing for these four congregations on the eastern side of Columbus to work together in this way.”

Through preliminary meetings and shared experiences on the trip, the youth groups began to form relationships with each other -relationships that promise to lead to future projects of both fun and mission.

Youth on a mission from four Columbus-area churches

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There are a lot of reasons why I would recommend Procter camp to anyone and everyone but I’ll narrow it down to just one: you have the freedom to be yourself. This is especially great if it’s a weird transition time for you because Procter camp has such as comfortable atmosphere and fun counselors. You feel free to be yourself because no one’s going to judge you here. That’s why Procter is so great!

Tejo O., camper, St. Andrew’s, Pickerington I have 17 reasons and counting why you need to come to camp … tie dye, new experiences, love, acceptance, fun worship, Blob!, music, peace, lifechanging, wonderful people, fabulous dinner rolls, sunsets, learning, laughter, Matilda, joy.

And it’s the best place to spend part of your summer.

I didn’t say all that for nothing. Come and experience this place for yourself. I promise you won’t regret it. Go. Sign up.

Please. I can’t wait to see you next summer.

Allegra, camp counselor, St. Patrick’s, Lebanon I would recommend coming to Procter because it’s fun and unexpecting. It’s peaceful and exciting.

You don’t get judged or made fun of. It’s a good place to make new friends. It’s the one place you have fun while you’re praising the Lord.

Curtis H., camper, Cincinnati

What I did on my summer (camp) vacation

More than 400 campers of all ages spent part of their summer in camp at Procter Center. From creative arts and outdoors camps to Family Camp, the sessions had something to appeal to everyone. Campers from this summer want to spread their joy with others. Here’s why they think you should include camp in your summer plans next year!

Watch www.youth.diosohio.org for the 2012 schedule – and read more stories about why you should come to camp!

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When I think about Procter, the first word that pops in my head is “fun.” Camp has become one of the highlights of my family’s summer – we pretty much plan our summer around Family Camp. But Procter is so, so much more than just fun. For me, Procter is a “thin” place – God feels so close. I experience God constantly throughout the days of camp, and I see God everywhere. God is in the beautiful scenery, being with my family away from the outside world, the wonderful counselors who shamelessly demonstrate their love for God through words and actions, the singing, dancing and clapping to great music, sharing experiences and worshiping with so many other brothers and sisters in Christ, and the laughter and smiles of campers and staff. Procter is a place filled with peace and love. And yes, Procter is fun!

Amy Harris, family camp (pictured at right), Church of the Redeemer, Hyde Park

Procter camp is a place of love and joy, a place where God can easily be found. At Procter, it is easy to be your true self in a world where most of us wear masks that hide our true beings. From baby Josh Konkol to old Dad (I won’t embarrass him by telling his age), anyone and everyone is accepted at Procter. We love you equally.

If you are looking for a place to rediscover God, there is no better place on earth than Procter, because God is present in all we do at camp. But if all you want is a place to come and be with wonderful people, Procter can bet hat place too. Procter is one of the greatest gems that the diocese has to offer and is definitely a place that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime (or more!).

So come to camp and have an experience of a lifetime.

Hume Jamison, camp counselor, Calvary, Clifton

Strengthening congregations

12

them off for recycling. And coffee grounds from each week’s Coffee Hour are being shared with a neighbor of the church for use in their flower and vegetable gardens. How is your church minimizing what goes in our local landfills?

Good Earth Farm: An open invitation to all

Volunteer opportunities are available throughout the week and throughout the year at the Good Earth Farm in Athens. Come help God feed the hungry! Our Tuesday Eucharist and community meal continues year round at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Come celebrate the deep connection between food, faith and God’s abundant hospitality. Good Earth Farm is located at 10011 Armitage Rd. For more information, contact goodearthfarm@commonfriars.org.

Prolific purlers

Revival

Around the diocese items are culled from congregation newsletters, websites, tweets and Facebook pages so make sure to add us to your mailing lists! Send your news to Julie Murray at jmurray@diosohio.org and Richelle Thompson at rthompson@diosohio.org .

The knitting group at St. Paul’s, Chillicothe, contributed 500 knitted items (hats, scarves and mittens) to the Jaycees Special Santa community outreach program last December, and the knitters are busy this summer trying to top that number. The knitters also make blankets that are sent to military hospitals around the world.

Vendors needed

Registration is now open for anyone interested in being a vendor at the annual Holiday Sale at Church of the Redeemer, Hyde Park. The annual sale, which benefits Redeemer’s ministry at El Hogar, is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19. Register on the Redeemer website (www.redeemer-cincy.org) or by phoning the parish office at 513.321.6700. Table fees before September 1 are $30. After September 1, the price increases to $40.

Labor Day Bake Sale

St. Mark’s, Columbus, will sponsor their third annual Help Heal Hunger in Ohio bake sale on Monday, Sept. 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sale is held each year in conjunction with the Upper Arlington Arts Festival at nearby Northam Park. Parishioners set up the sale in the parking lot of the church to entice the fairgoers who park in nearby lots with their delicious home-baked goodies as they head to the festival. Proceeds from the sale will benefit NNEMAP (Near Northside Emergency Material Assistance Program).

Early Music concert

Fior Angelico, an early music group from Columbus, will offer a concert at St. Paul’s, Dayton, on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 3:30 p.m. The program will include Lassus, Requiem for four voices and Lassus, Lamentations of Jeremiah (Good Friday lessons) for four voices. The concert is free and open to the public. Call 937.293.1154 for more information.

Creative Journey

Shark attack: Zach and Julian from St. Andrew’s, Evanston, visit the Newport Aquarium during a recent Faith Weekend.

Dial-a-meal

Too tired to cook? St Andrew’s, Evanston, has the perfect solution – for at least one night! On Aug. 11 at 6:30 p.m., St. Andrew’s will be serving up a scrumptious meal of homemade chicken pie, green beans, salad, yeast rolls and Bacardi pound cake. There’s no set price – payment is on the honor system – but it is a fundraiser for the church. Make your reservations today by calling 513.661.0954.

Fire drill!

St. Peter’s, Delaware, held a fire drill during each service on a recent Sunday morning. Everyone was encouraged to exit the church in an orderly fashion to practice responding to a real emergency. Has your church ever held a fire drill?

This would be a great time to start the conversation!

U2Charist at Irish Festival

St. Patrick’s, Dublin, will offer a U2Charist at the Dublin Irish Festival on Sunday, Aug. 7 at 10:45 a.m. The three-day

Parishioners at St. Patrick’s, Lebanon, are leading the congregation on a Creative Journey—offering demonstrations on such creative endeavors as flower arranging, cake decorating, needlework, storytelling, jewelry making and rug hooking. The demos are offered during fellowship time and are open to all ages.

Bibliophile paradise!

Used book sale at All Saints, New Albany, on Saturday, Aug. 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come to browse, read and even buy! Used books will be gratefully accepted the week prior to the sale. Contact 614.855.8267 for more information.

We love our moms

Prayer Group

The Prayer Group at St. Andrew’s, Dayton, cordially invites you to join them from 7 to 8:30 p.m. most Tuesdays to explore and practice prayer and meditation in Christianity and other religious traditions.St. Andrew’s is located at 1060 Salem Avenue in Dayton. The group generally meets in the parish library. For more information call 937.278.7345 or 937.278.8619.

St. Philip’s, Columbus, invites you to three days of reflection and revival Sept. 15-17. Led by guest preacher, the Rev. Eric H. Brown, we will explore the themes of wisdom and understanding. Join us for three days of music, scripture, prayers, testimonials and God’s word. The revival begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and starts with breakfast at 9 a.m. on Saturday (RSVP at 614.253.2771 for the breakfast by Sept. 11. Cost is $3 per person).

Members of the Rite 13 class at St. Anne, West Chester, prepared and served fresh baked coffee cakes and fruit for a special Mother’s Day Coffee Hour at the church. Moms were served at reserved “Mothers Only” tables.

Rummage Sales Rusty Lockett, a member of Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati, and longtime activist, was one of the marshals for this year’s Cincinnati Equinox Pride Parade.

Lockett, pictured in the middle, and friends offered free hugs during the celebration.

Lockett is the president of the non-profit Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Greater Cincinnati. festival is the world’s second largest Irish celebration with more than 100,000 people expected to attend, so get there early to make sure you get a seat. The service, a traditional Eucharist that features the music of the band U2, will take place at the Dean Allstate Insurance Shamrock Stage, located near the East entrance on Coffman Park Drive. Information: 614.766.2664 or visit www.dublinirishfestival.org.

Does your church recycle?

Two notable recycling programs are being carried out at Christ Church, Glendale. The congregation has collected 156 pounds (so far) of depleted dry cell batteries and sent

Everyone knows church rummage sales have the best stuff at great prices! Here are a few sales coming up soon: Aug. 5-6 at St. Patrick’s, Lebanon. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 513.932.7691 for more information.

Aug. 19-20 at St. Matthew’s, Westerville. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Call 614.882.2706 for more information.

Notable

The Rev. Deniray Mueller delivered the invocation and benediction for the Winter Session graduation of Franklin University in May. Gunner’s Mate 1st Class Joseph Jeffcott, a parishioner at St. Timothy’s, Cincinnati, has been named one of the top five reservists in the US Navy. Jeffcott, who is attached to a Navy Reserve unit in Columbus, was nominated for Reserve Sailor of the Year last fall. He won competitions for his unit, the Midwest, the Eastern US and the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command before advancing to Washington DC in April as one of five finalists. Congratulations, and we thank you for your service to your country!

Common Ministry

CALENDAR August

3-6 – Family Camp III at Procter Camp.

6 – Safe Church training at St. James, Columbus, 9 a.m. Register at diosohio.org or by calling Geri McDaniel at 800.582.1712 ext. 105. Contact: the Rev. Darren Elin at 513.831.2052.

10 – Commission on Congregational Life meets at the Procter Center, 9 a.m.

Contact: Janice West at 937.278.2249.

11-13 – Great Episcopal Tour de Ohio bike ride, from the Procter Center to Cincinnati and back on the scenic rail-to-trail pathways to raise money for ECSF. Contact: the Rev. Stephen Smith at revd.up@att.net.

18 - Advisory Committee on Compensation and Resources meets at Diocesan House, 1:30 p.m. Contact: Jon Boss at 513.761.2630.

20 – Safe Church training at St. Anne, West Chester, 9 a.m. Register online at diosohio.org or call Geri McDaniel at 800.582.1712, ext. 105. Contact: the Rev. Darren Elin at 513.831.2052.

25-28 – Deacons School at Procter Center. Contact: Kay Sturm at 800.582.1712 ext.

136.

25 – Episcopal Appalachian Ministries meets at the Procter Center, 10 a.m. Contact: the Rev. Leslie Flemming at 740.517.2143.

September

1 - Congregational audits are due to the finance office. Send to Diocese of Southern Ohio, c/o Finance, 412 Sycamore Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Contact: Heather Windle at 800.582.1712 ext. 113.

6 – Full staff meeting, offices closed.

7 – Standing Committee meets at Diocesan House, noon. Contact: the Rev. Stephen Applegate at 740.587.0167.

8 – Trustees of the Diocese meet at Diocesan House, 9:30 a.m. Contact: the Rev. Canon Jim Hanisian at jhanisian@erhinc.com.

9-10 – Mountain Grace Conference at St. John’s, Huntington, W.V. 14 – Commission on Congregational Life meets at the Procter Center, 9 a.m.

Contact: Janice West at 937.278.2249.

15 – Advisory Committee on Compensation and Resources meets at the Procter Center, 2 p.m. Contact: Jon Boss at 513.761.2630.

16-17 – Common Ministry training overnight at Procter Center. Contact: Kay Sturm at 800.582.1712 ext. 136.

24 – Safe Church training at Good Shepherd, Athens, 9 a.m. Register online at diosohio.org or call Geri McDaniel at 800.582.1712 ext. 105. Contact: the Rev. Darren Elin at 513.831.2052.

27 – Clergy Day at Procter Center, 10 a.m. Contact: Pat Haug at 800.582.1712 or register online at www.diosohio.org 29 – sustain, a fresh expressions event at the Speckled Bird Café, 1766 Mills Ave. in Norwood, 12 p.m. Register online at diosohio.org. Contact: the Rev. Jane Gerdsen at freshexpressions@diosohio.org.

30 – Gabriel’s Place dedication. Contact: the Rev. Canon Anne Reed at 800.582.1712.

30-Oct. 1 – missio, a fresh expressions mission conference at Christ Church Cathedral. Registration begins at 10 a.m. Friday, conference begins at 2 p.m. Register at diosohio.org. Contact: the Rev. Jane Gerdsen at freshexpressions@diosohio.org.

30-Oct 2 – Southern Ohio Lay Leadership Initiative weekend at Procter Center.

Contact: Kay Sturm at 800.582.1712, ext. 136.

13

Rest in peace The Very Rev. James A. Diamond, the former dean of Christ Church Cathedral, died July 21, in Ogunquit, Maine. He was 66.

He served as dean of Christ Church Cathedral from 1999 to 2010. Prior to that, he had been rector of Christ Church in Andover, Mass., from 1981 to 1999 and as the Episcopal chaplain for the University of Minnesota from 1973-1981. He was the former president of the Community of the Cross of Nails for the U.S. and Canada.

Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Barbara; and a son, Christopher. Another son, Jeffrey, predeceased him.

A private service was held July 25 for the family. A public memorial service will take place in November at Christ Church in Andover, Mass., where Dean Diamond served for many years before his move to Cincinnati.

A memorial service celebrating Dean Diamond’s life and ministry in our diocese will be held at Christ Church Cathedral. Details will be made available after consultation with Diamond family.

Cards and condolences may be mailed to Barbara and their son, Chris, at 33 Limestone Road, Ogunquit, ME 03907.

John Kirby Webster, a member of St. Mark’s, Dayton, since 1957, died July 2. He was 82.

He was quite active in both his local church and in the diocese, serving for several years as deputy to General Convention. He had served as president and member of the Standing Committee and for 14 years on Diocesan Council.

Born in 1928 in Waltham, Mass., he met his wife, Ruby, in St. Paul, Minn., while both were attending Macalester College. They married in 1952. He spent nearly 40 years in public relations and marketing. He also was sergeant-at-arms of the Beavercreek Rotary Club for 10 years and had a 25-year pin for perfect attendance. In 2007, he was presented with the Rotary Club’s Marion & Matty Pennick Award for Outstanding Community Service.

Survivors include his wife, Ruby; children, Wendy, Kirby, Joni and Kyle; and grandchildren Alynor, Kelcie, Derek, Bijan and Sheida. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 456 Woodman Drive, Dayton 45431. Memories may be shared at jketabchi@cinci.rr.com as a keepsake for the family.

The Rev. Edward King Jr., senior program officer for the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, died July 13. He was 60 years old.

King worked closely with the Diocese of Southern Ohio to obtain grants from the DuPont Fund. He joined the staff of the Fund in 1995. During most of his tenure, he served as senior program officer for the fund’s religion portfolio, which includes 75 churches, a synagogue and 15 other religious organizations.

King was preceded in death by his daughter, Michelle. He is survived by his wife, Cerrito, and four children: Vanessa, Edward III, Michae’l and Justin.

Clergy

LEADERSHIP CHANGES

The Rev. Terri Thornton has been called as priest-in-charge at Holy Trinity, Kenwood.

The Rev. Lynn Sinnott has been called as priest-in-charge at Christ Church, Xenia.

The Rev. Tom Fehr has been called as priest-in-charge at Grace, Pomeroy.

The Rev. Christopher Richardson has been called as priest-in-charge of St. Andrew',s Dayton.

The Rev. James Strader has been called as rector of St. James, Westwood.

Retirements

VISITATIONS August

September

October

No visitations

4 – St. James, Piqua 11 – Grace, Pomeroy 18 – House of Bishops 25 - Trinity, Newark (Bp. Rivera)

2 – St. Stephen’s, Columbus Christ Church, Xenia (Bp. Rivera) 9 – All Saints, New Albany 16 – St. Paul’s, Chillicothe

All visits are by Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal, unless noted.

The Rev. Canon George Hill has announced his retirement from St. Barnabas, Montgomery. He will continue to serve until an interim priest is named.

The Rev. Tim West retired in July as missioner of the Northern Miami Valley Episcopal Cluster.

The Rev. Bill Bales has retired from Trinity, McArthur.

Staff

Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal announced in late July the elimination of two staff positions because of budget cuts. Jane Dupke Curry’s position will come to an end on December 31, 2011, in anticipation of Bishop Price’s retirement in 2012. Yvonne Allen-Smith’s position ended July 27, owing to the consolidation of clerical duties in the Cincinnati office and the anticipated outsourcing of building management.

Formation

14

Formation opportunities 13-16 for the “Everyone, Everywhere 2011” mission conference. This conferDuring the meditation portion of a ence is for congregations, dioceses, netrecent yoga class, the instructor prompt- works and individuals active in the global ed us to visualize a beautiful color. and domestic mission of The Episcopal “Blue,” she suggested, “like a September Church. The conference includes plenary sky.” With nothing more to prompt my sessions twice a day and multiple workthoughts, I had frightful visions of one shops for participants. perfect September morning with airMore information, the conference planes crashing into buildings. Ten years schedule, and registration forms are later, that vision is the first thing I see of available at: www.episcopalchurch.org/ when I think about what once was my ee11.htm. favorite color. I suspect you have your Among the many sessions are at least own triggers for memories of that day two from Southern Ohio: “Humanity as well — almost everyone who was a n d Equity: How Do Shortalive on September 11, 2001 can tell you Term Medical Teams exactly where they were and what they Measure Up?” (Anita were doing when they heard the news. and Michael Dohn, This September, our country will Southern Ohio mismark the 10th anniversary of a day that sionaries) and “Assetchanged our nation forever. There will Based Community be a lot of energy around this rememHealth Development” brance, both in the church and the (Anita and Michael Dohn wider community. As part of efforts at with Matthew St. global reconciliation in the John, Episcopal Relief wake of this remembrance, Tenth anniversary: and Development).

Church of the Redeemer, Sept. 11 Hyde Park, will offer a proThe September issue of gram to encourage people Interchange will include to come together and build reflections about the 10th Procter Center is mutual understanding and anniversary of Sept. 11 from trust between Christians and members of the Diocese of hosting Project WILD Muslims through personal Southern Ohio. You are invit- training on Aug. 16 ed to share your reflections, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. engagement.

Partnering with Christ from short essays to poems Project WILD teaches Church Cathedral, All to artwork and photography. young people how to Also, we would like to think about wildlife Saints, St. Timothy’s, St. include a list of special and the environment, Thomas, Calvary, and the Center for Interfaith events and 10th anniversary not what to think. observances from around Students in preschool Reconciliation (Richmond, the diocese. through 12th grade VA), Redeemer will host Please send your refleclearn basic concepts Encountering Islam on Oct. tions and/or special event about wild animals, 21–22. This two-day proinformation to Richelle their needs and their gram will offer a basic introThompson at rthompson@ importance and reladuction to Islam, insights diosohio.org by Aug. 15. tionships to people into key trends that define and the environment. the Muslim world today, This free training is and include reflections on theology and practice reconciliation.The for those who want to learn how to lead keynote speaker will be the Hon. Akbar Project WILD programs.

The hands-on, diverse activities help Ahmed, former Pakistani Ambassador to Great Britain. Ambassador Ahmed develop problem-solving and decisionis the author of several books including making skills in determining responsiJourney into Islam and Journey into ble human actions. The activity guides include a subject topic, grade level America.

Interested? Watch Interchange for and skill index, as well as a glossary more information about this educational of terms. Activities are designed to be opportunity and how you can partici- used indoors and outdoors and can be used by nature centers, youth groups pate. and non-formal educators, as well as - Sharon Jenkins, Redeemer, Hyde Park classroom teaching. All lessons are aligned with the new Ohio state science Join Presiding Bishop Katharine standards. Reserve your space now by Jefferts Schori and other mission-minded contacting Chris Tokarz at ctorkarz@ Episcopalians in Estes Park, Col., October diosohio.org or 800.582.1712.

Encountering Islam

Get WILD at Procter

2011 Mission Conference

Plenary sessions and worship will be held in St. John’s beautiful sanctuary.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the hub for the county task force responding to the crisis. Its members are on the front lines of care to families wracked by addiction, incarceration, poverty and death.

The conference’s Saturday workshops document powerful ways local churches and individuals foster the liberation of communities facing an array of destructive dynamics.

“The purpose is not just to learn how to help addicts or inmates become free but also to look at our own psychological prisons, at where we need to be freed of our own fear and prejudice,” says the Ven. Faith Perrizo, archdeacon of West Virginia and a leader on the planning committee.

Removing barriers to re-entry: Speakers will highlight powerful work Episcopalians are doing from mentoring to successful advocacy for criminal justice reform, tackling issues including disproportionate sanctions on people of color and unnecessary barriers to employment. The Rev. Betsy Walker is a chaplain at Alderson Federal Penitentiary for Women in West Virginia. The Rev. Craig Foster, a veteran of many Kairos teams, coaches soon-to-be released prisoners in life skills and has played a decisive role in mobilizing Episcopalians in successful advocacy for criminal justice reform in Ohio. As many inmates suffer from addiction, the Rev. Rick Rutledge will describe his experiences striving to launch an Oxford House in Fayetteville, W.V., in the face of vicious community opposition. Oxford House is a non-profit empowerment program through which recovering addicts manage and share the expenses of a shared home dedicated to recovery. It’s a model that can be replicated anywhere at minimal cost.

Responding to PTSD: This workshop will equip participants with tools to recognize posttraumatic stress and practical ways to respond.

The Rev. Gordon Brewer, deacon and executive director of Episcopal Appalachian Ministries, is a therapist in Kingsport, Tenn., treating veterans of generations of American wars, as well as children and adults traumatized by domestic

violence or abuse. Dr. Frederick Peterson serves as a training psychologist at the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs hospital and has a special heart for fostering health care providers’ understanding of Appalachian communities. He is pioneering a therapeutic writing program for PTSD patients and their families.

Building confidence for leadership: Susan Burt will tell the thrilling story of High Rocks, a dynamic West Virginia program developing the talents, intellectual confidence and voice of high school girls at huge risk of stunted futures. Starting as a two-week summer camp for rising freshman, it is now a year-round leadership development program that also engages the girls as mentors to elementary school students.

The conference has a new format this year, designed to allow all participants to attend each of the three workshops. You can sign up for Friday night and Saturday together for $55, including the conference dinner, or for Saturday only at $35 (breakfast and lunch included). If these fees pose a financial stress, contact the Rev. Katharin Foster at kkfoster@columbus. rr.com or 740.593.8615.

The Pullman Plaza, Holiday Inn, and Super 8 hotels in Huntington are holding rooms at a special conference rate through Aug. 9, but we encourage you to book as fast as possible as Sept.

9-10 is a big football weekend and rooms are going fast. Mention “Mountain Grace, Episcopal Church” when making your reservation. If your lodging is covered by a parish or diocese, bring the tax-exemption form with you.

Mountain Grace is an outstanding opportunity to share recipes for ministry success. It includes heartfelt worship, prayer and fellowship to refresh and energize all who come. The conference is sponsored by Episcopal Appalachian Ministries, the Dioceses of West Virginia and Southern Ohio, DisciplesNet and Episcopal Community Ministries Foundation (ECSF).

For more information, contact the Rev. Leslie Flemming, chair of Southern Ohio’s Episcopal Appalachian Ministries Commission, at leslieflemming@columbus.rr.com or 740.592.4460.

Formation

15

Love Song: One last story Word came a few weeks ago of the death of Alabama storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham in Selma. She was 93.

Our mutual friend Sara Holroyd, a Selma native, introduced us several years ago. We never met face to face but were in touch by telephone and mail. She gave me a book of her stories and I gave her one of mine. With her permission, I have often told one of those stories, from A Sampling of Selma Stories. In case anyone missed it, here follows a short version.

A touring Passion play troupe was traveling through the South, and at Selma the advance agent had a vision that the play must be performed there. It was a much smaller company than the famous Oberammergau version--53 extras instead of the German play’s 1,200.

There were to be three matinees and three evening performances at the Selma High School auditorium. The first show had an audience of fourth, fifth and sixth graders who, “though mostly Baptist and therefore familiar with the story, were not exactly sure what to expect.”

Things got off to a shaky start, but each scene went well until it came time for the crucifixion. Behind the curtains, the stage manager set up three crosses and helped the two thieves, played by locals, to their places. But the actor who played Jesus refused to get on the cross. He said, “It’s not safe.” The stage manager ordered the actor to take his place.

The actor refused. There are different versions of what followed. There was blood in both. One is that the two had a

The Rev. Bob Horine

fight. The other is that the actor fell and hit his head. Anyway, it is agreed that the actor fled bleeding down a hallway as the bell rang to dismiss the high school classes.

Meantime, back onstage the understudy was hurriedly put on the cross wearing a pair of dirty green gym shorts with a yellow stripe down each side. His bare arms were tattooed with flowers and “Mother.” He had flaming red hair.

A boy in the third row called, “That’s not Jesus on the cross.”

And it wasn’t; it was Judas.

For the evening performance, a sellout, the male actors’ parts were shuffled. Some didn’t know their parts, so the lines were written on scrolls, to be read. But the lighting was dim, and characters had to shift positions to get light on their scrolls. “On the plus side,” Kathryn wrote, “they all had good voices.”

Some in the audience said the performance wasn’t worth the admission price, but others said they wouldn’t have missed it for any amount of money.

There are, I suppose, numerous moral lessons to be gleaned from this story. I leave it to the readers to deal with those. This is about the passing of a good storyteller, of which our world has too few. Even in death she provided one more story.

Her daughter, Diley Hilley, said, “We talked about a lot of things over the final few days. We talked about everything from summers spent along the Gulf Coast to money being the root of all evil. There was never a shortage of interesting topics to discuss with Mother.”

Fred Ziegler, pastor of the Church Street United Methodist Church in Selma, where Kathryn taught Sunday school, said, “She had a way of taking the common, ordinary stories of life and turning them into something significant that could be shared. There was always a sense of humor about her. I could listen to her for hours.”

When Ziegler arrived at the Windham home, he found her friend, artist Charlie Lucas, and a hospice worker, and joined them in moving the body into a handmade pine casket Kathryn had commissioned years before. Then they covered her with a red, white and blue blanket she wanted to be buried with, placed the lid on, and “Charlie drove the nails to close it.” Kathryn had left him written instructions of how her death was to be handled.

Mrs. Hilley said, “There is so much joy beyond the sadness. She wanted to, and encouraged all of us, to bring joy to others. She did that so well and set the example for the rest of us to follow.”

The Rev. Bob Horine is a retired priest in the Diocese of Lexington and a former senior editor of Forward Movement Publications.

My view|A peak experience This year’s White Nights Pilgrimage to Russia was a peak experience for me. Sponsored by the Miami Valley Episcopal Russian Network (MVERN), the trip reminded me of the pyramid created by psychologist Abraham Maslow to show the “Hierachy of Human Needs” and the concept of self-actualization or reaching one’s See pages full potential. I felt that MVERN, as 2, 16-17 for an organization, reached the apex of pyramid -- its mission goal – after more about the 14 years of development. This doesn’t the trip to mean that MVERN can stop working as individuals and organizations are always Russia in the process of becoming. MVERN will continue its exchanges of youth and adults as well as sharing the faith and culture of the Orthodox and Episcopal traditions.

What made this year’s trip so special? A significant factor was the presence of our bishop, Tom Breidenthal, his wife, Margaret, and their two daughters, Magdalene and Lucy. For the first time, there was dialogue about our two faiths. This would not have been so successful without the involvement of our bishop as chief spokesman. Discussions involved our common values and differences. Repeatedly Bishop Tom shared how church and state have a clear separation in the United States. This was very difficult for many Russians to understand, despite the government’s intense oppression of religion over the past century. Both groups emerged with

mutual respect while remaining true to their faith traditions. Both groups climbed to the top of Maslow’s pyramid, able to state confidently their identity.

In the third level of the pyramid, Maslow explores relationships. This was my sixth trip to Sablino and St. Petersburg, so I looked forward to visiting with several close friends. We had many memories to share and renew. It was a joyous occasion. World peace will come by relationships, not treaties!

This trip also included a cultural exchange of Russian and American pictures displayed in Sablino’s Community Center. Larrisa Ugicheva, the center’s art instructor, organized the first “International Russian/ American art show for the center and county. This display of 30 pictures will remain at the center for some time and then travel throughout the county.

MVERN has worked for 14 years to build the base of the pyramid – basic needs – by sending money and supplies to Father Nicolai and his ministry in Sablino. It seems as though miracles have transformed his former wooden parish into today’s brick (fire-proof) complex. Next summer American youth will use the Community Center for lodging during another MVERN-sponsored trip. This foundation took years to build and was absolutely necessary as part of

Joey Thiele

Miami Valley Episcopal Russian Network is happy to announce “To Russia with Love VI”, a pilgrimage to Sablino, Russia for youth of the diocese. The trip is scheduled for June 27 through July 11, 2012.

Meet new people, share a common faith and work together to make a difference in both yourself and others. We’ll be spending eight days in Sablino, working in the local youth camp and improving the facilities of the Sablino Youth Center.

The trip includes time in St. Petersburg and Novgorod, two cities with abundant history and culture. For details of the trip, please visit www.mvern.org or contact Mary Kay Allen at marycraig2@frontier.com our process of becoming. MVERN will continue to add to this base as well as augmenting its relationships, cultural exchanges and sharing of our faiths.

Maslow said that it is each man’s task to become his best self; this year’s “peak experience” was one of MVERN’S greatest achievements as it became its best self.

Joey Thiele is one of the founders of the Miami Valley Episcopal Russian Network.

To learn more, visit www.mvern.org

16

Mission

Remembering

Russia: A delicate balance Photos and essay by Lucy Ross Breidenthal Just a month after returning from St. Petersburg, I still feel as if I’m in a White Nights haze. I expect the sun to blaze into my bedroom at 1 a.m, and I half expect the Hotel Anabel staff to be bustling about in my kitchen, preparing demi-plates of yoghurt, mystery meat paste and hardboiled eggs. I think my sister, Magdalene, is also still in a White Nights haze, because she’s taken over the job of Hotel Anabel staff in my Cincinnati apartment—she prepares hardboiled eggs each morning and has a fresh brew waiting. Yoghurt is always an option.

Throughout the day, we burst out with the one word that stuck in our nottoo-expansive Russian vocabulary: Pazhalsta, we say, at any moment, Lucy Breidenthal and her family, including the because, we observed, it can be used bishop, traveled to Russia this summer with a for anything. Pazhalsta, the dour group from the Diocese of Southern Ohio and breakfast matron would say, throw- the Miami Valley Episcopal Russian Network. ing down a hard-boiled egg (please). Lucy graduated from University of Cincinnati in Pazhalsta, the surly cashier at the the spring. Contact her at lucyross02@yahoo. local grocery would say, smirking com slightly, responding to my poorly accented Spaceba! (Thank you).

Magdalene and I adore shouting out palzhasta – not only because it’s one of the few words we mastered while actually in Russia and not only because it has the most fabulous melody to it (especially when uttered by one peroxide blond in culottes and many bangles) but also because of its consistency. The word for CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Above: Lucy Breidenthal walks a path in the village of Sablino.

At right, a view of the ruins in Sablino. At far right, Bishop Breidenthal exchanges greetings.

Mission

Top row: A young child lays flowers in a Russian cemetery. Bishop Breidenthal meets with colleagues at the Nevsky Monastery.

Middle row: The bishop stands with Chris Saunders, one of the founders of MVERN. Margaret Breidenthal takes notes at the monastery. Bottom row: Magdalene Breidenthal looks out over Sablino.

17

please, you’re welcome, go ahead, and all imperatives (eat, drink, sit down, etc.) is indicative of the stalwart consistency I observed in St. Petersburg. Pazhalsta, with its lyrical lilt, exercises all elements of the speech mechanism, forcing the speaker to indulge each succulent sound, from the front of the mouth, placing the tongue on the teeth, exhaling it all back out slowly.

When I think of my experience of Russia, I think of combinations like the one embedded in pazhalsta: a combination of steady consistency and sumptuous elegance. Less than 100 years after the Bolshevik Revolution set in motion the civil war between imperial decadence and peasant suffering, 70 years after the invasion of Russia by the Germans and 21 years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the history of Russia is one of enormous suffering and steadfast survival. This is evident in the resiliency of the Russian Orthodox Church and in the testimony of a few Russians.

One tour guide noted, when referring to the absence of benches or chairs in St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Novgorod, “Standing for three or four hours is very easy for the Russian people, because we had to stand in so many lines just to get a piece of bread for so many years.” In Sablino, in the Russian countryside, one Russian Orthodox parishioner expressed disbelief that the Church and State would ever be separate, because the Soviet Union oppressed the Church for so many years. “I am a product of that suffering,” she said. Yet this sense of survival is balanced, like the delicious pazhalsta, by an elegance and charming loveliness. The lush, untamed countryside, the smooth subtlety of pink borscht and of course, the elegance of the clean line of a black cassock always impresses my costume-oriented imagination.

And then there are other combinations I am reminded of: one of post-war and pre-war, the “restoration” (as one Russian Orthodox priest called it) of the Russian Orthodox Church to a place of authority and dignity in Russia. Restoration, returning to what was, before the Revolution; donning a skirt and headscarf to enter a church; being shunned at the dinner table for being too outspoken; witnessing a Russian Orthodox woman (a lawyer, in fact) challenge my father on the subject of the ordination of women. This leads me to the final combination that makes my happy exclamations of pazhalsta possible, which helped me fall in love with Russia and all its contrasts and combinations: the combination of limitless hospitality, kindness and openness in a partnership that with so many fundamental differences has every probability of crumbling but for the steadfast consistency of dialogue and the quiet elegance that has drawn this diocese, and will draw me, desperately, back to Russia again and again. Until then, though, I’ll settle for a hardboiled egg. Pazhalsta.

18

Mission

Gabriel’s Place wins award for community collaboration

including the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, Christ Church Cathedral, and JP Morgan Chase.

“The project has grown organically by moving through doors as they opened,” the bishop added, noting how networking by members of Calvary Church resulted in Easter Seals placing an inner-city Youth Build team on-site to learn professional construction skills while remodeling the second floor of the parish house.

The Urban League brought in apprentices to learn landscaping on the sprawling campus, while leaders in the neighborhood’s community development team explored the possibility of three-season vegetable gardening and a farmer’s market.

“Then the Cincinnati Zoo got interested, and offered us a hoop house – which sounded somewhat Iroquois to me!” said the bishop with a smile. When finished, the Hoop House will sustain a aquaponic garden producing fresh vegetables and tilapia.

ECSF’s new Cincinnati VISTA member, Leslie Stevenson, attended the luncheon to meet many of the stakeholders she will be working with in the new teaching kitchen, which will soon be completed.

Delighting the audience with his hopes for Avondale and heartfelt appreciation for the many groups and individuals, the bishop concluded by evoking the Angel Gabriel as a spiritual hero shared by Judaism, Christianity and Islam –an icon of common ground.

With the help of many hands, Gabriel’s Place is emerging as “a still center of peace surrounded by a relatively uncontrolled group of agencies truly connected by their willingness to listen to each other and let something good emerge.”

Harvest would entrust one of its ShareCorps VISTAs to Victory Kitchens for the year starting in July. In early May another host site fell through, and Second Harvest awarded ECSF a second slot.

ECSF’s Victory Kitchens posting won the second-highest number of applications of any ShareCorps partner in the state.

Stanich, who is completing a master’s degree in soil science at Ohio State, is joining the team at Franklinton Gardens, a prize-winning community gardening initiative striving to overcome decades of malnutrition and blight in a west side Columbus neighborhood. Franklinton Gardens is a core ministry of a fellowship of young Christian homesteaders who partner with St. John's, Columbus.

Stevenson is working with the diocese’s Gabriel’s Place initiative in Cincinnati’s innercity Avondale, recruiting cooking mentors and interested neighbors to use the new teaching kitchen, community garden and farmer’s markets. She is reaching out to teens and pregnant women whose babies are at extraordinarily high risk of infant mortality.

“I’m a foodie,” she admits, laughing, but what really captivates her about Victory Kitchens is its potential to heal a hurting community through table fellowship.

Last year Stanich bought a home just a block away from Franklinton Garden’s Farm House and organized a three-day conference demonstrating the amazing quality, quantity and variety of food – from blueberries to honey - that can be raised on a standard urban lot. But he’s equally

drawn to community and is relishing friendships with neighbors with far less formal education and turns to them for advice on how things work in Franklinton.

With a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, specializing in public relations, Stevenson has built an impressive professional resume, including youth mentoring and leadership development, website design, social media work, public speaking and public relations and event coordination. A member of the Vineyard Community Church and a graduate student in Montessori education, Stevenson applied for the VISTA role the very day she learned of it, giving up a university staff position.

For both young adults, service and community are far more important than financial security. “My early experiments in community service were largely an experiment in leading a sustainable lifestyle and networking with similarly-minded people,” writes Stanich, who doesn’t own a car and gets around by bike. “I began to see a priceless value in the creation and maintenance of communities that invest in their continued well-being.”

“Fighting poverty isn’t so much that I have money to give,” Stevenson says. “Fighting poverty means I have something to give that will ease your burden. It starts with an ‘I’m willing to be there’ attitude.

“I thank God that He has made me willing,” she says. “Wherever I go from here, I need to be in a job that is an outgrowth of my life vision, and trust that the community I’m a part of will be about caring for each other.”

By Ariel Miller Interchange contributor Spearheaded by Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal to transform a dilapidated 19thcentury church campus into a flourishing resource, Gabriel’s Place was honored June 29 with the Most Outstanding Collaboration award by the Community Development Association of Cincinnati.

The association also invited the bishop to serve as keynoter for its annual awards luncheon at Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action. He shared the unfolding story of Gabriel’s Place with a rapt audience that represented the region’s major community development non-profits, bankers, builders and local government.

Speaking from the heart, the bishop thanked the many partners who have joined hands to revive the building and its sprawling campus as a resource for the entire neighborhood. Starting with Avondale Community Council president Patricia Milton, “who gave us the chance to prove ourselves,” he narrated how a band of improbable allies came together, each bringing unique resources and creativity.

Dr. Victor Garcia of Children’s Hospital,

Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal stands with other award winners during the annual luncheon of the Community Development Association of Cincinnati. “a passionate advocate for youth in food deserts” became involved with the project, that has since grown to include the Community Action Agency, the Avondale Youth Council, the Urban League, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, architecture professor Frank Russell and his students at the University of Cincinnati, the Community Action Agency and the Easter Seals Work Resource Center, as well as major funders,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The young adults are part of the AmeriCorps VISTA, a national service program dedicated to overcoming poverty in the United States.

VISTA members commit to a year of voluntary poverty, living on a stipend of less than $900 a month while working to build the capacity of impoverished communities to improve their quality of life.

Both VISTAs have impressive credentials worth far more money in the private sector, but they are eager to dive into this quest to foster healthy eating through table fellowship. Stanich describes the Victory Kitchens project as a great opportunity to discover how a low-income community can equip itself to “transition out of a socially and nutritionally depraved reality.”

The increasing reliance ofAmericans on cheap, fast food clogged with fat, salt and sugar has fueled a catastrophic rise in obesity and chronic disease, especially in impoverished communities.

Fresh produce is a good first step on nutrition, but only for people who know how to fix and enjoy it. A parish nurse in Cincinnati recently reported the outrage of a small boy presented with a baked potato for the first time in his life. “How can you ask me to eat a rock?” he protested.

This spring, ECSF proposed the Victory Gardens concept to the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks as a way of tapping the potential of churches to equip communities to eat better. Just think of the typical congregation’s covered-dish prowess, the spacious kitchen stocked with stock pots and skillets, the

Nick Stanich poses with his mode of transportation, the bicycle. six-burner stove, the cabinets crammed with crockery, and the roomy parish hall where children can do homework and chat with grandmas while savory aromas rise from the oven.

For the past few years the Second Harvest association has won federal grants and matching funds to provide the stipend and health insurance for 75 VISTA members, half of whom go to food banks and half to community-based non-profits throughout the state. By winning a VISTA, the non-profit receives a highly-motivated, full-time person at a matching cost of only $750-$1,500 a year.

ECSF was notified in April that Second

Mission

New Ohio law advances criminal justice reform

By Ariel Miller Interchange contributor Ohio Governor John Kasich signed in late June House Bill 86, launching criminal justice reforms championed by a bipartisan array of advocates including Ohio’s two Episcopal dioceses. The new law is designed to reduce the time rehabilitated people spend in prison. With nearly 30,000 people released from Ohio prisons each year, the new law also paves the way for ex-offenders to secure jobs and reduces the risks to employers who offer them a chance.

In a year of bitter debate over the state budget, this law represented a rare moment of harmony between fiscal conservatives bent on further tax cuts and Christian leaders who were advocating passionately to restore funding for the state’s battered safety net programs.

The governor “could easily have made an entirely fiscal defense for this bill: too many people locked up costs too much money,” says attorney Stephen JohnsonGrove of the non-profit Ohio Justice and Policy Center, a leader in the statewide reform effort and a committed Christian. “Instead, he again and again talked about how we, as a state, need to allow people to turn their lives around, how we need to believe in redemption.’

“It’s a great victory and a move toward a more just system,” says the Rev. Craig Foster of St. John’s, Columbus, who drew on years of ministry with prisoners and exoffenders to serve as a primary author of the criminal justice reform resolution passed by both Ohio dioceses last fall. In January he testified to legislators in favor of this law, which tackles several of the iniquities addressed in the resolution.

One of the law’s most promising changes is the new Certificates of Achievement and Employability. Now inmates who complete an accredited vocational program, behavior modification program, and community service hours while in prison or on parole will be able to earn a certificate.

Licensing boards in the field of employment for which they were trained will be required to give individualized attention to these applications – even if state law bans issuing a license to a person with criminal convictions. Furthermore, the law protects employers who hire certificate holders from negligent hiring liability, removing another huge roadblock.

The new law tackles overcrowding by

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Trusting God and yearning to work

ECSF’s E-FREE task force met this spring with veteran Ohio prison wardens Chris Money and Maggie Beichtler (front and center) to start mapping out ways for Episcopal churches to help ex-offenders successfully reintegrate with their communities. Recently retired from the corrections department, Beichter and Money have launched a strong evidence-based and explicitly Christian re-entry program called Life Bridge that starts with intensive pre-release coaching for highly motivated inmates. The Rev. Craig Foster (shown here, back row) is teaching this class. The first group of 12 men and 12 women will be released in Central Ohio in 2012. allowing inmates to earn significantly more time off their sentences for completing training and treatment programs successfully.

The Department of Corrections can now petition for specific prisoners to be released after completing 80% of their sentence.

Violent or sex offenders will not be eligible for earned credit or early release.

The law also strengthens the emphasis on community-based corrections for some offenders. For example, instead of sending parents to prison for falling behind in child support – thus making it impossible financially, physically, or emotionally for them to care for their children – the new law gives priority to supervising them without locking them away.

The next challenge is committing the money and freeing up the space to provide these programs. “Crowding is the heart of the story,” says JohnsonGrove, as some prisons are crammed to 133% of capacity.

Classrooms and even gyms are now filled with bunks.

With funding strained to the max, vocational training varies enormously from prison to prison, and many community service programs have been eliminated. If an inmate has an aptitude for which his prison has no program, he’s stranded. “It can take years to get into a program,” says Foster.

“It costs an average of $4,000 a year for community-based programs, compared to $25,000 a year to incarcerate someone,” he adds. “But you have to find the money somewhere.

“You’re taking a $1.8 billion annual corrections bill and cutting it by $75 million.

The overall impact is about 1,000 people a year, but it’s still a good impact.”

Even with these significant reforms, challenges remain. The law does not “grandfather” in people who already have been released, even if they have turned their life around. JohnsonGrove is already working with the sponsors of SB 86 to try to pass a second bill that make such citizens eligible to qualify to earn the new certificates.

And without adequate funding, the number of prisoners rehabilitated will be small, said Foster. The Ohio legislature made huge cuts in funding for local governments in the new biennial budget, and the criminal justice reform bill’s anticipated savings are all in the future. Still, Ohio has allocated $14 million as seed money for the community-based prorgrams, says Phil Nunez, President of the Ohio Community Corrections Association.

Nunez, who oversees a number of exoffender programs as executive director of Cincinnati’s chapter of Volunteers of

Transformed by the Kairos retreat he experienced in prison, Cincinnatian Richard Cook is volunteering as a football coach in inner-city Avondale. Many of the children he coaches have parents in prison.

In addition, he is organizing the Peace Bowl in the violence-wracked neighborhood this month.

A community organizer for the city’s ecumenical AMOS coalition, Cook also has a felony conviction from 13 years ago.

“I would like to get a concrete license but I am barred even though my felony conviction had nothing to do with that field,” he says. “I would have liked to be a poll worker but that was barred to me as well.”

Fellow AMOS organizer Terry “T.J.” Jones used to be a commission salesman at Sears in Alaska.

“I enjoyed working with the public,” he says. “I’d like to be a barber but am banned. It’s frustrating. If I could get a job at $12-15 an hour, I could support my children. I have been out five years and am still looking. I live with my mom and help her with her bills. I renovate, I paint, I lay carpet for the neighbors.”

Both are working with hope and dedication to open the mind of policy makers and the wider community to giving exoffenders a fresh start. They exemplify the kind of ex-offender who JohnsonGrove is asking legislators to make eligible for the new Certificates of Employability.

“I would love to see a lot more attention to this issue,” adds Cook. “I have more than 150 people calling me to ask where we can get a job. I have been out for three and half years.”

Instead of calling himself an ex-felon, this volunteer adds, “I care about my community. I am a returning citizen.”

America, is encouraged that the state has convened a Justice Reinvestment Task Force including judges, prosecutors, probation officers, sheriffs, and community corrections experts. They will hold their first meeting this month to brainstorm how state money can be reallocated to incentivize effective community based-programs.

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Mission

For whom does our garden grow?

In a continuing attempt to define what outreach ministry looks like for St. Christopher’s, Fairborn, we turned to the beauty of our campus and decided that, at least for part of the year, we could use this land to feed those in our community in need.

After a very wet spring, we assembled and planted 12 raised beds (note the holy number). It has been quite an adventure in community activity as well as interfacing with all of God’s creation, including deer.

Several other churches in the Dayton Deanery have community gardens that supply food banks that serve those in Montgomery County. However, since we are in Greene County and have a huge population of those who are at or below poverty level, as well as many folks who are out of work, we found the need to stock our local food pantry with fresh produce.

We have planted beans, yellow squash, zucchini, melons, peas, onions, lettuce, cucumbers, okra, and peppers. And what is a garden without herbs? Our parsley, cilantro, chives, and three kinds of basil emit a heavenly aroma.

We have harvested some of the peppers, and the yellow squash is coming on strong. We are very blessed to have the opportunity to provide this produce as well as to partake in the holiness of watching it grow and thrive. ~ The Rev. Ruth Paulus, rector, St. Christopher’s, Fairborn A mouth-watering view of summer squash at St. Christopher’s community garden. At right, church volunteer Alan Haberecht waters the newly planted vegetables.

MISSION

CORNER A: One shining example of the Church pursuing its mission happens every three years at EYE – the Episcopal Youth Event. It is a time when youth representatives from throughout The Episcopal Church gather on a college campus and attend workshops, worship and celebrate their love of God. This year EYE gathered at Bethel University near Minneapolis, Minn., and the theme was "Called Together for this Harvest Work." Each day had its own focus in worship and workshops: build, share, fulfill. And after the gathering, the participants scattered to engage in mission work in the Diocese of Minnesota.

The Southern Ohio delegation worked with All Saints Indian Mission in Minneapolis and the Indigenous Theological Training Institute (ITTI) to upgrade their facility and make it ready for the institute to begin webbased training. From the Diocese of Southern Ohio, the youth representatives were: Nia McKenny, Eric Nelson, Janie Simonton, Madelyn Bible, Bailey Leo and Sarah Hobbs. The adults accompanying the trip were Anny Stevens-Gleason and the Rev. Canon Anne Reed, canon for mission.

Two of the youth offered reflections of their EYE experience. A reflection by the delegation also can be found on the ERD blog (http://blog.er-d.org) and pictures of their experiences are posted on the diocesan Facebook page (www.facebook.com/DioceseSouthernOhio).

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Top: Southern Ohio EYE delegation Above: EYE participants Maddy Bible and Sarah Hobbs with paper flowers they made to take to a nearby assisted living facility.

At EYE there was a woman who explained as to why she refers to her Mission Trips as “Missions.” The word “trip” implies an ending but a true Mission never has an ending because you will think about it every day. Watching The

Q: How does the

Episcopal Church pursue Church pursue its mission? these missions with unrelenting determination is truly inspiring, but I can’t help but thinking how we could help the community more. One of the themes at EYE was that there could be a Mission right in your backyard. If the Episcopal Church pursued various community projects with the same unflagging enthusiasm as they pursued international missions, then the result would not only be good for the Episcopal community but also for the community at large. A Mission can be as ordinary as painting another church’s offices (as the Southern Ohio youth did) or as far reaching as the help we provide at El Hogar in Honduras. Either way, the result will be appreciated. ~ Bailey Leo At our school each student must complete a senior project in order to graduate. We each choose a topic that interests us and grow a question from that topic and then spend the summer before senior year and senior year itself doing research that helps us answer that question. After (attending) EYE and our days of mission, I’ve decided to change my topic from local food to mission. I want to learn all about mission, what it means to people, why people do it. Is it self-gratification? How does different work change the experience?

Does the place you do it matter? Who does mission?

Who receives it? Who’s really doing the giving? ~ Maddy Bible