Gathering
Connections
Ministry
Outreach
134th Convention: The World in Christ
Benefit Bank counselor earns top honor
Helping inmates inside prison and beyond
Collaborative, creative programs reach new audiences
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Pages 8-9
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INTERCHANGE Southern Ohio makes mission, December 2008 Volume XXXVI, No. 10 www.episcopal-dso.org
news from the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio |
Award of General Excellence: 2006, 2007
The gifts of God
action a priority BY RICHELLE THOMPSON INTERCHANGE EDITOR
for the people of God Volunteers make lunch at St. John’s, Columbus, for the next day’s Street Church ministry. At right, Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal elevates the cup and the host during the convention Eucharist. Photos by Julie Murray.
Guided by the theme, “The World in Christ,” delegates for the 134th Convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio spent Nov. 7-8 exploring how to make the love of Christ known to the world. In addition to the traditional actions of convention – from passing resolutions and the budget to fellowship and Bible study, delegates spent a morning in mission. When the deacon entreated the congregation to “love and serve the world” at the convention Eucharist on Nov. 8, the congregation divided into about 20 groups and spent two hours in mission projects. “To be the church is to go out into the world, to express our faith and respond to Christ’s love through action,” said the Rev. Lee Anne Reat, vicar of St. John’s, Columbus and the coordinator of the mission activities. “Along with the worship and business that make up convention, I think that the mission activities made visible who and what we are as the church.” PLEASE SEE CONVENTION, PAGE 4
Mission: Be bold, reckless with generosity BY RICHELLE THOMPSON INTERCHANGE EDITOR In the streets of New Orleans, the people have been baptized twice, said the Rt. Rev. Charles Jenksins, bishop of the Diocese of Lousiana. The first time, it was by clean water in churches. The second time, they were baptized by the dirty water from the flooded streets. In a stirring keynote address to convention delegates, Bishop Jenkins shared the journey from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to the rebuilding efforts through his diocese, mission groups and other churches. “Hard times are the specialty of the church,” he said. “It’s not only, ‘What would Jesus do?’ But what did he do at the time of the greatest crisis in the world? What is the response of the church in a time of crisis? Will we decide that this is the time to retreat? To worry about my own congregation? It this the time to move from an attitude of abundance to scarcity?” Bishop Jenkins conceded that in the aftermath of Katrina and threat of failing levees, he won-
dered whether they should rebuild or leave. “One pastor told me, ‘We’ve demonstrated something that you need to understand. We’re not going to leave. We will not leave.” Bishop Jenkins and others in leadership in the diocese came to the conclusion: “This is our home. The poor are here. And the church shall be here.” He invoked the spirit of ubuntu, an African phrase that means “I am because we are.” Ubuntu is the theme of the 2009 General Convention and a guiding principle for the mission in the Gulf Coast. Ubuntu offers “an invitation to be less lonely, less isolated, less insecure,” he said. “Our life and our death is with our neighbor.” And lest those in Southern Ohio think that this symbiotic relationship should exist only in the muddy waters of New Orleans, Bishop Jenkins cautioned that the only difference between New Orleans and many of the inner cities is 8 feet of water. Many inner cities are like New Orleans, burdened with oppression from centuries of racism, bad health care and purposeful eco-
nomic exclusion. Without the church being an intimate, engaged part of these neighborhoods, “Who tells our story?” he asked. In New Orleans, the Episcopal Church through its Jericho Project, is the only organization building homes for people who have no money. But “when you’ve lost everything, you learn generosity in a new way,” the bishop said. He thanked the many groups from Southern Ohio who have come to New Orleans, some for their fifth and sixth trips. In fact, a group from Calvary, Clifton, and Christ Church, Glendale, will spend Thanksgiving week on mission in New Orleans. Bishop Jenkins encouraged these groups to continue their ministry among his people – and among the people of the inner cities and impoverished communities in Southern Ohio. “When the day is long, the demand is great and all the resources are exhausted, you were there to hold me up,” Bishop Jenkins said. “Do not be afraid in this time of crisis. Be bold. Even be reckless in your generosity. And do this all in the name of Jesus Christ.”