Spirit DIARY OF A BISHOP-ELECT • A BISHOP’S RETROSPECTIVE • WOOD-BASED PHILANTHROPY
Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri
FAREWELL, BISHOP BARRY; WELCOME, BISHOP MARTY! Winter 2011 Volume 2, No. 2
Spirit PUBLISHER: The Rt. Rev. Barry R. Howe EDITOR: Hugh Welsh Spirit is published quarterly by the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri 420 W. 14th St. P.O. Box 413227 Kansas City, MO 64141 EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: The Ven. John McCann, Archdeacon Hugh Welsh, Spirit The Rev. John Spicer, St. Andrew’s, Kansas City Angela Crawford, Administrative Assistant to the Archdeacon, Diocese of West Missouri SUBMISSIONS/LETTERS: Spirit welcomes submissions of news articles, photographs and letters to the editor on topics of interest to the diocese. Submissions should include the writer’s name, e-mail, mailing address and phone number and are subject to editing. PHONE: (816) 471-6161, Ext. 15 or (800) 471-6160 FAX: (816) 471-0379 E-MAIL: westmo_spirit@swbell.net WEB SITE: www.episcopalwestmo.org
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4 Editor’s Letter My new year was initiated with the marriage of my sister to her longtime boyfriend. Despite being a high school and college classmate and my sister’s significant other for eight years, I barely know my new brother-in-law. The fault is my own. By Hugh Welsh 6 Centering Prayer Finding time for prayer is not always easy. In the mornings, we snooze until our routine is thrown into overdrive to arrive on-time at work. In the evenings, exhaustion from the workday leaves us sprawled on the couch, the television our focus. Prayer is often not a priority. Maybe it should be. By the Rev. Linda Yeager 7 E Pluribus Unum Each year for six years, the Bishop’s Ball has offered 200 or so teenagers an evening of music, dance and awards recognizing outstanding service chosen by the youth members themselves. The 2011 Ball, held in late January in Carthage, was especially noteworthy: not only for its sheer fun, but that it marked Bishop Barry Howe’s last. By Landon Wolford 8 The Tree of Strife When an oversize tree stump is thwarting your congregation’s ability to serve its youngest members, who are you going to call? Try Collin Larimore, Boy Scout. By Hugh Welsh
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18 11 Honoring Rolf Leed In December the Rev. Rolf Leed, serving at St. Paul’s (Clinton) since 1989, retired. A priest for 40 years, Leed impacted more than churchgoers. He supervised drug and alcohol counselors at Clinton’s Pathways clinic. He was an active participant in Clinton’s ministerial alliance, and he led Sunday services at the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation. By Mary Larison-Smith
16 The Diary of a Bishop-elect Bishop-elect Marty Field remembers well that fateful call from Bishop Barry Howe informing him of the election results: “I don’t know how I said anything at all; I was shocked.” For Field, the period between bishop-elect and bishop has been more a metamorphosis than a mere transition. He explains. By Bishop-elect Marty Field
12 A Mann Possessed In October 2007, the Rev. Fred Mann, who is retiring as rector at St. Andrew’s (Kansas City) in July, took a sabbatical to the Black Hills where he hoped to learn about the way of the Lakota Sioux. The experience remains with him. By Hugh Welsh
18 One Church Engaging the World Last September, Companion Diocese Committee member Melissa Bolden volunteered for five weeks in Botswana to advance the day care project in Palapye. By Hugh Welsh
14 Being Bishop: A Retrospective The Rt. Rev. Barry Howe, the diocese’s seventh bishop, steered us through the first decade of a new century. Howe reflects on his tenure. By Bishop Barry Howe
22 Arts How much wood can a woodworker work? If you’re referring to Bud McDowell, a lot. So much, in fact, that his hobby hasn’t just furnished his home and the homes of his children. His handiwork is on display at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral and St. Luke’s hospitals. By Hugh Welsh SPIRIT, WINTER, 2011
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Editor’s Letter by Hugh Welsh WITH A NEW YEAR COMES NEW experiences and ambitions, some that will be fulfilled and others that will go unfulfilled until the next year or the year thereafter, if at all. My 2011 began with the New Year’s Eve marriage of my sister, Joannie, to Evan Ericson, a high school classmate of mine who was a stranger until the last year or so. And, yet, my sister has been dating Evan for eight years. I don’t know if I was standoffish because I was intimidated by his genius IQ and pedigree or because, no matter how smart or handsome or kind, I felt no man warranted my sister’s hand in marriage. This despite Evan’s surprise $1,000 loan to me upon my move to Florida nearly five years ago, when I couldn’t afford the security deposit for an apartment. This despite Evan’s patience when I couldn’t repay him until two years later at zero percent interest. In fact, my encounters with Evan were always lopsided: He would ask me how I was doing, and I would tell him, shading the gray and black tones of my life in brilliant colors. If newly laid off, I bantered about my ex-job’s shortcomings. If depression was leading to whirlwind weekends and excessive weight gain, I’d plunk a stick of gum into my mouth and boast of a new exercise program I was breaking ground on the next week. I would lie at the expense of friendship. Never would I ask how Evan was doing. I didn’t want to learn of his life’s many perks: the travels to exotic destinations, the lavish parties open to VIPs only, the notion that his monthly income is equal to what I make annually. I never considered the toll Evan’s line of work takes on him. A position in global equities doesn’t entail a 9 to 5 workday devoted mostly to perfecting a fantasy sports team. It’s 75 to 80 hours a week of round-the-clock number crunching, snap decision making, and office chair confinement. Evan’s life isn’t without its blemishes – and neither is mine. Since Evan vowed engagement to Joannie a year ago, I’ve tried harder to accept Evan’s offers of friendship. 4
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What once was parched dirt is becoming fertile soil. Evan isn’t my brother-in-law; he’s my brother. Evan embraced this idea long ago. Among my resolutions this new year is to be a better friend, not only to Evan but everyone in my life. To return volleys of kindness and to serve anew.
BISHOP-ELECT’S ORDINATION FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2011 Rehearsal Schedule 2 p.m. • Acolytes and Ushers - Muehlebach Hotel Imperial/Colonial Ballrooms 4 p.m. • Altar Party - Muehlebach Hotel - Imperial/ Colonial Ballrooms 7 p.m. • Choir - Muehlebach Hotel - Imperial/Colonial Ballrooms Other Events 5:30 p.m. • Pre-consecration Reception - Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral - Founders’ Hall (by invitation) 7:30 p.m. • Pre-consecration Dinner - Marriott Hotel Count Basie Ballroom (by invitation)
SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2011 The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, will be the chief consecrator at Saturday’s ordination and will be accompanied by her husband, Dr. Richard Schori. Both will join us for the full gamut of festivities of the consecration weekend. 10 a.m. • Vesting of Liturgical Participants Muehlebach Hotel 11 a.m. • Ordination Service - Muehlebach Hotel Imperial/Colonial Ballrooms (The service will be signed for the hearing-impaired) 1 p.m. • Post-ordination Reception - Marriott Hotel
SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2011 10:15 a.m. • Welcoming and Seating of the Bishop Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral Child care will not be available during any of the events.
Finding Time for God By the Rev. Linda Yeager
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or most of us, life is a combination of relationships, communication and dedication. We find that we are better able to complete our daily tasks if we have positive relationships with our co-workers, if we communicate effectively about our jobs, and if we commit ourselves to the duties at hand. Accordingly, in our life with family and friends, relationships, communication and dedication play major roles. While we recognize the need for these qualities in our daily life, we sometimes put our prayer life on hold, connecting when we need something or face a crisis. It’s difficult to form a relationship with someone when we communicate with him or her only occasionally. Likewise, we don’t communicate well with people we don’t know very well. And, of course, we dedicate ourselves only to those relationships we consider primary in our lives. I hear people say, “Well, I talk to God all day long. That’s what I consider prayer.” Of course, prayer is conversation and relationship with God. But just as in any effective conversation, to communicate effectively, we must make dedicated time for it. We listen as well as talk. It is difficult to listen to anyone when we are distracted and busy with other tasks. This is why I believe that Centering Prayer is worth the daily time and effort. Setting aside 20 minutes in the morning or evening—or both—is valuable beyond measure. There are many forms of prayer, but communicating with God is ultimately a process that leads from friendship to union Just as in any developing friendship, trust begins to deepen, leading to moments of resting in each other’s company where words are no longer always
“Prayer is not a request for God’s favors. True, it has been used to obtain the satisfaction of personal desires. It has even been adopted to reinforce prejudices, justify violence, and create barriers between people and between countries. But genuine prayer is based on recognizing the Origin of all that exists, and opening ourselves to it . . . In prayer we acknowledge God as the supreme source from which flows all strength, all goodness, all existence, acknowledging that we have our being, life itself from this supreme Power. One can then communicate with this Source, worship it, and ultimately place one’s very center in it.” Piero Ferrucci, Ineffable Grace necessary. When we have these deep relationships, we are content to sit in silence with the other, enjoying each other’s presence. This type of communication is beyond words. When we dedicate ourselves to the most important relationship we have, we find ourselves better able to face each day, with God at the center of our heart and life. The call of the gospel — “follow me” — is addressed to all of us, and we all have the ability to find the path that we can follow. One path is centering prayer. There are many sources — books, seminars, individuals — that can help a person get started. Basically, the steps are these: Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within you; sit comfortably and with eyes closed, settle brief ly; silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within; become aware of thoughts, return ever so gently to the sacred word; remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes. If you want to make every moment of your day more meaningful, it is worth the time and effort to give centering prayer a try. And all of us can find half an hour a day to devote to our best friend. SPIRIT, WINTER, 2011
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E Pluribus Unum West Missouri Youth
A Bishop’s Final Ball By Landon Wolford • Eighth Grade • Christ Church (Springfield)
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y experience at the Bishop’s Ball this I can’t talk enough about this Bishop’s Ball year was absolutely amazing! This is my without talking about, you guessed it, food. I second year going to Bishop’s Ball, and honestly thought the food at this Bishop’s Ball I feel like things are just getting better. I think was utterly fantastic. The fruit was really fresh. the “oldies” music theme was really cool: records The chocolate was so ooey gooey that words can’t were hung on the wall that explained various describe it, and the punch was so good! Thank information and people. I thought that was very you so much to the people that cooked our lovely creative! I really enjoyed the music, but I kind of food; you did not let us down. wish there would have been After all that dancing, just a little more contemporary eating and socializing, it was music to dance to. Other than really nice to get to share and that, I thought the music was spread the word and light of really cool. I don’t get to listen God in Candlemas. I thought to that music all the time, so Candlemas was beautiful. I getting to hear it that night really felt moved when I saw was definitely a change. that light coming from all The music could not have the youth in the diocese. I been played without a very really believed and felt, at that skillful DJ. He came out on moment, that the spirit of the dance f loor and actually God was among us. started dancing and getting Finally, I want to close by the crowd pumped up. He was saying that this Bishop’s Ball full of so much energy, and I rocked. It has been such a think that helps produce a very pleasure being in a diocese interesting and fun Bishop’s with such a great bishop. I Bishop Barry and Mary Howe arrive at the Ball. want to give my deep thanks Bishop’s Ball. Photo by Donya Ross. “Yo, yo.” Rapping feels so to Bishop Howe and his wife, great when it moves smoothly, but sadly, I stink Mary. You help make our diocese what it is and, at rapping. I had a wonderful experience getting without you, there would be no Bishop’s Ball. I to work with Chris Palma to emcee the Bishop’s want to congratulate the new Bishop-elect, the Ball. He’s a really great dancer, rapper, and I can’t Rev. Marty Field. We are so glad to have you as do any of those things. Even though I can’t tell a our new bishop! This year’s Bishop’s Ball rocked, joke to save my life, it was still a pleasure getting and I cannot wait until next year! to emcee the 2011 Bishop’s Ball! 6
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Photos by Donya Ross
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The Tree of Strife
Once upon a time, the stump of a hedge apple tree thwarted St. James’ (Springfield) outreach to young families. That has all changed — thanks to a determined Boy Scout. Story by Hugh Welsh
The child’s play area at St. James’ (Springfield) before Collin Larimore began his Eagle Scout project to remove the hedge apple stump and build a new playground. Submitted photo.
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Collin Larimore’s dad, Larry, used a bulldozer to excavate the tree stump and level the ground. Submitted photo.
FOR YEARS, IT HANDICAPPED the ability of St. James’ (Springfield) to reach out to parents of young children. The hedge apple tree stump centered in the play area behind the church was more than an eyesore: it was a hazard. “The playground platform was built around it,” says the Rev. Charles Uhlik, St. James’ rector. “It was definitely a source of contention among parishioners.” Then, parishioner Collin Larimore, 14, proposed to do something about it. He needed an Eagle Scout project. “I’d used the play area since I was really little in the nursery,” says Larimore, who was baptized and confirmed at St. James’. He is currently an acolyte there. “While it was always fun, it did have its negatives.” The excavation of the tree stump and leveling of the landscape – which Collin completed over several days using a Bobcat bulldozer and tractor alongside his dad, Larry, and St. James’ Youth Director Josh Trader – was the beginning. Uhlik wanted to use funds raised in memory of Sue Ulrich, a parishioner at St. James’ who died two years ago, to buy playground equipment. Ulrich had served as a counselor at church camps and mentored teenagers at Happenings and other youth functions. She was renowned for her handcrafted necklaces, anklets and bracelets, which she’d impart to those in mourning or experiencing difficulties in their lives. Sue Ulrich’s husband, Bob Ulrich, granted Collin permission to use the memorial funds for the playground equipment.
(Top): Youth group members at St. James’ joined with Collin’s Boy Scout troop to help clear the grounds. (Bottom): Collin fastened the floorboards of the playground’s second tier into place. Submitted photos. SPIRIT, WINTER, 2011
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$1,200 from the Susan Ulrich Memorial Fund bought a three-tiered playground, including a slide, climbing wall, swing set, monkey bars and a treehouse. The installation of the equipment fell to Collin and his Boy Scout troop. Collin, his dad and troop mates erected the playground over two days. Their work went beyond constructing and securing the playground set: they repainted the church’s awning and patrolled the acreage surrounding the church for litter. “If you didn’t know, you would think we hired professionals,” Uhlik says. Work is not yet complete. In the spring, Collin and members of his Scout troop will mulch the area. The site will be formally dedicated in Sue Ulrich’s memory sometime after Easter. But enjoyment of the playset couldn’t wait that long. During weekends, depending on the weather, the playground swarms with children. It’s also popular among neighborhood families. “It’s been a long and arduous project,” Collin says, “but it’s well worth it because the kids love it; every time I see it, there are kids on it.” Uhlik, whose own kids often use the playground, says two families with young children have joined the parish since the project was undertaken. “It’s been the great unifier around here,” Uhlik says. 10
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(Top): The Boy Scout troop assembles the playground equipment. (Bottom): Collin tests the newly constructed slide. Submitted photo.
Submitted photos.
Honoring the Rev. Rolf Leed The Rev. Rolf Leed retired in December after 40 years as a priest and serving at St. Paul’s (Clinton) since 1989. A parishioner at St. Paul’s recounts his service. By Mary Larison-Smith
THE REV. ROLF AMUNDSEN LEED has retired into the next stage of his journey after 40 years of service. Leed celebrated his last Eucharist at St. Paul’s on Christmas Eve. Leed was ordained to the diaconate in 1969 after graduating from Seabury Western Theological Seminary and to the priesthood in 1970 by Bishop Norman L. Foote in the Diocese of Idaho. Leed was called to be priest of St. James (Mountain Home, Idaho) and St. Andrew’s (McCall, Idaho) from 1970 to 1975. In 1976, he was called to northern Idaho as vicar of Emmanuel Church (Kellogg, Idaho) and was later linked to two other churches in the area in the towns of Wallace and Mullan, Idaho. In 1979, Leed answered a call to mid-Kansas, working as a missionary at St. Mark’s (Medicine Lodge), Grace Church (Anthony) and Christ Church (Kingman) until 1982. Taking a rest from the pulpit and, in a sense, re-creating his life journey, Leed’s priorities
took him to Kansas City in 1982. As hospital chaplain, Leed supervised students working on their clinical pastoral education until 1984. Leed was also associated with St. Andrew’s in Kansas City. In 1985, a call came from the Church of the Messiah (Liberty), where he was vicar until 1989. He was then named priest-in-charge at St. Paul’s (Clinton), holding his first celebration of the Eucharist on Dec. 17, 1989. In 1996, Leed became vicar at St. Paul’s under Bishop John C. Buchanan. He was employed at the Pathways facility in Clinton, where he supervised drug and alcohol counselors. He retired from Pathways in July 2010. As a member of the Ministerial Association in Clinton, Leed helped the community-at-large for a number of years and led Sunday services at the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation. The parishioners of St. Paul’s will miss him greatly as he sails on to a new adventure.
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At 5,000 feet, White Tail Peak in the Black Hills of South Dakota is a sacred place to the Lakota Sioux. Photo by the Rev. Fred Mann.
A Mann Possessed
The Rev. Fred Mann, rector at St. Andrew’s (Kansas City), is spooked. “In Lakota Sioux country, it’s as if everybody knows who I am and what I’m doing,” says Mann, who visited tribal lands twice in 2009 and twice again in 2010. Mann will retire at the end of July. Since October 2007, when he completed Hanbleceya – a Lakota Sioux vision quest – Mann has become a resident of a new community, both of the flesh and of the spirit. Sioux acquaintances, normally shy toward white men, have approached him with regularity, as if longtime friends. They give identical descriptions of four guardian beings that shadow Mann; among them is a newly acquired Native American as old as humankind. The acquaintances also ask him about progress on his book. The book will detail an Episcopal priest’s exploration of the so-called “primitive” religions of Celtic and Lakota Sioux tradition. Some of the Lakota Sioux he has befriended belong to the Episcopal Church: about half of the 12,000 baptized Episcopalians in South Dakota are either Dakota or Lakota Sioux. 12
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BEFORE ENTERING THE PRIESTHOOD, it and making pilgrimages to holy sites. “I wanted was Mann – an unf linching oak of a guy – who to discover their way of praying and their did the spooking. understanding of God and creation, which “I didn’t do anything to threaten world peace precedes but informs Christianity.” during my ser vice” in the Navy, says Mann who, Seven years separated Mann’s sabbatical as an administrative specialist in Submarine abroad and his first visit to Lakota Sioux Squadron 14, was party to spying on the country. Russians along the Volga River. “I can’t go into Mann’s excursions to Scotland, Wales, Ireland too much detail. It’s classified.” and Lakota Sioux territory have fortified his It was the wish of the Rt. Rev. William philosophy that “if God created it, God’s at Folwell, the Diocese of Central Florida’s work in it somehow.” bishop, that he enlist in the armed forces before In October, Mann underwent a major, fourentering seminary, even if he had little desire hour shoulder replacement. Mann kept his fear to do so. “ Then, I acquiesced and enlisted,” he of the procedure to himself. But the risks were said. many: infection, injury to ner ves and blood He had passed the vessels, tendon failure, the preliminary exams to become understanding that one a naval officer (he completed botched surgery precipitates seminary simultaneously) a lifetime of corrective when Mann learned he was surgeries, the idea that he needed as curate at Christ may never again have a Church in Springfield. fully functioning arm. His He remained there until recovery is a month ahead of 1980 when he accepted the schedule. position of assistant rector “I prayed to the spiritual at Emmanuel in Orlando, guides to give me strength FL. He would ser ve as rector for my upcoming surgery,” at two other parishes in the says Mann, his handshake Diocese of Central Florida firm. “I get this sense that and as dean at St. James angelic beings have been Cathedral in South Bend, babysitting me.” IN before returning to the Originally from Winter Diocese of West Missouri Haven, FL, Mann and his A bison grazes in a pasture at the Wind Cave as rector of St. Andrew’s in wife, Denise, will continue National Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. 2004. living in Kansas City Mann’s interest in bridging Photo by the Rev. Fred Mann. following his retirement. He the gap between indigenous interpretations also plans to make repeated ventures into Lakota of God and the faith of the Episcopal Church Sioux country, where he can compile research had its beginnings a decade ago, when Mann and conduct inter views for his book. was awarded a $30,000 grant from the Lilly “I’ve enjoyed being in a very rich collegiality: Foundation to explore Anglicanism’s roots in I appreciate the friendship, the support, the Celtic religion. sharing of ideas with fellow clergy,” Mann says. “I wanted to explore Celtic spiritual tradition, “I’ve enjoyed the people I’ve met as a priest starting with an incarnational approach (the here, and I’m still wrapped in the history and physical embodiment of the divine represented culture of this place.” in Christianity by Jesus),” says Mann, whose — HUGH WELSH sabbatical included researching, inter viewing SPIRIT, WINTER, 2011
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Being Bishop: A Retrospective
sustained by the Holy Spirit, living and moving in the lives of the clergy and the laity. While the challenges of the world are always pressing against us, this spirit By Bishop Barry Howe in you has convinced me of St. Paul’s IT HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS PRIVILEGE and a great admonition that “nothing can separate joy to be the bishop of West Missouri, present with you for 13 us from the love of God in Christ years. Mary and I came to this diocese after 31 years in parish Jesus.” To live and to work in such a ministry, during which we served five different congregations. community is to know in heart and Our time here has been a very special part of our lives. soul the essence of treasure! These years have not been without What we shall miss most are the wonderful great challenges for the Episcopal Church, the Anglican relationships that make up the Body of Christ in this Communion, and indeed for most churches throughout wondrous part of God’s Kingdom. It is the people of the world. The rapid changes in how we communicate, God, serving the Lord Jesus, who enable the Light in what is considered as important in the eyes of the of Christ to shine through them. We have been world, in family structures, and in religious and spiritual very blessed by such “shining” through you, helping understanding have touched all of us in ways that raise us to see and to experience the presence of God’s many questions and test our sensibilities. As we live on uncompromising love transcending the world about us through these times, it is always important to place these and seeking to breathe within us. challenges within a historical perspective which reminds I was told when I was elected bishop that West us of the incredible challenges met by prior generations. Missouri was a treasure as a diocese. I was not given We, like our mothers and fathers before us, are not any subsequent information that would define the abandoned nor left alone. term “treasure,” but I learned quickly why that term We are children of God who have with us the saving was used. It was not used to suggest an abundance of and redeeming presence of Our Lord Jesus. While we economic resources. And it was not used to suggest are not able to deal with these challenges using our own an environment akin to the Garden of Eden. It was devices, we are able to enlist the empowering Spirit of used to acknowledge the intangible, but very real, spirit God in transcending the challenges and in living lives among the people. It is a spirit which is born from and filled with divine grace. This is not just a hope for the 14
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(Opposite): Bishop Barry and Mary Howe with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, at the 2008 Lambeth Conference. (Top, left): Howe with Diocese of Botswana Bishop Trevor Mwamba at a NetsForLife meeting. (Top, right): Howe gave the Rev. Connie Tyndall, deacon at St. James’ (Springfield), special recognition last June for Ministry in the Tradition of St. Stephen. Submitted photos.
future. It is the reality of the present. We remain very blessed! I have been blessed by a wonderful group who work tirelessly and faithfully as the diocesan staff. They have been patient and long-suffering with me. But they have also been proactive and creative in using their gifts to further the mission and ministry of our diocesan community. There have been few changes in the makeup of this talented team during 13 years—a great tribute to their tenacity and their commitment to ministry. Each of them has special pastoral gifts that continue to be used to support and encourage others in their ministries. The relationships the clergy and their families have shared with Mary and me have warmed our hearts and souls day in and day out. Clergy always have moments of doubt about their bishop, and sometimes outright disagreements with the bishop, but these are part and parcel of what “being in Christ” is all about. Still, these moments and disagreements have never led to a lack of respect and love for one another. I am more than grateful to all of them as they continue to serve the beloved community of the Lord. We shall both miss the joys and sorrows we have experienced in pastoral ministry together. I commend the leadership of our clergy to all with a confidence and assurance that the ministry and mission of the Church are moving forward.
Among a bishop’s responsibilities is to represent the diocese in the on-going work of the larger Church. These responsibilities have given Mary and me wonderful opportunities to expand our presence as servants of the Lord in many different venues of ministry — local, national, international and ecumenical. We have visited places that have enriched our understanding and awareness of cultural differences. We have eaten with and been hosted by faithful servants of the Lord who have opened their homes and their hearts to us. And we have appreciated the companionship of our fellow bishops and spouses, sharing with them in their journeys of faith. My membership on different boards, commissions and dialogues has broadened, and continues to broaden, my horizons and to educate me to value new ideas and ongoing change. The memories I take with me of countless souls who have shared their hearts and spirits in our common work of the Lord’s mission are the treasures I take with me. These memories will not be dormant snapshots of the past. These memories are and will be living acts of the Spirit of God that will continue to feed my soul. With grateful thanksgiving to God for you, I hope to continue to follow the Lord’s calling in whatever ways that may take. I ask you, clergy and laity, to love and support Bishop Marty and Donna in the same blessed ways you have loved and supported Mary and me. SPIRIT, WINTER, 2011
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Electors await the results of the first ballot in last year’s diocesan bishop election. Photo by Gary Zumwalt.
Diary of a Bishop-elect By Bishop-elect Marty Field SATURDAY, NOV. 6, 2010 I start my day at St. John’s Church in Midland, Mich., where I’m leading a Diocesan Leadership Workshop. Bishop Todd Ousley, my bishop, has my cell phone (set to vibrate), so he can sit in the back of the conference and monitor the calls that will inevitably come in from West Missouri’s electing convention. Thus, West Missouri’s election is, gloriously, in the background of my mind, and I can concentrate on something other than sitting and wondering and waiting. Plus, I love this topic, so the morning kicks off well. Late morning. I get the first phone call about the election from my “walkabout” shepherd, Joyce Morrow. Ballot No. 1 is done, and shockingly, I’m ahead in the lay order. Peter Casparian leads in the clergy vote. 16
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About an hour later, Joyce again. Ballot No. 2 is in, and again I’m shocked that I’ve picked up votes in both the lay and clergy houses, but Peter is still ahead in the clergy house. No telling how this will play out. Another hour or so passes, and just as a planned break in the leadership conference is about to end, Bishop Ousley hands me my cell phone and says, “You need to take this call right now.” I’m handed the phone, and it’s Fr. Doug Johnson with news of Ballot No. 3. The surprise I felt before is nothing like this new jolt. Doug tells me I’ll shortly be receiving a call from Bishop Howe from the convention floor. He hints, “I suppose you might know what this means.” I gulp, because, yes, I do know what it probably means. My wife, Donna, and my bishop are staring at me, watching my face and my reaction, and are all smiles. I’m
sure I have the stupidest grin of my life plastered all across balloting results for the first time and find out that Dan my face, yet I somehow feel nauseous at the same time! Smith withdrew after ballot #2. I didn’t hear about that Bishop Howe calls seven minutes later to tell me yesterday, and again I am grateful for Dan. He made this officially of my election and asks me officially if I’ll accept. so much easier for all of us. His withdrawal from the What I should have said is “I’m honored to be elected; I election was another of his many, personal gifts to the accept.” Instead I think I stammer out something like, “I’d Church. be honored to accept,” which when I think about it, is a dumb thing to say. Nevertheless, suddenly, a huge roar of MONDAY, NOV. 8 TO MONDAY, NOV. 22, 2010 happy voices is heard in the background from the floor of A call comes in from Bishop Clay Matthews of the West Missouri’s convention. presiding bishop’s staff. They need a letter from me At this point, some of the people attending the to the P.B. accepting election. Now it really begins — leadership conference are wondering why the break has lasted so long, so Bishop Ousley buys me some time to get letters regarding the College for Bishops, dates and commitments being requested, sign ups for various composed by going into the meeting room to share what has just happened. A new roar of approval blesses my ears, conferences, trips to plan (New Bishops and Spouses Conference, Pension Fund New Bishops Conference, and, fortunately, Bishop Ousley then takes over teaching Advent Luncheon back in West Missouri), things to buy: for the next half hour. ring, crosier, vestments, etc. A 90-day companion bishop This gives Donna and me the chance to start making is assigned (Bishop O’Neil of Colorado). What’s this? phone calls to family, friends, parishioners, etc. — to people who are awaiting our call so they know whether to There’s actually a curriculum to train new bishops how to be bishops! Phenomenal. rejoice or not. And I face my first dilemma: what to do with all these In the midst of all that, a very gracious Peter Casparian requests to be Facebook calls to congratulate “Bishop (Todd) Ousley hands friends? The need to me. He’s not the last; congratulations begin me my cell phone and says, “You separate my private from my public personas is more pouring in via phone calls, need to take this call right now...” powerfully real than ever Facebook and e-mail. My — BISHOP-ELECT FIELD before. I decide not to phone won’t stop ringing accept new Facebook friends until I can get a separate FB with calls, beeping with texts, chiming with Facebook page set up for me as bishop. messages and dinging with new e-mails. Yet, this bishop business still doesn’t seem really real; it It’s all a lot to take in, and when I think about my very feels like I’m walking through someone else’s reality. good, very dear friend Dan Smith, my eyes fill with tears. A psychiatric evaluation is completed, and a rigorous It makes the moment one of mixed emotions. I’m sorry it physical examination with lots of nasty tests is done. The wasn’t Dan even as I’m happy for my election. And even though our friendship is much newer, I feel the same way results are submitted, and I guess I am healthy enough for the medical doctor to say OK and crazy enough for the about Peter, too. psychiatrist to give me a pass. Eventually, I return to the task of the day and wrap up the leadership conference, though — for the remainder of MONDAY, NOV. 22, 2010 the day — nobody wants to talk about anything except my election. Getting them to focus on the topic is a lost cause. I submit letters of resignation to Bishop Ousley [as Dean It is for me, too. of Flint River Valley Convocation (effective immediately) SUNDAY, NOV. 7, 2010 During both worship services, I formally inform my parish of the election and, therefore, my pending departure. Universally, they react with happiness for me, but a bit of sadness for themselves. More congrats pour in. At the West Missouri bishop search website, I see the
and as Assistant to the Bishop for Congregational Life (not effective ‘til end of the year)] and to St. Paul’s Vestry [as Rector (effective Jan. 9, 2011)]. I also have my first contacts from the Consecration Task Force of the Transition Committee, and now I realize I should give thought to some of the details that lay ahead of me. I’m SPIRIT, WINTER, 2011
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currently living too much from moment to moment without forethought, which is the result of overload. THURSDAY, NOV. 25 TO THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 2010 Thanksgiving Day. Turkey, turkey, turkey. I actually drop all things “churchy” for the whole day. Hurrah for me. Donna approves. The day after Turkey-Day, we’re off to a resort in Florida for the vacation we promised ourselves no matter how the election came out. I get to see my sister and brotherin-law who live near Tampa. We . . . RELAX! We swim. We catch some sun. We eat gourmet food. I win a Texas Hold’em Tournament at the resort . . . by default (I’m the only entry!). Back home my assisting priests are handling the First Sunday of Advent, and I am not the least concerned. Maybe I’m getting wiser in my old age. FRIDAY, DEC. 3 TO SATURDAY, DEC. 4, 2010 We fly to K.C. on Friday to attend Saturday’s Advent luncheon hosted by Bishop & Mrs. Howe for clergy families. So many new faces and new names to learn. Wow. We fly back home the same day (Sat.). “I feel like such SUNDAY, DEC. 5-6, 2010
SATURDAY, DEC. 11, 2010 Back home in Michigan, Donna and I can finally turn our minds toward Christmas. Holy cow! It’s only two weeks away! We’ve still done nothing to prepare for either Christmas or our upcoming move to Missouri. Uh-oh. SUNDAY, DEC. 12 TO FRIDAY, DEC. 31, 2010
a ‘jet setter’; I’ve been travelling non-stop for days, now.”
After church, I drive north 2½ hours to attend a retreat for the diocese’s Episcopal Ministry Support Team (my last event as a member of diocesan staff), and the other EMST members give me parting gifts — purple gifts! Even purple Silly String. Wait ‘til I pull that out at a staff meeting in West Missouri! TUESDAY, DEC. 7 TO FRIDAY, DEC. 10, 2010 I feel like such a “jet setter”; I’ve been travelling non-stop for days, now. This time, I’m off to New York City for multiple purposes. Tuesday is a travel and then a relaxat-the-hotel day. Wednesday I catch an early train from Manhattan’s Grand Central Station to Old Greenwich, Conn., to visit C. M. Almy’s one and only showroom. Why? To get fitted for my new Episcopal vestments and accoutrements. Maybe if I’m custom fitted they’ll actually fit! Thursday through Friday I attend the Church Pension Group’s Conference for New Bishops, after which I’m 18
seeing the pension group’s work through new eyes. The evenings in Manhattan, with all of New York decorated for Christmas, are wonderful, but Donna isn’t able to be with me this time. That takes some of the shine off the lights. Friday, I catch my flight back to Michigan. After the conference, I realize I’m beginning actually to feel like “one of them,” like I belong among the bishops who attended. Then I start to wonder how many diocesan Standing Committees will not meet in December and will thus delay the consents I need. And how about the bishops? Not many of them know me, so how can they know to consent or not... Then I try to convince myself that worrying thus is a waste of energy. I partly succeed.
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Guess what? I’m still the rector of a busy parish in Flint, and it — BISHOP-ELECT FIELD now begins to demand some of my largely distracted attention. I have to interview and hire a new nursery supervisor. I have to teach on family systems and leadership at the diocese’s CoppageGordon School for Ministry, which is fun, but there are also pastoral calls to make, sermons to prepare and preach, personal business to finish, a staff Christmas party to host. I have to prepare for the parish’s annual meeting. I have to help the lay leadership get ready to carry on in my absence. I have to . . . I have to . . . I have to . . . and it goes on and on. I just cannot neglect St. Paul’s needs and my duty thereto. There’s a bit of pull from both sides; the demands of parish and new diocese are at war. And then Christmas Eve comes. Magically, it’s as though the world pushed a huge “pause” button, slowed down, and took a breath. The Christmas Eve services are magical. Christmas Day service is lightly attended (as always), but sublime, nevertheless. Our son, Christopher, and his girlfriend, Bailey Walker, arrive on the 30th, and we have our belated gift-exchange. There’s love in each wrapped gift. New Year’s Eve is pretty low key, just a few friends come
over, but we’re never much for the rowdy, party scene. The New Year comes in with just a little fanfare, and we’ve enjoyed being together. SUNDAY, JAN. 2 TO TUESDAY, JAN. 4, 2011 I fill the back end of my miniature, after-Christmas vacation by helping our daughter, Chandra, move to Boston to move in with her brother in his two-bedroom apartment. Thankfully, I only have to drive the rental truck one way. I fly home to finish preparing for my departure from St. Paul’s, which is imminent. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 5 TO SATURDAY, JAN. 8, 2010 My last week at St. Paul’s ends with a Leave-Taking & Farewell Party hosted by the parishioners. Great turn out. Bishop and Mrs. Ousley are there, and he presents me with the diocese’s “Excellence in Ministry Award,” which was totally unexpected. Too many people step up to the microphone and say too many nice things about me, but just the right amount of nice things about Donna. It is a bit embarrassing, but heartfelt, and I am grateful. SUNDAY, JAN. 9, 2011
I do the same thing at home in preparation for the movers to pack out my first, small shipment to K.C., Mo. MONDAY, JAN. 17 TO FRIDAY, JAN. 21, 2011 Donna and I fly to Richmond, VA for the New Bishops and Spouses Conference. Excellent conference. We get to meet a lot of people who are our new colleagues in our new ministry. Flight delays on the way home mean we arrive three hours late and exhausted. My own bed feels GREAT! SATURDAY, JAN. 22 TO SUNDAY, JAN. 23, 2011 More prepping at home for movers. Feels strange not to have a parish to go to, attend to, or worry about. Actually, it feels very strange. MONDAY, JAN. 24, 2011 The movers arrive and pack out my office at the parish and some household goods from our home. With those shipments sent off, Donna and I take the evening to go out to dinner for a private farewell with close friends. TUESDAY, JAN. 25 TO THURSDAY, JAN. 27, 2011
My last Sunday as rector. During the main service, we do the liturgy Last minute appointments to for the Ending of a Pastoral take care of personal affairs. I Relationship. After worship, we cash in a gift certificate Donna gather for our annual pot luck gave me for Christmas and lunch and parish meeting. Vestry The cake at Bishop-elect Marty Field’s farewell party at get an hour-long, therapeutic St. Paul’s (Flint, MI), where he was formerly the rector. elections. Parish awards for faithful Submitted photo. massage. The masseuse finds service. The Rectors’ Cross to two muscles that I didn’t even know existed, and now they feel wonderful and faithful people, a husband and wife team, great. The evenings are spent packing, sorting, destroying whose leadership has been significant and sustained. My old, family, financial documents, etc. This moving thing final address to the parish is my final chance to thank so isn’t going to wait. The date of my departure is coming many people, and I can’t thank them all. Final farewells. at me fast — like a speeding train in a tunnel; the light is Hugs all around. Promises that the members will keep an getting bigger and bigger as it bears down on me. eye on Donna’s health and safety. FRIDAY, JAN. 28, 2011 MONDAY, JAN. 10 TO WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13, 2011 I have an early evening flight to K.C., so I arrive just after Even though my rectorship is officially finished, I show up 7 p.m. Bill and Michelle Fasel await me faithfully at the the next few days to prepare my office for the movers to airport, give me a home cooked meal, and make sure I pack. find my new lodgings at Bishop Spencer Place. Kansas City is now home. THURSDAY, JAN. 14 TO SUNDAY, JAN. 16, 2011 SPIRIT, WINTER, 2011
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ONE CHURCH
ENGAGING
In September, Melissa Bolden volunteered to fly to Botswana for a day care project that will provide a basic education and essential needs to a community of orphans. She risked her job doing it. By Hugh Welsh
THE WORLD
Masiela Trust Fund (an agency tasked with aiding the nation’s orphan population), tents have begun to give way to temporary government housing. Now, there’s the matter of a day care center, which will serve the educational, cultural and spiritual development elissa Bolden (St. Augustine’s, Kansas City) knew that taking a two-month leave from work of children and youth. The diocese has vowed to help with land acquisition and pay operational costs once the to advance a day care center in a developing center is built. Construction costs fall to organizations country was risky. within Botswana. The Masiela Trust Fund’s 2010 budget “Given the economic climate, I knew accounted for building costs. But land there was no guarantee I’d have a job acquisition was never finalized, so the upon my return,” says Bolden, a member money went to other projects. The fund’s of the diocese’s Companion Diocese 2011 budget is sizably less. Committee. “I felt there was something The committee had progressed the day bigger I needed to be doing, and it care center concept as far as it could. In a required the gift of time.” country like Botswana, however, business Bolden traveled to Botswana, a Texasis best handled face to face. Bolden, a sized country in south-central Africa, creative strategist for Hallmark Cards, from late August to early September 2009 volunteered herself. She could apply her along with committee member Dennis corporate expertise to the day care center Robinson (St. Mary’s, Kansas City). The cause, which included noting the best trip was a follow-up study to a group visit practices at St. Peter’s Day Care Centre; one year earlier: What were the pervasive developing a written vision, mission problems, and how could the diocese and strategy; meeting with potential assist in resolving them? Two children in Palapye contributors; and visiting Palapye, where They visited the village of Palapye, where showcase their new flip flops. she could gauge local interest in the they encountered two families living Photo by Melissa Bolden. project. beneath tents without running water. They Bolden departed for Botswana in mid-September. She befriended Joana Mokandla, a godmother to dozens stayed with the secretary of the Anglican Diocese of of under-supervised children, their parents casualties Botswana in Phakalane, a wealthy suburb of the capital of AIDS. They toured St. Peter’s Day Care Centre in city, Gaborone. The secretary had two teenage boys Mogoditshane, a facility that educates and meets the who, like many American teenagers, find their favorite basic needs of 100 orphaned and vulnerable children. television shows on MTV: a stark contrast to the village Thanks to contributions from diocesan parishes, the families now have access to running water. Also, because of Palapye, where running water was once a fantasy. In her return to Palapye, Bolden was greeted by of the committee’s outreach to organizations such as the
M
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Joana Mokandla, far right, poses with two families in Palapye. Photo by Melissa Bolden.
Mokandla, who introduced her to local chiefs, officials and family elders. Support for the day care was universal. A few adolescents expressed interest in working at the day care. Bolden even convinced a member of parliament, who promised to do all he could to realize the day care center. “I didn’t find a lot of mothers who have trust in the schools’ ability to care for younger children, nor do they trust day cares there, which they can’t afford, anyway,” Bolden says. “The day care center we propose would be free to them.” Bolden was surprised to find the children remembered her; the time she and Robinson spent with them a year earlier had been brief. “They asked me if I could recite the song they taught us, ‘I Love You, Jesus,’” says Bolden, who brought the children flip flops, school supplies and rag dolls via Rag Dolls 2 Love. “Thankfully, I could.” At St. Peter’s Day Care Centre, Bolden observed an institution that does more than teach ABCs and basic arithmetic. It offers clean clothing as well as breakfast, lunch and two snacks per day. The day care center’s staff doubles as surrogate parents to many of the children. “It isn’t babysitting; it’s brotherly and sisterly love,” Bolden says. While there, Bolden cooperated with Gosego Nthume,
the chairperson of Botswana’s HIV Committee and advocate of both this diocese and Botswana’s. Nthume is well versed in navigating Botswana’s bureaucratic structure for financing welfare projects. Together, Bolden and Nthume modified the project’s outlook from inspirational to imploring. “We needed to make it clear we’re aggressively seeking a new source for funding,” says Bolden, a process that involved citing Millennium Development Goals and Botswana Vision 2016’s goals, which include educating every child. Bolden left without securing the land on which the day care will be built. Unlike in the U.S., land is not bought outright, but freely leased by the national government for a term of 99 years. There’s good news, however. In late January, Nthume wrote to the Companion Diocese Committee to inform them land acquisition is near. She was also optimistic that the remaining funds for building costs are attainable. “Embarking on a day care center is much like building a business,” Bolden says. “It takes time, patience and perseverance.” Donations for the day care center, marked “Botswana day care center,” can be sent to the the diocesan office (P.O. Box 413227, Kansas City, MO 64141-3227). SPIRIT, WINTER, 2011
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ARTS In his workshop, Bud McDowell builds a wooden manger scene for a Christmas service at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. Photo by Hugh Welsh
The Charity of a Woodworker
Story by Hugh Welsh
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CHARLES “BUD” MCDOWELL’S PASSION is expressed in his hands. A mosaic of calluses, the hands are largely without nails, the fingertips squashed and severed in machinery meant for metal or wood. The hands defy the rest of McDowell: clean shaven, spectacled, a voice like molasses – slow and sweet. “While I appreciate your interest, do you have to photograph my hands?” McDowell says. “That’s a little silly.” Yet it’s the hands that tell McDowell’s story. They birthed Edwards & McDowell, Inc., a 30-year sheet metal operation specializing in heating, cooling and ventilation that McDowell sold seven years ago. And they are a link between him and his late father, a carpenter. The centerpiece of the McDowell home is a grandfather clock built by his father, who also restored antiques. “I don’t ever remember not being around a shop somewhere,” McDowell says. Among his boyhood memories is an occasion when his dad arrived with a truck bed full of used lumber salvaged from a demolished building. Not only did the young McDowell assist in unloading it – he pried every nail from every board. “It wasn’t a matter of wanting to do it; it was a family project, and you did your share,” McDowell says. McDowell is a beneficiary of his father’s thriftiness. He prefers working with used wood, not only due to cost but because he’s preserving history. The lectern McDowell crafted in Founders Hall at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City was made from a century-old church pew. It is one of many to which McDowell, junior warden at Grace and Holy Trinity, can lay claim, including most of the book cases and furnishings in the bookstore and the miniature furniture in the children’s chapel (a second set by McDowell is in storage). Recently, McDowell contributed an aumbry to hold the holy oils associated with Holy Baptism and the rites of healing, as well as a votive stand for Grace and Holy Trinity’s nave. While the concept behind the aumbry was borrowed from a religious supply catalog, the votive stand is McDowell’s own design. Inside the votive stand are lighted tapers in white sand symbolizing continued prayer. Previously, the tapers and white sand were housed in a washtub. “I figure it’s more fitting to the church than an old scrub tub,” McDowell says. When the Rt. Rev. Terry White, former dean of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, was elected bishop of the Diocese of Kentucky, McDowell volunteered to construct White’s traveling crosier. He had never steamed and bent wood before, a requirement for the crosier’s trademark crook. McDowell Googled the how-tos of bending wood and, after the fifth or sixth attempt, perfected it. “It was a challenge, even for me,” McDowell says.
Bud McDowell’s fingers have been smashed, sliced, severed and reattached. Photo by Hugh Welsh.
The votive stand McDowell designed and built for Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. Submitted photo.
McDowell’s handiwork is also displayed in 500 patient rooms at St. Luke’s hospitals, although this design is rather basic – two wooden rectangles screwed together. These crosses were created by McDowell from three old church pews, then assembled and stained by the youth group at Grace and Holy Trinity during a three-week span. The idea came to McDowell by way of his wife, Candy, who volunteers at St. Luke’s, and the Rev. John Pumphrey, St. Luke’s director of spiritual wellness. “I came home to tell Bud that John wanted a Christian symbol in the rooms at the hospitals and was considering bids to have the crosses made at a price he could afford to pay,” Candy McDowell says. “Bud said it sounded simple enough. He would do it.” Bud McDowell’s dutifulness to the diocese hasn’t gone unnoticed: at November’s convention, he received a Bishop’s Shield award for outstanding service. But Bud McDowell doesn’t consider what he does as a service. It’s a meditation. During Lent, when many seek prayer in silence, Bud McDowell will find it in the din of his wood shop, where he can commune with a fellow carpenter’s son. SPIRIT, WINTER, 2011
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