Spirit March 2017

Spirit

CAN KNOWING OTHER FAITHS DEEPEN OUR OWN? | DISCERNING A CALL: DEACONS IN TODAY'S CHURCH

The Diocese of West Missouri MARCH 2017 | VOLUME 9, NO. 1

ST. JOHN'S BIBLE - PAGE 8

Publisher

The Rt. Rev. Martin S. Field

Editor

Gary Allman

Spirit is published by: The Diocese of West Missouri 420 West 14th St. Kansas City, MO 64105

Editorial Board Members

Gary Allman, Communications Director Angela Crawford, Communications Assistant The Rev. Canon Dr. Steven Rottgers, Canon to the Ordinary

Submissions

We welcome submissions of news articles and photographs on topics of interest to the people of the diocese. It helps us immensely if you can follow the submission guidelines provided on the diocesan website. Link bellow.

In This Issue

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Editor’s Letter Evangelism doesn't have to be hard.

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Keeping Watch Diocesan Council has been considering

Back Copies

You can see the latest Spirit magazine and an archive of Spirit issues going back to the winter of 2011 by following the link below.

 www.diowestmo.org/spirit/spirit-magazine.html

Contact

 (816) 471-6161 ext. 17  communications@diowestmo.org  www.diowestmo.org  www.facebook.com/diowestmo

how the diocese should move forward, and we are preparing for Awakening the Spirit in West Missouri.

The Rt. Rev. Martin S. Field

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"Don’t be afraid to be people of love," Presiding Bishop Tells Pittsburgh Revival.

The recent Evangelism Matters conference connected, inspired participants, and gave them practical tools.

The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg

Can Knowing Other Faiths Deepen Our Own? Understanding friends from other faiths can enrich our own lives as Christians.

Vern Barnet

 www.diowestmo.org/spirit-article-submission.html Deadline for the June edition: May 1 2017.

Gary Allman

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Saint John’s Bible Presented to Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral An anonymous donor has

made a gift of the entire seven volume heritage edition of the Saint John’s Bible to Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral.

The Very Rev. Peter DeVeau

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Discerning a Call: Deacons in Today's Church What are deacons? What do they do? Where do they come from? And are you called to become a deacon?

The Venerable Betsy Bennett, the Rev. Kevin White and the Venerable Bruce Bower

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Additional Photograph Credits

News From Across The Diocese

Food Pantry, Necessity Pantry & Christmas Toy/Winter Hats Ministry - The Rev. Dr. Douglas P. Johnson Absalom Jones Celebration at St. Augustine's, Kansas City -

The photograph of Church Bell Tower, Pyrgos, Santorini, Greece on Page 7 is by Flickr user: www.flickr.com/photos/matthewdbishop/ and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BYSA 2.0) licence.

Gary Zumwalt

Evangelism Workshop - North - Gary Zumwalt Evangelism Workshop - South - Gary Allman

ON THE COVER Creation, Donald Jackson, Copyright 2003, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

An anonymous donor has made a gift of the entire seven volume heritage edition of the Saint John’s Bible to Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. See page 8.

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SPIRIT | March 2017

Bishop Kemper School for Ministry and Nazarene Theological Seminary Enter into Articulation Agreement The Rev. Casey Rohleder

Bishop Spencer Place Joins Saint Luke’s Health System Kristin Dittmar

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Directory A directory of the churches of the diocese.

Gary Allman | Editor’s Letter

Evangelism Doesn't Have To be Hard CONTACT  communications@diowestmo.org Direct:  (417) 522-5151 Links www.diowestmo.org  Diocesan Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/diowestmo/

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are tied back to Bob's example, as we found out at February's Evangelism Workshops. At the workshops we were shown that Episcopalians can be evangelists, and really we don't need to change much to do so. We just need to carry on the work we do in the community, and the quiet works of help and love we give to friends, family and those we encounter along the way.

What we do need to change is our propensity for being reserved and hiding our light under a bushel.

When you are serving in the community tell them which church you go to. Want something really simple to do? Follow the example of St. Stephen's, Monnet. They took a diocesan advertising grant and invested it in St. Stephen's tee shirts, so that wherever they go and whatever they are doing, they are taking their church with them and introducing it to people.

Have printed calling cards for all your members is another simple thing to do. When you are working in the community, be proud to be Episcopalian. Tell them about the church you attend. Don't be shy! Welcome questions about your church; answer them. Tell them about our wonderful music, our moving liturgy, fellowship and the way in which we welcome everyone.

If people are interested, invite them to join you at a service.

Keep it simple, and it will be painless. +

Photograph: Gary Allman

was at the church for a Commission on Ministry meeting to discuss how to organize all the Commission's documents and information on the diocesan website.

On my way in I spotted Bob, who was there for an event in the parish hall. Our interaction was limited to waving to each other as we headed in our separate directions. After my meeting I took some moments to pass the time of day with a few volunteers clearing up after the event. I was headed towards the door when I noticed Bob coming towards me. I stopped. He walked up to me, shook my hand, looked me in the eyes and said, "I miss you. I miss you. I miss you and your family. If there is anything I can do, let me know." Very simple, and also very moving.

Bob was not only being kind and genuine; he was also providing an excellent example of what evangelism can look like in The Episcopal Church. He shows how we can reach out very simply and with few words and yet still have an impact on the lives of others around us.

On page 5 you'll find an account of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's recent Revival in Pittsburgh. The events being held in West Missouri on Saturday and Sunday, May 6 & 7 will be somewhat different to those in Pittsburgh, and we are calling our events 'Awakenings'. There are similarities, and these events

Evangelism at work - The group from St. Stephen's Monnet show off their tee shirts at the Evangelism Workshop held at St. James' Springfield

SPIRIT | March 2017

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KEEPING WATCH | The Rt. Rev. Martin S. Field

Awakening the Spirit in West Missouri Diocesan Council has been considering how the diocese should move forward, and we are preparing for Awakening the Spirit in West Missouri.

M

CONTACT  bishopfield@diowestmo.org  (816) 471-6161

LINKS  www.diowestmo.org Awakening the Spirit:  www.diowestmo.org/awakeningthespirit/

y article for this issue is a medley of information about is that attendees want more of this kind of preparation and kind things just finished and things upcoming. At the end, of empowerment for carrying out the mission God has given I’ll add a brief word about why – theologically speaking us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. We will look to see – all this matters. what can be done to enable more events like this in the future.

The Presiding Bishop is coming – Of course the Evangelism Diocesan Council on Retreat – In January, from the evening of Friday the 20th through the afternoon of Saturday, the Workshops were not stand-alone events. They tie into and are preparatory for the visit of our Presiding Bishop, Michael 21st, the Diocesan Council went on retreat. Now, I don’t know Bruce Curry, who will be in West Missouri May 5-7. By now if this was the first time this group has ever gone on retreat, you should be familiar with but it’s the first time in my the events being planned: episcopacy. one in Kansas City and one Why is this important? in Springfield. If you aren’t, Well, first, there are weighty watch the diocese’s website We, as a diocese, have invited our Presiding Bishop tasks laid before the council for full details (link above). and significant decisions to to visit, speak, and challenge us and our commuWe, as a diocese, have invited be made. We are at a crossnities to “awaken” to God’s call to reconciliation our Presiding Bishop to roads in time as a diocese. with all people as well as with our Creator. That’s visit, speak, and challenge The cultural, financial, and us and our communities to why we are calling the main events: structural paradigms in “awaken” to God’s call to which we have lived and reconciliation with all people moved and had our being as “Awakening the Spirit in West Missouri”. as well as with our Creator. a diocese appear no longer to That’s why we are calling the be serving us well. Therefore, main events “Awakening the we are now in a time of Spirit in West Missouri”. Our reconsidering everything day, our society, this world, calls for The Episcopal Church to about how we “do church”. be the Church God needs it to be. It is time for us to awaken, The Diocesan Council has embraced the need to face this to quicken, to be stimulated to the tasks of boldly being salt, reality. All members are unanimous in their resolve to seize and uncovered light, and a visible, shining city on a hill. I look the day; to consider what must be considered; to analyze, to forward to being stirred up by Bishop Curry, one of the most prioritize, and not shirk from tough decisions; and thereby to do the vital adaptive work that is before the council, the work in powerful speakers of our time.

Once awakened, I hope and pray that we will be bold in which every member of the diocese must share. our ministries. Why? You see, I believe that we, The Episcopal In the very near future, maybe even before you receive this Church, are a different kind of Church, and we have an issue of Spirit, you will be receiving a communique from the authentic word from God and a time-tested faith to share with Diocesan Council that shares more about the retreat and our our time. We do not avoid the big questions of our day; instead, way forward as a diocese. Watch for it (or go back to it)! we invite everyone to examine the question and find answers Evangelism Workshops are a huge success – Two together, in an atmosphere of acceptance and love, and covered workshops (or evangelism training events) were held in the diocese in February. I hope you already know of them and even with grace.

So, make plans to rally 'round the Presiding Bishop, to show attended one. Thanks to the people, clergy, and staff of our Cathedral and of St. James’, Springfield for hosting, respectively, our spirit as part of the Jesus Movement, and to have a fun and meaningful day together on May 6 or May 7. + the northern Kansas City area event on Saturday, February 18 and the southern event on Sunday, February 19.

In my opinion – apparently shared by most if not all who attended – each workshop was a tremendous success. My sense 4

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"Don’t be afraid to be people of love," Presiding Bishop Tells Pittsburgh Revival Three-day event kicked off the Episcopal Church's plan to claim new life and change the world.

LINKS Original article on Episcopal News Network:  goo.gl/NjkMLs

The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg

T

Photograph: Mary Frances Schjonberg / ENS

he old church tradition of the revival received new life rejuvenated for its own sake. in the Diocese of Pittsburgh Feb. 3-5 with a distinctly The church’s revival must spill Episcopal feel. The emphasis was on both sparking God’s love out into the world individuals’ faith lives and a commitment to show the love of “until justice rolls down like Jesus beyond the four walls of their churches. Anchoring Episcopal a mighty stream,” he said, revivals in the needs of the world was a constant theme of the echoing Micah. To do that, weekend. a revival must channel the emotions of the moment “Episcopal Church, we the world this year and in toward something bigger and need you to follow Jesus. We 2018. lasting, Curry said during a need you to be the countercul“I want to suggest this tural people of God who would morning that we need a revival news conference. “It is about love one another, who would inside the church and out – not claiming new and authentic and genuine life. That’s true for care when others could care just in the Episcopal Church. less, who would give, not take,” For there is much that seeks to our nation, true for our world.

We must find better ways to Presiding Bishop Michael articulate itself as Christianity Curry said during his Feb. 5 that doesn’t look anything like live together, to care for each other, to care for our society sermon at Calvary Episcopal Jesus,” Curry said in his Feb. and to care for our global Church in the Shadyside 4 sermon during an Absalom communities,” he said. neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Jones Day Eucharist at the “We who are followers For those who think the Episcopal Church of the Holy of Jesus believe that the way words Episcopal and revival Cross. “And if it doesn’t walk of love and the way of Jesus don’t go together, the size of and talk and look and smell is the key to doing that. But, the crowds, the depth of their like Jesus, it’s not Christian … we join hands with people emotion and Curry’s insistence and if it’s going to look like begged to differ.

Jesus, it’s got to look like love.” of other faiths and people of goodwill – anyone who wants His prayer for this and Curry said the revival of to help us end what so often subsequent revivals, he the church, centered in God’s is a nightmare of poverty said during one of his four love, is not about a church sermons, is that they will be the beginning of “a way of new life for us as this wonderful Episcopal Church, bearing witness to the love of God in Jesus in this culture and in this particular time in our national history.”

Curry’s Pilgrimage for Reconciliation, Healing and Evangelism in Southwestern Pennsylvania is the first of six revivals being planned with diocesan teams in different Presiding Bishop Michael Curry makes the rounds in the undercroft of cities around the country and Church of the Holy Cross during a Feb. 4 breakfast meeting with youth of the Diocese of Pittsburgh

and injustice and bigotry and wrong and violence, and realize God’s dream of true harmony and peace and justice for everybody.”

The six revivals will vary in design, according to a recent press release, but most will be multi-day events that feature dynamic worship and preaching, offerings from local artists and musicians, personal testimony and storytelling, speakers, invitations to local social action, engagement with young leaders, and intentional outreach with people who aren’t active in a faith community.

The Rev. Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Creation, is organizing those efforts, along with a team including Consulting Evangelist for Revivals Carrie Headington and Evangelism Associate Emily Gallagher.

The planning for each begins with asking diocesan members what the good news of Jesus looks like in their communities. Pittsburgh Episcopalians discerned that the good news would help them cross the divides of their area, build relationships with neighbors of different traditions and start reconciling with each other, Spellers said during the news conference.

Thus, that was the theme of the Pittsburgh gathering.

Continued on page 14 ▶ SPIRIT | March 2017

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Can Knowing Other Faiths Deepen Our Own? Understanding friends from other faiths can enrich our own lives as Christians.

Vern Barnet

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t’s an affair of the heart. You meet these compassionate people doing good things. You want to know them, to understand the faiths that give their lives meaning. They are not Christian.

You remember what Jesus told us about a Good Samaritan who worshipped in a tradition other than His own.

Such people are the best Anglican T. S. Eliot wrote answer to the question, “Can what many regard as the most I learn about other religions profound Christian poem of without watering down my the last century, “The Four own Christian beliefs?”

Quartets.” Eliot read several I’m old enough to languages, including Sanskrit. remember the days when His poem draws upon not folks were warned, and even only Christian mysticism but prohibited, from worshipping explicit Hindu teachings to with others. We’ve come a long illumine both. way toward tolerance, but we I thought I knew what have a long way to go before church bells meant. Bells we see religious pluralism as a routinely say, “The service is gift, not a problem, a blessing, about to begin.” I heard them not a threat. The political use here; I heard the cathedral of religious prejudice darkens bells in Europe. In fact, I had the world and demeans the the job of ringing a chapel bell religious urges in every human when I was a student. being, and deprives us of many But as a young man visiting of God’s gifts.

Japan, at a Shinto shrine, I “He who knows one saw a child swinging a rope religion knows none” declared with a striker at the high end Max Mueller, a 19th Century to hit a gong. I learned that scholar of comparative the noise was intended to religion. To make the same awaken kami, the divine, so point, I slightly paraphrase that kami would pay attention Rudyard Kipling: “What to the devotee. Paradoxically knows he of England who the noise awakens the devotee only England knows?” We to the presence of kami. understand our own country What seemed like a silly, even better by traveling abroad. We superstitious, act of waking know our own town better by kami was in fact how kami having visited other places. We awakened the devotee. grasp our faith more securely In a fresh way, I saw that by encountering and learning the church bell does not from others. merely call us to church, 6

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but also can awaken the presence of the sacred in us; the bell is not just an external ringing but also an internal resonance. It is not a Pavlovian alarm compelling us to go somewhere; it is rather a signal awakening us from selfcentered slumber.

Let me move from that childish awakening to three examples of how my Episcopalian faith has been enriched by knowing something of other traditions.

1. Christianity and Buddhism Perhaps one of the most important sustained interfaith dialogues of our time was begun between Christian and Buddhist monastics.

What two religions could be more unlike? Christianity proclaims a Creator God while Buddhism instead speaks of Emptiness, the Void, with no beginning, no Creator, only ongoing, interrelated processes, none of which rules without being ruled. Even more strange is how the two faiths understand personhood.

Christianity assumes we are individual souls, each with one’s own eternal destiny.

Buddhism denies the soul as a separate and everlasting personal existence.

With such striking contractions, what’s there to talk about? The monastics discovered they could talk about their experiences.

From such conversations, the Christian practice of Centering Prayer has been rediscovered.

While the language and images differ in each tradition, the differences themselves illumine the similarities. When Meister Eckhart (1260-c1328) said, “I pray God to make me free of God,” was he pointing to the Buddhist experience of the Void? Is the Void a way of being alert to the dangers of defining and limiting God by our own conceptions? Does this bring us back to that enigmatic answer when Moses asked for God’s name, and God said something like, “I will be what I will be”? Can we look at our own scriptures in a new light?

As for the Buddhist teaching that the self is empty, consider Philippians 2:7: “Jesus emptied Himself ” that he might reveal God’s glory. If Jesus is our model, then must we not also empty ourselves? Can we use Buddhist skepticism about selfhood to advise us to look at our tendencies toward self-centeredness?

Photograph: Matt Bishop

Church Bell Tower, Pyrgos, Santorini, Greece

2. Christianity and Confucianism I like to think that the Anglican style is a Confucian form of Christianity. Both traditions lay importance on education and emphasize the unifying beauty of ritual as a way of honoring and experiencing the sacred.

Some years ago, I was in San Francisco during a Chinese New Year parade.

Large inflated plastic sages bowed endlessly from pulled strings like giant puppets atop the floats. That’s the problem with Confucianism, I thought: insincere show, people being polite even when they despise each other.

But I’ve come to see that sometimes acting with courtesy can arouse a more generous attitude toward others. Even if we are

moody, observing the forms of etiquette guards against offending others and thereby protects us from others reacting against us. We don’t want to infect our friends with disease; why infect them with the vagaries of our emotions?

(Of course, those closest to us deserve to know how we are doing, but we don’t have to tweet it to everyone we’ve ever met and hope to meet.)

Social and liturgical rituals do not depend upon transient feelings. Rituals remind us that feelings are for feeling, but we need not make decisions based on them. Rituals enable us to practice the way we really want to be. The sharing of God’s abundance with others in the Eucharist is a model for how we want to live our lives, beyond our momentary failures to perceive God’s constant grace.

Confucianism became rigid and unable to adapt to changing environments. It is an object lesson for us to be sure that our rituals remain living expressions of Christ’s love, and not dead letters and futile forms, monuments which have lost meaning. Yet the impulse of Confucianism remains salutary.

our life together forms us into the life of Christ to do God’s will.

We together create or destroy the social conditions for the kind of life God wants for us. No major religion today is clearer than Islam that we as individuals affect each other. Sharia, so terribly misrepresented in the media, is really the directions for a society of justice and peace.

Islam’s teachings about how we best relate to each other can enable us to recover insights within our own tradition that strengthen our faith and witness.

By making friends with those of other faiths, we also refresh the wisdom and the heart of our own. +

3. Christianity and Islam Our Christian indebtedness to Islam is untold. Here l can only hint of why it can help us renew our own faith.

In today’s culture, Christianity has often become a form of narcissism, sometimes expressed as “I believe in God, but I don’t need a church for me to know Jesus.” But we also believe that the Church is the Body of Christ. United as one body,

Vern Barnet’s latest book is Thanks for Noticing: The Interpretation of Desire.

He previously wrote for The Kansas City Star.

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Saint John’s Bible Presented to Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral An anonymous donor has made a gift of the entire seven volume heritage edition of the Saint John’s Bible to Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral.

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ven as unfounded fear accompanied anticipation of the year 2000 (recall the hype around Y2K), the Benedictine monks of St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota commissioned a work of sacred art in 1998 to mark the dawn of the new millennium. Their desire to create an enduring work of beauty was realized when a team of artists and calligraphers under the direction of Donald Jackson, principal scribe to Elizabeth II of England, copied and illuminated the Saint John’s Bible. It was a lifelong goal for Jackson to complete a fully illuminated manuscript of the Holy Scriptures. This intersection of monastic community foresight and the imagination of a dedicated artist resulted in an exquisite work that will be admired long after our lifetimes. illuminated manuscript of the An anonymous donor has made a gift of the entire seven entire Bible and Apocrypha created since before the volume heritage edition of Reformation. In a spirit of the Saint John’s Bible to Grace ecumenism it uses the New and Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Revised Standard Version This exact replica copy of the translation of the Bible. Unlike original 1,127 vellum pages of the Saint John’s Bible is the first our usual Bibles in which the

St. John's Bible at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral 8

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LINKS Grace and Holy Trinity Website:  www.kccathedral.org Apocrypha is bound separately, the “inter-testamental” books of the Apocrypha are interspersed within the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) according to Roman Catholic usage.

Since November 2015 the Cathedral participated in A Year with the Saint John’s Bible, when it was entrusted with the care of two strikingly beautiful exact replica volumes: (1) the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles and (2) The Pentateuch, or Torah, comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Funding for this exhibition was made possible through a gift in memory of former

Submitted photograph

The Very Rev. Peter DeVeau

Senior Warden, Charles N. “Pete” Seidlitz, Jr. A gift from the Bebe and Crosby Kemper Foundation provided resources for creating a secure and attractive space for display of the Bibles in the former cloak room outside the Common Room and opposite the Cathedral Bookstore.

This is a work for our times.

In commissioning the creation of the Saint John’s Bible the monks of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota specified that its illuminations would reflect the contemporary world. Sprinkled throughout the illuminations contained in the Bible are direct references to the world at the beginning of the twentyfirst century. A satellite image of the Ganges Delta is used in a panel illuminating day three of the first Creation Story in Genesis. The double helix of DNA is incorporated in the brightly illuminated genealogy of Jesus that opens the gospel of Matthew. An image of the Twin Towers rendered in gold leaf adds depth to the illuminated page interpreting the breadth of divine forgiveness contained in Luke’s parable of the Prodigal Son. Forms borrowed from other traditions such as Jewish and Koranic art, Middle Eastern and South Asian textiles, and prayer mandalas adorn its pages. This is a work that Continued on page 10 ▶

Luke Anthology, Donald Jackson with contributions from Aidan Hart and Sally Mae Joseph, Copyright 2002, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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the Kansas City community.

A group is being convened to develop policies and guidelines for sharing the Bible with other churches and institutions.

After the other five volumes are delivered to the Cathedral in February (Historical Books, Wisdom Books, Psalms, Prophets, Letters and Revelation) a celebration is planned featuring speakers from St. John’s University, Collegeville to lecture on this masterwork and its creation.

The monks intended that the Bible be shared, used liturgically, and handled. It is designed to allow for both a visual and tactile experience.

Viewers can leaf carefully through the pages, provided one has thoroughly washed hands with soap and water to remove oil and grime. As much as possible since November 2015 an open page of the Bible related to the day’s lectionary readings has been displayed at the front of the Cathedral nave during services. The Bibles are used in adult formation. Their images serve well for contemplation in visio divina, an amplification of the Benedictine practice of lectio divina, the intentional and prayerful listening to Scripture.

In the Easter season one of the books was loaned to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for use during the Great Vigil of Easter and at Milkweed and Butterfly, Chris Tomlin, Copyright 2002, The Saint John’s Pentecost. An area high school Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used by permis- borrowed them for a program sion. All rights reserved. in the school’s library.

The beginning of A Year the page containing the longer St. John's Bible - Continued with the Saint John’s Bible at ending of Mark’s gospel depicts from page 8 ▶ the Cathedral in 2015 was acknowledges the plurality of a stalk of common milkweed accompanied by great fanfare our times. displaying the full life cycle and ceremony. It was Kirkin In keeping with longof the endangered Monarch o’ the Tartans Sunday when standing illuminated Butterfly. a large number of Scottish manuscript tradition, the flora The Saint John’s Bible is a Presbyterians were in attenand fauna depicted throughout significant addition to the art dance. It was also the penulthe Saint John’s Bible are of the Cathedral and helps timate Sunday of the Church native to Collegeville and fulfill the Cathedral’s mission Year when the Collect of the the northern Great Plains of as a resource center for the Day used is: North America. For example, Diocese of West Missouri and 10 SPIRIT | March 2017

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Following the praying of the Collect that day, the Gospels and Pentateuch were carried in procession by two men in kilts, accompanied by bagpipers, drummers, and a flock of children. One of the book bearers’ parents had made a significant donation to the St. John’s monks to help pay for the creation of the Bible. This was our Christian take on the Jewish observance of Simchat Torah, the day that marks the end and beginning of the annual cycle of Torah reading when the sacred scrolls are carried during the synagogue liturgy. It was also a visual reminder that a Bible in the English language was placed in “every church and chapel of the realm” as a first act of the Sixteenth Century Reformation in England.

We at the Cathedral are looking forward to sharing the hand-written and colorfully illuminated pages of the Saint John’s Bible, lively resplendent in gold leaf, with our sister congregations in the diocese.

This is a lasting resource that presents a living Word to inform and shape our faith especially as we navigate these changing and unsettled times. + The Very Rev. Peter DeVeau, has served as Dean of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral since 2012.

Genealogy of Jesus, Donald Jackson, Copyright 2002, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used by permission.

All rights reserved.

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Discerning a Call: Deacons in Today's Church

CONTACTS The Venerable Bruce Bower:  bjbower@swbell.net What are deacons? What do they do? Where The Rev. Canon Dr. Steven Rottgers:  CanonOrd@diowestmo.org do they come from? And are you called to LINKS become a deacon?

BKSM Website:  www.BishopKemperSchool.org Certificate of Diaconal Studies:  www.BishopKemperSchool.org/diaconal-studies.html The Venerable Betsy Bennett

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ho is called to be a deacon? The fluid and organic nature of the diaconate, an ancient order of ministry renewed in the latter part of the twentieth century as a separate and equal order, can make this a difficult question both for individuals feeling a call to ordained ministry and for others in the church who support them in the discernment process.

The ordination rite for While the deacon’s deacons in The Book of liturgical role does assist the Common Prayer (pp. 537-447) celebrant, the primary reason is a good place to begin learning for these liturgical duties is more about our current under- to serve as a reminder of the standing of diaconal ministry. diaconal service to which In particular, the Examination all baptized persons are on p. 543 spells out the expecta- called: evangelism, feeding tions of deacons. the hungry, praying for the While deacons are assigned church and the world, and to serve within existing parish serving in Christ’s name structures, they serve directly throughout the week. under the Bishop. Deacons Potential deacons will serve people who are easily be found among faithful overlooked in our world, while members of the Church who at the same time calling others worship regularly, but they in the church to serve people will be more focused on what who are hungry, sick, alone, or is happening outside of the helpless in any way. Deacons church walls than they are serve as a sort of bridge on the internal workings and between the church and the issues of the church. world, bringing Christ and his Susanne Watson redemptive love to the world, Epting’s book Unexpected and interpreting to the Church Consequences: The Diaconate “the needs, concerns, and hopes Renewed looks at the of the world.” diaconate's history in the For many in the Church, Episcopal Church to help deacons are most visible us understand the role of when carrying out their usual deacons today. The deacon’s liturgical role during the role as interpreter of the Eucharist. Deacons proclaim world’s needs, concerns, and the Gospel, prepare the table for hopes to the church is key to Eucharist, assist in distributing understanding contemporary the elements, and dismiss deacons. Deacons are called the people to go and serve in to be prophetic voices, calling the name of Christ. In many the church to live into the parishes, deacons lead the promises of God’s kingdom prayers of the people or write by advocating for people the prayers. in need and leading us to 12 SPIRIT | March 2017

compassionate justice and reconciliation.

The website for the Association for Episcopal Deacons offers several resources both for those in discernment and for ordained deacons. Exploring the website can help you understand what diaconal ministry looks like on the ground.

If you or someone you know is discerning a possible call to the diaconate, you might find especially useful a document from the School for Deacons in Berkeley, California: Seeing the Deacon in our Midst by Roderick Dugliss. The Venerable Bruce Bower, Archdeacon for The Diocese of West Missouri, Canon Steve Rottgers, or Bishop Martin Field can provide you more information and insight into how deacons function in The Diocese of West Missouri. Additionally, the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry offers a two-year program of study to help equip you for this vital ministry.

The Rev. Betsy Bennett is Archdeacon of the Diocese of Nebraska, a BKSM Instructor, and a Member of the BKSM Board of Directors.

Giving to Others Because I Love God The Rev. Kevin White

As we worked together at Saint Mary’s Downtown Outreach Hunger Relief Program, my dear friend and one of my mentors, Deacon

Leslie Hoover, would give me support and encouragement by saying from time to time, “You are a deacon; do you hear me, Kevin? You are a deacon.”

This was before my ordination and while I was in formation at Bishop Kemper School for Ministry. I found the classes and the formation process a challenge that made me work harder and deeper than I had ever worked at anything in my life.

Unfortunately, we recently lost Deacon Leslie after a long and difficult illness. I learned a lot by watching how she treated others. Deacon Leslie showed no partiality to any person rich or poor.

She just loved serving people wherever she found them. I also witnessed how her life changed many of the lives around her. It was her gift to comfort others in their affliction.

I find it ironic that the only thing I have ever been good at is talking to people, particularly talking to people while I was waiting on tables in restaurants. I used to think those were not very useful gifts. I have since learned to use my gifts in my vocation as a deacon.

Deacon Leslie allowed me to give the homily anytime I wanted at our Saturday morning prayer service at Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri. Then she would let me just wander

around the dining room talking to people, clearing tables at our community meal after the prayer service. I did that for a few years with her.

Now I am ordained a deacon, and by the grace of God, I am still a servant of that church. I preach a fair amount, usually once a month at one of two parishes in Kansas City, Missouri. Bishop Marty has assigned me to serve two inner-city parishes as deacon.

It takes the cooperation of two very special, selfless priests, the Very Rev. C. Patrick Perkins, Rector of Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church, and the Rev. Chas Marks, Priest in Charge at Saint Augustine’s Episcopal Church. We work together to provide a rich worship experience for our parishioners. I like the arrangement.

My outreach and community ministries are a combination of my ministry outreach from Saint Mary's to Saint Augustine's and some other activities. I continue to have a presence in both parishes. I use my daytime hours to serve the community volunteering for VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), an AmeriCorps project. I work at MINDDRIVE as the program coordinator. This is not a lucrative position, but it pays me a stipend set at the federal poverty level for one person.

I am also an active volunteer with Saint Luke's Hospice.

I see one family, one day a week for a few hours, which lets the primary care giver have a break and run errands outside of the home. I am also a volunteer court advocate for CASA (juvenile court advocate program) I have one case currently as a CASA. Why do I do what I do? I do it because God called me to do it. That is what I would like

to encourage any person in any church to consider.

Do you feel a call or a stirring in yourself that you would like to share with others? Do have the capacity to stand at the doorway of the church showing the world the way into the church? Do you have the will to stand at the door of the church and show those inside the world outside?

Do not wait for all of the stars in your life to align before you respond to a call.

Being a deacon sometimes means sacrifice and a lot of work. Most of the time, no one but you and God have any idea what you have done, what you do, and what it cost you to do it. For me, being a deacon means giving to others because I love God. If you have thankfulness in your heart and you want to express it in a radical and profound way of love, consider an offering of yourself to

Called from the Congregation

the ministry of becoming a deacon.

Christ calls us to the memory of Saint Stephen as a model for what it is to be a deacon. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’; and when he said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts of the Apostles, 7:55-60). Now let us go forth in the name of Jesus Christ to love and serve the LORD.

The Venerable Bruce Bower The Association for Episcopal Deacons suggests that there are approximately 3,000 deacons in our church.

I am one of those deacons. No one can be more surprised by that fact than am I. My call? God did not whisper into my ear six years ago. I was nudged by parishioners at my home church, St. Andrew’s in Kansas City.

First one person, then another, and then another. Mine was a call from the congregation, in the tradition of the Church from olden times. Finally, I could not find a reason to say “No, not me”, and I began the process toward ordination.

That’s not a very flattering or satisfying story, but it is true.

Looking back, saying “yes” to

The Rev. Kevin White serves as deacon at St. Mary's & St. Augustine's, Kansas City, Missouri

Continued on page 15 ▶

Bishop Kemper School Offers Resources and Prepares Deacons for Ministry The Bishop Kemper School for Ministry (BKSM) offers a two-year program of study for future deacons. This coursework covers scripture, ethics, history, preaching and a wide array of practical ministry topics.

Students typically take 10 classes a year for two years, from August-May. Prospective and new students are also encouraged to attend New Student Orientation in July. Detailed information is available on BKSM’s Certificate of Diaconal Studies web page.

On Saturday, June 24, BKSM invites current deacons, prospective deacons and all those in the church who are supportive of diaconal ministry to attend an exciting exploration of the call of deacons today. This one-day workshop, Transforming Church and World: The Ministry of Deacons Today and Tomorrow, features four helpful sessions: 1.) The Deacon’s Job Description; 2.) The Deacon’s Life; 3.) Collegiality with Your Priest; and 4.) The Prophetic Voice of the Deacon. BKSM will present information about its Certificate in Diaconal Studies as well. The fee for this day-long workshop is $50 per person, which includes meals. The registration deadline is Friday, June 16. You can find the workshop agenda and register on the BKSM website.

SPIRIT | March 2017 13

14 SPIRIT | March 2017

Photograph: Mary Frances Schjonberg / ENS

"Don’t be afraid to be people of love," - Presiding Bishop Continued from page 5 ▶ She and others will return to the dioceses after the revivals to work with Episcopalians to cultivate a group of leaders who have new abilities, new relationships and a new common purpose to further enact Jesus’ love in their communities.

“Hopefully, Pittsburgh – not just the diocese but the city and surrounding communities – will look different.

And they’ll feel like there was a church that showed up, not only to talk about good news but to be good news,” she said, describing the hoped-for outcome. Episcopalians will understand that they have grown into being new leaders of the Jesus Movement, she added.

Curry’s call for reconciliation and healing first rang out Feb. 3 during the opening event, an ecumenical service of repentance and reconciliation at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s Hicks Chapel.

“I am more and more convinced that Jesus came among us to show us how to become more than simply the human race,” Curry said.

“He came to show us how to become the human family of God. And, my brothers and my sisters, in that is our hope and in that is our calling.”

God is calling Christians to a deep and radical sense of repentance, Curry said.

The world needs such a manifestation of Christianity, he contended, because it will lead to a desperately needed reconciliation among a litany of ethnic groups and even among “red folk and blue folk,” referring to the nation’s political divisions.

Finding ways for Republicans and Democrats to discover

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry prepares to shoot a video on his cell phone of an altar frontal with some Diocese of Pittsburgh youth. The youth put paint and glitter on their feet and walked across a piece of material to make an altar frontal symbolizing the Jesus Movement.

common ground echoed through Curry’s sermons.

The congregation greeted Curry’s words at the seminary with murmurings of assent, shouts of agreement and, soon, drum rolls and keyboard riffs from the Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church choir, whose members also sang during the service. That audience participation was hallmark of all four of Curry’s sermons during the weekend and it included the Presiding Bishop leading every congregation in song.

Curry sounded a theme that would echo throughout the weekend: Christians must be people of compassion, people of goodwill, people who dare to live the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ words in the Matthew 25:31-46.

For instance, he said, people setting social policy or enacting legislation ought to measure it by the core Christian value of “love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Twelve leaders and senior pastors from local Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant

and African-American churches gathered with elected and civic leaders and members of the Diocese of Pittsburgh for the service that many called a historic commitment to ecumenical conversation.

The revival began with a revival of the clergy’s commitment to their ministry.

Pittsburgh's Roman Catholic Bishop, David Zubik, began a 10-part confession based on the Church of Scotland’s Ministerial Challenge of 1671, lamenting clergy’s attention to the business and accolades of the world. “We have been unfaithful to our own souls, and to our sisters and brothers; unfaithful in the pulpit, in fellowship, in discipline, in the Church,” Zubik said.

Curry met the next morning with some of the youth of the diocese at Holy Cross in the struggling Homewood West neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Telling them that they were growing up in a time of complex change, he said technological progress is important but “progress as a way of love,

progress in living, progress in learning how to live together in all of our differences and varieties may be the ultimate progress that will make the difference for us all.”

After the breakfast meeting, Curry went upstairs for a rousing Absalom Jones Day Eucharist in the packed nave. During his sermon, the Presiding Bishop continued his call for Christians to act out of the selfless love exemplified by Jesus on the cross rather than “unenlightened self-interest.”

Saying that the “way of love can save us all,” Curry asked the congregation to imagine how legislatures, corporate board rooms, schools and health care in America would be different if they were approached “not by what I can get out of it but how it serves the common good.”

“We are talking about a revolution of values,” he said, having left the pulpit to preach from the center aisle. “Revival means to give life; it’s resurrection. Imagine our country, imagine what we would say to the immigrant and refugee,

imagine what America would say to the rest of the world, imagine what the rest of the world would say to us if that way of love became our way.”

Heading to the end of his sermon Curry told the congregation: “Don’t be afraid to be people of love. Don’t be afraid to stand up for the name of Jesus. Don’t be afraid to reclaim this faith again. And don’t you be ashamed to be an Episcopalian.”

As an Episcopal sort of altar call, Curry invited people to sing “There Is a Balm in Gilead” in which Christians are told that it does not matter if they are not good at preaching or praying. Instead, they should simply tell someone else about the love of Jesus. “As we sing, in your own way I invite you to recommit – or commit – yourself to following the way of Jesus, to being a part of his movement in this world,” the presiding bishop said.

Curry returned to Pittsburgh Theological Seminary that afternoon to welcome Episcopalians and others from across the diocese for a conversation billed as “Bridging Divides and Healing Communities” and aimed at beginning to form relationships among individuals and churches in hopes that they can work together to address hopelessness, poverty and addiction in local communities.

Kim Karashin, Pittsburgh’s Canon for Mission, told Episcopal News Service before the conversations began that the “best case scenario” for the gathering would be that people agree to meet again to talk about these issues but that this gathering was about getting to know each other. “We’re not going to move the needle without building relationships,” she said.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, who joined in

welcoming people to the conversation, said later during the news conference that Pittsburgh is a divided community needing this sort of training in conversation to cultivate leaders who can step in during emergencies and try to move people into productive ways of acting.

“Pulling a community together only happens with things like this,” he said. “You have to be pro-active; you can’t wait until something happens.

It’s taking these actions that will help build those bridges that we speak about.”

The last day of the Pittsburgh revival featured two Eucharists: the first at Calvary Episcopal Church, and the second 40 minutes away at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, McKeesport, in the economically struggling Monongahela River Valley south of Pittsburgh. Representatives of nearly three dozen Episcopal congregations gathered at St. Stephen’s to support “The Mon Valley Mission,” which is a new effort to revive the faith and well-being of the river communities.

Curry used the morning’s gospel story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well to tell the McKeesport congregation that God pushes people to build bridges between people who society says are enemies.

In their conversations at the well, Curry said, both Jesus and the Samaritan woman learn something about each other and themselves. Moreover, the woman discovered within her the image of God and she experienced the love of God as being active in her life, he said.

The service ended with Curry commissioning all 320 people in attendance to be disciples sharing the good news of Jesus. + The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor and reporter for the Episcopal News Service.

gusto!) and to set the table and to dismiss the congregation.

But the real work of the deacon is that of leadership.

We deacons are to identify challenges and needs in our community and then to lead others into addressing those needs. Bishop Marty likens us to “bird-dogs” who go on “point” and say “Look! Look at this problem!” and then we are obliged to lead folks toward the solution. We don’t just serve, we lead!

As a deacon, I do less serving than I did before I was ordained. I didn’t expect to experience this when I began “the process”, but the fact is that the deacon’s job is one of leadership…not just one of “serving”. We all get great satisfaction from serving others, yes? The deacon’s role is to offer the gift of servanthood to the whole congregation so that they, too, might offer, receive, and accept that gift of loving and serving those in need.

Being a deacon is hard work. Again, it’s not just all about Sunday services. If one is truly living out the diaconate, his or her heart is going to get a workout.

Hospital visits, funerals, Eucharistic visits to the housebound, mentoring inmates who are alone and suffering, engaging people at the soup kitchen, chaplaincy work, etc. No deacon’s heart is big enough to carry the suffering in this world, but we try.

Having ordained friends to work through others’ pain has proven to be invaluable.

If you or someone you know would make a good deacon, I invite you to reach out to me. I would love to share more with you about my experience. +

Discerning The Call Continued from page 13 ▶ God was the best decision of my life. I have no doubt that I was born to be a deacon in the Episcopal Church.

I knew that I wasn’t being called to be a priest. I didn’t feel the need to bless or to consecrate the elements. I was a servant. I wanted to help usher others over the threshold into serving those in need. I was called to be a deacon.

Like many, I approached my training at Bishop Kemper School for Ministry (BKSM) with trepidation. I didn’t have a deep theological background and with an education in engineering and finance, I had not written many pithy papers.

Could I do the work and develop the skill set to do the important work set before the Sacred Order of Deacons?

What I found at BKSM were like-minded people.

“Regular” folks who felt the same pull towards the Church.

People from all walks of life.

People who felt called to do His work. People like me. Not only did I write pithy papers, but my faith was developed and my heart molded. After all those weekend sessions and papers, I can’t say that I recall much about church history or some of the other esoteric subjects, but it was absolutely formational for me. I found God and developed my faith at BKSM. The relationships formed were every bit as important as the class work.

Here are some important things I’ve learned about the diaconate during (and post-) my BKSM training.

Being a deacon is not just about dressing up on Sunday morning! In fact, I’d offer that participation in Sunday services is maybe 10% of the deacon’s role. It’s great to proclaim the Gospel (with

The Venerable Bruce Bower is the Archdeacon of The Diocese of West Missouri

SPIRIT | March 2017 15

Across The Diocese |

News From Across The Diocese Food Pantry, Necessity Pantry & Christmas Toy/Winter Hats Ministry The Rev. Dr. Douglas P. Johnson

16 SPIRIT | March 2017

to distribute through St. Michael’s when Mother Pat Miller (the rector at the time) made announcements about families using our Food Pantry having additional needs for Christmas. And then it began, as God placed it upon Cecelia’s heart to act.

The first year toys were Christmas toys ready for collection Cecelia Carter with a selection of collected just for children up at St. Michael's winter hats to five years of age. Gradually the age began to rise as both Let me tell you just a In the middle of December Cecelia as the folks at St. as we opened the doors on our little bit about Cecelia. As a youngster, she recalls the times Michael’s saw the larger need.

Necessity Pantry, our annual This ministry now offers toys Christmas Toy and Winter Hat that the only Christmas she for children up through age ever really experienced was Ministry also went into full sixteen. To begin with, Cecelia from donations being given gear. did all of this by herself and to the City Union Mission.

Let me explain. Although actually guarded it from She will tell you the story a good number of folks at St about how one of the gifts she others. But she has learned Michael’s contribute toward to open herself to God’s grace longed for was a Bible and this ministry financially, as well as this has become that years later she happened spiritually, and physically more and more a ministry of to be at a dinner party where by working at the Necessity the body of Christ gathered at one of the guests commented Pantry, the lion’s share of the St. Michael’s. Cecelia is still work on this is done each year about a young girl he had very much the one in charge come across years before at

by Cecelia Carter. Cecelia is though. the Mission, and that all she the one who gathers together The amazing thing is that wanted for Christmas was our delegated resources, both parents, when they come in, those we have raised and those a Bible. The two, as it were, don’t take the toys you think were finally reunited. Much she has brought together. they might take. Greed does of her working life was spent This year, for the Christmas not seem to be the motivator as a social worker at the City Toy Ministry, those resources for the majority of those we Union Mission where she have approached $2000, serve. + found herself involved with not to mention all the toys which were just brought in by much the same sort of thing.

The Rev. Dr. Douglas P. Johnson is Interim Rector at St. Michael's, She was always trying to find folks. Because of God’s grace Independence. toys for children at Christmas. working through Cecelia and the people of St. Michael’s, we She continues to live life with a were able to give out hundreds soft, gentle soul and a longing for the Lord. She found her of toys to families who would way to St. Michael’s in 2011. have had nothing under the tree otherwise. This is a labor It seems now as though that of love for Cecelia and none of was a path led by God. She first began collecting toys it would happen without her.

Submitted Photographs

I have been a priest in The Diocese of West Missouri, both active and retired, for nearly thirty-five years. So, I have become familiar with many of our congregations and their various ministries. St. Michael’s Episcopal Church is one of those. Granted, I saw it mostly from a distance until I became their Interim Rector early in the fall of 2016.

St. Michael’s is certainly not one of our larger congregations with an average Sunday attendance of less than 100, but they are some of the hardest working folks I have ever seen in the Church. This hard work is reflected in every area of their life and allows them to see God at work in the deeper recesses of the soul.

Given their size, the amount of their outreach ministry is especially noteworthy and almost beyond compare.

Our Food Pantry is open twice a week for whoever needs it – no pre-qualifications or vouchers needed. Our Necessity Pantry is open twice a month, voucher needed, and provides almost any of the basic necessities of life that you could think of. Did I mention that we also operate a clothes closet on the side, striving to keep clothes reflective of the current season? All of this serves about 250 families or just over 700 people each month. It is an amazing and a wonderfully graced ministry of the Lord!

| Across the Diocese

Absalom Jones Celebration at St. Augustine's, Kansas City Photographs: Gary Zumwalt

Absalom Jones was born a slave in 1746 in Delaware, he was the first person of African descent to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church.

The celebration included liturgical dance and African drumming by the Traditional Music Society of Kansas City.

Evangelism Workshop - North

Evangelism Workshop - South

Photographs: Gary Zumwalt

Photographs: Gary Allman

On Saturday February 18, around 140 people attended the diocesan Evangelism Workshop held at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kansas City.

The Workshop was led by Carrie Boren Headington, the Presiding Bishop's Consulting Evangelist for Revivals +

Sunday February 19, saw Carrie Boren Headington leading another Evangelism Workshop, at St. James in Springfield.

The workshop was attended by over 90 people from around the southern half of the diocese. The groups on both days discovered how to become evangelists for The Episcopal Church +

+

SPIRIT | March 2017 17

Across The Diocese |

Bishop Kemper School for Ministry and Nazarene Theological Seminary Enter into Articulation Agreement The Rev. Casey Rohleder

Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, has formally entered an Agreement of Cooperation with Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Missouri.

Effective July 1, 2017, Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) will award up to 30 hours of academic course credit to BKSM students and alumni.

This agreement, is the first of its kind for BKSM and recognizes the high quality and academic rigor of BKSM courses. It enables its alumni to more easily pursue a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) or other graduate degree program.

The agreement is not limited to those pursuing an M.Div. degree. Any BKSM graduate or student who has

taken courses for credit may submit their BKSM transcript for review to determine the exact amount of transfer credit at NTS. The Very Rev. Dr. Don Compier, BKSM dean, praised this new relationship, saying “NTS offered us a most generous articulation agreement that recognizes the academic excellence of BKSM and provides for acceptance of all of our courses for academic credit at NTS. This partner seminary is a pioneer in pursuing the same affordability and accessibility to quality theological education that BKSM embraces.”

Dr. Josh Sweeden, NTS’s associate professor of church and society and academic

dean designate, said , "NTS is delighted to enter an articulation agreement with BKSM and is confident the collaboration will benefit students and mutually strengthen our learning communities. Part of NTS' mission is to be a resource to the church, and in a time when the church is more commonly defined by difference and division, we are excited for the way this relationship highlights cooperation and our shared commitments to theological and ministerial education."

Compier agreed, saying “This agreement is a splendid example of true ecumenical spirit and genuine Christian hospitality."

Compier has long been acquainted with NTS. He attended Nazarene Theological Seminary in the 1980s and has maintained good relationships with faculty and administrators there ever since This articulation agreement is not the first relationship between the two schools. NTS generously provides BKSM students and graduates access to their excellent library and the many online resources available to them. Additionally, BKSM counts one member of NTS’s faculty, Dr. Andy Johnson, among its instructors. + The Rev. Casey Rohleder is a Communication & Outreach Specialist with Bishop Kemper School for Ministry

Bishop Spencer Place Joins Saint Luke’s Health System Kristin Dittmar

opened its doors in 1995.

Under the terms of the affiliation agreement, effective December 19, 2016, Bishop Spencer Place, its employees, management and board of directors are part of Saint Luke’s Health System.

“This agreement formalizes and enhances a

Submitted Photograph

Formalizing a 21-year affiliation, Bishop Spencer Place is now officially part of Saint Luke’s Health System.

The two organizations share a common heritage as ministries of The Diocese of West Missouri and have worked closely together since Bishop Spencer Place

Steve Seggerman, Bishop Spencer Place CEO (left) and Saint Luke’s Health System President and CEO, Melinda L. Estes, M.D. 18 SPIRIT | March 2017

long-standing relationship between two organizations deeply committed to providing high quality care for Kansas City’s senior community,” said Saint Luke’s Health System President and CEO, Melinda L. Estes, M.D. “In addition to being a very natural alignment between our two brands, this also will provide residents with increased access to services, greater efficiencies and better coordination of care between physicians and Bishop Spencer Place caregivers.”

Bishop Spencer Place has offered distinguished retirement living to the Kansas City community for more than 20 years, providing residents with vibrant independent living and a full spectrum of on-site health care including assisted living, skilled nursing, rehabilitation and private care giving services. The formal

affiliation will allow Saint Luke’s to provide a seamless continuum of care to Bishop Spencer Place residents as well as offer the potential for expanded services in the future.

“We are excited about the opportunity to officially become part of Saint Luke’s Health System,” said Steve Seggerman, Bishop Spencer Place CEO. “We have worked together so closely for so many years, I think many people assumed we were already affiliated. This formal agreement will allow Bishop Spencer Place to continue providing care to our residents with the full support of one of the region’s most trusted healthcare providers.” + Kristin Dittmar is Communication Coordinator with Bishop Spencer Place.

| DIRECTORY

The Diocese of West Missouri The Diocese of West Missouri:  (816) 471-6161 | ď„ƒ www.diowestmo.org All Saints' Episcopal Church, Nevada (417) 667-2607 www.allsaintsnevada.diowestmo.org

All Saints' Episcopal Church, West Plains (417) 256-2215 www.allsaintswestplains.com

Calvary Episcopal Church, Sedalia (660) 826-4873 www.calvarye.org

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Kansas City (816) 523-1602 www.standrewkc.org

St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Lee's Summit (816) 524-5552 www.saintannesls.org

St. Augustine's Episcopal Church, Kansas City www.staugustineskc.diowestmo.org (816) 921-8534

Christ Episcopal Church, Boonville

St. George Episcopal Church, Camdenton

Christ Episcopal Church, Lexington

St. James Episcopal Church, Springfield

(660) 882-6444 www.christchurchboonville.diowestmo.org (660) 259-3605 www.christchurchlexington.diowestmo.org

Christ Episcopal Church, Springfield (417) 866-5133 www.christepiscopalchurch.com

Christ Episcopal Church, St Joseph

(816) 279-6351 www.christchurchsj.diowestmo.org

Christ Episcopal Church, Warrensburg (660) 429-1133 www.christepiscopalwarrensburg.org

Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Kansas City (816) 452-0745 www.episcopalcogs.org

Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Kansas City (816) 741-1136 www.redeemerkc.org

Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Blue Springs (816) 228-4220 www.episcopal-bluesprings.org

Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, Mountain Grove (417) 926-5217

Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kansas City (816) 474-8260 www.kccathedral.org

Grace Episcopal Church, Carthage (417) 358-4631 www.gracecarthage.org

Grace Episcopal Church, Chillicothe (660) 646-4288 www.graceepiscopal-chillicothe.org

Grace Episcopal Church, Liberty (816) 781-6262 www.graceepiscopalliberty.org

Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church, Branson (417) 334-3968 www.shepherdofthehillsepiscopal.com

(573) 346-4686 www.saintge.diowestmo.org (417) 881-3073 www.stjamesspringfield.net

St. John's Episcopal Church, Neosho (417) 451-3644 www.stjohnsneosho.org

St. John's Episcopal Church, Springfield (417) 869-6351 www.stjohnsspringfield.diowestmo.org

St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Excelsior Springs (816) 476-2932 www.esepiscopal.org

St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Kimberling City (417) 739-2460 www.stmarkkimberling.diowestmo.org

St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church, Belton (816) 331-2222 www.marymag.com

St. Mary's Church, Fayette

stmarysfayette.diowestmo.org

St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Kansas City (816) 842-0975 www.stmaryskc.diowestmo.org

St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Savannah St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Ozark (417) 581-1350 www.stmattsozark.diowestmo.org

St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Raytown

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Kansas City (816) 931-2850 www.stpaulskcmo.org

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Lee's Summit (816) 524-3651 www.stpaulsls.org

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Maryville (660) 582-5832 www.saintpaulsmaryville.org

St. Peter and All Saints Episcopal Church, Kansas City (816) 942-1066 www.stpaas.org

St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Harrisonville (816) 884-4025 www.stpetersharrisonville.diowestmo.org

St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Joplin (417) 623-6893 www.stphilipsjoplin.com

St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Trenton www.stphilipstrenton.diowestmo.org

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Monett (417) 235-3330 www.ststephensmo.diowestmo.org

St. Thomas a Becket Episcopal Church, Cassville (417) 846-2155 www.saintthomasabecket.org

Trinity Episcopal Church, Independence (816) 254-3644 www.trinityindependence.org

Trinity Episcopal Church, Lebanon (417) 532-3433 www.trinitylebanontcl.org/

Campus Ministry Beth Marshall (660) 728-1140 www.dcm.diowestmo.org

WEMO Youth

(816) 353-4592 www.stmatthewsraytown.org

Kim Snodgrass (417) 793-0780 www.youth.diowestmo.org

St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Independence

eSpirit Newsletter

(816) 373-5333 www.stmichaelschurch.org

St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church, Noel (417) 475-3852 www.stnicholasnoel.webgarden.es

St. Oswald's in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Skidmore www.stoswaldinthefields.diowestmo.org

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Clinton (660) 885-8008 www.stpaulsepiscopal.diowestmo.org

www.diowestmo.org/espirit/espirit-newsletter. html

Spirit Magazine Online www.diowestmo.org/spirit/spirit-magazine.html

For the most up-to-date information about events in the diocese, church resources, news, church & clergy directories, and more, visit the diocesan website. www.diowestmo.org

St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Bolivar (417) 777-2233 www.stalbansozarks.org

SPIRIT | March 2017 19

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An Exceptional Place in the Heart of it All

Respect. Hospitality. stewaRdsHip. These

core values reflect our faith-based mission, which lies at the heart of who we are. In affiliation with the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri and as part of Saint Luke’s Health System, we are an active retirement community of passionate, friendly people who truly care about one another. Call us to begin planning your retirement future at 816.595.5878 or visit us online. www.BishopSpencerPlace.org 4301 Madison Ave., Kansas City, Missouri 64111