2007 January Southern Cross

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Highlights IN this issue

outhern ross

A Publication of the Diocese of SouthwestLent Florida 1999

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From the Bishop

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Reflections/Letters to the editor

Bishop on leave: Health concerns force Bishop Lipscomb to take disability leave

Mailing address: 7313 Merchant Court Sarasota, FL 34240

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Phone: (941) 556-0315 Fax: (941) 556-0321 Web site: www.dioceseswfla.org

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The Episcopal Church is part of the ANGLICAN COMMUNION, a global community of 70 million Anglicans in 38 member churches/ provinces in more than 160 countries.

One ballot!

The Rev. Dr. Dabney Smith elected coadjutor on Dec. 9.

Archbishop of Canterbury The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Rowan Williams Lambeth Palace London WE1 7JU UNITED KINGDOM In the United States, the Episcopal Church is a community of 2.3 million members in more than 100 dioceses in the Americas and abroad.

Presiding Bishop The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori 815 Second Avenue New York, NY 10017 (212) 867-8400

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Katrina’s legacy: Volunteers find New Orleans still in desperate need

The Diocese of Southwest Florida is a community of 33,000 Christians in 11 counties serving 78 congregations, 13 schools and the DaySpring Conference Center. Established 1969.

Bishop The Rt. Rev. John B. Lipscomb Bishop Coadjutor-elect The Rev. Dr. Dabney T. Smith

years of women priests: Service, 21 30celebration planned in St. Petersburg

23 Events Calendar

The Southern Cross

A member of Episcopal News Service and Episcopal Communicators, The Southern Cross is published six times a year: January, March, May, July, September and November. Copies are shipped free to all congregations for distribution.

Articles, letters, calendar information and photos are welcome. They will be used on a space-available basis and are subject to editing. Send all material (preferably in electronic form by e-mail) to: Jim DeLa, editor The Southern Cross 7313 Merchant Court Sarasota, FL 34240 Phone: (941) 556-0315 Ext. 268 Fax: (941) 556-0321 E-mail: jdela@dioceseswfla.org

On the Cover: The Rev. Dr. Dabney Smith was

elected Dec. 9 to be bishop coadjutor. He will become the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida.

Submission deadlines for upcoming issues:

March/April: May/June: July/August: September/October:

February 1 April 1 June 1 August 1

The Southern Cross January/February 2007

Holy Spirit’s work in Southwest Florida is something the church can rejoice in Sermon by the Rt. Rev. John B. Lipscomb at the 38th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Southwest Florida Dec. 2 in Venice:

From Bishop

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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ — the Way, the Truth, and the Life for all people.

This will be a very busy week for the clergy and people of the Diocese of Southwest Florida. Yesterday you had the opportunity for conversation with the candidates who are standing for election for bishop coadjutor. I have to tell you I am hopeful this will be one of those days where he can keep business to a minimum, because I’m hoping we can take the maximum amount of time, about an hour and a half during the lunch hour, for the diocese to talk together around tables and in small groups about what it is that God is calling us to be and do as God’s people as we prepare for the election.

We need to have a time of conversation. We need to have a time to reflect prayerfully as we make our decisions.

Next Saturday we will meet at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter for the election of my successor. Please hear me, reverend clergy, this is not a commitment but a request. I would ask the clergy of the diocese to vest and join me in leading the faithful as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, preparing our hearts and minds for the work that lays ahead.

The Rev. Canon David L. Seger, who served as the consultant for our coadjutor nominating committee, will be the preacher and chaplain to the electing convention. Before we move to the work of electing a bishop, I think we have to ask the question, “Are our eyes open and our hearts ready to seek the Lord’s will for the future of His Church?”

Today we gather under the theme, “Let the whole world see and know.” These words are part of the concluding collect at ordinations and on Good Friday. This is the invitation of our Lord to follow Him to the Cross. Dietrich Bonheoffer reminds us that when Christ calls us, he calls us to die. We cannot serve as faithful ministers of Christ if we do not die to self and allow Jesus the throne of our hearts.

As long as we are in charge and we are in control, God cannot do with us what God would do.

This convention is an invitation to come and see the life and ministry of your Diocese of Southwest Florida and to find your role in building that Kingdom of God that we pray at every Eucharist will come among us. Our work can only be accomplished as we remain faithful to the catholic faith and witness of the whole Church universal. We must continue in the Apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the life of prayer. If we are to be the Church described by the Creeds, then there’s no other way for us to be the Church than to be the Church of the apostolic age.

This convention is an invitation for you to prepare for the election of our next bishop by dying to personal agendas, that The Southern Cross January/February 2007

we might be one in Christ. This is the beginning of the Advent season, and I would call you to know that this convention is a time to wake up and get over our lethargy and live with our eyes fully open and our hearts fully awake.

Learning to see with the eyes of our heart is critical to conversion. Learning to see with the eyes of Jesus is important for the renewal of his Church. The Gospel, Letters and Revelation to St. John are marked by numerous invitations for us to open our eyes and see. The first chapter of John’s gospel says a great deal about “seeing.” Sight requires light. The opening words of the gospel remind us the source of light in this life is Jesus Christ, who is also the light of the world. In Jesus, the Word made flesh, wrote John, “and that life was the light for all people.”

It is in the Light of Christ we live, if we are to see the reality of God at work in the world and in our own lives.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it…The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world… The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” (John 1:1-5, 9, 17–18, NRSV) Jesus’ invitation to discipleship was the invitation “come and see.” Two of the disciples of John the Baptist, upon hearing their teacher declare Jesus “the Lamb of God” who was to take away the sin of the world, decided to follow the Lord. When Jesus asked what they wanted, they replied, to “know where He was staying.” He offered them his hospitality saying, “come and see.” We know Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two. The other is left nameless. And I would like to believe that that is because the other person is a mirror in which we are to look and see into our own lives as we begin to follow Christ.

Later Philip shares with his friend, Nathaniel, that he has found the one of whom both Moses and the prophets wrote — Jesus of Nazareth. “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him,” promised Moses. (Acts 3:22, NRSV) Again words on which we reflect in the season of Advent from Isaiah the prophet: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined. … For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is (Continued on page 17)

MDG goal 1: Eliminate poverty and hunger By the Rev. Nancy Metze Smith

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n the November/December 2006 issue of The Southern Cross, we were informed of the eight Millennium Development Goals established by 191 nations including the United States.

If these goals are met by 2015, our world will be a much better place for millions of people, people we may never see, talk with, hug or even know that they have been helped by us. Each of us can make a difference!

When our deacons’ group was discussing writing these articles, one of us said that we should all be reminded that these Millennium Development Goals —The Rev. Nancy Metze Smith is a deacon assigned to the Church of the Epiphany in Cape Coral.

People are excited by new presiding bishop

In our church we try to disagree without being disagreeable, therefore in the politest way I can, I disagree with Edward Weber’s presumptions in his letter in the Nov./Dec. 2006 issue about the prevailing views in Southwest Florida of our presiding bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori. Whether he is right or wrong, I question his authority to speak for Southwest Florida. I for one, and many of my Florida friends, believe she is exactly what is needed to reassess our taken-for-granted spiritual interpretations of God’s will and Jesus’ teachings.

I also strongly object to his accusing the delegates who voted for her as doing it to poke a stick in the eye of traditionalists. Anyway, perhaps some traditionalists need to be aware that some traditions can do a lot of harm — like jihad, for instance.

Mr. Weber’s idea of Jefferts Schori’s “demonstrated absence of job experience” may be his opinion, but where is his proof? And what is his definition? Is it the person who does not

Reflections R

Editor’s note: This is the second installment of a series of columns by deacons of the diocese addressing the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.

are our call from God. If we do not think of our giving as a command from God to share our wealth and blessings, then these efforts will be another social organizational action.

You and I who are reading this now, because we are professed Christians, know God is leading us to help relieve poverty. The monies we give, the prayers we offer and the spreading of the Word are appreciated by God. Let us make God happier with us than God already is.

The first goal in the list of the MDGs is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, to reduce by half the amount of people living on less than one dollar a day by the year 2015. have the same goals for the job as he does? Compassion is more productive than condemnation.

— Betzi Abram Iona-Hope Church, Fort Myers

Enthusiasm was clearly evident in Columbus

I wish to clarify several misleading statements contained in Edward Weber’s letter (Nov./Dec. 2006 issue).

I attended General Convention and was a page in both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops.

The committee responsible for framing responses to the Windsor report worked extremely diligently for 10 days in attempting to draft a response that would be acceptable to both houses.

Two public hearings were held to take testimony from those wishing to put forth their points of view. The first attended by more than 500 lasted approximately one and one half hours, and the second with more than 1,000 in attendance lasted two and one half (Continued on page 22)

What does “extreme poverty” mean to you? You have seen photos of children and adults dying because of lack of food and water and lack of basic medical care. Have you thought “What can I do to help?” The MDG program will provide you with that means.

The program gives you choices of where a donation of 0.7 percent of your yearly income donation will be used to help eliminate extreme poverty and hunger.

By choosing an organization such as Episcopal Relief and Development, Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation, ONE Episcopalian, our companion Diocese of the Dominican Republic, the Anglican Relief and Development Fund, Five Talents and/or The Millennium Project, you participate where your heart is. Below are brief summaries of how we can achieve these goals.

Not only can you give of your (Continued on page 22)

L etters

Letters to the editor and Reflections essays to The Southern Cross are appreciated and encouraged.

We ask that letters be as concise as possible — with a 300-word suggested limit — and stay on one topic. Authors should include their full name, parish affiliation or city of residence. Anonymous letters will not be published.

All submissions are subject to editing to improve clarity and to fit in the available space for each issue.

Please send correspondence to: Letters to the Editor The Southern Cross Diocese of Southwest Florida 7313 Merchant Court Sarasota, FL 34240 Or send letters by fax to (941) 556-0321; or by e-mail to jdela@dioceseswfla.org.

The Southern Cross January/February 2007

Bishop Lipscomb takes short-term disability leave Bishop John B. Lipscomb has announced he will be on medical disability leave, possibly for the next 6 to 12 months.

After being briefly hospitalized in late November, the bishop said in an open letter to the diocese Dec. 13 that his doctors urged him to rest.

“Since my diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease in 2002, and malaria in Africa in 2004, I have experienced a continued decline in my health with a concurrent decline in my ability to fulfill my responsibilities as the Bishop of Southwest Florida,” the letter said.

The announcement has forced some events to be rescheduled. Two December ordinations to the priesthood were held as planned, with the Rt. Rev. William Skilton, the bishop suffragan of the Diocese of South Carolina, filling in.

The diocese’s bishop coadjutor-elect, the Rev. Dr. Dabney Smith, is planning to be in Southwest Florida by Feb. 1.

Smith’s consecration, originally scheduled May 17, has been moved up to March 10, at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle, the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, provided the required consents from half of the bishops with jurisdiction and standing committees of other dioceses in the Episcopal Church are received by then.

The full text of Bishop Lipscomb’s letter is: The Clergy and People The Diocese of Southwest Florida Dear Friends in Christ, Since my diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease in 2002, and malaria in Africa in 2004, I have experienced a continued decline in my health with a concurrent decline in my ability to fulfill my responsibilities as the Bishop of Southwest Florida. During my hospitalization in November, my physicians strongly encouraged me to take a short-term disability leave.

I have spent much time in prayerful reflection regarding the future. My family and I have decided that I should accept the judgment of my physicians. I was placed on medical disability Dec. 12. I pray that I will be able to regain my health and continue to serve our Lord and the Church.

I know this comes at a bad time. If my health permits me to return to work in 6-12 months, it remains my intention to attend the Lambeth Conference in 2008, and to effect the transition of jurisdiction to the Fifth Bishop of Southwest Florida in 2009.

We were blessed on Dec. 9 with the election of The Rev. Dr. Dabney Smith as our bishop coadjutor. I will be regularly available to him for consultation as necessary and appropriate.

May the Lord bless and keep you as you continue to serve and lead the Diocese of Southwest Florida.

Diocese, DaySpring clear up financial relationship issues

By Jim DeLa Editor, The Southern Cross Diocesan Council has approved a plan designed to put an end to disagreements over the financial health of DaySpring Conference Center.

In an agreement brokered by a task force led by the Rev. John Adler, the former president of the Standing Committee, DaySpring Conference Center will pay interest on two of its current mortgages, pay interest and principal on a third mortgage, and also pay interest on a $360,000 The Southern Cross January/February 2007

In Brief Trinity conference to be webcast Jan. 22-24

Trinity Institute’s 37th National Theological Conference, Jan. 22-24, at Trinity Church, Wall Street, will be broadcast in its entirety, live on the Web. At least one church in Southwest Florida, Iona-Hope Church in Fort Myers, will be showing the webcast for all who are interested and will participate in group and panel discussions during the conference.

The conference, titled “God’s Unfinished Future, Why it Matters Now,” will focus on what it calls “apocalypticism,” where popular apocalyptic works such as the Left Behind series pit the forces of good and evil in an imminent showdown where God will defeat the forces of evil, the earth will be annihilated and the saved lifted up.

The claim of this conference is that this vision is a massive and dangerous distortion of the biblical picture of God’s purpose, supporting a politics of polarization, violence and extremism.

Speakers include authors and lecturers Jürgen Moltmann, the Rev. Barbara R. Rossing, Th.D., and the Rev. Professor Peter J. Gomes.

Suggested fees for participating at Iona-Hope are $25 for the entire conference or $15 per day. Register by calling (239) 454-4778 or by e-mail to office@ionahope.com.

Pontifax services set in January

loan taken out by the diocese to provide the center with cash advances.

The diocese, in turn, will no longer expect repayment of $1.6 million of what the task force calls “investments in the ministry” of DaySpring over the last several years.

“What it simply says is, what’s run under the bridge has run under the bridge,” Adler told Council at its Nov. 30 meeting. “We recognize that for the best interest of the diocese and the ministry

Ecumenical services marking the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been scheduled in January.

On Wednesday, Jan. 19, a service with Bishop Robert N. Lynch of the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg and Bishop Edward R. Benoway of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Florida-Bahamas Synod invite participation in the Pontifax Day of Prayer 2007. Bishop John Lipscomb of the Diocese of Southwest Florida had been scheduled to participate before he went on medical disability leave.

(Continued on page 21)

(Continued on page 21)

The Southern Cross January/February 2007

Fast Forward

The pace of transition will be quicker than expected, but Bishop-elect Dabney Smith is ready for the challenge of being coadjutor for the Diocese of Southwest Florida

By Jim DeLa Editor, The Southern Cross

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f the Rev. Dabney Smith seems a bit out of breath these days, it’s for good reason.

His name was placed in nomination for bishop coadjutor on Oct. 31. On Dec. 1, he and five other nominees spent more than nine hours answering questions from clergy and lay delegates who would decide his future.

Eight days later, he was elected after a single ballot.

He’s now preparing for perhaps the biggest transition of his career, from rector of Trinity Church in New Orleans, to bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of Southwest Florida.

Since the election, he’s been preparing his parish to search for a new rector, answering calls from reporters, trying to find a new place to live and getting ready to move.

Once he gets here, around Feb. 1, things are not going to slow down. Since Bishop John Lipscomb announced

Dec. 12 he was going on short-term medical disability leave, Smith’s learning curve has accelerated. His consecration date has been moved up from May 17 to March 10.

A quick ballot

Fr. Smith was elected on the first ballot Dec. 9. Delegates had barely taken their seats after a break following the first ballot when the announcement was made.

“Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, we have an election,” said Bishop Lipscomb to a stunned convention inside St. Peter’s Cathedral in downtown St. Petersburg.

After 45 seconds of cheers and applause, Smith’s name was announced, triggering another 30-second burst of applause.

When reached by phone, the audio was piped into the cathedral for all to hear. “Dabney,” said Bishop Lipscomb, “It’s my great honor to ask you if you will accept canonical election as the fifth bishop of Southwest Florida. It was (Continued on page 8)

The Rev. Dabney Smith answers questions at the Dec. 1 walkabout in Venice. Smith was elected bishop coadjutor of the diocese in one ballot Dec. 9.

Photos by Jim DeLa

The Southern Cross January/February 2007

Fast Forward

(Continued from page 7) a first-ballot decision and we hope you will make the right answer. Will you accept?”

“I am pleased and honored. I would love to, thank you,” Bishop-elect Smith replied. “I am so blessed and honored ... and I would just like to thank the convention and the diocese and I look forward to a wonderful, loving relationship.”

“Amen,” answered Bishop Lipscomb.

The winner needed 45 clergy votes and 107 lay votes to be elected. Smith won handily, with 50 clergy votes and 133 lay votes.

Meet the bishop-elect

Bishop-elect Smith was able spend a few minutes with The Southern Cross to talk about his election and the transition to come: What was your initial reaction to the phone call on Dec. 9?

That morning I was in the middle of a premarital counseling session. I excused myself; I thought this was just going to be the results of the first ballot, that it would just take a minute.

What happened was, I got the phone call and the man said “please hold for Bishop Lipscomb.” I kept holding and didn’t hear anything and kept saying “hello …” and finally I heard his voice but it sounded like it was way off in the distance. I listened more closely and realized he was addressing the convention and I was on live.

At that point I quickly tried to gather my wits about me and tried to think of something to say. I was stunned, actually. That was my initial reaction.

Were you surprised that it took only one ballot? What does an election on the first ballot mean to you as the bishop-elect?

It’s certainly unusual. In terms of significance to my ministry, I think it means there was a sense of unity within the life of the Diocese of Southwest Florida which I am moved by and deeply appreciate.

You’ve lived in Florida before, and you’re a graduate of the University of

The Rev. Dabney Smith was one of six nominees who met clergy and parishioners at the Dec. 1 walkabout in Venice. Smith’s wife, Mary Ellen, is at the far right.

South Florida. How does it feel, in a sense, to be coming back home to be bishop?

It feels wonderful, like a gracefilled blessing from God. There is no way I could have designed this, if I could design my life, any better. It makes me so grateful, and I feel so humbled and pleased by it.

What excites you about answering the call to be our bishop?

What excites me is being able to participate in the life of the greater church in ways that are vital, evangelistic, holy, mission-focused and Christcentered.

I’m getting more and more excited now that the euphoria has drifted away and I’ve started to face the realities.

Once you say yes, you want to start.

What scares you about answering the call to be our bishop?

The first thing that came to mind is the fear of trying to get to a congrega-

tion on Sunday and getting lost.

Clearly, I have a huge learning curve ahead of me. I’ve not been a bishop so I’m not sure I would say scared, as much as challenged, by the new ways of being and practicing ministry that I will be learning on the run.

In the light of Bishop Lipscomb’s recent announcement to go on medical disability, how has that affected your plans for transition?

First of all let me say when Bishop Lipscomb called me, I felt very distressed for him personally and know that he is doing the right thing medically to take care of himself. I’m holding him deeply in prayers, both John and Marcie.

In terms of what it meant personally when I got the call, I realized immediately that things were going to accelerate, and that the Feb. 1 start-up date was now completely necessary.

(Continued on page 9) The Southern Cross January/February 2007

At a glance: The Rev. Dr. Dabney T. Smith has been rector of Trinity Church, New Orleans, La., since January 2005. The church, with about 2,500 members and seven associate clergy, includes Trinity Episcopal School (pre-K through eighth grade with 329 students), and a counseling and training center.

Earlier he served at Holy Trinity in Melbourne, Fla; St. Michael and All Angels in South Bend, Ind.; and Grace Church in Port Orange, Fla. He earned a B.A. in broadcasting production from the University of South Florida, Tampa (1980); an M. Div. from Nashotah House, cum laude (1987); and a D. Min from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary with special focus on congregational development (1999).

Dr. Smith, 52, grew up in Florida.

He and his wife, Mary Ellen, married in 1975 and are the parents of three grown children, two daughters and a son. His hobbies include music (he played guitar and keyboards in various groups for many years), and reading history and biographies.

In post-Katrina New Orleans, he serves on the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative that exists to create desperately needed housing for hurricane victims. He is also on the steering committee of Common Good, a public partnership of faith-based, nonprofit, civic and higher-education organizations that brings the voice of the citizens of New Orleans to the table with the political and business sectors. He served on the Diocesan Rebuilding Committee for the Diocese of Louisiana and on the diocesan executive board.

In his own words: “What excites me about the possibility of becoming your coadjutor is my sense of leadership purpose that involves teaching, preaching, challenging, and encouraging the baptized to live faithfully as enthusiastic Christians. I am convinced that impassioned Christianity is contagious and helps the Church grow. The opportunities for evangelism in Southwest Florida are immense. Clear diocesan communication, vibrant congregations, healthy clergy leadership, and the pastoral presence of the bishop all unite for healthy mission and ministry. I am honored to be considered to share in the service of Our Lord with you.”

The Southern Cross January/February 2007

Fast Forward

(Continued from page 8) The particular issues that I thought about were finding a place to live, knowing that I wasn’t going to have as much of a cushion of transition as I had thought — jumping out of the plane, as it were.

I’m also feeling a sense of God’s guidance, and I know that our Lord will put the right people in my path to help me along. I recognize that I will make mistakes and just lean on the gracious goodwill of the people the Diocese of Southwest Florida to help me along and keep me up in prayer.

How has your congregation in New Orleans dealt with your election?

They have been so wonderfully gracious. Clearly there’s been sadness and a modest amount of anxiety but that’s dissipating. They’ve been congratulatory and grateful for our time together. Appropriately sad, but happy for Southwest Florida.

How can the people in Southwest Florida help you prepare for your episcopate?

Two things: First, hold Mary Ellen and me up in prayer as we make this transition to something that I think is going to be a wonderfully exciting and challenging new adventure in serving the Lord.

The second thing is simply pragmatic — please don’t assume I remember your name after you’ve told me one time.

Lastly, during the walkabout, you only had five minutes to tell people a little about yourself. Consider this a second chance. What did you leave out of your presentation that you wished there had been time to say?

When I was in my first year of seminary, I took janitorial care of this little parish in Watertown, Wisc., as part of a living arrangement. I got to live in the house and take care of the church.

One day I was sweeping up the front walk of the church and found stuck underneath the door of the church a little note, in a child’s handwriting. It was a prayer. I’ve kept it in my desk ever since. The child was getting ready to take a test, and it said, “Please, God, help me do the work I don’t know how to do. Amen.”

And I thought, that’s a pretty good prayer for somebody starting into life as a bishop. I’m glad I kept that prayer all these years.

I greatly look forward to getting to know the diocese in a deeper, more significant way. I am so pleased to serve our Lord and am very grateful to be able to do so there.

I’m convinced that God has such great use for the Episcopal Church, and all we need to do is live into a sense of obedience to his call and claim upon us so that we may continue to live as the healthy Body of Christ.

Consecration date is set for March 10 What: The Rev. Dr. Dabney T. Smith will be consecrated as bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of Southwest Florida

(pending consents from diocesan bishops and standing committees).

When: Saturday, March 10, 2007, at 10 a.m.

Where: Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle, 5875 5th Ave. North in St. Petersburg.

A reception will follow.

Diocese votes to slash giving to Episcopal Church

By Jim DeLa Editor, The Southern Cross The Diocese of Southwest Florida will reduce its giving to the Episcopal Church in 2007 by more than $200,000 in order to bring the amount in line with the biblical concept of the 10 percent tithe.

At the diocese’s annual convention Dec. 2 in Venice, clergy and delegates voted 149–128 to amend the diocese’s 2007 budget to reduce the amount to be given to the Episcopal Church from $529,262 to $314,017.

Convention also saw an end to a three-year-old arrangement to allow congregations to request the percentage of their diocesan apportionment that would go to the national church be diverted to the companion diocese of the Dominican Republic.

However, Diocesan Council may revive that option when they consider a proposal at its Jan. 20 meeting.

Convention also approved a $3.1 million budget for 2007 and elected candidates to fill seats on various committees.

Biblical standard?

The Dec. 2 budget amendment was introduced by the Rev. John Hiers, rector of the Church of the Ascension in Clearwater. Hiers has pushed for a reduction in giving to the Episcopal Church for several years.

As a deputy to the national church’s General Convention, he introduced resolutions to change the national standard to 10 percent in 1997, 2000 and 2003. Each time, the idea was soundly defeated in the House of Deputies.

Hiers pointed out that congregations in Southwest Florida give only 10 percent of their budgets to the diocese, and the diocese is healthy.

“The biblical principles of tithing have worked very well in this diocese, and I think it’s time that we continue to follow that for health of our diocese,” he said on the floor of convention. “I think this also applies to the diocese and the national church.”

Several delegates unsuccessfully urged defeat of the amendment. “The Old Testament tithe was never intended as anything other than an individual’s obligation to God,” said the Rev. Doug

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Photo by Jim DeLa

Bishop John Lipscomb (far right) celebrates the Eucharist at the start of diocesan convention Dec. 2 at the Venice Community Center.

Remer, rector of St. John’s Church in Tampa.

The current formula used by the Episcopal Church applies to everyone, he said. “For this diocese to attempt to opt out of that unilaterally, I think, is a denial of our obligation to the national mission and ministry to which we are committed,” he said.

Two votes

When the question was called and a voice vote taken, Bishop John Lipscomb initially ruled the amendment had been defeated. Supporters immediately protested and called for an actual count, which yielded the 149-128 result in favor of amending the single “Episcopal Church Asking” line item from $529,262 to $314,017.

After the vote, Bishop John Lipscomb expressed his displeasure. “As a rector of a parish, I never thought it was appropriate to not pay a full apportionment. I must say as bishop I am somewhat disappointed and that it’s only appropriate to pay your full apportionment,” he said.

Each of the 100 domestic dioceses in the Episcopal Church is asked to give 21 percent of its budget to fund the wider church’s mission and ministry. The percentage is actually calculated using budget figures from two years prior, after a flat $100,000 deduction.

Attempts at flexibility

Until recently, the diocese had paid the full asking. In 2003, diocesan convention approved a plan to address concerns of congregations and individuals unhappy with what they perceived as an unacceptably liberal theological drift of the Episcopal Church. These churches were able to request the fraction of their diocesan apportionment earmarked for the national church go instead to the Diocese of the Dominican Republic.

The plan was originally approved for one year and was renewed through resolutions at convention over the next three years. That practice ended at December’s convention, when the resolution to keep the plan alive was ruled out of order after a technical challenge from the floor. The resolution had not been distributed to clergy and delegates at least 30 days prior to convention, a violation of diocesan canons.

But that ruling may not be the last word on the subject. At its Jan. 20 meeting, Diocesan Council will be asked to approve a plan that would allow congregations and individuals to designate their apportionment dollars to go either to the Episcopal Church or to the Dominican Republic.

(Continued on page 11) The Southern Cross January/February 2007

Diocesan convention (Continued from page 10)

The request is being formally made

by Bishop Lipscomb and two Sarasota rectors, the Rev. Ted Copland of St. Boniface Church and the Rev. Fred Robinson of Church of the Redeemer. They drafted a statement after a conference call involving the bishop and nine priests.

In a letter to the St. Boniface vestry, Copland said the new plan “indicate(s) our common support of the consciences of individuals and congregations, some of whom are unable to support the Episcopal Church and some who are unable to support the reduction in funds to the Episcopal Church. We anticipate that the statement will indicate a pastoral, rather than a legislative, way of dealing with these issues of conscience for calendar year 2007.”

The new plan would only be in effect for 2007, and congregations following the plan will not be considered in arrears on payment of its apportionment and will be entitled to the usual canonical status with seat, voice and vote at diocesan convention.

Many dioceses fall short

Southwest Florida is one of at least 47 other dioceses that pay less than the full asking by the Episcopal Church. According to the most recent figures provided by the church, 46 dioceses were on track to pay the full asking or more in 2006; 30 dioceses were paying between 10 percent and 20 percent of their yearly income; and 17 others were giving between 1 percent and 9 percent. Some dioceses do not provide budget data, making percentage calculations impossible.

Where will the rest go?

The responsibility of deciding what to do with any of the $215,245 that will not be going to the national church or the Dominican Republic now falls to Diocesan Council. Bishop Lipscomb said he plans to ask Council to consider using those funds outside the diocese, “for the mission of the wider church.”

“I hope this will go to ministry at least outside the diocese and not be used for operations,” he said.

Elections

Convention also elected the following people to various offices: Standing Committee: The Rev. The Southern Cross January/February 2007

Youth from St. Luke’s, Fort Myers, and St. John’s, Pine Island, help make friendship boxes for children at Pink Citrus Mobile Home Park on Pine Island.

Youth groups spread cheer on Pine Island Youth from St. Luke’s Church in Fort Myers and St. John’s Church on Pine Island participated in an outreach program Nov. 4 to children at Pink Citrus Mobile Home Park on Pine Island.

Pink Citrus is a community of families who work primarily in the island’s plant and tree nurseries.

The youth groups helped the children at Pink Citrus create special friendship boxes. The theme for the program was leaving old friends, the acceptance of new friends and keeping memories of all of our friends. A total of 30 young people and children participated.

After the program concluded, St. Luke’s youth joined St. John’s youth in

Comfort Hall at St. John’s for a pizza supper.

Outreach to the Pink Citrus community began in the summer of 2005 when the Rev. Jim Kelly, rector of St. Wilfred’s Church in Sarasota, brought his youth group to Pine Island for a mission trip after Hurricane Charley.

A Kids’ Club story time program followed by a craft project became a reality when the youth of St. Wilfred’s returned this past summer for their second mission trip to Pine Island. Since July, the children of Pink Citrus have met monthly on site in the Mobile Home Park with Deacon Diane Millott and the Rev. Ann McLemore, vicar of St. John’s.

Georgene Conner, the Rev. Douglas Zimmerman and the Rev. Fredrick Robinson.

Diocesan Council: The Rev. Glad McCurtain and Mr. Wayne Farrell.

Ecclesiastical Trial Court: The Rev. Read Heydt, the Rev. Margaret Koor and Mr. Jonathan Smith.

Diocesan Review Committee: The Rev. Barbara Muller.

Trustee, University of the South: Mr. Roger D. Schwenke.

Trustee, Bishop Gray Inns Foundation: No nominations were received.

The seat will be filled by appointment by Diocesan Council.

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Photos courtesy of the Rev. Gigi Conner

Hundreds of houses like this one, seen here in November, have not been touched 15 months after Hurricane Katrina blew through New Orleans.

Washing away Katrina’s legacy A work crew from St. Petersburg discovers that more than a year after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still in desperate need of help

By Jim Stewart

E

leven pilgrims set out from St. Peter’s Cathedral Church in St. Petersburg on a journey the day after Thanksgiving to respond in a tangible way to the need that remains unmet in New Orleans, 15 months after the first of two hurricanes devastated the region.

We picked the particular sponsoring group and place because they were what was presented as an opportunity in an ocean of need sponsored by a part of our church’s denomination. We now know the suffering and loss far exceed anything any of us imagined before seeing it first-hand.

I’m also sure that, while many worthwhile efforts continue to address the area’s wounds, none can possibly be staffed or administered by more loving, caring or compassionate men and women than this one sponsored by the Diocese of Louisiana.

It’s tough getting folks to understand the scope and desperate nature of what continues to happen to those still left in New Orleans and along the northern Gulf Coast. People listen and are dismayed (Continued on page 13)

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The Southern Cross January/February 2007

Katrina’s legacy

(Continued from page 12) that things are still wrecked 15 months later. Some neighborhoods seem very normal while just a few blocks away there are no lights or phones or running water for miles. There are other places that are simply memories for those who used to live and work there.

Many of the people are gone also, some without a trace.

We’re told that the four- to eightfoot-high “bathtub ring” so prominent on many building exteriors tells the tale that the flood waters stayed for weeks, because that’s how long it took to repair the breached levees and return to service the pumps that keep the city dry.

Pumps are needed continuously because much of the city is below sea level. What is not widely known is that the storm surge from Katrina pushed the water some two feet higher than the “ring” and then quickly receded to settle at the level recorded so graphically on each building. As that water swiftly exited the city with enormous power, it took with it people, pets, belongings and parts of buildings. It’s believed that many of the persons never located disappeared at this terrible time.

The city was broke before the storm.

So was the state. Now half the city’s tax base is gone and jobs go begging because the workers who might return to fill them have no place to live.

In the four years ending this summer, the Iraq war will have cost in real terms,

adjusted for inflation, the same as our 20 years of armed conflict in Vietnam. Halliburton has very lucrative no-bid contracts to supply our military, yet the independent contractors hauling the toxic trash from in front of gutted houses in New Orleans have learned that FEMA soon won’t pay them any longer.

In the section of the city called East New Orleans, where we worked for three days, there are blocks and blocks of wrecked houses. Now and again there’s one or a couple that have been rehabilitated sitting next to another one or two with a FEMA trailer in front providing a place to live while rebuilding. They seem very small, hardly more than a couple of rooms and a toilet. At least they have running water and electricity.

The physical work we did was very hard and dirty. I feel pretty capable physically but don’t believe I could have done a fourth day. None of the rest of our group thought so either. Some were younger, a few older. We all ran out of gas after three days.

The work of separating salvageable belongings from everything else was emotionally difficult. But the interaction with the owners of the ravaged houses was both enormously rewarding and heart-rending.

I encountered absolutely no bitterness or anger, just amazing grace.

We were careful to look for and separate personal items and photographs from the rest. We found little that could be salvaged. The primary job consisted of removing all the contents (waterlogged furniture, bedding, carpets, appliances

and clothes) followed by the wooden trim and cabinets, then the drywall, ceilings, and insulation. All the appliances (water heaters, washers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers) were full to the brim with putrid, toxic liquid. So were some of the bathtubs.

Almost everything that could absorb water was still wet after 15 months.

The weather was pleasant, but the inside of the houses was dark and hot and full of mold and roaches. Sometimes we strayed from the prescribed order of doing things and poked holes in the drywall to let in some light and air. It was filthy work but nobody complained or betrayed the smallest part of reluctance or queasiness.

We were well-supplied with tools for moving heavy loads and deconstructing the walls. Everything that could be was loaded into wheelbarrows and hauled to the curb. The rest we carried by hand. A single 1,200 square foot house produces a prodigious pile, as wide as the house and as high as we could get it, between five and six feet, and from the curb back toward the house maybe 15 to 20 feet.

Independent contractors with large dump trucks and front-end loaders picked it up the same day.

Ten of my workmates were women who toiled as hard and as productively as any man next to whom I ever labored.

That upper-body strength difference many say is important just wasn’t in this context.

On the third day, our crew boss, a young college woman a third of my age and half my weight, one of the women from our group and I wrestled a refrigerator, a water heater, and a washer all full of vile liquid onto a hand truck and out to the curb. I think each appliance outweighed all three of us combined. It felt good.

Once gutted, a house is ready for mold abatement and decontamination. Only then can the homeowner finish the inside and furnish it. It’s an agonizingly slow process. We’re told that the FEMA funds for hauling the trash away will soon stop. If that cannot be replaced, the program we were part of will have to stop.

Other things I learned

When I got back home I needed time to decompress and process. My body was tired but Volunteers from St. Peter’s Cathedral spent time in New Orleans “deconstructing” houses.

The Southern Cross January/February 2007

(Continued on page 14)

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Katrina’s legacy

(Continued from page 13) not injured in any significant way and didn’t hurt as much as I expected it to.

My frame of mind was and is a mixture of serenity, anger, satisfaction, disappointment and optimism tempered by a sense of the enormity of it all. My head feels like a storm-tossed living room full of broken and soggy furniture. I feel fragile and determined and broken and full of hope.

I know about a dozen people who understand concretely how I feel, whose lives will never be the same because of our shared experience, who care and understand in new and important ways how others suffer and deal with loss.

Because of the toxicity of the interiors of the houses, we were admonished to never enter without a protective mask. We never did. The second day home, I summoned enough courage to clean my work boots. It made my throat sore. I realized then that my throat had been sore from the first hour of the first day of work, despite the mask, and didn’t return to normal until I’d been back a day or two. The junk in those houses really is toxic. We were able to leave, but those still in New Orleans have to live with a poisonous environment for the foreseeable future. Without more money to clean it up, the only option may be to bulldoze huge areas of the city. If that happens, those whose insurance or grant claims have not been acted upon never will be.

I’ve learned that people really can go on without their stuff. All their stuff, every shred. They may have acquired some new stuff, but their old stuff and their old life are gone forever — and some of them know they’ll be all right, never again restored to the wholeness of pre-Katrina days, but OK nonetheless. They hide their grief for those who perished and talk mostly about their stuff.

If the people I met there had been full of anger and resentment I would have readily understood. Instead I encountered kindness and compassion toward those who were there to help and those who weren’t and never had been.

A woman whose house was destroyed and watched us pile all her belongings along with those of her babies on a trash heap, shared that flood insurance had been enough to cover about 20 percent of her monetary loss.

“At least you still have a very nice,

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Gutting houses creates huge piles of trash and debris that must be hauled away.

sturdy shell,” I offered. She replied, “We have a very nice shell — but there are so many poor people.” She sees that she has options that many of the poor do not.

Her heart is full of compassion for others in the face of the destruction of all the property she owned except the clothes in which she fled the flood waters.

The value of the work we did is estimated at between $6,000 and $8,000 per house. So far, this program sponsored by the Diocese of Louisiana has gutted about 450 houses and has a waiting list of more than 200. If those houses are done, volunteers will have contributed labor worth more than $4.5 million through this effort. Seems like a lot, but it’s a drop in the ocean in light of the size of the need.

If the government won’t do more, then many more volunteers need to go and help. I don’t think New Orleans will die no matter what we do or don’t do, but she needs more, much more, than we’ve provided thus far.

Of 79,000 grant applications for assistance in 15 months, our federal government has approved 48, averaging about $50,715 each, acording to The New York Times. Half the population of the city that gave us jazz and Dixieland, Creole food, Cajun cuisine and Zydeco music has vanished. More than half the dwelling places are in worse shape than if they’d been bombed.

David Brooks of the Times said in

the immediate aftermath of Katrina, “…it is a national humiliation to see bodies floating in a river for five days in a major American city…, they [the government] violated the social fabric, which is in the moments of crisis you take care of the poor first. That didn’t happen; it’s like leaving wounded on the battlefield.” He angrily declared that Americans just don’t do that. Only we did, and the people of New Orleans struggle on mostly without bitterness or anger. It’s a terrible and beautiful thing to see. And we continue to do very little. Rather than speak of recovery, they say the disaster continues.

We know that one of the givens in life is that even in the family and the church, people will let you down. Jesus asked his disciples to watch a while — and they napped instead. They were challenged to stand up for him — and they denied him and fled in fear. In response, He thanked God for giving him these men to love.

There are people in New Orleans with nothing left but their grit and determination not to be defeated and who continue to soldier on while thanking God for the people who let them down. That’s a faith-based community. I’m going back when I can. We can do better.

—Jim Stewart is a parishioner at St. Peter’s Cathedral.

The Southern Cross January/February 2007

30th anniversary of women’s ordination to be celebrated in St. Petersburg St. Peter’s Cathedral will host a special observance of the 30th anniversary of the ordination of women to the priesthood on Saturday, Jan. 6, beginning at 11 a.m..

Preaching at the service will be the Rev. Tanya Beck, transitional dean and rector of Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis.

Historical perspective

It was 30 years ago that the 65th General Convention, with much trepidation, voted to allow women to be ordained to the priesthood. The 1976 convention faced nearly 50 resolutions addressing the question of ordination, with most calling for canonical change that would open the priesthood and episcopate equally to men and women.

On June 15, 1976, 67 bishops announced they would co-sponsor legislation at convention to permit the ordination of women to the priesthood. Fifteen other bishops announced they would vote for the legislation, thus forming a majority in the House of Bishops.

Since then, an entire generation, both in chronological age and in terms of their membership in the Episcopal Church, has known nothing but a church in which women serve as priests.

“I can go through a whole year now with nobody having a problem that I’m a priest,” the Rev. Carol Chamberlain of Philadelphia, one of dozens of women ordained to the priesthood in January 1977, told Episcopal News Service in 2001.

“I’m proud of our church. We’ve come a long way. We’ve led the way.

Wonderful ministry is being done around the country by ordained women and men working together.”

In the fall of 2005, among 16,523 Episcopal clergy, there were 4,607 women priests with 2,033 actively employed, 332 retired and 913 considered inactive because they were not working in organizations that contribute on their behalf to the Church Pension Fund. There are 1,329 women deacons. Of the church’s 292 bishops, 12 are women.

Many, if not most, in the church have “come to the conclusion that there is a The Southern Cross January/February 2007

The 30th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women to the Priesthood Saturday, Jan. 6, at 11 a.m.

St. Peter’s Cathedral 140 4th Street North St. Petersburg, Florida Preacher: The Rev. Tanya Beck, transitional dean and rector, Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis Reception following the service rich diversity brought by women to the church,” said the Rev. Margaret Rose, director of the church’s Office of Women’s Ministries.

Rose suggested that women, both lay and ordained, are continually changing the Episcopal Church by “the way in which they exercise ministry in a hierarchical church.” She said that women have a relational style of ministry to the church. “I think the whole church is richer for it,” she said.

Remaining work

Yet, Rose and others say, there is more work to be done. Calling herself a “pathological optimist,” Rose said, “I want to be realistic about where we aren’t.”

Of 5,829 parish clergy listed in a 2004 study using various church resources, slightly more than 29 percent were women, and 23.2 percent of the senior or solo clergy were women. There were 813 men in the “senior” category and 133 women. In the “solo” category there were 2,664 men and 918 women. There were 653 female associates and curates, and 648 males.

In 2004 the median salary for women clergy was about $10,000 less than for men. Among senior clergy the gap was about $13,000, about $6,000 for solo clergy and about $4,000 for associates, assistants and curates. The latest compensation report by the Church Pension Fund

details the differences between the way male and female priests are paid.

At a gathering a few years ago of women who had been ordained 20 years or more, one priest said that women had to decide either to stand for election as bishops “or forget it,” Rose said. The attitude was “the church is worth it, let’s take it.”

As of 2006, only the dioceses of Fort Worth, Quincy and San Joaquin do not permit the ordination or deployment of women as priests. Women seeking ordination in the Diocese of Fort Worth are transferred by arrangement to the neighboring Diocese of Dallas.

On the last day of the 1976 convention, ENS reported that the convention had dealt with “the most controversial and potentially explosive issues to come before the supreme legislative body of the church since the very first such meeting in 1785.”

“It dealt with them, despite ominous forecasts of schism and disruption, in an atmosphere of marked restraint and mutual respect for opposing views, often reflecting profound depth and passion, and with a general spirit of acceptance of majority rule. With a handful of exceptions, both clerical and lay champions of defeated causes reacted to their losses in a spirit of professed Christian acceptance, pledging continued loyalty to the Episcopal Church,” ENS reported.

Yet it was also reported that some people were considering “the formation of a separate, non-geographic diocese within the Church, within which its adherents could continue to reject women priests and use only the 1928 Prayer Book.”

The current version of Book of Common Prayer got the first of two needed approvals at the Minneapolis convention four days after the approval of women’s ordination. It was approved for the second time in 1979.

—Episcopal News Service

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Va. parishes vote to leave Episcopal Church Episcopal News Service Bishop Peter Lee of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia said Dec. 17 that he was saddened by the fact that Nigerian and Ugandan congregations were “occupying Episcopal churches.”

Lee’s statement came as eight of Virginia’s 195 congregations announced that their members had voted to sever ties with the Episcopal Church and affiliate with the Anglican Church of Uganda or the Anglican Church of Nigeria by way

Middle schoolers learn lessons about service Students at St. John’s Middle School in Tampa got some firsthand experience in servant ministry last fall when the entire school took a day to volunteer at various locations, including soup kitchens and daycare centers. Above, students serve lunch to toddlers at the Rosa Valdez Center.

At right, the service day organizer, teacher Dwayne Varas, talks to students in the school chapel at the end of the day. “This is the Christian mandate,” he said. “We’ll be working with them in the next few weeks to get the connection with what we do in here and real life.”

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of the Anglican District of Virginia, part of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). The members of the eight congregations amount to about 8,000 of the diocese’s roughly 90,000 Episcopalians.

The Episcopal Church includes some 7,200 congregations in its 100 domestic dioceses, and about 150 in its 10 overseas dioceses and one convocation.

“We are saddened when individuals decide they must leave the Episcopal Church, for we are diminished when any

brother or sister departs from the community,” Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said.

“We live in a time and a society that is easily drawn to polarities. These departures are taking place in most mainline denominations, and are an expression of the anxiety of our times and the discomfort many people feel in trying to live in tension. Anglicanism has always held that living in the tension of comprehensiveness is our vocation. God gives us a gift in the midst of that diversity, and we more fully know both truth and God’s will for us when we are able to embrace that diversity. The quick fix embraced in drawing lines or in departing is not going to be an ultimate solution for our discomfort.”

The Associated Press reported that the vote margins were 90 percent at The Falls Church, Falls Church and 92 percent at Truro Church, Fairfax.

A joint meeting of the diocese’s Executive Board and Standing Committee of the diocese, with legal representation, was planned for Dec. 18 “to consider the full range of pastoral, canonical and legal obligations of the Church and our responsibilities to those faithful Episcopalians in these congregations who do not choose to associate with the Church of Nigeria,” Lee said.

In the meantime Lee has asked the leaders of “these now Nigerian and Ugandan congregations occupying Episcopal churches to keep the spiritual needs of all concerned uppermost in their minds at this difficult moment in our Church history, especially continuing Episcopalians.”

He said that he will direct diocesan personnel to work with departing members and those who remain loyal to the Episcopal Church to work out agreements about sharing congregational property until those disputes can be settled.

“Our polity maintains that all real and personal property is held in trust for The Episcopal Church and the Diocese,” Lee continued. “As stewards of this historic trust, we fully intend to assert the Church’s canonical and legal rights over these properties.”

Congregational property is held in trust for the diocese, and the diocese holds property in trust for the wider church.

Canon 15.1 of Virginia’s diocesan canons concurs with the national canons.

The Southern Cross January/February 2007

From the Bishop

(Continued from page 4) named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom.

He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:2, 6-7, NRSV) Notice that the prophet tells us that justice and righteousness are the twin arms of the revelation and the work of the kingdom. Now Nathaniel was reticent to receive and respond positively to Philip’s enthusiastic witness. Philip must have shrugged his shoulders and given a wry smile as he offered the same invitation, “come and see.”

There are other invitations to open our physical and spiritual eyes. John the Baptizer, in a single moment of grace, had his eyes opened when he was allowed to see the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending on Jesus at his baptism, confirming, “This is the Lamb of God.” The Gospel tells us it was the next day as Jesus is walking by and John was watching him that he pointed him out to his own disciples exclaiming, “Look, here is the Lamb of God.” In the Eucharist, one of the Great Thanksgivings asks God to open our eyes to see God’s hand at work in the world about us. Many sing the petition, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart. I want to see you.

I want to see you.” Unless the eyes of our hearts are opened, we will not see the Lord.

Robert Barron in his book, And Now I See, writes, “Christianity is, above all, a way of seeing. Everything else in Christian life flows from and circles around the transformation of vision. Christians see differently, and that is why their prayer, their worship, their action, their whole way of being in the world have a distinctive accent and flavor. Thomas Aquinas said that the ultimate goal of the Christian life is a ‘beatific vision,’ an act of seeing God in the fullness of his glory.”

The training of the early disciples was about a new way of seeing. Seeing as Jesus taught us to see often brought moments of sheer clarity, as on the The Southern Cross January/February 2007

Mount of the Transfiguration, or in the Upper Room on the day of Easter, or by charcoal fire at dawn by the Sea of Galilee, or on the road to Damascus.

The goal of salvation history is given concrete expression in the vision of John on Patmos that reaches its apex in a vision of hope for those who are the heirs of the Kingdom of God. “And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes.Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’

“And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”

(Revelation 21:2–7, NRSV) There is wisdom in the saying, “there are none as blind as those unwilling to see.” I think that sometimes we, as Episcopalians, love to do violence to the Word of God when we seize it out of context and use it, as an old friend of mine used to say, as a pretext for the sermon that we want to preach. I think all of us have been guilty of that at one time or another.

I want to suggest this morning that we do that quite often when we celebrate and read it in church, because we always stop at these words, “and they will be my children.” But the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ is a word of judgment as well as a word of hope, redeeming love in the context of eternity and God’s judgment. By cutting a verse here or by not reading whole passages in context, we fail to remember that our hope is built on the judgment that will come. The words of Revelation continue: “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the

fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (21:8, NRSV) That is why when I get to the throne of Grace, I am asking for mercy and not for justice.

Paul serves notice that selective fundamentalism in reading of God’s Word is the path to hell for the Church and the world. If we only read what we want to read, what makes us comfortable, and fail to speak of the task of God’s judgment on the world, we are not being the church of Jesus Christ.

Now we love to read the phrase, “Live by the Spirit… and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.” And we go on to talk about the fruit of the Spirit being love and joy and peace and all those wonderful things. But what that passage also reminds us is that if we are lead by the Spirit, we are not subject to the law.

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing. All these things are not of the Kingdom of God. “Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh.”

And what is the Gospel being preached among us? What will the world find if it accepts our invitation to “come and see” in Southwest Florida, which is a microcosm of the Episcopal Church? I think what they will see is that we are like any other people in this country. We are people deeply divided on issues that will not be solved in our lifetime.

Please understand that issues of human sexuality began in the Garden of Eden. And as a professor of ethics once said, when asked when will we stop being tempted by the sins of the flesh answered, “three days after we’re dead.” They will probably be with us forever.

I think it is important that we learn that we have been God’s people moving in strength because we have had our eyes on the common mission that Jesus has given us, and not the divisions and the things that divide us. But to ignore them, however much we want to, will not do us any good. Divisions ignored (Continued on page 18)

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From the Bishop

(Continued from page 17) will be like a cancer within the soul of the Church.

The Diocese of Southwest Florida has an opportunity to be a laboratory in mission and healing and reconciliation, and we do have the opportunity to tell the whole church, “come and see.”

Our faith is expressed in many and varied ways. One of my great joys is to see St. Francis in Tampa mature as a congregation and take a place of leadership in the diocese. It will be our joy to ordain the first deacon raised up by this faith community in mission through this center of outreach. We should rejoice that we now have ministry among Spanish-speaking people not only in Tampa but also in the other areas of the diocese. If I’m correct, we now have more than 20 clergy that can celebrate the Eucharist in Spanish and can minister to those communities. That is good news, and to the world I would say, “come and see.”

We have a fledgling ministry to the Haitian community in Immokalee.

This new work will need strong support if it is to flourish. To see this ministry strengthened and grow we will need resources from beyond our diocesan mission budget, which is already strained.

We need to remember that the largest diocese in the Episcopal Church is the Diocese of Haiti, and we now have the opportunity to be linked with them in the work of mission.

Our diocesan profile stated the diocese hopes the fifth bishop of Southwest Florida will be involved in the Councils of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. It is not enough, however, for the bishop to be the only link between the diocese and the wider Church. Our diocese has offered many of its members for service as leaders in Provincial and National Church work. I am pleased that this year the Rev. Ray Bonoan has been asked to serve on the Standing Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations. The Rev. Hayden Crawford will continue to serve the Jubilee Advisory Committee. Paul Neuhauser will continue to serve on the Executive Council Committee on Social Responsibility in Investing. We have many others who serve the Anglican Communion through the Compass Rose

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Society. I say to the world, “come and See.” A firm foundation has been laid on which the diocese may continue to build.

In the space of 17 short years, since the first woman priest was licensed to be a priest in our diocese, we have seen the ministry of ordained women flourish. Women presbyters now serve as rectors of parishes, convocational deans and as members of Standing Committee and Council. On the Feast of the Epiphany, we will celebrate 30 years of women in the Order of Presbyter. Legal sanction was given by the General Convention of 1976. And I would ask everyone to join us at the Cathedral for that celebration.

I should also note the Diocese of Southwest Florida has its first woman president of the Standing Committee.

Karen Patterson has assumed the office at a critical moment in the life of our diocese. Karen, I thank you for your years of faithful service to this diocese and the national church. I pray that God will continue to bless you in this new ministry.

We have work in Uganda. We are working for the peace of God’s people in northern Uganda. Bishop Ochola, welcome back to the convention. God bless you for what you’re doing for God’s people.

We’re also deeply involved in mission in the Dominican Republic. The churches of this diocese have contributed countless dollars and energy to raising up ministry in that diocese. The bishop in that diocese, Bishop Holguin, has had a vision for the Kingdom of God that is powerful and infectious.

Wherever we have gone as a diocese in these last years, we have proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ, and so I would say to the world, “come and see.”

Locally, hundreds of our communicants participate weekly in programs that feed the hungry and give shelter to the homeless. Many of our congregations are involved with Habitat for Humanity and other community initiatives to care for those through whom we know we are ministering to Christ.

We have a concrete plan to do church planting and renewal that goes out to the year 2020. We are assisting existing congregations with needed expansions. At present, we are finding new

avenues for mission as we live into the eight Millennium Development Goals and support the work of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation. All this takes place in a diocesan community where the apportionment rate is among the lowest in the country. In the last five years we have gone from financial discomfort to financial health. And that is a good thing. These are tangible results of our life together and to the world I would say, “come and see.”

In the next few minutes, it is my hope that this convention will support a resolution for the expansion of our work with the farm workers in Immokalee.

We have begun a new work in partnership with the Diocese of Southeast Florida and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in the Alliance for Fair Food.

It does us little good to eat the produce of our land if that produce is being gathered in by slave labor. I think it is time for the church to stand up and say the people who work the fields and are the first to provide the rest of us bread on our table, they deserve a living wage.

From this time on, I pray that the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Francis will be Farm Workers Sunday in our two dioceses. To the world I would say, “come and see.”

Let the whole world see and know that this is a diocese that engages in the work of evangelism. Evangelism is alive and well even if Episcopalians have trouble getting the “E” word across our lips. This past year we had our first “Believe in a Miracle” day of evangelism.

And what a day it was. More than 500 women gathered at DaySpring to hear the Rt. Rev. Stephen Charleston call for conversion of heart as the ground for our life in Christ. This year “Believe in a Miracle” will move to this convention center with the expectation of doubling last year’s attendance. That is exciting and I would say to the world, “come and see” the work of evangelism in this diocese.

The “Welcome, We Care” program will challenge “God’s Frozen Chosen” to remove the insulation, thaw a bit and give a warmer welcome and nurture to all newcomers and members of our congregations. I think one of the things we need to remember is that it is very (Continued on page 19) The Southern Cross January/February 2007

From the Bishop

(Continued from page 18) difficult to break into the congregational systems of this diocese. We need to open our hearts and minds to the stranger that God brings to us — we have been told that by so doing, we have welcomed angels unaware.

We were blessed during the Great 50 Days to have with us two evangelists from Nigeria. We are planning now for a continuation of their work during the coming Easter season. They shared in the Global Day of Prayer on Pentecost as millions gathered around the world to pray for the renewal of the Church.

There will be information about the Global Day of Prayer made available to our congregations early next year. I encourage each congregation to participate in this ecumenical opportunity.

This past May “Equipping the 70,” a program under the direction of Episcopal Men’s Ministry, completed the first series of training events for personal evangelism and witnessing. This program has moved beyond the bounds of the diocese to become an ecumenical work encompassing several different denominations and fellowships. This year Episcopal Men’s Ministry will offer several new programs to support a growth in our discipleship.

Let the whole world see and know that we are blessed in the Diocese of Southwest Florida with faithful women and men who are engaged in the mission and ministry of the Kingdom of God. Renewal, evangelism, church growth and Matthew 25 ministries are the heart of the life of this diocese.

There are concrete expressions of this work all around us if we are willing to open our eyes and see. They are expressions of the faith that we share. This is our prologue to the future of the diocese.

And what of that future? The coadjutor Nominating Committee has done superb work for this diocese. I do want to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to the co-chairs, Judy Stark and the Rev. Michael Basden. Along with the Nominating Committee, they have given long hours of prayerful service to the diocese as we engage the discernment process regarding our future. Judy, Michael, members The Southern Cross January/February 2007

Photo by Jim DeLa

Bishop John Lipscomb delivers his sermon at the 2006 diocesan convention Dec. 2 at the Venice Community Center.

of the committee, the Lord bless you and bring to completion the good work you have started.

In the Committee’s report to the diocese on the survey taken in June 2005, they wrote: “…it was rewarding to see that ministries to youth and young adults were overwhelmingly important (82 percent ranked them highest or second-highest). So was development and support of existing congregations (88 percent) and to new congregations (71 percent). Whoever becomes our next bishop will lead a diocese that wants to grow and realizes that young people are our future.

“Our new bishop will head a diocese that has made it clear: We want to remain a part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. (93 percent ranked it highest or second- or third-highest). We want to participate in the dialogue on human sexuality, and we want our bishop to participate in the councils of the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.”

Our desire to remain a constituent member of the Anglican Communion was confirmed by the last convention.

The delegates voted overwhelmingly to adopt the Windsor Report as the process to move the Communion to the Lambeth Conference of 2008 and into the

future God is preparing for us.

That report was not just about structure. Remember it was also about being an inclusive church, about opening our lives to those who are different from us that we might learn from them and they might learn from us.

I’m always a little bit leery when I hear people championing the Windsor Report, wondering have they the whole thing. To be a part of the Windsor church is to accept the whole document, not just the parts that we like.

It is vital to the work of the Diocese of Southwest Florida to remain a constituent member of the Anglican Communion. Without the Communion, we lose the global vision necessary for the 21st century.

There was a banner on the wall of the Chapel at the Convent at Sewanee that showed a Church building standing alone in the middle of a field with a padlock on the front door. Across the top was printed, “The Seven Last Words of the Church.” Down the side, “We never did it that way before.”

Brothers and sisters, we have to look for new ways, and we have to look past the present and be less than content with the way things are. We are living in a radically new and different period of (Continued on page 20)

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From the Bishop

(Continued from page 4) life where globalization asks us to be a partner in the work of the church, not to necessarily be the church.

I think old premises and ways of being will not suffice in the future. We may have signed on for one kind of church, but brothers and sisters, we are now living in a new reality. And there will be a continued evolution and revolution in our understanding of our relationships within the Episcopal Church and within the Communion. There will be avenues for strengthening the bonds of affection between the provinces and the diocese of the people of God. And I would say to those who wonder if a Windsor diocese also can be a diocese that includes all sorts of conditions, come to Southwest Florida. Open your eyes and see.

There is a renewal of the vision that has been held by this diocese. As you have heard many times, from many studies that date back long before my predecessor was here, there has been a consistency among God’s people of this diocese, the things they thought were important. And I can tell you the things you thought were important in the past were the things you think are important for the future.

There is a renewal of the vision held by this diocese. Of great importance are the following first steps to a vision for the future. Survey respondents were asked to list the top three things the diocese should focus on in the next 10 years. These are the 10 top areas participants said were important: l Church growth/evangelism l Reconciliation/unity/remain in Anglican communion l Youth l Human sexuality issues l Outreach/charity/mission work l Traditionalism/Biblical values l Social issues/justice l Expand, support, strengthen parishes l Inclusiveness l Spiritual growth My experience of our diocese would confirm the work of the Nominating Committee. I believe that they accepted the invitation, “come and see” and offer the diocese a clear vision of who we are and where we dream the

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Lord might take us. The question will be, “Does the diocese have the will and the faith to live out this vision?”

I can also say from my experience there will need to be a radical change in attitude and behavior if these areas of importance are to be more than “God, mother, and apple pie” statements of what we think we should say when asked what is important in the life of the Church. To be an inclusive church means to be an open and inviting community where people are allowed to grow in faith and service. Too often, our congregations are closed systems that do not welcome the stranger.

It will be the task of the fifth bishop of Southwest Florida, as it has been mine, to take these hopes and dreams and fashion them into a vision for the future. In all of this there was awareness (90 percent of those responding) that a primary task for my successor will be to “guard the faith, unity and discipline of the Church.” It is perhaps in this that our next bishop will feel the greatest tension and stress.

I look forward to a collegial partnership with the bishop coadjutor. The coadjutor will assume responsibilities as the fifth bishop of the diocese at a point in time when by mutual agreement we believe it is appropriate.

At that time, we will form a team of diocesan leaders to support the transition process. The canons provide for 36 months from the date of the coadjutor’s consecration for the completion of the transition of the leadership of this diocese to its fifth bishop. I pray that we will do all our work in the Lord’s time.

Times of transition call for reflection and a time to renew commitments and covenants as God’s people. At a time of transition in the life of Israel, Joshua called the people together and said to them: “Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14–15, NRSV)

I want to suggest to you this morning that nothing could be more critical to the church than to know what God it is that we serve. Years ago the story was told of Dr. James Stewart, who taught philosophy at the University of North Carolina. A student came in and said, “Dr. Stewart, I no longer believe in God.” Dr. Stewart said, “Well, tell me about this God you don’t believe in.”

And for the next 30 minutes, the young man waxed eloquent. And at the end of that time, Dr. Stewart said, “I don’t believe in that God, either.”

And he pulled his Scriptures off the shelf and walked that young man through the story of salvation, showing him that God is a community, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that calls the whole to the table within the Kingdom.

Folks, we are not Unitarian Universalists. We believe there will be a judgment, that Christ will come again.

We believe that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, a trinity of persons and a unity of substance. We believe that God has revealed himself in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead.

As for me in my house, that is the Lord that we will serve. My brothers and sisters in Christ, the time has come for us to do the work that God continues to call for us to do. And to you and to the world I would say “come and see.”

Let us pray: O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him, through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

The Southern Cross January/February 2007

In Brief

DaySpring

On Jan. 24, Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 2002 Allamanda Dr. in New Port Richey, will host a 10 a.m. service with Bishop Benoway preaching.

Hospitality begins at 9:30 a.m. in the parish hall.

On Sunday, Jan. 28, another service is scheduled at ?? a.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 1115 Center Rd., in Venice.

The theme for this year’s services is based on the Mark 7:31–37 passage of Scripture and is summarized as “open our ears and loosen our tongues.”

Pontifax is a Latin word for “bridgebuilder,” and this annual celebration is led by representatives of the Episcopal, Catholic and Lutheran women’s organizations.

of DaySpring, that we go together, arm in arm, from this moment on.”

The 92-acre conference center and summer camp facility on the Manatee River near Ellenton has been operated by the diocese since 1979.

At the meeting, Adler read a list of 11 goals the task force had prepared:

(Continued from page 5)

Altar Guild meeting dates change

The Diocesan Altar Guild has changed their usual annual meeting dates.

The north branch meeting has been moved to March 10, 2007, and the south branch will be March 31, 2007.

Thelma Wallis and Ann Neller will be retiring and the bishop will be installing new co-presidents.

Fundraising seminar set for Jan. 19

The Episcopal Church Foundation and the Diocese of Southwest Florida offers “Foundations For Fundraising” on Jan. 19 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church 513 Nassau St. South in Venice.

Foundations for Fundraising offers three separate curriculum tracks, each focusing on one of three critical fundraising areas: capital campaigns, annual giving and planned giving. You choose which of these courses most fits your needs, and presenters will deliver an intense seminar that will help you develop an effective program for your parish in that area.

This event is free of charge, but the diocese must have advance registration before Jan. 5.

Seminars will be taught by faculty from the Episcopal Church Foundation and the Episcopal Network for Stewardship. Contact Jean Bordeaux at jbordeaux@dioceseswfla.org for details.

The Southern Cross January/February 2007

(Continued from page 5)

1. A goal of increasing diocesan participation in DaySpring; 2. All money previously advanced to DaySpring will be considered an investment in the ministry of DaySpring; 3. All parties shall work together so that DaySpring can raise money outside of the diocesan budget, including capital fund drives; 4. A goal is for DaySpring to be financially independent, without taking funds from the diocesan budget; 5. Management will manage; 6. Council will set policy; 7. There are no current plans to sell any or all of DaySpring; 8. In recognition of the diocesan investment in the ministry of DaySpring, the management of DaySpring shall begin to contribute to the cash flow of the diocese.

9. DaySpring management shall present a plan to provide funds to the diocese in recognition of the diocesan assumption of mortgage debt, which we believe to be possible at the current payment levels shown on the 2007 budget; 10. That $30,000 shown in the 2007 diocesan budget payable to DaySpring shall remain for that year.

11. We have agreed to work together cooperatively in furtherance of both diocesan and DaySpring goals.

Beers to speak on state of the church

David Booth Beers, the chancellor to the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, will speak on the state of the church Feb. 5, 2007, at St. Boniface Episcopal Church in Sarasota.

Beers’ presentation, “A check-up on where we are as a church,” will be followed by questions, answers and con-

“It was felt by all of us participating in this conversation, that it would be appropriate for DaySpring to recognize that investment by making, sometime in the future, some contribution to the cash flow of the diocese,” Adler said.

Task force member Ted Tripp, who is also president of the DaySpring Board of Trustees, agreed. “We believe the management of DaySpring can provide cash to the diocese in lieu of those mortgages and other payments that will reflect the fact that the diocesan funds provided the asset in the first place,” he said.

Adler also told Council while the 11 stated goals cover most of the big issues, there are still details to be worked out. “There is a great deal of negotiation and compromise going on,” he said.

One sticking point that has been solved, he added, was the debate over whether depreciation should be factored into DaySpring’s financial reports. ”One of the things that will happen is that a depreciation schedule will be drawn up in 2007,” he said, although it’s not known when DaySpring would be able to begin payments.

The diocese’s chief financial officer, George McLaughlin, added that while DaySpring will pay the interest on two mortgages and the loan, the diocese will pay back the principal.

“That’s the compromise we reached,” he said. “DaySpring will [also] pay for the VBS building (Pavilion 2, near the youth cabins) totally, given the fact they’re using it and earning revenue from it.”

Finance Committee chairman Allen Getz, who also sat on the task force, said the process simply divided responsibility.

“We just kind of said ‘this is yours and this is ours,’” Getz said.

The task force also included DaySpring’s executive director, Rosemary Benoit.

versation. The day is for both clergy and lay leadership.

The program runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided for a $5 donation. Register in advance by e-mail to office@boniface.cc.

St. Boniface Church is at 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key, in Sarasota.

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Reflections

(Continued from page 4) blessings but you can encourage others to do so. If you are a student, a teacher, a parent or in any other way involved with children, you can introduce these young people to what they can do for others. A club could be formed whereby the members can choose a project and raise money to support others much less fortunate than they. Schools can also participate. Visit www.er-d.org/school for more information.

Gifts For Life is a program through Episcopal Relief and Development. The Gifts For Life catalog gives suggestions of what a donation can supply. For instance, $75 can provide a well that could supply water to an entire community.

“Chickens are an important source of food and money for many families,” the catalog says. “Just one hen can lay nearly 200 eggs per year. The families can eat some of the eggs and also sell extra chickens at the local market.

When you buy a family a flock of chickens, we (Gifts of Life) will also teach the family how to take care of them.”

Education also reduces poverty.

Many have given $250 per year to the

scholarship program for children in our companion Diocese of the Dominican Republic to attend an Episcopal school run by the diocese.

You might want to study the different organizations working toward these goals. The following web sites will give much information: 1. The official UN MDG web site: http:/www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ 2. The Millennium Project: http:// www.unmillenniumproject.org/index. htm 3. The World Bank (Data and Research): http://www.worldbank.org/ 4. Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation: http://www.e4gr.org/index. html 5. The ONE Campaign: http:// www.one.org/ 6. ONE Episcopalian: http://www. episcopalchurch.org/ONE/ 7. Episcopal Relief and Development: http://er-d.org/ 8. The Anglican Relief and Development Fund: http://www.anglicanaid. net/ 9. Five Talents: http://www.fivetalents.org/ (Matthew 25:14-30) Blessings to you and yours and may we all use our talents and gifts to reduce extreme poverty in our world.

Letters

(Continued from page 4) hours with some 70 people testifying, including Bishop John Lipscomb.

By late Tuesday afternoon, with no proposals coming from the Windsor committee and with the convention scheduled to conclude Wednesday evening, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold called a joint meeting of both houses stating he was appointing a committee to prepare a Windsor response that would be presented to a joint meeting of both houses Wednesday morning, when each house would then vote separately on the resolution.

Each house passed the resolution overwhelmingly, and it was the best that could be done by a divided constituency. It was not a perfect response but a good starting point.

To say that Bishop Jefferts Schori’s election was not greeted with enthusiasm is an absolute misstatement of fact. I was present when the Nominating Committee of the House of Deputies announced her selection by the House of Bishops and the deputies, both clerics and laity, exploded with enthusiasm. The affirmation of her election by the deputies was almost by acclamation, and she was greeted by a standing and prolonged reception when introduced to the house shortly thereafter.

I subsequently met her and was impressed by her strength and desire to bring unity to the church. She should be a great bishop.

— Richard F. Gerhart Church of the Nativity, Sarasota

All Faiths Food Bank holiday drive The Rev. James Hedman receives bags of food from children at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Bradenton Nov. 19. The church donated 7,698 pounds of food for individuals and families in crisis in the Sarasota/Bradenton area.

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The Southern Cross January/February 2007

Calendar C Training/Workshops/Retreats

Special Events

“Safeguarding God’s Children” Trainer Recertification. Jan. 6, 9 a.m. to noon at Iona-Hope Episcopal Church, 9650 Gladiolus Drive, in Fort Myers. Required for all trainers. Day includes review of existing material, introduction of the new elder-care module and additional resources. Contact: Tana Sembiante at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274, to register.

The 30th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women to the Priesthood. Jan. 6, 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Cathedral, 140 4th Street North, St. Petersburg. A service to mark the 30th anniversary of women’s ordination in the Episcopal Church.

Preaching will be the Rev. Tanya Beck, formerly of this diocese and currently the transitional dean and rector of Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis. A reception will follow the service.

Contact St. Peter’s Cathedral at (727) 822-4173.

Facilitator Training for Walking the Mourner’s Path. Jan. 11–13 at Trinity-by-the-Cove, 553 Galleon Dr., in Naples. The program is a Christ-centered, scripturally sound and churchbased ministry. Walking the Mourner’s Path is not group therapy but is spiritually directed. To offer the program, a priest and two lay people are required to offer the course. Cost is $350 for one facilitator; $250 each for two or more. Contact the Rev. Alice Sadler at (239) 262-6581, ext. 206.

12-Step Retreat. Jan. 12–14 at DaySpring Conference Center near Ellenton. For all people in a 12-step recovery program.

Meetings, meditation, fellowship and relaxation amid nature.

Sponsored by the Committee on Recovery Ministries. Contact: Jean Bordeaux at (941) 556-0315, ext. 271.

“Safeguarding God’s Children” Trainer Recertification.

Feb. 24, 9 a.m. to noon at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, 1200 Snell Isle Blvd. NE, in St. Petersburg. Required for all trainers.

Day includes review of existing material, introduction of the new elder-care module and additional resources. Contact: Tana Sembiante at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274, to register.

Happening # 57. March 2-4 at DaySpring Conference Center near Ellenton. Weekend retreat for rising 10th-12th graders.

Contact: Tana Sembiante at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274.

New Beginnings #41. April 13-15 at DaySpring Conference Center near Ellenton. Weekend retreat for 6th-8th graders.

Contact: Tana Sembiante at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274.

“Foundations for Fundraising.” Jan. 19 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 513 Nassau St. South in Venice. A program for clergy and parish treasurers sponsored by the diocese and the Episcopal Church Foundation. Curriculum tracks include staging successful capital campaigns, the latest thinking on annual giving and the power of gift planning. The seminar is free but reservations must be made no later than Jan. 5. Contact Jean Bordeaux at (941) 556-0315, ext. 271.

12-Step Retreat. March 23–25 at DaySpring Conference Center near Ellenton. For all people in a 12-step recovery program.

Meetings, meditation, fellowship and relaxation amid nature.

Sponsored by the Committee on Recovery Ministries. Contact: Jean Bordeaux at (941) 556-0315, ext. 271.

The Southern Cross January/February 2007

David Booth Beers on the State of the Church. Feb. 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Road on Siesta Key in Sarasota. David Booth Beers, the chancellor to the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, will give a presentation titled, “A check-up on where we are as a church,” followed by a question-and-answer session. Lunch will be provided ($5 donation). He will also speak on Sunday, Feb. 4, at the 9 and 11 a.m. services and the forum at 10:10 a.m.

Register in advance by e-mail to office@boniface.cc Believe in a Miracle. Feb. 10, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Venice Community Center, 326 Nokomis Ave. S., in Venice. A day of renewal for women. Special guests include Bishop Stephen Charleston, dean of Episcopal Divinity School, and music by Dr. Horace Boyer. Cost is $10; lunch is included. Registration is required. Contact Jackie Robe by e-mail at jrobe 18413@ aol.com.

Webcast: National Theological Conference. Jan. 22–24. Trinity Institute’s 37th National Theological Conference at Trinity Church, Wall Street, will be broadcast live on the Web and shown at Iona-Hope Church, 9650 Gladiolus Drive in Fort Myers. Local attendees will participate in group and panel discussions during the conference, titled “God’s Unfinished Future, Why it Matters Now.” It will focus on what it calls “apocalypticism,” where popular apocalyptic works pit the forces of good and evil in an imminent showdown, where the earth will be annihilated and the saved lifted up. Suggested fees for participating at Iona-Hope are $25 for the entire conference or $15 per day. Register by calling (239) 454-4778 or by e-mail to office@ionahope.com.

If your group or congregation is planning an upcoming event of interest to the rest of the diocese, please send the information to: The Southern Cross Calendar 7313 Merchant Court Sarasota, FL 34240 or e-mail it to jdela@dioceseswfla.org The 2007 diocesan events calendar is also available on our web site: www.dioceseswfla.org

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