Summer 2017 | The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas
Revival in KC Presiding Bishop Michael Curry helps awaken the Spirit
Bishop search updates / New lift aids food ministries / Seven are ordained
FROM THE COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES | THE VERY REVEREND FOSTER M. MAYS, PRESIDENT
Committees begin their important work
MY SISTERS AND
Brothers in Christ, I am so filled with gratitude for the good work that has begun among us as we have embarked upon this process of electing the 10th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. To paraphrase a wise observation by the Rev. Dr. Ann Hallisey, the election consultant for this process: this person has already been called; it is now our work to discern who this person is.
As you will read elsewhere in this issue of The Harvest, the Search and Transition Committees, along with the Council of Trustees, gathered with Ann on May 20 for a daylong orientation and commissioning retreat. I could not be more pleased with how well these committees reflect the diversity, energy and gifts of our diocese. During this retreat, important work was done around grounding this process in prayer and thanksgiving, setting expectations, emphasizing confidentiality, and scheduling the committees’ work. My sense is that the latter point is perhaps the most charged, because inevitably scheduling will reveal calendaring clashes among us. There are three observations I would make to this. First, there are no perfect dates, and there will always be competing demands for our time. As a result, every effort is being made to ensure the widest possible engagement. The second observation is that the timing of election-related events is ultimately dependent upon the Presiding Bishop’s availability for the consecration service. Thus, the timeline for the election process, which is the fruit of decades of best practices, is predicated upon the best estimate of the date of consecration. And finally, just as we need the structure of a rule of life to guide and form our spiritual growth and discernment, the election process needs
the disciplined structure of this timeline to guide its spiritual growth and discernment of the person who has been called as the 10th bishop of Kansas. Both of these spiritual practices require flexibility and engagement on all our parts and our best efforts to allow room for the work of the Holy Trinity in our midst. I not only am grateful for the spiritual and organized work of this process, but I also am grateful for the spontaneous expression of interest and concern that has been shared. These expressions reflect both the care and natural apprehension that surround such transitions. Our ability to give voice to these is a good thing, because it reflects interest and a desire to be engaged. Second only to prayer, engagement is the greatest gift we can offer this process. We, the Council of Trustees, believe in and trust the God-given gifts that abide in the people of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. During this season of transition, we will not be fearful. Directed by the Spirit, together we joyfully walk with Jesus the road ahead. [Council of Trustees, Feb. 1, 2017]
In This Issue
2 5 6 8 11 12 14 16
Around the diocese
Churches share news of their recent activities, including donations to aid refugees and a 99-yearold WWII veteran who got a special trip to D.C.
SUMMER 2017 | VOL. 104 | NO. 4
Seven people are ordained
A publication of The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas 835 Polk St., Topeka, KS 66612-1688 (785) 235-9255 (800) 473-3563 www.episcopal-ks.org
Young adults play special roles
The Anglican Communion is a global community of 70 million Anglicans in 38 member churches/provinces in more than 160 countries. The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
Six deacons and one priest were ordained by Bishop Wayne Smith of the Diocese of Missouri in a festive service June 17 at Grace Cathedral, Topeka.
Two young Kansans were participants in recent events: a special United Nations commission, and an historic bishop consecration service.
The search for a bishop
Committees for the bishop search and transition have been appointed and had their first meeting in May to begin their work.
Fun in the sun
Nothing says summer like church camp, and photos offer a peek into the fun and worship that filled a week of activities for more than 200 campers.
Awakening the Spirit
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preached to more than a thousand people, including many Kansans, at a revival in Kansas City May 6.
A lift for a church’s food ministries
An Alleluia Grant helped St. Paul’s, Clay Center, complete fundraising for a new vertical platform lift to assist with the church’s many food ministries.
Ottawa church celebrates 150 years
Grace, Ottawa, celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding with a special June service using the Prayer Book that was used by the founders.
ON THE COVER: Presiding Bishop Michael Curry shares a laugh with the Rev. David Hodges, president of the Saint Francis Foundation based in Salina, during the “Awakening the Spirit” revival in Kansas City, Mo., on May 6. | Photo by Melodie Woerman
The Episcopal Church is a community of 2 million members in 109 dioceses in 16 countries in the Americas and abroad. The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas is a community of more than 10,000 members in 44 congregations, three diocesan institutions and one school in eastern Kansas. The Council of Trustees of the Diocese, Ecclesiastical Authority The Harvest is published four times a year by the Office of Communications of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. Member, Episcopal Communicators and Episcopal News Service Publisher The Council of Trustees of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas Editor Melodie Woerman For submissions, please contact the editor: mwoerman@episcopal-ks.org Need to change your mailing address? Harvest Address Changes 835 Polk St., Topeka, KS 66612-1688 receptionist@episcopal-ks.org Upcoming deadlines: Fall 2017 issue: Aug. 15 Winter 2017 issue: Nov. 15 Postmaster: Send address changes to Episcopal Diocese of Kansas 835 Polk St., Topeka, KS 66612-1688
The Harvest | Summer 2017 | 1
AROUND THE DIOCESE
News and notes from congregations St. John’s, Abilene offers a Cursillo reunion group meeting every Friday at 10 a.m. Trinity, Arkansas City in June gathered a Relay for Life team to raise money for the American Cancer Society. St. Mark’s, Blue Rapids welcomed Ashton O’Toole, a high school senior, to the Vestry as a youth representative this year. St. Paul’s, Clay Center is helping with English as a Second Language classes on Tuesday evenings this summer in nearby Linn. The church met some of the students last fall when it offered services for Spanishspeakers who work at dairies in the area. St. Paul’s, Coffeyville offers the service of Evening Prayer every Friday at 5:30 p.m. for members and guests. St. Andrew’s, Derby provides support for victims of domestic violence, with members serving as volunteers to assist victims with information when they first appear before the Derby City Court. St. Martin’s, Edwardsville youth helped build the church’s float for the April 29 Edwardsville Day parade and also handed out candy and fliers about the church to those along the parade route. Trinity, El Dorado continues to serve people in need in the community by providing food, toys and supplies to their pets. During March and April they served 220 pets, freeing
2 | The Harvest | Summer 2017
up money their owners can spend on their own food.
eggs benedict, bacon, sausage, cinnamon rolls and other treats.
Epiphany, Independence again provided a hot dog stand for the opening day of Riverside Park on April 8. Members grilled hot dogs for purchase, and also sold chips and drinks.
St. Margaret’s, Lawrence has added a contemplative service to its weekly worship schedule — every Tuesday at the church at 6:30 p.m. for an hour of prayer, meditation and reflection.
Covenant, Junction City men’s group prepared a special Mother’s Day brunch for the church on May 14, with a menu that included quiche,
Trinity, Lawrence provided much-needed supplies for the local domestic violence center by hosting a “baby shower” for the organization
St. Mary’s, Galena supports EMM-Wichita Members of the Sunday school at St. Mary’s, Galena, this spring collected a variety of new and gently used household and personal items for refugee families who are resettled in Kansas through Episcopal Migration Ministries– Wichita. The group, led by John and Ena Smittle, delivered the items to the EMM–Wichita office in Wichita during spring break in March. PHOTO BY DEBRA LEE, EMM-WICHITA
on May 7. Members were encouraged to bring items from a list that included diapers and lotions. St. Paul’s, Leavenworth had to refurbish the room used for its weekly Godly Play class when it was damaged by flooding caused by heavy rains. New flooring and paint completed the repairs. St. Paul’s, Manhattan officially has kicked off its capital campaign to raise funds to help pay for critical building repairs that were undertaken this spring to the nave ceiling and flooring, a new front door, and remediation to stop bats from entering the building. St. Paul’s, Marysville is preparing to build a ramp into the cabin/parish hall next door to the church to make it more accessible. St. Michael’s, Mission offered its annual Arts Camp June 12-16 at the church. The theme this year was the Paul Fleischman book Weslandia. Campers enjoyed multiple sessions each day taught by expert artists. Ascension, Neodesha was the site of the annual Southeast Convocation Ascension Day service on May 25. St. Matthew’s, Newton rents spaces in its community garden to anyone needing a plot for vegetables or flowers. Those who pick a space are asked to share with others any produce they cannot use themselves. Grace, Ottawa has a newly refurbished organ after finding pipes for sale from a Nebraska university. Organist Hurst Coffman aided in the project, with technician Rod Czerniak doing the installation. Church members provided lunches during the three-day project. St. Thomas’, Overland Park is
DC flight honors WW II veteran Francis “Ace” Ames, a veteran of World War II and a member of St. Thomas’, Overland Park, visited Washington, D.C. on May 2 as a member of a Heartland Honor Flight trip. Honor flights recognize the service of military veterans by flying them to the nation’s capital to see the memorials and monuments to their war and other conflicts. Ames, who is 99, served as a Navy pilot during WWII, flying fighters and bombers in the Philippines. He earned his nickname when he became the first in his aviation class to fly solo. Ames and other veterans on the flight toured official monuments and other sites, and were treated to a special dinner. He was accompanied on his flight from Kansas City International Airport by Christine Nichols, a partner provided by Honor Flight.
helping the students at Comanche Elementary School by designing and building an indoor “Little Free Library” at the school. Books provided by the Johnson County Library can be borrowed and shared among students to encourage reading. St. John’s, Parsons collects so many items for its Snack-Pak program to help hungry school children that the church had to rearrange its storage area to make more space. Epiphany, Sedan had a bake sale on April 8 with a variety of cookies, cakes, pies and bread available for purchase. St. Luke’s, Shawnee collected jars of peanut butter during May to aid
Francis “Ace” Ames Before departing D.C., a special “mail call” treated Ames to two manila envelopes filled with cards and letters from St. Thomas’ parishioners. When he arrived back at KCI, Ames was met by 10 members of the congregation, as well as his daughter, Michelle Leeson, all of whom brought banners and posters to welcome the returning veterans home.
two organizations — the food pantry at St. Paul’s, Kansas City, and Shawnee Community Services. Grace Cathedral, Topeka new reader’s theater group offered its first performance on May 7 after rehearsing for several months. Presented were selections from “August: Osage County” and “Over the River and Through the Woods.” St. Luke’s, Wamego is seeking funding to repair damage to the building’s foundation that also has caused problems with the large stained glass window over the altar. Continued on page 4
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Continued from page 3 Good Shepherd, Wichita provided support for Our Little Roses Home for Girls in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, by donating sets of twin bed sheets to brighten residents’ rooms. St. James’, Wichita hosted its 88th annual Olde English Tea on May 6. The event serves as a fundraiser for
outreach ministries but also offered the community a time of gracious hospitality and delicious treats. St. John’s, Wichita member Shirley Orr in May was honored by the Sedgwick County Health Department with its annual award for lifetime commitment to public health. She has been involved with issues of public health in the Wichita area for more than 30 years.
St. Stephen’s, Wichita book club this spring together read The Secret Chord, a historical novel about King David by Geraldine Brooks. The fall book will be All Over But The Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg. Grace, Winfield raised money for camp scholarships with an all-parish rummage sale May 19-20 in the parish hall. Food sales included bierocks and a baked potato bar.
Clergy news
Winfield church sponsors 12-hour golf fundraiser in August Grace, Winfield, on Aug. 5 will host a fundraising day of golf that asks participants to play as many holes as they can in 12 hours. The event, “Holes fore Hope,” tees off at 7 a.m. at the Winfield Country Club. Besides giving golfers the chance to show their stamina, not necessarily accuracy, over the day, the goal is to raise funds for a new project the church proposes. Plans are to remodel a building the church owns in the downtown area into space that can be used without charge by 4 | The Harvest | Summer 2017
nonprofit groups in the community for meetings, training and classes. Winfield-based programs of Saint Francis Community Services plan to move into the new space. Sponsorships are available at a variety of giving levels, or people can pledge an amount per golfer or an amount per hole completed for a given player. Individual donations also are accepted. More information, plus ways to donate, is on the event’s website, http://holes4hope.weebly. com/ .
The Rev. Sarah Stewart will be the new associate rector of St. James’, Wichita, beginning July 1. Ordained in 2015, she most recently served at St. James’ in New York City. The Rev. Marc McDonald began his new ministry as rector of St. Andrew’s, Emporia, on April 30. He was ordained a priest in 2015 after serving for many years as a pastor in the United Methodist Church. The Rev. Kevin Huddleston concluded his ministry as rector of St. Michael and All Angels, Mission, on June 4. Deacon Barbara Adam retired from active service on May 7. She had served two congregations in the diocese, most recently St. Thomas’, Overland Park, since her ordination in 1993. The Rev. James D’Wolf, who was rector of Trinity, El Dorado from 1963 to 1971, and rector of St. Paul’s, Manhattan from 1971 to 1984, died on Feb. 6 in Carmel, Ind. He was 89. Condolences go to: Former Bishop Dean Wolfe on the death of his mother, Mildred, on June 6. The Rev. David Jenkins, priest in charge of the Church of the Covenant, Junction City , on the death of his wife, Mary Anna, on April 30. The Rev. Gerald Eytcheson, retired priest, on the death of his mother, Rose Ellen Eytcheson, on March 17.
DIOCESAN LIFE
Bishop Wayne Smith ordains six deacons, one priest Deacon Diane Kruger, a member of St. Stephen’s, Wichita and graduate of BKSM, was ordained to the vocation of a deacon. She will serve an internship year at St. James’, Wichita.
Five transitional deacons
PHOTO BY MELODIE WOERMAN
The seven people ordained on June 17 stand with Bishop Wayne Smith of the Diocese of Missouri after the service. From left: front row: the Rev. Mark Ohlemeier, the Rev. Mike Loyd, Deacon Diane Kruger; middle row: the Rev. Bianca Elliott, the Rev. Katie Knoll Lenon; back row: the Rev. Clay Calhoun, Bishop Smith, the Rev. Greg Doll
BISHOP WAYNE
Smith of the Diocese of Missouri ordained one priest and six deacons on June 17 at a service at Grace Cathedral, Topeka. The priest is the Rev. Greg Doll, who will serve his home par-
ishes of St. Paul’s, Marysville, and St. Mark’s, Blue Rapids. A graduate of the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, Doll spent the past year as an intern at St. Paul’s, Manhattan.
Five people were ordained as transitional deacons, with their ordination as a priest to follow next year. Two of them are graduates of BKSM and will spend the next year as interns with churches in the diocese: The Rev. Bianca Elliott, of Trinity, Lawrence. She will intern at St. Aidan’s, Olathe. The Rev. Mike Loyd, of St. Matthew’s, Newton, He will intern at Good Shepherd, Wichita. Three transitional deacons graduated in May from the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. They are: The Rev. Katie Knoll Lenon, St. Thomas’, Overland Park. She will complete a course in Clinical Pastoral Education at Saint Luke’s Health Systems in Kansas City and will serve as an intern at St. Luke’s, Shawnee, during that time. The Rev. Clay Calhoun, Trinity, El Dorado, will serve as associate to the rector at Church of the Holy Apostles in Collierville, Tenn. The Rev. Mark Ohlemeier, Grace Cathedral, Topeka, will be curate at Christ Church in Springfield, Mo. The Rev. Torey Lightcap, the diocese’s canon to the ordination, was the preacher for this service.
The Harvest | Summer 2017 | 5
Raising the roof
Steel beams frame the walls and roof line of the new diocesan offices (at the right) and the cathedral’s new parish hall.
CONSTRUCTION IS moving along at a good pace on the new A welder works on a steel roof beam for what will be the cathedral’s new parish hall. One of three new classrooms for Bishop Kemper School for Ministry in remodeled space in the former cathedral Great Hall. 6 | The Harvest | Summer 2017
building project involving the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, Grace Cathedral and the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry.
Remodeling now is complete in the cathedral’s former lower-level parish hall, transforming it into three classrooms, an office and a lobby for BKSM. Once furniture arrives, the space will be ready for students when classes resume in August. Structural steel and metal framing are going up quickly for new space being built on the south side of the cathedral. This area will provide the church with a large parish hall and choir room, and the diocese will have new offices for members of the diocesan staff. That portion of the project should be finished in early 2018. PHOTOS BY MELODIE WOERMAN
DIOCESAN LIFE
Kansan makes her mark at the United Nations KIRSTEN LEE
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Kirsten Lee stands in the General Assembly Hall at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City, where she was an Episcopal Church delegate to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women in March.
may have been one of the youngest Episcopal Church delegates to this year’s session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, but that didn’t stop her from speaking up and working to make a difference. Lee, a member of St. Michael and All Angels, Mission and a recent graduate of Blue Valley Southwest High School, was one of 17 women selected to represent the Episcopal Church at the 61st session of the UNCSW. She was joined by Jennifer Allen, also from St. Michael’s, who was a delegate for a second straight year. While in New York for nine days in March, Lee gave a speech at the Church Center for the United Nations that later was posted on the website of U.N. Ecumenical Women. Once back home, she wrote a paper
about women’s rights in the United States. Lee said it was “an incredible honor” to be a UNCSW delegate from the Episcopal Church. She said that she was one of the youngest delegates attending, because in many countries people in their 20s and 30s are considered “youth.” She lamented the lack of younger voices in international discussions on topics that affect them, such as forced marriages of young girls. “It is unjust that they are not taking part in the conversation,” she said. Lee said one big lesson stood out from her time working in New York. “Change starts at the grass roots level, so it starts at home,” she said. This fall Lee will be a student at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, studying engineering and Spanish.
Wichitan has front-row seat at historic service JENNY KROEKER
has been an acolyte for more than a decade at her home church, St. James’, Wichita, giving her experience that proved valuable when she was tapped to serve at an historic service in the Diocese of Indianapolis. Jenny Kroeker Kroeker, who will be a sophomore at Purdue University studying Industrial Management, was asked to represent the school’s Episcopal campus ministry program at the April 29 consecration of Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, the first African-American woman to serve as a diocesan bishop in the Episcopal Church. The service’s historic nature was doubled when she received the bishop’s crozier from retiring Bishop Cathe-
rine Waynick, the first time succession of diocesan bishops has passed from one woman to another. Kroeker, who wore a special cincture (rope belt) in the Purdue colors, along with her St. James’ acolyte cross, had the chance to speak with the new bishop and some of the more than 50 other bishops attending the event. New Bishop of Indianapolis Jennifer BaskervilleBurrows (left) and retiring Bishop Catherine Waynick PHOTO BY TONY SCHLISSER
The Harvest | Summer 2017 | 7
By the Rev. Casey Rohleder
MEMBERS OF THE NEWLY appointed
Search and Transitions Committees, along with the diocesan Council of Trustees, met on May 20 at St. David’s, Topeka, to kick off the committees’ work in the election of the 10th bishop of Kansas. The group of nearly 50 lay people and clergy from across the diocese met with the Rev. Ann Hallisey, who is the consultant for the process and works through the Presiding Bishop’s office. During this gathering she discussed the tasks and responsibiliThe Rev. Ann ties of both committees, presented Hallisey, a timeline to accomplish this work, consultant to the and met individually with all three search process groups to plan the next steps. Hallisey said she is delighted to be working with the diocese in this process and urged everyone to keep the committees in their prayers.
Committees have different functions
The Search Committee and the Transition Committee have two distinct functions. The Search Committee is responsible for developing the diocese’s profile, screen8 | The Harvest | Summer 2017
LISTENING SESSIONS The Bishop Search Committee invites all Episcopalians to participate in one of the upcoming listening sessions to discuss your hopes, dreams and expectations for the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas and our next bishop. Your voice is needed so we may accurately represent who we are — in all our diversity as a diocese — to the Episcopal Church and prospective nominees for bishop.
Saturday, July 8
9:30 – 11:30 a.m. St. John’s, 1801 Corning, Parsons 2 – 4 p.m. Trinity, 400 W. Ash, El Dorado
Saturday, July 15
9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Trinity, 1027 Vermont, Lawrence 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. St. David’s, 3916 SW 17th, Topeka
ing and interviewing candidates (including a multi-day candidates’ retreat), and presenting a final slate of candidates to the diocese. The Transition Committee is responsible for conducting walkabouts with the final slate of candidates
throughout the diocese, planning the electing convention, organizing the consecration service, and assisting the new bishop and his or her family in their relocation. To begin for their work, Search Committee members will gather in retreat with Hallisey June 23-24 in Topeka to make plans for the upcoming listening sessions (see box on page 8 for details) and a survey that will be available to all members of the diocese later this summer. Search Committee member Jeanine Blessant, St. Peter’s, Pittsburg, said the voice of the people of the diocese, expressed in the upcoming listening sessions, will play a key part in helping to shape the rest of the search process. “These listening sessions are a critical time for all the people of this diocese to express their wishes and needs about our next bishop, so that
the committees and the candidates can make a more informed decision about how our next bishop will continue to lead the Episcopal presence in Kansas,” she said.
Upcoming timelines
The next major task of the Search Committee will be to complete a profile of the diocese by early November, at which time the names of potential candidates will be solicited. The committee will review names in December, conduct a candidate retreat in May 2018 and present a slate to the diocese by late spring or early summer. As one of the co-chairs of the Search Committee, I can say this group is filled with experienced, energetic and faithful women and men who are dedicated to presenting a strong slate of candidates to the diocese next spring.
Members of the Search Committee are (from left) front row: Tom Gossen, Michael Funston, Diana WaddellGilbert (co-chair), the Very Rev. Rob Baldwin; middle row: the Rev. Dawn Frankfurt, Eliana Seidner, the Rev. Doreen Rice, the Ven. Charles Pearce; back row: Deacon Oliver Bunker, Jeanine Blessant, Ray Wheeler, Nancy Kelley, the Rev. Casey Rohleder (co-chair)
While tentative at this point, the Transition Committee expects to conduct walkabouts in the diocese in early August 2018, with the electing convention taking place later that month. Pending the schedule of the Presiding Bishop, the consecration of the 10th bishop of Kansas will occur in early 2019. Mike Morrow, a member of the Transition Committee, said of the tasks ahead, “I am excited about working on the details of taking the candidates through the diocese so that we can get to know them and they can become more familiar with us.” The Rev. Mary Siegmund, rector of St. Luke’s, Shawnee, and one of the co-chairs of the Transition Committee, said the work of her group is, Continued on page 10
Members of the Transition Committee are (from left) front row: Mike Morrow, Linda Mays, Tim Korte, David Schlomer (co-chair); middle row: Theresa Rhyther, the Rev. Sharon Billman, the Rev. Mary Siegmund (co-chair); back row: Joy Spearman, Charles Volland, Deacon Kitty Shield, the Rev. Tom Baker (not pictured: Jeremiah Shipman) The Harvest | Summer 2017 | 9
DIOCESAN LIFE
Topeka hosts first regional confirmations BISHOP WAYNE SMITH
of the Diocese of Missouri laid episcopal hands on more than 30 people who were being confirmed in or received into the Episcopal Church, or who reaffirmed their faith, in an afternoon service June 17 at Grace Cathedral, Topeka. This was the first of four regional services for confirmations and receptions to take place this year; others will be in October, November and December (see box below). Participants came from 10 congregations across the diocese, accompanied by family, friends, clergy and other parishioners. The Very Rev. Foster Mays of Epiphany, Sedan, president of the diocesan Council of Trustees, preached the sermon.
UPCOMING DATES Assisting Bishop Michael Milliken will officiate at these upcoming regional confirmation services: October 7, 10:30 a.m. Good Shepherd Episcopal Church 8021 West 21st Street North, Wichita November 11, 10:30 a.m. St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church 12251 Antioch Rd., Overland Park
PHOTO BY MELODIE WOERMAN
December 2, 10:30 a.m. St. John’s Episcopal Church 1801 Corning Ave., Parsons
Search, transition committees begin their work Continued from page 9 at heart, servant ministry. “We will attend to the needs of the candidates and families during their visit to Kansas,” she said, to help create a 10 | The Harvest | Summer 2017
supportive environment to build relationships. “We cannot overemphasize the importance of relationships to the success of any future ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas,” Siegmund said.
The Rev. Casey Rohleder is one of the co-chairs of the Search Committee. She is the director of communications for Bishop Kemper School for Ministry and is a priest associate at Grace Cathedral, Topeka.
Summer camp 2017 FOR A WEEK IN JUNE,
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
An elementary camper administers the chalice during the Eucharist.
Camp Wood YMCA was home to an intentional Christian community made up of 201 campers — from those just entering third grade through recent high school graduates — and the 52 adults who provided support. Campers came from 26 congregations of the diocese, as well as a few non-diocesan churches. More than a dozen youngsters were not Episcopalians. During the week campers participated in music, small group discussion, prayer and worship, including the allcamp MegaEucharist that took place on June 7 at sundown, with views overlooking the rolling Flint Hills. Young people also took advantage of activities provided by Camp Wood, including horseback riding, archery, a climbing tower and swing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, water slide, mud slide, arts and crafts, and sports.
Senior high campers experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in the annual cardboard boat race.
A junior high camper enjoys the chance to swing from a high rigging. The Harvest | Summer 2017 | 11
Spiritual revival in Kansas City The program began with liturgical dancers from St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Kansas City, Mo.
HUNDREDS OF
people from churches across the Diocese of Kansas were among the crowd of 1,200 who gathered in Kansas City’s Power and Light District May 6 to hear passionate preaching from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. The event, dubbed “Awakening the Spirit,” was the second of six revivals planned across the Episcopal Church and in England in the next year. Curry called on people to embrace the Jesus Movement, which he says is a way of love that has the power to set all people free. He described the Jesus Movement as a way of life that is not self-centered. It also is a way of love grounded in compassion, goodness, justice and forgiveness. “That is the way of Jesus,” Presiding Bishop Curry said. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preaches to a crowd of 1,200, including people from churches across the Diocese of Kansas, in Kansas City on May 6. 12 | The Harvest | Summer 2017
PHOTOS BY MELODIE WOERMAN
DIOCESAN LIFE
Diocesan Convention to focus on the Jesus Movement THE 158TH ANNUAL Convention of the
Episcopal Diocese of Kansas will take place Oct. 20-21 in Topeka for all lay delegates from congregations, as well as clergy who are canonically resident in the diocese. The theme is “The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas...a branch of the Jesus Movement.” It reflects the fact that the diocese is part of what Presiding Bishop Curry is calling “the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.” There will be opportunities during the business session for delegates and clergy to discuss questions around this theme.
Convention will have a new schedule
The schedule will be slightly different from recent years. The first item on the official agenda will take place late Friday afternoon, Oct. 20, when the Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at Grace Cathedral. The convention banquet, with awards, will follow in the evening at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, about a mile from the cathedral. During the day, there will be time for some training sessions, notably for Safe Church. All convention business will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21, in the hotel’s Sunflower Ballroom. Plans call for convention business to run until mid-afternoon.
Deadline for convention actions is Aug. 4 Nominations:
Send to the Very Rev. Laurie Lewis 3705 Edgemont Wichita, KS 67208 revdlaurie@gmail.com
Debatable resolutions: Send to Gary Chubb 1329 Grand Ave. Parsons, KS 67357-4256 g.chubbster@gmail.com
Amendments to the constitution or canons: Send to Frank Taylor 7450 W. 130th St., Suite 140 Overland Park, KS 66213 ftaylor@hrkklaw.com
Elections and more
Elections this year will be for two at-large seats on the Council of Trustees, which is the diocese’s governing body between conventions. It also functions as the Standing Committee, which now is the Ecclesiastical Authority in the absence of a bishop. To be elected are: At-large lay representative (three-year term). The incumbent, Margaret La Rue, is not eligible for reelection. At-large clergy representative (three-year-term). The incumbent, the Very Rev. Laurie Lewis, is eligible for re-election. Each convocation board, at meetings in September, will elect one clergyperson to serve on the Council of Trustees. Those selections then must be ratified by the convention in October. Each of the clergy who are currently serving are eligible to be re-elected. The diocesan Finance Committee plans to present amendments to the canons on apportionment, following a yearlong study on that source of diocesan income. The deadline is Aug. 4 to submit any action that will come before convention — nominations for election, debatable resolutions, or amendments to the diocesan constitution or canons (see box, left). Nominations for the at-large seats on the Council of Trustees should be made on the required form, posted on the convention page of the diocesan website, www. episcopal-ks.org/life/convention.php. The Harvest | Summer 2017 | 13
Food ministries get a lift at Clay Center church By Melodie Woerman
ST. PAUL’S IS KNOWN
around Clay Center as the church that feeds people. The job of doing that has gotten a little easier, thanks in part to a $3,000 Alleluia Fund grant from the diocese. Earlier this year the church, with about 90 members, installed a vertical platform lift, an elevator-like device that will make it much more efficient to bring food from the commercial kitchen in the basement to the church’s red delivery truck just outside the back door. It will be especially helpful in the summer, when the church is feeding as many as 90 children every day while school is not in session. Kid’s Café, which began in 2009, is certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a qualified summer feeding program designed to provide free, healthy meals to children.
A safer way to transport food
The new lift replaced a jerry-rigged stairlift that the church had used for several years, having added a metal grate to the chair that chugged along a track up a staircase, ultimately ending up in the church proper. Donna Long, the church’s director of outreach, said volunteers held their breath each time they used it, hoping nothing would happen to cause a spill. But with food in hot, commercial containers, it was the only way they had to get it from the basement to the first floor. Now the lift will make easy work for this summer’s Kid’s Café cook/coordinator, Kim Gregory, to get food out the door and to the two sites the program supports each weekday. She can load up hot boxes, put them on a cart and be upstairs in about a minute with no spills. PHOTOS BY MELODIE WOERMAN
Kid’s Café cook/coordinator Kim Gregory (left) and Donna Long, parish Director of Outreach ,stand in the new vertical platform lift installed at St. Paul’s, Clay Center, along with equipment needed to transport hot food for the Kid’s Café summer meal program.
14 | The Harvest | Summer 2017
A boost of confidence
Long said that the lift had been a dream of hers since 2011, when the church began preparing Kid’s Café meals on site. The church had on hand about $10,000 from a life insurance policy, only a fraction of the $40,000 needed to
Multiple ways to feed people
(From left) Ginny Beck, the Rev. Amy Truhe and Gary Griffiths sort items for the Senior Commodity Program, one of St. Paul’s food ministries that has been aided by the new lift. buy the lift and get it installed. They then found out last fall they would receive one of the Alleluia Grants. While the amount—$3,000— wasn’t large, Long said it played a critical role. “It provided momentum,” she said. “It showed the diocese cares about us.” Members stepped up with significant donations, and memorial funds and a bequest helped provide the rest of the needed money. About that same time the church got word it would get to host 13 young adults working in town through the AmeriCorps program. Part of the team’s work was centered at the church, including demolition in the basement and firstfloor parish hall where the lift shaft would be built. As these plans took shape, other church members decided it was a good time to refresh the parish hall, donating more money and labor to install new cabinets, counter tops and
appliances. Once all expenses were tallied, Long said the combined lift/ parish hall-remodeling project cost about $65,000, not counting the donated labor from the AmeriCorps team. “That’s quite a feat for a parish with an annual budget of less than $90,000,” she said.
Kid’s Café is only one of the food ministries St. Paul’s undertakes. Once a month it distributes commodities to low income seniors, provided by Harvesters, the area’s major food bank located in Kansas City. Large blocks of cheese are among items handed out to about 60 people each month, and the new lift makes it easier to store the cheese in the basement refrigerator. The church also helps 80 school children each week though BackSnacks, another Harvesters program that provides a backpack full of easyto-eat food to help kids have enough food on weekends. It also serves more than 700 people each month through the Mobile Food Pantry, distributing perishable food provided by Harvesters to anyone who drives up to the Shopko store’s parking lot. The Rev. Amy Truhe, the Lutheran pastor who is providing services at St. Paul’s, applauded their work to help feed the community. “We feed everyone at the communion table,” she said. “We feed people at Shopko. The incarnation is made manifest through our hands and feet.”
Alleluia Grants support outreach efforts The lift for St. Paul’s, Clay Center, was one of four programs awarded first-ever Alleluia Grants by the diocese’s Mission and Outreach Committee in October 2016. Funds for these grants come from money raised during the Crossroads capital campaign and earmarked for outreach efforts, plus generous donations from across the diocese.
Applications now are available for the 2017 Alleluia Grants, which support innovative outreach ministries in congregations throughout the diocese. Information is on the diocesan website on the Mission and Outreach Committee page. The deadline to apply for grants is Sept. 1. They will be awarded in October at the Diocesan Convention.
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Ottawa church celebrates 150 years of ministry GRACE, OTTAWA, CELEBRATED
the 150th anniversary of its founding (June 19, 1867) with a service on June 25 using the Prayer Book of 1789, which would have been used by the founders, followed by a special celebratory luncheon. Kicking off the special weekend was an organ dedication and concert on June 24. The church, at that time known as Holy Comforter Episcopal Mission, was founded just a year after the city of Ottawa was established. Its first building was one that had belonged to another denomination and was remodeled for Episcopal worship. The church was admitted as a parish of the Diocese of Kansas in November 1890, at which time its name was changed to Grace Church. In 1896 parishioners raised the money to build a new building at Fifth and Locust, near downtown, which was consecrated in 1896. A new building — still in use by the congregation — was built on the same site in 1951. In a booklet produced for the 150th anniversary, the church said it finds itself in circumstances similar to
The current church building of Grace, Ottawa those faced by the early pioneer founders. “We are still a small parish,” they write, “with a modest budget, still dreaming of adding communicants, adding a gathering room on the main floor, and continuing to be able to serve the community and parishioners as a place of strong faith and worship.”
Bishop Kemper School offers new lay evangelism program THE BISHOP KEMPER SCHOOL
for Ministry is launching a new program this fall leading to a Certificate in Lay Evangelism. It is designed to equip individuals and their faith community for the work of evangelism in their context. The program was developed, in part, to address the question of why faithful and committed Episcopalians are unable or unwilling to share with others the good news of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The effort was spearheaded by the Very Rev. Rob Baldwin, rector of Trinity, Lawrence and BKSM instructor of Anglican identity, along with the Very Rev. Don Compier, the school’s dean. The new certificate program will consist of eight courses during the 2017-18 academic year. Half of them will meet face-to-face in a traditional BKSM weekend format in Topeka (Saturday afternoon to Sunday noon), while half will be offered in a Saturday-only format at Trinity, Lawrence. Topics will include Christian Spirituality, Contemporary Society, Church Communications, Contemporary Mission, Social Ministry, Conversational Evange16 | The Harvest | Summer 2017
lism, Christian History and Anglican Identity. People also can take individual courses, either for credit or as an auditor, without committing to the entire certificate program. BKSM also offers other certificate programs that can lead to licensing as a Lay Catechist, Lay Preacher and Lay Pastoral Leader. The decision to offer licenses for all canonical lay ministries rests with the bishop. BKSM is a joint educational institution of the Dioceses of Kansas, West Missouri, Western Kansas and Nebraska. It offers high quality theological education to those preparing for ordination as deacons and priests, to lay people seeking lay licenses or personal enrichment, and to clergy seeking continuing education. Classes meet in Topeka on the school’s new campus, which is part of the Diocese of Kansas/Grace Cathedral complex. Details of the Lay Evangelism certificate program also are on the school’s website, www.bishopkemperschool.org. Other questions about this or any other BKSM program may be directed to Dean Compier at bksmdean2@ gmail.com.
FROM THE CANON TO THE ORDINARY | THE REVEREND TOREY L. LIGHTCAP
Big church changes begin with earnest love A LOT OF PEOPLE end
conversations with me these days by remarking that they’re grateful for my time. They recognize that when you don’t have a bishop, your obligations increase. (Thank you, by the way!) That’s fair enough. But I’d say we on the diocesan staff are as busy as we were before — it’s just that the work has changed a bit over the past few months. In my own office these days, there are general kinds of consultations. These are longer and more substantial, more wide-ranging. I’m hearing a more honest set of assessments when I ask about how things are going. One trend is especially heartening: some congregations seem to be in a place of reinvention right now. They’ve turned a corner in their common life. They’re either coming up to, or have just made, a critical decision about how they’re going to live their lives together from now on. Members of one church have found themselves locked into fears about survival and money for a long time and have chosen to find a way to decisively move beyond such paralysis rather than be dominated by it. Another church has realized that it’s going to have to get creative about how to share a priest’s available time. Another church has reordered its priorities in ministry and is reorganizing itself, bottom-up, as a result.
These are big, swing-for-the-fence type changes designed to get congregations beyond a place of stuckness. They’re the kinds of changes you remember 20 years from now that will echo down through a generation or two. They also are changes that are planned and debated and prayed over and implemented for the common good. No surprise, then, that they often involve really tough changes, and Vestries are swallowing hard before they cast their votes in the affirmative. Only time and the graciousness of God will tell us the final force of these decisions. However, it’s plain enough to me that the ones with the greatest positive impact will be those that began with earnest love — where people have sincerely come together, considered all the angles, prayed together, openly expressed differences, worked through hostilities, and come to a sense of godly compromise and genuine compassion. No, not everyone will be satisfied; and no, we aren’t fixing things for all time. That’s not even a question. The real question is, will God’s name be glorified by what we do? And are enough of us moving forward together? Perhaps these big decisions I’m referring to are less about reinvention and more about faithfulness. One of the hallmarks of mature Christian community is that we are able to be consistent and stable with one another over time for the good of the whole.
Instability dampens effectiveness in mission, but constancy creates coherence, even — and especially — when we have to make hard decisions in volatile and uncertain times. I thank God for the compassion, continuity, entrepreneurship, innovation and maturity I see across this diocese. And I thank God for all of you.
The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas 835 S.W. Polk Street Topeka, KS 66612-1688 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED