Inside The Harvest From the bishop Summer vacations are supposed to be about relaxation, although it would be hard to prove that by reading about Bishop Wolfe’s schedule. Page 2
Conversational evangelism A workshop in October, with a follow-up in February, is designed to give people who love the Episcopal Church the tools they’ll need to tell their family and friends about their faith. Page 4
Ministry discernment A new process is in place to help people explore lay or ordained vocations, through teams of people in each convocation specially trained for the task. Page 4
Mission to Kenya Three teams of Kansans spent time this summer in the region around Maai Mahiu, Kenya, offering medical and dental care, building houses and supporting community development needs. Page 5
Diocesan Convention Find out more about the proposed financial mission plan, who’s running for election, and what the theme is for this year’s pre-convention fundraiser. Page 6-7
Vital congregations will be focus of Diocesan Convention speaker By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest
Convention highlights Thursday, Sept. 22
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he Rev. Bob Honeychurch has a passion for helping congregations be as strong and vital as they can be. In part it’s because this year’s Diocesan Convention keynote speaker is employed by the Episcopal Church as missioner for congregational vitality, but it also comes from his 24 years’ experience as a priest in a wide variety of settings. Honeychurch’s appearance underscores the convention’s theme, “Making all things new,” based on a passage from Revelation 21:5. He will speak twice — once to those attending a preconvention workshop on Thursday and again in a Saturday morning speech to delegates and visitors. Honeychurch said his keynote address to the 152nd annual Convention, set for 9:10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, will explore “new life, new hope, new vision” as he helps delegates look to the future. “It’s a great and exciting experience to be a Christian, and to be an Episcopalian, today,” he said in an email to The Harvest. “But what does it mean to be the People of God in the 21st century? And how is God calling the church to engage the world today? What does the future hold for us
4:30-6 p.m. – Seminar on small church vitality by the Rev. Bob Honeychurch 7-9 p.m. – Fundraiser for youth scholarships and campus ministry parish grants
Friday, Sept. 23 10-11:30 a.m. – Convention Eucharist, Grace Cathedral, with Bishop Dean Wolfe celebrating and the Rev. Bob Honeychurch preaching 1-1:45 p.m. – Bishop Wolfe’s address to Convention
Saturday, Sept. 24 The Rev. Bob Honeychurch
as Christians, as Episcopalians, as faithful members of congregations?” Seating will be provided so visitors can attend Honeychurch’s remarks.
Special look at small churches He also will present a 90-minute seminar from 4:30-6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22 that will focus on congregational vitality in small congregations. Honeychurch noted that half of the Episcopal Church’s more than 7,000 congregations have an average Sunday
9:10-10 a.m. – Keynote address by the Rev. Bob Honeychurch Noon – Box lunch for women of the diocese, including clergy and delegates, sponsored by the ECW
attendance of fewer than 70 people, the cut-off point that defines them as “small” churches. In the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, 32 of the diocese’s 46 congregations — or 69 percent — have fewer than 70 people in church on Sundays, on average. Noting that “the small church remains (Please see Convention, page 6)
Crossroads effort highlights generosity across the diocese
Around the diocese Read about happenings in parishes all across the diocese, and learn about a Wichita parish that’s using a sign to offer a neighborhood blessing, and a church that’s using church keys as a way to help people share their faith. Page 8
The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas
West Point cadet
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A Leavenworth acolyte has already started her academic career at the U.S. Military Academy, where she hopes to become a combat trauma surgeon. Page 9
Stewardship reflection Gary Chubb of Parsons has written one of six stewardship reflections produced by the Episcopal Church for churchwide distribution this fall. Page 9
National cathedral damage Washington National Cathedral sustained millions of dollars in uninsured damage from the earthquake that struck the East Coast on Aug. 23. Page 10
Marking 9/11 anniversary Bishop Wolfe discusses his guidelines for parish observances of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Episcopal Church leaders call for remembrance and reflection, and an Emporia priest recalls what he did as a seminarian in New York on that day in 2011. Page 11
The Harvest file photo
St. Clare’s recently purchased this building in the historic downtown section of Spring Hill, where it had been renting worship space since May 2010.
A place to call their own By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest
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he unexpected death of their landlord last winter has led St. Clare’s in Spring Hill to an equally unexpected result — the purchase of the building they’d rented for worship since May 2010. St. Clare’s is the diocese’s newest congregation and met for services in “The Gathering Place,” a former Oddfellows’ hall at 118 South Main St. in the historic downtown section
of Spring Hill. The owner, Ron Daly, rented it out for events like anniversary dinners and class reunions, as well as to the congregation for Sunday morning worship and an increasing number of weekday events. The Rev. Philip Hubbard, the priest who leads St. Clare’s, said the arrangement worked well, with Daly offering some discounted rental fees as usage increased, because he (Please see Building, page 3)
he Crossroads campaign has raised more money than any other fundraising effort in the history of the diocese, but that tells only part of the story. The $3.38 million in pledges and contributions so far represent acts of sacrifice from people in parishes large and small across the diocese. The campaign goal is to raise $6 million, with much of that going to enhance leadership development for parishes of all sizes in the diocese by endowing the Kansas School for Ministry and constructing a Leadership Center in Topeka. The center will provide space for diocesan offices and expanded classes to educate deacons and priests to serve large and small churches, and to prepare lay people for a variety of ministries. It also will provide space for meetings of diocesan groups. Outreach ministries at home and abroad also will garner 10 percent of the Crossroads total raised.
Crossroads pledges made during Lent During Lent, members in parishes across the diocese had the opportunity to make individual pledges or contributions to Crossroads, and that effort raised $694,894. Among those are a number of parishes with exemplary participation or contribution levels. Members at St. Peter’s, Pittsburg, made pledges that average $1,033, and a whopping 86.5 percent of (Please see Crossroads, page 3)