Inside The Harvest From the bishop
By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest
In his convention address, Bishop Wolfe said that the diocese faces a number of challenges but the ministries in which it engages are strong. Page 2
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Convention awards A deacon, a priest and lay person received special awards given each year at Diocesan Convention. The awards recognize outstanding ministry. Page 5
Convention hears call to be ‘made new’
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Communications survey How does this newspaper meet your needs as a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas? Give us your opinion on that and other communication topics in a special survey. Page 6
Going to the dogs, and cats Many parishes offered Blessing of the Animals services in early October in honor of the Feast of St. Francis. Pictures of just a few of them are featured here. Page 6
Food pantries need help Food pantries in the diocese are seeing a marked increase in the number of people seeking help each month. As a result, they’re struggling to keep up with the demand. Page 7
elegates to the 152nd meeting of the Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas heard calls to look to the future of the church and to find change that can strengthen it to serve in Christ’s name. This theme was noted both in the annual convention address by Bishop Dean Wolfe and by keynote speaker the Rev. Bob Honeychurch, who serves as missioner for congregational vitality for the Episcopal Church. Both men were responding to the theme for this year’s convention, “Making all things new,” taken from Revelation 21:5. In his address Bishop Wolfe said, “If God is making all things new it means God is picking up and transforming every single thing in creation, including this Anglican Communion, this Episcopal Church, this Diocese of Kansas and every single parish, mission, ministry and person within it.” He then went on to describe challenges the diocese is facing, including financial difficulties in some parishes, the need to streamline the diocesan mission plan, or budget, to rely less on endowments, and the importance of finishing the Crossroads capital campaign to fund the Kansas School for Ministry and a building to house it. The bishop said, “If ‘all things are being made new,’ then every structure, every old way of doing things, will need to be
Photo by Melodie Woerman
(From left) Bishop Dean Wolfe, Archbishop Albert Chama of Central Africa and the Rev. Bob Honeychurch share a light moment before the Convention Eucharist Sept. 23 at Grace Cathedral, Topeka.
reevaluated, reviewed and revolutionized. We join the wider Episcopal Church and virtually every other diocese I know of as we undertake these changes.” Honeychurch told the convention that the world in which the church exists is changing rapidly, and the church must respond.
Drawing on work done by the Institute for the Future, he characterized the 21st century as a “VUCA” world, one filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. (Please see Convention, page 3)
Teaching the bishops Kansan Dr. Don Compier was addressed the House of Bishops about liberation theology in September, but the presence of former students made the experience easier. Page 9
Wichitans ready to provide hope and a home to refugees fleeing persecution
Kansas golf champion
By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest
Brooke LaRue, a high school senior from Grace Cathedral, Topeka, won the girls 4A state golf championship this fall. She’s a champ in the classroom, too. Page 9
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ust a year ago members of St. John’s, Wichita, had a dream to help to some of the millions of refugees who flee persecution around the world. That dream now has become a reality, as the Episcopal Wichita Area Refugee Ministry, or EWARM,
Environmental stewardship The House of Bishops issued a pastoral teaching on the environment in September, calling on Episcopalians to consume fewer of the world’s resources and to work to overcome destruction of the environment. Page 11
Cathedral tower repairs Repairs have begun on the highest tower at the Washington National Cathedral. The building was damaged in an earthquake that struck the East Coast on Aug. 23; millions of dollars are needed for repairs. Page 11
has set up an office, is calling its first executive director and is getting ready to provide new homes for about 35 people in nine families, most likely from Burma, during 2012. EWARM is affiliated with Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), one of nine national agencies that hold agreements with the U.S. Department of State to resettle refugees in cities across the United States. The agency is part of the Episcopal Church. St. John’s members Peg Flynn and Shirley Orr have been the driving force behind the Wichita effort ever since EMM selected Wichita as the site for a new resettlement effort. They worked with the Rev. Craig Loya, the diocese’s canon to the ordinary, and EMM officials in New York to secure federal approval for the project, an essential first step since almost all the funding for resettlement start-up efforts come through the federal budget. They also have overseen creation of an administrative structure and are coordinating volunteer efforts. EWARM will have its offices in the former administration building for St. John’s Church. They also have formed a partnership with the International Rescue Committee, a major global refugee agency that also was setting up a Wichita office. The two groups will share office space.
St. John’s responsible for success
Photo by Tom Pott
Members of the steering committee that helped create EWARM, the new refugee resettlement agency in Wichita, include (from left) Jim McCoy and cofounders Peg Flynn and Shirley Orr. All are members of St. John’s, Wichita.
Loya said the agency owes its existence to the efforts of St. John’s. “The progress made so far has been the result of the passion and commitment of Peg Flynn and Shirley Orr to this ministry,” he said, “and wouldn’t be possible without the support of Father Earl Mahan and the vestry at St. John’s.” (Please see Refugees, page 3)