The Harvest, September-October 2011 by Episcopal Diocese of Kansas

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

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’

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

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)

2 • The Harvest • September/October 2011

From the Bishop

The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe

New things are God’s work Publisher: The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe, Bishop Editor: Melodie Woerman A member of Episcopal News Service and Episcopal Communicators, The Harvest is published six times a year by the Office of Communications of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas: February, April, June, August, October and December. Stories, letters and photos are welcome. They will be used on a space-available basis and are subject to editing. Send all material (preferably in electronic format or by e-mail) to: Melodie Woerman, editor The Harvest 835 SW Polk St. Topeka, KS 66612-1688 phone: (800) 473-3563 fax: (785) 235-2449 mwoerman@episcopal-ks.org Send address changes to: Receptionist 835 SW Polk St., Topeka, KS 66612-1688 receptionist@episcopal-ks.org Upcoming deadlines: November/December issue: Nov. 15 January/February 2012 issue: Jan. 15, 2012 Subscription rate: $1.50 annually Third class mailing Permit No. 601, Topeka, Kansas POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Episcopal Diocese of Kansas 835 SW Polk St. Topeka, KS 66612-1688

Editor’s note: These are excerpts from Bishop Wolfe’s address to Diocesan Convention.

esus said, “See, I am making all things new.” We took these words to be our theme for this, the 152nd convention of The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, because we believe they are not merely true; they are truer than true. We took these words as our theme in a year of extraordinary change and transition. We took these words in a moment when financial peril lurks around every corner and when politics are deeply polarizing and polarized. We took these words in a moment when people continue to ponder the viability of the Christian endeavor; when the whole Christian enterprise appears to be on the ropes, and when The Episcopal Church, in particular, appears fragile and unsustainable. We took these words because we believe the God who was “crucified, died, and buried” also rose from the grave and will come again in glory. And we believe this God is more powerful than death. All death. Any death. Every death. Physical death. Symbolic death. Financial death. National death.

Where the Spirit takes us The Anglican Communion A global community of 70 million Anglicans in 38 member churches/provinces in more than 160 countries. Archbishop of Canterbury The Most Reverend and Right Honorable Rowan Williams Lambeth Palace, London WE1 7JU, United Kingdom www.anglicancommunion.org Episcopal seat: Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, England

The Episcopal Church A community of more than 2.1 million members in 110 dioceses in 16 countries in the Americas and abroad. Presiding Bishop The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (800) 334-7626 www.episcopalchurch.org Episcopal seat: Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.

The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas A community of 12,000 members in 46 congregations, two diocesan institutions and one school in eastern Kansas. Bishop The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe 835 SW Polk Street, Topeka, KS 66612-1688 (785) 235-9255 (800) 473-3563 www.episcopal-ks.org Episcopal seat: Grace Episcopal Cathedral, Topeka

The light of the Resurrection is always piercing the darkness of Good Friday. And I believe the key to understanding this passage from Revelation is in realizing that if God is making all things new, he is making you new! If God is making all things new, God is making me new. 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. Haven’t you been sensing something? Haven’t you been feeling an unfamiliar wind blowing through your own life, through your own ministry? What did you think that was? Where did you think that Spirit would take you? Where did you think that Spirit would take God’s church? If crisis is the father of opportunity and necessity is the mother of invention, then we are in no shortage of parental help!

Challenges face us Let me outline some of the opportunities by which we are both challenged and blessed. I’m beginning my ninth year as your bishop, and I think I’ve become more and more candid in my leadership over the years! By the ninth year, I can assure you

Photo by Deacon Bob Hirst

that I am speaking the entire, unvarnished truth. So allow me to share these perspective in love and in all Christian candor. We are right up against it at Saint Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Lawrence. A wonderful community of faith, Saint Margaret’s was led by a charismatic rector who made it a cornerstone of his ministry to minimize the importance of the parish’s connection to the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas and its identity as an Episcopal church. When that rector left, there was a large, new and beautiful building, but there also was an unfinished capital campaign and significant debt. A difficult interim period resulted in greater focus for the future but significantly fewer members. And now a smaller parish of deeply committed Episcopalians, led by a very faithful priest, struggles to overcome significant obstacles…and the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas struggles right with it as we try to find the appropriate balance between providing the necessary support and trying to figure out how this important parish can be selfsustaining. We are right up against it in terms of several other parishes in the diocese. Saint Christopher’s in Wichita is in a period of prayerful discernment about its future as a parish, and several other parishes are right on the edge of viability. Shifting population patterns, aging congregations, a lack of local vision (and perhaps not enough hands-on oversight from your bishop) have placed us in a position where we will need to re-evaluate the sustainability of several parishes over the next year or two. Saint Paul’s in Kansas City has a new rector and a fresh

plan for the future, but it won’t to be easy to turn that situation around. Now, am I speaking the truth here in love? We are right up against it in terms of our new church start in Spring Hill. We are excited about the growth and the progress we see the faithful people of Saint Clare’s have made, but they will need to continue to bear more and more of the burden of their expenses so we can move on to plant additional communities of faith.

Crossroads campaign We are right up against it in terms of our capital campaign to raise money for the Kansas School for Ministry. We have approximately $3.4 million raised for the Kansas School for Ministry, which is a significant accomplishment by any standard. At last year’s convention I said, “We are asking every single person in this diocese — every vestry member, every small group, every men’s or women’s group, every altar guild, every deacon, every priest — to help us raise the remaining $3.8 million needed for this effort which will positively affect every single member of this diocese.” But in all honesty, not every single person, not every vestry member, not every small group, not every men’s or women’s group, not every altar guild member, not every deacon and not every priest, has contributed their time, tithe and talents to their fullest capacity to help us reach this crucial goal. We all agree on the goal. We can all see what will happen if we do not train lay leaders, deacons and priests locally for service in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas and beyond. Yet, we (Please see Bishop, page 4)

September/October 2011 • The Harvest • 3

Convention: Call made to become a missional church (Continued from page 1) To respond, Honeychurch said the church must exhibit a new kind of VUCA leadership, one that offers vision, understanding, clarity and agility. Such a church, he said, will be a place of true mission, marked by engagement in the world and intentionally trying to act like Jesus.

Focus on being missional Honeychurch said this new church will be missional instead of institutional. “The institutional church divides life into polarities: holy/ unholy, in/out, sacred/profane, professional/volunteer, clergy/ lay,” he said. It’s also primarily directed toward its own internal workings. By contrast, the missional church, he said, is “radically focused outward” and emphasizes

what he calls a “spirituality of engagement” — how to be part of the communities in which the church finds itself. The missional church isn’t content just to make disciples, those who follow Jesus, he said. It seeks to create apostles, those who are sent out in Jesus’s name. “The operative word for the church in the 21st century has changed from ‘come’ to ‘go,’” he said.

Archbishop Albert Chama, primate of the Anglican Province of Central Africa, was a guest at the convention. His stop in Kansas came after a visit to the House of Bishops’ meeting in Ecuador and between trips to New York and San Francisco. Archbishop Chama is based in Zambia.

Archbishop guest The convention also heard greetings and remarks from the Most Rev. Albert Chama, archbishop of the Anglican Province of Central Africa, headquartered in Zambia. He met Bishop Wolfe last year on a trip to Zambia to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Anglican Church in Zambia. Since then Chama was elected arch-

Photo by Deacon Bob Hirst

bishop of a province that includes 15 dioceses in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. He arrived in Kansas after a stop at the House of Bishops’ meeting in Quito, Ecuador, and between U.S. stops in New York and San Francisco.

KSM graduation In what is becoming a new tradition, those who graduated from the Kansas School for Ministry this spring received their diplomas in a ceremony at the convention. Recognized were Deacon Oliver Bunker, Deacon Beth Drumm and the Rev. Antoinette Tackkett. Diplomas were presented by Bishop Wolfe and KSM coordinator the Rev. Andrew Grosso. Convention also heard a variety of presentations on diocesan ministries. Those included a recap of what’s happening in youth and campus ministries, where Bishop Wolfe noted a significant portion of the diocesan mission plan is spent. There also were presentations on mission work taking place in Haiti and in Kenya.

Actions taken

Photo by Deacon Bob Hirst

Deacon Oliver Bunker (left) receives a framed diploma recognizing his graduation earlier this year from the Kansas School for Ministry. Presenting the diploma is KSM’s coordinator, the Rev. Andrew Grosso (right), as Bishop Dean Wolfe looks on. Hidden behind Bunker is Deacon Beth Drumm and behind Grosso is the Rev. Antoinette Tackkett. Both also are 2011 graduates of KSM.

Lay and clergy delegates also undertook the business side of convention with a variety of actions. In the only contested election, the Rev. Betty Glover, Trinity, Arkansas City and Grace, Winfield, was elected to serve a three-year at-large term on the Council of

Convention action Elected:  Margaret LaRue and the Rev. Betty Glover to atlarge terms on the Council of Trustees  Janine Cox, Philip Davidson,Glenn HortonSmith and the Rev. Dawn Frankfurt to unexpired terms on the Disciplinary Board Affirmed:  The Revs. Gar Demo, Tom Miles, Steve Mues and Bill Wolff as convocation clergy members of the Council of Trustees Adopted:  The proposed mission plan (budget) for 2012 in the amount of $1,874,248  The debatable resolution calling on General Convention to continue support for the Millennium Development Goals Trustees. Margaret LaRue, Grace Cathedral, Topeka, ran for the lay at-large seat unopposed. Also unopposed were people seeking unexpired terms on the Disciplinary Board: Janine Cox, Philip Davidson, Glenn HortonSmith and the Rev. Dawn Frankfurt. After a presentation by Treasurer Doug Anning on the proposed mission plan, or budget, for 2012, it was adopted. The total approved was $1,874,248, along with a schedule of mission shares to fund it. The only debatable resolution presented also was adopted. It encourages next year’s General Convention to maintain its commitment and funding for the Millennium Development Goals. 

Refugees: First group will come from war-torn Burma (Continued from page 1) So far Flynn and Orr have organized the steering committee that has arranged for office space and is hiring an executive director and a part-time case worker. They also are developing a website and Facebook page to share information about the agency. Bishop Dean Wolfe conducted a news conference Oct. 29 to introduce EWARM to the Wichita community. Since initial refugees are expected to come from the Southeast Asian nation of Burma (also called Myanmar), the news conference took place during Wichita’s Asian Festival, which highlights the rich heritage of the region’s Indochinese residents.

Fleeing persecution Flynn said all those coming to Wichita under this program are not immigrants but refugees — people who have been forced to flee their homes because of violence caused by ethnic, political and religious persecution, and who often end up in refugee camps along a country’s border. In the case of the Burmese nationals EWARM expects to welcome, Flynn said many have lived in camps for as long as

Want to help? People across the diocese can help the new Episcopal Wichita Area Refugee Ministry welcome Burmese refugees who will be coming to Wichita in 2012. Needs include:  Help with transportation  Companionship  Welcome baskets  Home furnishings  Supplying a kitchen If interested in becoming an EWARM “ambassador,” contact Peg Flynn at peg.flynn@ewarm.org or (316) 641-7686.

Volunteers can provide welcome Flynn said to make this work, however, EWARM is seeking “ambassadors” — members of Episcopal churches across the diocese who want to help welcome these new residents of Kansas. She said those living near Wichita might sign up to provide transportation to medical appointments, for example, or to other needed appointments. Other Episcopalians can put together welcome baskets for the refugee families, or could agree to help furnish a room in their new residences.

Seeing Christ in others two decades and thus have been given priority status for resettlement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She said as many as 150 Burmese refugees could arrive each year in Wichita, although EWARM will be responsible for only some of them. The agency is receiving funding through EMM to assist refugees for up to 90 days with needs such as housing, furnishings, clothing, food, assistance in applying for Social Security cards, medical screenings, English language instruction and job placement.

Flynn said that EWARM has been guided from the start by the Christian value of hospitality. “Our identity is tied to offering aid to the outsider” she said. “Our Christian mandate speaks clearly on this. ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’” Loya said that for years Episcopal Migration Ministries has helped local congregations “live into our biblical mandate to welcome the stranger and our baptismal promise to respect the dignity of every human being by offering compassion and practical support to individuals and families who are victims of political oppression.”

He said, “The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas should be proud that there is a group working to help welcome those refugees into our midst with the compassion of Christ himself.” Flynn said this effort also is aligned with the Millennium Development Goals, an eight-prong effort to reduce global poverty and hunger that has received strong support from the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Kansas. She noted that many Burmese refugees have been homeless since 1988, when the military regime of Myanmar violently cracked down on an emerging democratic movement. She said, “The worst circumstances in the U.S. and particularly Wichita are so far better than the most depressed and tyrannized parts of the world.” She also noted that the Wichita immigrant community is supporting EWARM’s efforts. The Sunflower Action Group, an agency that serves immigrants, many of whom are Hispanic, was the first agency to offer assistance to new Burmese refugees. A representative from the group told Flynn, “Our families may not have the means to do much, but we can make sure they have a hot meal ready to welcome them when they arrive.” 

4 • The Harvest • September/October 2011

Bishop: Challenges are ahead, but ministries are flourishing (Continued from page 2) have not yet sacrificed equally to achieve what we have said we believe God is calling us to do. That being said, there is still is time to push through to reach our goals, and I will be talking to every leader of every parish to make certain this opportunity does not slip through our grasp. I have said it before and I will say it again. There is no more important priority for this diocese, and there is nothing that should push this initiative to the side burner in your parish. We are one church in 46 locations in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, and we really need to begin acting like an Episcopal Church and not like some loosely connected confederation of autonomous, independently-led congregations. We have seen the results of that attitude; we know as much about that as any diocese in the Anglican Communion — most notably from our experiences at Christ Church, Overland Park — and we know that it does not lead to “a new heaven and a new earth.” You see, parishes live or die because of faithful, skilled, gifted leadership, and in a world when God is “making all things new,” we cannot cling to old patterns of decay and death. We are right up against it in terms of our diocesan mission plan. I honestly believe we have assembled the finest diocesan staff to serve the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. That may be bragging, but as we used to say in Texas, “It isn’t bragging if you can do it.” I often say that, as a diocese, we compete regularly and successfully above our weight class. And I believe you would need to look at dioceses with much deeper resources (and many more staff members) to find a diocese offering more effective support to parishes and missions. But given changes in the economy and the inability of several parishes to contribute their budgeted mission share, we just don’t have the level of financial support from our parishes to maintain this level of service. We will need to creatively rethink what we are doing as a diocese and how we can best serve the needs of our parishes and our people, while remaining within the constraints of our resources. We should not, and we will not, continue to spend more than we take in. Diocesan operations consistently operate under budget, but we’ve been consistently receiving less than our budgeted amounts. This year’s budget is the last budget that will leverage our endowments so significantly, and the Finance Committee, working with the Council of Trustees, will be creating innovative ways to more carefully utilize our precious resources. If “all things are being made new,” then every structure, every old way of doing things, will need to be reevaluated, reviewed and revolutionized. We join the wider Episcopal Church and virtually every other diocese I know of as we undertake these changes. At the House of Bishops meeting in Quito, there was not a bishop in the room who wasn’t either working through a re-organization, in the midst of planning one, or working at the end of having made such a transition. The Church Center, both in New York and in offices around the globe, has undergone massive change and continues to be adapted to more effectively provide mission and ministry in Christ’s name around the world.

rewarded by our involvement in this place and to be reminded that we are the ministry. Episcopal Church in Ecuador, we’re the Here’s an example of a little bragEpiscopal Church in Colombia, we’re ging. A 12,000-member diocese with 46 the Episcopal Church in Taiwan, and churches in the middle of Kansas has we’re the Episcopal Church in Kansas, given more than $1 million in aid, in Northern California, Texas, Montana and care, and in time, tithe and talent, to the Oklahoma. Archdiocese of Kenya in the past year. You won’t find much of that money in our Same-gender blessings diocesan budget, I’ll tell you! Well, we’ve got a long way to go. At This generosity was made possible this next General Convention we will through the collaborative work, that’s struggle with the issue of same-gender the hard work of individuals, lay leaders, blessings. This diocese is not of one mind deacons and priests, who are committed on that topic, but I believe we are of one to sharing God’s love with the world. And heart. We have worked for many years that is something truly extraordinary! to try to find accommodations for people We have a number of parishes in the with a variety of thoughts on this topic. diocese comI have said mitted to work it is the role of in Haiti, the If “all things are being made the Episcopal poorest country Diocese of new,” then every structure, Kansas to be in our hemisphere, the in the midst of every old way of doing things, the church. As largest diocese in the Episcopal will need to be reevaluated, I have shared Church and a previously, I reviewed and revolutionized. country in great believe my need. We have predecessor a long tradition acted outside of mission in that country and we must the authority of the office of bishop in redouble our efforts because they need moving before the wider church had Photo by Melodie Woerman our help now more than ever. reached consensus on this topic. But I Bishop Dean Wolfe at the conclusion of the We’re going to have to be streamlined will make certain we do not move behind Eucharist at Diocesan Convention. and organized in order to do every bit as the church, either. much in Haiti as we’ve been able to do in This diocese will move in sync with the past several years in Kenya. the rest of the Episcopal Church, and in The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, I communication with the Anglican Comwould be quick to say, has always, and Honor of being VP munion. often sacrificially, given our full mission Other than being elected the Bishop These will be difficult things to sort share of 21 percent to the wider church of Kansas, probably the greatest honor out, and I look forward to our Gatherfor mission and ministry. But I think I’ve ever received is being elected by the ing of Presbyters meeting in a couple of we’re all wondering, is this the best posweeks, to have a conversation with the sible allocation of resources, and are there House of Bishops to serve as Vice President of the House. presbyters about the policies we will try better ways to expend this money? That office has given me the opportuto implement if the General Convention The Church Center staff is working nity to travel to a variety of places includ- approves these blessings. very hard and very sincerely on finding ing Zambia, where I first met Bishop We know where we’re headed. The creative solutions to these questions, Chama before he was even an archbishquestion is, how many people can we and I will be working with them as we op! I had a chance to see the vibrancy of bring along? How much accommodation struggle to find out way through these the Anglican Church in Zambia as they can we create for those who disagree? questions. I am completely confident celebrated 100 years of the ministry of How much safety can we provide for God will continue to raise us to new and the Anglican Church in that country. And those who have waited for far too long to abundant life in Christ. you could see it. You could feel it. Those receive blessings from the Church? And Extraordinary ministries people were on fire for Christ, and it was how can we comfort those who feel the Now, we have some extraordinary contagious. Church is making a terrible mistake in ministries in the diocese. I think most of I spent time this summer in the town taking any of these actions? you know these, but let me take just a of Maai Mahiu in Kenya with Fr. Michael As bishop I’m going to stay up late moment to talk about some of the things I Bell and Fr. Andrew O ‘Connor, along and get up early because I believe the think we do very well. with a number of our college students, Holy Spirit’s guidance will be the thing If you look at the mission plan for this working with Kenyan college students. that leads us through. year, you will find that a lot of the money And they almost killed your bishop! Postures of a bishop we spend as a diocese collectively goes They were building stone houses, and I I read an article not long ago by to youth and campus ministries. We have am growing too old to be building stone a real emphasis on young people in this houses! But what an extraordinary experi- Martin Smith about the three postures of a bishop, and he took his inspiration from diocese. I believe we have an extraordience it was! walking around Washington, D.C. nary staff doing extraordinary work in We were reminded of the love and the He said the bishop is seated, not unlike these areas. bonds of affection that we share in the F.D.R. seated in his wheelchair. Seated, We’re also beginning to recognize, Anglican Communion. We may disagree the bishop is in communication with I think, the international character not on all kinds of things, we may live in God’s people. Seated the bishop teaches only of the Episcopal Church but even very different cultures, but we love one and the bishop listens. the Diocese of Kansas. We may be a long another. Then the bishop is standing, much like way from the coasts, but there’s nowhere I was in York, England, meeting with the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memoriyou can go in Kansas where you won’t the bishops and lay leaders of the Church al. The bishop has a particular perspective hear Spanish spoken or where you won’t of England, along with the Archbishop and stands to speak, stands to oversee, hear other languages from around the of Canterbury and his staff, and I was reglobe spoken when people from other minded of the very important connections stands to be prophetic. And then Martin Smith walked by the parts of the world gather around. we have to the Anglican Communion and Holocaust Museum, and he was reminded The Episcopal Church in Kansas will to our brothers and sisters in our mother there are times when the bishop is silent. need to be more and more attuned to this country. It can truly be said that in the new wave of immigrants, because we Anglican Communion we are of very dif- The bishop is silent in prayer and in meditation. The bishop is silent in reflecbelieve we are deeply welcoming, and we ferent minds…but of the same heart. tion and listening. believe we have something with which to This past week in Quito, Ecuador, Dr. And Martin remembered that it was welcome these newcomers. Don Compier, who is with us today, was Irenaeus who once said, “Be very afraid The K2K program is a very excitspeaking before the House of Bishops when the bishop is silent, because you ing model for international mission. It’s explaining liberation theology and Latin Kansas to Kenya and Kenya to Kansas American theology to a House of Bishops never know what will come of that.” — K2K. We give generously to them, meeting outside of the bishops’ comfort and they give generously to us in return. zone. It was an extraordinary experience (Please see Bishop, page 5) The Diocese of Kansas has been richly to see that very vibrant church in that

September/October 2011 • The Harvest • 5

Convention awards honor outstanding service

hree people received coveted awards during the annual banquet at Diocesan Convention Sept. 23. Each one recognizes a person or persons in each order — lay, priest and deacon — for exemplary service. Deacon Patsy Abshier received the Archdeacons’ Cross award, presented annually by Archdeacons Monte Giddings and Charles Pearce to recognize contributions made by a deacon. Abshier recently retired from St. John’s, Wichita; she also had served at St. James’ in Wichita. The award consists of a silver Celtic cross and chain. The Rev. Art Rathbun received the Canon’s Award from the diocese’s Canon to the Ordinary, the Rev. Craig Loya. It goes each year to a priest being recognized for exemplary service. Rathbun serves as vicar of St. Mark’s, Blue Rapids and St. Paul’s, Marysville, and supply priest at Church of the Covenant, Junction City. The award is an engraved plaque that features a military cannon, a play on the award’s name. Gery Schoenrock was presented the Bishop’s Chair Award

by Bishop Dean Wolfe, which acknowledges outstanding contributions by a lay person. Schoenrock, a member of the Church of the Covenant in Junction City, recently completed his service on the Council of Trustees, including terms as president. The award is a wooden rocking chair with the seal of the diocese engraved on the back.

Canon’s Award, given to a priest: The Very Rev. Jerry Adinolfi (2004); the Rev. Ron Peak (2005); the Rev. Jim Mitchell and the Rev. Steve Mues (2006); the Rev. Kelley Lackey (2007); the Rev.

Andrew Grosso (2008); the Very Rev. Steve Lipscomb (2009); the Rev. Sharon Billman and the Rev. Janet Chubb (2010) Bishop’s Chair Award, given to a lay person: Bob Skaggs (2004); Doug An-

ning, Larry Bingham and Frank Taylor (2005); Carol Connizzo (2006); Mike Morrow (2007); Richard Foote (2008); Art Griggs (2009); Jerry Malone (2010) — Melodie Woerman 

Started in 2004 These awards initially were given at the Diocesan Convention in 2004, the first after Bishop Wolfe assumed office, and have been give at each Diocesan Convention since then. By tradition, the recipients doesn’t know he or she will receive the award until the name is called during the presentation. Here are the previous recipients for each of the awards. Archdeacons’ Cross Award, given to a deacon: Deacon Keith Akins (2004); Deacon John Heckert (2005); Deacon Bob Hirst (2006); Archdeacon Jim Upton, posthumously (2007); Deacon Suzi Drury (2008); Deacon Steve Segebrecht (2009); Deacon Gail Reynolds (2010)

Photo by Melodie Woerman

Deacon Patsy Abshier (center) speaks after receiving the Archdeacons’ Cross Award from Archdeacons Charles Pearce (left) and Monte Giddings. The award recognizes service by a deacon.

Photo by Melodie Woerman

The Rev. Art Rathbun (right) holds the Canon’s Award after receiving it from Canon to the Ordinary the Rev. Craig Loya. The award honors service in the past year by a priest of the diocese.

Photo by Deacon Bob Hirst

Gery Schoenrock (left) receives congratulations from Bishop Dean Wolfe after receiving the Bishop’s Chair Award. The award recognizes service to the diocese by a lay person.

Bishop: Sabbatical is planned for end of this year (Continued from page 4)

Sabbatical later this year I will be taking a sabbatical at the end of this year where I plan to spend some time in silence, and I will tell you more about these plans as they become clearer. But I believe there are times for bishops to sit and teach and communicate. You have seen me engaged in this process quite often over the past eight years. There are times when bishops must stand and proclaim sometimes very difficult things. In these next couple of years, I hope you will hear such proclamations coming from my office more frequently.

But I trust you will also pray with me when I am silent, when I have not yet made up my mind or when I do not yet feel that the Spirit has moved, so that we can go collaboratively together, moving in sync with one another.

Coming forth boldly When Jesus called Lazarus from that dark tomb, he had no doubt that his friend would come staggering out into the bright sunlight, still wrapped in his burial linens. “Come forth! Come forth!” It was a bold call. We are coming forth in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas — in committed youth ministries, in creative

campus ministries, in a bold church plant, in very creative ministries done in every parish in this diocese — Bible studies, worship, music, children’s ministries, youth ministries, outreach ministries, feeding ministries, conflict resolution, strategic planning, and through better and deeper stewardship. “And the one who is seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’” The light of the Resurrection is always piercing the darkness of Good Friday. And the key to understanding this passage of scripture is the realization that if God is making all things new, he is making

you new. If God is making all things new, it means God is making me new. 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 Episcopal Diocese of Kansas and every single parish, and every single mission and person within it. Thanks be to God. Amen. The full text of Bishop Wolfe’s remarks to Diocesan Convention is available on the bishop’s section of the diocesan website, www.episcopal-ks.org/bishop, under the “Sermons and Addresses” tab. 

6 • The Harvest • September/October 2011

   

Many parishes in the diocese commemorate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on Oct. 4 with special Blessing of the Animals services near that date. Many provide a special medal or bandana the pet can wear to recall the event. Others add blessings of shelter animals or even petting zoo animals to those given to pets. Some parishes use the occasion to collect money or pet food to support the work of community animal shelters. All find the occasion to be a helpful if sometimes noisy celebration of the way animals enrich our lives. Here are a few photos of blessings from around the diocese.

The Rev. Susan Sawyer holds Angel, a chicken belonging to Craig Regnier, during the animal blessing at St. Paul’s, Clay Center.

John Nicholas holds his cat, Bonita, while she receives a blessing from the Rev. Tom Wilson at St. Andrew’s, Bugsy, a British bulldog owned by Deacon Steve Segebrecht, sports a special bandana made by the people of Trinity, Lawrence.

Derby.

Communications survey seeks your opinions

he Office of Communications of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas is undertaking a survey of how people use the various communications tools offered. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. All responses will be kept anonymous and confidential. The survey also is available online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Ks CommSurvey. The link also is on the diocesan website, www.episcopal-ks.org If you take the survey online, you don’t need to complete a paper copy. Send completed surveys to: Survey The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas 835 SW Polk St. Topeka, KS 66612-1688

1. Which of these diocesan communications tools do you use? (Check all that apply) ○ The Harvest (bimonthly print newspaper; also posted online) ○ DioLog (biweekly electronic newsletter) ○ Website ○ Facebook page ○ Twitter feed

6. If you don’t regularly read The Harvest, why not? (Check all that apply) ○ I’m not on the mailing list. ○ The content doesn’t interest me. ○ I don’t like the format. ○ I don’t have time to read it. ○ Other (please specify) 7. If you read The Harvest, either in print or online, which things are of the most interest to you? (Check all that apply) ○ News/features about parishes in the diocese ○ News/features about people in the diocese ○ Bishop Wolfe’s column ○ News of diocesan committees, agencies or institutions ○ “Around the diocese” news briefs from parishes ○ News about diocesanwide ministries (examples: stewardship, outreach, youth, campus ministry) ○ National news ○ International news ○ “Sharing the Good News” reflection ○ Calendar ○ Other (please specify)

website? (Check one) ○ Daily ○ Weekly ○ Monthly ○ Occasionally ○ Never 12. If you never visit the diocesan website, why not? (Check all that apply) ○ I don't regularly use the Internet. ○ I didn’t know there was a website. ○ The content isn’t interesting or useful to me. ○ Other (please specify) 13. What content on the diocesan website do you regularly use? (Check all that apply) ○ Diocesan calendar ○ Bishop’s visitation calendar ○ Cycle of prayer ○ News ○ Forms ○ Policies ○ Crossroads campaign ○ Youth ○ Campus ministry ○ Kansas School for Ministry ○ Development and stewardship ○ Deployment information ○ Ordination preparation information ○ About the diocese ○ About the Episcopal Church ○ About Bishop Wolfe ○ Diocesan canons and constitution ○ Other (please specify)

2. How often do you read the print version of The Harvest? (Check one) ○ Every issue ○ Frequently ○ Sometimes ○ Never ○ I read it online but not in print

8. What is your overall satisfaction with The Harvest? (Check one) ○ Very satisfied ○ Somewhat satisfied ○ Neutral ○ Somewhat dissatisfied ○ Very dissatisfied

3. If you read The Harvest online, how often do you read it? (Check one) ○ Sometimes ○ Frequently ○ Every issue

9. How often do you read DioLog, which comes into your email inbox? (Check one) ○ Every issue ○ Frequently ○ Sometimes ○ Never ○ I don’t receive it ○ I read it online but not via email

14. Do you find information on the diocesan Facebook page to be: (Check all that apply) ○ Interesting ○ Relevant ○ Helpful ○ Pointless ○ I never use it ○ No opinion

10. Do you find the information in DioLog to be: (Check one) ○ Essential ○ Very helpful ○ Somewhat helpful ○ Not helpful ○ No opinion

15. Do you find information on the diocesan Twitter feed to be: (Check all that apply) ○ Interesting ○ Relevant ○ Helpful ○ Pointless ○ I never use it ○ No opinion

4. If you read The Harvest in print, do you also read it online (even occasionally)? ○ Yes ○ No 5. Do you find the information in The Harvest generally to be: (Check one) ○ Essential ○ Very helpful ○ Somewhat helpful ○ Not helpful ○ No opinion

11. How often do you visit the diocesan

16. What is the diocese doing really well in communications? (Please specify)

17. What is the diocese doing less well in communications? (Please specify)

18. Is there anything else related to communications in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas you’d like to share?

In order to determine how our communications tools are reaching people, please provide a few basic demographic details. 19. Are you: ○ Male ○ Female 20. Are you: ○ A lay person ○ A clergy person 21. What is your age? ○ Under 25 ○ 25-30 ○ 30-35 ○ 35-45 ○ 45-55 ○ 55-65 ○ 65-75 ○ Over 75 22. In what convocation do you attend church? ○ Northeast (churches in Atchison, Edwardsville, Kansas City, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Mission, Olathe, Ottawa, Overland Park, Shawnee and Spring Hill) ○ Northwest (churches in Abilene, Blue Rapids, Clay Center, Emporia, Holton, Junction City, Manhattan, Marysville, Topeka and Wamego) ○ Southeast (churches in Chanute, Coffeyville, Galena, Independence, Iola, Neodesha, Parsons, Pittsburg, Sedan and Yates Center) ○ Southwest (churches in Arkansas City, Derby, El Dorado, Newton, Wellington, Wichita and Winfield) ○ I live outside the Diocese of Kansas

September/October 2011 • The Harvest • 7

Food pantries see record numbers needing help last year. According to Development Director Shannon Wedge, the food sack program alone has doubled since 2010, and now expects to help more than 700 people this year. It, too, is experiencing a shortage of food because of the growing demand.

By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest

he three major food pantries in the diocese report record numbers of people coming for food assistance, which has left them scrambling for enough food to help those who come to them. The three are at St. Paul’s, Kansas City; Trinity, Lawrence; and Episcopal Social Services in Wichita. The largest of the three is at St. Paul’s, which stands in the center of a neighborhood that includes some of the poorest areas in the state. It’s open twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and it reports up to a 20 percent increase in people coming for assistance since last fall. That number is double and sometimes triple what the pantry saw just 15 months ago, reflecting the ongoing economic downturn and the steady erosion of buying power being felt by families. Deacon Gail Reynolds, who helps coordinate the pantry, said St. Paul’s now is helping to feed about 1,000 a people a month, with upwards of 120 families stopping by each week. As they tie or set records for people helped, it’s putting a strain on pantry resources. The Rev. Dixie Junk, St. Paul’s

First-time and returnees

Photo by Deacon Gail Reynolds

A man who lives in the neighborhood is entered into the database at the food pantry at St. Paul’s, Kansas City, by volunteer Lee Smith of St. Aidan’s, Olathe,before shopping for items the pantry has available.

priest in charge, said, “We can’t keep the shelves stocked, and monetary donations are down this year.” Contributions aren’t even keeping up with costs, she said. Reynolds said that with the holidays approaching, she expects the numbers seeking help only to rise, and her contact with other food agencies in the Kansas City-area indicate all of them are struggling to obtain enough food to help all the people who are seeking aid. The Trinity Interfaith Food Pantry, cosponsored by Trinity, Lawrence, and four other churches, served 885 people in August,

according to Barry Molineux, coordinator of volunteers. That’s the highest number of patrons ever and a 150 percent increase from just a year ago. In late September the pantry experienced a shortage of both food and money to buy more, but an appeal to Trinity parishioners helped purchase needed items through Harvesters, the area’s major food bank in Kansas City. Episcopal Social Services, a diocesan service agency in Wichita, offers emergency food sacks to supplement its daily hot meal program, and both have seen increases of about 45 percent over

Officials at all three pantries said some people are coming for help after an absence of several months. Reynolds said one recent day at St. Paul’s saw three people stop in who hadn’t been there for 18 months. All of them had different reasons for needing to return, she said, but none of them were “good news.” Molineux said Trinity also is seeing an increase in people returning after a year away, as well as more coming for the first time. “Many of our patrons have said they are having difficulty stretching their dollars, while others have said that they are not able to find employment,” he said. Wedge said ESS serves many people with a very low income and some with no income at all. One client said the food sack helped get him through while waiting for a disability check to arrive, “since he said he had no other options at the moment,” Wedge said.

WANT TO HELP? The food pantries featured use donations to purchase items not provided through donations. To make a contribution, send a check to the church or agency listed and mark “food pantry” on the memo line. Send contributions to: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 1300 N. 18th St. Kansas City, KS 66102 Trinity Episcopal Church 1011 Vermont St. Lawrence, KS 66044-2921 Episcopal Social Services 1005 East 2nd St. Wichita, KS 67214

Demand will grow All three pantries said they expect the need to grow and supplies of food to remain tight. St. Paul’s publishes a weekly list that shows what food items are most in need. At ESS, Executive Director Dr. Barbara Andres said they can fill a sack for only $12. All said financial contributions, as well as new supplies of food and household items would be welcome. “The need around here doesn’t take a holiday,” Reynolds said. 

Overland Park parish breaks ground for expansion By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest

Photo by Connie Snyder

Members of St. Thomas, Overland Park, on Oct. 16 stand ready with shovels to begin the ceremonial groundbreaking for the church’s expansion project.

t. Thomas, Overland Park, conducted a ceremonial groundbreaking Oct. 16 for an expansion to its facilities that will provide it with needed room for fellowship and ministries. The building at 123rd and Antioch Road in populous Johnson County will undergo its first major expansion since it was built in 1987. Plans call for construction of a new narthex (worship area entryway), along with a new parish hall that will seat 400 people, an expanded kitchen, new restrooms, a larger sacristy to store vestments, and additional parking. According to the parish’s rector, the Rev. Gar Demo, parish members so far have contributed more than $1.6 million of the expected total of $2.8 million needed to complete the project, through an extensive capital campaign. Additional money is expected to come in until construction begins in March. Demo said the project should be completed by December of next year. Parish members knew the existing facilities weren’t large enough to accommodate the growing parish, which now has the fourth-largest average Sunday attendance of the 46 congregations in the Diocese of Kansas. In 2010 members participated in a long range planning process that identified building needs that were hampering the parish’s existing ministries. The proposed plan resulted from work done by a local architectural firm in response. The new space not only will provide for more opportunities to gather in fellowship, it also will offer visitors and new members a greater sense of welcome. In materials produced for the fund drive, parish leaders said the expansion will “accommodate the needs of both our current members as well as new and future ones,” Bishop Dean Wolfe participated in the ground-

breaking ceremony, along with the parish clergy and acolytes. Members of the congregation lined up along what will be the perimeter of the new expansion, each holding shovels to participate in a corporate turning of the earth. An all-parish party sponsored by the stewardship team followed the ceremony.

Derby church unveils expansion plans The vestry of St. Andrew’s, Derby, recently authorized the parish to undertake a fund drive of about $230,000 to expand its building. Like its sister church in Overland Park, St. Andrew’s lacks adequate kitchen and parish hall space. They have trouble providing even basic gatherings like coffee hour, according to senior warden Debbie Oehmke. The small kitchen barely has room for two people, the dishwasher is 35 years old, and the room lacks much-needed storage, she said. Some people report that the crowded fellowship area keeps them from staying for coffee hour. Plans call for an enlarged and remodeled kitchen, along with additional space in the Guild Hall to provide banquet-style seating for 120 people. The space would also get a needed makeover. The parking lot also would be expanded. The last time the building underwent remodeling was about 10 years ago, she said. Oehmke said a new kitchen will make the parish’s outreach efforts, like its Saturday sandwich give-away, operate more efficiently. The congregation also hopes to make its new facilities available to people in the community, including the possibility of providing cooking classes for local Girl Scout troops and other groups. Oehmke said the congregation soon will begin a fundraising drive to pay for the project, since it doesn’t want to undertake too much debt. The parish is in good financial shape, she said, and is paying off an existing loan early 

8 • The Harvest • September/October 2011

Around the diocese  St. John’s, Abilene observed All Saints Day on Nov. 1, with a “chillin’ with the saints” chili supper from 5:30 – 7 p.m.  Trinity, Arkansas City hosted its annual taco salad supper Oct. 17, as a parish fundraiser. They even provided a carry-out option for those needing to dine on the run.  St. Mark’s, Blue Rapids resumed its participation in the BackSnack program this fall, with packs being filled every Thursday afternoon.  Grace, Chanute undertook an all-parish clean-up day Sept. 10. Besides providing a general scrubbing inside and out, workers also took down a privacy fence that was in bad repair.  St. Paul’s, Clay Center continues its outreach to the hungry by providing manpower for monthly food distributions through the Harvesters of Kansas City food bank: the Mobile Food Pantry in a local parking lot and Commodities Distribution for Seniors in the parish hall.  St. Paul’s, Coffeyville members enjoyed the annual picnic Sept. 11 on the church lawn, to celebrate the start of a new Sunday school year. The picnic followed church services that morning.  St. Andrew’s, Derby collects a variety of needed items to distribute to those in need in the community, including used eyeglasses, used cell phones, hygiene items, non-perishable food, gently used household items and clothing for students.  St. Martin’s, Edwardsville observed the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with a special candlelight service. People living in the surrounding area received

a special postcard invitation to the service.  Trinity, El Dorado offers members two weekly Bible study classes: one on Tuesday morning led by Deacon Jane Ware that is studying the Letter to the Hebrews, and another on Sunday mornings led by Clay Calhoun, studying the Gospel of Luke.  St. Andrew’s, Emporia has a new nursery set-up to make Sunday mornings more enjoyable and secure for youngster and parents. A paid staffer is on hand, and parents receive pagers to alert them of any emergencies that arise.  St. Thomas’, Holton now provides a “book corner” in its monthly newsletter, where members can share information about uplifting books they’ve read.  Covenant, Junction City helped celebrate the parish’s 152nd anniversary Sept. 25 by collecting at least 152 pounds of food for the local food pantry.  St. Paul’s, Kansas City participated in “Funday Sunday” Aug. 14 with an ice cream social for the Historic Westheight Neighborhood Association. The fundraiser also included food, music, activities, games and raffles.  St. Margaret’s, Lawrence welcomed eight new acolytes with an additional training event Oct. 23.  Trinity, Lawrence offered its second annual parish-participation bicycle ride Oct. 15, including a ride to nearby Clinton Lake and lunch. The event was sponsored by the Trinity Environmental Stewardship Team.  St. Paul’s, Leavenworth offers members the chance to exercise pastoral care through greeting

cards by providing assorted cards and the names of those who’d appreciate a greeting.  St. Paul’s, Manhattan offered a spiritual gifts workshop on Saturday, Nov. 5, for area Episcopalians. It was presented by the Rev. Tom Miles and the parish’s Evangelism Committee.  St. Paul’s, Marysville hosted its annual “pie in the sky” fundraiser Sept. 18 and sought donations of pies from members.  St. Michael’s, Mission will offer a culinary trip to the Pacific Northwest when the clergy of the parish (and spouses) cook for a special fundraiser Nov. 12. Along with an auction, proceeds will benefit local and international outreach projects.  St. Matthew’s, Newton offers a service of “Evening Song and Healing Prayers” one Sunday a month through the fall and again in May. Worship is based on the Taize model and includes candlelight and periods of silence, as well as music.  St. Aidan’s, Olathe is launching a new “visual and digital media ministry” team that will record and edit the weekly worship services, do video inventories of building contents and create video clips for use on the parish website.  Grace, Ottawa honored area first responders on Sept. 11. Two fire fighters stopped by for a special blessing before the start of worship services that morning.  St. Thomas, Overland Park had an all-parish hayride Sept. 25, complete with campfire hot dogs, s’mores and drinks. Side dishes brought by participants rounded out the fall menu.  St. John’s, Parsons distributed

Charitable gift annuity can help the giver By Char DeWitt Question: Have you considered making a financial gift to your parish or to the diocese, while at the same time needing to increase the amount of your income each year? Solution: Consider using low interest-bearing CDs or money market accounts to fund a charitable gift annuity (CGA). Here’s how it works. You make a gift of cash, designate your parish, diocese or any other Episcopal entity as a beneficiary of the gift, and you then receive a guaranteed income for the rest of your or your spouse’s life. Once you make your gift, you can’t outlive the income, and the income is not affected by the fluctuations of the marketplace or interest rate changes. If you itemize, you may be eligible for a tax deduction in the year you make the gift. And a portion of your income payment is free of federal income taxes. For example: a woman aged 75, donating $25,000, could expect to receive $1,625.04 of

yearly income for the remainder of her life, or a 6.5 percent return. This compares to current CD rates yielding 1.15 percent, or about $287.50 of yearly income. In this example, 76 percent of the CGA income would be excluded from income taxes, and if the donor was able to itemize and was in the 25 percent tax bracket, she may be able to exclude $9,571 from taxable income, potentially saving $2,393. The income is backed by The Episcopal Church Foundation and is fixed for life. You can also fund your CGA with marketable securities. This strategy has helped many Kansas Episcopalians increase their income and the amount designated for parishes and the diocese. If you would like to learn more about this possibility, contact me at (785) 250-0060 or cdewitt@ episcopal-ks.org. Of course, always consult your tax adviser for information about your specific situation. Char DeWitt is director of development and stewardship for the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. 

Year B commentary now available The final installment of the three-year cycle of “A Lector’s Guide and Commentary” has been released by St. Mark’s Press, just in time for the start of liturgical Year B. For those who read scripture during worship, the commentaries provide greater understanding of the texts, to help people read the lessons with meaning but without theatricality. Copies can be ordered at www.stmarkspress.com or by calling (800) 365-0439. St. Mark’s Press is a ministry of Good Shepherd, Wichita. 

small, handheld wooden crosses to all Vestry members to use as a prayer tool during meetings.  St. Peter’s, Pittsburg is creating a parish garden in an enclosed space behind the church. Already the ground has been cleared, elevations and drainage corrected and stone terrace walls steps have been built. A stone Jerusalem cross will stand in the middle.  St. Luke’s, Shawnee now is serving dinner once a month to people in need in Olathe through the Johnson County Food Ministry, which is a multi-church outreach supported by Episcopal Community Services.  Grace Cathedral, Topeka has begun replacing the flooring in the cathedral nave. Worn and stretched carpet is being replaced by stone tile in the side aisles near the front of the church, with new carpet in the back section of the aisles.  St. Luke’s, Wamego hosted a Halloween Café Oct. 31 from 5-7 p.m., providing hot dogs and chips to those who stopped by, along with a cookie snack bag.  Good Shepherd, Wichita men’s group did all the cooking

at its annual steak dinner Oct. 8. The event offered people a respite from having to “wrangle their own dinner.”  St. Bartholomew’s, Wichita continues to distribute free clothing once a month through its giveaway program.  St. James’, Wichita offers a special group for young adults in their 20s and 30s. The group meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. for dinner, fun and fellowship. It’s open to people from surrounding Episcopal churches, too.  St. John’s, Wichita is getting to know the parish’s new priest, the Rev. Earl Mahan, through monthly catered Sunday luncheons at the church.  St. Stephen’s, Wichita offers a worship service at Larksfield Place Nursing Home. The twicea-month service now draws 15 people, and it’s growing.  Grace, Winfield so far this year thought its Outreach Fund has helped 67 families with a total of nearly $12,000 in assistance. Aid went to help with rent, utilities, food and gas, among other needs. 

September/October 2011 • The Harvest • 9

People

Kansan talks theology at the fall House of Bishops meeting Focusing on English theologians from the late 19th century through Archbishop Temple’s time in the mid-20th century, Compier told his audience that “their significant work on behalf of the poor emerged from the way that they were regularly transformed through their participation in the sacraments,” where the power of the presence of God is available to everyone, regardless of their wealth or position in life.

By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest

hen Dr. Don Compier prepared to address the meeting of the House of Bishop in September, the experience was made a little less daunting when he saw former seminary students of his among the group, including Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. Compier, who now teaches at the Methodist Who isn’t here? Church’s Saint Paul School Compier said that when of Theology in Kansas City, he participates in what he Mo., previously taught calls the “Eucharistic extheology at the Episcopal Dr. Don Compier periment in equality,” he Church Divinity School of the Pacific, where Bishop Jefferts Schori and tries to ask himself who isn’t at the communion Edward Konieczny, now the bishop of Oklahoma, table. “Who is supposed to be here but isn’t? Why aren’t they here? Have they been invited? Do they had taken his classes. He had been asked to speak to the bishops at or would they feel welcome?” He said, “If we are rooted in God we will eftheir fall meeting in Quito, Ecuador, on the topic “Spiritual Foundation for Prophetic Proclamation fectually embrace all of God’s people, the majority of whom live in dire depravation today.” to the Least.” Compier said that in his time at the meeting he also wanted to praise the bishops for their support of Anglican roots of liberation theology Compier, who is a member at St. Michael and the Millennium Development Goals as well as their All Angels in Mission, explored the Anglican roots recent statements on topics including immigration of liberation theology and described a long tradition and unemployment. “Our leaders are reminding us” of church leaders working on behalf of causes like of these needs, he said, “and we have to respond the abolition of slavery, civil rights and universal and follow.” He said that rather than being intimidated by education. He used Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple, who served during World War II, his time with the bishops of the Episcopal Church, as a model for how the church’s theology leads to he had what he called “a delightful experience of Christian companionship” and said it was “wonderadvocacy on behalf of the poor. “Proclaiming the good news to the poor is a key ful to see bishops as human beings.” He said he also enjoyed seeing and participating task of bishops,” he said, noting that Latin American liberation theology speaks from the perspective with international guests who were there, including bishops from other nations and several archbishops. of the poor. Until the spring of 2009 Compier was a memCompier said of his presentation, “I was trying to argue with some who think that being concerned ber of an Episcopal church in Independence, Mo. for the poor is an external issue, or an agenda.” But after another former seminary student of his, Instead, he told the bishops that how the church the Rev. Gail Greenwell, became rector at St. Miworships has shaped its response to those who have chael’s, he decided to give the Mission church a try the least. “Anglican theology has wholeheartedly and has been a member ever since. He also is making good use of his doctorate in engaged the world precisely because the glory of God encountered in the sacraments and in the daily theology; he now is in the process for ordination as a priest in the Diocese of Kansas.  office demands that we do so.”

K2K announces three 2012 mission teams K ansas to Kenya, the diocesan mission effort supporting work in Kenya, invites people to make plans to be part of one of the three teams going to Africa in 2012. They are:  Community Team, May 25-June 7 Participants will cultivate on-

going projects begun by previous community and medical teams. Cost: $3,800, subject to airfare  Steering Committee, June 2-12 Research the progress of past and ongoing community projects. Cost: $4,000, subject to airfare  Medical Team, June 8-18

Treat the ongoing medical issues of people in Maai Mahiu and refugee camps in surrounding areas. Cost: $4,200, subject to airfare For more information on any of these trips, contact K2K at office@kansas2kenya.com or (785) 841-1107. 

Clergy news Ben Varnum has been called to be the assistant at St. Thomas, Overland Park, beginning Oct. 10. Varnum, who was a member of St. Michael and All Angels, Mission, before attending seminary, will be ordained a transitional deacon in the Diocese of Chicago this fall. Deacon Patty Minx has been assigned by Bishop Dean Wolfe to serve at St. Paul’s, Kansas City. The Rev. Shawn Streepy has concluded his

ministry as rector of Grace, Chanute, effective Sept. 30. The Rev. Robert Harris has been named priest in residence at Grace, Ottawa, effective early August. The Rev. Dale Plummer is the new rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Roswell, N.M. He previously was rector of the Church of the Covenant in Junction City. 

Intern hired for KU campus ministry

bby Olcese has been selected as the campus intern this fall at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. She will live in the Canterbury House and work with the peer ministers on campus, as well as with the Rev. Susan Terry, campus missioner for the eastern half of the diocese. Olcese is a native of Pittsburg and graduated from KU, where she regularly attended the weekly dinners at Canterbury. She was raised in the Presbyterian Church, which she thinks will be an asset to her on campus. “I think it helps me bring an outsider’s perspective to the work I do at Canterbury House,” she said, “and helps me figure out how

Abby Olcese

to reach out to college students who may be unfamiliar with the Episcopal church.” Olcese said she already has begun work on some projects for community outreach and new events at the Canterbury House. 

Topeka teen takes state golf title for second time

rooke LaRue, a member of Grace Cathedral, Topeka, has captured the girls 4A state golf championship for 2011. The senior at Hayden High School also took first her sophomore year and finished second in her junior season. She also was the 2011 Centennial League champion, is a two-time 4A regional winner and has been All-City four times. LaRue also is a leader in her school, serving as student body president this year after three years as class president. Her grade point average ranks her second among all seniors, and she’s a three-year member of the National Honor Society. She’s active at the cathedral as an acolyte and in Sunday school and as a volunteer for Vacation Bible School and last year’s “Walk through Jerusalem” exhibit. LaRue plans to play golf next year at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.  Brooke LaRue

KC-area woman named Kansas senior poet laureate

arie Asner, a nizes poets age 50 and member of St. older. Michael and She also has a All Angels in Mission, poem in the anthology has been selected as by the Poet Laureate the Kansas winner of of Kansas to celebrate the 19th annual State the state’s 150th anniversary, and her works Senior Poet Laureate have appeared in a competition sponsored by the Kitchener Wings number of other poMarie Asner Foundation. etry collections. This is the second time Asner, Asner also is a film critic and who lives in Overland Park, has freelance writer who conducts won the award, which recog- writing workshops. 

10 • The Harvest • September/October 2011

National and international news Anglican news briefs Episcopal News Service and other reports  Two Wisconsin dioceses vote to merge into one. The adjacent Episcopal dioceses of Fond du Lac and Eau Claire on Oct. 22 approved the formation of a new diocese that would include the northern three quarters of Wisconsin. The decision was made by the annual convention of Fond du Lac and a special convention of Eau Claire, meeting separately, and follows discussions that date back at least four years. The votes in each diocese were cast by orders (lay people voting separately from clergy), and the resolutions had to pass in both dioceses. Bishop Russell Jacobus of Fond du Lac and Bishop Ed Leidel of Eau Claire also concurred with the decision. The two dioceses now will ask General Convention next July to approve what is called “junction.” A process to formally organize the resulting new diocese would begin in the fall of 2012, with a new diocese formed Jan. 1, 2013.  Presiding Bishop issues pastoral letter on Israeli-Palestinian peace. Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori in early October issued a pastoral letter dealing with the cause of peace among Israelis and Palestinians. In addition to urging church members to lobby governments for negotiations that would result in a just and lasting peace, she urged Episcopalians to stand in solidarity with the dwindling number of Christians in the Holy Land by supporting the work and ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. She also asked church members to join the Episcopal Public Policy Network, which leads efforts to engage political leaders in causes championed by the Episcopal Church.  Priest recognized as White House ‘Champion of Change.’ The Rev. Becca Stevens, author, Episcopal priest and social entrepreneur, has been named by the White House’s Office of Public Engagement as one of 15 “Champions of Change” for her pioneering work with Magdalene/Thistle Farms, a residential community and social enterprise she founded to serve women who have survived prostitution, addiction and abuse. Stevens, Episcopal chaplain at Vanderbilt University, and 14 others was honored with the award during an Oct. 20 reception in Washington, D.C.  El Salvador church partners respond to ‘unparalleled’ flooding catastrophe. Severe flooding and mudslides caused by tropical rains throughout El Salvador have affected about 150,000 people, cut off dozens of communities and resulted in almost 40 deaths. It has been described by Anglican Bishop of El Salvador Martin Barahona as “a catastrophe unparalleled by other disasters” in the country in recent history. El Salvador “has been the most affected country in Central America,” according to the Rev. George Woodward, vice president of Fundación Cristosal, a church partner and nonprofit organization that is working with Episcopal Relief & Development, the local Anglican diocese and other organizations to respond to the disaster.  Jerusalem bishop’s allowed to remain in the city. The residency permits and visas that enable Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem Suheil Dawani and his family to reside legally in Jerusalem have been reinstated after 13 months of the documentation being denied by Israel’s Ministry of Interior. It had denied the residency permit for Dawani, his wife and his youngest daughter on the grounds that the bishop had allegedly sold Israeli land illegally to Palestinians. Dawani also was accused of forging documents. Dawani has denied all allegations, none of which have been substantiated by any documentary evidence. Many international religious leaders, including Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, had joined in the diplomatic efforts calling for the documentation to be reinstated.  Mission group disbands after 21 years of service. Episcopal Partnership for Global Mission (EPGM) has announced that it will officially disband as a mission networking organization serving the Episcopal Church, according to an Oct. 15 news release. The decision to disband was made at EPGM’s annual meeting, held at the Everyone Everywhere 2011 conference in Estes Park, Colo., and approved by consensus of the attending membership organizations, the release said. EPGM began in 1990 as the Episcopal Council for Global Mission (ECGM). Financial issues due to loss of funding from the 2009 General Convention and loss of membership contributed to the decision to disband, according to the release. 

Episcopalians are among translators of new Bible Episcopal News Service

he hardest problems in biblical translation aren’t about the English, they’re about the Greek or the Hebrew, according to one Episcopalian involved in production of the new Common English Bible. First, said the Rev. Dr. William F. Brosend II, translators have to agree on which Hebrew or Greek text to use, and even after that choice is made, questions arise because scholars disagree on some of the words in those manuscripts. Brosend, associate professor of homiletics at the University of the South’s School of Theology, was one of 17 Anglicans and Episcopalians, among 120 scholars drawn from 24 denominations, involved in the project. More than 500 readers in 77 groups later fieldtested their work. Two of those groups were led by Episcopalians. The 4-year, $3.5 million project was run by the Common English Bible Committee, whose goal was to create what it calls a “denomination-neutral” Bible. The translation was funded by the Church Resources Development Corp., which allows for cooperation among denominational publishers in the development and distribution of Bibles, curriculum and worship materials. The Episcopal Church’s Church Publishing Inc. is part of that group. Because of the technology available today, nearly all of the translators’ work was done virtually.

“I never went to a meeting,” Brosend said. “It was all done using [Microsoft] Word and a heavy-duty lot of ‘track changes’ so that in the passing back and forth, by the time we were looking at being ready to sign off on our work, there was more on the side in the track changes [area] than there was in the text.” Translators worked in small teams on individual books of the Bible. While Brosend said that translators have most of their conversations about which Hebrew and Greek words to translate, he said that there are times when they have to decide how to translate those words into English. “What I look for … is how faithful we were in using the same English words for the same Greek and Hebrew words, even though stylistically that’s not that attractive,” he said, noting that the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible “famously chose to use synonyms for the sake of a more elegant prose but when you’re studying a biblical text you really like to have continuity so you realize that ancient language sure is repetitive.” Brosend said the new translation is a “companion translation. You’re still going to want to have your NRSV study Bible, but it would also be a very good devotional Bible for the Daily Office and more worship-oriented reading compared to Bible study reading.” The Rev. Charles Robertson, canon to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, seemed to echo that feeling, saying of the new Bible that “you’ll find yourself reading certain passages as if for the first time.” 

Episcopal Church chief operating officer suggests special General Convention Episcopal News Service

he Episcopal Church’s chief operating officer has asked the House of Bishops to engage the laity and clergy in their dioceses in conversation in support of a potential structural reform that he said could shift the church’s focus toward mission. The Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls on Sept. 20 offered the bishops a “model” resolution for each diocese to submit to the 77th General Convention in 2012 for consideration. Sauls gave his presentation during the Sept. 20 morning session of the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops meeting in Quito, Ecuador. “We find ourselves at an adaptive moment in the time of the church, if we choose to take it,” said Sauls at the start of his presentation. The model resolution would call for a special commission to be charged with creating a plan to reform church “structures, governance, administration, and staff” to advance the church’s mission.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson would appoint members to the special commission. The resolution would also call for a special meeting of General Convention before the 78th General Convention in 2015. Sauls said his presentation stemmed from conversations and discussions going back to the 2004 formation of the Budgetary Funding Task Force. It began with the question: “Why reform?”

Multiple church bodies In his presentation he outlined the church’s 75 commissions, committees, agencies and boards, and the 46 Episcopal Church Center departments and offices. He also highlighted General Convention, which has 46 legislative committees of the two houses, which meet together in another 23 cognate committees. Additionally the Episcopal Church has 110 dioceses grouped into nine provinces. Sauls noted that the income earned by dioceses has declined

in recent years. Because The Episcopal Church asks dioceses to contribute a percentage of their income to the denomination’s budget, revenue it receives from the dioceses also has declined. That decline is coupled with a decision made at the 2009 General Convention to reduce the percentage of the so-called “asking.” It was 21 percent in 2010, dropped to 20 percent this year and will decline to 19 percent in 2012. In addition, the convention increased from $100,000 to $120,000 the amount that dioceses could exempt from their income before calculating their commitment to the denomination. In order to get a good rating from the Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit organization should spend no more than 35 percent of its budget on overhead, while the Episcopal Church, he said, spends 47 percent of its budget on such expenses. Sauls became the church’s chief operating officer Sept. 1, succeeding Linda Watt, who retired in June. 

September/October 2011 • The Harvest • 11

Bishops issue pastoral teaching on environmental stewardship

he House of Bishops at its September meeting in Quito, Ecuador, issued a pastoral teaching that calls on the Episcopal Church to do more to achieve environmental justice and to exhibit environmentally sustainable practices. It also says that churches must become “places where we have honest debates about, and are encouraged to live into, more sustainable ways of living.” The teaching begins with a look at the creation accounts in Genesis, when God calls all of creation very good, noting that God’s love extends to the entire world and not just to the humans who live in it. The bishops wrote, “And the scope of God’s redemptive love in Christ is equally broad: the Word became incarnate in Christ not just for our sake, but for the salvation of the whole world.”

Problems driven by greed The teaching notes that many of the threats that face the planet — including global warming, pollution, natural resource depletion, species extinction and habitat destruction — are driven by greed, and in response the church “must actively seek to create more compassionate and sustainable economies that support the well-being of all God’s creation.” While recognizing the threat of global climate change, the bishops noted that people need not agree on the causes of environmental devastation to recognize that the impact falls most heavily on the poor, and the church always has had a priority for caring for the poor and those who suffer. The teaching notes that most of the blame for the world’s environmental crisis belongs to the high level of consumption and industrial production in developed nations. It goes on to say, “Privileged Christians in our present global context need to move from a culture of consumerism to a culture of conservation and sharing.” That requires, the bishops said, that each person examine their own

role in what they call “ecologically destructive habits.”

Calls for change The bishops said Christians who are complicit in environmental damage must repent, turning from old behaviors to new ways of thinking, feeling and acting. They suggest the “timehonored practices of fasting, Sabbathkeeping and Christ-centered mindfulness” as ways to begin. Fasting, they write, not only helps discipline overactive appetites but can remind the faithful that hunger goes beyond food to knowing and doing the will of God. Sabbath-keeping, rooted in the early biblical accounts of resting on the seventh day as a sign of a right relationship with God, today can call people to “live lightly on the face of the earth.” Resting permits people to “neither expend energy nor consume it” and not to live just for gain but to “savor the grace and givenness of creation.” Christ-centered mindfulness, which is what the bishops call “the habitual recollection of Christ,” allows people to engage in a deeper awareness of “the presence of God in their own lives, in other people and in every aspect of the world around us,’ the bishops write. Finally, the bishops committed themselves and called on all Episcopalians to do five things:  Acknowledge the urgency of the global environmental crisis;  Pray for environmental justice;  Conserve energy, use renewable energy sources, recycle, and buy products made from recycled materials;  Root out political, social and economic causes of environmental destruction; and  Advocate for a “fair, ambitious and binding” climate treaty and reduce one’s own carbon footprint. — Melodie Woerman 

Photo by Melodie Woerman

Cathedral tower repairs started At Washington National Cathedral, on Oct. 13 the damaged pinnacles on the central tower were removed, after extensive scaffolding was built to support repairs. The damage was caused by the Aug. 23 earthquake that struck the East Coast. Reverberating shock waves damaged several higher portions of the cathedral. The central tower, which at 300 feet in height is the tallest point in the District of Columbia, suffered the greatest damage. Cathedral officials don’t have a timetable for repairs but noted that many pieces will have to be made by hand. An initial call for $15 million in donations has been announced. The cathedral plans to open Nov. 12 for the consecration of the Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde as the bishop of Washington. 

Convention to be asked to consider trial use of rite for blessings of same-gender relationships By Mary Frances Schjonberg Episcopal News Service

he Episcopal Church would spend three years using a rite for samegender blessings and studying its application under a resolution that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music has agreed to propose to the 2012 meeting of General Convention. During that same time period the church also would reflect on its understanding of marriage in light of changes in both societal norms and civil law, if convention agrees to a related resolution the commission will propose, according to the Rev. Ruth Meyers, SCLM chair.

Result of 2009 request The SCLM’s decisions are the outcome of 18 months of work in response to the 2009 General Convention’s mandate (Resolution C056) that it work with the House of Bishops to collect and develop theological resources and liturgies for blessing same-gender relationships and report to the 77th General Convention in July 2012 in Indianapolis. The commission will present convention with 176 pages of material, including a rite of blessing, a theological essay on the issues involved in blessing same-gender relationships, a pastoral resource to guide clergy and trained lay people who would prepare same-gender couples to receive a

blessing (the church requires heterosexual couples to engage in pre-marital counseling as well), and a discussion guide for helping congregations and other groups to discuss the rite and other materials.

Study of marriage included The resolution that would authorize a three-year trial use of the liturgy also will ask for the continuation of the “generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this church,” called for in C056, Meyers said, including allowing for adaptation of the rite for local use. The resolution also would have the commission report to the 2015 meeting of convention on how all the materials are used. The commission decided to call for a three-year study of marriage as a result of feedback it received during the months it spent developing the C056 resources, according to Meyers. The commission’s C056 work will become part of a report it must submit to convention detailing both its work on all matters referred to it during the triennium and any resolutions it proposes for convention to consider.

Early release asked Such reports of all the church’s committees, commissions, agencies and boards are assembled into what is known as the “Blue Book,” and the collection is released some months before each meeting of convention. Meyers said the commission plans to ask

the General Convention office to release the C056-related materials prior to the anticipated publication of the Blue Book so that it can be discussed at the March 2012 meeting of the House of Bishops and at the General Convention deputy training sessions during pre-convention provincial meetings. Since the commission began discussing how to proceed to C056’s mandate, the SCLM has conducted the “open process” called for in the resolution, Meyers said. The SCLM completed a first draft of all the materials in June and then invited 133 Episcopalians to review them. Using an online process, the reviewers made “extensive comments totaling in the thousands,” Meyers said. The task groups then made major revisions based on those comments. The rite and the theological essay were discussed during the House of Bishops meeting in September, according to Meyers. SCLM members, including the three bishops who serve on the commission, have reported to the House of Bishops on a regular basis. Nearly 200 members of the House of Deputies met March 18-19 in Atlanta for a historic churchwide consultation on same-gender blessings sponsored by the commission. House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson said that the Atlanta consultation was historic both for its topic and because a large group of deputies have never before gathered together outside of General Convention for church business and to discuss a

topic due to be taken up at the next meeting of convention. Resolution C056 also asked the SCLM to invite theological reflection and dialogue about its work from around the Anglican Communion. Episcopal Church bishops were asked to discuss the church’s work on C056 with the bishops of any companion diocese relationships they may have and with the members of their so-called “indaba groups“ from the 2008 Lambeth Conference of bishops. In August, Meyers and Commission member Bishop Tom Ely of Vermont spent a half day in Canterbury, England, presenting the commission’s work to that point to the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation.

Special funding received Much of the SCLM’s work on C056 has been funded in a unique way. In July 2010, Church Divinity School of the Pacific was awarded a $404,000 grant by the Arcus Foundation to support the work. Through a contract with the Episcopal Church, the grant made it possible for the Berkeley, Calif.-based school to help facilitate the commission’s work. Meyers is the CDSP Hodges-Haynes Professor of Liturgics and the Rev. Louis Weil, Hodges-Haynes Professor Emeritus, is a SCLM member. In July 2011, CDSP received an additional $90,000 from the Arcus Foundation and a $75,000 grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation to support the completion of the C056 work. 

12 • The Harvest • September/October 2011

Reflections on faith and life

Sharing the Good News

The Episcopal Church welcomes who? By the Rev. Scott Gunn

ost Episcopal congregations simply aren’t welcoming. Current members feel welcome because they’re already in the club. If you show up as a new face, there’s often a distinct lack of warmth. Now that I’m not serving in a parish, I’ve been visiting lots of congregations. Recently, not wearing my clerical collar, I arrived 15 minutes before the service. The usher, talking to a parishioner, clutches a pile of service leaflets. He glances at me and says, in a not particularly friendly tone, “Oh, you need a program?” He shoves a leaflet my direction and continues his conversation. I make my way to a pew. A few folks cast friendly-ish looks my direction. When the service starts, the clergy in procession are not singing but are smiling and nodding at people they know in the congregation. None of them does the same for me. After the service, as the choir are leading the procession out, the preacher is yucking it up with the presider and deacon at the Holy Table. When it’s time to leave, a gaggle of parishioners is engaged in conversation at the back door. Blocking the door, in fact. I excuse myself to get past them, but no one says a word or gives a glance.

Changes can help growth

think of the service, and were you able to follow along with our service leaflet?” “Did anyone invite you to coffee hour?” And here’s the big one, the acid test: “Did anyone talk with you at coffee hour?” Then I pass this feedback along to relevant folks. After a while, the congregation begins to understand that welcoming is the vocation of everyone, not just of a few.  Get key leaders to be guests in another congregation. One of the first things I recommend, especially if people believe their congregation is “very friendly,” is to attend a church to which they’ve never been. When people got back, they said things like: “I wasn’t sure where to park. After I parked, I didn’t know which door to go in. I couldn’t find the bathroom. Their liturgy wasn’t the same as what was in the bulletin. I went to coffee hour, and not a single person spoke with me.” Seeing another congregation through guests’ eyes helped them to see our congregation through guests’ eyes.

November 2011

December 2011

Gathering of Presbyters, Spiritual Life Center, Wichita (through Nov. 3)

Fresh Start, Bethany Place Conference Center, Topeka

Bishop Wolfe at Epiphany, Sedan Southeast Convocation Advent Lessons and Carols, Epiphany, Independence

11 Kansas School for Ministry classes, Bethany Place Conference Center, Topeka (through Nov. 12)

Bishop Wolfe at meeting of the Presiding Bishop’s Council of Advice, New York (through Dec. 7)

13 Bishop Wolfe at St. Paul’s, Coffeyville

Kansas School for Ministry classes, Bethany Place Conference Center, Topeka (through Dec. 10)

Southeast Convocation board meeting, St. John’s, Parsons 15 Council of Trustees meeting, Bubb Room, Grace Cathedral, Topeka 16 Bishop Wolfe at meeting of bishops of small dioceses, Salt Lake City (through Nov. 18) 18 Happening #86, St. David’s, Topeka (through Nov. 20) 20 Bishop Wolfe at St. James’, Wichita

11 Bishop Wolfe at St. Aidan’s, Olathe 13 Fresh Start, Bethany Place Conference Center, Topeka Council of Trustees meeting, Bubb Room, Grace Cathedral, Topeka 18 Bishop Wolfe at St. Timothy’s, Iola 24 Bishop Wolfe at Grace Cathedral, Topeka

29 Bishop Wolfe at meeting of the bishops of Province 7, Galveston, Texas (through Dec. 1)

Welcome, if you’re like us Currently, our slogan ought to be, “The Episcopal Church welcomes you, if you look about like us and come here often.” But we can and must change that. It’s not just that the survival of our institution depends on it. Our vocation as Christians, called to share the love of God and to serve Christ in all persons, demands it. The Episcopal Church welcomes you. That’s not expensive or controversial, so let’s get it right Scott Gunn is executive director of Forward Movement. This excerpt first appeared on his blog Seven Whole Days, www. sevenwholedays.org.

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If I were looking for a church, I would write this one off. It’s pretty clear that they’re happy with one another and don’t particularly care to greet a guest. This is one of the most basic things a congregation needs to get right, if it wants to grow. A few simple changes, and this congregation — and our whole

church — could be growing instead of declining. There’s more to growth than this, but if we put up so many barriers to entry, how can we expect to attract new members? Here are five things I suggest:  Stop saying “visitors” and start saying “guests.” It’s a constant reminder that our vocation is to welcome people with gracious hospitality, not merely to tolerate people who visit “our” church. Words matter.  Preach regularly about hospitality. When guests arrive, statistics show that the vast majority of them are experiencing a major life transition (e.g. new job, new home, death, birth, marriage, divorce). How we treat people who are often vulnerable will have a tremendous impact — good or bad — on those who come to us. We can practice being agents of healing in a broken world simply by offering gracious welcome to a stressed-out family. Our goal is not to convince someone to be a member of “our” congregation, but rather to offer the peace of Christ in word and deed.  Teach Benedict’s rule: “Let all guests who come be received as Christ.” One congregation I know proudly invites guests to sit in its best pew. “George Washington sat here, and we would like you to have our best seat.” What if we made it our top priority on Sundays to ensure, above nearly everything else, that our first-time guests had a good experience?  Invite “mystery worshipers” to attend, and listen to their feedback. I invite friends, who do not attend the congregation, to come on a Sunday and then pepper them with questions. “Did the greeters welcome you at the door?” “What did you

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The mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas is to gather, equip and send disciples of Jesus Christ to witness to God’s reconciling love.