NC Disciple Spring 2011

SPRING 2011

From the 195TH Convention

come,

let us Go to

galilee

Costa Rica & Botswana:

companion dioceses our our

contents

table of

SPRING 2011

features

THE 4 Come, Let Us Go To Galilee GALILEE INITIATIVE 8 From the 195 Convention 10 Companion Dioceses 14 Best Practices in Youth Ministry 16 The Faith Community in a Warming World 17 Benedecite North Carolina 18 NetsforLife Campaign 20 Surviving Malaria: One Priest’s Story 21 The Abraham Project 23 The Power of Accessibility 25 Pilgrimage of Faith 26 News from St. Augustine’s 27 Episcopal Farmworkers Ministry 28 Haiti Mission Trip/CODEP 29 St. Mary’s LEED Campus 30 A Prayer for Mothers 31 The ‘Breathe of Life’ Cross TH

The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

Diocesan House 200 West Morgan Street, Suite 300 Raleigh, NC 27601-1338 PHONE: 919.834.7474 TOLL FREE: 800.448.8775 FAX: 919.834.8775 The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina Bishop The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry michael.curry@episdionc.org East Region/Raleigh Diocesan Office: 919.834.7474 Assistant Bishop The Rt. Rev. William O. Gregg william.gregg@episdionc.org South Region/Charlotte Office: 704.332.7746 Assisting Bishop The Rt. Rev. Alfred C. “Chip” Marble Jr. alfred.marble@episdionc.org Northwest Region/Greensboro Office: 336.273.5770 PUBLISHER

Bishop of North Carolina EDITOR / ART DIRECTOR

Sarah Herr: sarah.herr@episdionc.org COPY EDITOR

Beth Grace CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE

Joseph Ferrell Beth Crow Carl Sigel Chuck Fyfe Hugh Stevens Tiffany Gladden Church of the Advocate The Rev. Wheigar J. Bright

By Adrienne Beauchamp The Rev. Claire Winbush The Rev. Dr. John Gibson St. Mary’s Building Committee The Rev. Paul S. Winton Shawn Hoffman

departments & more 7 Q&A: What Does Galilee Look Like to You 22 Events, Briefs & Clergy Changes 24 Snapshots 32 Bishops’ Visitations

Marta Davis Ayliffe Mumford The Rev. James Adams The Rev. BJ Owens Sam Laurent The Rev. Rebecca Yarborough The Very Rev. Murdock Smith The Rev. Trawin Malone

SUBSCRIPTIONS / CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Scott Welborn: scott.welborn@episdionc.org SUBMISSIONS

All submissions welcome and considered for publication.

Email submissions to sarah.herr@episdionc.org.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Are published on the diocesan website under “The NC Disciple.”

SPRING 2011

ON THE COVER

An background image of a road featured during the 195th Annual Convention for the Bishop’s Pastoral Address on “Galilee,” but with hands holding a cross in representation of the human family of God.

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The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

From the 195TH Convention

come,

let us Go to

galilee

Costa Rica & Botswana:

companion dioceses our our

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

FROM THE BISHOP

Beyond the Human Race to the Human Family of God A centurion of the Roman Empire commanded a centuria or “century,” one of the basic units of the Roman army. Centurions formed the backbone of the Roman infantry and, by extension, of the Empire itself.

When a Roman centurion standing near the cross of Jesus saw how he died and then exclaimed, “Truly this man was God’s Son,” as three of the gospels report, that was an extraordinary moment. This centurion could well have been the commander of the unit charged with crucifying Jesus. Whatever his role, he was an agent of the occupying power, an instrument and symbol of the Empire’s oppression. He was a Gentile, a non-Jew. He was “the other.” He was the enemy. But at the cross of Christ, this centurion became part of God’s family.

Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross not for himself but for the good of the other -- which includes each one of us. In so doing, he opened and showed us the way to be reconciled with the God and Father who created us all, and to be reconciled with each other as children of that God and Creator of us all. In so doing, he showed us the way to become the human family of God. Drawing people into the human family of God is one significant aspect of the sacrifice of Christ. St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians speaks of the death of Jesus as reconciling enemies and creating “in himself one new humanity in place of the two” (Ephesians 2:15).

John’s Gospel tells how Jesus entrusted the care of his own mother to one of his disciples (John 19:25-27). Luke speaks of a thief, whom the Romans would have called a terrorist and many Jews would have called a freedom fighter, to whom Jesus promised paradise on that very day of crucifixion (Luke 23:42-43). Jesus came to open the way, and to show the way, for all of us to become God’s human family.

St. Paul teaches that those who are baptized have been and are being buried with Christ in his death and raised with him in his resurrection (Romans 6:3-11). In baptism we are marked as Christ’s own, branded as his and made part of his family. In my address to our recent Diocesan Convention I quoted my friend, the Rt. Rev. James Tengetenge, Bishop of Southern Malawi and chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, who often says that “in baptism, Jesus has made us family.” He’s right. St. Paul put it this way: As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:27-28).

That Roman centurion was the first of many who would become individual members of the human family of God -- and thus witnesses to God’s dream that the entire human race would become the all-embracing family of God. This dream is what lies behind the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). This dream is what lies behind my prayer that, when we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of North Carolina in 2017, the face of our Diocese will have begun to reflect the face of the peoples of North Carolina in all of our variety and diversity.

This is why our work as a Diocese with the Reverend Stephanie Spellers on “radical welcome” is so important. This is what our new Galilee Initiative, discussed in this issue, is reaching toward. Jesus came to open up and to show us the way to become the human family of God. And in that invitation we shall, all of us, find our salvation.

God bless and keep the faith, +Michael ATTENTION CHURCHES: Have you updated your member lists with the Diocesan Office? The Diocese is attempting to update the Disciple mailing list. Contact Scott Welborn at scott.welborn@episdionc.org for more details.

ABOUT

At a Glance Facts: This Magazine...

The North Carolina Disciple is the quarterly magazine of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.Other diocesan communication vehicles are used for more time-sensitive, day-to-day news, including Around the Diocese, a monthly bulletin insert; Please Note, a weekly e-newsletter; and the Diocesan website, www.episdionc.org.

Contact Sarah Herr at sarah.herr@episdionc.org with any questions or feedback regarding these communications, or to submit ideas, articles, and photos.

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Is printed with soy inks, which are more environmentally friendly than traditional petroleum-based inks.

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Is printed on FSC certified paper - paper certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council, an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.

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Is printed and mailed in Henderson, North Carolina. The printer has been utilizing an internal paper recycling system for paper production since 1995.

Delivery occurs in the early part of the following months: Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

September / Fall Issue December / Winter Issue March / Spring Issue June / Summer Issue The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

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come,

let us Go to

galilee

THE

GALILEE INITIATIVE The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

The following is an excerpt of the Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry’s Pastoral Address, which was delivered at the 195th Annual Convention in January. Find the complete address online at www.episdionc.org in video and pdf formats.

In the Name of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.”1 For Christian people the message of Easter, articulated on the lips of an angel on that Resurrection morning, is well known. He is not here; he has risen from the dead! He’s alive! What he taught us is true. The life of God has conquered the powers of death. The love of God has defeated the hatreds of humanity. The powers of death have done their worst, but Christ their legions hath dispersed.2 Jesus lives!

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1 Matthew 28:5-7

2 The Hymnal 1982 (New York: The Church Hymnal Corporation), #208 The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

III

I’d like to explore another aspect of Galilee as a missionary metaphor for our Diocese. This has to do with sharing our faith with others in the cultural and missionary context that seems to be emerging. I’ve always treasured the words of John Greenleaf Whittier in that wonderful hymn, “Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways.” The third verse goes on to say: O Sabbath rest by Galilee!

O calm of hills above, where Jesus knelt to share with thee the silence of eternity interpreted by love!

I’m sure Galilee included some places of serenity and refreshment. But I’m not sure peaceful hills and landscapes really describe First Century Palestinian Galilee any more than they describe Galilee today. A few years ago in a PBS documentary titled “From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians,” a segment on New Testament Galilee began: “While often portrayed as a bucolic backwater, Galilee was known for political unrest, banditry and tax revolts.”12 Galilee was not a stable, uncomplicated territory. Galilee was a hotbed of economic uncertainty and political instability. It was a volatile environment, a place of anxiety and fear.

It’s to such a place that the Risen Lord Jesus goes. After the Resurrection he doesn’t stay with Mary Magdalene, to quote the old hymn, in the “garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses.”13 He leaves the garden and returns to Galilee, to all of its ambiguity, instability and volatility. And to those would be his disciples he says, “Let us go to Galilee.” I want to suggest that the uncertainty, the unpredictability, the anxiety of Galilee make it an appropriate metaphor for the missionary moment in which we are living and which is emerging.

Whether we’re talking about global economic and political instability or our own personal uncertainty, we are in Galilee. Whether we’re talking about the threat of terrorism or the nightmare of natural disasters, we are in Galilee. Instability, uncertainty, increasing polarity among people because of ideology or tribal groupings, all these conditions describe our time. We are, all of us, in Galilee.

Let me bring this closer to home. If you’re like me, you thought you were up to date when you learned to use email. Then you had to learn to text. Then texting wasn’t enough; you had to learn to tweet.

A few years ago I was telling churches, You’ve got to get a good web page. That’s still true. But now you’ve also got to get on Facebook. I don’t know what’s next, but I’m sure something is coming.

Gutenberg’s printing press changed history. The Protestant Reformation, the rise of European nation-states outside of papal control, the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, all sprang from that invention. These days, Gutenberg could be named Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg, the man who invented Facebook. A professor of management studies recently told me that the pace of technological, global and societal change is so fast that much that is new in our culture becomes obsolescent in three years or less. We are living through a major epoch of human transition and transformation, of instability and uncertainty, no less epic than that of Gutenberg’s Fifteenth Century. Everything is affected. We are in Galilee.

Social commentators like Thomas Friedman argue we are in the midst of a massive global cultural transition in everything from our economics to our politics to our faith.14 Theological commentators like Phyllis Tickle, Harvey Cox, Loren Mead, Brian McLaren and Diana Butler Bass concur.15 They suggest that the environment in which we seek to share, proclaim and witness to the gospel of Jesus is more akin to that of the Church of the New Testament and the Patristic era, the early centuries of Church history, than that of the 12 Frontline: “From Jesus to Christ, the First Christians,” www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ shows/religion/portrait/galilee 13 Lift Every Voice and Sing (New York: The Church Hymnal Corporation, 1993), #69 14 See The Lexus and the Olive Tree and The World is Flat 15 See The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle, Everything Must Change by Brian McLaren, The Future of Faith by Harvey Cox and the last chapter in particular of A People’s History of Christianity

Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

“Whether we’re talking about global economic and political instability or our own personal uncertainty, we are in Galilee.

Whether we’re talking about the threat of terrorism or the nightmare of natural disasters, we are in Galilee. Instability, uncertainty, increasing polarity among people because of ideology or tribal groupings, all these conditions describe our time. We are, all of us, in Galilee.”

High Middle Ages or the Nineteenth Century. The 1950s are over.

World-wide Christendom is no more.

This may not yet be as obvious here in the South, but the trend is clear. If you don’t believe me, go to Starbucks at 10:30 on a Sunday morning, even here in the Bible Belt. A few weeks ago I was riding with the Reverend Sealy Cross and a parishioner of Church of the Ascension, Fork, to Sunday service. Along the way we passed one or two mega-churches and started talking about church growth patterns. As we drove West on I-40 out of Winston–Salem, Sealy said, “Do you want to know who the real competition is? Just look out the window.” At nine o’clock on Sunday morning we saw a large field dotted with hundreds of children in bright-colored uniforms playing soccer.

This trend has nothing to do with liberal church or conservative church. It’s affecting mainline churches, mega-churches, all religious institutions. The cultural landscape of America is changing. This is not a passing moment, but a dramatic shift. And the question we face is: Will we as the Episcopal Church in central North Carolina do everything we can -- for the sake of the gospel of Jesus – to engage this missionary moment?

In February 2010 the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life published a report titled “Religion Among the Millennials.”16 Pew researchers have been tracking Americans’ religious affiliation and spirituality over several generations. They’ve found that what’s called the Greatest Generation – those who fought in World War Two and Korea and rebuilt a country and world -- has the highest levels of both religious affiliation and spirituality. With the Baby Boomers – those born between 1946 and 1964 -- levels of both affiliation and spirituality begin to decline. That decline continues with Generation X, those born approximately between 1965 and 1980. And with the Millennial Generation – those born after 1981 – there’s a 25 percent decline in religious affiliation, the highest in measured history.

But the Pew researchers made an interesting discovery. Even though the Millennials show the lowest level of affiliation with a faith or religious community of any generation in history, their interest in spiritual practice and their curiosity about the spiritual journey is much higher than that of the Boomers or Generation X. In fact, their level of spirituality almost equals the level of the Greatest Generation. This most technologically and scientifically sophisticated of the generations, according to the Pew researchers, has actually reversed the downward trend in spiritual practices.

As I mentioned, we’re blessed to have the Reverend Stephanie Spellers helping us become a Church of radical welcome. Stephanie has a special interest in the subject – she’s the organizing priest for a congregation called The Crossing, housed at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston. Her congregation reaches out to young adults

by Diana Butler Bass 16 From my reading of the study, “religious affiliation” includes attachment and commitment to a faith community such as a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or meeting. “Spirituality” includes personal beliefs, prayer, study of Scripture and other practices of devotion and service that are motivated by faith.

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

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When I was at the Lambeth Conference a few years ago I attended a workshop on the Fresh Expressions movement in the Church of England, which encourages churches to reach out to emerging generations in innovative ways. One of the keys is that many congregations in England are no longer waiting for young people to return to church after they get married and have children. The Church is going to them where they are.

Stephanie Spellers wrote a book titled Radical Welcome: Embracing God, the Other and the Spirit of Transformation, which we will hear more about, but she is also an editor of a recent collection of essays concerning this emerging mission opportunity. This book is titled Ancient Faith, Future Mission: Fresh Expressions in the Sacramental Tradition. It includes essays by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Brian McLaren, Karen Ward, Phyllis Tickle and others who can help us move in this deeply Episcopal and Anglican way of mission. Here in the Diocese we are fortunate to have a priest from the Church of England, the Reverend Nils Chittenden, as Chaplain at the Episcopal Center at Duke and Diocesan Missioner for Young Adults. He brings experience as a British university chaplain working in precisely the cultural context I’m talking about.18 As a way forward into this missionary future, allow me to offer two proposals that I believe can help us follow our Risen Lord into the new Galilee that lies before us.

First, I encourage you to seriously consider the canonical establishment of an Endowment for Missionary Strategy. We’ve been blessed by the gifts of generations of Episcopalians in supporting the mission of the Diocese. And when we sold The Summit to the State of North Carolina, the proceeds after all obligations were paid were held in trust as a quasi-endowment to support missionary strategy and help implement the diocesan Mission Action Plan. At the time some voiced conContinued from page 5 cern that the funds would be frittered away. That has not happened. in significant – and unusual -- ways. They aren’t buying land or building Diocesan leaders have been wise and careful stewards of this resource. more buildings. They’re using the resources they already have in new The proposed Endowment for Missionary Strategy would put ways to proclaim, share and witness to the gospel. Instead of waiting institutional teeth in our commitment to be a missionary diocese for for young adults to come to them, The Crossing is going where they Jesus in the world. It would provide a mechanism for careful stewardare. They’re leading people back to the deep Christian roots of prayer, ship and oversight of our resources. It would allow us to respond meditation, sacrificial service and witness to the gospel in the world. effectively to the missionary needs of a culture characterized by rapid They’re recovering the spiritual disciplines of the ancient Church, of change. An endowment would answer Jesus’ call to us to be not only the gospel, of the Risen Christ in Galilee. innocent as doves, but wise as serpents.19 I’m convinced our missionary goal at this time is not to build bigThe second proposal I am calling the Galilee Initiative. The Galiger churches or start a lot of new churches or fill up the pews. I’m lee Initiative will be a group of clergy and lay people -- a combination not convinced those in themselves are goals born of the gospel. They think tank, council of advice and planning and strategy group -- who might have more to do with institutional survival, with the idea that understand this emerging mission context and who will engage the bigger is better. I do believe our missionary goal as a Diocese is to Diocese in exploring the missionary field we are now entering. Over live, witness to and share the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to make the next three years I will ask the Galilee Initiative to work with the disciples in the Anglican and Episcopal way of being Christian – disSchool of Ministry to provide education that will help us understand ciples who will join us in making a real difference in the world for the this mission context and all the possibilities it offers. I’ll also ask the cause of God’s kingdom and the realization of God’s dream. That is a Galilee Initiative to suggest practical ways that we as clergy, congregamissionary goal born of the gospel, suited for our time, and worthy of tions and ministries of the Diocese can effectively reach new populaour effort. We are living in a new and different mission context. For tions with the gospel. a significant emerging population, the gospel of Jesus will not be just What are we really talking about with this good news. It will be new news. And we must go where they are. As new initiative? We’re really talking about Jesus. the hymn writer said: “New occasions teach new duties.” Come, let us We’re talking about putting our hands and the go to Galilee. very life of this Church and Diocese in his

“What are we really talking about with this new initiative? We’re really talking about Jesus. We’re talking about putting our hands and the very life of this Church and Diocese in his hand and following where he leads, or, better put, following him where he has already gone. That is faith’s way, and our way, into the future.”

18 The Reverend Nils Chittenden wrote when I shared some of these thoughts with him a few weeks ago: “You might not think it, but our young adults have a passionate love for our wonderful, ancient, beautiful liturgies, for traditional music, for numinous, spine-tingling worship that captures the senses and touches the soul. And, yes, they are also eager for worshipping in fresh new ways that intersect with and reflect the everyday culture around them. This is a generation that is comfortable with plurality: with no single definitive dogma, but lots of strands intermingling all at once. This is unsettling stuff: we are going to have to become adept at multi-tasking our church lives together. Ask any campus minister how they communicate with their community of students, and they will tell you that it’s email… and text… and twitter… and Facebook…. and phone… and YouTube… all at the same time… No single way – but all of the plates spinning at the same time.”

19 Matthew 10:16

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The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

hand and following where he leads, or, better put, following him where he has already gone. That is faith’s way, and our way, into the future.

After reading a draft of this address, our communications coordinator created a graphic that I think captures what we’re talking about. The old saying about a picture being worth a thousand words might well be true in this case.

In the picture, if you look along the road, off into the distance, you can’t really see what is there or where you are headed.

The contours of the future before us in the Diocese as we enter this new missionary context are not clear and will not be clear for some time. But it’s that figure dressed in the ancient garb of the beginning of the First Millennium, with that hand reaching toward us here in the Third Millennium, that most catches my attention. I remember folk in my grandmother’s church used to say, “I may not know what the future will hold, but I know who holds the future.”

Our task now is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who on the cross gave himself totally over to God when he declared, Father, into thy hand I commend my spirit.20 It is that hand that’s the key. That’s what the Galilee Initiative is getting at. At stake is nothing less than the future witness of the Episcopal way of being Christian, a way that reflects a generous and compassionate orthodoxy, a way that reflects an openness to God’s mystery, a way that is committed to serving the other, a way that dares to love as Jesus loves, that is willing to give as Jesus gives, that is willing to forgive as Jesus forgives, that is willing to welcome and open its arms as Jesus does -- a way that dares to be the body of Christ in the world, that dares to place its future in the hand of the man from Galilee.

There’s an old song -- a diverse group of artists sang it, singers like Joan Baez, Shirley Caesar, Ray Conniff, the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Ramsey Lewis, the Platters and Loretta Lynn -- and the words go like this: Put your hands in the hand of the man who stilled the water Put your hands in the hand of the man who calmed the sea Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently Put your hands in the hand of the man from Galilee.21

Come, let us go with Jesus to Galilee!

Your brother in Christ, +Michael B. Curry XI Bishop of North Carolina 20 Luke 23:46 21 Lyrics by country singer and songwriter Gene MacLellan Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

what does

galilee

look like

to

you?

“

A few years ago, I was teaching a class on the Eucharist to a group of children. I explained to the children that Eucharist is a Greek word that means “Thanksgiving.” I went around the circle of children and asked each one to tell us something for which they were especially thankful.

I smiled when the first child said, “I am thankful for my guinea pig.”

We all nodded when the second child said, “I am grateful for my big brother.”

The third child was a boy, maybe 8 or 9 years old, with enormous brown eyes and what he said took my breath away. “I am just thankful,” he said, “thankful that when I moved here from Texas other kids counted me in.”

”

For me, this was a glimpse of Galilee.

“

THE REV. JIM ADAMS Rector, Christ Church, Raleigh

Galilee for me symbolizes the dynamic way in which Christ’s work pulls us away from the centers we construct. The fact that the incarnate one did so much of his living, healing and teaching away from the seats of power should give us pause as we seek to pattern our own lives and ministries after his. The power we most often covet is not the power God asserted by walking in Galilee. Christ’s power is one found in a practice of love, vulnerability, and compassion for our neighbors.

”

SAM LAURENT Member of Church of the Advocate, Carrboro

“

Galilee When I take my next step, I am in Galilee. When I take my next breath, I am in Galilee. When my eye focuses on that which is right in front of me, I am in Galilee. Galilee is where Jesus dwells (pitches his tent). Where Jesus dwells, there is healing, reconciliation and the proclamation of the Kingdom. Since we are all “outsiders” at one time or another—to ourselves and to others--Galilee is where we find the risen Christ who makes all things new.

”

THE REV. TRAWIN MALONE Northwest Regional Priest

“

When my family and I arrived in Greensboro several months ago, we took a break from unpacking boxes to get a pizza from a local restaurant. While our food cooked we overheard the owners’ boisterous conversation over Skype with their family in Naples. If I had closed my eyes, I wouldn’t have known what city I was in. That’s really the landscape that we’re living in now: a city, or a town, is no longer just a place unto itself but a crossroads of many cultures, people and experiences. Isn’t the same thing true of our churches? In so many ways, Galilee has come to us. If we can embrace and celebrate that reality, we will find Galilee to be a dynamic, life-giving place. At St. Andrew’s, I believe we are called to be transformed by the diversity of our city and community, and to be a beacon of God’s love in its midst.

THE REV. BERNARD J. OWENS Rector, St. Andrew’s, Greensboro

”

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from the 195th annual

convention

By Joseph Ferrell

A Summary of Acts & Resolutions of the 195th Annual Convention The 195th Annual Convention enacted seven changes in the Constitution, Canons, and Rules of Order and adopted 10 resolutions expressing the sense of the Convention on issues of concern, responded to the Bishop’s Address, and adopted three courtesy resolutions.

The most significant piece of canonical legislation, Act 20117, enacts a new Canon 17 to establish a permanent endowment for mission. The principal of the fund will comprise the balance remaining in the Mission Strategy Fund as of Dec. 31, 2011, augmented by other diocesan trust funds that can be redirected.

(The Mission Strategy Fund currently holds a little more than $4 million generated by the 2005 sale of the diocesan conference center at The Summit.) The canon creates a new Mission Endowment Board consisting of the Bishop, a member of the Standing Committee, one of the Trustees of the Diocese, the chairs of the Diocesan Council’s Departments of Finance and Congregational Development, and three persons nominated by the Bishop and confirmed by the Convention. The Board is charged with developing and recommending to the Diocesan Council plans for developing the long-range mission strategy of the Diocese, and to make funds available to the Council in furtherance of that strategy. The canon specifically forbids use of the endowment to fund the annual operating budget of the diocese.

Act 2011-3 is a ground-breaking constitutional amendment. If approved on second reading by the 196th Annual Convention, a new section of the constitution will allow a worshipping community associated with a diocesan campus ministry to apply for admission into Union with the Convention. Upon being admitted, the community will be entitled to elect one lay delegate for a one-year term. The first Convention at which this might take place will be the 197th in 2013. This will be the first instance of representation in Convention of a worshipping community other than a parish or mission.

Act 2011-2 enlarges the Disciplinary Board to thirteen members and provides that members will be elected by the Convention on nomination of the Bishop, as is now the case for Trustees of the Diocese and the Commission on Ministry. The procedure put in place by the 194th Annual Convention called for the Diocesan Council to nominate two candidates for each vacant seat. This procedure proved to be impractical.

Act 2011-1 amends the Rules of Order to allow officers of the Convention and chartered committees to introduce resolutions.

Previously, only clergy, lay delegates, and canonical commissions could do so.

Act 2011-4 transfers responsibility for oversight of the Diocesan Archives from the Commission on Historic Properties to the Diocesan Historiographer.

Act 2011-5 changes the name of the Assessment Appeals Board to the Fair Share Appeals Board and allows the Board to consider a request to reduce a congregation’s fair share for the coming year 8

on grounds of unforeseen financial exigency after the August 15 appeals deadline has passed.

Act 2011-6 makes relatively minor changes in the Canon 19 pertaining to convocation deans and wardens. As introduced, this measure would have given the Bishop authority to appoint deans and wardens. The Committee on Administration of the Diocese declined to endorse the measure, but reported it “without recommendation” to allow the Convention to debate the matter.

An amendment from the floor revised the resolution to make no change in the current method of electing deans and wardens, but to add a provision that the Bishop may appoint a replacement for a dean or warden until the convocation holds and election to fill the vacancy. The amendment also made minor changes that conform the canon to current practice.

Resolution 2011-1 reaffirms the diocese’s commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, urges congregations to allocate at least 0.7% of their income to support projects that address one or more of the goals, and calls on the diocesan Millennium Development Goal Committee to take a leadership role in the NetsforLife® Campaign.

Resolution 2011-2 urges congregations to consider ways to minister to prisoners, those returning to the community, and their families and victims.

Resolution 2011-3 urges congregations to establish a committee or designate someone to foster environmental stewardship; calls on congregations to undertake an energy audit; encourages congregations to cease using Styrofoam produces and pesticides, to recycle, and to become more energy efficient; and asks congregations to report their progress to the Committee for Environmental Ministry.

Resolution 2011-4 calls on the Bishop to appoint a task force on Palestine/Israel charged to (1) review General Convention and Executive Council resolutions on Palestine/Israel and recommend actions to be taken; (2) work with the School of Ministry to develop educational resources on these issues; and (3) report to the 196th Annual Convention with suggested actions, resources, and opportunities.

Resolution 2011-5 resolves that the Convention believes diversity to be an essential criterion in student school assignment, urges our clergy and lay people to work for equitable education for all students; and asks the Bishop to share the resolution “with the wider community, as he believes appropriate.”

Resolution 2011-6 commits the Diocese and its congregations to participate in the Episcopal Relief & Development NetsforLife® Inspiration fund during 2011 with a goal of providing one mosquito net for each communicant in good standing in the diocese, i.e., approximately 40,000.

Resolution 2011-7 urges congregations to respond to the current immigration crisis by (1) offering advocacy and welcome in the face of rising anti-immigrant sentiment; (2) learning more about issues with the current immigration system; and (3) contacting elected officials to encourage them to take up comprehensive immigration reform as defined by Resolution 2008-3 of the 192nd Annual Convention.

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

Resolution 2011-8 asks the Bishop to appoint a task force to study and make recommendations for full implementation of the Denomination Health Plan in this diocese, as mandated

by Resolution 2009-A177 of the 76th General Convention and national Canon I.8.1.

Resolution 2011-9 sets the fair share percentage for 2012 at 11.5%.

Resolution 2011-10 adopts the Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation, as enacted by Resolution 2009-A082 of the 76th General Convention.

Resolution 2011-12 responds to the Bishop’s Annual Address.

Election Results

Resolutions 2011-11, -13, and -14 express the Convention’s appreciation for the ministry of St. Stephen’s Bookstore; those staff members and volunteers who helped make the Convention possible; and the Rev. Stephanie Spellers who delivered the Convention Keynote Address.

Joseph Ferrell is the Secretary of Convention.

Contact him at jsferrel@email.unc.edu

Disciplinary Board, Clergy: The Rev. Marion Thullbery, The Rev. Stephanie Allen, The Rev. Randal Foster, & the Rev. Tambria Elizabeth Lee

General Convention Deputy, Clergy Order (from left): The Rev. Sarah Hollar, The Rev. John Tampa, The Rev. Beth Ely and the Rev. Kevin Matthews

Penick Village Board, 2-year term: Annie Haber-Blulnk and Robert Ellis Stemler

Disciplinary Board, Lay: Kathi Lester, Beth Bordeaux (not pictured), and John J. Parker III

General Convention Deputy, Lay Order (from left): Alice Freeman, Joseph S. Ferrell, Martha B. Alexander, and Josephine Hicks

Standing Committee, Clergy: The Rev. John K. Gibson and the Rev. Sarah Hollar Standing Committee, Lay: Bob Shelton

Penick Village Board, 3-year term: William E. Easterling, A. Room Edmonson, Alice B. Freeman, Douglas R. Gill, John A. Greer, Judie Henry, Judith (Judi) Leggett, Eugenia England Simons, Darlene G. Vaughn, and the Rev. Nicholson B. White

Diocesan Council, Clergy: The Rev. Paul Winton and the Rev. Lisa Fischbeck (not pictured); Diocesan Council, Lay: Nancy Bryan, Jeffrey Haas, and Ed Robins

Trustee Univ. of the South, Clergy: The Rev. Brad Smith; Trustee Univ. of the South, Lay: Ann Windon Craver

Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

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the Human family of god

OUr Companion dioceses One of the longest running programs between The Episcopal Church and Anglican Dioceses is the Companion Diocese Program, which began in the 1960s as a way to strengthen the bonds of the Communion through partnerships that foster communication, understanding, and shared mission and ministries. The Diocese of North Carolina currently is active in two companion relationships: The Diocese of Costa Rica (since 1996) and the Diocese of Botswana (since 2008). However, the diocese’s global involvement dates back to the very start of the program, as mentioned in the following excerpt of an address given by Bishop Thomas A. Fraser in the 1963 Journal of Convention: “The Bishop of the Missionary District of Panama, our Companion Diocese, sends his best wishes to the Diocese and has asked me to express his gratitude for the warm and helpful relationship that has developed between the Diocese of North Carolina and the Diocese of Panama. I have already reported at length in the North Carolina Churchmen on my visit to Panama in February this year as well as the Student Center project at the University of Panama. I would like to add this is a thrilling example of 20th-Century missionary endeavor. Here on the edge of the campus of the University, this diocese will join with the Missionary Diocese of Panama in a face-to-face encounter with Communism and other live alternatives to the Christian faith. It is Bishop Gooden’s estimate that the Student Center, including land, will cost in the neighborhood of $37,000. We already have in hand, largely due to the vision and stewardship of the Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill and the Churchwomen of the Diocese of North Carolina, over $18,000. I can, without hesitation, commend this project to all of you interested in combating those philosophies which are enemies of Christianity and freedom.”

In addition to the Diocese’s companion relationship with the Diocese of Panama, there have been partnerships with the Diocese of Belize and the Diocese of Ecuador. The following is a look at the current exciting opportunities and new developments for shared ministry within our human family of God. Here, a look at just some of the exciting developments going on with our current Companion Dioceses.

COSTA RICA

Companion Diocese partnerships are typically established for five years, with mutually agreed upon extensions as the end of the partnership draws near. In it’s 15th year, the partnership between the Diocese of North Carolina and the Diocese of Costa Rica in the Province of Central America has lasted well beyond that five-year time frame. The time and energy invested into this relationship by the clergy, congregations, and people within these two dioceses has resulted in an enormous amount of trust and opportunities for new ministry.

VESTRY DEVELOPMENT GRANT

Trinity Church, Wall Street, has awarded the Dioceses of North Carolina and Costa Rica a grant for $31,600 for vestry development. The project, “Radical Welcoming: An Inter-Cultural Program for Vestry Capacity-Building,” is designed to broaden the skills of CR vestries and expand NC vestries’ understanding of outreach and welcoming for the Latino community. The grant, which was prepared

by St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, represents the collaboration of the Costa Rica Committee, the Rev. Evelyn Morales, Deacon for Hispanic

Children from the Diocese of Costa Rica.

Photo from Marta Davis

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The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

“ This grant offers an element of leadership development, which brings an entirely new aspect to our Companion Diocese relationship with Costa Rica that is quite exciting and will provide new connections from vestry to vestry.”

- The Rt. Rev. William Gregg, Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina and chair of the Companion Diocese of Costa Rica committee Ministries, Dr. Ayliffe Mumford, Director of the School of Ministry, and the Diocese of Costa Rica.

“This grant offers an element of leadership development, which brings an entirely new aspect to our Companion Diocese relationship with Costa Rica that is quite exciting and will provide new connections from vestry to vestry,” said the Rt. Rev. William Gregg, Assistant Bishop of North Carolina and chair of the Companion Diocese of Costa Rica committee.

The Trinity grant will engage both North Carolina and Costa Rica vestries in talking about their understanding of Radical Welcome and their role in it, as a jumping-off point for discussing how vestries address a range of problems in the two cultures through shared stories. It offers a way to build relationships among vestries, strengthen the Costa Rican lay leadership, and provide North Carolina vestries with a broader understanding of how to welcome one of the most rapidly-growing populations in the State.

For more information contact the Rev. Rebecca Yarbrough at ryarbrough@gostalbans.org COMPANION PARISHES & BUILDINGS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

A number of parishes throughout the Diocese of North Carolina have steadily built relationships with the communities and congregations within the Diocese of Costa Rica. After numerous trips and shared exchanges, parishes were able to determine what the needs of their companion parishes and the surrounding areas were. Currently, a prototype building is near completion that will serve as preschool/kindergarten facility in addition to providing education for mothers. The Hogar Escuela en Heredia is a center that has a potential as a prototype that can be utilized in other areas as a way to expand the presence of the Diocese of Costa Rica. Members of St. Alban’s, Davidson, worked with the McCoy Foundation and the Rt. Rev. Hector Monterrosa, Bishop of Costa Rica, to develop the center. The center is close to completion and it has the capacity to provide mentoring and care for 150 mothers and their children.

An architectural rendering of the Hogar Escuela en Heredia Center.

Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

companion officer for Costa Rica Marta Davis Shares Experiences as Diocesan Companion Officer Very few people have the grand opportunity of living abroad and devoting their deep passions for an incredible adventure serving God as a missionary. Luckily, by His grace, I was in the right place at the right time and granted this window of a life altering experience. Building bridges between my homeland and the beautiful, lush country of Costa Rica is a dream for some folks, but most definitely for me. As Companion Diocese Officer, I assist Bishop Hector Monterroso with Chaplain duties and a number of official tasks.

My main focus, however, is serving the churches devoted to our Companion Diocese Relationship primarily located in North Carolina but also in South Carolina, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Texas and now California. Mission groups travel year around to share in a partnership with Costa Rica's churches and mission projects.

Our main service project under the Costa Rican Diocese is an afternoon school program and daycare center appropriately called Hogar Escuela, which means Home School. Currently, our San Jose location is servicing 122 children from the age of six months to twelve years of age, from six in the morning to six in the evening. Our devoted staff of thirteen Women work tirelessly to serve the community of Barrio Cuba. Ninety percent of our children come from single parent homes, living in extreme poverty. Hogar Escuela provides a safe haven for God's children, as well as Christian Education, tutoring, counseling, computer skill training and a number of other education programs. In addition, there are two more schools currently under construction; One in the province of Heredia Central and another in the center of Estrada within the Province of Limon.

Come be a part of God's love in Costa Rica! We welcome you!

Marta Davis Iglesia Episcopal Costarricense Official Companion Officer 506.2253.0790 costaricamarta@gmail.com

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

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FAR LEFT: Fr. Andrew Mudereri, the rector of St. Peter’s. His wife Gladys runs the Day Care.

TOP RIGHT: Bishop Curry exchanges a hug with Bishop Mwamba. BELOW: The Rev. Jamie L’Enfant carries a child at the daycare.

Photos by the Rev. Jamie L’Enfant

DIOCESE OF BOTSWANA

It has been three years since the Diocese of North Carolina and the Diocese of Botswana became Companions, and the past four years have paved the way for a growing understanding, mutual respect, and continued opportunities for shared ministry. “This ministry between our two Dioceses is about relationship, about being together in Christ, and honoring the hospitality and culture of whomever is making welcome. As much as we, as Americans, are inclined to think of all the things to do and how that we might think that they need to be done, the ministry is about walking this pilgrimage as partners in our shared Anglican understanding of being a child of God and one with Christ. We have so much to learn from one another, and so much to learn about the faith in Jesus when we come together as sisters and brothers in Christ,” said the Very Rev. Dr. Murdock Smith, Rector of St. Martin’s, Charlotte, and Dean of the Charlotte Convocation.

INTRODUCING EDUCATION FOR MINISTRY IN BOTSWANA

In previous exchanges between the companion committees of our Diocese and the Diocese of Botswana, the need for theological education was identified. Our diocesan committee offered Education for Ministry (EfM), a four-year program, as a successful model used in our diocese. As a sponsoring diocese for EfM, we received approval to include the Diocese of Botswana under our agreement and to pilot the use of the program there. Our diocesan EfM coordinator, Shelley Kappauf, has been a critical link in making this opportunity a reality.

Through Shelley’s efforts, two people from the Diocese of Botswana, The Rev. Ezekiel Nthokwa and Mr. Nightingale Kwele, were enrolled in EfM mentor training last fall. Their enthusiasm for the program motivated them to gain approval from their Standing Committee and Link committee to proceed with its introduction.

Ezekiel and Nightingale are in the process now of gathering 12 people who will participate in Year One of the program, studying

About Education for ministry (efm) Every baptized person is called to ministry. The Education for Ministry (EfM) program provides people with the education to carry out that ministry.

Supported by a life of prayer and regular worship, EfM groups move toward a new understanding of the fullness of God’s kingdom.

Participants are given weekly assignments to study with the help of resource guides. Through discussion and guided reflection, EfM’s emphasis is not the development of skills but in theological reflection. By examining their own beliefs and their relationship to culture and the traditions of Christian faith, participants can learn what it means to be effective ministers in the world.

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In coming to terms with the notion that everything they do has potential for manifesting the love of Christ, participants find that their ministry is at hand wherever they turn. In other words, EfM offers an opportunity to discover how to respond to the call to Christian service.

If you are interested in knowing more about EfM in our diocese or in the Diocese of Botswana, see the School of Ministry website, www.episdioncschool.org or contact our diocesan coordinator for EfM, Shelley.Kappauf@ episdionc.org

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

the Old Testament while reflecting theologically on how it affects their lives and actions in their daily lives. During their February trip to Botswana, Father Murdock Smith and Mother Jamie L’Enfant offered assistance in getting their program off the ground.

While EfM has an international presence, this effort is its first in Africa. Shelley Kappauf will be providing feedback on the progress of the program as the liaison between the School of Ministry and the School of Theology Program Center at the University of the South at Sewanee where EfM is administered. The director of the program, Karen Meridith, has offered her support as the pilot proceeds. Though there are many needs for theological education in the Diocese of Botswana, it is hoped that EfM will meet some of these needs, most importantly, over time as people respond to their calls to ministry.

While this effort will unfold over the next several years, Kappauf commented, “we are optimistic that EfM will serve to give the participants a greater awareness of God’s presence as they discern their call toward the many ministries they will fulfill.” Ayliffe Mumford, Director of the School of Ministry added, “Sharing the responsibility for introducing EfM in Botswana is a great way the School of Ministry can reinforce our companionship with the people of Botswana while supporting our mutual formation in Christ. It is truly a gift to all of us.”

Tom Feldman, Tyvola Designs, Charlotte

ADDITIONAL CONNECTIONS: AIDS, WOMEN’S MINISTRIES & YOUTH From The Companion Diocese Of Botswana Report

HIV/AIDS: Growing out of interests and ministry in HIV/AIDS within our Diocese, the Diocese of Botswana, and R.A.I.N. (Regional AIDS Interfaith Network) of Charlotte, an approach for the involvement of faith communities in changing at-risk behaviors is being developed. Dr. Sharita Womack (epidemiologist and molecular microbiologist) brought her expertise in HIV/AIDS; a nurse practitioner with R.A.I.N. who specializes in HIV/AIDS; and Father Lawrence Womack (knowledgeable and active in HIV/AIDS ministry) travelled to Botswana in November for conversations with counterparts in the Diocese of Botswana and the Government of Botswana. This new program is about the training of trainers for HIV/AIDS and the importance of faith communities in affirming changed behaviors. We share the challenges of high HIV/AIDS incidence here in the Southeast, and we have much to learn from Botswana’s approach.

Youth: In December 2009, youth representatives from the Diocese of Botswana were here in North Carolina. The plans were laid at that time for a visit by youth from our Diocese to Botswana the following year. Unsettling economic times resulted in the visit being delayed until 2011. This became a good thing when it was realized that youth from North Carolina and the Church of England’s Diocese of Newcastle (also in a companion relationship with Botswana) could be together for ministry. This will result for Anglican and Episcopal youth from three dioceses, three countries, and three continents coming together. The visit will be in the second half of July 2011. There is particular need for scholarship assistance for this. Please contact Beth Crow, Diocesan Missioner, if you are interested in supporting this effort.

Women’s Ministries: Representing the Episcopal Churchwomen of the North Carolina, Lisa Towle was the keynote speaker at the combined annual gathering of the Mothers’ Union and the Anglican Women’s Fellowship of the Diocese of Botswana. Not only travelling many, many hours to Botswana, she then rode many more hours to Tsabong to the furthest-out congregation and into the Kalahari Desert.

These three expressions of ministry by, for, and among women continue to grow.

INVOLVED

WOULD YOU OR YOUR CHURCH LIKE TO GET INVOLVED WITH A COMPANION DIOCESE?

•

Talk to the Companion Dioceses Committee. Committee Chair Contact information is available below.

The Rt. Rev. William Gregg, william.gregg@episdionc.org Chair, Costa Rica-North Carolina Companion Link Committee

ABOVE: Enjoying lunch at St. Mark’s, Lobatse, where Mother Jamie L’Enfant preached.

BELOW: All the children wanted to be lifted by Bishop Curry and Fr. Bob Sawyer.

Photos by the Rev. Jamie L’Enfant

Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

The Very Reverend L. Murdock Smith, msmith@stmartins-charlotte.org Chair, Botswana-North Carolina Companion Link Committee •

Talk to churches who are already involved. Listen to their experiences.

•

Join a group visiting to a companion diocese or plan an exploratory trip for your church. “The important thing to do on a trip like this is to listen. Often we come with an idea of what our Companion Diocese might need or what we would like to do when we should come with no expectations and simply listen,” said the Rt. Rev. William Gregg.

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

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By Beth Crow

best practices in youth ministry Leaving your child for the first time with a babysitter or the first day of school or perhaps even handing the car keys over for your child’s first drive without an adult all require a lot of trust in those caring for your child and in your own child’s judgment. As parents, most of our interactions with our children are means of helping them grow more independent, and yet one never ceases to try to protect their child, no matter how old.

Nowhere may this be more true than within the church as we as a community vow to help our youth grow into the full stature of Christ. We trust this to be a safe and loving community, like an extended family. By the time most children have entered middle school, they have had some experiences of traveling without their parents or staying overnight away from their families. Will these adults to whom parents have given complete responsibility of their children protect and care for them as well as they do?

Our church takes these responsibilities quite seriously, and the following details a newly compiled resource of Best Practices when working with Youth Ministry, in addition to an overview of the Safeguarding God’s Children program required by those working with youth.

BEST PRACTICES & SAFE CHURCH Recently, the diocesan youth ministries office has developed a “Best Practices” document that includes topics such as overnight supervision of youth, transportation of youth, Facebook use and texting, guidelines for selecting games for youth events, first-aid procedures and appropriate dress for different youth events. Youth leaders throughout the diocese will be invited to participate in regional Best Practices workshops (information is forthcoming). This material will also be available on the website at www.dionc.org/Youth/bestpractices-in-youth-ministry.html “Youth Ministry is so dependent on volunteers that it is only fair for us to communicate in writing our expectations for their interaction with our youth,” says John M. Porter-Acee III, associate for Children, Youth, and Family Ministry at Christ Church, Charlotte. “It is also important that we pool our knowledge and experiences as a diocese to

make sure our programs are as safe as possible for our youth and for our volunteers.”

The Rev. John Porter-Acee and Sara Bailey, former youth minister in Greensboro and current consultant with Youth Ministry Architect, worked with Beth Crow, the Diocesan Youth Missioner, in developing this comprehension documental in an attempt to bring Safe Church policies up to date with the lives of our young people.

“Across denominations and the country, there is a desperate need for a comprehensive policy such as this. In this complicated and sometimes confused culture we’re in, safety means so much more than just having one adult for every five to seven youth,” says Sara Bailey. “This policy delves deeper – understanding boundaries in our digital world (which is constantly changing), setting clear expectations of volunteers, knowing insurance coverage for youth programs, and more. Safeguarding God’s Children is a strong and solid start in equipping youth ministry staff and volunteers. ‘Best Practices’ takes it to the next level.”

Safeguarding God’s Children is a program designed by the Church Pension Group in education on sexual abuse. Participation from employees and volunteers in the church is required. “I am so proud of our Safeguarding God’s Children training and practices in The Episcopal Church,” says Bronwyn Clark Skov, youth ministries officer for The Episcopal Church. “We have set the standard for responsible behavior in Christian denominations. I have found the training and practices to be

“Across denominations and the country, there is a desperate need for a comprehensive policy such as this. In this complicated and sometimes confused culture we’re in, safety means so much more than just having one adult for every 5-7 youth. This policy delves deeper – understanding boundaries in our digital world (which is constantly changing), setting clear expectations of volunteers, knowing insurance coverage for youth programs, and more. Safeguarding God’s Children is a strong and solid start in equipping youth ministry staff and volunteers. “Best Practices” takes it to the next level.”

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- Sara Bailey, Former Youth Minister in Greensboro and Consultant with Youth Ministry Architect

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

YOUTH

Best Practices

Recently the diocesan youth ministries office has developed a “Best Practices” document which includes guidelines, suggested practices and policies in regards to: ADULTS WORKING WITH YOUTH An overview of SAFE GUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN program, insurance liability coverage, adult volunteer guidelines.

SUPERVISION Best practices concerning how to chaperone youth and recommended youth to adult ratios, overnight supervision, pastoral care, when to notify parents of situations, professional counseling and emergency intervention.

COMMUNICATION Covers Community covenants for youth groups, how to set clear communication expectations regarding email, texting, social media and video. In addition, this section gives guidelines for appropriate adult interaction with you in these mediums and what types of photos information are appropriate for websites, etc.

invaluable in my ministry and my personal life as a parent, godparent, and mentor. Safeguarding protects children and may save lives.”

Joseph Payne, youth minister at Emmanuel, Southern Pines, and Co-Director of HUGS Camp understands the value of such policies: “I feel it’s pivotal for parents and youth to feel safe and welcomed into an environment such as youth group or over-night camps. Safe Church provides the proper training to create that secure feeling for not only for parents, but for youth participants, counselors, and staff, so that we can maintain a Christian community.”

PROTECTING YOUNG PEOPLE Protecting our young people is one of the highest priorities of the diocese; assisting those who work with our youth to make wise decisions is another. Having consistent and up-to-date policies provides adults who work with youth the tools needed to make these decisions.

“In light of what has been going on in the world in general,” says Jill Hoffmann, chair of the Chartered Committee for Youth, “I believe the Church must be seen as being proactive in thinking about the safety of our youth and volunteers in all senses of the word.”

The Diocese of North Carolina is proud of the incredible youth ministries being offered throughout the diocese and within parishes. Our goal is for the youth and the adults who work with them to continue to live into the example of Jesus Christ, to respect one another and all God’s children while protecting the wellbeing of each of us.

Beth Crow is the Diocesan Youth Missioner.

Contact her at 919.834.7474 or beth.crow@ episdionc.org.

TRANSPORTATION Transportation policies regarding youth and young adult drivers, copies of driver’s licenses for adults, seat belts, cell phone use while driving, adults per vehicle, and 15 passenger vans/church buses.

PERSONAL SPACE Goes over personal space conduct that should not be allowed (wrestling, intimate contact, lap sitting, etc.).

MEDICAL SUPERVISION Medical forms, First AID kids, injury/incident reports and emergency planning.

GAMES An overview of games during youth events so that APPROPRIATE DRESS they comply with personal space standards, a Offensive clothing, swimwear during missioncreate trips and safe environment, participants and purcamp, and clothinginclusivity that is toofor revealing or tight-fitting. pose and goals. This section also highlights games that are not recommended during youth events.

RESOURCES Additional links to resources and more information are included in this document. Please feel free to send along resources from your youth program if you see something that is not covered as best practices are always changing as technology and society change.

The faith community in a warming World “I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruit and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination.”

Jeremiah 2:7

Forty-five years ago, President Johnson said the atmosphere was being changed by a steady increase of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels. CO2 levels are now the highest in at least 800,000 years. For the 2010 year-to-date (January–November), the combined global land and ocean surface temperature was 0.64°C (1.15°F) above the 20th century average—the warmest such period since records began in 1880. Serious changes to the planet are already occurring. It is certain that life on Earth will suffer, but exactly when and how remains uncertain.

To address these realities around the nation, Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) is mobilizing a religious response to global warming in congregations, through the promotion of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and conservation. The IPL effort began in San Francisco, California in 1998 with Episcopal Power and Light and the support of Grace Cathedral as a unique coalition of Episcopal churches aggregated to purchase renewable energy. The Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham is the founder and executive director of this movement. There are now Interfaith Power & Light affiliates in 37 states and the Washington, D.C. area, working in over 10,000 congregations.

North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light (NC IPL), a program of the North Carolina Council of The Rev. Canon Churches, became an affiliate of IPL in 2007. The Sally G. Bingham mission of NC IPL is to work with faith communities in North Carolina to address the causes and consequences of global climate change, and offer practical solutions, through education, outreach and public policy advocacy.

NC IPL believes that faith communities can have a profound effect on how humanity addresses climate change. The understanding of climate change as a moral imperative is gaining traction, and the faith community is the primary and most trusted deliverer of this message. The United Nations has affirmed that climate change and other environmental problems must be tackled in partnership with the moral and spiritual forces in the world because of the tremendous reach and influence.

Here in the US simply practicing what we preach by retrofitting our own facilities can be significant. According to the federal government’s Energy Star program, if America’s more than 300,000 houses of worship cut energy use by 10 percent: • Nearly $200 million would be saved for congregations’ missions and other priorities.

• More than 5.4 billion kWh of electricity would be available without additional cost and pollution.

• More than 2 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions would be prevented, equivalent to the emissions of about 400,000 cars, or to planting over a half million acres of trees.

By Carl Sigel

In general achieving energy efficiency is the smartest, cheapest, and easiest way to address our countries’ energy challenges according to The Campaign for an Energy-Efficient America. A strong national energy efficiency program will create hundreds of thousands of good jobs, reduce utility bills for consumers, cut greenhouse gas emissions, enhance national security, reduce the need for new power plant construction, produce a cleaner environment, and benefit American businesses. IPL endorses national climate/energy legislation that includes both strong Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS) and renewable energy standards (RES). North Carolina has the potential of obtaining up to 25% of our electricity from the renewable sources of wind and solar. Currently, North Carolina is sending $2.3 billion annually out of state for the purchase of coal. A strong RES and EERS would use some of these billions to create clean energy jobs and build our solar and wind clean energy future.

There are many ways that individuals or congregations can address climate change.

• Become an NC IPL participating congregation or a volunteer for NC IPL • Sign up for an NC IPL sponsored Congregational Energy Efficiency and Audit Workshop that examines ways in which your congregation and their member households can save money on energy bills while helping to protect Creation • Enlist NC IPL’s educational resources such as presentations given by our staff and volunteers, or visit the NC IPL website (www. ncipl.org), which contains climate and energy news, events, and relevant documents and resources • Establish an Environmental Stewardship Ministry in your congregation (see “Environmental Resources” listed under Congregational Resources on the Diocesan website, www.episdionc.org).

Celebrate a liturgical creation cycle of at least four weeks in length at an appropriate time during the liturgical year for the purposes of affirming the sacredness of God’s Creation The clock is ticking. It is time for people of faith to do everything within our power to truly “tend the garden;” all life on this fragile Earth, our island home, depends on us today.

Carl W. Sigel, Ph.D., is Chair, NC IPL Steering Committee North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light and a member of Church of the Nativity in Raleigh. Contact him at Cwsigel@aol.com.

TheNorth NorthCarolina CarolinaDisciple Disciple| Winter | Spring2010 2011 1616The

Making Disciples, Making a Difference Making Disciples, Making a Difference

Benedicite North Carolina The General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2009 approved the use of the Creation Season, in which we celebrate the goodness of God’s creation and commit ourselves to stewardship of the earth and its resources. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has endorsed the celebration of this liturgical period asking that Christians “be dedicated to prayer for the protection of creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change.”

One of the ancient canticles of the Church is the Benedicite, Song of Creation. It appears in our Book of Common Prayer in the Morning Prayer rite, on page 47. The Church in New Zealand adapted this canticle for use in their land, and created the Benedicite Aotearoa (New Zealand Prayer Book, page 64). The Episcopal Church of the Advocate has further adapted this canticle for use during the Creation Cycle in churches of North Carolina, creating the Benedicite North Carolina.

Leader People

O give thanks to our God who is good, Whose love endures forever.

Leader People

You sun and moon, you stars of the southern states, Give to our God your thanks and praise.

Leader People

The mountains, the piedmont, the coastal plain, Give to our God your thanks and praise.

Leader People

From Pigeon to Eno to Neuse to Atlantic, Give to our God your thanks and praise.

Leader People

You poplar and longleaf, rhodo and maple, mimosa and hickory, Give to our God your thanks and praise.

Leader People

Brook trout and small mouth, large mouth and catfish, striper, perch, oyster and crab, Give to our God your thanks and praise.

Leader People

Black bear and elk, deer and coyote, red wolf and fox, Give to our God your thanks and praise.

Leader People

Red-headed woodpecker, cardinal and bluebird, osprey and hummingbird, Give to our God your thanks and praise.

Leader People

Adelgid and junebug, mantis and moth, mosquito and deer tick, Give to our God your thanks and praise.

Leader People

Okra and corn, scuppernong and soybean, peanut and honeycomb, Give to our God your thanks and praise.

Leader People

Hiker, kayaker, beachcomber, skier, Give to our God your thanks and praise.

Leader

Occaneechi and Lumbee, Cherokee and Cree, descendants and immigrants, all who inhabit the Old North State, Give to our God your thanks and praise.

People

The above is an adaptation of a Benedecite written for The Episcopal Church of the Advocate, Carrboro, North Carolina, 2010 Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

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together

we can save more than

100,000 lives

“Our goal is a bold and daring one. [Yet] it is possible. We can do it. And by God's grace, we will."

- The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry on the NetsforLife Campaign

If each parish, mission and school within the Diocese of North Carolina accepts the challenge to join together to help fight malaria, the goal of raising 40,000 nets, or approximately one net for each communicant, to save up to 120,000 lives from malaria in Africa will be realized. One net costs $12. One net provides refuge for up to three people, often women and children, from mosquitoes during the night.

GET YOUR CAMPAIGN STARTED TODAY!

Simply select a Nets Rep for your parish and pass along their contact information to Reid Joyner at erd-nc@hotmail.com. We will work with Nets Reps to provide ideas and tools to begin a campaign at a time that is most convenient for each parish.

Nets Representatives will develop and implement local campaign plans/events, ensure payments are sent to Episcopal Relief & Development timely, share NetsforLife® parish stories and photos, and report nets sales to the Steering Committee.

SUPPORT TOOLS

A Diocesan NetsforLife website has been created to house all the tools and information churches will need to run their campaign: church goals, ideas, resources, and more are available on the campaign website, http://netsforlife.dioncmdg.org Also, the Campaign Steering Committee members are available for questions and assistance (see page 19 for contact information).

NET PURCHASES MADE EASY:

Churches or individuals can purchase nets three ways: • Checks can be collected by the church and periodically mailed in to Episcopal Relief & Development (see address below) • Parishioners can send their own check directly to Episcopal Relief & Development. (address below) • Donations can be made online, find link at http://netsforlife.dioncmdg.org In each of these cases, the most important thing to remember is provide the following information with your donation to ensure proper credit: • Name of your church or school • Location of said church or school • Diocese of North Carolina • That you are supporting the NetsforLife Inspiration Fund

Visit http://netsforlife.dioncmdg.org for tools, resources, campaign contacts & more!

MAIL YOUR DONATIONS:

Episcopal Relief & Development PO Box 7058 Merrifield, VA 22116-7058 18

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

embracing the millennium development goals GOAL #1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger GOAL #2: Achieve universal primary education GOAL #3: Promote gender equality and empower women GOAL #4: Reduce child mortality by 2015 GOAL #5: Improve maternal health GOAL #6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases GOAL #7: Ensure environmental sustainability GOAL #8: Develop a global partnership for development

MDG Grants Available “The MDGs are the Shalom for the world.”

- The Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori Is your community looking for a way to support the Millennium Development Goals? Grant funding is available through the diocese’s MDG Committee! You’re invited and encouraged to submit grant requests for international projects that address one or more of the goals. Grant application forms and guidelines are posted on www.dioncmdg.org, along with information about past grant recipients.

The upcoming submission deadline is April 1.

CAMPAIGN STEERING COMMITTEE:

Chair: Reid Joyner, Episcopal Relief & Development Diocesan Coordinator, erd-nc@hotmail.com Vice-chair: Debra Smithdeal, Diocese of NC Millennium Development Goals Committee chairperson, debra@dioncmdg.org Communications: Sarah Herr, Diocese of NC Communications Coordinator, ex officio, sarah.herr@episdionc.org Administration: Marlene Weigert, Diocese of NC Canon to the Ordinary for Administration, ex officio, marlene.weigert@episdionc.org Youth/Schools: Summerlee Walter, All Saints' Episcopal Church, Roanoke Rapids, summerlee.walter@gmail.com Episcopal Church Women: Lisa Towle, Diocesan ECW President, lisa@dioncmdg.org.

Training: The Rev. Jan Lamb, Deacon, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Durham, janlamb@frontier.com Reporting/Tracking: Beth Bealle, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem, ebealle@triad.rr.com Parish Events: The Rev. Rebecca Yarbrough, Deacon, St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Davidson, and the Rev. Velinda Hardy, Deacon, Calvary Parish, Tarboro, ryarbrough@gostalbans.org Chaplain: The Rev. Dr. John Gibson, Senior Associate Rector, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Raleigh, gibson@holymichael.org

QUESTIONS? CONTACT THE COMMITTEE! WE ARE HERE TO HELP! Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

Pray It Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

(Book of Common Prayer)

FOR THE CAMPAIGN O God and Father above, we live in a world full of challenges and needs so great they sometimes overwhelm us. Yet in the face of staggering need there is something we can do as the body of Christ to combat a persistent and deadly disease. Malaria is a disease that you have shown us a way to combat. For a few American dollars, we can purchase mosquito nets and protect an entire family for years. We beseech you to move the hearts of your people within your Church to generosity, O God. Stir our hearts for the purchase and distribution of NetsforLife® – that countless lives may be saved in the Name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit calls us to care for our sisters and brothers throughout the world – wherever they may be. Amen AS A PREFACE FOR HOLY COMMUNION We offer this Holy Eucharist to the glory of Almighty God and in thanksgiving for the Ministry of NetsforLife®, that as we gather at the Lord’s Table to offer Thanksgiving for the saving work of God in Christ, we might each be called to saving work by giving to NetsforLife®, a ministry to which God has called this parish. Amen AS A PRAYER TO OPEN A NETSFORLIFE® PRESENTATION OR A CALL TO GIVE

Heavenly Father, we offer this presentation on NetsforLife® to you and your ever-saving work in the world. Help the facts in this presentation open minds, help the truth in this presentation open hearts and help the hope of this presentation open arms that this ministry might be embraced by your people. In the saving Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen The committee thanks the Rev. Paul S. Winton, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, for authoring the preceding prayers for the Campaign The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

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surviving

malaria

While Growing Up in Liberia, Priest Recalls His Firsthand Experience with Malaria

By The Rev. Wheigar J. Bright

Liberians who were around during the 60s will remember a popular Liberian folk song, “Cousin Mosquito.” The song was about the annoying, intrusive and deadly mosquitoes that caused malaria. The song warns of the “sting of death” cousin mosquito brings.

When asked to tell my story about my life with malaria I thought about cousin mosquito and the so-called intimacy the song suggests: that it is family! Even though no one likes the mosquitoes, the fact remains that they are part of the reality of many in Africa. I grew up in Liberia. I know malaria because I did not just have it once but several times. I got it when I was a child and when I was an adult.

Malaria is like the flu-a very bad case of the flu. (Yes, I know the flu too.)

I remember the chills, the fever, and the constant sleep and the struggle to get me to eat some food. Because I was blessed with a mother who had a wide knowledge of the local medicines and the financial means to purchase the Chloroquine drug, I was able to pull through the many bouts with malaria. But not even those blessings made me feel any good when I got malaria. I hated those Chloroquine

thank you

pills because they were very bitter and made me itch for days. Not to mention the “Donut grease,” which was the very smelly white ball of grease I was rubbed down with. It was thought to “draw out the fever.” In spite of it all, I survived cousin mosquito’s sting of death.

The reason I tell my story is to underscore the fact that many were not as fortunate as I was for various reasons. So I thank God for “Netsforlife” and the partnership with the Diocese of North Carolina to purchase 40,000 mosquito nets which would save 120,000 lives that would, otherwise, have to deal with “cousin mosquito” and malaria.

The Rev. Wheigar J. Bright is Vicar at St. Luke’s, Yanceyville. Contact him at brightwheigar@yahoo.com.

did you know?

April 25, 2011, is World Malaria Day. • • • •

250 million is the annual number of cases of malaria infection around the world 90 percent of all malaria deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa Every 60 seconds a child dies from malaria There are eight Millennium Development Goals and the NetsforLife® program partnership most particularly addresses #4, #5 and #6 (see MDG goals on previous page)

The following churches have notified Reid Joyner (erd-nc@hotmail.com) that they have started their campaign or will sometime during the year: All Saints, Concord All Saints, Roanoke Rapids All Saints, Greensboro Calvary, Tarboro Canterbury School, Greensboro Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill Christ Church, Charlotte Christ Church, Cleveland Church of the Advocate, Carrboro Church of the Nativity, Raleigh Davidson College, Davidson Emmanuel, Southern Pines Episcopal Campus Ministry, Raleigh Episcopal Center of Duke University, Chapel Hill Galloway Memorial, Elkin Good Shepherd, Asheboro Good Shepherd, Ridgeway Good Shepherd, Raleigh Holy Family, Chapel Hill Palisades Episcopal School, Charlotte

Penick Village (Transfiguration), St. Pauls, Smithfield Southern Pines St. Pauls, Salisbury Saint Mary’s School, Raleigh St. Paul’s, Cary St. Albans, Davidson St. Paul’s, Winston-Salem St. Andrews, Charlotte St. Philips, Durham St. Augustine’s College, Raleigh St. Stephens, Oxford St. Christophers, High Point St. Stephens, Durham St. Cyprians, Oxford St. Thomas, Reidsville St. Elizabeth’s, Apex St. Timothys, Raleigh St. James, Mooresville St. Timothy’s, Wilson St. John’s, Charlotte St. Titus, Durham St. Joseph’s, Durham Trinity, Fuquay-Varina St. Luke’s, Durham Trinity Episcopal School, Charlotte St. Margaret’s, Waxhaw UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill St. Mary Magdalene, Seven Lakes UNC Charlotte, Charlotte St. Mary’s, High Point Wake Forest Episcopal Ministries, St. Mary’s House, Greensboro Winston-Salem St. Matthews, Kernersville St. Matthews, Hillsborough St. Michaels, Raleigh St. Michael’s, Tarboro St. Patricks, Mooresville There is still time to sign up - contact Reid Joyner at erd-nc@hotmail.com today! If your church has signed up but is not on this list, visit http://netsforlife.dioncmdg.org for the most up-to-date and continously growing list.

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The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

The Abraham Project

By Adrienne Beauchamp

The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

By Adrienne Beauchamp

Genesis 12: 1-3 Can you imagine God asking people all over the country to leave their familiar surroundings and move to Winston-Salem where they will spend a year of their life with our church family and our community? He is asking that very question … right now!

The Abraham Project (TAP) is a new Episcopal Service Corps (ESC) program sponsored by St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem. This is a year of service program designed for recent college graduates. Participants will live in intentional community while learning to live simply. They will work thirty hours a week at agencies in Winston-Salem. TAP provides interns with a monthly stipend, food allowance and health insurance to those who need coverage. Interns will also spend time dedicated to personal discernment and spiritual growth. Participating in worship each Sunday at St. Timothy’s is expected. Interns will also have opportunities to get involved in various ministries such as Children, Youth and Adult Faith Formation.

In July, we look forward to welcoming three young adults to begin their journey with TAP. They will live in a three bedroom, two bath home. This home is in walking distance to the church, grocery store, hospitals, restaurants and shops. The house is in a safe and established neighborhood with a wonderful recreational park just down the street.

The Abraham Project has partnered with three wonderful nonprofit agencies to provide enlightening and challenging internships for our program participants. These non-profits are Crisis Control Ministry, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina and The Centers for Exceptional Children. Each agency will expose TAP participants to social justice issues within our community. This should challenge the interns to think of ways that they can faithfully respond to these issues while also advocating for these agencies in and around Winston-Salem.

While enrolled in TAP, each group of interns will develop a rule of life. Part of this rule of life includes coming up with an event, program or project that will benefit the Winston-Salem community.

This event or project is to be developed, carried out and completed during their ten month time period in the program.

St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church is thrilled about this opportunity to put our faith into action, therefore carrying out our mission as Christians into our surrounding community. We look forward to nurturing the young adults in their faith formation; not only while they are here with us, but long after they have left via The Abraham Project’s Alumni Association.

Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

If you are a young, soon-to-be college graduate, and feel that a year of service is what you need, please go to www.episcopalservicecorps.org to complete an online application.

If your college years have passed you by and you still want to be a part of The Abraham Project, we appreciate everyone’s prayers, time, talent and resources as we grow this faith-based program for individuals and our community.

Feel free to contact us at anytime to learn more about how you can be a part of this wonderful opportunity for young adults.

CONTACT

The business office of The Abraham Project is at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 2575 Parkway Drive Winston-Salem, NC 27103 www.theabrahamproject.net

Adrienne Beauchamp is a parishioner at St. Timothy’s in Winston-Salem, and co-program director of The Abraham Project.

Contact her at asbeauch1@yahoo.com

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

21

DIOCESAN

EVENTS

diocese launches new website

March April May

March

3 Fresh Start, held regionally. Contact Canon Hunn 4-5 Youth Outreach Weekend, hosted in the NW Region 5 Future of Black Churches 8 Sound of Hope, for Clergy, Laity & Musicians, Featuring Jeremy Begbie, Duke University 17-19 EFM Mentor Training, Contact Shelley Kappauf 19 Radical Welcome Workshop, South Region

April

2 Radical Welcome Workshop, East Region 7 Fresh Start, held regionally. Contact Canon Hunn 8-10 Spring Youth Event 14 Northwest Region Clergy Quiet Day, St. Francis Springs Prayer Center, Stoneville NC 14 East Region Clergy Quiet Day, Location TBA 16 South Region Quiet Day, Christ Church, Albemarle

May

3 Fresh Start, held regionally. Contact Canon Hunn 31-1 Diocesan Staff Retreat Look for additional events and more detailed event information online at www.episdionc.org or contact the diocese at 919.834.7474, toll free 800.448.8775.

Upcoming diocesan events and events from around the diocese are featured in Please Note, the Bishop’s weekly e-newsletter, & in the Around the Diocese monthly bulletin insert.

please note Keep up with upcoming Diocesan events and those from around the church by subscribing to Please Note, the Bishop’s weekly e-newsletter.

In addition to events, Please Note includes a video message from the Bishop, spiritual resources and important announcements. To subscribe, send an email to sarah.herr@ episdionc.org.

Clergy Changes As of February 2, 2011

The Rev. James P. Adams, from Diocese of Maine, Letters Dimissory, to Diocese of NC. The Rev. Wilberforce Mundia, from Non-Parochial, to Rector, Half-Time, St. Bartholowmew’s, Pittsboro.

The Rev. Jonah Kendall, Letters Dimissory from Diocese of NY, to Diocese of NC. The Rev. Dr. Derek Harbin, from Non-Parochial, to Rector, St. John’s, Portsmouth, VA, and Letters Dimissory to Dio. of Southern VA. The Rev. E. T. Malone, Jr., from Vicar, Good Shepherd, Ridgeway, to Rector, Part-Time, Trinity, Scotland Neck.

The Rev. James P. Melnyk, from Interim Rector, Holy Family, Chapel Hill, to Priest in Charge, St. Paul’s, Smithfield.

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“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.” Mark 16:15

The Diocese of North Carolina has launched a new website (www. episdionc.org), with the intention of providing a more user-friendly interface that connects to Social Media networks and to the wider world of Episcopalians and the Anglican Communion.

Additionally, the new website provides more efficient access to resources that aid and support in the ministry we do together as the Episcopal Church and we will continously seek to grow those resources.

This new website was done in partnership with Digital Faith, a company that builds online communities of faith.

The concept for Digital Faith originated with Episcopalians and the Alliance for Christian Media.

Through this partnership between the Diocese and Digital Faith, congregations and campus ministries in our diocese can establish websites at no cost and will have access to continuous training and technical support (contact Sarah Herr, sarah.herr@episdionc.org, for more details). At the end of Mark’s Gospel Jesus, having been raised from the dead, commands his followers to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.” Websites, social media and the internet are all tools for proclaiming that good news today.

Keep the Faith, +Michael

Through this partnership between the Diocese and Digital Faith, congregations and campus ministries in our diocese can establish websites at no cost and will have access to continuous training and technical support Contact Sarah Herr, sarah.herr@episdionc.org, for more details.

The Rev. Dr. Vicki L. Smith, from Rector, St. Thomas, Reidsville, to Rector, St. John’s, Wake Forest.

The Rev. Scot McComas, from Non-Parochial, to Associate Rector, Grace Church, Madison, NJ. The Rev. Miller Hunter, Jr., from Diocese of VA, to Vicar, Christ Church, Raleigh.

The Rev. Gary Fulton, from Priest in Charge, Trinity, Scotland Neck, to Retired.

The Rev. Kelly Ayer, from Candidate, to Transitional Deacon, and Letters Dimissory, Diocese of NC, to Diocese of Rochester.

The Rev. Gabriel Lamzares, from Transitional Deacon, to Priesthood, and Letters Dimissory from Diocese of NC to Diocese of Oregon.

The Rev. Timothy Backus, from Transitional Deacon, to Priesthood, and Letters Dimissory, Dio. of NC to Diocese of Central Gulf Coast.

The Rev. Cecelia C. Schroeder, Letters Dimissory from Diocese of NC, to Diocese of VA. The Rev. Sara E. Palmer, from Transitional Deacon, to Priesthood.

The Rev. Carin Bridget Delfs, Letters Dimissory from Dio. NC, to Diocese of Southern Ohio.

The Rev. Kathleen Rock Pfister, from Transitional Deacon, to Priesthood.

The Rev. Clarke French, from Rector, Trinity Church, Watertown, NY, to Rector, Church of the Holy Family, Chapel Hill.

The Rev. Pam Webb, from Interim Rector, Holy Comforter, Burlington, to Non Parochial.

The Rev. Catherine Caimano, from Rector, St. John’s Church, Wichita, Kansas, to East Regional Priest, Diocese of North Carolina.

The Rev. Adam J. Shoemaker, from Diocese of Mass., to Rector, Church of the Holy Comforter, Burlington.

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

By the Rev. Claire Winbush

The Power of Accessibility A simple gesture of inclusion can make all the difference for someone with special needs who has learned to navigate a society that is not always adequately prepared to accommodate those needs.

The Rev. Claire Winbush, a transitional deacon who serves on the Bishop’s Committee for Accessibility, recalls how one small, but powerful, gesture made a church more accessible and helped shape the direction of her life.

I went to school at the college of William & Mary in Virginia, which was built about 300 years before anyone thought about the Americans with Disability Act. I went to church every week in a chapel that was built around 1715. It had lots of steps!

I realized that I wanted to be a priest during Lent of my junior year, when the chapel elevator broke. I had no way to get my wheelchair up the steep flight of stone steps and into the chapel; I couldn’t come in.

I was stuck, and frustrated. The first week the elevator was broken, I stayed home and tried to pray in my room. That wasn't a success— instead of praying, I sulked. So the following week I asked my friends to tell our chaplain that I would wait at the bottom of the steps outside the chapel. Could he please bring me the Eucharist?

When I got to the chapel on that dreary Tuesday, I discovered that someone had opened the chapel doors wide—in precise defiance of the college’s regulations. From the bottom of the steps, I could see the whole sweep of the nave and the altar. My chaplain and my friends had simply extended the church to include me. I sat at the bottom of the steps and worshipped with them. I couldn’t hear anything, but I could see the chaplain making the familiar, graceful gestures of blessing and consecration.

And as I watched him walk down the chapel

The Wrenn Chapel at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Photo by Bruce R. Jenkins

aisle carrying the body and blood of Christ to give to me, I thought: 'That's what priests do.

They bring Christ to people who cannot come on their own.' And then I thought: 'That's what I want to do. I want to bring the tangible grace and beauty of God to others. And so, six years later, here I am: a transitional deacon, just because someone opened the doors to the church.

I have always looked at my call to ministry through the lens of the Eucharist, and I suspect I always will (though I hope I will discover other ways of seeing as well). I have spastic quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, which is a fancy clinical way of saying that my muscles don’t listen to my brain. My legs, my arms, my fingers, my tongue pretty much move in the ways they choose to move—or don’t choose to move at all—and it’s only with training, concentration, and grace that I manage to coordinate them. I have used a wheelchair since I graduated from a stroller. My body, comic and unexpectedly deft though it often is, is also broken. Simply and permanently. So when I am given Jesus’ broken body to hold in my hands and on my tongue, I remember that this is God’s weakness touching mine. I remember that the body of Christ offered and made real at the Eucharist is a humble, broken, resurrected body, passionately alive. And I remember that, since God gathers us to himself through his wounds, I can offer my own strange, vivid, haywire body in ministry to all the people God loves so fiercely. Jesus gives me his body; I want to give him mine in return. In the end, it’s that simple.

“That's what priests do. They bring Christ to people who cannot come on their own.' And then I thought: 'That's what I want to do. I want to bring the tangible grace and beauty of God to others.”

The Rev. Claire Winbush Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

The Bishop’s committee on Accessibility The Bishop’s Committee on Accessibility was established last year in order to help provide resources for congregations when welcoming people of all abilities. Based on feedback from clergy and congregations who filled out an accessibility survey, the committee has provided a congregational assessment tool to help determine areas of strength and potential areas of improvement for each congregation. Find this resource, and others compiled by the committee, online at www.episdionc.org, under “Congregational Resources,” or contact the committee chair, the Rev. Meg Buerkel Hunn at megbuerkel@ gmail.com.

The Rev. Claire Winbush is a transitional Deacon serving as chaplain resident at the Durham VA. Contact her at csewimbush@gmail.com.

- The Rev. Claire Winbush

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

23

3

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snapshots 1. Julia McCormick and Jane Bennett from St. John’s , Wake Forest participate in the East Region Youth Outreach event.

Youth from Iglesia El Buen Pastor, St. Luke’s, Durham; Saint Matthew’s, Hillsborough; Good Shepherd, Raleigh; Church of the Nativity, Raleigh; and Saint John’s, Wake Forest helped Iglesia El Buen Pastor clear land behind the church for their future soccer field. 2. At the “Fathoming the Archbishop” event hosted by the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Duke Divinity. 3. Diocesan Council member Bob Shelton participates in the Hunger Crop Walk with area churches and community members. 4. New clergy receive a welcome at the 2010 Clergy Conference in Winston-Salem. 5. Deacons from around the Diocese take a photo at the 2010 Clergy Conference. 6. Bishop Curry, Bishop Gregg, Clarence Fox, and the Rev. Richard Williams at St. Paul’s, Salisbury. 7. Celebration of New Ministry event for The Rev. Richard Williams, rector, with wife Judith, at St. Paul’s, Salisbury. 8. Celebration of New Ministry for the Rev. Martin Jaurez, Vicar, at Iglesia El Buen Pastor, Durham.

9. Celebration of New Ministry event for the Rev. Kevin Scott Brown, rector, Holy Comforter, Charlotte. 10. Bishop Curry takes a photo with youth at the Diocese of Kansas Convention in October. 11. Bishop Curry and Bishop Estill welcome the new rector at Christ Church, Raleigh - The Rev. James P. Adams. 12. Bishop Curry and the Rev. Nils Chittenden, Diocesan Young Adult Missioner and Chaplain at Duke Episcopal Center, during the center rededication.

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pilgrimages of faith

By The Rev. Dr. John K. Gibson

Lent is a time of pilgrimage. During this season, we journey with Jesus in the wilderness, enter triumphantly into Jerusalem, eat the Last Supper with his disciples, stand at the foot of the cross, and rejoice at the empty tomb. We Christians are at heart a pilgrim people.

The word “pilgrim” comes from the Latin “peregrinari” which literally meant “through the field.” A pilgrim, once we move beyond the image of Plymouth Rock, is one who travels.

The journey has long been an important part of our faith tradition. Devout Jews were expected to go to the Temple at Jerusalem three times a year for the pilgrimage feasts of Passover, Weeks, and Booths. Jesus, we know, went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Christians from the fourth century AD, if not before, journeyed to the Holy Land to see the places connected with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Other places associated with apostles and martyrs quickly became pilgrimage sites, too.

Pilgrimages became popular for many reasons. Believers learned more about Jesus or one of the Saints, deepening their faith. They let go of their day-to-day concerns and encountered God. Pilgrimage epitomized life’s journey from God and back to God. A group from St. Michael’s, Ralegh, stands in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.

Protestant Reformers such as Martin Luther dismissed pilgrimages in part because of their connection during the medieval period with indulgences. In the late 20th Century, after the horrifying devastation of the two World Wars and quantum mechanics’ revelation of an unpredictable subatomic world overthrew the Enlightenment’s paradigm of progress through reason alone, people craved a more experiential faith. Long neglected Christian spiritual practices, such as pilgrimage, began to flourish again.

Last June, I went to England with St. Michael’s, Raleigh. Our group of about 35 had people from all over the United States as well as St. Michael’s. In addition to sites such as Jane Austen’s house, Stonehenge, and a pub or two, we visited Winchester, Salisbury, Guildford and St. Paul’s cathedrals. Our hotel in Winchester was next to the cathedral grounds. Each morning I walked across the green to say Morning Prayer or to participate in the Eucharist. Some of our members rehearsed with and sang in an English choir for Evensong.

As I sat on the hard wooden bench in the quiet chapel or in the choir of the cathedral, staring at the vaulted ceilings, waiting for the service, I thought of the thousands of people – famous, infamous, and ordinary - who had worshipped God there for centuries. I felt their presence and God’s. But I also felt God’s presence in the camaraderie of our group as we toured different sites, traveled around the country chatting, dozing, or staring out the window of our coach, ate our meals, and shared a drink or two at the end of the day. Our time together was an experience of the closeness of the body of Christ. I was so taken with it that I decided to organize a pilgrimage to Italy for June 2012.

Pilgrimages are remarkably easy to organize. Companies such as Casterbridge Tours that operated our trip to England do most of the work. They will even design a website for your trip as they have done for our upcoming journey to Italy: www.casterbridgetours.com/ Italy2011.html. Other companies such as Worldwide Pilgrimage Ministries do a fine job, too.

They plan the itinerary with you and make hotel, flight, restaurant, and site reservations for you.

If you are interested in organizing a pilgrimage or joining St. Michael’s to Italy, contact the Rev. Dr. John Kenneth Gibson, Gibson@holymichael.org, 919.782.0731x105. They are a great opportunity to grow in faith.

The Rev. Dr. John K. Gibson is Senior Associate Rector at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Raleigh.

Contact him at gibson@holymichael.org.

The Rev. Dr. John K. Gibson stands with two Roman legionnaire reenactors at Old Sarum near Salisbury Cathedral.

Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

25

news from

St. Augustine’s College, An Institution of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, has gone wireless, received recognition as a Historically Black College or University and is the recipient of a $115,000 grant.

Saint Augustine’s Colleg, 1315 Oakwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27610-2298

Saint Augustine’s College Nominated as Best HBCU

Saint Augustine’s College has been nominated as a finalist of the inaugural Historically Black College or University (HBCU) awards. The Center for HBCU Media Advocacy will host the awards to recognize HBCU’s for their efforts in several categories.

Saint Augustine’s College has been nominated in four categories including: HBCU of the Year, HBCU President of the Year, best HBCU athletic program and Dr. Charles Mosee has been nominated as HBCU Alumnus of the year. The awards presentation is scheduled to be held March 18, 2011 in Greensboro, NC. Saint Augustine’s College Receives a Grant from Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Saint Augustine’s College Goes Wireless

Saint Augustine’s College recently announced the campus is completely wireless. The campus established its wireless network in July of 2010. There are over 125 access points dispersed throughout campus. Saint Augustine’s College encourages faculty, staff, students and guest to logon to the College’s wireless network using their St-aug logins.

In order to assure complete utilization of the College’s wireless network wireless coverage is dispersed throughout campus.

According to Director of IT, Stephen Scholz “Wireless access points exist throughout the campus to cover every floor of every building as well as the major outdoor meeting areas, such as in front of Boyer, Delaney, MLK, and FAB.” “Students of the 21st century are more connected than ever before, by smart phone, internet devices, netbooks and laptops.

Saint Augustine’s College provides free high-speed wireless connectivity across campus, so that wherever they are, in class, on the quad, in the cafeteria or library, students are never without instant access to the college’s technological resources and the entire internet. We’ve made the whole campus a massive technology lab.”

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Saint Augustine’s College announced an $115,000 grant award from the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation for the 2011-2012 academic year. The college will use the grant for the ongoing support of the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation scholarship program on campus.

The mission of the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation scholarship program is to provide scholarships to “support women in 9 southeastern states—devoting most of its resources to scholarships and grants to schools and colleges for deserving women.”

The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation has been an active scholarship program on the campus of Saint Augustine’s College for over 10 years.

For more information

Contact Tiffany Gladney, Communication Specialist, at 919516-5076 or tlgladney@st-aug.edu. Visit St. Augustine’s online at www.st-aug.edu.

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

Episcopal Farmworker Ministry Receives $200,000 duPont Grant The Episcopal Farmworker Ministry (EFwM) in Newton Grove was selected as a 2011 Jessie Ball duPont Grant recipient for $200,000 over a threeyear period, which will be used to fund a business development position. This position will provide additional visibility and resources to ensure this ministry not only survives, but continues to thrive.

About the Ministry

The Episcopal Farmworker Ministry is a shared ministry of the Diocese of North Carolina and Diocese of East Carolina that for nearly 30 years has responded to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families, and actively supports opportunities for them to become self-directive. They minister to farmworkers in three principal ways: • Through direct services; • Through development and support of programs that work towards the empowerment of farmworkers; • By encouraging leadership development, advocacy, and education aim toward a systematic change of argicultural policy at local and state levels.

In 2010, the ministry was recognized at the 194th Convention as the recipient of the Bishop’s Medal Award. EFwM is “an incredible model of the power of the witness of Gospel welcome. This is a missionary vision at work. It’s worship through word and sacrament and prayer; it’s evangelism; it’s service to others; it’s working for justice; it’s discipleship that is making a difference in the world,” said the Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Bishop of North Carolina.

North Carolina is a temporary home to more than 100,000 migrant farmworkers, most of whom are Mexican laborers, and even more have made North Carolina their permanent residence. They are frequently subjected to isolation, substandard housing, lack of transportation and medical care, and language and educational barriers. A number of churches within the diocese are active within the EFwM, participating in youth mission trips, providing supplies to farmworkers, and volunteering at the annual Farmworker Festival.

The EFwM provides free immigration assistance, English-as-a-second-language classes, food distribution, annual Christmas and Easter gift distribution programs, an annual festival, and a Sunday worship service in Spanish officiated by the Rev. Tony Rojas, director and minister of EFwM. He is assisted by Silvia Cendejas, assistant director, and Maria Acosta, communications and immigrations specialist.

Operating on a modest budget, but with a dedicated staff, board, and volunteers, the EFwM through La Sagrada Familia draws an average Sunday attendance of 600 during the peak harvesting season, making it the fifth largest Episcopal worshiping congregation in North Carolina.

For more information

For more information, contact Naomi Hammeke, board chair, from St. Michael’s, Raleigh, at nhammeke@nc.rr.com, (919) 552-1078 (home) or (919) 274-6635 (mobile). Or visit the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry online www.EFwM.org.

Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

TOP PHOTO: The Rev. Tony Rojas during Sunday worship at La Sagrada Familia in Newton Grove. BOTTOM: From left, Maria Acosta, communications and immigrations specialist, Silvia Cendejas, assistant director, the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, and the Rev. Tony Rojas, director and minister of EFwM.

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

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By Hugh Stevens

HAITI PROTESTS IMPACT MISSIONERS Five St. Michael’s parishioners who visited Haiti in early December found themselves temporarily “confined to quarters,” and had their return to the U.S. delayed by protests over the disputed returns from Haiti’s Nov. 29 presidential election.

Chuck Fyfe, Jane Hyde, Alan Sibert, Monty Moree and Hugh Stevens were in Haiti to support and learn more about CODEP, a cooperative re-forestation and soil reclamation project operated by the Haiti Fund, Inc., a North Carolina-based non-governmental organization with ties to the Presbyterian and Episcopal churches.

The trip, which was rescheduled from last February owing to the earthquake that shook Haiti in January, was expected to include several hikes into the deforested and highly eroded mountain watersheds where CODEP’s workers plant almost 1 million trees each year, but the unrest that arose after the election results were announced Dec. 7 brought the country to a standstill for several days, trapping post-communion procession emerging from the tent where Epiphiné Episcopal Church currently is the visitors in the CODEP compound about 30 miles west The conducting Sunday services. The church was destroyed during the earthquake. Photo by Hugh Stevens of Port-au-Prince, the capital. The demonstrations, which prompted a State Department warning against travel to Haiti, into Port-au-Prince to get. This is typical of the kind of frustration also caused American Airlines to cancel the parishioners’ return that you confront again and again in Haiti.” flight several times. The group ultimately departed Haiti via another With CODEP employees negotiating their way around and airline. through roadblocks, the group eventually was able to visit several “The most violent demonstrations occurred in Port-au-Prince,” areas where CODEP’s 600 Haitian workers have stabilized eroded Stevens said. “We were well away from them and the CODEP facilhillsides by planting eucalyptus trees and vetiver grass, creating fertile ity is very comfortable and safe, so we were in no danger. For us, terraces for growing coffee, mangoes and other crops. The parishthe most obvious effect of the unrest was that the road outside the ioners also attended services at Epiphané Episcopal Church, which gate, which normally features honking horns, grinding gears and is – or was – located across the road from the CODEP compound. squealing brakes at all hours, was almost deserted. For about three The church building collapsed during the January earthquake, so the days, the only noise was the whine of an occasional motorbike.”

Creole-language services currently are conducted in a large tent supWith their movement curtailed, the parishioners and the CODEP plied by the U.S. Agency for International Development. staff turned their attention to chores and repairs at the CODEP “Haiti is far and away the most dysfunctional place I’ve ever facility, such as clearing trash from the adjacent beach, changing the been,” Stevens said. “Haitians live every day under conditions that oil in a large dump truck, repairing toilets, inventorying equipment would defeat most Americans, but they are remarkably resilient and and helping with a party for members of the CODEP headquarters the Haiti Fund has proven that they can sustain themselves given the staff and their families. One afternoon found Jane Hyde engaged right opportunity. We were pleased to learn how Episcopalians are in a lengthy Creole-English lesson in the form of a lively game of helping to provide those opportunities.”

“Go Fish.”

To learn more about CODEP and The Haiti Fund Inc., visit Mission leader Chuck Fyfe, a Haiti Fund board member, said www.haitifundinc.org.

“Monty spent the better part of three days valiantly trying to reconnect a water heater that fell over during the earthquake, only to Hugh Stevens is a member of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Raleigh. be thwarted in the end by one small missing part that we couldn’t go Contact him at hugh@smvt.com.

about CODEP For the last 20 years, a small organization based in New Bern, NC, has had a vision of a land of plenty in the mountains of Haiti where the people live in peace and prosperity and embrace a plan to restore God’s creation. The Haiti Fund, a joint effort of Presbyterian and Episcopal churches along with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, has supported this vision through its Comprehensive Development Project (CODEP).

The work of CODEP, in the mountains south of Leogane, covers approximately 30,000 acres in a patchwork quilt of reclaimed land. Land conservation affects not only the mountains, but also the entire watershed below. Haitian farmers have cut shallow erosion control ditches on the slopes. Along the front edge of these ditches, they plant deep-rooted vetiver grass and behind, every 10 feet or so, a seedling shade tree, which is fast-growing and hardy, and will regenerate from the root several times if cut down. In a year or two, when the shade trees are 15 feet or more 28

By Chuck Fyfe

tall, enough leaves collect in the ditches to make compost where gardens, coffee and fruit trees can be raised. And in recent years, fish ponds for tilapia have been built to introduce a nutritious addition to the Haitian diet and a marketable commodity.

Effecting reforestation is only the first step. CODEP also encourages and supports education and nutrition improvements so that the health and hygiene of the people are improved. Microeconomic loans are available to the animators (Haitian leaders in CODEP) for initiating new projects, buying or renting land to increase productivity or buy seeds and equipment. People who have been involved for a long time now proudly talk of how future generations will support themselves on the land of their heritage.

It is this proud hope for the future that sustains those who have been involved in creating a project that one day will become completely sustainable – environmentally, culturally, and economically.

The success of this effort is not in giveaways. The more than

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

600 Haitian workers in the CODEP region receive a stipend for their work and are fully invested in the success. Where they once cut down any tree more than two feet tall to make charcoal, they now have acres of 20-30 foot trees that can be used for construction or marketing to others to fund education for their children or other personal uses. CODEP workers can earn points by planting and maintaining hedgerows and trees in order to earn benefits for themselves, including cisterns and new houses.

The reputation and success of CODEP was never more obvious than in the days following the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake. Since the epicenter was at the edge of the CODEP region, the impact was immense. As aid organizations, including the UN, arrived to provide food for the families in the CODEP communities, the distribution process was ineffective at best and chaos reigned. The CODEP animators stepped in and took over the distribution process. Because of the peoples’ trust in CODEP, calm and a sense of order returned immediately.

In the CODEP area, the residents enjoy good health, quality education and economic stability so that they can live together as a thriving community. CODEP is managed by Haitians who do not depend on others to bring solutions to them.

They depend on their own ingenuity and work ethic and not on handouts. They do, however, depend on others to show them love and respect, not only for themselves, but for their country and their culture. Through the support of the Haiti Fund (www.haitifundinc.org), the people in a corner of Haiti are achieving the vision of peace and prosperity.

Chuck Fyfe is a member of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Raleigh.

Contact him at chuck.fyfe@gmail.com.

Chuck Fyfe, right, has led two small missions to Haiti from St. Michael’s, Raleigh, and is actively involved in The Haiti Fund, Inc., and CODEP.

From the St. Mary’s Building Design/Construction Steering Committee

ST. MARY’S NEW SOUTH CAMPUS WILL SEEK LEED CERTIFICATION St. Mary’s, High Point, will seek LEED certification in 2011 for its new 20,000 square foot building scheduled to begin construction in April. The new building will be located on St. Mary’s South Campus approximately 300 yards from the church’s historic 1928 Gothicstyled sanctuary. Blending with the traditional architecture of the church, the new building will house a chapel, music academy, youth center, full service kitchen, and outreach facilities.

LEED stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,” a rating system developed by the US Green Building Council to assist architects and construction companies in creating sustainable buildings and landscapes. LEED guidelines promote environmental and human health in its certified buildings through energy efficiency, water conservation, recycling construction waste, the use of local materials and renewable energy sources, clean air quality indoors, and landscaping with native plants.

In discussing LEED certification, St. Mary’s Rector David Umphlett commented not only on the energy savings that sustainable building offers, but on the even more important implications of green building for our faith. “By building in a manner that is more in harmony with creation, we make known our belief that as Christians, we are morally bound to be good stewards of the earth and all its resources.

Our new building will stand as a witness to this Christian principle,” he said.

According to St. Mary’s Charlotte-based architect Gray Hudson of WKWW Architects, the building on St. Mary’s South Campus might well be the first LEED certified Christian church building in North Carolina.

Frank L. Blum Construction Co. of Winston-Salem, which has worked on other Episcopal projects throughout North Carolina, has been chosen to lead the construction team.

For additional information about the project and other architectural plans, visit www.stmarysepisc.org/Rise_Build.html or contact St. Mary’s at 336.886.4756.

WKWW Architects, Charlotte Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

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Christian Prayers for Mother’s Day By the Rev. Paul S. Winton

From the days of the Kings and Judges in the Old Testament forward, Holy Scripture measures the morality of believers, in significant measure based on our care of “widows and orphans.” By extension, our call to be mindful of mothers lies deep within the DNA of the faith.

It is important that God incorporates Motherhood in His decision to enter the world and redeem it. The ways God might have come into the world are without number and yet God chose to enter the world through Mary and provide for himself a mother. It is as if God looked at the human condition and concluded that not only is it “not good for man to be alone” but that “it is not good to enter the human condition without a mother.” And so Blessed Mary is called to the Ministry of motherhood, Mother’s Day is essentially a secular expression, yet Christians have, throughout our history, taken that which is secular and re-visioned it with sensitivities of our faith and thereby elevated that expression into something deeper – in this case – motherhood as part of the Divine Plan. That said, motherhood and the relationships thereof are fraught with all the dynamics of human relationships. The prayers below seek to celebrate motherhood and yet realize some sensitivity to these realities.

Mother’s Day is May 8, 2011 Mothers as Part of God’s Divine Plan

Almighty God and Father we give you thanks for mothers. We give you thanks for wrapping the loving arms of motherhood around your creating, nurturing and sustaining work in the world. We give you thanks for the wonder, grace and blessing that transform women to mothers and all the teeming life that is part of that wonder.

We give you thanks for the fears and challenges of motherhood and for the courage, bravery and sacrifice it requires. We celebrate motherhood as you envision it as an expression of the most tender, unyielding, uncompromising, unconditional love within the capacity of humanity. Amen.

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Thanks for My Mother - Imperfect

I give thanks to you O Lord, for the goodness and love you have made known to me by giving me a mother to love me, to care for me, to in so many tender ways, live for me. I hold in my heart sweet memories of my mother and I hold in my treasure of hope exciting dreams for future blessings with this woman who birthed me and loves me. Help me Lord, to hold in holy affection both the gifts my mother has for mothering and some perspective and grace for mistakes along the way. Where she slipped, may I forgive, where I have failed her may she find a place of forgiveness in her heart. Where we are apart Lord Christ, help to find a way back to one another’s heart. In all things Lord, I know that my mother meant well for me and for all whom she loves and I give you thanks for her life and mine – together. Amen.

For My Mother – Deceased

Lord God, in the most simple terms I miss my mother. I miss how she somehow automatically knew that which never occurred to me. I miss that which she somehow knew, that which I am not sure I will ever figure out. I miss that she knew when to be tender and when to be tough and managed them so they were both strong. I miss big things like how to talk about a breaking heart and terrible loss. I miss the little things like the smell of her and the feel of her hand on my cheek and her voice as I drifted to sleep as a child. More than anything Lord, I just miss her presence – the blessed assurance of her company. I place my hope Lord, in an eternal promise that I will one day be with her; but for now I need to just lift up the truth of my missing her and ask you to bless that. Amen.

A Husband’s Prayer for the Mother of His Children

I lift my voice in thanks to you, Lord God, that you have made my wife a mother. In her ministry to our children I see some glimpse of the great hope you have for all of us – that we will care one for another. I am grateful that she knows they are sick before they do, that she knows they are going to be sad before that event takes place, that though exhausted she will still lift or hold or listen to the child one more time – and in that generosity change everything. I am grateful that even when she is at the end of her rope – she finds enough of a string to hold on to so that we can climb back up to a safer place. Help me Lord, to be supportive, to be encouraging and not a child myself; to be not merely willing to engage but to be fully engaged in supporting this role of mother with the full love I hold in my heart for her and the children we both treasure. Amen.

The Reverend Paul S. Winton is Rector of St. John’s, Charlotte.

Contact him at pwinton@saintjohns-charlotte.org.

The North Carolina Disciple | Spring 2011

Making Disciples, Making a Difference

the ‘breath of Life’

cross

By Shawn Hoffman

My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated the fire burned, then I spoke with my tongue, “Each man’s life is but a breath” Psalm 39:3-5 “Way outside the box,” were the words my son, John, used when he spoke of my recent design for a needlepoint kneeler for our historic chapel at the Chapel of the Cross.

My first kneeler completed in 2006, a Holy Spirit Cross, was traditional in its placement of cross and dove on the canvas.

Its meaning was special to me as I had recovered from pneumonia and asked God’s ‘pneuma’ or breath and Spirit to heal my very own. The in and out movement of each stitch, a healing process much like the breath, offered calm as the design came to life.

But it was the process of creating this second design that was perhaps, as one of our priests said in a sermon, “God’s ceaseless yearning to reveal Himself to us and to be in relationship with us.” He went on to say God has made us with a creative energy that leads to a ‘holy longing’ for expression. It was this “holy longing” that was the seed of beginning this new project that would ultimately serve the chapel and its visitors for years to come.

Just prior to beginning the kneeler, in 2009 as my mother’s Alzheimer’s disease had progressed, we learned of new health issues for my father, who had been her sole caregiver, and upcoming urgent surgery for him. Within 2-3 weeks, we had to find Alzheimer’s care for my mother, get her settled in assisted living away from my father, and be with my dad for his surgery and subsequent weeks of recovery. My husband and I were also balancing the caregiver role for his mother, also with dementia and in assisted living.

Our whole family, but especially John, was grieving the loss of a dear friend, Nicole Lee, who died in a car accident her freshmen year. My heart literally ‘grew hot within me’ as waves of anxiety and anticipation grew with uncertainty about the future. The whirlwind of emotions dropped me to my knees to ‘meditate’ and ask God for just the ability to see that we would get through all that life was giving us – each moment at a time.

One of my first intuitive responses was to request a kneeler to work on, and the coordinator said she had the perfect thing – a Maltese Cross design that someone had abandoned that needed to be worked. I sat down with the crosses’ sharp angled edges and began to work, until I realized something wasn’t right. I was going to be spending about 1-2 years with this fabric, holding it, seeing it, touching it, bringing to life a design that seemed cold and distant.

It was not strengthening my faith or offering peace.

Recognizing my need to bond with it and have this work Reflecting the Radical Welcome of Jesus

feed my soul, I decided to learn about the cross. (I followed my son’s direction and my source was Wikipedia!) It seems that the Maltese Cross, a symbol of Christian warriors, has its sharp ‘edges’ standing for the 8 points of how we are to face our adversities – it is the cross of courage – with concentrations on loyalty, piety, generosity, bravery, glory, contempt of death, helpfulness to the poor and respect for the Church.

The weave of my discomfort was clear – I was working on a strong backbone of courage without really feeling the courage the cross represented. In fact my prayer to God was ‘what kind of bones do I need to have for what follows? My heart is broken open inside and I feel so vulnerable – I wish to ask for courage and strength but sweet Jesus you know how I truly feel.’

After asking for the ‘backbone’ of courage, I believe that God offered a message of balance not to my backbone but rather to the ‘front’ of my body.

He offered the answer and placed it into my heart. In researching again about the Maltese Cross, my eyes came upon a soft, bright orange flower called Lychnis Chaledonica or more simply, the “Maltese Cross Flower” – its heart shaped leaves and gentle elegance stand for the ‘burning love’ of Jesus for us and ours for Him. This flower offered balance because it was nature’s Maltese Cross and it ‘burned’ to be a piece of this art ~ the anxiety in my heart found soft edges in the warm flower. Without any special counting or rigidity, I placed the unpredictable folds of the flower and its green leaves amidst the uniform lines of the cross. It seemed as necessary as a Chinese doctor adjusting one’s yin and yang; it balanced my spirit, strengthening my bones slowly with courage and my heart with the closeness of God’s passion to bring my knees to standing.

As I stitched, I learned that obtaining courage is not controlled by me but rather is only ‘breathed’ into me by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The way of the cross was truly to accept my fears, my insecurities, and my absolute grief and bring those in complete honesty before God without knowing the outcome.

Then his “burning love” would open for my imperfections and fragility – the flower’s organic asymmetry helped me to drop my need to handle each situation – to open my heart and let down “the edges” and receive love into my heart - to accept the invitation to be “God-breathed.”

As I near completion on this work, its meaning, like the period of life it represents, continues to re-weave itself and flow with new challenges and life offerings. May its design, that I call the “Breath of Life Cross,” be a blessing and a place of peace and balance to all who use it, and may it please reflect the holy energy and longing I had for expression and balance, and God’s reply with beautiful, burning love for us all.

“Each man’s life is but a breath”

Shawn Hoffman is a member of Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill.

Contact her at shawnwhoffman@bellsouth.net

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NONPROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID RALEIGH, NC PERMIT NO. 992

The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina 200 West Morgan Street, Suite 300 Raleigh, NC 27601-1338 PHONE: 919.834.7474 | TOLL FREE: 800.448.8775

BISHOPS’ VISITATIONS

CURRY GREGG 6-Mar-11 Good Shepherd, Asheboro Trinity, Statesville

13-Mar-11 St. Stephen’s, Winston-Salem St. Anne’s, Winston-Salem

20-Mar-11 Transfiguration, Ohio Cluster, Hamlet, Laurinburg

27-Mar-11 House of Bishops Meeting - All Three Bishops Attending

3-Apr-11 All Saints, Concord St. Barnabas, Gbo

10-Apr-11 St. Timothy’s, Raleigh Galloway, Elkin

17-Apr-11 St. Michael’s, Raleigh St. Elizabeth, Apex Maundy Holy Trinity, Gbo Good Fri Holy Trinity, Gbo Vigil Holy Family, Vigil Christ Ch., Charlotte (Vigil) 24-Apr -Easter St. Michael’s, Raleigh St. Michael all Angels

1-May-11 Christ Church, Raleigh Chapel of the Cross

8-May-11 St. Luke’s, Durham Holy Comforter, Charlotte

15-May-11 Grace, Clayton (4:00 p.m.)

St. Francis, Greensboro

22-May-11 St. Paul’s, Winston-Salem St. John’s, Charlotte

29-May-11 Good Shepherd, Raleigh

2-Jun-11 Trinity, Wall Street

5-Jun-11 Holy Trinity, Greensboro Christ Church, Charlotte

12-Jun-11 Holy Spirit, Greensboro St. Clements, Clemmons

19-Jun-11 St. Ambrose, Raleigh St. Timothy’s, Winston-Salem

26-Jun-11 St. Paul’s, Monroe St. Andrew’s, Greensboro

MARBLE

St. Stephen’s, Erwin St. John’s, Wake Forest

St. Christopher’s, Garner

Advocate, Carrboro St. Thomas, Reidsville Calvary/St. Lukes’s, Tarboro

Messiah, Rockingham Holy Comforter, Burlington St. Mark’s,Halifax/Grace.Weldon

Bishops’ visitations are subject to change. To confirm a specific date, please contact the Bishop’s office at 919.834.7474 or email Margo Acomb at margo.acomb@episdionc.org.