Harvest July August 2013

Inside The Harvest From the Bishop

The Episcopal Church is in the midst of some exciting and dynamic times, but The Episcopal Church is in the perfect position to grow. Page 2

Bishop Kemper School

The new theological school operated by Kansas and three neighboring dioceses is up and running, with 35 students enrolled and challenging courses offered. Page 3

How to be more welcoming A forum in Kansas City Sept. 12 looked at how churches can be more welcoming to people seeking a spiritual home, with a special emphasis on members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Page 4

ECW Annual Gathering The annual gathering of the diocese’s Episcopal Church Women will take place in Wichita on Oct. 5 in conjunction with a meeting of the national ECW board. Page 4

Presiding Bishop’s visit in October will celebrate Bishop Kemper School The presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, will visit the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas on Oct. 5-6 to celebrate the creation of the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, She will speak at a public forum on Saturday afternoon, focusing on the emerging shape of the church and the changing face of ministry.

She also will dedicate Presiding Bishop the recently renovated Katharine Jefferts Schori Bethany Place Conference Center and the land on which the new proposed diocesan Leadership Center will be located. Afterward she will join participants in a light reception.

On Sunday morning she will preach at the 10:30 a.m. service at the cathedral.

The entire diocese is invited to these public events, all of which will take place at Grace Cathedral, 701 SW 8th Avenue, in Topeka.

PUBLIC EVENTS WITH THE PRESIDING BISHOP Everyone in the diocese is invited to attend these events with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. All will take place at Grace Cathedral, 701 SW 8th Ave., in Topeka.

Saturday, October 5 1:30 p.m. – Public forum in the nave. Her topic will be “The emerging shape of the church and the changing face of ministry.”

3 p.m. – Celebration of the creation of the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry and blessing of the new facilities, beginning in the cathedral and moving outside 4 p.m. – Public reception in the cathedral’s lower level Sunday, October 6 10:30 a.m. – Preacher at the cathedral’s main Sunday service

In announcing her visit, Bishop Dean Wolfe said that Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori’s talk on the changing shape of ministry and mission “are the very topics we in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas are addressing with the Bishop Kemper School.”

He noted that her visit is “an important event in the life of our diocese” and urged people from all congregations to attend.

This is the presiding bishop’s second visit to the Diocese of Kansas. The first was in 2009 for the diocese’s 150th annual Convention. v

How to be more welcoming A forum in Kansas City Sept. 12 looked at how churches can be more welcoming to people seeking a spiritual home, with a special emphasis on members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Page 4

Bishop announces new appointments

By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest

Refugee families

Three Burmese refugee families who now live in Wichita have moved into new apartments after everything they own was destroyed in a fire Aug. 27. Help from the diocese made is possible. Page 5

A new priest and deacon

The diocese received two new members of the clergy Aug. 24, when the Rev. Lavonne Seifert was ordained a priest, and the Rev. J. Ted Blakley was ordained a transitional deacon. Page 5

Diocesan Convention

The 154th annual Convention of the diocese takes place Oct. 2526. Here you’ll read about who’s running for office, information on the keynote speaker, and background on some proposed changes that will help two parishes with ministry needs. Pages 6-7

Kansas Notable Book

David Simmonds from St. Matthew’s, Newton, wrote a book about his stepfather, noted Indian artist Blackbear Bosin, as a labor of love. But it won him one of 15 Kansas Notable Book Awards. Page 9

PHOTO BY MELODIE WOERMAN

Students and faculty of the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry pause for a photo during their first weekend of classes on Aug. 10.

Bishop Kemper School students gather for first weekend of classes The first weekend of classes for the new Bishop Kemper School for Ministry took place Aug. 10-11, with 35 students attending from the Dioceses of Kansas, West Missouri, Nebraska and Western Kansas.

Students participated in one of three classes, and all gathered for corporate worship and meals.

A story about the Bishop Kemper School is on page 3. v

Bishop Dean E. Wolfe has announced the call of two new members of the diocesan staff — the Rev. Meghan F. Froehlich as Canon Interim for Administration and Transition, and the Rev. Stephanie Jenkins as Campus Missioner.

In addition, he has called Dave Seifert as Missioner for Transitions, on a contract basis.

The decision to hire Froehlich as a canon interim was made following the news that Canon Craig Loya has been called to serve as Dean of Trinity Cathedral in Omaha.

Bishop Wolfe said, “After consulting with members of the Council of Trustees and a variety of leaders around the diocese, I decided it may take some time to identify an exceptional person who can build upon Craig’s good works. I believe Meghan’s presence will give us the time we need to examine both the Canon’s position and the flow of work in the diocesan office in a fresh way.”

(Please see Staff, page 4)

The Rev. Meghan F. Froehlich

The Rev. Stephanie Jenkins

Dave Seifert

2 • The Harvest • July/August 2013

From the Bishop

The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe

The church in exciting times Publisher: The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe, Bishop Editor: Melodie Woerman A member of Episcopal News Service and Episcopal Communicators, The Harvest is published six times a year by the Office of Communications of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas: February, April, June, August, October and December.

Stories, letters and photos are welcome. They will be used on a space-available basis and are subject to editing. Send all material (preferably in electronic format or by email) to: Melodie Woerman, editor The Harvest 835 SW Polk St. Topeka, KS 66612-1688 phone: (800) 473-3563 fax: (785) 235-2449 mwoerman@episcopal-ks.org Send address changes to: Receptionist 835 SW Polk St., Topeka, KS 66612-1688 receptionist@episcopal-ks.org Upcoming deadlines: September-October issue: Oct. 10 November-December issue: Dec. 1 Subscription rate: $1.50 annually Third class mailing Permit No. 601, Topeka, Kansas POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Episcopal Diocese of Kansas 835 SW Polk St. Topeka, KS 66612-1688

The Anglican Communion

A global community of 70 million Anglicans in 38 member churches/provinces in more than 160 countries.

Archbishop of Canterbury The Most Reverend and Right Honorable Justin Welby Lambeth Palace, London WE1 7JU, United Kingdom www.anglicancommunion.org Episcopal seat: Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, England

The Episcopal Church

A community of 2 million members in 109 dioceses in 16 countries in the Americas and abroad.

Presiding Bishop The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (800) 334-7626 www.episcopalchurch.org Episcopal seat: Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.

The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas

A community of about 12,000 members in 46 congregations, two diocesan institutions and one school in eastern Kansas.

Bishop The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe 835 SW Polk Street, Topeka, KS 66612-1688 (785) 235-9255 (800) 473-3563 www.episcopal-ks.org Episcopal seat: Grace Episcopal Cathedral, Topeka

Dear Friends, The strength of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas is that we are one church in dozens of forms and locations. We have 46 congregations, a cluster of active campus ministries, three social service agencies (Episcopal Community Services, Episcopal Social Service and Episcopal Wichita Area Refugee Ministry), and two schools — Bishop Seabury Academy in Lawrence and the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry.

We are all interconnected and interdependent in the Body of Christ, and we do as a collective enterprise what no one parish or institution could achieve on its own.

In scripture, the Apostle Paul had crucial things to say about how the body is interconnected and no part of the body can say it has no need of any other part of the body.

A revolutionary period for the church

Many of you have heard me say that I believe we are in the midst of a revolution in the Christian faith. I have sometimes said that if you had been in the middle of the great Protestant Reformation, you probably wouldn’t have said, “I believe I’m in the middle of the great Protestant Reformation!”

More likely you would have said things like, “Wow, the new technology represented by the printing press is turning communications upside down. The sources of religious and political authority are shifting, and the old structures appear to be crumbling. Worship is undergoing dynamic change, and yet it appears the Holy Spirit is present in these new forms.”

It would have been exciting and dynamic, and it also would have been a little frightening and disorienting.

I believe we’re in that kind of revolutionary period in the life of the church right now, and I believe The Episcopal Church is more perfectly positioned to grow over the next hundred years than any other denomination.

Ours is a church that invites people to bring their heads and their hearts. Ours is a church that preaches, and is increasingly practicing, radical hospitality and radical inclusion.

Ours is a church that won’t need to make apologies for where it’s been on the issues of the day.

Ours is a church that brings ancient worship to open minds with an invitation saying, “Come and see.”

But it won’t be enough to invite people to come and see. We are also required to “Go!” We must take our vibrant tradition into all the world, as we proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to everyone, everywhere.

And I must tell you, it’s a great privilege to

serve as your bishop in a time like this!

As many of you know, we currently are involved with the Episcopal Dioceses of Western Kansas, West Missouri and Nebraska, all working together to support the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry. Bishop Kemper was the great founding missionary bishop for all our dioceses, and we thought it would be an appropriate name for our collaborative venture.

There is no substitute for the training of lay leaders, deacons and priests in order to establish great leadership for our parishes. The Bishop Kemper School for Ministry and the building of a Leadership Center are crucial for our future.

Dedication of Upton Hall

The Presiding Bishop will be with us Oct. 5 to celebrate the creation of the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry and to bless the site of the future Leadership Center. This collaborative effort is a model for the entire church.

We will also be joined by the family of the late Archdeacon James Upton, as we officially dedicate the overnight housing facility, the former Conference Center, as Upton Hall.

Jim’s death was a profound loss for his family and for our diocese. No one worked harder to develop a School for Ministry than he did, and I believe Jim would have been very pleased with how far we have come in this endeavor.

I invite you to come and be a part of this historic time in our ministry, as we prepare to go and proclaim the Good News of Christ to the world.

Grace & Peace, +Dean v

Bishop Wolfe to attend WCC gathering Bishop Dean Wolfe will be one of three official delegates from the Episcopal Church to the World Council of Churches Assembly Oct. 30 through Nov. 8 in Busan, Republic of Korea (South Korea).

Others representing the Episcopal Church are the Rev. Consuela Sanchez from the Diocese of Honduras and Jasmine Bostock from the Diocese of Hawaii.

The theme of the Assembly is “God of life, lead us to justice and peace.”

The World Council of Churches is the largest ecumenical group of Christians, with 345 member churches representing more than 500 million people in 110

countries.

This will be the 10th Assembly for the Council, which meets every seven years. It is the highest decision-making body in the organization. Its mandate is to set the future agenda of the council, to elect governance officials and to speak with a public voice on behalf of the churches.

Other Assemblies have taken place in the Netherlands, the United States, India, Sweden, Kenya, Canada, Australia, Zimbabwe and Brazil.

The Episcopal Church has been a member of the World Council of Churches since it was created in 1948. v

July/August 2013 • The Harvest • 3

Bishop Kemper School is off to a big start

By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest Class is now in session for the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, the newly created school that provides theological education to students from the Dioceses of Kansas, West Missouri, Nebraska and Western Kansas. The school’s first group of students, 35 people from all four dioceses, met for the first time Aug. 10-11 in Topeka.

The school is named for Bishop Jackson Kemper, the first Missionary Bishop of the Episcopal Church, who was the organizing bishop when each of the four dioceses was founded in the 19th century. He also was committed to the value of local theological education for the growth and health of the Episcopal Church.

The school was formed from existing diocesan programs to provide a high quality theological education for people preparing for ordination and for lay leaders in congregations, all without having to head off to a traditional seminary, where costs can run more than $30,000 a year.

And for the bishops of the partner dioceses, it provides something critical — the ability to provide pastoral and sacramental leadership for their congregations.

Nebraska Bishop J. Scott Barker said the school “is an answered prayer” for his diocese, in part because the curriculum addresses “the uniqueness of the church in the Midwest,” which includes lots of smaller congregations in cities and towns that are miles apart.

Kansas Bishop Dean Wolfe said the school’s goal is to develop “visionary leaders, faithful leaders, courageous leaders” for congregations, no matter the diocese in which they are located.

West Missouri Bishop Martin Field said the school will provide “well-prepared and able” clergy for congregations that aren’t able to afford the cost of a seminary-trained priest. It also will prompt those congregations to identify natural leaders in their midst to send to the school, he said.

Western Kansas Bishop Michael Milliken called his diocese a “rural/frontier area” made up of very small congregations.

This school is “one of the few ways available for a great theological education” for leaders in those churches, he said.

Bishop Field added, “I am as excited about this project as I’ve ever been about any project to engage the church for its betterment.”

A unique structure

Grosso said he believes the school’s structure is the only one of its kind in the Episcopal Church. The Bishop Kemper School for Ministry is a non-profit corporation operated jointly by the four dioceses.

The desire for a different model for the school developed in the past year, as students from Western Kansas, West Missouri and Nebraska attended the Kansas School for Ministry. The four bishops soon saw the need for a school that was jointly owned, to allow it to grow beyond what a single diocese could provide. The Kansas school and other diocesan educational programs merged into the Bishop Kemper School.

Each of the dioceses makes a financial contribution to the school’s operations.

Tuition from students also helps fund the school’s budget, including a salary for the dean, faculty stipends and reimbursement for facilities the school uses.

The board, including the four ex officio bishops, is responsible for overseeing the life of the school, as well as the work of the dean and faculty.

Students listen intently to their instructor during the first weekend of classes of the new Bishop Kemper School for Ministry Aug. 10-11.

Thirty-five students from the dioceses of Kansas, West Missouri, Nebraska and Western Kansas study at the school, which meets once a month for 10 months in Topeka.

PHOTOS BY MELODIE WOERMAN

Exploring the nature of ministry

The school’s dean, the Rev. Andrew Grosso, said that the benefit of having four diocesan partners is that together they “take seriously the emerging missional character of ministry in today’s church.” As the school’s structure was being decided, he said some fundamental issues became very important, such as the nature of ministry and the shape of the church.

He said, “‘How do you form a priest?’ implies you are asking ‘What does Christian ministry in today’s church look like?’

It’s all part of a larger context.”

Sending bivocational and nonstipendiary clergy into congregations only makes sense if lay people understand they are part of the ministry in that place, he said. One of the school’s purposes will be “empowering and inspiring more people to engage in more forms of ministry.”

Initial efforts have centered on a curriculum for the ordination track, since the four dioceses had people ready to start those studies. But Grosso said classes also will equip lay leaders to be catechists, evangelists, youth minsters, parish administrators, outreach ministers, worship leaders and lay preachers, among other ministries.

A high quality education

While this structure of the school is

A student preaches during a service in the Grace Cathedral chapel during the first weekend of classes at the school.

Students also are responsible for leading worship, and they receive feedback on how they did.

new, most of the students attended the Kansas School for Ministry last year and are returning for a second or third year. The program for priests runs three years and for deacons, two.

Charles Everson, a first-year priesthood student from St. Michael and All Angels in Mission, discovered quickly that the courses are tough. After just two weekends of classes he said, “I have a challenging and exciting road ahead of me for the next three years!”

Bruce Bower is a second-year student from the Diocese of West Missouri preparing to be a deacon. He called the courses “rigorous” and the instructors “top notch.”

He said that attending the Bishop Kemper School “doesn’t mean the students have to settle for a theological education that is somehow less than we might receive elsewhere.”

T h e R e v. C a r o l y n B a l l i n g e r i s a third-year priesthood student from the Diocese of Western Kansas who was ordained a transitional deacon in May. She said the courses she has taken “exceed the offerings and demands” she had when earning her Ph.D. But beyond the quality of instruction, students praised the community that is formed among them. Ballinger said that after spending a weekend a month living,

eating, learning and praying together, she and others stay in touch outside of class, “asking, giving and receiving friendship and encouragement.”

Bower said a friend of his attends a traditional Episcopal seminary and “expresses envy about how BKSM students have so much interaction together, and how we are able to grow in relationships.”

Everson said the local aspect of the school is critically important. “There are many men and women called to ordained ministry . . . for whom a formal seminary degree is not a viable option.”

Alison Black, a second-year priest student from St. Paul’s, Leavenworth, said, “Being a stay-at-home mom to three small children, there is no way that I could attend a traditional seminary anytime in the near future.”

Ballinger said the local nature of the Bishop Kemper School makes theological education accessible to people in the Midwest from “any social class, age group, level of financial influence, and cultural or ethnic background.”

Ten months of classes

Bishop Kemper School students come to Topeka once a month for 10 months and take one course per weekend. Classes during the current academic year include Biblical studies, ministry, theology, Anglicanism, spirituality, church history, ecclesiology and ethics. Faculty members are drawn from the four dioceses and include instructors with special expertise. Many are ordained clergy.

Students also participate in informal sessions with experienced clergy to explore real-world, practical applications of what they are learning. They also take turns leading worship services and preaching.

The cost for ordination-track students is $1,800 a year, and the school suggests it be shared equally between the student, and the student’s parish and diocese.

Part of a trend

The Bishop Kemper School isn’t the only multi-diocese educational program in The Episcopal Church. Another is the Iona Initiative, whose structure is different from the Bishop Kemper School. It is modeled on the Iona School in the Diocese of Texas but now operates under the auspices of the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas.

The Initiative, which is in the second year of a three-year pilot program, includes Texas and seven other dioceses.

Once a month for 10 months, students gather for a weekend in their own diocese where they receive instruction via videos and voice-over PowerPoints that were developed by seminary faculty. Local teachers guide the video courses and teach the practical aspects of the program, such as how to lead worship. It currently provides education only for those seeking ordination as deacons and nonstipendiary priests.

Mary MacGregor, who heads Texas’ Iona School, said programs like theirs and the Bishop Kemper School are what the church needs. She noted that in the Diocese of Wyoming, one of the Iona partners, 90 percent of their priests are bivocational.

And the need for local education programs will only grow, she said.

“This is the movement that is going on in the church. There will be more internal schools in the Episcopal Church,” she said.

And while quality content is essential, it isn’t the only requirement, she said. “We have to have a mix of quality, accessibility and do-ability.” v

4 • The Harvest • July/August 2013

ECW annual gathering Forum explores how churches to be Oct. 5 in Wichita can be more welcoming Event will include meeting with national ECW board

The board of the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Kansas will combine their Annual Gathering for women of the diocese with a quarterly meeting of the national ECW Board in Wichita Oct. 5.

The event will take place at the Spiritual Life Center, 7100 East 45th Street North.

Lonnie Isaak, a member of Epiphany, Independence, and a former president of the Diocese of Kansas ECW, currently serves as the Province 7 representative to the national board.

During a joint lunch, those attending will hear a presentation

by Dr. Michaeline Chance-Reay on the “Harvey Girls,” a group of professional waitresses who worked in the Harvey House chain of restaurants along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad lines from 1876 to the early 1950s.

Her program, entitled “The

Harvey Girls’ Service with Style,” is part of the Kansas Humanities Council’s “The Way We Worked” speakers bureau, featuring presentations and discussions examining the theme of work and working in Kansas.

The presentation to the ECW groups is made possible by the Humanities Council.

The national Episcopal Church Women has several affiliated organizations: Anglican Women’s Empowerment Church Periodical Club Episcopal Partnership for Global Mission Episcopal Women’s Caucus Episcopal Women’s History Project Girls Friendly Society National Altar Guild The Episcopal Community The Order of the Daughters of the King United Thank Offering v

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ECW Annual Gathering

Saturday, Oct. 5, Spiritual Life Center 7100 E. 45th St. North, Wichita 10 a.m. — Eucharist, with the Rev. Christine Gilson, rector of Trinity, El Dorado, celebrant 11 a.m. — Casual meeting with the national board 11:45 a.m. — Short business meeting of the Diocese of Kansas ECW Noon — Lunch with guest speaker Dr. Michaeline Chance-Reay.

Topic: “The Harvey Girls’ Service with Style”

By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest A forum on Sept. 12 drew bishops and 65 clergy and lay people from two dioceses to talk about how the Episcopal Church can be more welcoming to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, as well as to others seeking a spiritual home.

Bishop Dean Wolfe of Kansas and Bishop Martin Field of West Missouri were the main speakers at the event at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City, Mo. It was sponsored by the Greater Kansas City chapter of Integrity, an organization for gay and lesbian Episcopalians and those who support full inclusion in the church without regard to sexual orientation.

Both bishops talked about how they have come to be advocates for the rights of LGBT persons within the church. Bishop Wolfe said he has grown from a time of “not knowing what to do when friends of mine came out to me, to being able to count LGBT people as some of my best friends.”

Bishop Field said, “Inclusivity is built into the very fabric of creation,” and as such should make the church a welcoming place for everyone. “But it has been historically difficult for us to deal with people who are different,” he said.

Scott Schaefer, president of the Kansas City Integrity chapter, described growing up as a gay boy without any feeling of support.

“It took an Episcopal church to tell me it was OK to be gay,” he said, referring to his home parish, St. Michael and All Angels in Mission.

Questions from participants centered on two main themes: how to help congregations begin a discussion about inclusion; and

PHOTO BY MELODIE WOERMAN

Bishop Martin Field of West Missouri (left) and Bishop Dean Wolfe of Kansas discuss their presentations at the forum Sept. 12 to help churches be more welcoming, especially to the LGBT community.

how welcoming churches can be clearer about sharing that word with others.

Larry Bingham, one of the event organizers and a member of St. Michael’s, said the forum was the chance for congregations to begin a conversation about being inclusive following adoption by last year’s General Convention of trial liturgies to bless same-sex unions in the church.

He said, “We have used the phrase ‘The Episcopal Church Welcomes You’ for a long time, and now we need add the additional phrase, ‘and we really mean it!’”

Both Bingham and Schaefer said becoming truly inclusive will help churches reach out to communities beyond LGBT people.

Schaefer said, “Today, straight and gay people alike who are seeking

faith communities are discerning, and they want to be part of loving, inclusive churches.”

Both bishops also described their policies regarding the blessing of same-sex unions and ways in which their respective dioceses have grown into a greater desire for inclusion.

Schaefer said Integrity has lots of resource materials for parishes on its website, www.integrityusa. org. Among those is its “Believe Out Loud” program, a six-step process to help congregations assess readiness to fully welcome and affirm LGBT people.

Schaefer also urged congregations that are inclusive to advertise that fact better.

“Put a rainbow flag on your website,” he said. “It has to obvious. People need to know it’s OK to walk in the door.” v

Staff: Three named to aid with ministry across the diocese (Continued from page 1)

canon is called.

Froehlich is a consultant, facilitator and executive leadership coach and has more than 25 years of experience in management, finance, technology, pastoral care and preaching.

As an Episcopal priest, she has served large and small parishes and has been active in leadership in several dioceses in congregational development, diaconal formation training and preaching enhancement. More recently, she has been a hospice chaplain.

Bishop Wolfe said, “Meghan brings extensive managerial and technological expertise to this ministry, along with the experience of a seasoned parish priest. I look forward to working with her during this dynamic transitional period.”

Of her new responsibility Froehlich said, “The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas is an exciting place to be in ministry. I am honored to be invited to serve such an innovative diocese in a pivotal time of transition. Bishop Wolfe’s vision for this diocese is inspiring and his leadership is admired throughout The Episcopal Church.”

Froehlich began her duties on Sept. 3 and will serve in the diocese until a new

Jenkins began Sept. 20

In announcing his call of Jenkins to be campus missioner, Bishop Wolfe said, “In a field of outstanding candidates, Stephanie Jenkins impressed the Search Committee and me with her vision for this ministry.

She has a deep understanding of faith-based community as the center of our campus ministry program. She is an experienced priest who was drawn to the challenge and opportunity of campus ministry in this diocese, and I believe she will make an outstanding contribution as a member of our fine diocesan team.”

Jenkins most recently served as assistant rector of St. Peter’s in Weston, Mass. Before that she served St. Luke’s in Bartlesville, Okla.

She also has been a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia and executive director of a countywide arts organization in her hometown of Duncan, Okla.

Jenkins said, “I’m delighted and honored to have the opportunity to join the life and ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas as Campus Missioner. The diocese’s ongoing commitment to campus ministry is

evident, as is the passion of those intimately involved in sharing this ministry together — the campus interns, the peer ministers, the congregations and other stakeholders across the diocese.”

Jenkins will work with existing peer ministers and adult supporters who already are in place and with parishes that want to help provide an Episcopal presence on every campus in the diocese.

Jenkins and her husband, Richard, are parents of an 18-month-old son, Henry David, whom they call Hank.

She began her duties on Sept. 20 and is based from her home in Lawrence.

Seifert to help with searches

Bishop Wolfe said that as Missioner for Transitions, Seifert will assist several congregations that are in a search process.

He will serve on a contract basis and will work with Canon Interim Froehlich.

Bishop Wolfe said, “Transitions in leadership are crucial and sometimes anxiety producing moments in the life of a parish.

The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas seeks to provide parishes a variety of resources as they enter the discernment process. Dave Seifert is a life-long church member, and he

brings an impressive background from both church work and business to this assignment. Dave’s deep spirituality combined with his practical skills in search processes will make him a valued asset in this important ministry.”

Seifert has 20 years’ experience working with clergy transitions both at the diocesan and parish level.

Seifert’s background is in corporate communication, including 18 years at Hallmark Cards, before opening Seifert Communication, a consultancy that helps leaders and organizations improve their effectiveness through the use of better communication.

Seifert said, “I am pleased to have this opportunity to offer my gifts to the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. Clergy transitions can be energizing, exciting times for congregations to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in new ways. I look forward to helping churches in our diocese discern what God has in mind for them as they seek a new clergy leader.”

Seifert and his wife, the Rev. Lavonne Seifert, recently moved to Clay Center, where she will be serving as priest in charge at St. Paul’s. v

July/August 2013 • The Harvest • 5

Refugee families begin to recover after fire

By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest Generous donors and volunteers have helped relocate three Burmese refugee families into new apartments after they lost everything in an Aug. 27 fire that destroyed their apartment building.

Shannon Mahan, EWARM’s executive director, said two of the families moved into new apartments in a neighboring building on Aug. 30, and the other moved into a new apartment a few blocks away on Aug. 31.

She and volunteers from St. John’s, Wichita, and other area churches set up the apartments with donated furniture and other needed items they purchased — everything from rugs to kitchenware to shower curtains.

Two of the families displaced by the fire were the first to be welcomed by EWARM in the summer of 2012, and the third arrived in Wichita just two months ago.

Saw Moe, one of the residents, was the first to discover the fire and attempted to extinguish the fire but then quickly called 911.

In spite of minor burns to his hands, he got his family out of the building and began to alert other residents.

The families came to this country through a refugee resettlement program of the U.S. government and were sponsored by Episcopal Migration Ministries and its local Kansas affiliate, the Episcopal Wichita Area Refugee Ministry, known as EWARM.

Financial help is key

Funds from Episcopalians across the diocese came into the diocesan office in response to Bishop Dean Wolfe’s appeal for financial help and totaled nearly $10,000. The money was quickly sent to EWARM for their needs.

Bishop Dean Wolfe surveys the damage done to apartments that had been home to three Burmese refugee families in Wichita. He visited the area the day after the fire to offer support to the efforts of EWARM to help the families recover.

PHOTOS BY SHANNON MAHAN

Burmese refugee Saw Moe (right) talks with an emergency worker about minor injuries he sustained while trying to douse the initial fire that spread through the apartment building. He then called 911 and helped other residents to evacuate the burning building.

That allowed Mahan not only to buy basic household items but also give each family $1,200 to help replace the items they had purchased since they arrived in the United States.

They also lost all their legal documents, and she estimates the cost for official replacement copies will be about $1,000 per family. EWARM is covering that cost, too.

Bishop Wolfe visited the scene of the fire on Aug. 28 and met with Mahan to provide support.

In making his appeal to members of the diocese for aid, he said, “The families we have helped resettle from Burma are people with very few possessions who have come at the invitation of our government to start a new life. Many of them lived in refugee camps for

long periods of time before being able to come to the United States.

Many of them have heroic stories of faith and perseverance. I hope we can show these brothers and sisters who we are and what we value by our generous response to this crisis.”

Emotional toll is great

Mahan said that the families who lost everything but the clothes on their back have been hit hard by this tragedy. The two who have been here since last year have really suffered emotionally. “They have worked so hard for what they had, and now it’s gone,” she said.

They also are suffering a deep sense of loss. The fire, Mahan said, “reminds them that everything is fragile, and a sense of control can be taken away at any

moment.”

Compounding the grief of the fire are memories of the violence they saw before fleeing Burma, also known as Myanmar. The military junta there often would go from village to village, burning down everything in sight and then planting land mines so no one could return home, Mahan said.

Part of their grief also is for the loss of the few things they were able to bring with them to the United States, including treasured family heirlooms, photos and items reflecting their ethnic heritage.

Mahan said Saw Moe, the man who discovered the fire, especially is grieving the loss of a video he made last Sept. 1 on the day his son, Joseph, was born, just weeks after his parents arrived in the United States.

In it he tells his newborn child how proud he is that the family now lives in America, Mahan said.

Mahan said EWARM’s Burmese families, which now include 28 people in nine families, have rallied around each other.

The three whose apartments were destroyed were housed by

other refugee families in an adjacent building, and Mahan said the tragedy has brought them all closer together.

Celebration of Life party

On Sept. 1 they and more than 100 friends and supporters gathered for a “Celebration of Life” party. It had been planned as a first birthday party for Joseph, the son of Saw Moe and his wife Shar Shar.

But the party grew into a celebration of life for all the refugee families. Mahan said she’d planned to have the event catered, but some of the families insisted on cooking it themselves. Several people got off work late Saturday evening and then cooked all night to have enough food for the Sunday evening party.

Mahan said that now that they are settled, the biggest challenge will be to help them through the trauma of what they have lost by providing them with a sense of family, community, love and embrace. ”We want them to know that there is a whole team of people behind them that they don’t even get to meet,” she said. v

Two are ordained in cathedral service

PHOTO BY MELODIE WOERMAN

The Rev. Lavonne Seifert (left) and the Rev. J. Ted Blakley (right) join Bishop Dean Wolfe near the altar of Grace Cathedral, Topeka, after their ordinations on Aug. 24.

Two people were ordained by Bishop Dean Wolfe in a festive service Aug. 24 at Grace Cathedral, Topeka. The Rev. Lavonne Seifert was ordained a priest; she had been ordained a deacon in January. The Rev. J. Ted Blakley was ordained as a transitional deacon. It is expected that he will be ordained as a priest next spring.

In his sermon, Bishop Wolfe warned that ordained ministry is rewarding but not easy.

In the traditional charge to those being ordained, the bishop told them, “My dear brother and my dear sister in Christ, this truly is a wonderful vocation to which you are being called, but you are not being called to ministry in an ordinary time. You will be challenged to call the people with whom you serve to the very deepest levels of discipleship and

to model that level of discipleship in your personal life.

“You will be challenged to call the people with whom you serve to the very deepest levels of discipleship and to model that level of discipleship in your personal life.

You will encounter resistance in all its varied forms: indifference, depression, triangulation, and occasionally outright obstinacy. You cannot surrender to it. Remember the real power to endure whatever comes your way rests not in your own grasp but in your being held securely by Christ in God.” Seifert, who was a member of St. Michael and All Angels, Mission, becomes the priest in charge at St. Paul’s, Clay Center, on Oct. 15. Blakley, of Good Shepherd, Wichita, has begun serving as a part-time curate at St. John’s, Wichita. v

6 • The Harvest • July/August 2013

Stories by Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest The proposed 2014 mission plan, or budget, to be considered by Diocesan Convention has many similarities to the one adopted for 2013, along with some key differences.

At meetings in each of the four convocations in September, Finance Committee chair Bob Skaggs, a member of St. Michael and All Angels in Mission, noted that expected income is up more than $138,000 over the current year. There are two reasons:

Mission plan presents Diocesan Convention with new initiatives to help two parishes grow

Parish income is up for a third year in a row, so when the same apportionment rate is applied as for 2013, it generates more income; and The withdrawal from endowment of 4.1 percent will be more than the 1.7 percent this year but still below the maximum stainable rate of 5 percent.

Skaggs noted that the overall effective apportionment rate remains at 17.5 percent.

“We want to keep as much money as possible at the congregational level,” he said.

“That’s very important.”

And while many program areas have

held their expense request static, there are several areas with some notable changes: The diocese’s contribution of $22,000 to the operations of the new Bishop Kemper School for Ministry (see page 3 for more information about the school); $24,000 to help St. Paul’s, Kansas City, with its growing ministry to the Latino community (see story below); Approximately $45,000 to help pay for refinancing the debt load of St. Margaret’s, Lawrence, to help the parish recover from their financial hole (see the story below for more information);

$21,100 in escrow for eventual replacement of the four cars the diocese owns (for the bishop, canon to the ordinary, campus missioner and youth missioner). To save money that amount was removed from the 2013 mission plan, meaning cars would be driven a year longer than normal; and A 1.2 percent cost of living adjustment for diocesan staff members.

The mission plan, along with a proposed apportionment schedule that details each congregation’s contributions to diocesan income, will be presented to convention delegates for adoption. v

Heavy debt leaves St. Margaret’s with burdens and worries that hamper its ministry The Rev. Matt Zimmermann uses the term “perfect storm” to describe what has happened to St. Margaret’s, Lawrence, in the past decade.

A previous rector and Vestry built a building for parish programs that many people didn’t think was needed. Pledge payments to cover that expense didn’t come in as expected. The all-electric, barn-like building had extremely high utility costs.

That rector then left, along with about a third of the congregation who attended because of him. The city then revamped streets around the church in west Lawrence, and sent the church a bill for special assessments — $18,000 a year for a decade.

And they haven’t been able to pay their diocesan apportionment for several years.

with enough income to not only begin making full apportionment payments but also to support its ministry.

The plan is for the diocese to take out a loan to pay off the $1 million-plus debt over a 10-15 year period, depending on the final loan terms. The church will pay the diocese back over a 30-year period.

In addition to making apportionment payments, the parish will work with the Council of Trustees on mutually developed goals that will help the church rebound and thrive.

The amount listed in the proposed 2014 diocesan mission plan that is earmarked for St. Margaret’s, $45,138, is the amount the diocese will pay after receiving the church’s nearly $38,000 apportionment payments,

Recovery is underway

Overland Park church helped

Zimmermann, who became rector in September 2009, has worked hard to help the congregation recover emotionally, and by all accounts it has. There are 26 new people attending, including many children, just since January. There are 35 children in Sunday school, and the youth group has 14 teenagers.

Members are actively engaged in outreach ministries, including a new one that provides space for a religious group for teens and young adults with autism.

And they have raised up and helped support a full-time missionary who will head

PHOTO BY MELODIE WOERMAN

The Rev. Matt Zimmermann (center) and parish children gather after an instructed Eucharist class. He is rector of St. Margaret’s, Lawrence.

to Nepal in January.

Statistics bear out these signs of health.

Average Sunday attendance ranks it eight among the diocese’s 46 congregations, with pledges that are ninth largest.

“We have the kind of giving that with a normal debt we could be fully participating in the life of the diocese,” Zimmermann said.

But the economic hole they are in is so deep that they can’t make any headway.

“We have no financial breathing room,” he said.

The Council of Trustees and the parish began a conversation more than a year ago to see how the situation could be reversed.

Together they came up with a plan to restructure St. Margaret’s debt to leave them

The refinancing plan is similar to one the diocese used to aid St. Thomas’, Overland Park, in the 1990s, when a move a decade earlier to a location primed for growth left the congregation with a huge mountain of debt, similar in magnitude to what St. Margaret’s now faces.

With the help of the diocese to get its finances back on track, St. Thomas’ has grown, and it recently expanded its facilities. It now has the thirdhighest average Sunday attendance and (Please see Debt, next page)

KC parish reaches out to Latino community St. Paul’s, Kansas City, is the only parish in the diocese with an intentional ministry to Latino members of its community. The church is located in a area near that in recent years has shifted from primarily African-American to one that soon will be majority Latino.

And what began as an outreach to that community quickly turned into the need for a full-scale Spanish-speaking ministry, as Latinos started to come to church before the congregation even had anything in place for them.

The church offered its first Spanish language service last November and has incorporated elements of Latino culture into parish celebrations, such as a Day of the Dead altar in conjunction with All Saints Day, and a celebration of the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe And since March of this year, the church has offered a

weekly Sunday afternoon service in Spanish, and special events are marked with a bilingual service that includes all members of the church.

Since Junk doesn’t speak Spanish, she relies on those who do to assist with weekly services and with music with a Latin flavor that accompanies them.

New members have made a big impact, including two young Latino men who now are diocesan youth peer ministers and another who is a member of the Vestry.

Junk attributes this success to the warmth and welcome of the congregation. “The warmth, openness, accessibility, fun — they couldn’t get over it.”

Bishop Dean Wolfe said their example can help other churches in the diocese that want to broaden their outreach to new members and communities. v

Children from the church and the neighborhood play games at the FunDay Sunday outreach event Sept. 8.

July/August 2013 • The Harvest • 7

Elections will pick deputies and Council of Trustees members Deputy to General Convention Each diocese is entitled to four clergy and four lay deputies to General Convention, along with four alternates in each order. While deputies attend the every-three-year General Convention, set for June 25July 3, 2015, in Salt Lake City, they serve for a full three years and may be appointed to committees and other bodies during that period.

By diocesan canon, deputies also serve as delegates to the Synod of Province 7, made up of 12 dioceses, of which Kansas is one. Synod will meet in 2014 (the date has not yet been announced) to discuss matters relating to the province, elect officers and approve a budget.

Clergy nominees The Rev. Matthew Cobb

The Rev. Dixie Junk

The Rev. Gar Demo

The Rev. Laurie Lewis

Rector, St. Luke’s, Wamego

Rector, St. Thomas’, Overland Park

The Rev. Dawn Frankfurt

Priest in charge, St. Paul’s, Kansas City Priest in charge, Trinity, Arkansas City and Grace, Winfield

Rector, St. James’, Wichita

The Rev. Andrew O’Connor

Rector, St. Paul’s, Manhattan

The Rev. Benedict Varnum

The Rev. Patrick Funston

Rector, Good Shepherd, Wichita

Assistant Rector, St. Thomas’, Overland Park

Lay nominees Jennifer Allen

Teresa Rogers

JoAnne Chapman

Dale Shipps

Michael Funston

Bob Skaggs

St. Michael and All Angels, Mission St. Paul’s, Clay Center St. Paul’s, Manhattan

Mike Morrow

St. John’s, Wichita

Ashley Petty

Good Shepherd, Wichita St. Paul’s, Manhattan St. Michael and All Angels, Mission

Sydney Webb

St. David’s, Topeka

St. James’, Wichita

At-large members of the Council of Trustees The Council of Trustees is the governing body of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas between conventions.

It oversees all matters relating to programs and finance, and functions as the canonical Standing Committee for approving candidates for ordination and the election of bishops.

Membership consists of six at-large members elected by diocesan convention (half lay, half clergy) and two members elected by each of the four convocation boards and ratified by diocesan convention (half lay, half clergy).

Clergy nominees (3-year term)

Lay nominees (3-year term)

The Rev. Sharon Billman

Dick Coulter

The Rev. Christine Gilson

Larry Hannan

Vicar, St. John’s, Parsons

Rector, Trinity, El Dorado

Grace, Chanute

St. Luke’s, Wamego

Joe Miller

Clergy nominees (1-year unexpired term)

St. Paul’s, Coffeyville

Priest in charge, Trinity, Arkansas City and Grace, Winfield

Debt: ‘One church in 46 locations’ level of pledging in the diocese.

The Very Rev. Tom Wilson, a member of the diocesan Finance Committee, said the plan to aid St. Margaret’s is a way for the church and diocese to work together. “We can’t change the past,” he said, “but it doesn’t have to crimp the future.”

Bishop Dean Wolfe said that this effort demonstrates that the diocese truly is one church in 46 locations.

“We are one entity,” he said. “When one of our parishes is doing well, we rejoice, because that’s us. When one is struggling, we all pitch in to help, because that’s also us.”

Zimmermann said the economic recession halted the growth in west Lawrence that had been hap-

A special guest at this year’s Diocesan Convention is the Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls, chief operating officer of The Episcopal Church.

He will present two keynote addresses, centered on the convention theme, “Frontiers of Faith.”

of Faith” keynote presentations to the convention later in the weekend.

No pre-registration is needed for this special session.

In his role as COO, Bishop Sauls coordinates Bishop Stacy Sauls the work of the church’s mission program, communication, finance and administration, while Thursday session is added assisting the presiding bishop A special Thursday afternoon in her role as the president and session for delegates and clergy chief executive officer of the Dowith Bishop Sauls has been mestic and Foreign Missionary added to the schedule.

Society, the church’s corporate It will take place from 4-5:30 legal entity. p.m. in the Pioneer Room.

He served as bishop of the During that time he will begin Diocese of Lexington from 2000 the conversation that he will ex- until his appointment as COO in plore more fully in his “Frontiers 2011. v

Council to host Thursday reception Delegates and clergy who are in Topeka on Thursday are invited to attend a special welcome reception that evening, hosted by members of the Council of Trustees.

The event will take place from 7:30-9 p.m. in the Emerald Ballroom of the Capitol Plaza Hotel, site of convention accommodations and early check-in. This will allow those attending the special class session with Bishop Stacy Sauls to attend.

More details about the reception will be sent to delegates and clergy beforehand. v

Convention schedule covers three days of activities Thursday, October 24

4 – 5:30 p.m.: Special class session with Bishop Stacy Sauls, Pioneer Room 4 – 7 p.m.: Early convention check-in, Emerald Coat Check Room, Capitol Plaza Hotel 7:30 – 9 p.m.: Welcome reception hosted by the Council of Trustees, Emerald Ballroom 9 p.m.: Compline following

Friday, October 25

The Rev. Laurie Lewis

(Continued from previous page)

Chief operating officer of the church is keynote speaker

pening in the previous decade, but he’s now seeing renewed signs of life. A condo development is being built across the street, and the University of Kansas is building a new major multi-sport facility nearby.

He thinks in another 10 years the area around the church will be fully developed, pointing toward even stronger parish growth.

At that point, the extra space in the program building that now is a burden will become a blessing.

But beyond that, Zimmermann knows he is leading a “spiritually alive, vital parish” with joyful worship that is attracting attention.

One woman recently told him that she had visited many churches on the west side of town and found that St. Margaret’s had “the most welcoming, vibrant spirit.”

She’s now a member. v

10 a.m.: Convention Eucharist, Grace Cathedral, with opening address by Bishop Dean Wolfe 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Convention registration, Sunflower Ballroom Foyer, Maner Conference Center Noon: Lunch, Sunflower Ballroom 1 – 1:45 p.m.: Keynote address by Bishop Stacy Sauls, Sunflower Ballroom 2 – 4 p.m.: Opening business session, Sunflower Ballroom 4:15 – 5:15 p.m.: Workshops, designated breakout rooms 6 – 7 p.m.: Social hour, Shawnee Room and Sunflower Ballroom Foyer 7 – 9 p.m.: Convention banquet and awards, Sunflower Ballroom 9:15 p.m.: Taizé service, River Room

Saturday, October 26

7:30 – 9 a.m.: Continental breakfast, Shawnee Room 9 – 9:10 a.m.: Morning Prayer, Sunflower Ballroom 9:10 – 10 a.m.: Keynote address by Bishop Stacy Sauls, Sunflower Ballroom 10 – 10:15 a.m.: Break 10:15 – 11:45 a.m.: Business session resumes, Sunflower Ballroom 11:45 a.m. – noon: Noonday Prayers Noon – 1 p.m.: Lunch, Sunflower Ballroom 1 – 2 p.m.: Business session and Adjournment, Sunflower Ballroom

8 • The Harvest • July/August 2013

Around the diocese St. John’s, Abilene asked members to donate to a church toolbox to help with needed repairs and maintenance. Everything from hand tools to duct tape was needed.

Trinity, Arkansas City has 40 students enrolled in its Montessori school this fall — 23 in the morning and 17 in the afternoon.

Trinity, Atchison spent the month of August exploring the history and development of the Prayer Book during the adult forum. Classes also looked at how to incorporate it into daily life.

St. Mark’s, Blue Rapids hosted a farewell celebration in May for Deacon Sandy HortonSmith, following the end of her internship year with St. Mark’s and St. Paul’s, Marysville.

Grace, Chanute is gearing up for a citywide garage sale Oct. 12 sponsored by the local newspaper to raise funds for needed civic projects.

St. Paul’s, Clay Center is advertising its food ministries around town by featuring the donated “little red truck” in area parades. The truck is used to haul supplies for its extensive program to feed people.

St. Martin’s, Edwardsville member Tony Martinez is planning to offer a class in the fundamentals of making stained glass as a fundraiser for the parish.

Trinity, El Dorado children

and teachers celebrated the start of the Sunday school year Sept. 8 by draping festive red streamers in the church’s trees and bushes and on the fence.

St. Andrew’s, Emporia offered a Wednesday evening liturgy this summer complete with chanting, incense, candlelight and bells.

Afterward participants discussed their experience of the service.

Epiphany, Independence resumed its Saturday morning breakfast for the community on Sept. 21 with a menu of biscuits and gravy, egg casserole, fruit, cinnamon rolls, and beverages.

The free will offering from diners goes to help people in need in the community.

Covenant, Junction City is helping to feed hungry families by donating $20 grocery store gift cards. Parishioner Marty Rombold works for the local school district and has identified nearly 100 chronically hungry families. She donates the gift cards to them to help with grocery purchases.

St. Margaret’s, Lawrence hosted its final Nepal Night Aug. 8 to become more familiar with the country where parishioner Karin Feldman will serve as a full-time missionary starting next year.

Trinity, Lawrence is seeking donated kitchen items to permanently stock the kitchen at the Canterbury House at the University of Kansas. In the past available items have depended on what students brought with them.

PHOTO BY TOM POTT

Burmese refugees confirmed in Wichita Bishop Dean Wolfe confirmed two people who are part of the Burmese refugee community being welcomed to the United States by the Episcopal Wichita Area Refugee Ministry.

Lal Biak Chung, who is called Nunga (left) and his wife, Lal Hlim, or Maw Puii (right), became Episcopalians in a service Sept. 8 at St. John’s, the church that provided financial and volunteer sponsorship for them through EWARM. Maw Puii already has joined the Altar Guild. They are joined by their daughter, La La. v

St. Paul’s, Leavenworth said good-bye this spring to Lester Dalton, organist and choirmaster for the past six year, who retired; and hello this fall to new organist Christopher Gage, a doctoral student in musical arts at the University of Kansas.

St. Paul’s, Manhattan collected nearly a quarter of a ton of food this summer during Food Basket Sundays. A total of 465 pounds of nonperishable food was collected from June through August.

St. Paul’s, Marysville again participated in the annual U.S. Highway 36 Treasure Hunt by hosting a garage sale Sept. 2021. The event features yard sales across the state of Kansas in locations along the highway.

St. Michael’s, Mission will join with Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 17 for a “Fall Flu and Fleece” day for guests of the Kansas City Community Kitchen. Members were asked to donate fleece items (hoodies, gloves, hat and scarves) to go to those in need. Free flu shots will be offered by health care providers.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Bottled water hospitality Archdeacon Charles Pearce of St. Paul’s, Manhattan (left) hands a bottle of cold water Aug. 28 to one of the more than 20,000 K-State fans attending the annual Purple Power Play on Poyntz, a two-day pep rally in Manhattan before the start of football season.

The church asks members to donate bottled water, which is given away as a token of hospitality. They also hand out cards that note the water is “an expression of God’s love for you,” along with service times.

It is the church’s largest evangelism effort each year. v

St. Matthew’s, Newton walked around its community Aug. 24 to share information about the church and the start of the fall schedule. A team of volunteers knocked on doors and then enjoyed a lunch afterward.

St. Aidan’s, Olathe marked Hunger Awareness Month in September with guest speakers describing how the church provides food for hungry people locally, nationally and internationally.

Grace, Ottawa brought a touch of the tropics to Kansas Aug. 11 with Aloha Sunday.

Members were invited to wear Hawaiian shirts to church, with an outdoor “Kansas Luau” featuring kabobs and pulled pork afterward.

St. Thomas, Overland Park again is offering the “Walking the Mourner’s Path” group for those who have lost a loved one in the past year or so. Groups meet for eight weeks and offer a structured, confidential, prayerful place to discuss loss with others who have experience it St. John’s, Parsons Evangelism Team asked members to invite friends and community members to parish events, including game nights that have been scheduled, or worship services or other special events.

Grace Cathedral, Topeka men’s group spends every Thursday morning discussing books.

The group of 16 to 18 men includes Episcopalians, one Jew, two Roman Catholics, a former Methodist minister, some evangelical Christians and one selfproclaimed atheist. One man from Connecticut joins via Skype.

St. David’s, Topeka hosted a Ministry Fair at services Sept.

7-8 to help members know more about what various parish groups do. Church staff also brought membership records up-to-date, and refreshments were provided after Saturday evening and Sunday morning services.

St. Luke’s, Wamego members Ed and Susan Dillinger invited parishioners to their ranch outside

town Oct. 2 to view their herd of buffalo and share a potluck meal.

Good Shepherd, Wichita “Busy Needles” needlework group is making purple baby caps in September to remind new parents that babies can experience period of “purple” crying that is normal but frustrating. The project was developed by the Kansas Children’s Service League.

St. Bartholomew’s, Wichita continues to offer a weekly Taizé service at 7 p.m. every Wednesday evening.

St. James’, Wichita hosted the kick-off of the Episcopal Campus Ministry of Wichita Aug. 27 with a contemplative worship service, followed by a cook-out and s’mores. The group, which reaches out to college students on all Wichita-area campuses, will have its weekly worship service Tuesdays at St. James’.

St. John’s, Wichita welcomed the Rev. Ted Blakley and his family to the church with a parishwide breakfast Sept. 22, Blakley, who was ordained on Aug. 24, is the church’s new curate.

St. Stephen’s, Wichita invited the neighborhood in June to its 10th annual ice cream social.

Participants were treated to homemade ice cream, other desserts, and hamburgers and hot dogs.

Grace, Winfield provided nearly $12,000 in assistance to local people in need from its Outreach Fund during the first six months of the year. Help is provided with utilities, rent, gasoline and prescriptions. v

July/August 2013 • The Harvest • 9

People

Newton author’s work wins Two selected to lead Kansas Notable Book Award national groups

By Melodie Woerman Editor, The Harvest David Simmonds wrote a book about his stepfather, noted Native American artist Blackbear Bosin, as a labor of love. But it resulted in a 2013 Kansas Notable Book Award, which recognized 15 important books by Kansans about Kansans.

His work is entitled Blackbear Bosin: Keeper of the Indian Spirit.

Simmonds, a retired psychologist who has been an active member of St. Matthew’s, Newton, for more than 30 years, received the award during the Kansas Book Festival Sept. 7 in a ceremony in the Statehouse.

Influential works of art

The artist, who was born in Oklahoma but spent his adult life in Wichita, is best known for “Keeper of the Plains,” a 44-foot-tall statue that stands in Wichita at the confluence of the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers. It was the only sculpture Bosin did, completed six years before his death in 1980.

Simmonds said that Bosin’s most influential work was a painting he did in 1953, “Prairie Fire,” created on brown paper using gouache, a form of opaque tempera. “This was something brand new,” Simmonds said, and was a striking departure from previous Native American paintings. This piece fills the entire canvas with movement in a style that PHOTOS BY MELODIE WOERMAN is both realistic and modern. The more traditional David Simmonds wears the medal he received on style of American Indian art centered an event Sept. 7 as author of one of the 15 winners of the in the middle of the painting and portrayed only 2013 Kansas Notable Book Award. limited action.

The piece was featured in a two-page spread in asked him to help her secure some of Bosin’s works the March 1955 edition of National Geographic, for an exhibit at the Carriage Factory Art Gallery and it captivated people across the country. He was in Newton. Simmonds gave a talk as part of that asked to loan it for an exhibit at the National Gallery show, and afterward several people asked where in Washington, D.C. they could buy a book to learn more.

In 1965 he was invited to the White House FesSimmonds said, “I told them there wasn’t such tival of the Arts, the only Native American to be a book, and they said, ‘There ought to be one.’” included, and “Prairie Fire” hung in the East Wing That started his process of compiling informaduring the event. tion, including an unpublished manuscript written At the White House by one of Bosin’s emdinner that was part of ployees in his comthe festival, he wore mercial art business. a beaded bow tie and But even with documberbund his mothnations from a number er had made. They of friends and art lovcaught the eye of Lady ers, Simmonds still Bird Johnson, who didn’t have enough asked him to sit at her money to produce the table, along with actor quality of book he Gene Kelly, musician thought Bosin’s works Duke Ellington and deserved. actress Helen Hayes.

Help came after he The painting has sent a letter to Trey been reproduced wideParker, creator of the ly and has been on An image of Simmonds’ book is displayed in the State Tony-award-winning the covers of several Library, in the Capitol, during the Book Festival.

Broadway play “Book books about Native of Mormon” and the American art, Simmonds said. It now is in the television show “South Park.” Parker is Simmonds’ permanent collection of the Philbrook Museum of nephew by marriage, and he agreed to offer finanArt in Tulsa. cial backing to the project.

Among the things that makes this piece, and all With enough funding, Simmonds was able to the rest of Bosin’s work, so impressive, is that he produce a 96-page, full-color book that offers was entirely self-taught, Simmonds said. “He also photographs of 44 of his works, including pencilwas very innovative,” he said. drawn cartoons, paintings that span his career, and In addition to the Philbrook Museum, institu- a look at the creation and installation of “Keeper tions holding his works include the Buffalo Bill of the Plains.” It also includes poems Bosin wrote Historical Center in Cody, Wyo., the Eiteljorg about a number of his works, and commentary from Museum in Indianapolis, the Heard Museum in people who knew the artist.

Phoenix and the Denver Art Museum.

Simmonds said it offers a glimpse into the life of the man who helped bring images of traditional From talks to print life among the Plains Indians to life in paintings, Simmonds said he had wanted for some time to murals and sculpture. find a way to pay tribute to the man he calls BlackAny proceeds above the costs of production will bear, but he never found the right project. In 2011, be donated to the Carriage Factory Art Gallery to another member of St. Matthew’s, Susan Koehn, promote art in Kansas. v

Two members of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas have assumed the top leadership posts in national bodies The Rev. Matthew Cobb, rector of St. Luke’s, Wamego, is the new president of the Assembly of Episcopal Healthcare Chaplains, a collegial association of Episcopal or Anglican chaplains and caregivers across North America. He had served as president-elect for the past two years and became president at the group’s annual meeting in June.

The Assembly’s mission is to foster chaplaincy as an essential expression of the church’s healing ministry, according to its website.

It works with the Office of Mission and Program of the Episcopal Church to further its mission, and it publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Rev. Matthew Cobb Chaplair.

Melodie Woerman, diocesan director of communications, is the new chair of the Standing Commission on Communication and Information Technology, one of the 14 standing commissions created by General Convention.

She has been a member of the commission since 2009 and had served as the group’s secretary. She was elected to lead the group in July after the previous chair resigned.

The group’s mandate calls for it Melodie Woerman to identify, study and recommend to General Convention communication strategies, policies, priorities and technologies to strengthen the church’s communication of the gospel and the mission of the church to the world. v

Five from Bishop Seabury Academy named National Merit semifinalists Five seniors at Bishop Seabury Academy, the diocese’s secondary school in Lawrence, have been named semifinalists in the National Merit scholarship competition, which recognizes the top academic scholars in the nation.

The five are Eilish K. Gibson, Kristofer A. Knudson, Ethan A. Ward, Isaac N. Ward and Joseph T. Westbrook.

In an interview with the Lawrence Journal-World, Bishop Seabury’s head of school, Dr. Don Schawang, said that these five are part of a graduating class of 28.

“It’s a very sharp class,” Schawang told the newspaper. “I’m very engaged with this class and I teach them philosophy, and I’m very impressed with these students.”

About 1.5 million students take the National Merit qualifying test each year, and of those about 16,000 are named semifinalists. Finalists are announced in February, based on their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.

About 8,000 will be awarded National Merit scholarships, which will be announced in the spring. v

Clergy news The Rev. Gail Greenwell, who has been rector of St. Michael and All Angels, Mission, since 2008, has accepted a call to be dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati, in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. Her last Sunday at St. Michael’s will be Oct. 13. A farewell Eucharist is planned that day at 5 p.m., with a festive reception following.

The Rev. John Goddard has accepted a call to be Interim Priest at St. Luke’s, Shawnee, and he began his ministry there on Sept. 4. Goddard has served in this diocese previously as interim at St. Margaret’s, Lawrence.

The Rev. Marcus Cunningham, who has been rector of Epiphany, Sedan, since 2009, has accepted a call to Trinity, Oshkosh, Wis., in the Diocese of Fond du Lac. His last day at Epiphany was Sept. 15. v

10 • The Harvest • July/August 2013

National and international news Anglican news briefs Episcopal News Service and Anglican Communion News Service  Archbishop of Canterbury to visit the U.S. in April 2014.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori announced that Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will visit The Episcopal Church in April 2014 for a personal, informal conversation with her. Current plans call for them to meet in Oklahoma City. The visit is part of his effort to visit all the Primates of the Anglican Communion during the first 18 months of his ministry.  Nigerian archbishop is safe after kidnapping. The Church of Nigeria’s second most senior cleric, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, is safe after being released following a kidnapping. He and his wife were kidnapped in early September by armed men near their residence in the southern city of Port Harcourt. Mrs. Kattey was later let go by the kidnappers. Archbishop Kattey was released about a week later behind a filling station at Eleme in Rivers State.

One news report stated that Archdeacon of Eleme Archdeaconry, the Ven. Israel Omosioni, told Nigerian journalists that the Archbishop was looking “hale and hearty” despite his ordeal.  Episcopal Relief and Development responds to crisis in Syria. Episcopal Relief & Development is responding to the ongoing crisis in Syria through two local partners, the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf (HLID) in Jordan and the Lebanon-based Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC) in Syria itself. FMEEC aims to assist at least 50 families in the hardhit city of Homs with building materials and food rations. HLID is providing services and equipment for people with disabilities in the Zaatari refugee camp south of the Syrian border.  Leicester Cathedral reveals Richard III tomb design. The detailed designs for the tomb of King Richard III were revealed Sept. 20 by Leicester Cathedral. Richard III, the last ruler from the House of York, was killed in battle in 1485 and quickly buried.

The whereabouts of his remains were a mystery until last year, when excavation for a parking lot uncovered them. The king will have a raised tomb of limestone deeply incised with a simple cross, placed at the center of a rose carved in white limestone, surrounded by a band of dark limestone, in a special area created by re-ordering part of the interior of the cathedral.  New Zealand dioceses vote to divest from fossil fuels. Two dioceses in New Zealand, Wellington and Waiapu, have voted to remove all of their investments in companies that extract or produce fossil fuels. Wellington took the action over concerns about the effect of carbon emissions on climate change and the long-term health of investments in the fossil fuel industry. Its share holdings will be divested within the next two years. Waiapu decided to divest over the next three years.  Sudanese bishop calls for action in Nuba Mountains. The bishop of Kadugli, the Rt. Rev. Andudu Adam Elnail, has appealed for emergency action for the people affected by the war in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains. He said people, especially those from the villages of Kao Nyaro and Warne, are facing starvation and death due to the humanitarian crises in the South Kordofan State of Sudan.

Thousands of people have been displaced since the conflict began in mid-2011. The latest reports reaching the bishop from Malakal, an area bordering Nuba Mountains and South Sudan, suggest that the humanitarian situation is reaching “catastrophic levels.”  Archbishop of Canterbury names new communications director. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has selected Ailsa Anderson as Director of Communications at Lambeth Palace.

Anderson currently is the Communications and Press Secretary to Queen Elizabeth. She will be the archbishop’s primary spokesperson and will manage the Lambeth Palace communications team.  Canterbury Cathedral says good-bye to Laptop the cat. On Sept. 20 Canterbury Cathedral reported the death of 18-year-old Laptop, a cat that had lived at the Cathedral for many years. He was named for his frequent jumps onto people’s laps. It is believed he started visiting the cathedral’s choir boys and then stayed. He walked with the vergers every morning as they opened the Cloisters, and he would meow at the door just before Matins so he could go in and attend the service; he even had his own chair. He was buried in the Water Tower garden, one of his favorite spots. v

Lutherans elect Elizabeth Eaton as its new presiding bishop

By Matthew Davies Episcopal News Service

known as Called to Common Mission, through which the two churches are committed to finding opportunities for combined mission and disaster relief efforts, planting new ministries together, joint congregations and shared personnel. Eaton is a member of the national Lutheran-Episcopal Coordinating Committee, which implements the full communion agreement.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori issued a statement giving thanks for Hanson’s “faithful ministry” and for Eaton’s election.

Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori said she has learned much from Hanson’s “prophetic and gifted evangelical ministry, and I pray that the next chapter of his ministry may be a rich blessing to him, his family, and many

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton was elected Aug. 14 as presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). She was elected on the fifth ballot at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly meeting Aug. 12-17 in Pittsburgh.

Of the 889 votes cast, 445 votes were needed for an election. Eaton received 600 votes and the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop for the past 12 years, received 287. Eaton is the first woman to be elected as a presiding bishop of the ELCA. Three out of PHOTO BY THE ELCA the four nominees were Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Presiding women.

Bishop-elect Elizabeth A. Eaton and her husband, “We are a church that the Rev. Conrad Selnick, an Episcopal priest, is overwhelmingly Euro- react shortly after her Aug. 14 election. pean in a culture that is increasingly pluralistic. We need to welcome the others.”

Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori said she now gifts of those who come from different places, that is a conversation we need to have as a church,” Eaton looks forward to working with Eaton “as we grow in our Call to Common Mission. There are exceltold the assembly shortly after the election.

Eaton currently serves as bishop of the ELCA lent foundations already in our common work, and Northeastern Ohio Synod. Prior to becoming synod I expect further growth as we seek to serve God’s bishop, she served as pastor for ELCA congregations mission as ministers of justice and healers of the in Ohio. She earned a Master of Divinity degree from breach. I anticipate a journey of mutual discovery of Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., and the gifts God so richly bestows on our two churches, a bachelor’s degree in music education from the particularly in new contexts and populations. May God bless the journey and may God bless the pastoral College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio.

Eaton is married to the Rev. Conrad Selnick, an leadership of Bishop Eaton.”

The Rev. Margaret Rose, the Episcopal Church’s Episcopal priest who is rector of St. Christopher’s by the River Episcopal Church in Gates Mills, Ohio. ecumenical and interreligious deputy, echoed the According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Eaton presiding bishop’s comments. “We are grateful for “is considered a moderate who supported the de- the more than 10 years of partnership with Presiding nomination’s decision to allow partnered gay clergy Bishop Hanson and our Call to Common Mission and look forward to the ‘new things’ the Holy Spirit will while allowing room for churches to disagree.”

Eaton’s six-year term as presiding bishop will send as we deepen that work with Presiding Bishopelect Elizabeth Eaton.” begin on Nov. 1.

Matthew Davies is an editor/reporter of the EpisThe Episcopal Church and the ELCA since 2001 have enjoyed a full communion relationship, copal News Service. v

Church of Ireland appoints its first woman bishop Anglican Communion News Service On Sept. 19 the House of Bishops of the Church of Ireland appointed the Rev. Patricia (Pat) Storey as the new Bishop of Meath and Kildare. She is the first woman selected as a bishop in the Irish church.

Storey, 53, has been rector of St. Augustine’s Parish Church, Londonderry, since 2004.

She is married to the Rev. Earl Storey and has two adult children, Carolyn and Luke, and a son–in– law Peter. Having grown up in Belfast and studied French and English at Trinity College, Dublin, she trained at the Church of Ire-

land Theological ColGod a warm personlege (now Institute) ality and a breadth and was ordained of spiritual gifts to deacon in 1997 and share generously in priest in 1998. the church and in the She is a member community. of the Standing ComStorey said, “‘I mittee of the General am both excited and Synod. daunted by this new The Rev. The Most Rev. adventure in our Patricia Storey Michael Jackson, lives.”

Archbishop of DubThe Church of Irelin, welcomed the appointment. land now joins seven other AngliHe said, “The election of the Rev. can provinces in having women Pat Storey to be bishop of Meath serving as bishops. Another 12 and Kildare brings delight to many provinces have not yet consewithin the dioceses, across the crated women bishop but have no Church of Ireland and through- prohibition against doing so. out the Anglican Communion.

A date for her consecration has Pat herself brings to this work of not yet been set. v

July/August 2013 • The Harvest • 11

Colorado churches reach out after massive flooding

By Beckett Stokes For Episcopal News Service Devastating floods up and down Colorado’s Front Range have impacted several communities and Episcopal churches. As those churches (none of which suffered catastrophic damage) dry out, they are making contact with parishioners and will be working to help in their communities in days to come.

The staff in the Diocese of Colorado contacted clergy in affected areas and determined they are were safe and accounted for, although some of them have experienced some personal property damage and loss.

Clergy and other leaders continue to get in touch with their parishioners to determine their safety and immediate needs.

In some places this has been much more difficult than in others.

Based on initial assessments, while many church buildings had some flooding damage, none has catastrophic damage.

Helping members and others

Several churches already have begun to reach out to people who are least likely to have personal resources to deal with the disaster.

St. Aidan’s in Boulder already has been working through their existing partnership with Boulder Outreach for Homeless Overflow to provide overnight shelter for homeless people.

The St. Aidan’s community also reached out through their Canterbury ministry to

PHOTO BY HECTOR EMANUEL/AMERICAN RED CROSS

Red Cross workers survey the flood damage in Loveland, Colo., on Sept. 16. Episcopal churches in areas hit hard by devastating floods up and down Colorado’s Front Range are helping members cope and reaching out to their communities.

University of Colorado students who suffered losses.

At St. Stephen’s in Longmont, according to the Rev. Marc Genty who lives near there, Missouri Avenue that runs in front the church became the Missouri River for a time. Foot bridges and other community structures were wiped out, but the church, which sits on a little rise, is fine.

The St. Stephen’s community reached out to parishioners who suffered significant property losses to find the best way to help them.

In Estes Park, one of the communities hit hardest by the flooding, many of the major

roads have washed out, making travel in and out of the town extremely difficult. Rocky Mountain National Park has been closed to visitors, and summer residents have been asked to leave.

Crossroads Ministry, a Jubilee Ministry that serves that area, is administering some of the flood relief. Deacon Pat Washburn reports that St. Bartholomew’s basement flooded, with their parking lot resembling by a lake.

Common Cathedral in Longmont, a worshipping community that meets in a public park, is a mix of area residents and those who are homeless. Genty is the convener

Anglicans react to bombings at Pakistan church Anglican Communion News Service and other reports Anglicans around the world have expressed shock and sadness after two suicide bombers killed about 80 people and injured 200 at an Anglican church in Pakistan on Sept. 22.

According to media reports, about 600 people had attended services at All Saint’s Church in Peshawar and were leaving for the front lawn where food was being distributed when two bombs went off.

Christians make up less than 2 percent of the population of Pakistan. There are about 70,000 Christians in the city of Peshawar, capital of the deeply conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

Bishop condemns action

Within hours of the news of the deadly attack on the church, members of the Anglican Communion had spoken out against the violence, called for prayers and, in India, even arranged a solidarity march.

On the Peshawar diocese website, Bishop Humphrey Peters condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to all the families who lost loved ones. He appealed for Christians in Pakistan and around the world to pray for the affected families.

He also expressed anger that the church had not been afforded better protection against such violence.

On Twitter, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby wrote, “Peshawar bomb reveals depths of human

evil, yet those suffering speak of forgiveness as well as justice. That is the love of Jesus shown.”

He also wrote to the moderator of the Church in Pakistan, offering assurance of his prayers and fullest support.

Archbishop Welby said, “I am appalled to learn of the attack on All Saints’ Church in Peshawar as people had gathered there to pray. My heart goes out to all those bereaved and injured by this terrible attack. I pray for the peace of Pakistan and the protection of Christ’s people.

“With the people of Peshawar I join in calling for the Pakistan Government and all people of good will to ensure that communities may go about their daily lives in safety, and that the perpetrators are brought to justice.”

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori released a statement saying, “This act of violence is a reminder of the preciousness and fragility of life, and of our interconnectedness. We are all wounded we have all lost family, friends, and fellow citizens of the world.

“We will continue to pray for the bereaved, for the injured, for the perpetrators, for their communities and for this broken world.”

Episcopal priest responds

The Rev. Titus Presser, an Episcopal priest who serves as Principal of Edwardes College in Peshawar, was in the United States when the bombings took place.

He posted reactions on his blog, “Titus in Mission.”

He wrote that his secretary had visited some of the wounded at Lady Reading Hospital afterward and told him, “This is a catastrophe for the Christian community of Pakistan.”

Pressler added, “Despite having the largest trauma unit in the world, the hospital scene was chaotic . . . as staff struggled to treat the 200 or more wounded.”

He said that a number of alumni of the school had been killed, along with the man who translated for him when he visited the church.

The man’s son and daughter also were killed.

Pressler also shared his impressions of the church, and how the attack happened.

“I’ve preached at All Saints’ a number of times and have always found it to be an inspiration: a packed sanctuary; latecomers coming to the front to offer their devotions individually before squeezing into a place somewhere; robust Urdu singing; the strong leadership of Pastor Ejaz Gill.

“Every Sunday’s liturgy is followed by a sharing of rice pulau — chawal — in the church yard after the service. Today, it seems, the huge pot of hot rice was brought in not through the usual side gate but in a Suzuki vehicle through the main gate.

“What I have heard is that the two suicide bombers came in at the same time dressed in police uniforms.

Then began the mayhem.” v

of that community and was concerned from the outset about the flood’s impact on its members, many of whom camp along the banks of the St. Vrain River, which was one of the many waterways that came far over its banks.

As the Common Cathedral community gathered on Sept. 13 to worship, Genty could not join them — he could not leave his neighborhood because of the flood waters that isolated several parts of Longmont.

The Rev. Andrew Cooley, who also lives in Longmont, could get there, and he presided over a gathering of 25 to 30 people.

On his Facebook page, Cooley reported that the group — some of whom knew they had lost their homes — shared “stories of loss, anxiety and wonderful stories of angels and acts of mercy and kindness offered.”

Genty continues to be concerned about Common Cathedral’s members and knows of at least one couple, who had recently gotten in to permanent housing, who lost everything in flood.

The office of Colorado Bishop Robert O’Neill is working closely with Episcopal Relief and Development to identify needs and provide financial support in coming days and weeks. The diocese also is accepting donations to provide immediate needs such as food, clothing, temporary shelter and medical care, as well as longer-term recovery.

Beckett Stokes is director of communications for the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado. v

Saint Francis seeks Kansas foster parents Saint Francis Community Service Earlier this year the Kansas Department for Children and Families awarded a contract to Saint Francis Community Services that significantly expanded its services within the state of Kansas.

Since the contract’s July 1 start date, Saint Francis has provided foster care, adoption and family preservation services to children and families throughout the Wichita area and several western counties of the Diocese of Kansas.

The expansion into Wichita alone effectively doubled the number the children Saint Francis serves. As a result, the agency has begun an aggressive campaign to recruit and train new foster families from a variety of backgrounds.

Saint Francis hopes that Episcopalians and other people of faith will consider serving “the least of these” by becoming foster parents to children in need.

Saint Francis Community Services provides free training, ongoing support and access to parenting resources for all its foster parents.

Persons interested in exploring the rewards of foster parenting are encouraged to

call (866) 999-1599 or visit the organization’s website, www.st-francis.org.

‘Therapy in Christ’

Saint Francis had its beginnings in 1945 as Saint Francis’ Boys Home in Ellsworth.

The Rev. Robert Mize, Jr., known as “Fr. Bob,” was concerned about boys whose potential was often left to wither within a system of reformatories and jails.

Fr. Bob grounded his ministry in “Therapy in Christ,” a term he introduced nearly seven decades ago and is still used by Saint Francis Community Services.

According to the Very Rev. Edward Fellhauer, the current president, CEO and dean, its four tenets remain the driving force of Saint Francis’ work: Unconditional love; Forgiveness as the greatest instrument of transformation; Honesty in accepting the consequences of one’s actions; and Starting and ending each day with prayer.

Still rooted in the Episcopal tradition of service, Saint Francis now ministers to 8,000 children and families in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Mississippi and 75 of 105 Kansas counties. v

12 • The Harvest • July/August 2013

Reflections on faith and life

Sharing the Good News

Frustration, failure and a child’s lemonade stand By the Rev. Matt Zimmermann

I give up and drive on down the road, the damsel abandoned. I feel bad that I could not offer her some encouragement. I regret not getting a child’s lemonade, which is always the sweetest.

I feel sorry for her losing me as a customer — I tip well at lemonade stands.

In the midst of the frustration, as I drive on, I hear that still, small voice: “You know, you really could have driven a block north…”

October 2013

November 2013

5 Visit from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori (through Oct. 6)

1 Bishop Wolfe at the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Busan, South Korea(through Nov. 8)

8 Fresh Start, Bethany Place Conference Center 12 Bishop Kemper School for Ministry Classes, Grace Cathedral and Bethany Place Conference Center (through Oct. 13)

8 Bishop Kemper School for Ministry classes, Grace Cathedral and Bethany Place Conference Center (through Nov. 9)

Youth Commission meeting and Happening staff day. Emporia

Happening #88, St. Thomas the Apostle, Overland Park (through Nov. 9)

25 Diocesan Convention, Capitol Plaza Hotel and Grace Cathedral (through Oct. 26)

14 Council of Trustees retreat, Bethany Place Conference Center (through Nov. 15)

27 Bishop Wolfe at St. Luke’s, Shawnee

17 Bishop Wolfe at St. James’, Wichita

30 Bishop Wolfe at the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Busan, South Korea (through Nov. 8.

19 Gathering of Presbyters, Spiritual Life center, Wichita (through Nov. 21) 28 Diocesan office closed for Thanksgiving (through Nov. 29)

For more news and information, as well as calendar listings, visit the diocesan website:

www.episcopal-ks.org Follow the diocese on Facebook:

EpiscopalDioceseofKansas and Twitter:

EpiscoKS

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I cannot drive by a child with a lemonade stand.

The classic lemonade stand seems to be our first attempt at engaging the business world with bucketloads of hopeful anticipation. With youthful enthusiasm, children dream of the soon-to-be success of their labors.

But what I usually see is a child siting behind a table, by themselves, all alone, Is enough, enough? and it just gets to me.

When is enough, enough? We You would think that actually We all have had all have tried to reach out and would be a brilliant business to come to grips help someone in far more seriplan. After all, what adult could ous situations than a lemonade pass by a lonely looking child? with the fact that stand, and we felt like we did Apparently, almost everyone. being human means not help or meet the need. It is a Recently, while driving on a discouraging sort of powerlessbusy street, I saw a young girl having limitations ness and frustration. sitting behind her stand with We all have had to come to and falling short. that hopeful look on her face — grips with the fact that being alone. human means having limitations So I prepared to stop, but I and falling short. I could have couldn’t. She is on a corner, so I turned north, but I didn’t. There are those who drive past, in order to turn around to go back and would have. turn onto her street.

But there will be other lemonade stands, and But I can’t turn left there, so I go the other difalling short this time would only be a failure if it rection, turn around and come back, only to realize caused me to give up on children and their lemonthat you can’t turn onto that street. Period.

Frustration is setting in. I start to get mad at her ade stands altogether.

In my plumber days, I worked with an older parents for not intervening and for setting up this plumber on a job that did not go well. As we little girl to fail. packed to leave, he stopped and looked back and This must be the most disastrous lemonade said, “You win some; you lose some; some get stand location in the history of childhood lemonrained out.” He then looked at me and added, “But ade stands. To get to it, one would have to go a you always suit up.” block north and double back and down, and then I wonder if he knew he was paraphrasing St. leave the same way.

She is on the corner of “Can’t Stop” and “Don’t Benedict who said, “Always we begin again.”

The Rev. Matt Zimmermann is rector of St. Turn.”

Margaret’s, Lawrence. This reflection first apThis is becoming the stuff of a Grimm’s fairy peared in the parish’s Weekly Digest e-newsletter tale. So I make the call to not stop. I do have of Aug. 15. v things to do.

Diocesan Calendar

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