2nd Quarter 2023

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN ALABAMA

along with traditional hymns like “The Old Rugged Cross” and contemporary songs like “I am the Bread of Life”.

AN INVITATION

“Your invitation to someone can open the door to them knowing they are loved eternally. It all starts with “Come and See”.

-BISHOP G

Come and See: Youth from across the diocese gathered to meet and spend time with Bishops Curry, Prior, and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

COME AND SEE

BISHOP G

Dear Friends:

I have a friend named Andrew who teaches writing and is also a writer. A few years ago, he introduced me to a diary prefilled with questions, intended to help me tell the story of who and how I became the person that I am. It’s called The Story of My Life: If a Story Is in You, It Has to Come Out. This diary asks me to write about things like what I did with my first paycheck, and why was this important to me; when was the first time I intentionally lied? Here’s my favorite: in what moment of your life have you felt the most loved?

During the Easter Season, or the Great Fifty Days, we read a lot of scripture from the Gospel according to John, and in John 1:38, Jesus asks an excellent question: “What are you looking for?”

John the Baptist guides his own disciples to Jesus, saying, “Look, here is the Lamb of God.” The disciples follow Jesus and when he sees them coming, he asks them what they’re looking for. But they don’t answer him. Instead, they ask him, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” He answers, “Come and see.” The gospel writer tells us the disciples remained with Jesus that day, and then he tells us this odd little detail, “It was about four in the afternoon.”

Scholars speculate that four in the afternoon would be significant if that day were the sabbath. If it were the sabbath, late in the day, and about to get dark, then the disciples would have to remain with Jesus that night because they couldn’t travel after sundown. They would stay with him Friday night and all day Saturday until dark, when the sabbath ended. In other words, they’d be forced to stick around with Jesus. I wonder what that was like. Did they talk all night? Did they ever tell Jesus what they were looking for?

In the fourth gospel, certain words take on great significance, creating a special language for spiritual experience, almost like a code. To see Jesus is code for believing in Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world. To stay with him, remain or abide with him is code for entering a relationship with him. Disciples are said to remain in Jesus and he remains in them. We say that we are in Christ and Christ is in us.

INVITATION

Our relationship with Jesus is so intense, we try to live our lives the way he would live them, if he were here in this time and place. Just like any relationship, a relationship with Jesus Christ means giving up some time and energy to being with him - communicating and communing with him. But I’m preaching to the choir, or I should say to the faithful followers in the Diocese of Alabama. This issue of The Alabama Episcopalian features stories of committed and dedicated people in our parishes who are following Jesus as Lord and King of all. From walking the annual Stations of the Cross in

sends his disciples to him. Andrew believes, and introduces Peter to Jesus. Later Philip brings Nathanael to Jesus. And then the Samaritan woman brings her whole town to Jesus.

Popular opinion says the Church is disappearing, shrinking, obsolete. As I look around at our churches and hear their stories of grace, I do not believe the Church is disappearing or obsolete. But I do believe the Church is changing, and as we change, we’ll become better equipped to carry the message of Jesus to the next generation. The stories written by our young people in this issue are examples of that.

I am known for saying “I hope I see you at church!” That’s because I think that when we can get there, however often that is, each time counts enormously. Each time we go to church we place ourselves in the path of grace, and when we least expect it, we’ll receive exactly what we need to heal or change or grow or find peace and hope. I know because I’ve seen it so many times.

downtown Birmingham to raising money for a parish destroyed by a tornado in Mississippi, to cleaning and repairing shoes for the homeless, the service and faithful prayers of all of you make our world on earth a better place.

Our Lord’s prayer says, “…thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.” Our prayers bring a little bit of heaven to earth in each moment. Our prayers offered each day and our lives lived in service is our effort to do what Jesus asked of his disciples when he said, “…remain with me, abide,” meaning literally to “pitch your tent” and move into relationship with him. As the disciples do that, their community grows.

Scripture tells us disciples spend time with Jesus and believe in him. Then they tell other people about the wonder and hope and joy of knowing Jesus. John the Baptist believes Jesus is the Son of God and he

At almost every parish I visit, someone will ask me, “Bishop how can we help our parish grow?” Maybe I can answer that question with another question. “In what moment in your life did you feel truly loved?” As you consider that, invite someone to your church, a prayer gathering, or an outreach event. Inviting someone to church is the most successful way to grow a parish, and it happens one person at a time.

Simply extend the invitation by saying, “Come and See”, and let’s see what happens next. I believe the person you invite may hear Jesus saying ‘I love you.’ Your invitation can open the door to them knowing they are loved eternally. It all starts with “Come and See”. The wonderful gift of asking someone may also help us remember that we are also loved.

As always, I am honored to be your bishop and I hope I see you soon,

Blessings,

Our prayers bring a little bit of heaven to earth in each moment.

AN UPDATE ON CAMP MCDOWELL

BY BISHOP PRIOR

The last time I gave an update on Camp McDowell I shared with you that post COVID we had two main priorities: stabilize our finances and fill our beds. As reported, thanks to the great work of Acting Executive Director Whitney Moore-Shae, camp staff, and treasurer Phyllis Hall, camp’s financial position is strong and our beds are full!

Subsequently, we began to explore what the next season of Camp McDowell might look like. To that end we gathered for six in-person listening sessions, and also shared an online questionnaire. This input was then categorized and synthesized by a diverse group from across the diocese, with a variety of histories and experiences at camp.

Over the last few weeks, the Camp Department, Bishop G, and Diocesan Council have had an opportunity to explore what is the most effective model in the next season for both management and governance of camp. This input, coupled with the listening sessions, will be extremely helpful as we move forward during this time of discernment. As a person who spends a lot time doing organizational transition work, I would offer there is no better time to explore the future than when you are functioning at a high level. Recent experiences of camp hosting Diocesan Convention and the House of Bishops are great examples of how extremely well camp is running. This is providing us the opportunity to do the deep work of exploring Camp McDowell’s future without feeling the pressure that there is an immediate crisis to be solved. Thank you for your ongoing support of Camp McDowell. Both the present and the future continue to be very promising!

Photos: Top: Camp was blessed and grateful to host the Spring House of Bishops Conference in March. Celebrating Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s 70th birthday made the week even more special. Middle: The Mother Daughter Retreat hosted by camp in April was a blast! Bottom: The Environmental Center staff: each season they prepare canoe docks for use with Environmental Center groups, and then for summer camp.

Journey to the Heart

Familiar sites, new narratives serve as sacred Stations of the Cross on Good Friday 2023

BY MICHELLE HISKEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDI RICE

Sixty years have passed since the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church, but on Good Friday 2023, 76-year-old Rev. Dr. Robert McAdory remembered that time well as he carried a cross in a pilgrimage through downtown Birmingham. Back then, McAdory was 16, and his parents had taught him to avoid places, people and behavior that could get him into trouble with white people. Segregation blocked doors to Black children and families, and other doors like college never opened for him.

This loss confronted him as he and 40 worshippers of many faiths processed to landmarks of suffering and inequity in Birmingham today. On streets of brutality and bloodshed during the civil rights movement, the group sang and prayed as they traced Christ’s journey to a sacrificial death for all humanity. They were joined by others who live outdoors along the route, or in makeshift shelters.

“We need more people and all races to do this,” said McAdory, retired pastor of Faith Missionary Baptist Church in Bessemer, who was particularly moved by the discomfort of carrying a large wooden cross for the first time.

“Jesus bore the cross alone. If we don’t bear the cross, there can be no crown. Everybody must be willing to take up the cross.”

“The Kingdom of God as it is now”

Created by Birmingham’s first Episcopal deacons, the 90-minute liturgy of reflection, prayer and singing covers 15 blocks, from Linn Park to Kelly Ingram Park. It winds through Birmingham’s financial and civil rights districts, honoring the suffering of the poor, unhoused, criminalized and racially oppressed.

This sacramental journey took root almost 20 years ago during Lent 2004. Ordained among the diocese’s first deacons two years earlier, Louise “Lou” Thibodaux of St. Thomas Episcopal Church was mired in inertia after the sudden passing of her mentor, The Right Rev. Furman Stough.

“We seek to follow you into the streets of this city, once called ‘Bombingham.’ We pursue your footsteps into the places where people continue to suffer from injustice and oppression, from their own sins and the sins of others, from things done and undone. In so doing, we pray that, mindful of the needs of others, we can be your hands and feet in this hurting world, instruments of your reconciling grace.” Opening prayer, 2023 Stations of the Cross

“I had to do something, and had always felt like the stations were chasing me,” said Thibodaux, now 78. A retired occupational therapist, she believes daily living can be sacramental, that God is right there for anyone who opens their eyes and heart. As she helped prepare stations in 2004, she recognized the divine in marginalized groups in Birmingham.

“Where Jesus falls, I thought about the ways that people fall in our society, and one way is people fall into addiction,” she said. “When Jesus is stripped of his garments, there are people we know who have to run away from war in their country with only the clothes on their back. Their suffering connects to Jesus in that way.”

Creative community service had driven these first deacons to ordination. “Pioneers of marginality” is how one describes the group. “Working on the edge of the inside,” is another. “We were all looking for a way to live out our calling that had not been had not been available to us before,” Thibodaux said.

Some wanted to make her written liturgy vivid and experiential, to give participants “an appreciation for the deep need for empathy in a society that doesn’t have much of it,” said Deacon Mark LaGory of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. “Lou conceived of the traditional Stations of the cross in a new way, by understanding our encounter with the suffering Jesus in terms of of the suffering of others.

He joined with the Rev. Carolyn Foster, deacon at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and Faith in Community Coordinator for Greater Birmingham Ministries, to determine the route and gathered sponsors. They built on Thibodaux’s liturgy with significant changes in the prayers to fit the pilgrimage.

“Birmingham’s Stations of the Cross brings the needs of the world and the church together where Christ’s redemptive love can be made manifest in public spaces and in public worship,” Foster said.

“It was a journey from my head to my heart,” said LaGory, 76, a retired UAB sociology professor whose research focused on poverty and mental health. “Every station is a heartbreaking challenge for us as Christians. Every station is the Kingdom of God as it is now.”

“Place really matters to human experience,” he said. “Our home, our city have deep meaning for us. Walking the Stations opens up a window or a door to a new way of experiencing our place.”

Hope is a powerful ending message in Ingram Park, which celebrates the journey “from revolution to change.” “Some cities shy away from the problems that they’ve had in the past,” LaGory noted. “Birmingham doesn’t do that.”

The first Birmingham pilgrimage was in 2014. Since then, Thibodaux shared it at a national Episcopal deacons’ gathering, and clergy from Chicago and Nashville have expressed interest in adapting it.

“It would be interesting for folks to look for holy spots in their own community,” said St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Deacon Affiliate Katy Smith, 75, another first deacon and music leader for the service.

In 2023, the pilgrimage was sponsored by St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Greater Birmingham Ministries and Church in the Park, First Presby -

terian Church. In 2024, LaGory said the revised liturgy will call out gun violence experienced by children.

The most recent pilgrimage remains imprinted on Ginger Rueve, first-time participant and member of St. Mary’s-on-the-Highlands Episcopal Church.

“Walking the Stations downtown has only encouraged me to continue racial reconciliation work and to inspire others to have these hard conversations,” she said. “It’s not about blame, shame or the sins of our forefathers. It’s about trying to find a way to educate ourselves and learn to understand our true history.”

“Every station is a heartbreaking challenge for us as Christians. Every station is the Kingdom of God as it is now.”

The Rev. Mark LaGory

REFLECTIONS

Following Jesus’ Suffering:

Experiencing the fourteen 2023 Stations of the Cross in downtown Birmingham meant facing the suffering and passion of Christ in real places and people who experience injustice, oppression, anxiety and despair. The following participants reflected on what moved them at particular stations. For the complete liturgy scan the QR code.

REFLECTIONS

The Second Station: Jesus takes up his cross

Location: Boutwell Auditorium, a city shelter during the coldest times

Liturgy highlight: We encounter the suffering Jesus in the faces of the homeless and the poorly housed in this city. Draw near and comfort them in spirit and bless those who work to provide them with shelter, food and friendship. We pray this in the name of the one who had ‘no place to lay His head.’”

A memorable experience for Ginger Rueve, first time participant and member of St. Mary’s-on-the-Highlands Episcopal Church: “As we prayed for the homeless community, we were standing mere inches away from a half a dozen people who have made their impermanent “homes” on the sidewalk where we stood. That was VERY powerful for me.”

The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene carries the cross

Location: Bus Stop between 5th and 6th Ave.N

Liturgy highlight: So many cannot afford a reliable car to get to and from their jobs. The poor cannot gain independence without adequate public transportation. Lord, give public officials the wisdom and the courage to work together to solve the public transportation problem that plagues us. And give us the energy to advocate for the transportation needs of others.

A memorable experience for the Rev. Carolyn Foster, Faith in Community Coordinator for Greater Birmingham Ministries: “The bus stop where we prayed is overgrown with grass, weeds and anthills, yet people without dependable transportation have to wait there to get to work, go to the doctor or to buy their groceries. It is always very powerful and meaningful to really see for the first time the conditions like this, that poor and low-income people contend with on a daily basis.”

The Eighth Station: Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem

Location: Pathways (Birmingham’s oldest continuously operating agency serving women and children experiencing homelessness)

Liturgy highlight: We encounter the suffering Jesus in the faces of children who have no one to care for them, in latch-key children who grow up too fast, in runaways and orphans who live in the streets, and in all children who are exploited in their innocence.Inflame the hearts of your people with a spirit of concern for their welfare.

A memorable experience for Robert McAdory, a first-time participant who carried the cross: “I remember how it was when parents were always there to encourage and teach you how to stay out of harm’s way and in your place. If you’re going to survive, don’t say much. Just be quiet.”

The Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

Location: The shuttered Cash Connection, 5th Ave. N. Liturgy highlight: We encounter the suffering Jesus in the faces of those who struggle with debt and who are victims of the payday loan industry in our State. Help us to speak your gospel to those involved in this oppression.

A memorable experience for Mark LaGory, deacon of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church: “It was meaningful to have a station that deals with that financial challenges people have, and this place is a failed financial institution. A downtown church worked to get it closed for a number of years now, which is the kind of thing that our faith can motivate. It’s not just thoughts and prayers.”

The Eleventh Station:

Jesus is nailed to the cross

Location: Kelly Ingram Park, the Snarling Police Dogs

Liturgy highlight: We encounter the suffering Jesus in the faces of those who are the victims of prejudice and discrimination in all its forms, including racism, classism, sexism, ageism, and homophobia. May we see the face of God in each other and live in peace.

A memorable experience for Angela McGlothan, 68, a first-time participant who carried the cross and read at this station: “Envisioning the pain and suffering of so many during that dark era of the civil rights movement as I carried the cross was overwhelming. It’s disheartening to see that so many years later, however disguised, inequity still looms.”

The Thirteenth Station:

Jesus is taken down from the cross

Location: Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the Resurrection Window donated by the people of Wales

Liturgy highlight: We encounter the suffering Jesus in the faces of all those who care for the victims of hatred, violence, and oppression, for all those who advocate for the poor, the homeless, and the powerless, and all those who have the courage to speak the truth to power. Proclaim your truth in every age with many voices.

A memorable experience for Katy Smith, deacon affiliate, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church: “There’s a twist here. When Jesus is taken down from the cross, we encounter all who have compassion—not just those who are marginalized but also those who can open their hearts and take people in.”

The Fourteenth Station:

Jesus is laid in the tomb

Location: Four Spirits Monument

Liturgy highlight: The worst things will not be the last things...Ours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Ours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Ours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.

A memorable experience for Mark LaGory, deacon of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church: “From 16th Street Baptist Church and the window where girls were killed, going to the memorial to the girls is like a resurrection. You see them intentionally motioning to heaven.”

The next Stations of the Cross will be March 29, 2024. While Birmingham will always be 6552 miles from Jerusalem, this service closes the distance—as it opens hearts and minds to our collective participation in social inequities.

Michelle Hiskey is a freelance writer based in Georgia and a member of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta.

Photography is by Andi Rice Mediaworks.

New Voices Proclaiming the Good News: Lay Preachers in the Diocese of Alabama

BY THE REV. CN. KELLEY HUDLOW, CANON FOR VOCATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

On Sunday mornings, Episcopalians come to church for worship expecting to be greeted by clergy in albs and stoles that will lead them with singing, prayers, and preaching. But for some of our churches, worship on Sunday mornings is led by lay people. These lay leaders lead the daily office but often rely on sermons from other churches or the internet to provide commentary on the day’s readings. While these sermons fill the gap, they are not the same as a sermon prepared specifically for that community on that day.

In the Episcopal Church, we use the words sermon and homily interchangeably, though the Book of Common Prayer uses the term “sermon” more frequently. The word sermon comes from the Latin sermo meaning “speech” or “conversation.” It has deeper roots in the Latin word serere, meaning “to link together.” So sermons are expected to link together Scripture, the experience of the community, theology, and human reason.

When lay people lead worship using sermons from other churches, the sermon is missing the vital link to the experience of the community. While our expectation in the Episcopal Church is that preaching is an activity of the clergy, our church has a long tradition of lay people preaching. Preaching is one of the seven licensed ministries for lay people recognized in the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. In our Diocese, the use of lay preachers began in the 1880s when the bishop gave certain lay people

the “power to exhort” in worship, meaning the authority to preach. These lay preachers served in smaller congregations, especially in the Black Belt, though Christ Church Mobile used lay preachers as well.

All of these considerations led to the creation of a new Lay Preaching class. Beginning in 2023, nine lay people from across the diocese gathered in person and online to study preaching and leading worship. Over a period of four months they studied biblical exegesis, storytelling, sermon forms, and oral presentation. Students were assigned to preach within the class and in their home churches. As part of this course, students receive feedback from their peers and clergy and take part in individual coaching sessions. Upon successful completion of the course, the students will be considered by the bishop for licensing as lay preachers.

This program hopes to equip lay people to preach so that their congregations can experience sermons that connect Scripture and theology with the life of the congregation. These lay preachers will fill a vital need in their communities without regular clergy and can also add a new preaching perspective in congregations with clergy.

If you are interested in learning more about the Lay Preaching program, including upcoming cohorts and requirements for licensing, please get in touch with the Rev. Cn. Kelley Hudlow (khudlow@dioala.org).

Quincy Hall preaches to the Lay Preaching class at Trinity Commons, Birmingham, on April 22, 2023.

What students are saying:

“I have learned so much through this course. Deeply searching biblical texts and pondering its meaning has helped me more fully understand scripture and how it relates to my life today. I look forward, with excitement, to writing sermons because I know I am going to gain new insight. It has been exciting seeing my parish in light of the scriptures. I hope to encourage our church to keep doing the wonderful things we are doing for the spread of the Kingdom of God and to find ways we can do more!”

“By participating in this course, I have expanded my knowledge, enhanced my understanding, and developed the skills needed to prepare and give a sermon. It has given me a deeper love for God, and I know the Scriptures better. It is my hope that as a lay preacher, I can better share the Gospel and the love of Jesus.”

“I’ve experienced tremendous growth being part of this course. We are all called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus and should empower one another to step up to share how God is moving in our lives. I was particularly moved by how everyone from their diverse experiences brought different lenses to the Scriptures we studied together and how diverse the sermons were because of that.”

“I have become much more familiar with the Bible. My parish depends on Morning Prayer for a majority of our services. I can now add to that service with a sermon that connects with our parish members.”

“I feel like this course has really helped my faith grow. I had read the Bible before but never examined the scriptures this much. It gave me a deeper appreciation for all the work that is required to write a sermon and the challenge of listening to the Holy Spirit and not just my own voice. I hope I can support our clergy by preaching occasionally and giving them a rest, as well as support our church during the clergy transition by preaching and leading worship when needed.”

“My relationship with scripture is much stronger because I now have the tools to study and understand texts. The course has made me feel much more confident in myself as a speaker, and I hope this will get even better. My church depends on Morning Prayer, and I can now offer them better sermons. I have really enjoyed this course and am so grateful for the opportunity to join.”

MADELEINE PEARCE, ST. MATTHIAS, TUSCALOOSA

QUINCY HALL, CANTERBURY CHAPEL & ST. MATTHIAS, TUSCALOOSA

PATTI WHITAKER, ST. TIMOTHY’S, ATHENS

KRISTIN MERRISS, ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S, FLORENCE

LINDA CAYPLESS, ST. BARNABAS, ROANOKE

LISSA WEATHERS, ST. BARNABAS, ROANOKE

YOUTH DEPARTMENT REPORT 2022-2023

SARAH COLEMAN HORNSBY, YOUTH DEPARTMENT CHAIR

The Youth Department is a group of 11 peer-elected youth who plan and run events for the youth of the Diocese, guided by six adult advisors, the diocesan Director of Youth, Campus, & Young Adult Ministry, and a Chaplain appointed by the Bishop.

The Youth Department makes every event the best that it can be, and the Holy Spirit is present throughout every event, as seen through our members’ smiles, laughs, and hugs. They make everyone feel loved and welcome no matter age, race, gender, or sexual orientation.

Throughout our events, service toward our community has been a vital component, whether by donating clothes to a local group home, raising money for the Selma relief program, or packing food packages for countries in need.

Our first event, in the fall of 2022 was packing food packages with Rise Against Hunger, an international hunger relief organization that distributes food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable countries, with a goal to end hunger by 2030. All ages were invited to participate and we worked and worked and packaged nearly 20,000 meals. Christmas Conference was the highlight of 2022, and with a 3% increase in attendance compared to last year, it was our busiest event. Our service aspect of this event was raising money and supplies for King’s Home. Their goal is to help “youth, women and kids seeking refuge, hope, and help from domestic violence, neglect, abandonment, homelessness, and other difficult and impoverished conditions and circumstances.” They do this by raising money and accepting donations of warm clothes. We raised $709 and collected lots of clothing. We worshiped, worked, and played at Camp McDowell. We danced A LOT. This is our biggest event of the year and for good reason!

The Diocesan Youth Lock-in is a personal favorite of mine because of the connections made throughout this short event. Despite it being only one night, we came together and worked hand in hand with the adults attending the Diocesan Convention. We have two youth delegates participating in business meetings and voting. The rest of the Youth Department participates in activities held throughout the camp and both groups come together and worship in St. Francis for Morning Prayer, Compline, and Eucharist. I had the pleasure of giving a sermon at Morning Prayer, and our two youth delegates, Olivia O’Halloran and Lauren Jones, shared about Leadership Development and Camp McDowell with the Convention. Though this event is small, the love felt at this event is overflowing and unconditional.

Our fourth and final event this year was Rites of Spring, otherwise known as the EYC Convention. This event was held at Bethany’s Village at Camp McDowell March 24-26 and was open to all 9th-12th graders. Not only was this event fun, we also elected the 2023-2024 Youth Department. When coming to this event you may get to be a delegate for your church or even run for the Youth Department.

We have all had an incredible year serving on the Youth Department, and it was my absolute pleasure to serve as Chair for the 2022-2023 term. We have had an amazing year focused on service for our community and others, and I am excited to see what the next Youth Department has in store.

Sarah Coleman Hornsby, Nativity, Huntsville

2023-2024 Youth Department elected at Rites of Spring

NORTHERN DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES:

Finola O’Halloran, Nativity, Huntsville & Redd Redding, Trinity, Florence

CENTRAL DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES:

Graham Boswell, St. Stephen’s, Birmingham & Thomas Elliot Ferry, Christ Church, Tuscaloosa

SOUTHERN DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES:

Catherine Lam, Holy Trinity, Auburn & Samantha Turner, Trinity, Clanton

AT-LARGE MEMBERS:

Ben Camp, St. Stephen’s, Birmingham

Sarah Dunlap, St. Stephen’s, Birmingham

Reese Fetner, St. Stephen’s, Birmingham

Lillie Hartley, St. Matthew’s, Madison

MC Laney, All Saints, Birmingham

Adeline Smith, St. Stephen’s, Birmingham

ABOVE: BISHOP PRIOR AND YOUTH FROM ACROSS THE DIOCESE GATHERED AT CONVENTION IN FEBRUARY.

I-na-da-do-lis-ta

is Cherokee for “Let us pray.” The Rev. Bude VanDyke ends each of his emails with this phrase. This unique email signature honors Bude’s heritage, invites others to learn more about the Cherokee people, and gives a gentle reminder to pray, even in the midst of a busy day.

Bude, a Cherokee descendant, is also the rector of The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Decatur, which was originally part of the tribal lands of the Cherokee people. Bude and the community at Good Shepherd have found unique ways to weave Cherokee and Episcopal traditions together into their own tapestry, something you’ll only find at Good Shepherd.

In 2022, Good Shepherd received a $54,750 grant from the United Thank Offering to create a Cherokee Heritage Garden. Indigenous people modeled their planting after what they observed in creation. The Three Sisters (corn, beans and squash) were planted together, not segregated into a single crop, because they helped each other survive and produce the basic staple of the Cherokee diet. With the UTO funds, The Church of the Good Shepherd has transformed land at the back of the property and created a beautiful garden. In May, they planted their first seeds which came all the way from Oklahoma. While traveling the Trail of Tears, Cherokee carried heirloom corn, squash, and bean seeds to Indian territory to preserve traditional foods. Good Shepherd planted descendants of those very seeds. The garden will provide education, demonstration, and reproduction of these heirloom seeds for generations to come.

During the months between the UTO grant awards and the actual building of the garden, prices of materials and services soared. Bude shared his concerns about the growing costs with his parents on a visit to their home in Bowling Green, KY. As he was leaving, Bude’s 93-year-old father handed him a check, a gift to help cover the unexpected costs of the Cherokee Heritage Garden. They hugged goodbye, but when Bude started to move away, his father held him more tightly for a little longer. The next day, Bude’s father fell and subsequently passed away. Their last moment together was one of giving, gratitude, and love.

The Church of the Good Shepherd holds a three-night fire vigil from Maundy Thursday until sunrise on Easter Sunday that blends Episcopal and Cherokee traditions. Bude served as the Firekeeper for the Oklahoma IV Consultation between the Presiding Bishop and Indigenous Elders in 2010. He brought that Indigenous rite into Holy Week to incorporate the fire in the courtyard on Maundy Thursday night and the fire at the cemetery in the story of the burial and resurrection of Christ. Parishioners and friends take turns serving as firekeepers during the Triduum. Following Bude’s father’s death, parishioners put together a four-day fire vigil honoring his father. People who had never met Bude’s father held him and his family in loving prayer while sitting vigil as a sort of wake that honors Bude’s ancestry.

Part of Bude’s vision for the church was to install a stone altar near the fire ring for communion at the Easter sunrise services. When he was talking with his parents about their gift to the garden, he asked if that would be a good use of any remaining funds, and they agreed wholeheartedly. Once the rock was quarried and engraved and the altar was installed, Good Shepherd contacted the bishop’s office to request the altar be consecrated, a rite explicitly reserved for a bishop. Bishop G was thrilled to perform the rite, her first altar consecration, and the altar was ready in time for Easter Sunday.

There are so many signs of resurrection and new life at Good Shepherd. In the Cherokee Heritage Garden, old traditions and old seeds are reclaimed and planted anew. They’ve created their own rich mix of Episcopal and Cherokee practices by holding a fire vigil during Holy Week. And the new altar, given by one father at the end of his life to the many parishioners at Good Shepherd, is a powerful reminder that all things are made new in Christ.

The Rev. Bude VanDyke, Rector of Church of the Good Shepherd, and Bishop Curry during the consecration of the new outdoor altar.

AN UNBROKEN CIRCLE:

Signs of Resurrection and New Life at Good Shepherd

The Call to Servant Ministry

BY THE REV. MARTI HOMES, ARCHDEACON

Years ago, as I was learning from the Rev. Bill Yon how to serve the diocese in the role of consultant and trainer for parish stewardship planning, he shared with me many “Yon-isms” – his practical and down-home adages. Over the decades, his sayings and wise guidance have helped form me and my ministry. One of Bill’s comments to me on a road trip to visit a parish has repeatedly popped into my head. On this particular occasion he said, “Marti, no one becomes a plumber unless they know a plumber, and no one will begin to tithe until they know someone who tithes.” Following his wise train of thought, I have decided that this is also true in servant ministry: No one will be called to be a deacon until they know a deacon.

This is the first in a 3-part series on the Life and Work of Deacons. Each part will focus on one of the three areas of deacon ministry as they appear in The Ordination of a Deacon. The deacon is to minister where they live (family and parish life), work (secular employment or community-based volunteer, service, and/or advocacy work and work in the church), and worship (in the various forms of liturgy). It is in the balanced integration of these three areas of ministry that the deacon is called to serve. Hopefully, the series will be a path for laity to get to know a deacon, and perhaps hear a call to enter this life in ministry.

Part 1: The Role of Deacons Where They Live

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.

As a deacon in the Church, you are to study the Holy Scriptures, to seek nourishment from them, and to model your life upon them. You are to make Christ and his redemptive love known, by your word and example, to those among whom you live, and work, and worship. You are to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world. You are to assist the bishop and priests in public worship and in the ministration of God’s Word and Sacraments, and you are to carry out other duties assigned to you from time to time. At all times, your life and teaching are to show Christ’s people that in serving the helpless they are serving Christ himself.

The Ordination of a Deacon BCP 543

Deacons are called to serve in myriad ways. Some examples: she offers loving personal care for her bed-bound mother-in-law, who is living her last days in their home. Another participates in an interdenominational bible study group in his neighborhood. One cares for his mentally ill son, and volunteers with two local free food distribution programs to serve the poor in their community. She is raising teenagers and serves as a volunteer reading tutor for students in a low-performing elementary school. He has led an EfM seminar for over 20 years, and she advises the Outreach Committee in her parish. She commits time to family gatherings and traditions, and often has her grandchildren spend the night or a few days with her. He rolls the trash bins out and back on pick up days for several elderly widows on his street. Others toil in community gardens at their parishes. These are living examples of how deacons are living out their vows where they live – in their own homes, neighborhoods, and parish communities.

Wherever deacons are and in all that they do, their lives serve as an example of how to live as a disciple of Jesus – how to follow the command to love others as he has loved us – in those ordinary acts of daily living. Most of these examples are not flashy, headline-worthy deeds that result in awards, medals, or recognition. More often they are unnoticed, mundane, demanding, and messy. Some are fun and refreshing ways to build strong and loving family and friend relationships. Others are ways to honor sabbath rest. All of them require consistency, dependability, self-sacrifice, compassion, prayer, and love. None of this is glamorous, and yet, this is the life of service to which the deacon is called. The life of a deacon starts with and continues throughout ordained ministry, in ordinary acts of daily living with their family, neighborhoods, and communities of faith.

Serving as deacon where they live is foundational for all other aspects of ministry in the church and elsewhere. This is where the deacon has developed the capacity and perseverance to serve, teach, and lead others in how to notice needs and to care for the helpless, oppressed, vulnerable, and poor.

For more information about the diaconate please contact the Rev. Marti Holmes, Archdeacon, at mholmes@dioala.org.

The life of a deacon starts with and continues throughout ordained ministry, in ordinary acts of daily living with their family, neighborhoods, and communities of faith.

The Traveler’s Altar

BY ROSIE VEAL EBY, PRIEST ASSOCIATE FOR OUTREACH, NATIVITY, HUNTSVILLE

Our tradition on Maundy Thursday is foot washing, we have always done it that way, so why change? I wanted to change up the Maundy Thursday service because the people I serve needed something different.

Part of my job as Associate at Church of the Nativity is being a priest in the homeless community. That means I spend time providing pastoral care and worship opportunities at the community center for the homeless called First Stop, however we call the spiritual thin space provided, The Traveler’s Altar, because faith is a journey we are all on.

Over the past few years serving in the community, one thing I learned is that homeless people walk a lot. The other thing I learned is that a new pair of shoes is not something homeless people receive. I have learned that my privilege allows me to wear my fancy rain boots into the homeless camp that I can come home and rise the mud off of when the rain has left the camps in a swamp like state. Our homeless siblings in Christ do not have that privilege. There is no running water in the camps and space to store shoes for every occasion is unrealistic. Even those who live in shelters do not have supplies

Parishioners from Church of the Nativity cleaning, replacing and relacing the shoes of the homeless clients at First Stop on Maundy Thursday.

Local Huntsville musician Microwave Dave sang the Blues during the service.

available and unlimited time in the bathroom sink to wash shoes after walking and waiting at the bus stop in bad weather.

As I began to think about the act of service Christ modeled for us on Maundy Thursday, I thought about the muddy tennis shoes, I thought about the broken shoe laces, the soles of a pair of shoes being worn thin and the uncomfortable dress shoes passed out at thrift stores that lost their shine a decade ago. I thought about the love and new life that Christ speaks about. So I put out a collection bin in the parish hall and asked for helpers to “wash shoes” at the Maundy Thursday Service at First Stop/Travelers Altar.

In the week prior to Holy Week I came into my office and found three garbage bags of brand new tennis shoes. Jill Chadwick, who is a vestry member, had reached out to a family member who works with Fleet Feet and they gave us all the returned shoes they could not put back on the sales floor. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

More supplies came in, shoe laces, boot laces, polish, magic erasers, and insoles for both men and women’s shoes in so many different sizes and varieties. I asked Microwave Dave,

a parishioner and local music legend to come play the blues during the washing part.

On Thursday morning we had around 95 people show up for breakfast at the center. By 9:30 we had shoes sorted and on racks, tables set out with the supplies to clean and give shoes new laces and insoles, at 10 the service began. The helpers from Nativity sat among the people during the liturgy and sermon.

When it came to washing shoes, I lost count of how many pairs were replaced. I saw two of the homeless men begin to clean each other’s shoes while Nativity parishioners were shining shoes. After I cleaned one woman’s shoes one of the homeless men, whom I have known for years wanted to shine my boots. He had been in the army and was excited to show off his boot polishing skills.

The music provided a mood for fellowship and gave a common space for everyone to exist in. It was a beautiful service. I know from the feedback that this is something that we will make a tradition out of, because loving one another is the way it has and should always be done.

Group photo of parishioners and the clients following the service.

Jonathan Daniels Pilgrimage 2023

Please join us on Saturday, August 12, 2023, for the 26th Annual Jonathan Daniels Pilgrimage. We will gather in the courthouse square in Hayneville, Alabama, and begin our pilgrimage procession at 11 am. The procession will travel from the square to the old County Jail where Daniels was among those detained for a week after being arrested in Fort Deposit for picketing white-only businesses. The procession continues to the site of the old Varner’s Cash Store, where Daniels was killed. The procession ends in the Lowndes County Courthouse, where a service of Holy Communion will be celebrated in the courtroom where the man who shot Daniels had been tried and acquitted by an all-white jury.

The Rt. Rev. Phoebe Roaf, Bishop of the Diocese of West Tennessee, will be our preacher. Bishop Roaf grew up in the Arkansas Delta city of Pine Bluff. She received a law degree from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, clerked for two years for a federal Court of Appeals judge, and worked in a New Orleans firm from 2000 to 2005. In her early 40s, she discerned a call to ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church. She graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2008. In 2018, she was elected to serve as Bishop of the Diocese of West Tennessee, which covers all of Tennessee west of the Tennessee River. This year will offer a Youth Pilgrimage for youth in 9th-12th grade. Youth Pilgrims are invited to join a weekend program beginning on Friday, August 11, at the Church of the Ascension in Montgomery, which will conclude on Sunday, August 13. This program will offer a weekend to learn, connect, and worship together. Youth Pilgrims can also register for special programming on Saturday only.

For more information about how to get involved and to register for the pilgrimage and youth weekend, please scan the QR code.

The Impact of College Ministry on My Life

BY BAYLEY ST. CLAIR

College ministry in the Diocese of Alabama has affected my outlook on community, church, and my own spirituality. I grew up in a neighboring diocese, and my small church never had enough resources or participants to maintain a youth department. When I came to the University of Alabama and joined the Canterbury Student Forum at Canterbury Chapel in Tuscaloosa, it was the first peer community I had ever joined. The dynamics were drastically different from the church I grew up in, from the services to the tone in a room. I was surrounded by college students who were going through similar experiences of living on their own for the first time, trying to balance loneliness and adult problems with an entirely new workload.

One of the first events I ever participated in was Stumpthe-Priest, where we could ask any question of our priest, the Rev. Marc Burnette. I asked the question ‘How can God forgive someone who committed grave atrocities if that someone asks for forgiveness?’ This was a question that had festered in me for a long time, but instead of Rev. Burnette answering, a fellow student raised her hand to respond to me. She described how the great forgiveness of God is his entire nature. God’s nature to forgive is incomprehensible, and God’s ability to forgive is much vaster than any of us could begin to understand. It was the first time I had felt the Holy Spirit through someone outside of clergy. I began to grasp at the things God’s love was capable of, and that was all because of this fellow student.

Since then, I have served as Vice President and President of the Student Forum. I moved into the church house and became highly involved in the parish. I was a part of this full and lively community of all ages, and for the first time I was able to critically engage in my religion and understand what values were the most important to me. During my tenure and leadership, I realized the most important thing was ensuring a safe community for college students to discover spirituality. Students came from all over the country with vastly different backgrounds - students who had never been to church before, students who were forced to go to a church not of their choosing, and cradle Episcopalians. It was crucial to develop a neutral space where students could experience God at their own pace, especially as they were living new lives in a new town. College ministry is the first stop for many people on their religious journey, and it has the ability to help develop a strong foundation when students experience the love of God.

I have so much gratitude for Canterbury Student Forum and the Department of College Ministry in the Diocese of Alabama. They provided a community for me when I felt alone, gave me the best memories and friends I could ask for in college, and ultimately, they solidified my faith in God and the Episcopal Church. For the rest of my life, I know I will be safe at church, God is love, and that love is at the core of all relationships.

Bayley is a 2023 graduate of the University of Alabama and recently served as the Director of Youth, Campus, and Young Adult Ministries while Kristen Blackerby was on maternity leave.

Council members for Canterbury Student Forum President Bayley St. Clair and Director of Community Engagement Elizabeth Webber.

Daughters of the King Hold Spring Meeting

Fifty Daughters of the King (DOK) from across the diocese met at St John’s, Montgomery, for our Spring Assembly. Held in early March, The Rev. Terrance Lee from Historic St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Harlem, New York, was our guest speaker for the day, and Bishop G was in attendance as well. Daughters from sixteen parishes were inspired by Rev. Lee’s message, which focused on HOPE, a message we all need! He encouraged all of our chapters to read N. T. Wright’s book Surprised by Hope.

We look forward to seeing more Daughters at the Fall Assembly, September 8-9, 2023, at Camp McDowell. Mark your calendars now and come join us!

Miki Heaton, 2nd Vice President Alabama Diocesan Assembly Board

Are you interested in starting a Daughters of the King chapter in your parish? They would love to come to your church, share more about the DOK, and also answer questions you have.

Contact Yolanda Seawright, ypseawright@gmail.com or Miki Heaton, miki1957@bellsouth.net.

Daughters from sixteen parishes were represented at the Spring Assembly, with St. John’s Rector, the Rev. Duncan Johnston on the left.

Daughters Camilla Armstrong and Sarah Spratling with Bishop G.

The Rev. Terrance Lee with Melissa Carter, DOK President at St. John’s.

Brotherhood of St. Andrew Starts New Chapter in Diocese

This past March, men from our parish gathered to hear more about the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, a 150-year-old organization within the Episcopal Church. The Brotherhood is dedicated to enriching the lives of men and youth in Christ by providing opportunities to grow in spirituality according to its three tenants of Prayer, Study, and Service. All in all, fifteen men answered the call from the church bulletin to come and learn more about this opportunity and spend time in a prayer service meant to help us discern the need for this ministry, and to ask blessings over it moving forward. The Lord answered! Soon, we were filling out and sending in paperwork. In what seemed like no time at all, we were opening a charter packet from the national headquarters and “oooohing” and “aaaaahing” over our new charter!

We’ve already met twice for a Thursday evening bible study and business meeting, been out on the town for an evening of food and fellowship, and provided breakfast for the parish at the 9:00 a.m. ‘Coffee and Biscuits’ gathering on Sunday, April 30th. As we look forward to the rest of the year, we are excited about our calendar. We’re inviting the men from our neighboring parishes to share a meal this upcoming month, preparing to bring in some of the Brotherhood’s national resources this fall for a ‘Man in the Mirror’ men’s study series, and starting to lay some groundwork for a men’s retreat at Camp McDowell this fall. We’ve even had national officers offer to come and conduct an installation ceremony for our chapter in the coming weeks! Everyone is really loving the experience that the Brotherhood of St. Andrew offers men in our church!

- Brandon Wilcutt, Trinity Chapter Officer

To start a chapter of the Brotherhood at your parish, email: admin@brothersandrew.net. To learn more about the Brotherhood visit https://brothersandrew.net/

St. Mary’s Supports Parish Destroyed in Tornado

On April 1, 2023, St. Mary’s in Jasper had a parish clean-up day. The night before a powerful storm system ripped through north Mississippi and Alabama leaving a path of destruction including the town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi where the Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church was destroyed. As the folks of St. Mary’s cleaned and beautified their church they thought of their brothers and sisters across the state line who were, no doubt, that very same morning cleaning up the rubble of their church.

In solidarity with them the clean-up crew resolved to be part of the recovery. Later that month the vestry decided to send a sizable check to the Diocese of Mississippi to assist in the rebuilding effort in Rolling Fork.

St. Mary’s in Jasper has been without a rector for a year and yet their parish remains vital and committed to loving their neighbors in and beyond their community. They are a living witness to how the Lord works through a congregation bonding them to one another as they love and serve the world reminding us of the encouraging word of the Apostle to “not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart (Gal. 6.9).”

This month St. Mary’s welcomes Rev. Paul Elliott who will begin serving as Interim Rector and will assist in the present mission and ministry of the church and in their preparations for the future.

-The Rev. Geoff Evans, Canon to the Ordinary

Those words, spoken by the Rev. Greg Proctor, part-time rector of Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, reflect the frame of mind of the small congregation he has served for 10+ years. After much prayer and deliberation, they have decided to try and rebuild the church, and are working with an architect.

After the EF-4 tornado passed through Rolling Fork on March 24, the sacristy, the altar, and an entry to the nave were all that was left of the 99-year-old church. The entry that remains is going to be preserved and included as part of the new design for the nave, and serve as a reminder of what they lost, and also of what they have been given.

He then expressed gratitude for the generosity of the St. Mary’s congregation. “The commandment to love God and love your neighbor have been shown as people have come together to help. Even in the midst of chaos like this, God continues to be with us and strengthen us.”

“We are Easter people, and look forward to the resurrection of this church and of this congregation.”

The church portion of the Chapel of the Cross in Rolling Fork, Mississippi was severely damaged by the tornado. Photo courtesy of Episcopal News Service and Lauren Wilkes Stubblefield.

The front of the church before the tornado. Built in 1924 the nave was consecrated in 1929. Photo courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Archives.

St. Simon Peter and Their Relationship with Lakeside Hospice

On February 17th, St. Simon Peter Episcopal Church in Pell City hosted a Mardi Gras Dinner Dance and Silent Auction to benefit Lakeside Hospice, a non-profit hospice started in 1991 by members of the parish. Lakeside believes that all people are entitled to spend their final journey with dignity and respect; they provide patients “quality of life”. This is the fifth time in recent years St. Simon Peter has held a dinner dance event to raise money for various ministries. It has become a popular activity with sellout crowds each year.

Lakeside Hospice: Founded by Members of St. Simon Peter

In 1991, Dr. Alex and Janis Miller, members of St. Simon Peter Episcopal Church, Pell City, founded Lakeside Hospice, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to care for the terminally ill. They saw a need in their community for this kind of care, as there was no hospice in St. Clair County. Dr. Miller served as the Executive Director and Medical Director, and his wife, registered nurse Janis Miller, became the Nursing Director. Fellow church members Phyllis Brown, Van Foreman, and Sylvia Darnell volunteered their time as office manager, chaplain, and social worker. All five worked pro bono for the first several years.

Lakeside was the first not-for-profit hospice in the United States with a Medical Director who made home visits, and in the beginning the group from St. Simon Peter Episcopal Church worked out of the Millers home. Initially, so small that Medicare would not pick them up, 32 years later this faith-based organization offers care in eight counties, and serves not only patients with Medicare or insurance, but patients regardless of their ability to pay, and provides them with the same level of care. In addition to nursing care and other hospice care, they provide pet therapy, music therapy, Chaplain services, Alzheimer’s support group meetings, barber services, massage therapy and numerous other support services to help patients stay in their home close to loved ones and caregivers.

Our elaborately decorated parish hall was filled with more than 80 people who enjoyed a gourmet Cajun Buffet (prepared by our own parishioners) featuring shrimp etouffee, red beans and rice, Cajun chicken pasta, corn salad, corn muffins, bread pudding and King cake. Rich Goodman and Andrea Brown were crowned king and queen of the Mardi Gras, and everyone enjoyed dancing to music provided by Mike Shell Entertainment. Do zens of auction items were available including a guitar signed by Willie Nelson, Alabama and Au burn collectibles, and art by local artists.

Thanks to the efforts of the whole parish, and the support of the community, over $9000.00 was raised to benefit the important work of Lakeside Hospice.

Ellen Mayer, member of St. Simon Peter Episcopal Church

Members of S. Simon Peter presented a check for $9000.00 to Lakeside Hospice.

Lakeside Hospice founder Janis Miller with a portrait of her and husband Dr. Alex Miller, who co-founded the hospice. Photo by Bob Crisp/The Daily Home

The Episcopal Church in Alabama

521 North 20th Street

Birmingham, AL 35203–2682

The Episcopal Church in Alabama

Carpenter House

521 North 20th Street

Birmingham, AL 35203–2682

Bishop: The Rt. Rev. Glenda S. Curry

Assisting Bishop: The Rt. Rev. Brian N. Prior

The Alabama Episcopalian

Debbie Donaldson, Editor

Miles G. Parsons, Art Director

Volume 108, Number 2

Spring 2023

USPS 070-910

ISSN 1041-3316

Periodical postage paid

POSTMASTER: Please send address corrections to Liza Lee Horton, The Alabama Episcopalian, 521 North 20th Street, Birmingham, AL, 35203-2682.

The Alabama Episcopalian is published quarterly. Please send stories and photographs (full color, at highest resolution possible) to Editor Debbie Donaldson, ddonaldson@dioala.org. The submission deadlines for each issue are February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1. Parishes and individuals, please send all address changes or additions to Liza Lee Horton, lhorton@dioala.org or Carpenter House, 521 North 20th Street, Birmingham, AL 35203–2682.