November 2019 Connections

Connections read • share • inspire November 2019

Issue 6 Vol. 6

Telling our

Stories

This notice is printed annually in compliance with US Postal Service regulations.

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The power of stories Several years ago, while traveling to Cleveland to visit relatives, my husband and I visited the church where my parents were married and I was baptized, St. Peter’s in Lakewood, Ohio. At some point during the service (I can’t really remember when) the rector called together any members of the congregation celebrating birthdays or wedding anniversaries that coming week. A few people came forward and stood in a tight circle as the rector then said a blessing over them as they entered into a new year of life or of marriage. This was the first time I had ever experienced this lovely tradition.

Sometime later, I shared how deeply moved I was by that experience with my rector. I asked if this is something we could try, and the practice was introduced during our main service a few weeks later.

Things started off slowly at first. People seemed embarrassed by being asked to stand in front of the church to be prayed for, but we continued on in spite of some grumbling. Eventually people at least accepted that this was “something we do,” and didn’t grumble quite as much as they reluctantly made their way to the front of the church.

A few years and rectors later, marking the birthdays and anniversaries of our members with prayer is a tradition at St. James. On the occasion when the rector forgets to ask, someone (usually my husband, John) will blurt out, “Birthdays and anniversaries?” It’s poignant to watch our older couples come forward year after year to celebrate 40, 50, and even some 60-year anniversaries. It’s funny to watch small children gleefully run to the front because it’s their birthday, but then shyly stand there, burying their face into Mom or Dad’s legs while the priest prays over them. But they all come forward, because it’s what we do. We pray for them as they enter into a new year of life, or of marriage, and we applaud at the end of the prayer to convey our good wishes on them.

Grumbling and embarrassment have stopped, for the most part. And most of our children have never known church when this wasn’t done. It’s our lovely tradition. And it only came to be because someone shared a story.

How many churches began knitting ministries because they read a story about one? Or community dinners, or food pantries, or diaper ministries? We’re focusing this issue on telling stories, because it is our stories that truly connect us. The stories each of us has to share could be the beginning of a lovely tradition for another faith community.

Over the last five years as editor of Connections, I have had the great honor and privilege of curating hundreds of your stories on these pages and through e-Connections. They have made me think, made me laugh, and some even made me cry. This latest batch is no exception.

Connect the Dots, a new initiative to bring people together to share their stories will be introduced at convention. (You can read about it on pages pages 54-55) In the coming months, we will be rolling out an updated diocesan website, with increased opportunities to share even more stories. And it’s more important than ever to share our stories, because the power to connect lies within them.

Connections editor Julie Murray serves as Associate Director of Communications for the Diocese of Southern Ohio. Connect with her at jmurray@diosohio.org.

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The Christ Church, Glendale, choir, at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Photo by Avery Brookbank.

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An English Pilgrimage

“Best choir trip ever!” “An ethereal experience.” “Humbling.” “I’m exhausted.”

On the evening of August 12, a group of very weary singers, family members and friends arrived back at Christ Church, Glendale, with many memories and emotions. Just twelve days earlier, sent on our way by a blessing from our rector David Pfaff, we had boarded a chartered bus that would take us to Chicago’s O’Hare airport to begin the long journey to England, where we would be in residence for a week at Winchester Cathedral.

For this, our fifth such pilgrimage, most of our usual Sunday choir members were joined by six alumnae from CCG’s girls’ choir, our curate, Father Nick Evancho, our deacon, Anne Reed, and her husband, Giff – twenty-five voices in all. Christ Church choir director Dr. Bryan Mock and our organist for the

A view of the belfry at Winchester Cathedral.

Photo by Frank Foster. trip, Bryan’s former student Thomas Heidenreich, joined us in the small cathedral city of Wells. There we spent

a restful two days revisiting old haunts from our first choir trip in 2007, touring Wells and Salisbury Cathedrals, and acclimating to the time change.

This journey was the culmination of months of practice and preparation. Our thick stack of music included five different acapella Preces and Responses for Evensong, eight anthems, six different compositions of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, various Anglican chants for the daily psalms, special music for Sunday’s Matins, several unfamiliar British hymns, and two different settings for choral Eucharist, one for the Feast of the Transfiguration which fell during our week.

We arrived in Winchester on Monday and immediately began our exhausting daily routine. Fueled by a full English breakfast (baked beans optional), we hurried to the choir school for morning rehearsal, followed by some precious free

time before afternoon practice which immediately preceded each evening’s service. During the next seven days we sang eight services in Winchester Cathedral, including three – Matins, Eucharist, and Evensong – on Sunday.

Winchester is quite a large cathedral city, but our experience still produced a small-town story. After one Evensong, several choir members and friends were enjoying a pint in a lovely courtyard which overlooks the Cathedral green and façade. A distinguished gentleman asked if they would be attending a service while in Winchester. The group then asked him the same question. He answered, “Yes, I will. I am the Dean.”

Another “high” point for a few hardy souls was to climb the 213 steps (some the size and shape of a pie server) to the upper realms of the building. They were rewarded with a close-up view of the massive Cathedral bells and a stunning panorama of the English countryside.

In the Cathedral Quire, we sang surrounded by caskets containing the mingled bones of ninth and tenth century Wessex monarchs and by the tombs of several English kings and queens, of famous statesmen and authors (including Jane Austen) and of at least one saint. Seated in the richly carved fourteenth century stalls, we were conscious that we had stepped into a centuries’ old tradition of continuous prayer and worship. We were particularly grateful when, each day during our week, the clergy offered prayers for lives lost to gun violence in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas. Some of us were led to wonder how often our own daily prayers remember those outside our immediate spheres.

Perhaps the most memorable day of this pilgrimage was Thursday’s journey to London, where we had the rare privilege of singing Evensong in St. Paul’s Cathedral. After going through a security check, receiving our “visiting choir” passes and grabbing some

The Christ Church choir readies for its performance at Evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Photo by the Rev. Anne Reed. lunch, most of us used the time before rehearsal to wander through this incredible space. We mingled with throngs of visitors, tourists and pilgrims, seeing faces and hearing languages from all over the world. We stared up at the famous dome, spared during the WWII blitz by brave fire watchers too old to fight, who perched outside the dome on ladders and knocked incoming firebombs off with broomsticks. Some of us stood in the undercroft before the modest plaque marking the grave of Hubert Parry, whose moving anthem, “My Soul, There is a Country,” we sang at Winchester.

Later that afternoon, we assembled in the stalls for the brief time we were given to become accustomed to singing in one of the largest cathedrals in Europe.

St. Paul’s nine-second reverb apparently disconcerts many visiting choirs, who easily lose cohesion listening to their own echoes. Dr. Mock’s mantra, “Watch me!”, was particularly relevant here.

One of the cathedral’s vergers met us

to review the order of service and show us how to process. For rehearsal, as is customary, we were dressed in our black cassocks, but each of us was also wearing the small cross issued to all Christ Church, Glendale, choristers. The verger was visibly moved when he noticed our matching crosses, something he said he had never seen in a choir before. We may have started a new tradition at St. Paul’s!

We sang well that evening in a service attended by our largest congregation ever. The main draw for many in the pews was probably not the chance to hear an American choir (“Where exactly is Ohio?”) but the fact that the cathedral waives its hefty admission fee for those who attend Evensong. No matter why they were there, we hope each listener took a bit of inspiration from the Diocese of Southern Ohio home that evening.

Helene Sedwick is a chorister at Christ Church, Glendale.

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Storytelling as respite Rose. Thorn. Bud. What is beautiful in your life right now (your rose)? What is your grievance (your thorn)? What do you eagerly anticipate (your bud)? These are the questions that women of St. Stephen’s, Columbus, share answers to in the Soul Sisters ministry of storytelling.

Begun about two years ago, approximately half of the women in the congregation have participated in the Soul Sisters conversations. Most meetings are a gathering of five to ten women ranging from college age through 90+ years young.

We listen, we grieve, we laugh, we learn, we love. These two-hour respites are sorely needed by women in our roles as breadwinners, caregivers, and Christians. We take the rose as our symbol, with its flower, thorns, and buds reminding us of the beauty and frustration packaged together in life.

St. Stephen’s parishioners Elaine Fleschner, Kaitlin Raver and Fran Carr at a recent gathering of the Soul Sisters. Photo by Kaethe Sandman.

Kaethe Sandman serves as Senior Warden at St. Stephen’s, Columbus.

Back to School book fair honors a ministry

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The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) of St. Andrew’s, Cincinnati, participates in several outreach initiatives yearly.

One initiative, the Gloria Turnage “Books Unplugged” Book Fair, is inspired by our commitment to the priority of reading, education, and the impact that literacy has on determining the success of our students.

The premise for our book fair is to persuade students to unplug themselves from their electronic devices and reconnect to the written words and pictures in books. Perhaps to discover something new, exciting and impactful.

In August, the ECW sponsored its third annual back to school book and school supplies fair with partners from the Evanston Community Recreation Center, several corporate businesses, community organizations, the Cincinnati Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Xavier University’s Bellarmine Chapel, and three Cincinnati academic acad-

emies from the Evanston community.

The book fair gave away more than 400 books and 267 backpacks with school supplies to students from Evanston and several surrounding schools. A visit from community librarians allowed for students and parents to receive library cards to encourage visits to check out books from the library. Those who attended were excited and inquired about next year’s fair.

The book fair is dedicated to a beloved and devoted member of the St. Andrew’s family, Mrs. Gloria Turnage. Mrs. Turnage dedicated herself to the students in the Evanston community by providing students with backpacks and school supplies. The ECW of St. Andrew’s honors her memory by carrying on her ministry and will continue to encourage the students to enjoy reading and to become lifelong readers.

Vicki B. Washington serves as ECW Secretary at St. Andrew’s, Cincinnati.

Oxford’s first multi-faith film festival Earlier this year, I was invited by the mayor of Oxford, Kate Rousmaniere, to join her for a multi-faith supper at the mosque in Cincinnati. The keynote speaker at this gathering was Alex Kronemer, executive director and producer at Unity Productions Foundation (UDF). Unity Productions Foundation’s mission is to highlight the positive aspects of the Muslim faith, counter bigotry and create peace through media.

An estimated 150 million people worldwide have seen UPF’s films which have won dozens of national and international awards. UPF also works in Hollywood through the MOST (Muslims on Screen and Television) Resource Center, providing facts and research to script writers and producers on popular shows seen worldwide.

Alex had brought some free DVDs made by UPF, and Mayor Kate and I took several: Prince among Slaves, Enemy of the Reich, and The Sultan and the Saint. I suggested to Kate that perhaps we could have an Oxford Interfaith Film Festival. So during the summer of 2019, we began planning for this dream to become a reality.

Kate’s idea was to provide “Dinner and a Movie” on Saturday evening for the Oxford community and Miami students. We would share a simple bread and soup dinner, and then make new friends through discussion after the movie over cookies and coffee. Six inter-faith leaders (Pastor Logan Dysart from Faith Lutheran, Marc Van Bulck from Oxford Presbyterian Church, Zafer Ozdemir who leads the Muslim student group at Miami, Mayor Kate, Marcy Miller from Hillel Jewish Student Center and myself) worked together to finalize the program.

We hosted two movies at Holy Trinity. Twenty-seven community members and students attended the first evening to watch the Buddhist movie The Cup. Next, 31 people attended a Muslim documentary, Mohammed, Legacy of a Prophet, including four university students. It was a joy that a Miami psychology professor sent four of his students to our series!

On September 22, 19 of us watched Chaim Potak’s movie The Chosen, after sharing chicken soup and challah bread. I was thankful that nine people from Holy Trinity attended the movie, including one student. Participation from Holy Trinity

Above: Oxford mayor Kate Rousmaniere and the Rev. Sara Palmer of Holy Trinity, Oxford, introduce the multi-faith movie series. Left: Some of the Oxford residents who gathered for the multi-faith film series. has been encouraging, and wonderful to share a meal and listen to one another’s reflections with respect and interest. The final movie, Entertaining Angels, was shown at Oxford Presbyterian Seminary. The movie portrays the conversion and life of the Christian social activist, Dorothy Day, a most moving and inspiring true story.

Our aim for this multi-faith movie series has been to foster inter-faith understanding and to broaden our hearts and minds to embrace the humanity of all people. I was thankful for all who helped set up and clean up, for all who provided food, space and welcome, and for all who attended and participated in our first ever Oxford Multi-faith Movie Festival.

The Rev. Sara Palmer serves as rector at Holy Trinity, Oxford.

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Community gain and loss King David, considered ruler during the golden age of Israel and the one who helped usher in that time, tried to have dyadic relationships, an ‘in’ vs. ‘out’ group, with God’s people (1 Chronicles 21). It came to naught. King David, as great as he was, was met with plague.

Every moment, God gives us a choice. Choice is one of the defining characteristics of God. This is how we know ALL are made in God’s image. God offered David three choices. God would allow plague, famine or war to ravage Israel. God allows others’ choices to interact without choices.

Often as we think about community and increasing diversity, we have good intentions. We are communal beings, we long for community. We feel like our community is small and we want to enlarge it. We begin to notice our brothers and sisters suffering from marginalization. We invite them in. Our group grows.

Members of our group that don’t like our new friends. We give them ultimatums and tell them too bad, so sad – that’s the way it is. We create the new ‘out’ group. We marginalize others.

Whoa – Stop the music! What are we doing? Who are we fooling?

Social scientists tell us not to do this.

Kravitz and Yuengling write about it in Bridging the ResearchPractice Gap. Also, we have scripture. The prophet Amos reminds us of our former marginalized selves. We have all the bad kings in the First Testament that illustrate what happens when we turn our backs on our neighbors. We see our patriarch Abraham

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abusing his slave. By creating a new ‘out’ group, we usher in the old ways, the lonely ways. The voice in the desert cries out for changes in society and in us.

When will we see what we have become?

Quinton Jefferson is a member of Christ Church Cathedral and a doctoral student in organizational leadership at Xavier University. He holds advanced degrees in Theology and Education.

Welcoming

Exvangelicals Many of us were raised in families with generations of Christians. We were church leaders, pastors, Bible class teachers, and graduates of Christian colleges. We grew up listening to Christian music and wearing WWJD (“What Would Jesus Do?”) bracelets and purity rings. We sang Christian devotional songs around the campfire at our church camps and might have married a special person we met there.

But when we came to the door of your sanctuary, many of us felt like foreigners. The words you used were different. The traditions, the vestments, the incense, the jargon…all seemed a little stuffy…and frankly...weird. But despite all that, something drew us to you.

We Evangelicals have diverse backgrounds and many of our stories are a little different.

But amidst the differences, we share some commonalities. Vineyard, Baptist, Church of Christ, Assembly of God, and other non-denominational faith backgrounds with varying levels of conservatism. But listen for a bit, and common themes begin to bubble up to the surface. Though stories are shared to knowing nods by our “Exvangelical” comrades (as we former Evangelicals call ourselves…) our narratives are met by gasps of horror and disbelief (and even some dismissal) from many of our “cradle” Episcopalian friends.

This divide between cradle Episcopalians and Exvangelicals is a challenge that plays itself out time after time across the nation as formerly devout Evangelicals are leaving the churches of their youth in droves. Though some have thrown the baby out with the bathwater and left Christianity altogether, many are still deeply in love with the Way of Christ and the teachings of Jesus and are searching for a new spiritual community.

For many, these devoted individuals left behind lifelong friendships, the only support systems they ever knew, and for some, blood relatives. Some left due to “pulling” forces: They were wantContinued on next page

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ing something more or no longer felt fed by their faith community. Or maybe they stumbled upon the Episcopal branch and were attracted by their theology and practice. But far more left their churches as a result of “pushing” forces: Some may have asked the wrong questions or had too many doubts and were asked to leave their roles in leadership. Others may have been ostracized because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

So many of these people were the most involved, committed, and devoted. Their devotion led to immersing themselves in the Bible and spiritual teachings so much that, rather than having the luxury of glossing over things that are contradictions or just hard questions, they dove in deeper. And when they dove into those hard questions, if they were trying to be authentic, doubts and harder questions arose.

Many of us have “spoken the same language” and experienced the same Evangelical culture. But it’s important to remember that we are not a monolithic group either. To some, this is a very fresh and raw experience.

Others may have left a long time ago and have spent some good time on a therapist’s couch.

Some of us left with our families intact, while for others, these questions are the wedge splitting our marriages and homes. Some of us “came out” for the first time in our Evangelical churches and were kicked out of our support systems. Others were given serious terminal medical diagnoses which disintegrated into existential crises of faith. Others saw our 45th president elected and began to see that things just weren’t fitting together like they used to. Some were “foreign missionaries,” bought-in and sold-out on mission work until they peeked behind the curtain and saw the colonialism, paternalism, corruption and arrogance. They began to see their “Good News” wasn’t really all that great to a Tanzanian dying of AIDS and malnutrition. Some were church leaders, We learned very quickly that the pastors or biblical scholars with seminary educations. Others Christianity you grew up with is totally have always sat on the back pew asking questions.

To those who have grown up in the Episcopal Church, different than the Christianity of our youth the stories and experiences of the Exvangelicals may seem foreign. We learned very quickly that the Christianity you grew up with is totally different than the Christianity of our youth. The concerns that we had just simply weren’t even a part of your culture. If we’re not careful and mindful of these differences, both Exvangelicals and cradle Episcopalians alike can dismiss each other’s experiences and speak past each other.

So, as many of us learn your new (to us) spiritual language and embrace the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement, we’d like to share a little of our experiences with you. We hope these common themes that many of us grew up with will shed light on some of our quirks and idiosyncrasies and help us all be better community for each other. We’re not suggesting or even asking you to change your language. We’re hoping to describe just a little of where we are coming from, and that you at least seek to understand how the Episcopal church looks at many of us joining from Evangelical traditions.

Guilt, fear, and shame

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Ask any Exvangelical which emotions were most closely tied to their religious upbringing and there’s a good chance they will quickly name three emotions: Guilt, fear, and shame. These are the hallmarks of much of what Evangelicalism is built upon. They are undercurrents running beneath discussions about substitutionary atonement, purity culture, salvation, evangelism and Bible study. God had to send his son to die because we were so awful.

Many Exvangelicals remember waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, worried we were going to hell because of some sin we committed (or thought about committing) that day. Our salvation was so delicate and our god so angry, that we constantly questioned our salvation. It led many of us to being “born again” … again and again. Emotion-filled youth rallies or church camp led young children to walk down the aisle to be baptized or confessing the “sinner’s prayer” multiple times. It’s important to start this conversation on the foundation of guilt, fear, and shame. These emotions are so central to our faith that our spiritual lives are nearly inseparable.

Biblical inerrancy and Literalism Another common theme is how we grew up reading the Bible. The Bible was the inerrant, infallible Word of God. Though we scoffed at Catholics’ view of an infallible Pope, we didn’t blink an eye at the thought of the original writers of the Bible being perfect. For us, the Bible was without error, and every question we could ever want answered was in there, somewhere, just as long as you look hard enough and do enough mental gymnastics to make it all fit. Two creation accounts in Genesis? We have an explanation for that! God calling for genocide? Well, His plans are greater than our plans! Patriarchy and slavery? Stop asking so many questions! The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it!

Unlike the “three-legged stool” that Cradle Episcopalians were raised with, Exvangelicals were raised on a very wobbly one-wheeled unicycle named “Scripture” (“Sola Scriptura”). We got pretty good at riding that unicycle. But when we fell, we fell very hard. Scripture was all we needed. And it worked for a while – until it didn’t.

Substitutionary atonement Many of us remember sitting around the church camp campfire during our young formative years singing songs with lyrics like:

“Can he still feel the nails, every time I fail?

Can he hear the crowd cry ‘Crucify!’ again?

Am I causing him pain, when I know I’ve got to change?

Cause I just can’t bear the thought of hurting him.”

“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”

“…Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied; For ev’ry sin on Him was laid— Here in the death of Christ I live…”

When you are raised with the idea that God is an angry, white-bearded man who needs a little blood sacrifice to make him happy, it taints everything. An abusive father-figure-like God creates fearful children who act like abused children. Our religion can be suffocating and our relationships toxic. We view ourselves (and even worse, others) as intrinsically evil and corrupt. We fail to see the Divine in ourselves and others, and it shows.

Heaven, Hell, and Salvation For many of us, preaching about heaven, hell, or salvation was a weekly occurrence. Most experienced some “altar call” or as some traditions called it, “an invitation.” This was a time often filled with great emotion and guilt in which the minister would say something like, “If you have not been baptized for the remission of your sins, don’t wait another moment to be saved – tomorrow it may be too late!” Again, closely tied to guilt, shame, and fear, people would be drawn to reflect on their sin and feel the great sense of urgency to make their life right with God. In many traditions, hell seemed to be talked about more than heaven and constant discussions of who was going to be going to hell (everyone but those of us who are believing and doing the right things, of course) drew lines between “us” and “them”. Many were raised feeling like the group that we would see in heaven were just those in our sect, and only the right group within that sect. The practices such as baptism were not just symbols or outward displays of a commitment to the church or to Christ, but rather an almost magical key that unlocked the door to an eternity with God. The moment before you were baptized you were sentenced to eternal conscious Continued on next page

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torment. The classic example of dying in a car wreck while on the way to the church to be baptized was the tragic picture commonly drawn for the sinner who tarried too long to “obey the Gospel”.

This is just another example of why so many Exvangelicals struggle with anxiety and get triggered when they hear things like “salvation” or “hell”. Imagine hearing this when you are 13 years old and being told you are old enough to go to hell. Pretty terrifying stuff.

Evangelism and mission work

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Rising out of the discussion we just had about hell and heaven, Exvangelicals were told it was our duty to get as many people to heaven as possible and that if we truly believed in God and Jesus, then hell must be real and most of the world was headed straight to it if we didn’t snag them from their rapidly-approaching doom.

This task was tied closely to our own salvation as well. There was a sense that if we weren’t feverishly driving our figurative lifeboat around, rescuing the lost souls, this served as negative points on our own salvation. We weren’t truly following the Great Commission that Jesus charged all of the Believers with right before he was beamed up into heaven. “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel…”

And so, we passed out tracts, we knocked on doors, we handed out water bottles at baseball games with Acts 2:38 printed on them. Some even took mission trips to foreign countries for several weeks or even several In many traditions, hell seemed to be talked about years. We forced people to hear the “Gospel Message” more than heaven and constant discussions of who and pray with us as they sat in plastic chairs, a captive audience waiting to receive medical care at our mediwas going to be going to hell (everyone but those of cal mission clinic. We learned how to quickly “bring us who are believing and doing the right things, of someone to Christ” and even baptized some as they were waiting. Never mind many did it out of fear or course) drew lines between “us” and “them”. compulsion or because they thought they might not get that tooth pulled.

We would tally up the number of souls saved each day and email home the stats to make the trip donors feel they were spreading the Gospel through us. Never mind the physical pain or the hunger those people were experiencing. Yes, we were there to help them, but it was only a means to get to the important stuff – saving them from eternal conscious torment. We measured results not just in the number of teeth pulled, but most importantly, how many were led to Christ. It was constantly said to us: “If we provide the very best care and remove that cancerous tumor, yet they still have the cancerous sin taking them to hell, our care is worthless”.

These themes worked for a while. These explanations were black and white. Good and bad. In versus out.

Saved versus lost. It made sense when we were young, and quick and easy answers to our questions built our trust in those giving the answers. They knew their Bibles so well that we could trust them and their message.

But as we grew and asked more and more difficult questions and began to use that “reason” that we were taught to utilize in every sector of our life but our faith, things began to fall apart.

We went away to college or 9-11 happened. Our marriages fell apart, or we lost loved ones despite fervent prayers. We travelled outside of our bubble and saw that maybe there were really good and loving people who saw the world a little different than us. We began to peek out from under the dark and heavy blanket of guilt, fear, and shame that had been held over us for so many years and for the first time feel the burden lifted and the joy of non-judgement. Freedom.

For so many, the only option was to throw away everything. If the way we were brought up didn’t work or even hurt us, then we must throw it all away. We became atheists and agnostics. We left our churches and sought to heal from the wounds inflicted upon us.

But for some of us, we stumbled into an Episcopal church. For many, we were exposed to a new kind of Christianity – a Christianity many of us didn’t even know existed. The “smells and bells” were admittedly a little off-putting. The liturgies seemed a little ancient and out-of-touch. But for those of us who were able to look past the weird stuff, what is it that pulled us to the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement?

Room for questions Questions that we dared not ask previously (or that we got quick and simple answers to) were now welcomed and many times left unanswered. Metaphor was spoken of commonly and we didn’t seem to get caught up in the facts. For example, the questions sounded more like, “What does resurrection look like in our own lives?” rather than, “Did or did not the resurrection actually happen – yes or no?” We were given space to stretch and grow and even encouraged to sit with the hard questions. We were encouraged to unite around shared practice, rather than shared belief. Despite our doubts or differing beliefs, we were able to unite around the Eucharist.

Affirming and egalitarian Coming from worlds where so many lines are drawn, the affirming and egalitarian stances are probably the most refreshing. To see all races, sexual orientations and gender identities represented in leadership was profoundly different from many of our past experiences. Some of the women coming out of Evangelicalism have never been allowed to pray in a worship service, until now. Many who are gay were told they had to check their sexual identity at the door (if it wasn’t heterosexual) and that they must abstain or change if they wanted to avoid the fires of hell. Love, for many of us, truly felt unconditional for the first time in our lives.

Community Evangelicalism is really good at community. In fact, it might be a little too good. Some of us look back at those times with the realization that those communities were a little more cult-like than we realized. But those communities did support us really well – at least to some extent. We were really good at making hospital visits and showering families with casseroles and potlucks.

If you remove all of the strings attached, most of us miss the community we had when we were a part of the in-crowd. They were our support systems and our greatest friends. Our theology required us to be at the church building whenever the doors were open and convinced us that our church family was the most important thing in our lives. When we left that, we suffered the greatest blow in our support systems. We not only lost our spiritual homes, but we lost our support systems – friendships built over a lifetime.

Often those leaving the Evangelical communities received the gut-punch reality that those friendships were only built on the foundation of shared belief and unified mind. As soon as it was discovered that we thought even the slightest bit differently, many had those relationships ended abruptly, leaving us wondering if those friendships were ever really true friendships.

Though some of us are a bit traumatized and get a little leery when we walk back into a church building, many are seeking to fill that void that was so painfully created when we left our previous communities. There is no doubt that we want it to look a little different this time and many of us don’t even really know what a healthy community could look like anymore. But from what we’ve seen so far, the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement seems like a pretty safe place to begin to figure out what a community could be.

This essay was compiled by several people who have found their way to the Episcopal Church through the Noon Service at Christ Church Cathedral. To learn more about the Noon Service, check out https://cincinnaticathedral.com/services/noon-service/

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RESILIENCE: HOW VULNERABILITY LEADS TO STRENGTH

When first diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, health resilience never occurred to me. I felt shock; I had been told by my pulmonologist who had just completed examining me that my life span might include an additional three to five years. The grieving process began as I listened to his presumptive comment about my shortened life expectancy.

I walked toward the office exit door with tears streaming down both cheeks.

The disease followed a predictable progression during the next four years. By mid-April 2010, simply breathing made life increasingly challenging.

During an appointment with a new pulmonologist, he asked if I would be willing to explore the possibility of receiving a lung transplant. It was my single life-saving option.

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By the end of that summer, with a myriad of pre-transplant testing requirements completed, my name was added to the UNOS (United Network of Organ Sharing) transplant waiting list at the Cleveland Clinic. Much to my surprise, in less than two months, I received a phone call confirming a perfect match lung was immediately available.

Feeling excited and terrified and with enthusiastic family and friends cheering me on that night, we raced to Cleveland for the surgery.

Once I received my new lung, the immediate goal was to keep from rejecting the foreign lung as it began to integrate itself with my body. Feeling stunned, both native and foreign lungs naturally began to function in unison. Days before Christmas, I experienced symptoms of minor rejection. Fearing others might overreact, the decision was made to tell no one. So wise!

As months passed into years, I became increasingly resilient and self-protective. Despite having been warned not to garden, within several years I developed Nocardia pneumonia. Bacteria found in garden soil was the precursor of this often-terminal diagnosis for transplant patients. While hospitalized at my transplant center, I recommitted to following the rules, promising myself to never put my hands in garden and plant soil as I remembered to remain treatment compliant.

Shortly after celebrating my five-year transplant anniversary, I was diagnosed with a new lifethreatening illness, stage III-C uterine cancer. The single sign that alerted me all was not well – several droplets of vaginal blood occurred on three separate occasions. Nine months of oncology treatment began with a hysterectomy and continued with chemotherapy, radiation, and ended with two additional chemotherapy visits.

Following a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan the morning before Thanksgiving, my nurse confirmed, “You are a survivor.” My trusted intuition hadn’t offered any thoughts about what the test results would reveal. With surprise, I whispered

under my breath to myself; “Thanks be to God.” As the published author of two health memoirs and additional resilience-focused essays, I became increasingly aware of the blessings of God’s presence and grace in my life.

Suddenly, over night, I stumbled. Something over which I had no control, entered my life. As a result of intermittently coughing up what appeared to be mildly clotted fresh blood, I was again hospitalized.

Comprehensive testing revealed no apparent cause for the sudden appearance and then equally rapid disappearance of fresh blood. Following hospital discharge, I arrived home with a diagnosis of bronchitis. However, I was still coughing up fresh blood.

During the five-day hospitalization, I spoke with a physician who helped me begin to understand the powerful slip that slid like a snake into my intentionally calm and highly protective life. An ancient adage, known to many; “When the student is ready, the teacher appears,” kept popping into my mind.

Was I ready for a more grown-up dose of humility?

Could I trust my life was unfolding as God, Mary, and the Holy Spirit intended? Would I be willing to let go of my plans for the rest of my life and simply invite the Holy Trinity into my 77-year-old life?

Perhaps the most difficult question to answer; “Did I honestly want to feel this vulnerable?”

My decision was immediate … an overwhelming yes! Nothing to lose, I thought. Sadly, I had become complacent about my life. The gift of life so generously offered, despite my efforts, a still unidentified person and his or her family had been at times taken for granted. This gift could have been offered to and accepted by any one of many wait-listed equally or more qualified lung transplant candidates, but I was the recipient. I had lost touch with my initial gratitude and was struggling with a family issue that was over-riding my strong sense of gratitude, hope, and peace. Decades ago, I recalled mentioning to a friend I wanted to be remembered as a woman of grace. I thought to myself, a woman of grace would always remember gratitude.

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Health resilience renewal My life felt stuck, and in an odd way out of balance before my son called, reporting that his former wife, my grandchildren’s mother, had died overnight.

Granddaughter Katie heard her mother fall and subsequently call out in the middle of the night. She quickly went to her mother and called for her brother Alex, who successfully performed CPR on his mother while she (Katie) anxiously called 911. Steph was beginning to breathe again when the emergency van arrived.

Sorrowfully, she succumbed, never to be brought back to life, during the race to the nearby hospital’s Emergency Department.

The children’s father, my son, Andy, lived only a few blocks away from Alex, Katie, and their mother.

Like lightning, this tiny newly created family, with the help of friends and extended family, assisted with arranging Steph’s calling hours and religious service.

With conviction, Katie tearfully shared she wanted to be strong for everyone while Alex remained his calm, seemingly unflappable and focused self. Andy, who works as a global company project manager, used his transferable organizational skills as he began to reconstruct his life as custodial single parent father to an 18-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter.

Despite major changes, without question, the most difficult challenge this grieving family faced was acceptance of Steph’s passing. Those familiar with the stages of grief grasp the unpredictable mood shifts which often occur during the feeling of early grief. One minute the predominant feeling is anger. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, a feeling slide occurs, and denial becomes the lead emotion. The loss of control of mood shifts can be frustrating, unpredictable, and even a bit scary at times.

When someone as important to an adolescent as a parent dies without warning, how do they regain trust in life? Is it possible to somehow see this progression in predictable stages? Are these stages reflective of Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's five stages of grief?

How long before the child or adolescent is able to again feel and express humor? Alex said; “There are no words,” as he described his mother’s shocking death several hours after it happened. When do words begin to reappear to express personal thoughts and feelings?

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When will they be comfortable and relaxed enough to once again calmly see the humor in life? How long will this take? Practical answers were and are needed. I spoke with my Spiritual Director Susan shortly after Steph passed and I will speak with her again. I also called my priest, asking him to provide insight into how divorced families process grief when the custodial parent mother without warning dies.

I would like to invite you to explore nine potential steps of health resilience renewal. When one suffers from a chronic illness and the illness is compounded by life’s interruptions, it is often wise to consider following a series of daily easy-to-manage steps to keep and maintain the focus on health resilience.

1. Begin each day by praying for those who are especially vulnerable. Perhaps you will pray for yourself.

2. Fulfill daily dietary responsibilities.

3. Complete daily and weekly physical exercise commitments.

4. If feeling lost or confused, be willing to stop what you are doing. Ask God, Spirit, a higher power or power external to you to show you the way.

5. Remain open to receiving guidance about how to create your most supportive living environment.

6. If negativity is present in your life, don’t delay in asking for help to remove people, places, and things that no longer fit your life.

7. Allow no space for others’ unsupportive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

8. Open your heart to humbly welcome joy and peace into your precious life.

9. Vow to express gratitude to all whom you wish to thank.

Within several weeks of Steph’s passing, this plan evolved. I felt the tug of wanting to lovingly respond to my grandchildren and their father as well as to pay consistent attention to my lung transplant and to attend to all health-related concerns. As I continue to review this final paragraph, I am reminded some steps naturally feel easier than others as we are all a work in progress. In closing, Thanks be to God, Mary, and the holy spirit for the gift of life.

Diane Tefft Young, a member of St. Mark’s, Columbus, is the author of Humbled by the Gift of Life and Cancer Hope: Discovering Survivor Skills and a contributor to Coping with Cancer Magazine. Both Humbled and Cancer Hope are available at Amazon.com.

Thoughts on Beloved Community I lead Bible studies weekly at The Cottages, Episcopal Retirement Services’ long-term care facility on Erie Avenue next to the Deupree Community. I also lead Bible studies at three ERS affordable living communities: weekly at St. Paul Village in Madisonville, twice a month at St. Pius Place in South Cumminsville, and beginning in July, weekly at Knowlton’s Corner in Northside. I have had as many as eight participants at Knowlton’s Corner, more than 10% of the residents. This leads me to comment on our work toward Beloved Community.

Most of the residents at the affordable living communities are African American, but not so at The Cottages. For about a month, an African American woman who was working as a private duty companion for one of The Cottages residents attended our Bible study with her resident. Because I teach by asking questions, she often responded and followed up with her own questions. Another resident commented twice how much she enjoyed our back and forth. It had turned into team teaching. The resident no longer has private duty companions, so I have lost my team teacher.

This is an example of beloved community. It came into exis-

tence by the grace of God, lasted for a season, and was a blessing for all of us. I also see bonding between African American caregivers and the white residents at The Cottages. They live and work together daily in mutual respect and love. This, too, is beloved community.

My other Bible studies are primarily with African Americans who love to learn more about the Bible and talk about God’s love for them revealed in it. We also pray together.

I see a real hunger for personal prayer in a group setting. It has become a major part of my Bible studies at the affordable living communities. Thus, I am blessed with being part of several beloved communities every week.

If we take the time to think about it, most of us are part of beloved communities many times a week. They may not last long, but they are real, and they are here for us. And they may also be as close to the kingdom of God as we will get in this life.

The Rev. Fred McGavran is a deacon who serves as a chaplain for Episcopal Retirement Services.

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Citizen diplomacy, reconciliation and peace between US and Japan

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The “Atomic Cross” returns to Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki, Japan

The story begins in Nagasaki, Japan, soon after the United States detonated the second of two atomic bombs that destroyed the Urakami Cathedral during morning worship on August 9, 1945. Roughly 80,000 people were killed in Nagasaki. The Cathedral was the largest Christian cathedral in East Asia at that time and was located near ground zero of the bomb.

In early October 1945, less than two months after the bombing, Walter G. Hooke, an American soldier, was stationed in Nagasaki as a member of the Marine Corps occupation. He was a devout Catholic, educated in a Jesuit school. Hooke became the driver for Nagasaki Bishop Paul Aijiro Yamaguchi, and they became friends.

On one occasion as Hooke and Bishop Yamaguchi were combing through the rubble of the cathedral, they discovered a wooden cross, approximately one meter in length. Somehow, the wood cross survived the fire and devastation of the building, one of the few items that survived the bombing. Hooke stated in interviews that Bishop Yamaguchi gave him the cross with the hope that it would help people in the US be more aware of the horrors of the atomic bomb. He spoke of the cross as an “atomic-bombed cross”.

Memory of the cross was all but lost, with the exception of Fukahori Yoshitoshi, who had come across a photo from late August 1945 of the cross lying in the ruins. For over 40 years, Fukahori wondered what had become of it.

}

Hooke sent the cross to his mother in New York in the Spring of 1946. The cross was displayed in their home. The family moved many times, but the cross was always displayed in a place of prominence. Hooke died in 2010 at age of 97.

In 1982, Hooke donated the cross to Peace Resource Center at Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio. The Center is recognized as having one of the largest collections of original materials from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, outside Japan. The cross was displayed at the center for almost 40 years.

Long believed to have been lost in the blast, the cross was “re-discovered” in 2019, when Dr. Tanya Maus, Director of the Peace Resource Center and specialist in modern Japanese history, contacted the Urakami Cathedral to search for a way to return the Cross to the cathedral. In Spring 2019, she was introduced to Dr. Hirokazu Miyazaki, Anthropology professor from Northwestern University. Miyazaki is the “official” Peace Correspondent for Nagasaki.

Maus told Miyasaki about the Urakami “atomic cross” located in the Peace Resource Center at Wilmington College.

Through his ties to the Catholic community and cathedral in Nagasaki, Miyasaki reached out to Nagasaki’s Archbishop Mitsuaki Takami, who did not know the cross existed. This was the beginning of the return of the cross to the cathedral in Nagasaki.

On July 26, 2019, a special blessing of the cross was held at

Wilmington College. Approximately 50 people attended, mainly from the Quaker community at the college. The cross was then carefully packed for its return to Nagasaki.

Maus, along with Wilmington College chaplain Nancy McCormick and a Wilmington student, boarded a flight to Japan hand-carrying the cross on its return to Nagasaki. The cross was officially presented to worshippers in the Urakami Cathedral on August 9, 2019, exactly 74 years to the day when the cathedral had been destroyed in 1945. The news was carried across Japan by national TV. This is a story of citizen diplomacy – how private citizens from both countries cooperated to bring about the return of the cross. It is a story about mystery – how a wooden cross survived an atomic blast and had been “lost” for over 70 years. But mostly, it is a story about reconciliation between the people of Japan and the US. It is a story about hope and peace.

William P. Shaw, PhD, is a member of Trinity, Troy. He is the founder and president of Crosscurrents International Institute, a member of the Board of Trustees of Wilmington College and former chair of the Board of the Dayton International Peace Museum.

From right, Tanya Maus, the director of the Peace Resource Center at Wilmington College; Archbishop of Nagasaki Mitsuaki Takami; and Chitose Fujita, a member of the congregation at Urakami Cathedral, smile with the cross that was returned to the cathedral in the city of Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 2019. (Mainichi/Noriko Tokuno)

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Some of the Westwood community gathered and enjoying live music at Jammin' at the James, a summer concert series at St. James, Westwood.

ABC(D)’S OF BUILDING COMMUNITY

Community development is most effective when you begin by building personal relationships. That seems obvious, right?

Except that all too often it’s not. Most non-profit organizations are created to deal with specific problems – like cancer research, housing for the poor, mentoring for disadvantaged kids, etc. Their focus is targeted, narrow and often more about delivering specific services than they are about building community.

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To say that Asset Based Community Development (or ABCD) is different would be an understatement. Asset-based community development is focused on identifying and bringing together the people, places, organizations and associations that give a community its unique identity. At their core, assetbased community developers believe that everything needed to improve their community is already in the community. They just need to connect it.

Community developers are more like gardeners than they are developers. Like a good gardener, developing a healthy, thriving community requires cultivation, persistence and patience. Just like a good garden plot, in development, you must water, feed and care for the community. Have you watched folks as they marvel over a beautiful garden plot?

They're transfixed by its beauty, mesmerized by the gardener's ability to keep everything alive, thriving and full of color. But those gardens don’t just pop up out of the ground by themselves – they are purposely grown. All gardens begin with a single planting and develop slowly with multiple, successive plantings over time. This is also true in community development.

The process of developing community requires cultivation, persistence and patience. It can be frustratingly difficult and it's time-consuming. If you want to know what makes your community so special, you must engage your neighbors and not just the ones you know and like. You need to discover through conversation what are their hopes and dreams for a better community. What do they see as the places, organizations, institutions, events and people that make your community so strong? In other words, what are the assets within your community that make it what it is? Identifying, connecting and cultivating all those assets is what Asset Based Community Development is all about. It may feel slow and frustrating at times but when it finally clicks, you'll marvel at the results.

In the world of community development, success or failure is never measured on the performance of any one event. Every event, big or small, matters and should be viewed as a success.

Think of it this way – someone who attended that event heard your message, saw your passion and they walked away know-

ing you love their community as much as they do. They now know that you are invested in the community and are there to stay. As an example, I would like to share the story of an event at St. James, Westwood, that we called “Jammin’ at the James”.

For the past several years the congregation of St. James has been working hard at getting outside of the four walls of our church and into the community. We’ve made good progress and connected with neighborhood civic organizations, local schools, churches and several community associations. We’ve co-hosted events in our community hall and on our front lawn.

During the summer of 2019 the congregation decided to step out on our own to further connect with the community. We did this by inviting two of our community partners to join us to organize and host a community concert series, which we named Jammin' at the James.

The goal was simple, invite our neighbors to our front lawn to relax, enjoy some great, live music and get to know one another. We hosted three monthly concerts. Those who attended the concerts were young and old, rich and poor, black and white. All were welcome and felt welcomed. We fed their bodies with free, delicious food prepared by parishioners, and we fed their souls. We gave to them what they seek and need most in life, a peaceful sanctuary where they can spend time relaxing with friends, family and neighbors. All left the final concert with just one question – “Will you do this again next year?”

They saw our passion and our love for our church and the community. We shared our community with them, and on those days, we fulfilled our mission as followers of Christ.

John Eby is a community developer and a member of the vestry at St. James, Westwood.

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ECSF TELLING ITS STORY BY A NEW NAME: EPISCOPAL COMMUNITY MINISTRIES

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I recall my preaching professor describing the front of his son’s t-shirt as we began our homiletics class in seminary: “If you love me, tell me a story.” Indeed, storytelling is at the heart of all we do as followers of Jesus. “Go out and tell . . .”

Jesus said in one way or another. And the church has been trying to do it ever since.

Episcopal Community Services Foundation (ECSF) will soon become Episcopal Community Ministries (ECM). At the end of this year the organizational and administrative services will shift from a stand-alone foundation to a committee supported by the diocesan office of the bishop. It’s a new way to support an on-going story of love and community. It’s a continuing story of our call to reach out to neighbors in need through an intentional and designated fundraising and granting program.

What we’ve known as ECSF will soon become ECM, and we thought answers to some FAQs might be in order during the transition.

Will my contribution go to ECM grants or somewhere else? All funds received by donors earmarked ECM will be used to fund grants for neighborhood ministries through ECM. Under the former foundation, some of the funds raised did go toward operating expenses; we are now happy to say that all contributions to ECM will go directly to the ministries.

How will I make out my check under ECM? Prior to December 31, 2019, checks should be made out to Episcopal Community Services Foundation (or ECSF). As of January 1, 2020, checks should be made payable to Episcopal Community Ministries (or ECM). All funds will be processed through the diocesan Finance Department, as they are now, and will be used for grant funding. Please continue to mail checks to 412 Sycamore St., Cincinnati OH 45202.

Will the grant application process be the same? Yes.

Expect what worked in the past to continue to work in the future.

Who will decide which grant applications are funded?

The new ECM Grants Committee will make these decisions based on the same criteria used by the ECSF board.

Who will help me when I have questions? A support staff person will be assigned to ECM administrative tasks and will be available to help with questions about completing grant applications, opportunities and methods of giving, and other details concerning the ministry of ECM. The Finance Department of the diocese will continue to process and mail the grant checks to the ministry grant recipients.

How has ECSF been funded in the past? Grants have been funded through fund-raising efforts and donor response.

Also, an unrestricted investment account called the Blanchard Fund was established through a major campaign in 1991 and earmarked for ECSF. In the past, salaries and administrative costs have been covered by the Blanchard Fund. Going forward, the Blanchard Fund will continue to be designated for the benefit of ECM and used for administrative costs.

How will grant funds be raised going forward? Fundraising for parish-supported outreach to local agencies and ministries will be addressed through a new “Bishop’s Annual Appeal” beginning in 2020 with funds directed to ECM. Of course, gifts to ECM are welcome at any time of the year!

To make a contribution and find out more about ECSF/ ECM: Go to https://www.ecsfsouthernohio.org The Rev. Canon Lynn Carter-Edmands is Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Southern Ohio and serves as the bishop’s staff liaison to the ECSF/ECM. Connect with her at Lcarter-edmands@diosohio.org

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145TH ANNUAL CONVENTION

REPAIRING THE BREACH Convention a sign of connection

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As I write this, we are fast approaching our diocesan convention. Convention mirrors the Anglican tradition’s basic approach to decision-making. That approach is an amalgam of hierarchy and democracy, which, despite many variations holds true throughout the worldwide Anglican communion.

The catch phrase for this is “episcopally led, synodically governed.” That is to say, led by bishops, governed by synods. (“Synod” is simply the Greek word for walking one path together, and so is a close synonym of our word “convention,” which means a coming together.) If you attend our convention you will see this distinction clearly played out. As your bishop I will lead the meeting, but it will be the whole body of clergy and elected delegates who will vote on resolutions, choose people for various diocesan offices, enable the establishment of the 2020 mission share budget, and, depending on the year, consider any number of matters relating to how Southern Ohio lives out its particular way of fulfilling the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church.

This way of organizing ourselves as a church attracts me for at least two reasons. First, it is deeply democratic while preserving the distinct role of ordained persons who have been set apart to serve the church as preachers, teachers, healers and pioneers. Many lay people bring these gifts to the church as well — indeed, all baptized persons are empowered to exercise one or more of these roles. But deacons, priests and bishops are members of the body who have been singled out to keep the body as a whole on track to follow Jesus. There is a creative tension here built into the ancient constitution of the church. It’s the

clergy’s job to encourage and sometimes to cajole, but in holding the clergy to account, the laity claim their own authority as the people of God. Second, and on a more personal note, the phrase “episcopally led, synodically governed” says something important to me about being a bishop. In the early years of my episcopate I was sometimes asked what surprised me most about this ministry.

My answer was that I had not anticipated how challenging it would be to preach and preside in a different congregation every Sunday. I’m quite used to that now, and every church in this diocese has become familiar territory. But what I finally figured out was that my job was to be an outsider.

I used to bristle inwardly when people would say some version of “welcome to Saint Godfrey’s” as if I were from somewhere else, until I realized that they were right. The whole point was for me to swing in from left field as a literal reminder that the church is never merely local. The particular sort of leadership bishops should provide is to lead from outside, and in so doing to try, however inadequately, to embody the unity that is ours across all our differences as disciples of Jesus Christ.

This is why I look forward to convention, despite all the work and the inevitable anxiety that go into it. To see more than four hundred people from all our congregations together in one room is a tangible sign of connection that is ours.

The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal serves as Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio. Connect with him at tbreidenthal@diosohio.org.

general information The 145th annual convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio will be held at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington on November 15-16, 2019.

Parking There is plenty of free parking at the Roberts Centre.

Check-in To help streamline the check-in process, please verify with your church that registration and/or payment have been made on your behalf before arrival at the Roberts Centre.

For those who have pre-registered and paid, check-in will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 15 and again at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16. Look for the check-in signs in Foyer A of the Roberts Centre. For those who still need to register and/or pay, you may register in person on Friday, Nov. 15 beginning at 9 a.m. and Saturday, Nov. 16 beginning at 8 a.m. Look for the registration/payment area in Foyer A. Food All meals will be served buffet style. Food will only be available for those who pre-registered, no extra meals will be available to those who register in person. Anyone who did not pre-register for a meal can either bring their own food or leave to go to a nearby restaurant.

Beverages Coffee and beverages will be available throughout the day Friday and Saturday.

Seating There is no assigned seating at convention. You may choose to sit together as a delegation or spread out and connect with other delegates.

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Voting Voting will be done electronically with smart devices. Be sure to bring your smart phone or tablet with you to convention. If everyone in your delegation does not have a phone or tablet, please make arrangements to share.

Childcare Limited childcare will be offered for those who cannot make other arrangements.

A signed childcare waiver (available online) is required when checking in.

Saturday Formation Everyone is welcome to participate in the convention Eucharist and the formation activities scheduled on Saturday. If you did not pre-register, please make sure to arrive early enough to register in person on Saturday morning.

Liturgical Swap Meet We’ll be holding our first-ever “Liturgical Swap Meet� during both days of convention. To donate surplus linens, robes, vestments and other small appointments, please fill out the form at dsoconvention.org and bring the items to the designated area in Ballroom B beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 15. Anyone can look for and claim items at the swap meet, even if you do not donate items. There will be several items from closed congregations available that would love a new home! The swap meet will close at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Congregations will be responsible for picking up any donated items that were not taken at that time.

Information All resources needed for convention are available on our convention website, DSOConvention.org, or through the DSOConnection app. No paper copies will be provided. If a member of your delegation does not have access to the Internet, please print the materials out for them in advance.

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The Roberts Centre

Liturgical Swap Meet Buffet lunch Workshops

TO HOTEL

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Draft agenda FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15

7:30 a.m. Exhibitors set up –

Foyer B & C 9:00 a.m. Exhibits opens

145th Convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio Becoming Beloved Community – Repairing the Breach November 15 & 16, 2019 Roberts Centre

12:30 p.m. Lunch

Spouse Lunch - Liberty Room

Deacon Lunch – Ballroom A

1:30 p.m. Bishop calls the convention back into session 9:00 a.m. Check-in & Onsite Registration –

2nd Credential Report Foyer A

Report from the Constitution & Canons committee 10:00 a.m. Nominee Forum

Resolutions introduced by number Voting closes 11:45 a.m. Morning Prayer 2:45 p.m. Ballot results

2nd vote, if needed 12:00 pm Bishop’s Address

Resolutions formally presented

Bishop calls the 145th

for discussion and action

Convention to Order Opening remarks 3:45 p.m. Trustee’s report

Approve Rules of Order

Approving the consent agenda Treasurer’s report Budget resolutions

Online voting opens Courtesy resolutions Resolution deadline

Invitation to 146th convention

First Credential Report

Closing announcements 28

4:30 p.m. Closing prayer Adjourn 4:30 p.m. Gathering reception - Lobby Atrium 5:30 p.m. Exhibits close 6:30 p.m. Banquet - Ballroom B

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16 8:30 a.m. Exhibits open 9:00 a.m. Eucharist - Ballroom A 10:30 a.m. Keynote speaker - Ballroom A 11:30 a.m. Lunch – Ballroom B 12:45 p.m. Workshops Session One

1.Redemption in the Criminal

Justice System

2. Blessed are the Pacemakers…

A Look at Peacemaking

through the Lens of Six Weeks

in Israel/ Palestine

3. It’s a Beautiful Day in the

Neighborhood

4. Belovedness for Beginners 5. Beloved Steps

2:00 p.m. Workshops Session Two

1. Let’s Keep it Real: Lessons

from the Front Lines of

Repairing the Breach

2. Story as a Tool for Repairing the Breach 3. Public Witness

4. Living the Way of Love: building Young Adult Community

in the Church 3:15 p.m. Closing prayer – Ballroom A Adjourn Exhibits close

consent agenda The filing of a consent agenda before a legislative body is a practice of combining routine business and reports that require action into a single agenda item. All the business on a consent agenda is then approved in one action rather than taking the time to file them separately.

The items that appear on this consent agenda are items that are typically discussed individually at every convention and approved by a voice vote. Grouping these items into a consent agenda will save time in our greatly reduced schedule. It is important to note that any clergy or lay delegate may request that an item be moved off the consent agenda and back on to the main agenda.

The consent agenda will ask for approval and/or ratification of the following items: 1.

2.

3.

Rules of Order Convention Agenda Granting Credentials

In addition to those already granted seat and voice by the Constitution of the diocese, the Chair of the Committee on Credentials moves that this 145th Convention admit with seat and voice the following individuals: our youth delegation; the Sisters of the Community of the Transfiguration; all non-canonically resident clergy licensed to officiate; representative clergy from our Presbyterian partners at the Indian Hill Church; and the lay members of diocesan staff.

Article VI, Section I of the Constitution gives seat and voice to several named people, namely Lay Members of the Standing Committee and Diocesan Council, the Lay Deputies to General Convention, the Lay Trustees of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, the Chancellor, the Treasurer of the Diocese and the members of the Executive Board of the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese. These people automatically have seat and voice.

The Chair of the Committee on Credentials therefore moves the aforementioned guests be given seat and voice at this Convention.

4. Appointment of officers of convention Convention secretary: Ms. Ann Sabo

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Recording Secretary: Ms. Sherri Martin Timekeeper: Mr. Clifton Flemister Parliamentarian: The Honorable Rev. Richard Schisler Chief Teller: Ms. Sonja Bronson Committee to Approve the Minutes: President of the Trustees of the Diocese, President of the Standing Committee, and the First Vice-Chair of Diocesan Council.

5. Ratification by Name of those appointments required

by Canon: Treasurer: Robert Kranz Registrar: The Rev. Anne Warrington Wilson Finance Committee: Nadya Richardson, chair; Bill Forbes, Carolyn Wilmesherr, Dot Yeager, Doug Langenfeld, Ernest Thompson, Jeff Baldrige, and John Harris.

Commission on Congregational Life (COCL) chair: The Rev. Kevin Beesley Dispatch of Business chair: Nadya Richardson Procter Center Board 1st Vice-Chair: The Rev. Frank Edmands Provincial Synod Deputies and Alternate Deputies: The Bishop nominates to the Provincial Synod those persons who have been elected deputies to General Convention in this order: the clergyperson receiving the greatest number of votes, and the laypersons receiving the greatest and second-greatest number of votes to serve as deputies to Provincial Synod; the clergyperson receiving the second greatest number of votes and the lay person receiving the third greatest number of votes to serve as alternate deputies to Provincial Synod.

6. Approve annual Committee/Commission reports

The annual committee/commission reports can be found on the convention website, DSOConvention.org, or in the DSOConnect app.

7. Approve minutes of the 144th convention The minutes of the 144th convention were printed in the Journal of Convention. The complete Journal can be found on the home page of the convention website, DSOConvention.org.

Printed copies will be available for review on the day of convention.

resolutions R2019-01: A resolution dissolving the union between St. Luke, Sayler Park (Cincinnati) and the Diocese of Southern Ohio

Resolved, that upon acceptance of this resolution by a vote of two-thirds of each order of the 145th Annual Convention, the union between St. Luke, Sayler Park (Cincinnati), Ohio, and the Convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio shall be dissolved; and be it further

Resolved, that at the same time, the “contract of closure” delivered to the Standing Committee by the Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, Bishop of Southern Ohio on October 25, 2019 shall become effective.

St. Luke's, Sayler Park. Designed in the 1870s by master architect Samuel Hannaford, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

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R2019-02: Call to Respond to the Opioid Epidemic Whereas, Ohio has one of the highest rates of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. and a rising rate of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome or neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), and Whereas, the opioid epidemic affects individuals and families across all boundaries of income, race, age, and gender and is touching members of all congregations in the Diocese of Southern Ohio, and Whereas, family systems and the fabric of community life are being destroyed, and Whereas, the law enforcement, the legal system, jails and healthcare facilities in every community are overwhelmed by a lack of resources to deal with this epidemic; therefore be it Resolved, that the 145th Convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio reaffirm Resolution C037 of the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church to respond to the opioid epidemic with training, pastoral care, advocacy, and liturgy in congregations in the Diocese of Southern Ohio; and be it further Resolved, that congregations be urged to: • Partner with First Responders and others in the medical community to host trainings on how to administer naloxone in the event of an overdose; • Partner with other faith communities, recovery programs, drug courts and programs that support loved ones in their local contexts to offer pastoral care to those affected by this epidemic; • Partner with other faith leaders to advocate with local and state government regarding policies and laws to promote healing and wholeness for those affected by this epidemic; and be it further Resolved, that the churches in the Diocese of Southern Ohio recognize that issues of substance use disorders, access to diagnosis and effective treatment, and lack of appropriate treatment for untreated or undertreated pain affect all communities, but especially those marginalized in poverty, racial, gender, and ethnic discrimination, persons with disabilities, and other minority communities; and be it further Resolved, that congregations be urged to include in the Prayers of the People intercessions for patients, families, and communities affected by substance use disorders and by untreated and undertreated pain and chronic diseases.

Submitted by: The Rev. Canon Sallie Schisler, Christ Church, Ironton Co-Sponsors: The congregations of: All Saints, Portsmouth Christ Church, Ironton St. Peter's, Gallipolis Grace Church, Pomeroy And

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The Rev. Suzanne LeVesconte The Very Rev. Gail Greenwell The Rev. Dick Burnett Michael Struble The Rev. Dr. Connie McCarroll The Rev. Colenthia Hunter The Rev. Mary Carson

The Rev. Heather Wiseman The Rev. Karen Sherrill The Rev. George Sherrill The Rev. Canon Jason Leo The Rev. Canon Lee Anne Reat The Rev. Meribah Mansfield

R2019-03: Recommitting to Support of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals Whereas, in response to General Convention Resolution 2015-A021 the 141st Convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio passed resolution R15-01, directing the diocese to continue support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a minimum of 0.7% of the diocesan budget to fund SDG mission grants for the calendar years 2017, 2018, and 2019; and Whereas during those years the diocese has supported SDG grants to congregations and organizations to partners with missions throughout the world; and Whereas the SDGs are having a significant impact on eradicating disease and poverty worldwide; therefore, be it Resolved, that in consideration of Resolution B026 of the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, the 145th Convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio direct the diocese to continue to support the SDGs at a minimum of 0.7% of the diocesan budget for the next triennium, calendar years 2020, 2021, and 2022; and be it further Resolved, that SDG mission grants be used to fund world mission programs which address the SDGs and build long-term relationships among partners, with emphasis on leadership development and sustainability.

Explanation: The following organizations have received SDG grants from the Diocese of Southern Ohio since 2017: • El Hogar Ministries • Bread for Life • Partners-in-Ministry-in-Liberia (PIMIL) • Global Needs Fund • Episcopal Relief and Development • Global Episcopal Mission Network For additional information on SDG grants visit www.diosohio.org/finance/grants-loans. For more on the SDGs and the global impact they are having: www.sustainabledevelopment.UN.org/sdgs.

Budget Impact: This resolution continues the allocation of 0.7% of the diocesan budget to the support of World Mission through application of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (formerly the Millennium Development Goals 2000-2015) to “build long-term relationships among partners, with emphasis on leadership development and sustainability.”

Submitted by: The Rev. David Kendall-Sperry, St. Peter’s, Delaware Co-Sponsors The Rev. Craig Foster, St. John’s, Columbus The Rev. Richard A. Burnett, Trinity, Columbus The Rev. Abeoseh Flemister, Retired The Rev. Joseph Kovitch, St. Matthew’s, Westerville The Rev. Bruce Smith, Retired The Rev. Irene Radcliff, Retired Rich Rastetter, St. John’s, Worthington Ariel Miller, Ascension & Holy Trinity, Wyoming

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R2019-04: Repair America’s Safety Net Resolved, that the 145th convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio reaffirms the legislation on "Repairing America's Social Safety Net" (see in explanation, below) and calls upon communicants, congregations, diocesan committees and commissions and other ecclesiastical leaders to engage in collaborative, ecumenical, and life-transforming ministries for and with our poorest neighbors.

Explanation: In 2018, the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church meeting in Austin, Texas, passed the following call to action (C041): Repair America's Safety Net Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, that the 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church direct The Office of Government Relations to advocate unflaggingly for the federal government of the United States to close gaps in the safety net which cause millions of Americans to suffer eviction, homelessness, inability to access health care, medical debt, and hunger; and be it further Resolved, that Episcopalians, Dioceses and The Episcopal Church advocate at the federal, state, and local level for adequate nutrition, healthcare, and housing as human rights which should be provided to all residents of this country, and for which eligibility is determined only by the applicants’ current financial need, and all eligible people receive the aid for which they qualify; and be it further Resolved, That Episcopalians, dioceses, and The Episcopal Church oppose federal cuts in tax credits that benefit low-income families including the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Child Care Credit, and advocate for similar tax credits at the state level; and be it further Resolved, That Episcopalians, dioceses, and The Episcopal Church oppose health care proposals 1) to limit public benefit funding to block grants, or 2) to cut off new enrollment of income-eligible people at a future date irrespective of their needs, or 3) to stipulate that people who lose eligibility when their income rises cannot re-enroll if their income falls again in the future due to loss of income, and be it further Resolved, That Episcopalians and dioceses in the 19 states that did not accept the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansion advocate with their state legislators and governors to accept this benefit and federal funding for their constituents; and be it further Resolved, That Episcopalians, dioceses and The Episcopal Church call on Congress to make the cost-sharing provisions of the Affordable Care Act an entitlement; and be it further Resolved, That Episcopalians, dioceses and The Episcopal Church call on Congress to cap the mortgage interest deduction for wealthy taxpayers and direct the increased revenue to low-income housing assistance programs; and be it further Resolved, That the General Convention request the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance to consider a budget allocation of $83,750 for 1/4 FTE staff person at the Office of Government Relations to track federal and state legislative proposals on public benefit funding and eligibility, and to provide timely action alerts to dioceses, and Episcopal Public Policy Network; and be it further Resolved, That the Episcopal Dioceses and congregations provide networking relationship for housing and employment to refer homeless people to assist in getting employment and housing.

Budget impact: None Submitted by:

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The Rev. Richard Burnett, Trinity, Columbus The Very Rev. Gail Greenwell, Christ Church Cathedral

R2019-05: A Resolution to Amend R2017-05 Whereas, the Diocese of Southern Ohio now meets in a one-day convention every other year, and when, in the odd numbered years convention meets for two days, in no case shall it begin before 12 p.m. on the first day; and Whereas Diocesan Convention encourages delegates to bring their own meals or arranges the venues where meals are readily available at a reasonable price; and Whereas the specifications of Resolution 2017-05 impose restrictions requiring all diocesan conventions, whether one or two days in length, to be held in parish churches or other venues which do not require meal or rental fees; and Whereas the size of most of our parish churches will not accommodate the total number of participants to diocesan convention; therefore, be it Resolved, that Resolution 2017-05 be amended to allow for the best efforts to find a venue that does not require meal or rental fees and, if no such venue is available within the other parameters of diocesan canons pertaining to diocesan convention, a venue be chosen where meal or rental fees are minimized.

Explanation: The 143rd annual convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio voted to adopt a resolution to change the format of the annual convention.

2017-05: A resolution to change annual convention Resolved, that the Diocese of Southern Ohio will meet in a one-day convention every other year beginning in 2018. In odd numbered years the convention may meet for two days, but in no case, shall it begin before 12 p.m. on the first day; and be it further Resolved, that all Diocesan Conventions be held in parish churches or other venues which do not require meal or rental fees; and be it further Resolved, that Diocesan Convention encourage delegates to bring their own meals or arrange the venues where meals are readily available at a reasonable price.

Submitted by: Diocesan Council

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nominations

Ballot 1

Budget Committee, lay (elect one to 3-year term) Ballots cast Needed to elect Kathy Mank, Christ Church Cathedral Diocesan Council, clergy (elect one to 3-year term; elect one to 2-year unexpired term) Ballots cast Needed to elect

The Rev. Mitchell Bojarski, Redeemer, Cincinnati The Rev. William Sangrey,

St. George's, Dayton Diocesan Council, lay (elect four to 3-year terms) Ballots cast Needed to elect Patrick Hreachmack,

St. Mark's, Columbus Elizabeth Barker,

St. Patrick's, Dublin Chad Williams,

St. James, Zanesville OPEN

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Ballot 2

Ballot 3

Ballot 1

Ballot 2

Ballot 3

Disciplinary Board, clergy (elect one to 3-year term) Ballots cast Needed to elect

OPEN

Standing Committee, clergy (elect one to 3-year term; elect one to 1-year, unexpired term) Ballots cast Needed to elect The Rev. Ellen Cook, St. Timothy's, Cincinnati

The Rev. Canon Scott Gunn, Forward Movement

Standing Committee, lay (elect one to 3-year term) Ballots cast Needed to elect James Allsop,

St. Simon of Cyrene, Lincoln Heights

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Ballot Trustee of the Diocese, clergy or lay (elect one to 5-year term) Ballots cast Needed to elect

Mike Krug,

Redeemer, Cincinnati Trustee of the Church Foundation, clergy or lay (elect one to 5-year term) Ballots cast Needed to elect

David McKenney, Calvary, Cincinnati Procter Board of Directors, clergy or lay (elect one to 3-year term) Ballots cast Needed to elect Elizabeth Barker,

St. Patrick's, Dublin Rob Konkol,

All Saints, Cincinnati

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Ballot 2

Ballot 3

Ballot

Ballot 2

Ballot 3

Deputy to General Convention, clergy (elect four + four alternates) Ballots cast Needed to elect

The Rev. Kevin Beesley,

St. Andrew's, Pickerington

The Rev. Canon Lynn Carter-Edmands, Bishop's staff

The Rev. Canon Scott Gunn, Forward Movement The Rev. Jason Prati,

All Saints New Albany The Rev. Phyllis Spiegel,

St. Anne's, West Chester

OPEN

OPEN

OPEN

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Ballot Deputy to General Convention, lay (elect four + four alternates) Ballots cast Needed to elect

Elizabeth Barker, St. Patrick's, Dublin

Miriam McKenney, Calvary, Cincinnati

Andrew Nelson, St. John's, Worthington

Harold Patrick, St. Matthew's, Westerville

Melissa Shirley,

St. Paul's, Dayton

Deborah Stokes-Wayne, St. Philip's, Columbus

Meghan Western, St. James, Columbus

Spencer Pugh,

St. Anne's, West Chester

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Ballot 2

Ballot 3

2020 budget The 2020 budget was developed again this year with a focus on Becoming Beloved community. The Budget Committee continued to focus the budget application on these principals. The budget also aligns itself with the Vision statement adopted by Diocesan Council.

VISION STATEMENT: A church turned inside out, to love and serve Jesus Christ in our communities in relevant ways, both new and traditional.

This vision statement is to guide our diocese in discerning its mission priorities and direction; the budget also reflects and aligns with this vision The budget committee felt it was important to • Align with diocesan goals • Align with General Convention / Episcopal Church goals • Align with issues in the wider church and world • Additionally, budget applicants were asked to consider the three Jesus Movement priorities adopted by General Convention.

The priorities are; Evangelism, Reconciliation, and Creation Care.

The Episcopal Church continues to support the Sustainable Development Goals as a guide to our mission and ministry in the world. This budget includes programs and ministries that address these global concerns. (See the list of the Sustainable Development Goals on page 33.)

In aligning the budget to the diocesan vision statement, General Convention goals and initiatives of the church and wider community this budget expresses the mission and ministries of the Diocese of Southern Ohio.

There are big changes in the 2020 budget.

DIOCESAN RESOURCES Mission Share Mission share continues to fluctuate. The 2020 estimate reports lower income to the operating budget than in 2019. Mission share is projected to be $2,605,795 which is $76,321 lower than 2019. Preliminary estimates project mission share to decrease into the future.

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Over a seven-year period mission share has fluctuated greatly.

Other operating income The 2020 budget includes resources from investment income (4.3% draw rate), interest income, and rental income. It also includes grant resources like the UTO and Roanridge grants that fund Becoming Beloved Community. Similar to grants, income related to our intentional community, Brendan’s Crossing, is restricted for use by Brendan’s Crossing. Additionally, the Cathedral provides offsetting revenue to pay its portion of shared staff between the Bishop’s office and the Cathedral.

DIOCESAN MISSION Commission on Congregational Life COCL has done significant work in transforming its mission and support of congregations. The committee experienced a decrease in financial need in 2019 as compared to previous years. The 2020 budget has been reduced to reflect this reduced need.

Additionally, COCL plans to use some of its 2019 budget to fund 2020 grants. These grant advances in part will make up for the planned 2020 reductions

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Resolution on Funding for Church Planting The 144th convention passed resolution R2018-2 to set aside 2% of the mission share allocation for church new starts. The 2020 includes this set aside. COCL will be responsible for overseeing these funds Communications and Connections In light of the requests from congregations for more support from our communications team the Communication budget was reduced. The printing of Connections was reduced from six printed editions a year to two printed editions a year. Not only is this a considerable cost saving, but it will also free up the communications team to be more available to congregations and focus on other projects.

La Iglesias Episcopal del Espíritu Santo – (IEES) The 2019 budget includes funding for this new ministry. Started in 2018, the La Iglesias Episcopal del Espiritu Santo is the investigation and development of a Latino church plant in the northwest Cincinnati (Forest Park, Ohio). This initiative has received a grant from the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society for $100,000. The 2019 budget includes funding from both the mission share budget and the Wm. Cooper Procter fund for this new ministry start.

Collaboration with Cathedral The budget includes expenses and offsetting income relating to collaboration with the Cathedral. These efforts, underscoring that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, are initially focused on three key components: • Enhancing Creativity and Individual Impact • Strengthening Community • Leveraging Our Leadership Roles Putting this understanding into practice is the impetus behind the collaboration efforts now being undertaken. The efforts of the staff of each organization will be more effectively executed with collaboration. For example, the additional resources that each organization can bring to the other, whether tangible or intangible, will enhance communication initiatives, human resources practices and facility management procedures. Sharing resources as it relates to operations will also improve our individual capacities to demonstrate best practices that can be replicated for the benefit of other churches.

New staffing related to the collaboration include a shared administrative assistant and shared facility director.

Summary of Major Program Reductions The 2020 budget experienced significant challenges in order to balance the budget. Many ministries, mission, programs and services were reduced from their previous year funding levels.

Additionally, reductions to administration expenses were reduced. Some areas were reduced based on actual historical spending.

Other areas will make operational changes in order to achieve cost savings. All staff travel was cut from the budget. Staff may apply for a professional development grant through the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund.

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Becoming Beloved Community The 2020 budget includes funding for the Becoming Beloved Community. In its second year the ministry has expanded and completed many projects. The task force has successfully attained two additional grants to support the ministry initiatives. Programs continue in 2020 largely due to this grant funding.

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Budget Reserves and Set asides Funds continued in 2020 to be set aside for the General Convention. Formally added to the 2020 is an allocation for the Bishop Search set aside. The Budget Committee was presented with information from around the church putting the cost of a Bishop search between $150,000 and $200,000.

Administration Every budget includes the cost of operations. For the diocesan budget this area includes staff, building maintenance, repair, and operations. Insurance, utilities, supplies, software, and professional development are included in this area. Communications, information technology, and finance are major back office functions of the diocesan operating budget. The budget includes increases

for health benefits and a 1.3% cost of living adjustment.

Staffing Retirements, resignations and program changes impact staffing. For the Bishop’s office this occurs annually. Significant changes have been made in staff assignments. These changes often occur during the fiscal year. This staff report represents staffing at the beginning of each budget year (what is planned in the budget). The budget reports full compensation costs. The budget also reports offsetting income for positions shared with the Cathedral.

National Church Pledge General Convention sets forward an annual request for funding from dioceses. Southern Ohio consistently provides funding to DFMS at the budget amount required at General Convention. The 2020 budget includes the full ask from the church at $431,486.

The budget committee completed its work to Diocesan Council by making two recommendations. • Recommend that Diocesan Council reconvene a special mission share task force to review the mission share formula. The most recent mission share resolution called for a midterm review of the formula. The Budget Committee asked that the committee be reconvened early in light of calculation issues they noticed with respect to the factors of income and expenses used in the formula and as it related to the number of parishes included in the calculation of the formula as the number of churches decline in the diocese. • Recommend that the finance committee be asked to review parochial reports annually and report if discrepancies are encountered and empower the finance committee to make adjustments to the parochial reports once audited.

The Convention or Mission Share budget totals $3,158,045 for fiscal year 2020. The total consolidated budget, which includes the WCProcter fund, totals $6,029,121. The full budget was adopted by diocesan council and the mission share budget is presented to convention for approval.

The budget committee worked tirelessly over the summer to review budgets and met with budget administrators. Difficult discussions and difficult decisions were made relative to declining income and the need to reduce mission and program items.

Harold Patrick Chair, Budget Committee Diocesan Council

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2020 Mission Share Rate

46

2019

47

2019

48

2019

49

2019

50

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LITURGICAL

SWAP MEET

Do you have gently used vestments and altar linens collecting dust in the closet? Do you need new purple altar linens and just don’t have money in the budget? Could your church use another chalice?

Good news – we will be hosting our first-ever “liturgical swap meet” at the 145th annual convention! Bring your surplus linens, robes, vestments and other small appointments to the designated area in Ballroom B, where they just may find a new home.

Please note: No furniture or other large items will be accepted due to space limitations. Churches will be responsible for picking up any of their items not claimed.

It’s that easy! If you have any further questions, contact Julie Murray in the communications office at jmurray@diosohio.org.

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To participate Do you have items to donate?

YES

Fill out the form at dsoconvention.org so that we can compile a list of available items. This will help with congregations looking for specific needs.

Bring your items to the designated area in Ballroom B beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, November 15

Pick up your remaining items when the swap meet is over on Saturday, November 16.

NO

Do you need items?

YES

NO

Stop in at the swap meet in Ballroom B and look for and claim any items your church needs!

Everyone can shop, even if they didn’t donate any items.

We will have several items available from closed congregations as well

If you don’t need anything, come and look anyway!

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Connect

have fun!

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THE DOTS A fun, new initiative to better connect Episcopalians in Southern Ohio

Connect

have fun!

54

THE DOTS A fun, new initiative to better connect Episcopalians in Southern Ohio

Playing connect the dots is something we all did as kids. It was fun, relaxing and a great way to keep a kid busy. As adults, we often forget the instructional purpose of the game – how dozens of pieces can come together to form a single picture.

Let’s go back to that fun activity of our childhood and connect the dots to form a single picture of our diocesan community! For the next six months, we want to “Connect the Dots” of what it looks like to experience life with others in authentic relationships and true community.

And, we’ve set up a little healthy competition to entice you to participate!

Beginning November 17 (the day after convention) until May 30, 2020, we’re asking you to step out of the comfort of your own congregation and go and visit other churches in the diocese. We’ll help track your visits and the stories you learn along the way. Each visit will earn your congregation an entry into a drawing. The more you visit, the more entries your church earns!

Then, during the first week in June, Bishop Breidenthal will draw the winning entry. That congregation will receive $1,000 to use toward an outreach project in their church. But that’s not all – they will also be able to nominate one of the churches they visited to also receive $1,000 toward their outreach ministries!

“I love the notion of connecting dots, because it presupposes that the dots already exist." said Bishop Breidenthal. "We don’t have to create the connections that exist among us. Our job is simply to identify them and act on them.”

The rules of the competition are simple: • Have fun!

• Visit a church, outreach program or mission within the diocese.

• Send us a (virtual) postcard from your trip! Complete our online form, or post on the diocesan Facebook page with the hashtag #DSOconnectthedots or email cdelange@diosohio.org with a short story about your visit, what you learned, what you loved and anything you would like to share. And of course, include a picture or two!

• Each visit earns your congregation one entry.

• Dates are November 17, 2019 to May 30, 2020.

• Bishop Breidenthal will draw the winning church in the first week of June. That congregation will receive $1,000 to use towards an outreach program in their church and can nominate one of the churches they visited to receive $1,000 toward their outreach programs.

To kick off Connect the Dots, convention delegates and visitors will receive some materials to help you get going on your way. But this competition is not just for convention goers – everyone can participate! If you have questions or need additional materials, please contact Carine de Lange at cdelange@diosohio.org.

Share your loves, passions and experience with the churches you visit and with those who visit you. Learn about the outreach programs, youth ministries, welcome ministries and service ministries that can be found throughout the diocese to see if any would be a good addition to your programming. Likewise, if someone visits and wants to start a similar ministry in their church, offer to help them get it off the ground. Each new program is a dot that helps reveal the picture of God’s work in your area. By working together in our own diocese, we add more dimension to the picture – and opportunities to reach more people – which fits in with the Way of Love and becoming a beloved community.

win prizes!

Your virtual postcards of your travels will be shared at DSOconnectthedots.org.

As the days and weeks pass, watch and see the amazing picture God creates when we just connect the dots!

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CONNECTIONS

The official publication of the Diocese of Southern Ohio www.diosohio.org

The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, Publisher David Dreisbach, Art director Julie Murray, Editor Amy Svihlik, Designer Dave Caudill, Copy editor

Submissions: Connections encourages the submission of articles and pictures. We reserve the right to edit material offered for publication. All submissions must include name, phone and email address for verification.

Send submissions to communication@diosohio.org.

Connections (USPS 020933) is published bi-monthly by the Diocese of Southern Ohio, 412 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, OH 45202-4179. Periodical postage paid at Cincinnati, OH. This publication is sent to all members of Episcopal congregations in the Diocese of Southern Ohio and is funded by mission share payments to the diocesan operating budget. Other subscriptions are $10 annually.

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POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to Connections, 412 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, OH 45202-4179.

We are a people of connection. We kneel around the same table regardless of color, creed, gender, race or sexual orientation.

Connections

is a publication of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, designed to enhance these connections and help foster new ones – because we are continually looking for ways to widen our circle.

dsoConnections.org