Advent 2013

Last year at convention, Bish-op Wayne got the ball rolling by imagining how an annual gathering that was not all business might look.

In early summer, he appointed members to a task force charged with dreaming big: Lynette Ballard, just completing a term as member of the General Convention Depu-tation from Missouri and member of Grace Church/St. Matthew’s Kirkwood/Warson Woods; Simone Camp, Diocesan Council member and St. Alban’s Church parishio-ner; Pamela Dolan, Rector of Good Shepherd Church; Mike Kinman, Dean of the Cathedral; and Carolyn Spore from Rockwell House, cam-pus ministry at Wash U. Make no mistake, this was a huge task.

The team oversaw working groups for worship, Sabbath, and helped ease in times of “not-busi-ness” into the packed schedule.

Evaluations, and the buzz dur-ing convention and in following days indicate that opening with Commu-nion was a highlight. Music struck just the right feel between tradition-al and contemporary styles. Many thanks to musicians Mike Clark and Ben Schabelski (cathedral), Leslie Scoopmire (Holy Communion), Jon Hall (Rector of St. Martin’s), and Marshall Crossnoe (Vicar of St.

Alban’s and St. Mark’s Portland), all under the leadership of Eliza Lynn. Heard frequently that day, “you mean you just started playing to-gether as a group this week?”

On every table was a basket made by Mothers Union members in the Diocese of Lui, into which bread was brought. Convention at-tendees each brought their offerings forward individually, and one from each table brought forward the gift of bread.

The Sabbath planning team of Dolan, Emily Hillquist Davis (Vicar St. Thomas Deaf Church), Dan Handschy (Rector of Ad-vent Church) and Lesley McIntire (Good Shepherd) were able to cre-ate an oasis in a modern day hotel setting. “Holy yoga” was offered between the business sessions, and an entire ballroom was set up with Sabbath seekers in mind: Lura Koch played Tibetan singing bowls, the cathedral brought a labyrinth to walk, there were prayers-to-go, and Th

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A new kind of conventionTask Force imagining offers convention joyous opening Eucharist, space for Sabbath, small group discussions

HospitalityBishop Wayne Smith’s message to the Diocese

continued on page 6

continued on page 4

We are gathered around ta-bles, and gathered at a table, in the presence of an icon showing the Holy and Undivided Trinity at a table. Perhaps the most famous Or-thodox icon in the world, Rublev’s Trinity re-tells the story from the Genesis reading, Abraham and Sar-ah showing hospital-ity to three strangers. Christian imagination has it that they are showing hospitality to God, in the three per-sons—or as the case is in the icon, God is showing hospitality to us. The three persons, ethereal, other-world-ly, belong together; in fact they are bound together through their body language and gestures. The open-ing at the table is toward us, the viewers, welcoming us into God’s own feast and God’s own life. Our understanding is that at the heart of God’s life lies an openness to the Other, openness to the Stranger.

Hospitality, the offering of welcome, is deeply embedded in

the culture of our own Church, and it may provide a useful word to use alongside evangelism and, yes, sometimes even to replace it. Of-ten hospitality requires lavish and impractical offerings from us. The ointment poured by the woman in the gospel would cost $41,140 in

our currency, a sum courtesy of the Cen-sus Bureau and some simple arithmetic. Jesus accepted her hospitality and de-fended her against those going berserk over her so-called wastefulness. Time and again, Jesus ac-

cepts hospitality, and often from the wrong people. What in the world is he doing in the home of Simon the Leper that night? The paradigmatic wrong kind of person was a leper.

Around these tables, gathered at a table, in the presence of an icon showing the Holy and Undivided Trinity at table, we are going to pay attention to our manners of hospi-tality, the giving of it and the receiv-

Time and again, Jesus accepts hospitality, and often from the wrong people...

continued on page 6

On Saturday morning, I took all three kids (ages 1, 5, and 8) to the Diocese of Missouri Annual Convention. It was my first trip to a diocesan convention in 35 years as an Episcopalian. In the past, I had not paid much attention convention news because I am not interested in amendments, resolutions and what-ever else I guessed went on there. This year, I heard (through Face-book, of course) that there would be Tibetan singing bowls, and freshly roasted coffee, and conven-tion bingo, so I decided to check it out. I also was assured it was ok to attend even though I had neglected to register.

The kids had a great time visit-ing the vendors, which was basically trick-or-treating for the kids since they all had candy to share. Then

Sabbath at ConventionDiocesan member Laura Leist Catalano blogs her family’sfirst visit to a diocesan convention

we went on to the Sabbath room, where I tweeted about our activities with the #Di-oMo hashtag.

W a l k -ing the laby-rinth. My 8 yr old son re-ally enjoyed walking the labyrinth and followed it closely. My 5 yr old son ran the pathway, and my 1 yr old daughter wandered all over.

Coloring Prayers. My 5 yr old son enjoyed drawing with a va-riety of markers, pens and paper.

Photos: the Rublev icon; Dean Mike Kinman’s panorama of convention Eucharist; the Dea-cons of the Diocese with Bishop Wayne, courtesy Deacon Harry Leip; two images from Laura Catalano’s blog about Sabbath time at convention; convention Eucharist receiving the gifts, and the baskets from Diocese of Lui, South Sudan (photo from Evelyn Smith) on each table.

2 Seek Advent 2013 The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri Making Disciples • Building Congregations • For the Life of the World

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PIECE outreachHoly Communion Church in

University City is the recipient for the PIECE outreach project, an approach to serving the homeless and dispossessed through worship, resource sharing, and community education.

PIECE is a response to the great divide between sheltered and unsheltered neighbors; whether they are in St. Louis city or coun-ty. Their goal is to bring these two populations together to develop re-lationships and understanding and share resources.

One way PIECE imagines this work is through a Talent and Teach

Show, a way to share with the down-town sheltered community a new way of considering the unsheltered community. In July, they worked with the Bridge Drop-In Shelter on and in-house show, put on by shel-ter clients. Our homeless neighbors have voices, skills, and a story to tell.

Another facet of the project is to have an outreach coordinator, a liaison who can help clergy and churches meet the needs of those who contact them with specifics about job placement, housing, and food information for the area. The coordinator would spend time at both locations, downtown (Christ

Church Cathedral) and mid-county (Holy Communion).

The goal is a PIECE com-munity worship service and their vision for this is an outgrowth of friendships made with the homeless community. PIECE has worked to develop a worship service that is “in-clusive, celebratory, and dialogical.”

PIECE is using this service model both with the homeless com-munity in downtown St. Louis and in monthly Saturday services at Holy Communion. So far both com-munities are receptive. Now comes the job of finding a safe space for the communities to worship together.

When the first call from the St. Louis Public School’s Faith Partnership program, St. John’s rector Teresa Danieley wondered if this was really something the parish was interested in.

Little did she know the fire-works about to begin, the battle to keep Horace Mann Elementary School in the city of St. Louis from closing, and the part that her parish played in keeping the school open.

The St. Louis Public Schools have encouraged partnerships be-tween city schools and faith com-munities, to strengthen the schools and to tap into the resources that faith communities bring. In May

2013, Mann had 247 students, 96% of whom receive free or reduced cost lunch (an indicator of poverty), with 35% listed as having limited English proficiency.

When Pastor Danieley was first approached, she had just two criteria. First, that the school’s prin-cipal, teachers, students, and parents wanted a faith partner. Second, that it was a school in St. John’s Tower Grove neighborhood.

Leaders and members of St. John’s discussed this and decided rather than just supplying volun-teers, they wanted their partner-ship to focus on collaborating spe-cific events in which people from

St. John’s and Man can interact and have fun together. Ideas include collecting clothing donations, pro-viding snacks and crafts for Mann School’s Festival of Friendship in February; hosting one of the school’s open houses; offering a fall harvest party at St. John’s; participating in the school’s Trunk and Treat, and November tea party; working with the school social workers, in addi-tion to fundraising for the school and volunteering.

Also in the proposal, piloting a “safe space” program with volun-teers from St. John’s and Kirkwood Baptist staffing the school gym for sports, crafts, and activities when school is not in session.

Partnership with Mann Elementary School

New Ventures in Community MinistryStart-up grants awarded to two congregations daring great things

Cathedral Chapter: Mr. Rudy Walz, Emmanuel Church, Webster Groves; The Rev. Dr. Emily Hillquist Davis, Vicar of St. Thomas Deaf Episcopal Church, Kirkwood, and Assisting Priest at St. Martin’s Church, Ellisville

Diocesan Council: Ms. Margaret Rowe, Emmanuel Church, Webster Groves; Ms. Sylvia Thomas, Ascension Church, Northwoods

Disciplinary Board: Ms. Adrienne Fly, Trinity Church, Central West End; The Rev. Dr. Marshall Crossnoe, Vicar of St. Alban’s Church, Fulton and St. Mark’s Church, Portland; The Rev. Catherine (Kitty) Hillquist, Rector of St. Paul’s

Newly elected by conventionto Cathedral Chapter, Diocesan Council, Disciplinary Board , General Convention Deputation, and Standing Committee

Our question to you is this: What do you think the Oasis Mis-souri needs to be doing now? What are your and your congregation’s hopes and concerns about full inclu-sion of LGBT Christians not just in your parish, but in the world?

What if our work begins to shift toward reclaiming the Jesus who speaks-up in public about draw-ing-in the stranger, the outcast, and those on the margins, to the center of the table? Holding up a moral imperative that states without apol-ogy: We are a church that welcomes all—no exceptions! We follow Je-sus’ example of including – not ex-cluding – those cast aside by others.

What if we were to begin to challenge our Christian LGBT brothers and sisters, and those who love them, to return to church? What if we demonstrated to them

Open letter to parish leadership from Oasisnot only in words but in actions that many of the reasons why they left church no longer exist?

Or maybe you, or someone in your parish, are interested in initia-tives like working with Missouri’s PROMO, an LGBT advocacy and action agency, to create a group called “Episcopalians for Marriage” or “Episcopalians for Equality”—small groups working with a clear, single focus. The Episcopal Church was in the paper recently due to the discrimination regarding benefits to a parishioner whose partner was killed in the line of duty. Maybe that is an opportunity for us to get in-volved collectively. Or maybe some place else. Where do you see a need in the community that the Oasis Missouri Ministries can help you address? What do you need?

We need your voices, your

New Ventures grants were estab-lished through the generosity of Missouri Episcopalians by contri-butions to the Diocesan Outreach Endowment Fund during the Mak-ing All Things New capital campaign established by the ninth Bishop of Missouri Hays Rockwell.

These grants are meant as start-up funds to develop new projects that are “do-able, manageable, replicable, and sustainable by congregations.”

Grant awards range from $2,500 to $15,000.

The mission of the diocesan out-reach endowment fund is to inspire congregations to dare great things for God by developing new minis-tries in response to changing social needs throughout the diocese.

The timeline for the annual grants begins with their announcement by the grant subcommittee of Dioce-san Council in spring, with abstracts due by early June. Those continuing to the second round are notified in late July and have until early Sep-tember to submit a full application. In October the grant committee re-ceives advice and the consent of the Bishop and Diocesan Council, and recipients are notified publicly at diocesan convention in Novem-ber. The award begins early January the calendar year after the Novem-ber announcement.

wisdom, and your experience. Please join us to help re-imagine the LGBT Ministries in this Dio-cese. We will gather on Saturday, the 25th of January at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in St. Louis Hills at 10:00 am for coffee and facilitated conversation. Please invite others in your parish, and RSVP to the Rev. Mark Kozielec via email at mark@saintmarks-stl.org to give us an idea of how many will attend.

Thank you.The Rev. Mark Kozielec, The Rev. Jason Samuel, Ms. Heidi Clarkon behalf of the Oasis Missouri

The full letter, including the history of Oasis in the Diocese as well as their re-cent activities, can be found online.

diocesemo.org/oasis

Church, Ironton, and Priest-in-charge of All Saints’ Church, Farmington

General Convention Deputation: Ms. Kathryn (Kathy) Dyer, St. Timothy’s Church, Creve Coeur, L1; Ms. Lisa Fox, Grace Church, Jefferson City, L2; Mr. Jo-seph (Jay) Kloecker, St. Peter’s Church, Ladue, L3; Dr. Michael Booker, St. Fran-cis’ Church, Eureka, L4; Mr. Michael Clark, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis, L5; Mrs. Adrienne Lemmons Dil-lon, All Saints’ Church, St. Louis, L6; Ms. Elizabeth (Liz) Yount, St. Peter’s Church, Ladue, L7;

The Rev. Doris Westfall, Assoc. Rec-tor of Grace Church, Kirkwood, C1; The

Rev. Tamsen Whistler, Rector of Trin-ity Church, St. Charles, C2; The Ven. Mark Sluss, Deaconess Anne House, St. Louis, C3; The Rev. Pat Glenn, Rec-tor of Calvary Church, Louisiana, and St. John’s Church, Eolia, C4; The Rev. Daniel Appleyard, Rector of Emmanuel Church, Webster Groves, C5; The Rev. Jason Samuel, Rector of Transfiguration Church, Lake St. Louis, C6; The Rev. Johnette Shane, Vicar of Trinity Church, Kirksville, C7

Standing Committee: Mr. Richard En-tenman, Grace Church, Kirkwood; Mr. Stephen Robin, St. Stephen’s Church, Ferguson; The Rev. Dr. Marc Smith, Vicar of Ascension Church, Northwoods

Chapter: Hillquist Davis, WalzCouncil: Rowe, ThomasDisciplinary Board: Fly, Crossnoe, HillquistGeneral Convention: Dyer, Fox, Kloecker, Booker, Clark, Lemmons Dillon, Westfall, Whistler, Sluss, Glenn, Appleyard, Samuel, ShaneStanding Committee: Entenman, Robin, Smith

DismantlingRacism trainingMar. 14-15, 2014at Holy Communiondiocesemo.org/DR

3Seek Advent 2013 DioceseMo.org

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In the children’s game hide-and-seek, the hiding is easy. Find a good spot, settle in, and wait for someone to discover you. Seeking is the hard part. In seeking, we some-times look in the wrong places; we may chase someone or something hard to catch. Seeking is active; it requires endurance, patience, tenac-ity, and desire.

By seeking God day by day, we commit to an active faith. We de-vote ourselves to scripture, prayer, reflection, and discernment. We move from a passive faith to one vig-orously engaging the word of God.

This volume of daily medita-tions shares stories from the hearts of thirty-one authors. The writers differ in many ways. But what holds the stories together—and what connects all of us—is our common quest to be in a deeper relationship with God.Seeking God Day by Day: A Year of Medita-tions. Format: Book, eBook. Publisher: For-ward Movement. ISBN: 978-08802-8369-4. Pages: 384. Print: $16.00. Bulk pricing: 5 or more copies are $12.00 each. Also available on the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook and iTunes. forwardmovement.org Day one is reprinted with permission.

January 1Beginnings

This is the day the LORD has made. Re-joice and be glad in it!-Psalm 118:24

Ah! Give thanks for a new year!

I have never found formal New Year’s resolutions terribly helpful,

even though the transition of the calendar is always a time to consider the year just past. December’s end offers opportunity to reflect and summarize the past twelve months, what I’m grateful for, and oppor-tunities I see for growth. It lets me begin a new year with greater readi-ness to engage the new thing God is doing in me and around me.

Today is not too late to reflect on the past year. As the prayer in the New Zealand prayer book says, “what has been done has been done, what has not been done has not been done, let it be.” Let it be, and dream of the new life emerging as we look to the year ahead.

The Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Name today, re-membering Jesus’ naming as a week-old baby. His name means “God saves.” How would you name the new thing God is doing in you? What has been birthed in you, and what do you hope will be healed/saved/salved in you in the coming year?

I think my name this year might be tenderized--like pounding a tough piece of squid or abalone so that I can savor the sweetness with-out dislocating my jaw!

Tenderizing evokes compas-sion, and as the year turns, I give thanks for the times I’ve experi-enced painful encounters that be-came occasions of grace, and pray that I might be more open to expect the grace.

—Katharine Jefferts Schori

Seeking God Day by Day Pleasant Surprisesby Episcopal City Mission chaplain Jeff Fabbiano

I started working for ECM about three years ago. When I first started going to the center I did not know what to expect. Would these young people be locked up all the time? Would they be scary? Would they be intimidated by me, a young white male? I quickly dis-covered that these young men and women are similar to every other group of adolescents I had worked with. Some were shy, oth-ers outgoing. Like most teenag-ers, they did not want to look stu-pid in front of their peers (even if their peers were in detention just like they were). They liked music, sports, telling stories about life and getting to know other people.

I found out quickly that the best way for me to get to know them was to be present in their en-vironment. So, I played basketball in the gym with them. I played ping pong, cards, and chess with them in their unit. I began listening to their conversations and seeing how they interacted with one another, which helped me better know how to minister to them. I was shocked at how big a dividend is paid by just being present with these young people. The more I am available, the more they trust me. The more they trust me, the more they are willing to open up their life to me and tell their story. It is during these times that I get to see the fruit of my labor.

Just last week I was roaming around the detention center and stopped in to interact with some kids on their “turf.” When I went into the unit I had no idea what was going on. I pulled up a chair at a table with three young men. I have made deposits into their lives just by being present with them in the past. One of these youth asked me to pray for him.

The other two immediately chimed in and asked for prayer as well. In the middle of this unit full of juvenile offenders God showed up. We all held hands and prayed for God’s presence and wisdom to make better choices. It was a sobering mo-ment for me. I had prayed with kids individually before, away from the masses, but these young men were an example to me of how when we are desperate for God, He will show up the in most unlikely places.

I wanted to let you all know how greatly we appreciate your sup-port to ECM. We would not be able to see hope and healing in the lives of these young people without your continued investment in our mis-sion. Thank you for all that you do.

Every Saturday morning from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., 140 to 170 men, women and children are served breakfast at Christ Church Cathedral in Downtown St. Louis. Five teams of 8 – 12 members serve one Saturday per month with the fifth Saturday team serving on those months with five Saturdays. Volunteers prepare urns of coffee and brown bags with 2 or 3 hardboiled eggs and a piece of fruit (usually a banana). Bread products are donated by the Des Peres St. Louis Bread Co. and are picked up Friday at closing by Victor’s Bread Minis-try, a group of suburban Methodists. This ministry involves over 200 people, eight Episcopal parishes, people from four denominations...plus a Buddhist.

Miss Carol’s Breakfast ProgramChrist Church Cathedral

In June 2009, Calvary began a trial run of the Saturday Breakfast Café, a place for our downtown neighbors to drop in for a bagged continental breakfast. By the end of that summer, we knew that the Café was a much-needed ministry, and we continued hosting it through December of that year. During those seven months, First Presbyterian Church heard about the Café and wanted to take a 3-month turn at hosting, and during their rotation, Missouri United Methodist wanted to take a turn. First Christian also claimed a couple of months, and last year Sacred Heart Catholic took a month. The breakfast at Calvary has become a feast of biscuits and gravy, egg dishes, fresh fruit, homemade waffles and bottomless pots of coffee, prepared by a dedicated team of up to 20 volunteers on any given Saturday. Through the generosity of the parish, we are able to provide basic toiletries; and Upscale Resale, a thrift shop run by Missouri Assistance League, provides clean shirts for our guests. During the past summer, we served between 45 and 80 guests each Saturday. Each church has its own special offerings, and the guests are so appreciative. One recently remarked, “This is like a country club for homeless people!”

From Calvary Episcopal Church, Columbia, Missouri

We have seen an increase in grandparents needing assistance because they are raising their grandchil-dren. They have stated they were able to support themselves but the extra children in the house seems to be more than what their budget can support.

Recently we had a single mother with three pre-school children who stated she had no food and no way to get any. She had gone to Walmart and her food stamps card showed an error and would not allow her to purchase any food. She indicated without the food she received from the pantry, they would have had no food until she was able to get Family Services to correct the problem.

related from the Reva Arnold Food Pantry,Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Poplar Bluff

In July we served 677 peopleIn August we served 777 people

In September we served 771 peopleIn October we served 962 people - a record.

We are beginning to run out of food. We are seeing the size of the households increase, as people have to move in with each other. We see children moving in with grandparents, as parents can’t cope, go to jail, disappear into drugs. With cold weather coming on, we’ve already had three families whose houses have burned because of electrical fires - the space heater/extension cord problem.

Our Sunday Hot Lunch now routinely serves 100 people, rather than the 70 or so that was the norm last Spring. More new families are registering every day - 7 today, 5 yesterday, 8 on Tuesday. Ms. Adrienne Fly

Coordinator, Trinity Food Ministry, St. Louis

I haven’t always been

homeless. I used to be

somebody.

The person who has weighed heaviest on my heart is the lady who came in the day I was working. She was new to the pantry so we began the registration process. When it came to her address; she hesitated and said for the moment she was living out of her car. If you had seen this lady, you would not have guessed this in a million years. Her hair was nice, she looked as if she had just stepped out of the shower and her clothes were very nice. She explained that some recent events in her life had placed her in this situation. It was obvious she did not want pity. I explained to here that normally we would have her take one of the bags at the side of us but that her circumstances were a little different than some and that we would fix her a bag especially for her. Those in the back bagging understood her plight and they chose pop top cans, etc., anything that did not need to be cooked, re-frigerated, etc. When I went back out with the bag, it was obvious she had been crying. This woman had great dignity and we did not want to take that away from her. I told her how the pantry worked and about the hot lunch program; as well as service times, etc., and if there was any other way we could help her with information, she should just ask. She thanked us and went on her way. She still comes to the pantry but on another day. I pray it wasn’t anything I said or did that she comes another day but am so glad that we can be of service to her; no matter what day she chooses to visit us. She is in my daily prayers. Working in the food pantry is such a blessing to me and we know to those who visit us.

Story from one of the ministry volunteers,Trinity Food Ministry, St. Louis

How easy it is for us to identify “the others” in our midst. Their clothes are shabby. They have little money and, often, no regular place to sleep. And, they’re hungry. Our hearts ache for them. We love them. And, we open our doors to them with a gentle spirit and generous heart. After all, that’s what Jesus would have us do for “them,” these folks so unlike us, these “others.”

Ascension’s food pantry, parish nursing program and clothing ministry have grown dramatically in the past several years as an increasing number of people are impacted by a sluggish economy and public policies antagonistic to their needs. Cur-rently, we’re serving more than 500 people each month.

However, as critically important as these services are, they neither define our work nor the bond we share with all who seek our compassion and care. Rather, it is the gathering to-gether as one people for Noonday Prayer that gives this min-istry its distinct character. In those few moments, there are no rich or poor, powerful or weak, black or white – only God’s children giving voice to our shared pains, common hopes and mutual faith. By God’s grace, “them” becomes “us,” and the “others” are transformed into “we.” Barriers dissolve as peti-tions are rendered and thanksgivings offered. And, together, we rejoice in the blessing of a God whose love and generosity know no bounds. What a special place this food pantry is – a place where together we meet God.

The Rev. Marc Smith, VicarEpiscopal Church of the Ascension in Northwoods

2014 is the Episcopal City Mission’s 60th year. Watch their communications for more information about this coming year’s events at: ecitymission.org .

We have about 50 reusable poly gro-cery bags printed up with Matthew

25:35 and the Episcopal Church shield and diocesan website. We’ll

send you one with your online donation to the diocesan Task Force

for the Hungry, until they run out. diocesemo.org/donate

4 Seek Advent 2013 The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

Seek is a publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Executive Editor: The Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith, Bishop of Missouri. Editor: Ms. Beth Felice, Director of Communications. Editorial Board: the Rev. Dr. Dan-iel Handschy, Dean of the Episcopal School for Ministry, St. Louis; the Rev. Jon Hall, Rector of St. Martin’s Church in Ellisville; Mr. Ken Luebbering, Grace Church, Jefferson City; Ms. Sarah Bryan Miller, St. Peter’s Church, Ladue; the Rev. Dr. Marc Smith, Vicar of Ascension Church, Northwoods; the Rev. Dr. E. Daniel Smith, Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of Missouri.

SEEK, Advent 2013Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Offices of the Bishop1210 Locust St, 3rd floor, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, ph. 314-231-1220

Diocesan members may request a complimentary subscription by mail; send address to the Offices of the Bishop, attn. Seek subscription. Seek is also distributed to each parish and mission in the diocese. Archived editions of Seek are available online at dio-cesemo.org. Submissions by post, attn. Beth Felice, or by email to bfelice@diocesemo.

org. Except for contributed articles and images labeled ©, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License. Printed in St. Louis by Nies Artcraft Companies, using soy-based ink on recycled stock.

Sabbath at convention continued from page 1

The Companion Diocese Committee continues to have an ac-tive presence in the Diocese of Mis-souri and the Diocese of Lui, South Sudan. A team of six missioners left for South Sudan on November 25, 2012, and returned December 12, 2012. Two partners from Black-more Vale Deanery, Diocese of Salisbury in the Church of England, and two from the Diocese of Lund, Church of Sweden, joined the team in Lui. The CDC has worked to strengthen communication between the partners and our shared part-nership with the Diocese of Lui. It is a blessing for all when we travel together to do mission work. Joint mission trips form a partnership that is stronger and builds on the foundation we share with our Moru brothers and sisters.

The goals of the November 2012 mission trip were to teach basic carpentry, basic sewing using treadle sewing machines, and basic health education, and to conduct a Pastors’ Conference. Some mem-bers of the team supported the mission work of our partners from Blackmore Vale in providing educa-tion training for preschool teach-ers. The team from Sweden worked along with the carpenters and com-pleted administrative work in the diocesan office in Lui. This trip not only fulfilled these expectations but laid the foundation for the mission trip in August 2013.

On January 9, 2013, we re-ceived word that the 10th and final well that the Diocese of Missouri had committed to fund some years

ago had been completed in Laka-madi, South Sudan. Many contribu-tions made this achievement pos-sible, especially the Waters of Hope bike rides and St. Martin’s Walks for Water. Congregations and individu-als supported both these endeavors and made other donations, all of which made it possible to drill a well in each of the seven archdeaconaries of Lui Diocese.

We will continue to look at different water projects in Lui al-though drilling boreholes has been a major accomplishment. In Febru-ary several people on the Lui Net-works website completed a Lenten study called “Moments: A Lent Study Course” created by Wau Di-ocese in South Sudan. Members of the Lui Network web site were able to participate in a closed discussion of each week’s lesson, and Wau’s lessons and discussion group were open to all. Weekly topics were dis-cussed and shared within the group with candid, honest questioning and heartfelt responses.

2013 marked the 10th anni-versary of Missouri and Lui con-nections. The first team from the Diocese of Missouri went to Lui in April 2003. Debbie Smith posted her journal and reflections on that first trip on Lui Network. The Di-ocese of Lui held its 6th Diocesan Synod at Fraser Cathedral April 8 -10, 2013. The general assembly voted on several staff changes, and revisions were made in the Diocese of Missouri Prayer Cycle to support the changes.

The second mission trip in the past twelve months occurred Au-gust 11 through September 5, 2013. Thirteen missioners were a part of this team, nine from Missouri, two from Blackmore Vale Deanery, and two from the Diocese of Lund, Sweden. The main focuses of the trip were completion of the roof on Lunjini Chapel, ESL classes for adult learners, a pastors’ conference on preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, and continued work on the treadle sewing machines.

This trip combined the part-ners in joint mission and lasted ap-proximately 4 weeks. We continue to have new missioners who travel to Lui. In all, the diocese has sent thirty-nine missioners to Lui. Many of us have made multiple trips. There are immeasurable joys when we can share our lives with friends in Lui; when we share our work, read scripture together and learn about one another’s cultures.

While in Lui there was a break-in and robbery at Lui’s dioc-esan office. The effects were deep and personal. We will continue to work through the challenges and hopefully find ways to stop this from happening again.

A trifold brochure has been completed and shares our story with Lui. It’s appropriately called “Walking in Companionship with the Diocese of Lui, South Sudan.” The brochure is available for all churches and communities within the diocese.

The Companion Diocese Committee continues to fundraise at different events. We continue to sell note cards and Mothers’ Union baskets around the diocese and to make ourselves a visible presence. We went to General Convention reporting sessions, Making Dis-ciples Conference, ECW Province V meeting, and numerous church coffee hours and adult forums. We continue to provide opportunities to share our story with churches and groups around our diocese.

Missouri and Lui, 2013by Evelyn Smith, chair of the Companion Diocese Committee

More great reflections, photos, and videos (including raising the roof trusses video on the new Luinjini School Chapel) on the missioners blog: LuiNetwork.diocesemo.org. Also catch up on the news from our Church of England and Church of Sweden partners there. A few photos below of the chapel roof building project: the team with first trusses; the round part of the chapel; the team above; “It’s almost finished,” says Canon Dan Smith from the chapel interior.

diocesemo.org/lui

Bowls of scented oils. This was the first time I had ever smelled frankincense or myrrh. I thought both were quite nice.

We also listened to the Ti-betan singing bowls. The Sabbath room was organized by The Rev. Pamela Dolan, Emily Davis, Lesley McIntire and Dan Handschy, and was part of a larger Sabbath theme at the convention. Back at home, I had a chance to watch the intro-ductory video to Sabbath and learn more about it. I have been think-ing about how to maintain a day of rest for our own family. Visiting this

save the date!Saturday, March 1

Diocese of MissouriLeadership Conference

this year at St. Martin’s Church in Ellisville

Topic: the nuts and bolts of running a parish.

Sessions on finance, stew-ardship, governance.What does a warden do?, What is an audit? If we want to re-do something in our sanctuary, do we have to ask anyone? If we want to take out a loan for that work, how do we proceed?These questions and more!

watch for more detailed notice in iSeek. diocesemo.org/subscribe

Laura Leist Catalano is a member of St. Timothy’s Church in Creve Coeur. She blogs about the church and social media at EpiscopalShare.blogspot.com and EpiscopalShare.org, where she creates prayer cards to share online. Images: Centering Scents from Laura’s blog; two praying with color “doodles” from convention and two color prayers. (All shall be well, quote from Julian of Norwich, and “What does the Lord require of you? to seek justice, to live kindness and to walk humbly with your God.”

Laura was inspired to continue researching Praying in Color and Caim prayers, and has an ad-ditional post of resources on her blog.

room definitely gave me some great ideas, especially since we have three active children who needs a list of can-dos.

We are definitely looking for-ward to see what convention brings next year!

5Making Disciples • Building Congregations • For the Life of the World Seek Advent 2013 DioceseMo.org

Blue Christmas: quiet remembering in the holiday rush

Advent is a time of waiting and for many people it’s a time to reflect on what Mary must have experienced as she waited for the birth of this unusual child.

You may never have been pregnant or lived with someone who was, but put yourself in her place for a while. Consider what it would have been like to have a new life growing within you. And re-flect on what new is growing within you this season of Advent.

What new concern is growing for the people around you? What new burden is on your heart for the woes of the world? What new pos-sibility do you see emerging in the world around you, and how might

you be part of that? Advent is a quieter time of the

year in the Church’s understanding. It’s a time to be still and listen, lis-ten deep within to what is growing, ready to emerge into new life.

And as the season for the birth of the Christ Child arrives, I would encourage you to consider how you yourself will be present in the world in a new way this year. How will you give evidence of love incarnate to the world around you?

I pray that you have a blessed and joyful and peace-filled Advent. God be with you.

In the bleak midwinter by Beverly W. Kinkade

Beverly Kinkade is a member of St. Martin’sChurch in Ellisville. ©

Longest night, a service of solace, Blue Christmas: is goes by many names. Not everyone is in a festive mood especially those grieving the loss of a loved one, a relationship, or loss of any kind.

In the Diocese two parishes will offer

Last year, after an excruciat-ingly painful summer of several deaths of best friends and close rel-atives, my husband and I were try-ing to forget the upcoming holiday events. I was intrigued by the an-nouncement in our Bulletin of the “Blue Christmas” at Christ Church

the service. Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Charles at 4 PM on Sunday, Dec. 22, and Christ Church Cathe-dral at 7 PM on Monday, Dec. 23.

This is the third year Trinity has of-fered the service, which includes the Order for Evening (Vespers), Taize

Cathedral. This service has appar-ently been offered for some time for those who were experiencing loss and grief and struggling with the attempt to be cheerful and up during the holidays. We were one of those “running on empty” with our emotions and felt that Christ-

mas, although always lovely and meaningful for us had lost its allure, so we decided to go.

I mention this now for anyone who might be feeling this way this year. I mention it also because it transformed our feelings and changed our holiday season into a time of celebration for our loved ones who had passed. We were able to express openly our sorrow

among others who were feeling the same. I hope anyone who might read this and be mourning consider attending this year as well.

Walking into the Cathedral, we were drawn immediately to the quiet and the luminescence of the hundreds of beautiful candles which decorated the altar and nave. There were just a few sad souls joining with us and likewise looking for comfort. Peace came over both of us as we glided silently, waiting, lis-tening and watching.

The service itself was scrip-ture readings and piano with no choir-just us singing familiar car-ols….nothing elaborate by any means, but perfect in its simplicity for what we yearned for. During

the Offertory we were encouraged to write down names of those we were grieving for and put them in the plate. We were also invited to take our supplications directly to the altar if we so wished.…

After “Silent Night” we walked wordlessly out into the cold damp air toward our car. I thanked God that he had guided us to this magi-cal, moving evening, and I thank those at the Cathedral who are so thoughtful in providing this oppor-tunity for those in need. For us, the Christ child came early on that win-try evening. Please go if you need to. Peace…..

chant and hymns, readings and re-flections in the church sanctuary filled with candles.

The cathedral will open its doors at 6:30 PM that Monday evening, time for peaceful preparation in the space.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori’s message to the church this Advent season.

An exhibitor’s view of conventionby Cheryl Ward, diocesan ECW board president

Danielle Dowd appointed diocesan youth missioner

Bishop Smith announced at diocesan convention that the new diocesan Youth Missioner is Dani-elle (Elle) Dowd. She’ll begin the first week of January 2014.

Elle describes herself as a “Religious Studies scholar with in-terests in incarnational relational youth ministry, feminist theology, and global ministry.” She graduated with honors from Iowa State Uni-versity with a degree in Religious Studies and has served as a Chris-tian Educator, pastoral intern, and Youth Coordinator at Episcopal and ELCA churches. She has led several mission trips to Jonathan’s House for Orphans in Sierra Leone as their Sponsorship Coordinator.

Elle lives with her husband, Adam, and their 6 year old daughter, Alice, in St. Robert. She is excited to share her passion for ministry with the Missouri Diocese, and this dio-cese is excited to begin work with her! Photo credit: © FreshBlend Media

Haiti appeal PB What a wonderful convention! The venue was perfect, the people were energized, and the Episcopal Church Women Board was in evidence at a high level! So many folks stopped to chat at our ta-ble, in an attempt to glean information about what the board is currently do-ing and what its plans are going forward into the new year. We were delighted to be able to share the news of our two scholarship re-cipients as well as the effort now being made to visit each and every parish in the diocese within the next three years. If there is an ECW already established, we will be on hand to help

in any way we can, regarding edu-cation or aid in re-energizing the group. If there is no ECW, we will be only too happy to walk the wom-en of the parish through the process of establishing one, should they de-sire to do so. Personal contacts to these parishes will be going out in January, so please be looking for them! We are here to help you grow.

One of the nicest surprises at convention was the gift of a stole from the Mothers Union in Lui, given for the use of the ECW board, via Evelyn Smith. It will help us keep our companion diocese in Lui in the forefront of our prayers and activities as we go forward with our mission. Thank you Mothers Union; thank you Evelyn.

It is our ongoing hope to re-main relevant in a changing world. A reminder of this pledge in this vi-

gnette: two women from the Church of St. Michael and St. George are both mem-bers of the ECW group at that church. They represent two generations who have experienced how their ECW is evolving. Adele Fordyce, who just celebrated her 102nd birthday, receives a visit from Carol Moppins. They celebrated Adele's landmark birthday and en-joyed chatting. Adele is an authen-tic grand dame, and a real treasure to this ECW group of women—she helped set the standard years ago on how a ladies' group should be run! Even in this faster, techno-logical age, we need to remember that we stand upon the shoulders of those women who set out the path for us. The Episcopal Church Women may evolve; they may

diocesemo.org/ecw

change, but they still attempt to serve all the women of our Missouri diocese and keep it relevant at the same time. Please continue to keep the ECW Board in your prayers! We want to be here for YOU!

Photos: l., the blue stole made by Lui Dio-cese Mothers Union for the women of Mis-souri ECW board; Church of St. Michael and St. George ECW members Carol Moppins and Adele Fordyce,.

6 Seek Advent 2013 The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

Hospitality (continued from first page)Fo

r th

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f th

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The Right Reverend Wayne Smith is the Tenth Bishop of Missouri.

ing. There is a blessed contagion of food ministries in this Diocese, and they are brilliant displays of the hospitality into which we are called. Communities all around are discov-ering that there are hungry bellies to fill—but they are discovering that there are also strangers whom we are blest to show hospitality. “Come sit with us” seems to be an unspo-ken motto. The loaves at your tables come from the bakery that provides bread for the Peace Meal at St. John’s in St. Louis. By the grace of God, these loaves will become the food of angels and the body of Christ. You will see an extravagant, even unseemly, lot of bread on the Holy Table. Well, yes; sometimes hospitality requires extravagance.

This sermon doubles as my report to Convention this year, and you may have guessed by now that I am framing it in terms of hospital-ity. Deaconess Anne House. What a happy act of mission this is turn-ing out to be. From the outset I have been clear that whatever we do in Old North St. Louis, we can-not intend to “fix” a single thing. Dominant cultures, maybe especial-ly Christian ones, have a long and sad legacy of knowing what’s wrong in a neighborhood of poverty and thinking we can fix it. With our di-rector Jonathan Stratton and seven interns, we have set a stake in Old North in order to live there and to learn from the neighborhood. We benefit from the hospitality of Old North, and by God’s grace we are able in turn to offer some hospital-ity ourselves. Not to fix. I love what is happening there!

In a venue on the other side of the world, since 2004, a few dozen Christians from our Diocese have travelled to Lui Diocese in South Sudan, where our brothers and sis-ters there have invariably shown us such kindnesses. Thousands of us who have never travelled have nonetheless been engaged. Our partnership has matured over these years, and I think that both sides of the relationship can now recognize its charms and its foibles. Which is to say that ours is a realistic partner-ship, and I very much appreciate

that it has grown into this. Missouri sent a large group of pilgrims to Lui last summer and had good success in completing a Chapel for Luin-jini School, teaching building trades and English language, working in a pastors’ conference, among other projects. During this trip, and with our Moru friends, we also faced honestly the theft of a large amount of money set aside for work there. Navigating that theft together has actually strengthened our relation-ship, in a situation where the rela-tionship could have suffered might-ily. It is good for us to have a stake in God’s mission on the other side of the world, a place that is so dif-ferent, and difficult, yet oddly fa-miliar—and to be engaged deeply close by, in places like Old North St. Louis. Far off and near provide a healthy mix for the geography of mission.

It is also good to be in conver-sation with St. Stanislaus Kostka, a Church barely a mile from our Ca-thedral, that is so akin to us but with a very different heritage. Different, and close by.

I don’t believe what Mark Twain said in his quotation about lies: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” But I do think that he was clever in say-ing it. Mr. Clemens probably knew (but did not like) that numbers sometimes force us to face truths that anecdotes might otherwise hide from us. The 2012 statistics from the Church Center give us a mixed message. Our Diocese actually grew a little bit in total membership last year. Correspondingly, we lost a little bit in average Sunday atten-dance. We continue on a trajectory of stability. Some other bits of data: the median age in the country is 38.1, says the Census Bureau. In the Episcopal Church, it is 57, says the Church Center. Is it any surprise that our Church skews almost two decades older than the rest of the population?

I remember exactly where I was fifty years ago today, and just by looking around the room, I imagine most of you remember, also. 61% of

the population were not alive that day. Which is worth remembering. Dear friends, all this is to say: we are mostly missing the younger genera-tions in the ecology of our Church. We are not as hospitable toward them as we might be. How might we become more hospitable?

Here are a few points backed up by research. Younger genera-tions tend to expect authenticity, above just about anything else. We become authentic whenever we tell the truth, operate our finances transparently, and speak clearly. There is a close match between word and deed. Whenever there is a new revelation about sexual mis-conduct in any Church, for younger generations that peels away another layer of credibility for all Churches. Much is expected from us.

Younger generations may also yearn to exercise leadership, but find all the slots already occupied. Leadership development is crucial. Paradoxically, younger generations may not be as keen on committee, or board, or vestry work as some of us. The meeting in search of a pur-pose is deadly in their estimation. Which is to say that they may want to exercise leadership differently.

Also, do not make assumptions about styles of worship that might be attractive. The style that may not be hospitable at all is an emergent or contemporary liturgy designed by baby boomers. The key, in what-ever style, is . . . authenticity.

The work at Deaconess Anne House and in our college minis-tries is not inconsequential. These are crucial venues for mission and ministry with young adults. The ap-pointment of a youth missioner in our Diocese, whom I will introduce to you later today, matters also in this work. One great thing about young-adult believers is that just by believing, and saying so, they are doing something different from much of their cohort. They are by nature counter-cultural. They tend to be clear, and often passionate, about their faith; and by all means they get the connection between the service we are now part of, and the

service of Christ in the world. We learn about the faith from their be-ing with us.

Back to the icon, and to the Trinitarian life. The three persons of the Godhead are completely distinct. There is no blurring, no substitution of one for another, no confusion. None of that heretical blather. But they are so bound to-gether from before time and forever that we profess belief in One God, not three. God has chosen the way of hospitality. You know, the love which the Holy Three have for one another is sufficient; there is no need for any other energy in God’s life. Yet God has chosen to allow that sufficient love to spill over, and has chosen to open it toward all cre-ation, and toward us. What we see in the icon is to be a pattern for our life together. We are to become per-sons-in-community also: entirely distinct yet bound together. There is no lockstep in Christian commu-nity, no groupthink. We need the time simply to be together to ac-complish the belonging, and hence the structure of this Convention. Together. Around tables.

I know, and you know, that anytime Episcopalians gather, there are enough sometime Baptists among us that we can sing Blest Be the Tie, by heart. If you know the words, sing along with me.

Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.

Look into the icon, and imag-ine being drawn into a life like that. Look around this room, and imag-ine being drawn deeper into this life. Blest be the tie. Amen.

praying in color.Random moments of lev-

ity were introduced to the business sessions with “convention bingo.” Cards with grids of “likely suspect” words were available. When one had a bingo, one called it out, and after the session could grab a small gift and another card. This is likely the first diocesan convention during which diocesan treasurer Tom Hed-rick’s explanation of the budget was ornamented with a call of “bingo” from the floor.

Many have followed the

A new kind of convention (continued from first page)thoughtful discernment of the two congregations of St. Matthew’s Church in Warson Woods and Grace Church in Kirkwood on their merger. The final crossing of the t’s happened by resolution, held at the convention dinner on Friday night. The room temperature was too cold, the technology not working correctly, but you could not mistake the warmth and joy of this diocese and the two parishes who have be-come one. On Saturday morning, a video documenting the whole merger process was shown. It was created by Janis Greenbaum, Grace Church’s Director of Communica-tions, and it is available to be seen on Grace’s website: gracekirkwood.org. The after-dinner party hosted by Deaconess Anne House interns and their director Jon Stratton was a clever trivia game, enthusiastically received.

To introduce Sabbath, as defi-nition, as tradition, as practice, was Rabbi Hyim Shafner from Con-

gregation Bais Abraham in Univer-sity City. He spoke with convention on Friday, and video taped two short thought pieces to be shown on Satur-day, his day of Sabbath. You can see those video reflections, and look at the accompanying small group dis-cussion questions online at vimeo.com/diocesemo .

Parishes were asked to create posters to ring the convention room. Another Sab-bath reflection was reading the posters which presented “what we’re about” in color and image and text. Next year’s convention is Nov. 21-22 in Cape Girardeau. Will you join us?Photos from top: Bishop Wayne preaches; St. John’s Rector Teresa Danieley’s completed bingo card; the youth of St. Francis’ Church in Eureka create their parish poster with member Michael Booker; Janis Greenbaum’s photo of the standing ovation Friday night after the merger was approved by convention.

diocesemo.org/bishop

7Seek Advent 2013 DioceseMo.orgMaking Disciples • Building Congregations • For the Life of the World

Making D

isciples Building Congregations

issued from the Secretary of Conven-tion, Dr. James Hood, 12/4/13

A-174: Minimum Clergy Compensation

Submitted on behalf of the Diocesan Council

1. BE IT RESOLVED that this 174th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri set the annual standard base compensation for full-time clergy in 2014 as follows:

CASH SALARY & HOUS-ING ALLOWANCE $57,615 [The actual compensation should be de-termined by Resolution of the Ves-try/Bishop’s Committee, in consul-tation with the clergy.]

2. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that the Church Pension Fund assessment will be paid by the congregation;

3. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that $50,000 group life will be paid by the congregation;

4. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that the medical coverage for clergy be in compliance with Di-ocesan Resolution A-172;

5. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that a standard of ten days per calendar year and $500 will be provided for continuing education;

6. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that the standard auto al-lowance will be $2,000 per year;

7. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that all parishes and mis-sions encourage their full-time cler-gy to set aside the equivalent of two days each week for personal time, 24 hours of which must be consecutive;

8. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that all parishes and mis-sions be strongly encouraged to provide dental insurance for clergy and eligible dependents, or be as-sured they already have such cover-age; and

9. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that the Clergy in Charge shall accrue two weeks of sabbatical time for each year of service.

C-174: Seeking Our Past: Creating Our Future

Submitted by the Commission on Disman-tling Racism

1. BE IT RESOLVED that this 174th Convention of the Epis-copal Diocese of Missouri encour-ages each congregation to explore how it has been impacted with re-gard to slavery, segregation and/or discrimination since its beginning;

2. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that the Diocese of Mis-souri encourages each congregation to utilize the Dismantling Racism Commission’s resource entitled, “Seeking Our Past: Creating Our Future” with resource personnel from the Commission on Disman-tling Racism;

3. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that each participating congregation be encouraged to re-port the date(s) of its participation and the insights achieved to the Chair of the Commission on Dis-mantling Racism prior to the 175th Diocesan Convention of Missouri.

E-174: Task Force on Gen-der Violence

Submitted by the 2012 Missouri General Convention Deputation

1. BE IT RESOLVED that this 174th Convention of the Epis-copal Diocese of Missouri recog-nize gender violence as a worldwide concern;

2. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that the Diocese of Mis-souri encourages Convention del-egates to share a copy of the “Letter to Churches of the Anglican Com-munion from the Primates of the Anglican Communion” from the Primates’ Meeting in Dublin, Ire-land, January 24-30, 2011 with their congregations;

3. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that Diocesan Council hold an open meeting in 2014 invit-ing all persons interested in discuss-ing issues of gender violence;

4. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that Diocesan Council appoint a Task Force on Gender Violence to serve until the 176th Diocesan Convention of Missouri;

5. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that the Task Force on Gender Violence provide resources and opportunities to educate the congregations of our diocese on is-sues of gender violence; and

6. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that the Task Force on Gender Violence present a written report of its activities and accom-plishments to the 175th and 176th Diocesan Conventions of Missouri.

THE ANGLICAN COMMUNIONA Letter to the Churches of the

Anglican Communion from the Pri-mates of the Anglican Communion fol-lowing their Primates’ Meeting in Dub-lin, Ireland, between 24 and 30 January 2011

During our meeting we discussed the nature and prevalence of gender based violence.1 Building on consider-ation of the issue during the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) conference of bishops in 2010, we shared stories of violence against wom-en and girls from both the southern and northern hemispheres, including an account of unremitting sexual violence against women and girls in the Demo-cratic Republic of Congo as a legacy of conflict, and of domestic and many oth-er forms of abuse in the United King-dom and other parts of the world. We acknowledged with grief that gender based violence is a global phenomenon and that all but a very small percentage of such violence is perpetrated by men against women, with devastating effects on individuals, families and society.

In considering the pervasive na-ture of violence against women and girls, our churches must accept respon-sibility for our own part in perpetuating oppressive attitudes towards women.

In penitence and faith we must move forward in such a way that our churches truly become a living witness to our belief that both women and men are made in the image of God. To think and behave in ways that do not live out this belief but disempower and mar-ginalise, is to mar the divine image and therefore to offend humanity and God.

In recent years we have seen a growing resolve in the Anglican Com-munion to engage with the eradication of gender based violence. In 2009 the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) resolved to support the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls and encouraged all Provinces to participate in programmes and events that promote the rights and welfare of women, particularly as expressed in the Beijing Platform for Action and the Millennium Development Goals. The ACC also called on the churches to take

appropriate steps to assist the healing of indigenous families, including the protection of women and children from violence and human trafficking.2 The bishops gathered at the Lambeth Con-ferences of 1998 and 2008 considered violence within and beyond the Church and asked the churches to engage in raising public awareness about the victi-misation and exploitation of women and children. We noted that several of the official Anglican Networks have raised violence against women and girls as a priority issue for their own member-ships and for the broader Communion.

We were heartened to know that there is an increasing amount of work being undertaken in the Communion as churches engage with awareness raising, advocacy, changing attitudes and behav-iours that lead to violence, the care and reintegration into society of victims/survivors of violence, and work To this end we have asked the Secretary Gen-eral of the Anglican Communion, in association with the Networks and the Anglican Alliance, to continue to map activities already responding to gender based violence, and to identify theologi-cal and practical resources and consider how these might be made broadly avail-able for reference and adaptation in other local contexts.

As individual Primates we are committed, in each of our Provinces, to raise the profile of Millennium De-velopment Goal 3 (‘Promote gender equality and empower women’); to af-firm and pray for God’s blessing on ini-tiatives already in place in our dioceses and parishes in response to violence against women and girls; to gather other church and faith leaders together to discern what we might say and do together; and to attend to the training of clergy and pastors so that they are aware of the nature and dynamics of gendered violence and how certain atti-tudes and behaviours can be challenged and transformed. We are also commit-ted to ensuring the development and accessibility of local, contextual and ac-cessible resources, including liturgies, for example, for 25 November which is the annual International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women as well as White Ribbon Day,3 and the first day of the global ‘16 Days Activism for the Elimination of Violence against Women’. Furthermore, through teach-ing and example, we will work with our young people so that our boys and girls, young men and young women, are en-abled to honour themselves and one an-other as human beings cherished equal-ly by God, and empowered to be agents of change among their peers.

1 Defined by the United Nations in 1993 as ‘…violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats

of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occur-ring in public or private life.’

2 ACC Resolutions 14.33: Inter-national Anglican Women’s Network, and 14.19: Anglican Indigenous Net-work with perpetrators of violence. We thank God for these efforts and rejoice in them, and we commit to strengthen-ing our mission and ministry in these areas.

3 White Ribbon is a movement of men and boys against violence against women and girls.

F– 174: The Merger of St. Matthew’s Episcopal

Church in Warson Woods and Grace Episcopal Church in Kirkwood

Submitted by The Rev. Todd McDowell; The Rev. Doris Westfall; The Committee on Lay Credentials and Admission of New Parishes

1. BE IT RESOLVED that, pursuant to Section 1 of Diocesan Canon IV.16, this 174th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Mis-souri approves the merger of St. Matthew’s Episcopal

Church, Warson Woods, Mis-souri, a parish, with and into Grace Episcopal Church, Kirkwood, Mis-souri, a parish.

a. A written plan of merger, as required by Section 3 of Canon IV.16, has been prepared by the congregations or their representa-tives and delivered to the Bishop and Chancellor. It includes, among other things, a plan for the sale of the real estate currently owned by St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and the deposit of the proceeds from such sale in the Grace Legacy Fund for Mission and the use of such pro-ceeds thereafter in accordance with the terms of such Fund.

b. The Chancellor shall promptly cause the merger to be ac-complished under the secular law of the State of Missouri.

2. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that this 174th Annual Meeting of Convention express its sincere appreciation and gratitude for the many years of mission, min-istry, community service, and sup-port of the Diocese, rendered by St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church.

3. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that this 174th Annual Meeting of Convention express its enthusiastic support for the fu-ture endeavors of Grace Episcopal Church, as bolstered by the congre-gational resources of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church.

G-174: Diocesan Commission on Ministry

Submitted by the Commission on Ministry and the Committee on Constitution and Canons

BE IT RESOLVED that Sec-tion 2 of Canon III.14 be amended in its entirety to read as follows:

SEC. 2. The Commission shall be composed of twelve persons, six of whom shall be Clergy canonically resident and physically domiciled in this Diocese and six of whom shall be lay confirmed Communicants in good standing. At least one of the Clergy members shall be a Deacon. Members shall be appointed by the Bishop with the consent of Conven-tion for terms of four years each; provided, that with respect to the Commission members appointed at the 174th annual meeting of Con-vention, three members shall be ap-pointed for terms of one year each, three members for two years, three for three years, and the last three for four years. It is further provided that the term of each Commission member shall continue until the appointment and qualification of a successor. No Commission mem-ber who has served a four-year term shall be eligible for re-appointment until the expiration of one year. Should a vacancy occur between an-nual meetings of the Convention, it may be filled for the remainder of the term by appointment of the Bishop with the consent of the Di-ocesan Council. The chairperson of the Commission shall be appointed by the Bishop from the members of the Commission.

Resolutions passed by the 174th Conventionmeeting November 22-23, 2012, in Chesterfield, Missouri

Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis • All Saints’ Church, Farmington • All Saints’ Church, St. Louis • Church of the Ascension, Northwoods • Calvary Church, Columbia • Calvary Church, Louisiana • Christ Church, Cape Girardeau • Christ Church, Rolla • Church of St. Michael & St. George, Clayton • Church of the Advent, Crestwood • Church of the Good Shepherd, Town & Country • Church of the Holy Communion, University City • Deaconess Anne House • Emmanuel Church, Webster Groves • Grace Church, Jefferson City • Grace Church, Kirkwood • Holy Cross Church, Poplar Bluff • St. Alban’s Church, Fulton • St. Barnabas’ Church, Florissant • St. Francis’ Church, Eureka • St. John’s Church, Eolia (Prairieville) • Camp Phoenix • Christian Education • COEDMO • Commission on Dismantling Racism • Commission on Ministry • Community Gardens • Community Health and Wellness Ministries • Community of Hope • Companion Diocese Committee • Diocesan Council • Diocesan Convention • Diocesan Mission Trips • Episcopal Campus Ministry • Episcopal City Mission • Episcopal Church Women • Episcopal Recovery Ministry • Episcopal Relief and Development • Episcopal School for Ministry • Fresh Start • General Convention • Grace Hill • Happen-ing • Hunger and Food Ministries • Oasis Missouri • Paseo Con Christo • St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System (STARSS) • St. Luke’s Hospital • Standing Committee • Task Force for the Hungry • United Thank Offering • Youth Ministry • St. John’s Church, Tower Grove • St. Luke’s Church, Manchester • St. Mark’s Church, Portland • St. Mark’s Church, St. Louis • St. Martin’s Church, Ellisville • St. Matthew’s Church, Mexico • St. Paul’s Church, Carondelet • St. Paul’s Church, Ironton • St. Paul’s Church, Palmyra • St. Paul’s Church, Sikeston • St. Peter’s Church, Ladue • St. Stephen’s Church, Ferguson • St. Thomas’ Church for the Deaf, Kirkwood • St. Timothy’s Church, Creve Coeur • St. Vincent’s-in-the-Vineyard Church, Ste. Genevieve • Church of the Transfiguration, Lake St. Louis • Trinity Church, Jefferson County • Trinity Church, Hannibal • Trinity Church, Kirksville • Trinity Church, St. Charles • Trinity Church, St. James • Trinity Church, Central West End • Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis • All Saints’ Church, Farmington • All Saints’ Church, St. Louis • Church of the Ascension, Northwoods • Calvary Church, Columbia • Calvary Church, Louisiana • Christ Church, Cape Girardeau • Christ Church, Rolla • Church of St. Michael & St. George, Clayton • Church of the Advent, Crestwood • Church of the Good Shepherd, Town & Country • Church of the Holy Communion, University City • Deaconess Anne House • Emmanuel Church, Webster Groves • Grace Church, Jefferson City • Grace Church, Kirkwood • Holy Cross Church, Poplar Bluff • St. Alban’s Church, Fulton • St. Barnabas’ Church, Florissant • St. Francis’ Church, Eureka • St. John’s Church, Eolia (Prairieville) • Camp Phoenix • Christian Education • COEDMO • Commission on Dismantling Racism • Commission on Ministry • Community Gardens • Community Health and Wellness Ministries • Community of Hope • Companion Diocese Committee • Diocesan Council • Diocesan Convention • Diocesan Mission Trips • Episcopal Campus Ministry • Episcopal City Mission • Episcopal Church Women • Episcopal Recovery Ministry • Episcopal Relief and Development • Episcopal School for Ministry • Fresh Start • General Convention • Grace Hill • Happening • Hunger and Food Ministries • Oasis Missouri • Paseo Con Christo • St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System (STARSS) • St. Luke’s Hospital • Standing Committee • Task Force for the Hungry • United Thank Offering • Youth Ministry • St. John’s Church, Tower Grove • St. Luke’s Church, Manchester • St. Mark’s Church, Portland • St. Mark’s Church, St. Louis • St. Martin’s Church, Ellisville • St. Matthew’s Church, Mexico • St. Paul’s Church, Carondelet • St. Paul’s Church, Ironton • St. Paul’s Church, Palmyra • St. Paul’s Church, Sikeston • St. Peter’s Church, Ladue • St. Stephen’s Church, Ferguson • St. Thomas’ Church for the Deaf, Kirkwood • St. Timothy’s Church, Creve Coeur • St. Vincent’s-in-the-Vineyard Church, Ste. Genevieve • Church of the Transfiguration, Lake St. Louis • Trinity Church, Jefferson County • Trinity Church, Hannibal • Trinity Church, Kirksville • Trinity Church, St. Charles • Trinity Church, St. James • Trinity Church, Central West End • Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis • All Saints’ Church, Farmington • All Saints’ Church, St. Louis • Church of the Ascension, Northwoods • Calvary Church, Columbia • Calvary Church, Louisiana • Christ Church, Cape Girardeau • Christ Church, Rolla • Church of St. Michael & St. George, Clayton • Church of the Advent, Crestwood • Church of the Good Shepherd, Town & Country • Church of the Holy Communion, University City • Deaconess Anne House • Emmanuel Church, Webster Groves • Grace Church, Jefferson City • Grace Church, Kirkwood • Holy Cross Church, Poplar Bluff • St. Alban’s Church, Fulton • St. Barn-abas’ Church, Florissant • St. Francis’ Church, Eureka • St. John’s Church, Eolia (Prairieville) • Camp Phoenix • Christian Education • COEDMO • Commission on Dismantling Racism • Commission on Ministry • Community Gardens • Community Health and Wellness Ministries • Community of Hope • Companion Diocese Committee • Diocesan Council • Diocesan

8 Seek Advent 2013 DioceseMo.org

Seekfrom the Episcopal Church in Missouri Diocese

Episcopal Diocese of Missouri1210 Locust StreetSt. Louis, Missouri 63103

We Are the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

Please Join Us in Worship This Week

Advent 2013The Mission of the Diocese of Missouri is the mission of all baptized Christians: to teach and to spread the Gospel and its knowledge of salvation to all people; and to make the love of Christ known in the worldthrough our own actions as individuals, as congregations, and as the diocese, by feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, caring for the sick, visiting the prisoner, and comforting those in times of trouble.

We are 12,144 members in 46 faith communities in the eastern half of Missouri,

We Are the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

Please Join Us in Worship This Week

On March 14-15, 2014, the Co-lumbia, Mo., community will host a dialogue on “What is the Future of Faith?” as we welcome Dr. Phyllis Tickle, author of “The Great Emer-gence,” a conversation of what Chris-tianity has and will become in the 21st century.

The Diocese is helping cospon-sor this event.

Follow event updates on Face-book and Twitter: FutureOfFaith14 .

A Conversation with Phyllis Tickle

Friday, Mar. 14, Saturday, Mar. 15Columbia, Missouri

The Five Marks of MissionThe Mission of the Church is the mission of Christ

To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom To teach, baptize and nurture new believers To respond to human need by loving service To seek to transform unjust structures of society To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

Friday, March 1410:00a.m. - NoonClergy Leaders’ session with Dr. Phyllis Tickle: “The Inherited Church.” $25 Registration fee includes lunch (payable through Broadway Christian Church by check or electronic charge at http://www.broadwaychristian.net/giving.)AfternoonMU Panel with Faculty and Students7:00 p.m.Community Worship Service at Missouri United Methodist Church with guest preacher Emanuel Cleaver and community choir

Saturday, March 1510:00a.m. - NoonLecture and Q and A with Dr. Phyllis Tickle for community/congregations/uni-versity. Theme/question: What is the Future of Faith?Lunch on your own1:30 - 3:00 p.m.Dr. Tickle engages in informal discussion with those who have read The Great Emergence.

Top 7 Questions

Q: Location? A: Friday morning First Presbyterian Church; Friday night Mis-souri United Methodist Church; Satur-day Tate hall on the University of Mis-souri Campus.

Q: Which events have restricted ac-cess? A: Only the Friday morning clergy session.

Q: Which are open to everyone? A: All other sessions.Q: For which events will people need to register, either in advance or on-site? A: Only the Friday morning clergy session.Q: Will there be a free-will offering taken at the worship service? A: Yes, with proceeds going to support the new Columbia Comprehensive Day Center.

Q: Will there be any costs for atten-dance?A: Only the clergy will need to register for the Friday morning session. The cost is $25, includes lunch, and they may register and pay via Broadway Christian Church’s web site:broadwaychristian.net

Q: How can people and congregations prepare for the event?A: By reading and discussing The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle.

Presiding Bishop Katharine calls the whole of The Episcopal Church to pray and give in solidarity with our largest diocese, “I ask your support and encouragement for a special offering on Sunday 12 January 2014, to aid the Diocese of Haiti in rebuilding Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince.”diocesemo.org/haiti

We are 12,144 members in 46 faith communities in the eastern half of Missouri,