The Harvest, July-August 2010

Inside The Harvest

ECW annual gatheringECW annual gatheringECW annual gatheringECW annual gatheringECW annual gatheringEpiscopal Church Women from acrossthe diocese will gather in Parsons on Oct.2 for the annual gathering of the ECW,with the Rev. Gail Greenwell of St.Michael’s, Mission as speaker. Page 4

TTTTTwwwwwo mighty windso mighty windso mighty windso mighty windso mighty windsHigh winds toppled trees attwo Northwest Convocationchurches this summer, causingminor damage and creatinglots of debris. Page 4

HabitHabitHabitHabitHabitat wat wat wat wat work work work work work weekeekeekeekeekendendendendendThe Habitat for Humanityhouse being built by thediocese in Coffeyville isseeking extra volunteersfor a Sept. 18-19 work

weekend. Page 4

Fighting hungerFighting hungerFighting hungerFighting hungerFighting hungerLots of Episcopalians are engaged inefforts to fight hunger, and that’s a goodthing. The need for food aid isn’t gettingany smaller. Page 5

KKKKKenenenenenyyyyyaaaaaTeams of Kansas Episcopaliansworked in Kenya this summer,providing aid to people inneed, and finding they’dreceived as much as they’dgiven. Pages 6-7

Around the dioceseAround the dioceseAround the dioceseAround the dioceseAround the dioceseMembers from Wichita churches pitchedin to help are college students move intotheir dorms, and the newest installment ofa popular guide for lectors now isavailable. Page 8

WWWWWalk this walk this walk this walk this walk this waaaaayyyyyWith the encouragement ofparishioner Peggy Cook,members of St. Luke’s,Shawnee laced up their shoesand got walking this summer,logging more than 2,600 miles in theprocess. Page 9

Bishop in WBishop in WBishop in WBishop in WBishop in Wesesesesestern Ktern Ktern Ktern Ktern KansasansasansasansasansasThe Rev. Michael Milliken,rector of Grace, Hutchinson,was elected as the next bishopof Western Kansas. Hisconsecration is set for Feb. 19,2011. 0

IoIoIoIoIowwwwwa priesa priesa priesa priesa priest heads ot heads ot heads ot heads ot heads ovvvvverererererseasseasseasseasseasThe Rev. Martha Kester is the firstfemale chaplain in the history of the IowaNational Guard, and she’s being deployedthis fall to Afghanistan. That also is afirst. Page 10

FivFivFivFivFive ye ye ye ye yearearearearears afs afs afs afs after Kter Kter Kter Kter KatrinaatrinaatrinaatrinaatrinaIt’s been five years since HurricaneKatrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Manychurches have rebounded and rebuilt, butemotional scars still remain. Page 11

NeNeNeNeNew campus missioner announcedw campus missioner announcedw campus missioner announcedw campus missioner announcedw campus missioner announcedBy Melodie WoermanEditor, The Harvest

Bishop Dean Wolfe has announced that theReverend Michael S. Bell has beencalled as a new Campus Missioner for

the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, to begin workSept. 8.

He will be based in Manhattan and will haveresponsibility for ministry with college and uni-versity campuses primarily in the western por-tion of the diocese. He joins Campus Missionerthe Rev. Susan Terry, who is based in Lawrencewith primary ministry in the eastern half of thediocese.

Bishop Wolfe said, “We are so thrilled to wel-come Michael Bell to Kansas and to our dioc-esan staff. I believe his substantial experience indiverse fields will be an excellent addition to ourprogram and will allow us to continue to build onthe strengths of our campus ministries.”

Bell said he sees his work as CampusMissioner as helping to “cultivate ministerial lead-ership in communities around every college anduniversity campus in the diocese to better wel-come and nourish those who seek a loving rela-tionship with God and compassionate fellowshipwith others.”

Please see Missioner, page 2

The Rev. Michael Bell is anew Campus Missioner forthe diocese and will bebased in Manhattan.

Convention will chart the coursefor the diocese’s next year

KSM classesKSM classesKSM classesKSM classesKSM classesseek tseek tseek tseek tseek to enrico enrico enrico enrico enrichhhhha va va va va variearieariearieariety ofty ofty ofty ofty ofministriesministriesministriesministriesministries

Photo by Melodie Woerman

The fight against hunger starts earlyA young volunteer at the food pantry at St. Paul’s, Kansas City, scoops flour

from a bag into small containers to distribute to those coming to the pantry. Thenumber of people seeking help there and at other food ministries in the diocesehas grown in recent months.

September is Hunger Action Month. See page 5 for more information abouthow churches and volunteers are helping to fight hunger.

By Melodie WoermanEditor, The Harvest

S ome changes are in the air for theKansas School for Ministry, in-cluding ing opening its classes this

fall to anyone in the diocese who wants totake its intensive coursework in a varietyof faith-based topics.

The Harvest recently sat down with theRev. Andrew Grosso, KSM’s coordinator,for a question-and-answer session to learnmore about what the school offers, whatprospective students would want to know,and how KSM fits into the life and minis-try of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas.

What is the purpose of the KansasSchool for Ministry? Who takes yourclasses?

The mission of the School is to pro-vide high-quality theological educationand formation for all members of the dio-cese who are preparing to take up a par-ticular ministry (ordained or otherwise) orwho would simply like the opportunity tolearn more about the faith and practice ofthe church.

Many of those who enroll at the Schoolare preparing for ordination to thediaconate or the presbyterate, but we in-vite those called to other forms of minis-try to participate in our programs as well.

What kinds of classes does KSM of-fer? How often do they meet, andwhere?

The School offers courses in biblicaltheology, historical theology, dogmatic orsystematic theology, and practical theol-ogy. We follow an academic calendar andoffer courses every month from Augustthrough May. Classes consist of a two-dayintensive, during which instructors andstudents meet to discuss course readingsand explore the subject of the course inother ways. Classes meet at the BethanyPlace Conference Center in Topeka.

Please see KSM, page 3


Lay and clergy delegates from across the Episcopal Dio-cese of Kansas will meet for the 151st time in annual

convention on Oct. 22-23 in Topeka to help setthe diocese’s course for the next year.They also twice will hear one of the most dy-

namic speakers in the Episcopal Church, Bishop MichaelCurry of the Diocese of North Carolina. He will preach atthe Eucharist that will begin the convention this year, taking

place at 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 22 at Grace Cathedralnear downtown Topeka. Bishop Curry also will addressthe convention on Saturday morning at 9:10 a.m.

Please see Convention, page 2

2 • The Harvest • July/August 2010

Publisher: The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe, BishopEditor: Melodie Woerman

A member of Episcopal News Service and Episcopal Commu-nicators, The Harvest is published six times a year by the Officeof Communications of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas: Feb-ruary, April, June, August, October and December.

Stories, letters and photos are welcome. They will be used on aspace-available basis and are subject to editing. Send all mate-rial (preferably in electronic format or by e-mail) to:

Melodie Woerman, editorThe Harvest

835 SW Polk St.Topeka, KS 66612-1688phone: (800) 473-3563

fax: (785) [email protected]

Send address changes to:Receptionist

835 SW Polk St., Topeka, KS [email protected]

Upcoming deadlines:September/October issue: Sept. 15

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Subscription rate:$1.50 annually

Third class mailingPermit No. 601, Topeka, Kansas

POSTMASTER:Send address changes to

Episcopal Diocese of Kansas835 SW Polk St.

Topeka, KS 66612-1688

The Anglican CommunionA global community of 70 million Anglicansin 38 member churches/provinces in more than160 countries.

Archbishop of CanterburyThe Most Reverend and Right Honorable Rowan Williams

Lambeth Palace, London WE1 7JU, United Kingdomwww.anglicancommunion.org

Episcopal seat: Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, England

The Episcopal ChurchA community of more than 2.1 million mem-bers in 110 dioceses in 16 countries in theAmericas and abroad.

Presiding BishopThe Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori

815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017(800) 334-7626

www.episcopalchurch.orgEpiscopal seat: Washington National Cathedral,

Washington, D.C.

The Episcopal Diocese of KansasA community of 12,000 members in46 congregations, two diocesan institutionsand one school in eastern Kansas.

BishopThe Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe

835 SW Polk Street, Topeka, KS 66612-1688(785) 235-9255(800) 473-3563

www.episcopal-ks.orgEpiscopal seat: Grace Episcopal Cathedral, Topeka

Bell is a transitional deaconwho was ordained in June in theDiocese of Los Angeles.

He most recently worked as aparish administrator at St. John’sPro-Cathedral in Los Angeles,assisting the congregation inadapting parish operations forgrowth and development.

He also co-chaired the commit-tee that planned and oversaw therecent ordination and consecra-tion of two suffragan bishops forthe diocese.

A fifth-generation Texan, Bellreceived his undergraduate degreefrom Texas A&M University–Commerce and has a Master ofTheological Studies from Harvard

Divinity School.He completed coursework in

Anglican Studies at the EpiscopalTheological School at Claremont(Calif.) and has taken classes atthe Church Divinity School of thePacific. He also has a Master ofEducation from the HarvardGraduate School of Education.

Before moving to Los Angelesfour years ago, Bell lived andworked in New York City, wherehe was active at St. Bartholo-mew’s Episcopal Church in Man-hattan.

Before pursuing a call to or-dained ministry, he was a manage-ment consultant, held senior po-sitions with a health care systemand a global pharmaceutical com-pany, and has been an avid hos-

pice volunteer and advocate.Of his impending move to

Kansas, Bell said, “Yes, it’s bit-tersweet to leave my friends andcolleagues in southern California,but I know there are welcominghands and warm hearts of newcolleagues and friends awaitingme in the Diocese of Kansas.Once the word was out that I washeaded to Kansas, I was delightedby the number of Kansas connec-tions that suddenly emerged frommy network of friends and col-leagues, and many folk have hadwonderful things to say about thediocese.”

Among those connections,Bell’s late grandparents lived inWichita, and a cousin still residesthere.

Bishop Dean Wolfe, who willbe the celebrant at the openingEucharist, will deliver his annualconvention address at 1 p.m. onFriday.

The convention theme is“Where the good way lies: Stand-ing at the crossroads,” taken fromJeremiah 6:16. It reflects not onlythe work of convention, whichwill elect leaders to a variety ofoffices and adopt a financial mis-sion plan for the coming year, butalso echoes the theme of the di-ocesan fundraising campaign,Crossroads.

Convention activities will takeplace again this year at Topeka’s Capitol Plaza Ho-tel and the adjacent Maner Conference Center, bothpart of the Kansas Expocentre complex located at17th Street and Topeka Boulevards.

Information about the convention is available onthe diocesan website, www.episcopal-ks.org/con-vention2010.

FFFFFundraiserundraiserundraiserundraiserundraiser, w, w, w, w, worororororkshops also plannedkshops also plannedkshops also plannedkshops also plannedkshops also plannedAmong the other things available to convention

goers is the annual pre-convention fundraiser, whichthis year will feature a pep rally, “homecoming”theme. Director of Development and StewardshipChar DeWitt said those attending are urged to weartheir school colors — either of the school they at-tended or their favorite current team — or even acheerleader, band or football uniform from daysgone by.

The event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. onThursday, Oct. 21, the night before convention starts,in the Emerald Ballroom of the hotel. There is nocost to attend, no advance reservations are required,and you don’t have to be a convention delegate toparticipate.

DeWitt said a variety of “white elephant” grabbags will be auctioned, with all proceeds benefit-ting the campus ministry parish partnership program.This provides grants from the diocese to parishes tobegin or enhance outreach to college students.

More information on this fundraising opportu-nity is being sent to each delegate in their pre-convention packet.

Four hourlong workshops for delegates or inter-ested visitors will be offered on Friday afternoon at4:15 p.m., all focusing on church growth.

The topics will include youth ministries, youngadult ministries, church growth strategies and par-ish outreach.

ScScScScSchedule is theological and practicalhedule is theological and practicalhedule is theological and practicalhedule is theological and practicalhedule is theological and practicalThe schedule for this year’s convention is a bit

different from that of recent years, and organizerssay both theological and practical considerations

factored into that.Rather than placing the Eucha-

rist near the end of the annualgathering, this year it will be thefirst official event on Friday morn-ing. That puts all of conventionunder a worshipful umbrella, theysaid, and the sense of communitythat flows from shared worshipshould carry over into the businesssessions.

On a more practical level, thisschedule allows delegates andvisitors to hear Bishop Curry oneach of the days of convention,and it also should provide ad-equate time for the election ofdeputies to General Convention.That every-three-year process can

take multiple ballots to select four deputies and al-ternates for both lay and clergy, since church canonsrequire that the election of deputies occur by a ma-jority (more than half of those voting), not just theplurality (most votes cast) that decides many otherelections.

In addition to General Convention deputies andalternates, convention has other elections on tap:

One clergy and one lay at-large member of theCouncil of Trustees; andOne clergy person to fill an unexpired term onthe Ecclesiastical Trial Court.In addition, convention will ratify four lay mem-

bers of the Council of Trustees picked by the convo-cations.

NoNoNoNoNottttted speaked speaked speaked speaked speaker reer reer reer reer returns tturns tturns tturns tturns to Ko Ko Ko Ko KansasansasansasansasansasBishop Dean Wolfe said he is thrilled that his

colleague will address the Kansas convention thisyear. He said, “I consider Bishop Curry to be one ofthe finest preachers in the Episcopal Church, and Iam honored to have him join us for our convention.People still talk about his speech to our conventionback in 1994, so he made an impression on a lot ofpeople in Kansas!”

Bishop Curry, 57, became bishop of the Dioceseof North Carolina in June 2000. He is the first Afri-can-American bishop to lead a southern diocese inthe Episcopal Church. A native of Chicago, BishopCurry graduated from Hobart College and receivedhis Master of Divinity degree from Yale DivinitySchool. He has been awarded honorary doctoratesfrom the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn.,and from Yale.

ConConConConConvvvvvocation meeocation meeocation meeocation meeocation meetings sctings sctings sctings sctings scheduledheduledheduledheduledheduledPre-convention convocation meetings have been

set to give delegates a chance to discuss matters tocome before convention:Southeast: Sept. 11, 10 a.m., St. John’s, ParsonsSouthwest: Sept. 11, 2 p.m., Trinity, El DoradoNortheast: Sept. 25, 9 a.m., Trinity, LawrenceNorthwest: Sept. 25, 1 p.m., St. David’s, Topeka

ConConConConConvvvvvention: ention: ention: ention: ention: N.C. bishop to speakContinued from page 1

Bishop Michael Curry of theDiocese of North Carolina will bethe featured preacher andspeaker at this year’s DiocesanConvention, set for Oct. 22-23.

Continued from page 1

Missioner: Missioner: Missioner: Missioner: Missioner: Texas native has Kansas ties

July/August 2010 • The Harvest • 3

Who teaches the courses?All our courses are facilitated by people

who have completed some form of ad-vanced studies in one of the various theo-logical disciplines being taught. Many, butnot all, of our instructors are clergy.

You’ve recently opened KSM classesto people who aren’t in the ordinationprocess. What prompted that move?

Historically, the School primarily hasserved people preparing for ordained min-istry. However, one of the more pressingneeds in the church today is for more peopleto be equipped to take part in the work andmission of the church. The church needsmore than just deacons and priests; it needsevangelists, catechists, intercessors, admin-istrators, youth ministers and a range ofother ministers as well.

Additionally, there are many people whoappreciate the opportunity to grow in theirfaith through continued study and reflec-tion. KSM courses are designed for all thesefolks: those preparing for ordained minis-try, those preparing for some other form ofministry, and those interested in growingin their faith by continuing their education.

Who do you think would most benefitfrom this change?

Both those preparing for ordained min-istry and those preparing for other formsof ministry will benefit from studyingalongside one another, learning not onlyabout the particular ministries they are pre-paring to take up but how their ministriesrelate to the other ministries of the church.

Instructors, too, will benefit from hav-ing to develop curricula that are suitablefor people preparing for a variety of minis-tries. Parishes will benefit from havingmore members who have completed some

form of advanced theological education.The diocese will benefit from having

more members actively participating in awider range of ministries and initiatives.

It’s been years since some peoplehave been in a classroom. Will theybe able to handle KSM classes andassignments?

Our instructors are sensitive to the chal-lenges that advanced theological educationcan present for some people and are morethan happy to help students in whatever waythey can. Likewise, students are able toprovide support and guidance to one an-other.

I think the most important skill a personneeds to participate successfully in KSMcourses is time management. There is a siz-able amount of work that needs to be donefor every course, but if one is able to es-tablish a disciplined way for engaging thework on a regular basis, it’s very manage-able. Often the hardest part for students asthey begin their studies at the School is that

KSM: KSM: KSM: KSM: KSM: School opens classes to everyone in the dioceseContinued from page 1

KSM unveils new sealThe Kansas School for Ministry has created a new seal that will provide a

visual identity for the school as it broadens its work throughout the diocese.The graphic is the work of Ann Boughton, a graphic artist who is a member of

St. John’s, Abilene, and KSM’s coordinator, the Rev. Andrew Grosso.Grosso offered this description of the symbols on the seal:

The shield shape is reminiscent of the shield of the Episcopal Church.The cross in the center suggests the centrality of the atoning work of Christ,as well as the path of discipleship that is marked by taking up our cross tofollow Jesus (Matthew 16:24-26).The wheat in the upper left section suggests several things: the word of theLord that goes forth and does not return empty (Isaiah 55:10-11), the “plentifulharvest” of the kingdom awaiting laborers (Luke 10:2) and the history andculture of the state of Kansas.The open book in the upper right section symbolizes both the scripturesand the tradition of learning and scholarship.The “alpha” and “omega” in the two lower sections recall the words ofRevelation 21:6 and invites reflection on the way Christ serves as the“beginning” and the “end” of all learning and formation, and of all ministryand proclamation. The letters also are part of the seal of the diocese.

The Rev. Andrew Grosso, coordinator of the Kansas School for Ministry, reacts while answering questions about the school.

they haven’t really thought through how therest of their lives and their daily schedulesare going to have to change so they havethe time and energy needed to do this kindof work.

KSM just graduated its first group ofstudents since it reopened in 2008.What does this milestone mean?

We conducted a series of exit interviewswith the people who completed theirdiaconal studies this year, and they wereable to provide us with some very helpfulfeedback regarding their experience at theSchool. We definitely have some groundto cover before we’ve achieved all the goalswe’ve set for ourselves, but it’s also clearthat we’re on the right path and have madeconsiderable progress.

It’s also very encouraging to see peoplemoving on to the next stage of the forma-tion process and getting that much closerto taking up their ministries. It’s very satis-fying for our faculty when they’re able tosee people they’ve helped prepare for min-istry living out the vocations to which theyare called.

What role do you see KSM playing inthe future?

I believe that formation and discipleshipare going to be the most important dimen-sions of the mission and work of the churchin the years ahead. We need to do a muchbetter job than we have been doing of ar-ticulating the faith we hold and demonstrat-ing the difference that faith makes in ourlives. We also need to give serious thoughtto the way that a variety of cultural changescurrently underway are going to affect theplace of the church in society.

Every member of the church should beencouraged to consider how they have beenequipped to take part in the mission andwork of the church.

I see KSM as a place where all thesethings can happen, where we can work to-ward a clear understanding of the faith andpractice of the church, where we can cometogether to think creatively about the waywe are called to proclaim the gospel in wordand deed in today’s world, and where ev-ery member of the church can come for theeducation and formation they need to takeup the ministries to which they are called.

KSM needs new facilities, and that’sa big part of the diocesan Crossroadscapital campaign. What would newclassrooms space in a LeadershipCenter provide KSM?

We don’t really have proper classroomsright now, which at times makes teaching achallenge. Proper classrooms would in-clude things like white boards, technologyfor PowerPoint and multimedia presenta-tions, and more flexible space for differentclassroom configurations. We also could

Enrollment in KSM fallclasses is now open

People wanting to enroll in any of theclasses offered this fall through theKansas School for Ministry should maketheir plans soon.

Enrollment ends four weeks beforethe start of each class.

Fall classes are:Sept. 10-11: Anglican Identity,Pastoral TheologyOct. 8-9: Christian Ethics Survey,Contemporary EthicsNov. 12-13: Church History Survey,British Christianity, EducationalMinistryDec. 10-11: Spirituality, Diakonia,LiturgicsClasses begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday

and end about 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.They take place at the Bethany Place

Conference Center at 835 SW Polk inTopeka.

Non-ordination students will beenrolled as special students and will notreceive credit toward either the deaconor priest studies program.

The cost for each course is $150 forordination-track students and $75 forspecial students.

To enroll, contact KSM Coordinatorthe Rev. Andrew Grosso at [email protected] or (913) 367-3171.

Photos by Melodie Woerman

use the technology to connect to remote re-sources, such as streaming video presenta-tions from educational institutions and par-ishes like Trinity Church, Wall Street.

And this may be surprising, but we alsodon’t really have proper overnight accom-modations right now, which makes stayingat Bethany Place a challenge. The buildingis not accessible at all to people with dis-abilities. There aren’t enough beds for asmany students as we would like to have.There aren’t enough outlets in most roomsto accommodate things like laptops andvideo projectors. The kitchen facilities arenot really adequate for groups, so all ourmeals have to be catered.

The Crossroads campaign also willprovide a significant endowment forKSM. How will that help the School?

Having an endowment would allow fora part-time or full-time position for some-one dedicated to overseeing and develop-ing the program. It would enable us to of-fer better compensation to our faculty,which would enhance our ability to recruithighly trained specialists and skilled teach-ers. And it would provide for additional fi-nancial aid for students.


Mission rectMission rectMission rectMission rectMission rector will highlight ECW annual gatheringor will highlight ECW annual gatheringor will highlight ECW annual gatheringor will highlight ECW annual gatheringor will highlight ECW annual gatheringBy Mary Roberts

All Episcopal women in the Dioceseof Kansas are invited to this year’sAnnual Gathering of the Episco-

pal Church Women, set for Oct. 2 at St.John’s Episcopal Church in Parsons.

The Annual Gathering is a meeting ofEpiscopal women from across the Dioceseof Kansas to pray together, grow spiritu-ally, meet new friends and connect with old,all in the light of Christ’s love as shared inECW.

Every woman who attends an Episco-pal Church or is curious about the Episco-pal Church is welcome to attend.

The Episcopal ChurchWomen of the Diocese ofKansas are proud to wel-come the Rev. GailGreenwell as this year’spresenter.

Greenwell has served asthe rector of St. Michaeland All Angels in Missionsince 2008. She and herhusband, Jim, have twogrown daughters.

She is a writer, teacherand a patron of spiritualityand the arts. Before com-ing to the Diocese of Kan-

sas, she developed an artsoutreach to low incomechildren in the Dioceses ofOregon and California.

Greenwell’s presenta-tion, “Pathways to SpiritualGrowth,” invites ECWmembers to explore thespiritual discipline of lis-tening prayer.

Using lecture and smallgroup format, she will en-courage church women todiscern what God is callingthem to do with their lim-ited time and resources in

the midst of busy lives and an even needierworld.

“Calls for help come in constantly,”Greenwell said, “and how is a woman offaith to respond? Where are we to give ourtime, energy and commitment?”

Participants will explore these and otherquestions throughout the day.

Forms to sign up for this year’s AnnualGathering will be available at your localparish.

Registration for the event begins at 9a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Mary Roberts is publicity chair for theKansas ECW. She is a member of St. John’s,Parsons.

The Rev. Gail Greenwell isthe speaker for the ECWAnnual Gathering Oct. 2.

Summer wind storms topple trees at two churches

80 m.p.h. winds through Blue Rapids on June 17 caused damage to trees and the church building at St. Mark’s (left). Winds clocked at 90m.p.h. felled trees in the yard at St. Paul’s, Manhattan (right) on Aug. 13.


Two storms that sweptacross portions of theNorthwest Convocation

this summer caused damage attwo parishes, felling trees and, forone, damaging its building.

St. Mark’s in Blue Rapids wasone of many buildings in towndamaged by 80 m.p.h. winds thathit that town and nearbyWaterville on June 17.

The parish’s vicar, the Rev. ArtRathbun, reported that severallarge trees toppled in the church’sfront yard. They also hit the build-ing resulting in damage.

The roof sustained “lots ofdamage,” Rathbun said, alongwith the building’s siding. Two ofthe church’s colored-glass win-dows were broken, also.

It took several weeks for all thedebris to be removed, he said, andthe church was working with theChurch Insurance Company tocover damages.

With the storm hitting on aThursday, no church services were

interrupted by the storm, he noted.Almost two months later, 90

m.p.h. winds that whippedthrough Manhattan the evening ofAug. 13 felled large trees at St.Paul’s Church downtown. TheRev. Tom Miles, the parish’s rec-tor, said that men arriving the nextmorning for the usual Saturdaymorning men’s breakfast had to

pick their way through fallen treelimbs to get into the church. Af-terward, several men went hometo grab power tools and returnedfor an impromptu clean-up ses-sion to clear the sidewalks of de-bris for Sunday worshippers.

Miles said there was no dam-age to the church building fromthe storm.

A few blocks away, on the Kan-sas State University campus, dam-age from falling trees amountedto nearly a quarter of a milliondollars, according to a news re-lease issued by university offi-cials.

St. Francis Canterbury, theEpiscopal Diocese of Kansas’spresence on campus, lost power

during the storm and had smalltree branches “everywhere,” ac-cording to campus intern NicMather.

He, volunteer Carol Connizzoand the Rev. Michael Bell, thenewly hired campus missionerwho was in town to look for ahouse, all rode out the stormsafely there.

Photo by the Very Rev. Jerry Adinolfi

The Habitat for Humanity house being built in Coffeyville by the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas continues totake shape, thanks to the building skills of volunteers from the Coffeyville community and from around thediocese. A diocesanwide work weekend is scheduled for Sept. 18-19.

Volunteers needed for specialHabitat work weekend

Sept. 18-19 has been set asa special work weekendon the Habitat for Human-

ity house being built by the Epis-copal Diocese of Kansas inCoffeyville to bring together vol-unteers from across the diocese.

Work will start about 8:30 a.m.on Sept. 18 and continue until 4p.m., with a barbecue supperplanned at nearby St. Paul’sChurch. Work will continue onSunday afternoon, after churchservices, ending late afternoon.

Volunteers are welcome tospend the entire weekend or forwhatever portion of either day thatthey can participate.

Overnight accommodationsare available for those from out-of-town. Diocesan Habitat liaisonJoe Miller is handling reservationsfor workers and lodging. He canbe contacted at his home (620)251-8219 or office (620) 251-6967. Leave a message if he’s notavailable when you call.

He also can be reached by

e-mail at [email protected].

WWWWWororororork prk prk prk prk progressing nicelyogressing nicelyogressing nicelyogressing nicelyogressing nicelyThanks to the help of volun-

teers this summer from theCoffeyville community, a greatdeal of work has taken place onthe house, according to Miller.

Siding now covers most of thestructure, which is being pur-chased with a no-interest loan bySherry Freeman, who is assistingwith the construction.

Earlier this summer local vol-unteers put a roof on the house andinstalled all the windows. Episco-pal college students provided aweek of labor in May.

The diocese is sponsoring con-struction of the house, thanks togenerous contributions of $37,000from across the diocese and a$25,000 grant from EpiscopalRelief and Development.Coffeyville lost many affordablehousing units in a massive floodin June 2007.


Fightinghunger

September is Hunger Action Month.Episcopalians are responding, because

the need for food isn’t going away.

S ome people gauge the state of theeconomy by watching indicators likethe stock market or housing numbers.

In Kansas, other numbers tell the tale. Thepoverty rate stands at 12.4 percent; for chil-dren, it’s 17.1 percent. Unemploymentstands at 6.5 percent. Last year almost200,000 Kansans sought emergency foodassistance through a pantry, kitchen orshelter.

For those running food ministries in theEpiscopal Diocese of Kansas, they don’thave to look any farther than the peoplecoming through their doors to know thattimes remain tough, and it’s not getting anybetter.

While efforts to fight hunger stretchacross the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas,one of the largest takes place at St. Paul’s,Kansas City. Its food pantry now providesfood for more than 14,000 people a year,and the Saturday morning breakfast pro-gram provides a hot meal to upwards of10,000 people annually.

St. Paul’s food pantryDeacon Gail Reynolds coordinates the

food pantry, and that effort now is serving40 to 60 households twice a week. That’smore than double what it was just two yearsago when growing numbers prompted thepantry to open on Saturday as well asWednesday.

The numbers at each session havegrown, too, with new people stopping byevery day. They see about 10 newcomers aweek, according to statistics Reynoldssends out to volunteers, but the first weekin August saw 24 new households come infor help. “Some are coming in for the firsttime, and some are back after not being herefor a year,” Reynoldssaid. “They say, ‘Ijust couldn’t make itthis month.’”

The pantry onlyprovides emergencyfood assistance andcan’t replace all thefood a family needs.

Reynolds said thearea they serve — aportion of WyandotteCounty — includessome of the poorestzip codes in the stateof Kansas. The over-all poverty rate forthe county is 19.2percent, 104th out of105 counties.

The pantry dis-tributes three kinds

of food items: government-provided com-modities, which are available once a monthto those meeting federal income guidelines;nonperishable food the pantry refers to asgroceries, which can be obtained everyother month by people who live in theirservice area; and donated fresh items, in-cluding produce and baked goods, whichthey distribute to anyone in need.

They also give away households itemssuch as soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, sham-poo and diapers. Staples like flour andcooking oil are bought in bulk and dividedinto smaller containers to make them gofarther.

Before expansion, there wasn’t room toallow for personal choice, said volunteerDonna Fye of St. Thomas, Overland Park.“Now they can shop, they can pick out thevegetables they want, or the soup they like.”

SSSSSt. Pt. Pt. Pt. Pt. Paul’s Saturdaaul’s Saturdaaul’s Saturdaaul’s Saturdaaul’s Saturday breakfasty breakfasty breakfasty breakfasty breakfastEvery Saturday for the past 12-and-a-

half years, the smell of a hot cooked break-fast has filled St. Paul’s parish hall. Volun-teers now prepare food for 150 to 250

people each week,although they haveserved as many as300, according toprogram founderJulie Marcus, amember of St.Michael’s, Mission.

She sees a lot ofregulars, callingmany by name. Mostare single, mainlymen, although fami-lies come, too.

On a recent Satur-day, Anthony wasthere with his 5-year-old son, Kahliq-anthony. He’s beencoming regularly fora few years, he saidin part because “it’s

enjoyable.” But he also noted that the mealand the food he’s been picking up recentlyfrom the pantry downstairs “help stretch thebudget.” As a single father, he said, “thatreally helps.”

Juanita brought her niece, Jaelynn, forbreakfast. Juanita said she comes nearlyevery week, in part because she likes “thefellowship, the atmosphere.” She said shehopes her own church, Celebration ofPraise Ministries, can start something simi-lar. But she’s also been unemployed sincelast year, and she said without St. Paul’sand places like it, “I’d really be struggling.”

She also is a monthly regular at the foodpantry. “They have really been a blessing,”she said. “It has helped a lot of people.”

Marcus noted with pride that the break-fast program hasn’t missed a single Satur-day since it opened in March of 1998.“Even if Christmas is on a Saturday, we’rehere!” she said, noting that when that hashappened, they’ve had more volunteersthan ever.

Here is what’s happening at other foodministries across the diocese:

Trinity Interfaith Food PantryTrinity, Lawrence, operates a food bank

that receives food from a number of inter-faith partners in town. Barry Molineux, thepantry’s coordinator of servers, said theyserved just under 3,000 people during thefirst half of this year, and that’s about a 15percent increase in recent months.

They’re also seeing new people stoppingby, and many are part of larger families, orgroupings of individuals joining togetherin one household.

Molineux said many are unemployed orworking reduced hours, and the number ofsenior citizens remains high.

Some patrons, he said, stop by everymonth but also visit two or three other foodpantries in town for help, a move he findsunderstandable. “Everyone would like tohave three basic meals a day, just like ev-eryone else,” he said.

Episcopal Social ServicesESS in Wichita has provided a hot lunch

every weekday for 27 years. Since the eco-nomic downturn began in the fall of 2008,the number of people they serve has risendramatically. In 2009 they served just over20,000 hot lunches; the year before it wasjust over 15,000, a 33 percent increase.

ESS also stocks an emergency food pan-

try that provides small sacks of food to cli-ents. In 2009, 248 sacks were handed out,which fed 425 people.

K.C. Community KitchenEpiscopal Community Services, the

Episcopal agency that serves the metropoli-tan Kansas City area, soon will open a newcommunity kitchen poised to provide evenmore help to people in Kansas City, Mo.During the week of Aug. 16-20, the kitchenserved 2,700 hot meals.

The move from the current kitchen atGrace and Holy Trinity Cathedral at 13thand Broadway to the new facility at Paseoand Adams will expand the lunch seatingcapacity by 20 percent, according to JamiByer, director of food operations, and alarger food production area means the num-ber of daily meals could double. Its bistro-inspired design also will provide a less in-stitutional setting. It also will locate thekitchen in the neighborhood where manyof its existing clients live, rather than blocksaway, as it is now.

The existing kitchen at the cathedral willbecome the hub of ECS’s hunger reliefministries, including an expansion of itsCulinary Cornerstones chef-training pro-gram for disadvantaged students. It alsowill be the home of its food rescue pro-gram, where donated food can be processedand stored until needed by other food min-istries in the area.

Volunteer Mike Barnes (right) helps a neighbor select groceries at the food pantry at St.Paul’s, Kansas City, Kan. Barnes is a member of St. Peter’s in Kansas City, Mo.

Text and photosby Melodie Woerman

Editor, The Harvest

Anthony (left), single father toKahliqanthony, is a regular visitor to thebreakfast program and the food pantryat St. Paul’s. Both help him stretch hisbudget, he says.

Hunger Action MonthDo you want to help fight hunger in yourcommunity? Here are things you can do:

Learn about hunger in your communityand help your church start a programto serve the hungry.

Volunteer at a local food pantry ormeal program.

Donate food or money. Boy Scouts willbe collecting food on Sept. 11; givegenerously.

Does your local school districtparticipate in BackSnacks, weekendfood for hungry children? If not, findout how to help them start a program.

Volunteers dry dishes at the Saturdaymorning breakfast program at St. Paul’s,under the direction of Julie Marcus (front),the program’s founder.


We spent less than three hours there, but the visit left me with a lifetime of images to process — trash and feces lining the dirt road we drove to enter the shanty town, children without shoes walking through it, and hundreds of blocks of meager huts where the thousands of poor try their best to live and work, despite the odds that they’ll fail.

Mostly, I remember the smell. As children would run alongside our bus, yelling mzungu in glee at the sight of our white faces through the open windows, a distinct odor of old excrement and rubbish fi lled the cabin along with their voices. I will never forget that stench — one so terrible, it didn’t even evoke disgust, only sadness. And that, I quickly discovered, was only the tip of the eventual pull of the land on my heart.

A highway of prostitutionSoon, we saw equally disheartening destitu-

tion when we visited Maai Mahiu — a more rural version of Kibera. The town sustains a line of truckers that pull trailers of goods from Mombasa to Uganda and Tanzania and leave AIDS by night as they pass. Along the roadside of the Maai Mahiu to Nairobi highway that divides the town, dozens of prostitutes emerge every night for these clients to select.

Most of them are women, but a growing number are also children. They are orphans, because their fathers were only business deals for their mothers, who have died of AIDS. They are prostitutes because even selling their bodies in the back of a semi cab is better than starving on the street.

The community team worked hard to uplift the disadvantaged youth of the town. They more than doubled the number of outhouses at the largest primary school there, fi nally allow-ing the more than 1,500 students to share more than just six stalls. They also investigated how

the heart of Seeing

KenyaEpiscopalians from the Diocese of Kansas made trips this summer

to work with the people of Kenya through the diocesan ‘Kansas to Kenya’ ministry. Here are two of their stories.

By Ray Segebrecht

I suppose my attachment emotionally to the coun-

try, and my time there, began pretty quickly. In my

fi rst day in Nairobi, I went with the community

team to Kibera, one of the world’s largest slums.

to best spend other support funds to help the hundreds of other kids in town who can’t pay the minimal school fees.

People helped, but needs remainUltimately, I left feeling the difference they

made — along with the medical team — be-came one of the biggest gifts of the year for the town. For the fi rst time in months, the principal of Ngeya School had an answer for the extreme shortage of toilets — an essential piece for any hope of sanitation. And hundreds of patients per day benefi ted from a whole week of health ex-pertise they before would have needed to travel more than three miles and pay to receive.

But the joy of that success was subdued by the immense need that still remained, both in Maai Mahiu and less than fi ve miles away in the camps for internally displaced persons, where the plight worsens.

There, I met a number of families with single mothers, whose husbands had died due to election violence in 2007.

For a number of them, the misfortune came along with other blows — a rape by a man with HIV, a child burned amid all the arson. For all of the women, the fi elds of the Rift Valley surrounding Maai Mahiu are their only hope for a safe place to live now, even though that often means living in three-year-old tents with leaking tarps.

But while there, I watched the community team give about 20 HIV-positive mothers food for their families that will last up to a month. I saw a community team mental health counselor offer advice and compassion to a number of these women, too.

I also witnessed the gift of a roof of iron sheets to a grandmother in that group and the utter elation in her eyes as she received it — the last material she needed for a home.

One of Mary Warimu’s granddaughters waits to greet visitors to their home this summer.Photo by Ray Segebrecht


Mary Warimu of

rural Maai Mahiu,

Kenya, with

fi ve of the nine

grandchildren who

live with her, all left

orphaned when

their mothers died

of AIDS.

Photo by

Ray Segebrecht

Perhaps I could dwell on the fact that 167 of the roughly 340 families at the Eldoret camp of internal refugees still suffer the plight she has known for three years. Just thinking of how some families in that group still sleep on wet mattresses of bean pods on a dirt fl oor makes me weak sometimes.

A visit to rememberIt’s another, less fortunate world, but

it’s still close enough to help, and living here while knowing what needs to happen to change their circumstances wears on me. That thought, I suppose, could easily weigh too heavily on my heart. At times, I feel overwhelmed by the need.

But that’s also when I force myself to remember a visit I made with Fathers Andrew O’Connor of Wichita, Bob Terrill of Overland Park, and Antony Ngugi of Maai Mahiu to a rural family 30 minutes outside Maai Mahiu.

The grandmother we visited was Mary Warimu. She was 70, and her small hut, old and wooden with a rusted roof, looked abandoned. But soon small children ran out as we exited the car and walked nearer. They smiled innocent, toothy grins as they reached up for our white, mzungu hands. Their clothes were dusty and their feet bare. Together, they led us to the rest of the family inside.

All of us, including Father Antony, had to duck to enter. The dirt-fl oored room held, apart from a bench Mary shared with her nine grandchildren, only three old lawn chairs and a wooden one with-out a back. Together, we fi lled every inch of her furniture in the hot, dusty space.

The fi rst thing I noticed after we settled was Mary’s face. In the dark, windowless hut, her features were dimly lit, but looking closely, I thought I could still discern her emotions. She was try-ing hard to smile for her guests, to show them cheer. But for her tired head, leaned back against the wallboard, that expres-sion never came. She simply locked her gaze ahead and waited, leaning forward slightly every few seconds to clear a deep chest cough she and all her grandchildren had caught.

As Father Andrew prepared to lead us in prayer, Mary shut her eyes tightly.

Father Andrew moved close and stooped toward her. Gently, he held her head in his hands and bowed his own face close to hers before shutting his eyes, too, in petition. As he spoke, the hornets fl ew low and around our faces, and the heat of the small quarters caused sweat to run down my face and neck, even as I sat still. But all I had to do was glance once at Father Andrew to block out all these distractions.

This man, who had just seen Mary cough, fearlessly had his lips close to her forehead and his own health blocked far from his mind. His requests to God couldn’t have sounded more earnest. There, between us, was a great chasm of fortune, one we had limited worldly means to bridge. But as we bowed our heads to the heartfelt words Father An-drew lifted to our common Lord, together we suddenly seemed to have found peace.

We were with a grandmother, the sole caretaker of nine young children who had lost her only three daughters, the moth-ers of her grandchildren, to AIDS from prostitution.

The grandmother was just one of many examples of a world we will never fully transform. Jesus knew this. Before he died, he even said, “The poor you will have with you always.”

The world is simply too big, and the need we created — as a collective people of this planet — is just too pervasive. But Jesus still spent his whole life on earth helping the poor, the lame, the sick and the blind. And we, too, can mitigate the misfortune of others by trying to improve and touch lives where possible.

As we do, we also can take comfort in returning to the truth that two Kansas priests, and one from Kenya, taught me this summer: even in our frustrating futil-ity at times to fi x a person’s plight, we can love generously and completely as we are fully loved — the most important gift of all.

Ray Segebrecht is a journalist who ac-companied the community team to Kenya. He is a member of Trinity, Lawrence, and is the son of Deacon Steve Segebrecht, the director of Kansas to Kenya.

M ost of you know that Carolyn and I went on a medical mission trip to

Kenya sponsored by the Diocese of Kansas. Carolyn worked as a nurse and participated with the team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and pre-med stu-dents who saw more than 1,100 patients in the course of 4 1/2 days. I worked with the local Anglican priest, Father Antony Ngugi, as we prayed with people who came through the clinic.

As I refl ect on our trip, it is diffi cult to try to sum up the experience. It is diffi cult to try to convey the multitude of feelings that come from such a trip. However, I continue to think about the level of faithfulness to Jesus Christ and his church that the people we met have.

Sunday mornings at the local An-glican church there fi nd their buildings packed. Even in the face of economic poverty, the two churches that we met are working on building new fellowship halls and other spaces for outreach.

A majority of the people that Father Antony and I prayed with wanted to include in their prayers thanks to God for his protection and gifts in their lives. It made me feel more than a little awkward about my spiritual poverty in the face of their deep commitment to God and the Christian community.

I was reminded of Jesus’ state-

ment to Judas, “The poor will always be among you, I will only be with you for a little while.” It became apparent that while even the most economically disadvantaged in the United States have more resources than a majority of people living in the rest of the world, we are people who are somewhat spiritually impoverished.

We are indeed poor because of our inability to see Christ in our midst.

How often do I really put my whole trust in God’s grace and generosity? How often do I bother to give thanks to God for all he has done for me, espe-cially when I am anxious about whether I have enough? How often do I see God working in the pain and the loss in my life? How easily I drop God as the fi rst priority in my life for other desires and distractions.

I learned a lot about poverty in my time away. I have learned that we may be, in some ways, the poorest of all people. The Good News is that God never gives up on us as long as we don’t give up on God.

I learned from our Kenyan hosts that we should at all times give thanks to and trust in God. That, by far, was a greater gift than any of us from the U.S. could have given to them.

The Rev. Kelley Lackey and his wife, Carolyn, were part of the medical team that went to Kenya this summer. He is the rector of St. Andrew’s, Emporia.

By Kelley Lackey

Schoolgirls show off their fi rst pair of eyeglasses, provided by the vision clinic staffed by the Kansas to Kenya medical team. Photo by Karin Feltman

What was accomplished this year?

Community Team

T wo groups went to Kenya this summer under the auspices of the diocesan Kansas to Kenya program. The Community Team had 11 members, and the Medical Team

took 19, each there team in the country about a week. Both worked primarily in the area around Maai Mahiu, a town of more than 30,000 in the Rift Valley that stands on the Trans-African Highway.

Here’s a recap of some of the ministry they accomplished while they were there:

Created a demonstration community garden, complete with drip irrigation; Built 20 toilets to improve sanitation at Ngeya Primary School; Worked with area women on nutrition and human rights issues; Encouraged youth leadership and HIV awareness through a soccer tournament; and Strengthened relationships with the Anglican Church of Kenya and the local Diocese of Nakuru.

Medical Team Saw 1,154 patients in 4 1/2 days; Offered medical care in adult internal medicine and pediatrics; Provided dental care and a vision clinic, the team’s busiest work; Provided medications as needed; Staffed an HIV testing and counseling clinic; and Offered prayers for medical patients through a spiritual clinic.


Around the dioceseTrinity, Arkansas City hosted a Christ-

mas in July sale at its Trinity Treasures giftshop, featuring Christmas items in additionto regular merchandise. A 20 percent dis-count was offered to entice shoppers tobrowse during the month.

Trinity, Atchison announced an all-par-ish meeting for Sept. 12 to discuss initia-tives the vestry has been developing in re-cent months, including development of astrategic vision for the parish, liturgicalpractice, the rectory and the parish invest-ment portfolio.

St. Mark’s, Blue Rapids wasn’t ableto help with the town’s ecumenical BibleSchool on June 7 after roads through BlueRapids were blocked off while a suspect ina Topeka murder held a local woman hos-tage. VBS was halted just for the day theparish was scheduled to assist.

St. Paul’s, Clay Center hosted a back-to-school “bands blow-out concert” Aug.13 in a local park. The event was designedfor young people 18 and younger and wasprovided as a gift to the community by theparish. Volunteers provided snacks.

St. Paul’s, Coffeyville sought volun-teers to be Church school teachers as theparish revitalizes its education program.The Very Rev. Jerry Adinolfi will teach chil-dren instead of adults this fall to assist withthe effort.

St. Andrew’s, Derby has a new “greenteam,” St. Andrew’s Values the Earth, orSAVE. It is working with Kansas InterfaithPower and Light and has conducted achurch building energy audit.

St. Martin’s, Edwardsville planned a

parent-child retreat to help children age 5to 8 prepare for their first communion.

Trinity, El Dorado has two newly re-furbished church signs, including the rec-ognizable “The Episcopal Church Wel-comes You.”

St. Andrew’s, Emporia enjoyed a va-riety of summertime music during worship,including a group from St. Mark’s LutheranChurch and the newly formed St. Andrew’sMen Singers.

St. Thomas, Holton welcomed KenWaterman from the local food pantry foran update on the expanding needs of thepantry. The parish collects food to supportthe need.

Epiphany, Independence Guild mem-bers this summer heard presentations byEmporian Gary Mason on his work photo-graphing Mother Teresa in India, and onquilt patterns that were used in the Under-ground Railroad.

Covenant, Junction City collectedschool supplies to assist students in needat Westwood School.

St. Paul’s, Kansas City said thank-youto YouthWorks and the youth and adultleaders of America Lutheran and AugustanaLutheran Churches of Minnesota for paint-ing the food pantry area, and cleaning thebuilding exterior and parish office.

St. Margaret’s, Lawrence offered cara-mel apples and warm chocolate chip cook-ies to those touring newly renovated class-rooms during a children’s ministry openhouse.

Trinity, Lawrence members of the Trin-ity Environmental Stewardship Teamhosted a trip to the Tallgrass National Prai-rie Preserve June 26. The day included aguided tour of the prairie and displays inthe old stone house and barn on the site.

St. Paul’s, Manhattan is starting achapter of Roots and Shoots, an organiza-tion started by Jane Goodall in 1991 to en-courage children to become involved in sci-ence projects related to the human commu-nity, the environment and animals. It willbe open to children of all ages and will meetonce a month.

St. Paul’s, Marysville joined in the Pen-tecost service at Evangelical United Churchof Christ. Member Ben Malotte was partof the band that played for the service.

St. Michael’s, Mission has a new men’sfellowship, called Holy Stir-it, that offersmonthly cooking lessons for men that re-sults in a meal to take home that evening.The first installment on Aug. 31 featuredappetizers and beverages.

St. Matthew’s, Newton celebrated thelongtime service to the parish by fivepeople and the 70th wedding anniversaryof James and Grace Combs when BishopDean Wolfe visited in July. One person alsowas confirmed.

St. Aidan’s, Olathe will begin a newhospitality ministry, with two members nearthe front door each week to welcome newpeople. They will offer directions, help visi-tors during the service, invite them to cof-fee hour, drop off a loaf of bread that after-noon and write them during the week.

Grace, Ottawa has a new Sanctus bell,given by Martha Berton and family inmemory of her late husband, John, who wassenior warden from 2004 to 2006.

St. Thomas, Overland Park offered ablessing of backpacks and car keys on Aug.22, as students were heading back toschool. A gift also was given to every par-ticipant.

St. John’s, Parsons hosted a table at theLabette Community College enrollmentstudent fair in August. Members handed outgoody bags and information about thechurch.

St. Luke’s, Shawnee has begun a Sat-urday evening contemplative service, fea-turing an abbreviated form of EveningPrayer with time for quiet and meditation.It also includes a form of the Holy Eucha-rist that allows all present to participate.

St. Clare’s, Spring Hill celebrated St.Clare’s Day Aug. 14 with a festive Italiandinner at the Spring Hill Community Cen-ter. Members prepared the food for theevent that drew 90 people.

Grace Cathedral, Topeka had 14 mem-bers of the cathedral choirs attend theweeklong Royal School of Church Musicacademy in Wilkes-Barre, Penn. Dr. BarryRose, retired organist and choirmaster ofSt. Alban’s Cathedral in England, was thisyear’s music director.

St. David’s, Topeka youth visited theOmaha Zoo in July. After riding a char-

Submitted photo

Episcopalians help with WSU move-inRandy Harrison of St. James, Wichita, offers directions to a student during move-in

day at Wichita State University Aug. 15.Members of the Episcopal Campus Ministry of Wichita were on hand to assist students

by hauling luggage from the parking lot into dorms. They also became the unofficial“water brigade,” supplying bottles of cold water not only to students and families butalso to other volunteers assisting with the efforts.

Volunteers also handed out ECM survival kits, including an Episcopal water bottle,coupons to local restaurants and information on the group’s Sunday evening Taize serviceat the WSU chapel.

Episcopalians from Good Shepherd, St. James, St. John’s and St. Stephen’sparticipated in the student outreach effort, headed by Jeff Roper of St. James.

tered bus, the 15 young people visited ex-hibits, watched an IMAX movie and atlunch at the zoo. They stopped for pizza inNebraska City on the way home.

St. Luke’s, Wamego is undergoing abuilding inspection to see what changesmight be needed to implement Safeguard-ing God’s Children recommendations.

St. Jude’s, Wellington handed out freelemonade during the town’s Wheat Festi-val Arts and Crafts’ Show in July. They alsogathered the names of 75 people seekingprayers.

Good Shepherd, Wichita raised morethan $2,000 from its annual garage sale,with proceeds split between Episcopal So-cial Services and Our Little Roses Orphan-age in Honduras.

St. Bartholomew’s, Wichita encour-aged members to remember victims of theHaiti earthquake through contributions toEpiscopal Relief and Development.

St. James’, Wichita offered the ac-claimed musical “Man of La Mancha,” pre-sented by its Guild Hall Players.

St. Stephen’s, Wichita provides meet-ing space to a variety of self-help groups,including AA, Al-Anon, Debtors’ Anony-mous and Overeaters Anonymous.

Grace, Winfield collected items forwelcome bags to hand out to incomingfreshmen at Southwestern College, includ-ing lip balm, tissues packages, ramennoodles and Life Savers.

Year A soon availablein popular lector’s guide

The next installment of the popularLector’s Guide and Commentary on theRevised Common Lectionary will beavailable in October, just in time for the startof lectionary Year A on Nov. 28.

The book is published by St. Mark’sPress, a ministry of Good Shepherd,Wichita. The guide recently underwentextensive revision by the press’s director,Ted Blakley, a New Testament scholar, tomake the lessons more understandable forthose who read them in church services.

The price is $20, and it can be orderedfrom the St. Mark’s Press website,www.stmarkspress.net, or by calling (800)365-0439.


People

Clergy newsThe Rev. Rob Baldwin has

accepted the call to become thenext rector of Trinity,Lawrence. He began his min-istry there on Aug. 29.

Most recently he has servedas rector of St. James’ in Piqua,Ohio.

He and his wife, Valerie,have two children, Alex andAbby.

The Ron Pogue, who forthe past year has been interimat Trinity, Lawrence, has ac-cepted a call as interim atChurch of the Good Shepherdin Lexington, Ky., beginningOct. 3.

Parishioners at St. Luke’s, Shawnee, surpassed their goal of walking 2,000 miles thissummer. (From left) Cheryl Ball, Gloria Kelley, Kevin Kelley and Steve Mann take a two-mile walk in a nearby park before the start of church services.

Photo by Peggy Cook

ShaShaShaShaShawnee memberwnee memberwnee memberwnee memberwnee members taks taks taks taks take ‘ste ‘ste ‘ste ‘ste ‘step in the right direction’ep in the right direction’ep in the right direction’ep in the right direction’ep in the right direction’By Melodie WoermanEditor, The Harvest

Peggy Cook challenged her parish, St.Luke’s in Shawnee, to spend the summer engaged in healthy habits, and

they have responded.Cook, whose husband, Jim, is the

parish’s rector, suggested parishioners signup to walk a total of 1,000 miles duringJuly and August. She was motivated, inpart, by helping her mother recover afterknee replacement surgery.

She also knew several parishioners whowere suffering health issues, and she con-cluded everyone could benefit from someextra exercise. As the parish’s small groupministry coordinator, she thought it mighteven develop into a small group.

But first she offered the opportunity tothe entire congregation, and within days sheknew her thousand-mile goal needed revis-ing — her group of walkers logged 400miles in the first week, marking their jointprogress on a chart with mile markers des-ignated along a winding path.

Eventually 70 people signed up for the“A Step in the Right Direction” effort.

Some people, she said, walked outsideand some on a treadmill, some alone andsome in groups. Some even headed to apark near St. Luke’s to log some miles be-fore the start of Sunday church services.

One parishioner, recovering from exten-sive cancer surgery, did his distance withlaps around the hospital nurses’ station. An-other, who needs to lose weight before hecan undergo a lung transplant, opted formiles on a stationary bike.

The emphasis on being healthy extendedbeyond just walking. A nurse offered to doblood pressure checks on Sundays, andonly healthy snacks were served at coffeehour.

Materials on healthy habits were madeavailable on Sundays and in the parishnewsletter.

While walking herself, Cook said shewas aware of all those who can’t walk, andshe encouraged her walking team to say aprayer for them.

By the time the initial eight weeks wasup on Aug. 29, Cook said the parish hadrecorded a total of 2, 660 miles, setting thestage, she hoped, for healthier habits andhealthier parishioners.

Liturgy and ecumenical leader Winnie Crapson dies at 85

Winnie Crapson, a noted lay leaderin the Episcopal Church and theDiocese of Kansas, died Aug. 11

in Topeka. She was 85.She had been chair of the di-

ocesan liturgy committee as wellas diocesan ecumenical officer,and in each of those roles held na-tional office, including presidentof the national liturgy and musicofficers association and boardmember of the Episcopal Dioc-esan Ecumenical and Interreli-gious Officers.

Crapson was a deputy to Gen-eral Convention, a member of theCouncil of Trustees for the Episcopal Dioceseof Kansas and president of the NorthwestConvocation. She also represented the diocese

on a number of area ecumenical associations.She received the Bishop’s Vision Award in1997 for outstanding service to the church.

Nationally, most recently she was a mem-ber of the board of the Archives ofthe Episcopal Church in Austin,Texas.

She also had been a board mem-ber for the national deacons’ asso-ciation, a board member for theEpiscopal Theological Seminaryof the Southwest in Austin, secre-tary of Province 7, secretary of theAnglican Theological Review Cor-poration and a reader of GeneralOrdination Exams. She also was

involved in liturgical reform and revision ofthe Book of Common Prayer in the 1970sthrough Associated Parishes.

At St. David’s, Topeka, where she had beena member for 50 years, she had served on thevestry and numerous boards and organizations.

She also was a member and vice chair ofthe Topeka-Shawnee County MetropolitanPlanning Commission and president of theCommunity Resource Council.

She worked in the legal department of theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad for46 years, investigating employment discrimi-nation complaints and planning forcompanywide computerization. Her husband,James Crapson, died in 1982. She is survivedby a nephew, the Rev. Jim Crapson.

A memorial service celebrating her life isset for Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. at St. David’s.

Memorial contributions may be made to St.David’s Endowment Fund, 3916 SW 17th St.,Topeka, KS 66604.

Winnie Crapson

Campus interns ready for newschool year at K-State and K.U.


There will be one new and onefamiliar face among the campusinterns that already are hard at

work for the 2010-2011 school year.New to the Episcopal Diocese of

Kansas is Nic Mather, who is living atSt. Francis Canterbury House at Kan-sas State University in Manhattan.

Returning for a second year is JoelMcAlister, who is in residence at St.Anselm Canterbury House at the Uni-versity of Kansas in Lawrence.

Mather is a native of Washingtonstate and a 2008 graduate of GonzagaUniversity in Spokane. Most recently hespent two years in the legal offices ofthe Internal Revenue Service in Seattle.

He is a lifelong Episcopalian. He waselected to the Standing Committee in theDiocese of Spokane and worked withthe youth group at St. John’s CathedralJoel McAlister, K.U.

campus intern

Nic Mather, K-Statecampus intern

there. In his home parish he served asa delegate to Diocesan Convention anda youth member of the vestry.

McAlister is a 2009 graduate of theUniversity of Arizona. He has doneextensive mission work in Arequipa,Peru, and in Queretaro, Mexico. He isfluent in Spanish.

Both interns will serve as mentorsto the undergraduate peer ministers liv-ing in each Canterbury house and willhelp oversee their work. They also willwork with peer ministers working onother campuses across the diocese.

They will help organize events spe-cifically for students on the campuseswhere they will work and will help cre-ate service projects for peer ministersand other students on campus.

This is the fourth year the Dioceseof Kansas has hired graduate campusinterns. They are paid a modest stipendfor the year and are provided housingat one of the Canterbury houses.

People of Note

Kansas priest to receive award for servantleadership from Austin seminary

Cathedral organist set to head prestigiousKings College music course

Steve Burk, organist and choirmaster at Grace Cathedral, has beennamed the manager of the Kings College Summer Choir Singing

Course sponsored by the Royal School of Church Music America,beginning in 2011. The course takes place in Wilkes-Barre, Penn.

This is the largest course of its kind in North America, attractingmore than 150 singers of all ages from 10 years and up, with partici-pants coming from across the country.

RSCMA is the American branch of the Royal School of ChurchMusic, founded in England in 1927 to promote high quality choralmusic. It now has more than 700 affiliates in the United States.

T he Rev. Zane Wilemon of Austin, Texas, who is canonically resi-dent in the Diocese of Kansas, will receive the 2010 Charles J.

Cook Award in Servant Leadership from the Episcopal Seminary ofthe Southwest in Austin on Sept. 9.

Wilemon is the founder of Comfort the Children International, anorganization that works in Kenya, and is an alumnus of the seminary.

The Cook Award is given annually to a person whose life and workexemplify the essence of servant leadership. It honors the 25-year ca-reer of Charles Cook at the seminary.


National and international newsAnglican news briefs

Episcopal News Service

Former K.U. chaplain among West Missouri nominees –One of three priests nominated to become the 8th bishop of WestMissouri served as Episcopal chaplain at the University of Kan-sas in the 1970s and 1980s. The Rev. Peter Casparian now isrector of Christ Church in Oyster Bay, in the Episcopal Dioceseof Long Island, New York. Other nominees are the Very Rev.Martin Scott Field, 53, rector of St. Paul’s Church in Flint andassistant to the bishop for congregational life and dean of theFlint River Valley Convocation in the Episcopal Diocese of East-ern Michigan; and the Rev. Canon Edward Daniel Smith, 54, canonto the ordinary, Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. The election isset for Nov. 6 during the diocese’s convention in Kansas City.

Bishop calls for ‘civil, respectful discussion’ concerninglower Manhattan Islamic center — The dispute over the plannedIslamic community center and mosque in lower Manhattan shouldbe seen as “an opportunity for a civil, rational, loving, respectfuldiscussion,” Diocese of New York Bishop Mark S. Sisk has saidin a letter to the diocese. “The plan to build this center is, withoutdoubt, an emotionally highly charged issue. But as a nation withtolerance and religious freedom at its very foundation, we mustnot let our emotions lead us into the error of persecuting orcondemning an entire religion for the sins of its most misguidedadherents.” Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, one of the leaders of Park51 initiative, worked with Trinity Television at Trinity Church,Wall Street, after 9/11 to produce a video to promote dialogueand mutual understanding in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

Ugandan president tells African bishops: ‘There shouldbe no room for intolerance’ — Uganda’s President YoweriMuseveni said Aug. 25 that tolerance is a biblical imperative andthat Christians should not “have one minute of time wasted” bythose promoting prejudice, according to an article from theAnglican Communion News Service. Museveni was speaking toalmost 400 bishops and other guests at the All Africa BishopsConference in Entebbe when he used the biblical parable of theGood Samaritan to highlight the need to overcome difference andpursue peace and healing, the article said. He said that prejudiceshould not get in the way of peace and helping other human beings.

Pope to meet archbishop of Canterbury in ecumenicalservice at Westminster Abbey — When Pope Benedict XVIvisits the United Kingdom in mid-September, his itinerary willinclude a meeting with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williamsand an ecumenical service at Westminster Abbey according tothe official schedule published by the Vatican. The four-day visitwill begin in Scotland on Sept. 16 when the pope will meet QueenElizabeth II at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh and celebrate Massat Bellahouston Park in Glasgow. On Sept. 17, the pope will visitWilliams at Lambeth Palace, the archbishop’s London residenceand office, before attending a service of Evening Prayer atWestminster Abbey. Other engagements will include a Sept. 18meeting with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and oppositionleader Harriet Harman, and a prayer vigil in London’s Hyde Park.

Nerva Cot Aguilera, Latin America’s first woman bishop,dies at 71 — Retired Suffragan Bishop of the Episcopal Churchof Cuba Nerva Cot Aguilera died suddenly on July 10 after abrief battle with severe anemia. She was 71. Cot became the firstfemale Anglican bishop in Latin America when she wasconsecrated in Havana’s Holy Trinity Cathedral in June 2007.Her husband is dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Havana, and ason and daughter also are priests. Another daughter is a churchadministrator. Cot’s funeral was held July 11 at the cathedral.

Tribunal rejects Sydney move to allow deacons to presideat Eucharist — The Anglican Church of Australia’s AppellateTribunal says it disagrees with the Diocese of Sydney’s decisionthat people other than priests may preside at Eucharist. Sydney’sdiocesan synod in 2008 overwhelmingly agreed that lay peopleand deacons could be permitted to preside at Eucharist andconsecrate the communion elements— a role that is normallylimited to priests. Lay presidency is widely rejected throughoutthe Anglican Communion and is seen as a break from traditionand the church’s historic Ordinal. In the Episcopal Church, onlypriests and bishops can preside at the Eucharist.

HutcHutcHutcHutcHutchinson recthinson recthinson recthinson recthinson rector elector elector elector elector electedededededbishop of Wbishop of Wbishop of Wbishop of Wbishop of Westestestestestern Kern Kern Kern Kern KansasansasansasansasansasBy Pat McCaughanEpiscopal News Service

The Rev. Michael Millikenwas elected Aug. 21 as thefifth bishop of the Episco-

pal Diocese of Western Kansas,pending the required consentsfrom a majority of bishops withjurisdiction and standing commit-tees of the Episcopal Church.

Milliken, 63, rector of GraceEpiscopal Church in Hutchinson,since 1998, was elected on thesecond ballot from a field of threenominees during a special elect-ing convention at St. Michael’sChurch in Hays.

On that ballot, he received 33votes out of 62 cast in the lay or-der and 22 out of 27 in the clergyorder. A simple majority of votesin each order was needed to elect.

Will be rectWill be rectWill be rectWill be rectWill be rectororororor, t, t, t, t, tooooooooooPending a successful consent

process, Milliken also will con-tinue as Grace’s rector while serv-ing as diocesan bishop, accordingto the Rev. Laird MacGregor,vicar of St. Anne’s Church inMcPherson and a member of thediocesan Standing Committee.

Though the exact details of thatarrangement have yet to beworked out, such a division oftime, duties and salary betweenthe diocese and a local parish ormission has been seen as a likelyoutcome since the bishop searchprocess began last spring,MacGregor explained.

Following the election,Milliken said juggling the du-

ties of bishop and rector would bea challenge. One of his first pri-orities as bishop is to build com-munity among congregations ofthe geographically large diocese.

“We don’t have a lot of people.We have to create a communityatmosphere among these places,so everyone will know everyoneelse,” he said.

Milliken would succeed the Rt.Rev. James M. Adams, the fourthbishop of the diocese, who re-signed earlier this year to becomevicar of Shepherd of the HillsEpiscopal Church in Lecanto inthe Diocese of Central Florida.

KKKKKansas and Kansas and Kansas and Kansas and Kansas and KentucentucentucentucentuckykykykykyDuring more than 35 years of

ordained ministry Milliken hasserved in a variety of local churchand community capacities.

Well known in the Kansas dio-cese, his other commitments in-clude serving as the vice chairmanof New Beginnings, Inc., a com-munity homeless ministry inHutchinson. He also is the vicepresident of the board of directorsfor St. Francis Community Ser-vices, the largest private providerof children’s services in Kansas.

His current diocesan responsi-bilities include serving as actingpresident of the diocesan counciland chair of stewardship. His pro-vincial involvements include serv-ing as a member of the ProvinceVII council and as chair of theCommission on Ministry network.

A native of Lexington, Ky., heis a 1970 graduate of the Univer-sity of Kentucky. He attendedseminary at the Episcopal Theo-logical Seminary in Kentucky andholds a Master of Art degree in

theology from Xavier Universityin Cincinnati, Ohio, where he wasa lecturer in theology from 1992-1993.

From 1973-1977, Millikenserved as vicar of St. Matthew’sChurch in the Diocese of Lexing-ton (Kentucky).

In 1977, he became rector ofGrace Church in Florence, Ky.,where he served for 21 years be-fore moving to Hutchinson.

A lecturer in the Old and NewTestaments at Hutchinson Com-munity College, he also has servedfor many years as a director andchaplain for summer youth camps.He also has been a spiritual direc-tor for several Cursillo weekends,as well as retreat leader for sev-eral men’s and women’s groups.

Milliken previously was a can-didate for bishop, in 1994, whenthe Rt. Rev. Vernon Stricklandwas elected third bishop of West-ern Kansas.

Milliken and his wife,Kathleen, have one son, who is aNational Park Service Ranger inAlaska.

The other nominees for bishopwere the Rev. Robert Rodgers, 65,deployment officer in the Dioceseof Eau Claire; and the Rev. Den-nis Zimmerman, 58, rector of St.Cornelius Episcopal Church inDodge City.

The Diocese of Western Kan-sas encompasses the western two-thirds of the state of Kansas andrepresents about 2,100 parishio-ners in 28 congregations. The dio-cese was a missionary districtfrom 1901 until 1973, when itachieved full diocesan status.

The consecration has been ten-tatively set for Saturday, Feb. 19,at Christ Cathedral in Salina, withPresiding Bishop KatharineJefferts Schori serving as chiefconsecrator and celebrant.

The Rev. Pat McCaughan is anational correspondent for theEpiscopal News Service.

The Rev. Michael Milliken,bishop-elect of Western Kansas

By Lydia KelseyEpiscopal News Service

The Rev. Martha Kester, a chaplain and 1stlieutenant in the Iowa National Guard andrector at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Des

Moines, Iowa, left Aug. 9 for a 12 month deploy-ment to Afghanistan. She is the first female chap-lain in the state of Iowa and the first to be deployed,

Kester joined the National Guard in 2006 at age38 and received her direct commission after gradu-ating from seminary in Pennsylvania. After servingthe required two years of parish ministry, Kester be-came a chaplain in January 2009.

St. Luke’s Church called Kester as its rector onJuly 25, 2009. Kester served the church as assistantprior to the Rev. Robert Elfvin’s retirement and thenas priest-in-residence. Kester will assume her du-ties as rector at St. Luke’s upon her return from herdeployment in Afghanistan in the fall of 2011.

“St. Luke’s has been amazingly supportive,” said

Kester. “It’s hard to find churches that will supporta chaplain in the armed forces, because they knowthey’ll have to be without a priest if that person isdeployed. A lot of chaplains actually lose their jobwhen they’re deployed.”

She said she is committed to serving all soldiers,and is especially glad to be available to other fe-males in the military for support.

Kester, who as a chaplain is a noncombatant inthe military, will rely on her assistant, Specialist SethOhloff, who will help her set up chapel and run prayergroups. Ohloff also will provide security for Kester,who cannot carry a weapon.

After leaving Des Moines, Kester’s battalion willhead to Camp Shelby, near Hattiesburg, Miss., toprepare for mobilization to Afghanistan later this fall.Kester said she’ll know more of what her needs willbe once she gets to Afghanistan, and at this point isasking only for prayers.

Lydia Kelsey is the editor of Iowa Connections,the Diocese of Iowa’s newspaper.

IoIoIoIoIowwwwwa priest is fa priest is fa priest is fa priest is fa priest is fiririririrst fst fst fst fst female Guard cemale Guard cemale Guard cemale Guard cemale Guard chaplainhaplainhaplainhaplainhaplain


AfAfAfAfAfttttter Ker Ker Ker Ker Katrina, parishes reporatrina, parishes reporatrina, parishes reporatrina, parishes reporatrina, parishes report recot recot recot recot recovvvvvererererery amid scary amid scary amid scary amid scary amid scarsssss

St. Mark’s inGulfport, Miss.,(above) todaystands in starkcontrast to itswind- andwater-strippedfoundation (left)followingHurricaneKatrina in 2005.Photos by EleyGuild HardyArchitects andMatthew Davies

By Mary FrancesSchjonbergEpiscopal News Service

If you live on the Gulf Coast,says the Very Rev. James“Bo” Roberts, it’s not a ques-

tion of whether a natural disasterwill strike, but rather when thenext one will come.

Roberts knows what he’s tak-ing about. He is the rector of St.Mark’s Episcopal Church inGulfport, Miss., one of sixchurches along the Gulf Coastportion of the Diocese of Missis-sippi that Hurricane Katrina de-stroyed on Aug. 29, 2005.

He began his ministry at St.Mark’s in April 1969, “right be-fore [Hurricane] Camille cameand tore it all up in August of thatyear, so I have rebuilt completelytwice,” along with making lots ofrepairs after other storms in be-tween.

Nell Bolton, executive directorof Episcopal Community Servicesof Louisiana, which grew out ofthe Diocese of Louisiana’s earlypost-storm disaster-relief efforts,recites the events of the last fiveyears almost like a litany:“Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, andthe economic downturn and nowthe oil spill.”

EmoEmoEmoEmoEmotional scartional scartional scartional scartional scars remains remains remains remains remainFive years after hurricanes

Katrina and Rita raked the gulf,followed two years ago by Gustavand Ike, the states that share itscoast are poised and anxious as theworst oil spill in U.S. historythreatens their natural resourcesand their people’s livelihoods.That worry will mute commemo-rations of the fifth anniversary ofKatrina’s wrath.

Roberts said, “It’s kind of hardto start commemorating [recoveryfrom the hurricanes] when, notonly are large numbers of placesnot recovered, but with people sit-ting here waiting for no tellingwhat may happen if we should geta storm that is going to take allthe oil that fortunately for rightnow is still sitting out in the gulf[and] all of a sudden washed it upon the gulf beaches.”

Diocese of Louisiana BishopMark Thompson agrees. “There’sbeen very little conversation in[New Orleans] or among otherpeople about remembering[Katrina],” he told ENS. And, asThompson said, “there’s still anxi-ety when a storm approaches …A lot of scars of Katrina are emo-tional.”

“You can see how it’s madethem a little jittery and of coursethe oil spill hasn’t helped out ei-ther,” he said.

On Aug. 29, the fifth anniver-sary of the storm, Episcopal Com-munity Services of Louisianasponsored work on wetlands res-toration in New Orleans’ LowerNinth Ward. It was followed by acommunity health fair at Episco-pal Church of All Souls and Com-munity Center, which was startedin the Lower Ninth Ward after itwas decimated by post-Katrinaflooding.

Katrina was one of the mostdevastating hurricanes in U.S. his-tory, according to the NationalHurricane Center, and was re-sponsible for approximately 1,000deaths in Louisiana and 200 inMississippi. Producing an esti-mated $75 billion in damages,Katrina also was the costliest U.S.hurricane on record.

TTTTTourist areas strourist areas strourist areas strourist areas strourist areas strongerongerongerongerongerMississippi Bishop Duncan

Gray III said that in his state, re-development has followed pat-terns that were set before Katrinahit. “The communities are in vari-ous stages of recovery,” he saidin a telephone interview, withthose on the eastern part of thecoast recovering more quicklythan the western side.

“It’s just the nature of the land.The eastern part, particularlyBiloxi, is full of casinos and hasthat strong, strong tourist, casino,restaurant [base],” Gray said. “Asyou go west, you’re into moreresidential and more small busi-nesses. Then you go further ondown the beach down toWaveland [near the Louisianaborder where] it was not muchmore than a line of houses alongthe beach.”

Thousands respondedThousands respondedThousands respondedThousands respondedThousands respondedThe swath of destruction

wreaked first by Katrina and thenHurricane Rita on Sept. 23, 2005,galvanized Episcopalians to jointhe thousands of volunteers whotraveled to the Gulf Coast to helpresidents recover and rebuild.Thousands of others donatedmoney to the efforts.

“That experience of solidarityand really understanding and liv-ing into our interconnectednesswith one another is something that

we share not just locally or evenregionally, but by virtue of all ofthe hundreds of thousands of vol-unteers that have come down here,nationally,” said Bolton.

“That’s been an incrediblesource of support and encourage-ment to us in Louisiana as we’verecovered from all these disas-ters.”

2+ million hour2+ million hour2+ million hour2+ million hour2+ million hours givs givs givs givs givenenenenenOne focus of those efforts was

Camp Coast Care, which latermerged with two similar groupsto become Mission on the Bay.

The Rev. Elizabeth Wheatley-Jones, MOB’s director and chap-lain, recently cited the statisticsfor the Diocese of Mississippi’snewspaper, calling them a “gra-cious glimpse” at the work donethrough the agency: 60,000 vol-unteers who donated 2,400,000service hours valued at $45 mil-lion, 3,500 homes mucked outand/or gutted, 550 homes re-habbed or built anew, 2,200 indi-viduals or families whose needswere managed, 1,250,000 mealsserved, and $15 million cash in-jected into Gulf Coast economies.

“That is a creative responseand a job well done: participationin the ways of God, the transfor-mation of lives, one family andone home at a time, day in and dayout for five years,” she told theMississippi Episcopalian.

By the time the Aug. 29 anni-versary arrived, Mission on the

Bay, a stalwart of the post-Katrinarecovery effort that began in partat Lutheran Episcopal Services ofMississippi’s Camp Coast Care,had shut down, succumbing to thereality that the economic down-turn and other disasters, includingthe oil spill, have diverted moneyelsewhere.

Roberts said he wanted “every-one to know of the gratitude wehave for the outreach that wasmade after that storm.”

“You know, it’s not just thedollars,” he added. “You get acheck in a mail — it might be 10bucks, it might be $10,000, but it’salso the support you have fromthat and the encouragement.”

ChurChurChurChurChurccccches rebuildinghes rebuildinghes rebuildinghes rebuildinghes rebuildingThere are other examples of

post-Katrina progress, amongmany. Five of the six MississippiEpiscopal Church buildingsKatrina destroyed have been re-built (including St. Mark’s).

Three congregations havecompletely rebuilt their churchesand associated buildings, andthree have rebuilt their worshipspace with future plans for expan-sion. The sixth, Church of the Re-deemer in Biloxi, will probably bededicated before the end of theyear, according to Gray.

In doing so, the diocese took arisk with the three churches whosemembers decided to relocate in-land off the gulf: St. Mark’s,Church of the Redeemer and St.

Patrick’s in Long Beach.“We made very intentional,

philosophical decisions [that] itwas not appropriate to lay on tothese three churches the interestpayment on these loans until theproperty sold,” Gray said in a tele-phone interview with ENS.

The intent was to sell the gulf-front land to help cover the costof the inland purchases, the bishopexplained, “assuming within fiveyears we would have had somemovement on that property and[then] the recession hits us and …development has basically cometo a standstill.”

The diocesan budget has been“paying a sizeable chunk of inter-est on those properties,” Graysaid. “Eventually, they’re going tobe very good investments, but justin the short term — and that shortterm maybe up to 10 years —we’ve got a cash flow problem.”

Still, Gray said, there has beenlittle protest from the rest of thediocese.

“The broader diocese has in-creasingly understood what itmeans to be connected one to an-other,” Gray said. “That was theo-retical for several years until wedealt with it in Katrina.”

RRRRRebuilt, but scarredebuilt, but scarredebuilt, but scarredebuilt, but scarredebuilt, but scarredIn the Louisiana diocese,

Thompson said, the handful ofNew Orleans churches that in-curred major damage have “all re-covered physically but there arescars of missing members.”

Behind Christ Church Cathe-dral in New Orleans, Jericho RoadEpiscopal Housing Initiative hastransformed itself from a guttingand repairing operation aimed atbringing affordable housing to theUptown area of the city into anorganization that wants to createcommunity partnerships to reha-bilitate neighborhoods, empowerfamilies and facilitate home own-ership.

Recently, Episcopal Commu-nity Services of Louisiana raisedmore than $90,000 in a matter ofweeks to complete work on homesit is building, is beginning a ser-vice and leadership- and spiritual-development program for youngadults, and is partnering withBayou Grace Community Ser-vices.

Less than two months afterKatrina devastated the Gulf Coast,then-Diocese of Louisiana BishopCharles Jenkins predicted suchefforts.

Jenkins, who since has retired,said in a homily during a serviceshortly after the storm, that the“old normal of being the Episco-pal Church with our doors locked,being a church that existed for wewho were in it, will be no more.That washed away with your re-frigerator. Our new normal is achurch engaged, a church that is aservant church and a church thatlives not for itself alone but forall for whom Christ died.”

The Rev. Mary FrancesSchjonberg is a national corre-spondent of Episcopal News Ser-vice and editor of Episcopal NewsMonthly.

All recovered physically, but there are scarsof missing members.

— Louisiana Bishop Mark Thompson, on churchesin New Orleans damaged by Hurricane Katrina

12 • The Harvest • July/August 2010T

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Diocesan Calendar

The mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansasis to gather, equip and send disciples of Jesus Christ

to witness to God’s reconciling love.

Sharing the Good NewsReflections on faith and life

September 2010 October 2010

6 Diocesan office closedfor Labor Day

10 Kansas School forMinistry classes, BethanyPlace ConferenceCenter, Topeka (throughSept. 11)

11 Southeast Convocationboard meeting, 10 a.m.,St. John’s, Parsons

Southwest Convocationboard meeting, 2 p.m.,Trinity, El Dorado

12 Bishop Wolfe at St.Stephen’s, Wichita

14 Bishop Wolfe at House ofBishops Meeting, Phoe-nix (through Sept. 23)

25 Northeast Convocationboard meeting, 9 a.m.,Trinity, Lawrence

Northwest Convocationboard meeting, 1 p.m.,St. David’s, Topeka

26 Bishop Wolfe at St.Francis, Stilwell

28 Council of Trusteesmeeting, Grace Cathe-dral, Topeka

3 Bishop Wolfe at Trinity, ElDorado

8 Kansas School forMinistry classes, BethanyPlace ConferenceCenter, Topeka (throughOct. 9)

10 Bishop Wolfe at GoodShepherd, Wichita

17 Bishop Wolfe at St.Paul’s, Leavenworth

21 Campus Ministry pre-convention fundraiser,Capitol Plaza Hotel

22 Diocesan Convention,Capitol Plaza Hotel andKansas Expocentre,Topeka (through Oct. 23)

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For the latest news of the diocese, full calendar listingsand more, visit the diocesan website:

www.episcopal-ks.org.

Follow the diocese on Facebook:www.facebook.com/EpiscopalDioceseofKansas

The Episcopal ChurThe Episcopal ChurThe Episcopal ChurThe Episcopal ChurThe Episcopal Churccccch wh wh wh wh welcomes yelcomes yelcomes yelcomes yelcomes youououououBy Michael Munro

“Bob was raised anEpiscopalian, I aPresbyterian. From

the way he talked about it, hisGod was decidedly more genialthan mine. Mine was a distant,faceless entity you had tosomehow find on your own.Bob’s was there ready to cheeryou up…. Bob didn’t seem tohave to look anywhere at all. HisGod was always checking inwith you. So you can just wait.And God‘s there.” (James Carse,Breakfast at the Victory, HarperSan Francisco, c. 1994, p.129)

As we shake off the dust ofsummer and resume the activi-ties of fall, building towardAdvent, let’s take a look at theEpiscopal Church and remindourselves of our place in society,Christianity and history.

WWWWWe are Christianse are Christianse are Christianse are Christianse are ChristiansFirst and foremost, we are

Christians. Explicit and implicitin our corporate beliefs andactions is the certainty that wepractice a valid expression ofthe Way of Jesus Christ. Ourmembers are baptized withwater and in the name of thetriune God. We accept as validall Christian baptism whenpeople from other denomina-tions join us.

Our worship expresses asacramentality that is groundedin the earliest traditions ofChristianity. The core of ourEucharistic prayer is found inthe gospels.

Our creeds trace their lineageto church councils of the 4th and5th centuries. Our Christianidentity is grounded thus in bothscripture and history.WWWWWe’re also Anglicanse’re also Anglicanse’re also Anglicanse’re also Anglicanse’re also Anglicans

Episcopalians in the UnitedStates are (still) part of a largerworldwide community called theAnglican Communion, after theChurch of England.

Our self-identification asEpiscopalians (our manner ofchurch order) stems from thedays of the American Revolu-tion, when it was both unpopularand unpatriotic to refer toourselves as anything English.

In Canada, look for theAnglican Church. In Scotland,we are the Episcopal Church ofScotland (the Church of Scot-land is Presbyterian). In Japanwe are the Nippon Sei Ko Kai(the Holy Catholic Church ofJapan).

Latitude of beliefLatitude of beliefLatitude of beliefLatitude of beliefLatitude of beliefSince the time of the Refor-

mation it has been characteristicof Anglicans to practice a widelatitude in the enforcement ofbelief. The aim, then and now,has been to provide a Christianframework within which folks ofdiffering viewpoints might shareworship and fellowship.

Sometimes this works well,and other times it leads todissension.

It worked poorly enough inthe early 17th century that thePuritans chose to journey to theNew World rather than remainAnglicans.

Again, during the Civil Warthe battle between North andSouth was mirrored in discordamong the congregations of theEpiscopal Church.

Presently we harbor tensionwithin the Episcopal Church andbetween the Church and theAnglican Communion overmatters of scripture, traditionand reason.

It is our generous notion of

community that allows thesedisputes to continue.

For Episcopalians, stayingtogether carries a higher valuethan being “right.”

Discipline of regularityDiscipline of regularityDiscipline of regularityDiscipline of regularityDiscipline of regularityWe are not without discipline

in the face of all this latitude.Our daily and weekly scripturereadings come to us for commonuse through the year. We followa calendar of the church yearthat year-by-year reminds usboth of Jesus’s story and ourown call to mission.

We have well-defined ordersof ministry. Clergy are raised upand placed in congregationsaccording to prayer, discern-ment, skill and experience.Congregations exist with aframework of cooperation,responsibility and support.

Our way of faith, ourworship, study, prayer andfellowship, leads dependably toa richer and deeper experienceof the holy.

All this serves to give us asense of God nearby, mediatedby a church with many practicesthat welcome God in our midst.Perhaps it is that the work ofseeking God comes to us in suchmanageable portions that allowsus to know that God is near: inthe sacrament, in the fellowship,in the word.

In the Episcopal version ofChristianity we have both thelatitude to explore and thediscipline not to get lost.

The Episcopal ChurchWelcomes You.

The Very Rev. Michael Munrois rector of St. Paul’s,Leavenworth, and dean of theNorthwest Convocation.

This reflection first appearedin the St. Paul’s newsletter.

The Harvest, July-August 2010

Documents

Transcript of The Harvest, July-August 2010