Seek: voices of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Feb. 2015

SeekFebruary 2015

© The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, 1210 Locust St., St. Louis, Missouri 63103 ph: 314-231-1220 web: diocesemo.org

Episcopal Diocese of MissouriOffices of the Bishop1210 Locust St.St. Louis, Missouri 63103

ph: 314-231-1220www.DioceseMo.org

voices from the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

A Call to Community, Prayer, and Beyond

I attended my first Episcopal con-vention on November 21st and 22nd, which was held in the University Center of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. This was the 175th time for this annual meeting in this diocese, itself an impressive fact. The feeling was somewhat like that of being a part of a large family reunion.

There was the business of voting on resolutions and on people elected to fill positions in diocesan governance. Bishop Smith made the point that when there are 2 or 3 Episcopalians gathered together, there will be 5 opinions. That being said, however, all resolutions passed. (Resolu-tions and election outcomes, as well as the bishop’s address are included in this newsletter.)

Impressions from a first time delegate to diocesan convention. A reflection from Gloria Miller, Christ Episcopal Church in Cape Girardeau

Three areas of focus for church life were addressed in presentations and in the table discussions. These were Com-munity, Prayer, and Beyond. There was also acknowledgment and discussion about the Ferguson situation. Business was conducted first so that people could be free to return home to tend to their communities in light of the expected an-nouncement of a verdict in the Ferguson situation.

Community. Bishop Smith made the distinction between Christendom and Christianity. Christendom is shrinking but Christianity is alive and well. The good

news/bad news scenario presented in-cludes the facts that while the numbers of Episcopalians are shrinking nationwide, the footprint we are leaving is mighty.

Prayer. Shug Goodlow presented a courageous, hilarious, and moving ac-count of her own journey with prayer entitled, “Yada, yada, yada, Amen: Why do we pray what we pray?” She described prayer as raising one’s heart to God, a place where one can take all our troubles, and about being willing to leave an open-ing in our spirits into which God can enter and breathe. She made me laugh and cry with her personal account of her life of praying without ceasing in all manner of situations.

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L. to R. Deacons Burnell Esbenshade, Jan O’Neil, Dayna Geddes Jewson, newly ordained deacons Jerre Birdsong and Deborah Goldfeder, Bishop Wayne, newly ordained deacons Chester Hines, Jr., Nancy Belcher, Kevin McGrane, Rebecca Barger, Deacon Susan Naylor, Archdeacon Mark Sluss.

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MAKING DISCIPLES BUILDING CONGREGATIONS FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD

INSIDEA Call to Community, Prayer and Beyond by Gloria Miller

The End of Christendomby Bishop Wayne Smith

Resolutions passed

Joe Chambers: Canon for Mission & Young Adults

Confession #1: Magdalene has changed my life! by Sherry Nelson

Truth in Contradiction by Brendan Jones O’Connor

Youth conversation about Fer-guson by Elle Dowd

Midwestern Episcopal, Lu-theran bishops’ statement

Leadership conference 3/7Our ministry together this year: diocesan reports

Deep in construction, then the boiler goes out by Maria Evans

In the Aftermath, How will we go forward? by Martie Metzler

A Theology of MinistryThe Ministry of the Body of Christ

Ministry of Baptism

Ministry of the Episcopate

Working through the struggle and confusion by Daniel Appleyard

Elected by convention

Clergy transitions

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Beyond. The Rev. Mike Angell spoke of taking the Church “Beyond the Camp” quoting Hebrews 13:13, “Let us go to him outside the camp...”

He made the point that it is a matter of people, not programs, that is the focus of taking Christ beyond the church walls. People are the program.

We saw videos of examples of commu-nities that are responding to community needs in partnership in effective ways. One example is from eastern Tennessee where an art gallery for mental and emotionally challenged folks is the site of an open meal and Eucharist.

Another, a laundromat in Venice Beach, California, referred to as the mod-ern day washing of feet. Several Christians show up and provide lots of quarters, soap, coloring books for kids, and smiles for peo-ple who need laundry done. They help with 600 loads of laundry per month! A deacon who works with this ministry was even ordained in the laundromat.

We were encouraged to build relation-ships with people and see what ministries emerge from our relationships, rather than to start with a program and push it on people.

Fellowship. There was time to connect with new people form other churches and

to learn of what is going on with them. I was particularly impressed with a church in St. Louis, Good Shepherd, that is doing a garden ministry and produced over 2000 pounds of food, much of which was shared with another church (St. John’s in Tower Grove) in their Peace Meal, offered to the community in the neighborhood. Starting small, it has grown from a handful of participants to many and fed multitudes.

During breakout sessions, the Rev. Edie Bird of Christ Church, Cape, lead a workshop on circle dances and Dr. Kathy Farwell, a Christ Church member, lead a session on weaving. I left feeling encour-aged, inspired, and excited to be a ser-vant of Christ. Thanks be to God!

A Call to Community, Prayer, and Beyond (continued)

Coming to a diocesan event near you...

Episcopal

Opinion on the Street interviews

diocesemo.org/opinions

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The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri DIOCESEMO.ORG

I used to think that Christianity in North America, across the board, was slow-ly dying. There are after all only two bodies showing any growth at all, the Assemblies of God and the Mormons. Southern Baptists are shrinking; big box churches everywhere are shrinking; the Roman Catholic Church is shrinking; and yes, the Episcopal Church is shrinking. It looks like Christianity on our continent is slowly fading away.

I have come to realize that it’s not the Church, and it’s not Christianity that’s dying. But it’s Christendom. Christendom is dying.

A brief history of ChristendomThere are important distinctions to

make here. Christendom encompasses that part of the world where Christian faith pre-dominates, albeit often in nominal forms. It is the cultural artifact of the Emperor Con-stantine’s having made Christianity a state religion in the Roman Empire in 313, and Theodosius having made it the only state religion in 380. Christendom flourished in our country, not as a legal reality, for our Constitution prohibits such a thing, but as a cultural one.

Christendom continued for centuries, and it worked pretty well. But its struc-tures were so prevalent that most people did not notice that it was around. Ah, but Jews noticed. Counter-cultural believers like Mennonites and Quakers noticed. And in North America, where Christendom had been robustly Protestant in nature, Roman Catholics noticed.

The calamity that was the First World War made many more people start to no-

In the era of Christendom’s demise, three signs of the Church’s life

tice, and then began a hundred years of Christendom’s demise. But not without some last instants of its flourishing.

1952-68 was probably the last heyday of Christendom. And I do hear people speaking of those days with some wistfulness, some pining-away after those good times past. In every parish that I served as a priest, there was

someone to remind me that in the fifties there were two hundred children in Sunday School. I wish that I could have had the nerve to ask, “where did all those chil-dren go?” You know and I know that those children, who are my

own age cohort, essentially graduated from Church. And the vast majority of them are not among us anymore.

Christendom is dying, and it’s hard for us to recognize or accept this death. The demise of Chris-tendom means that an assurance of large numbers and wealth and influence is slowly fading away. Life then must change. So for example, the strategy for teaching the faith now looks more like a tu-torial than a lecture hall, different approaches being necessary when you have seven kids rather than seventy. That’s not a bad thing; in fact I think it’s a good thing, since it leaves us freer to make disciples, to emphasize character and faith, rather than making content the primary aspect.

So prepare to hear some statistics, but just a couple of them. In 2012-2013, the sum total membership in the Diocese of Mis-souri dropped by 378, and average Sunday attendance fell by 122. This is exactly what you would expect in a post-Christendom Church like ours, and in which the median

Bishop Wayne Smith’s Address to the 175th Convention.

age tilts much older than the population around us. Statistically we have seen tiny losses like these, continuing over many years, beginning in the late sixties. Most of our losses are demographic; which is to say, most of our losses are deaths.

The good newsBut if Christendom is over, the Church

is not. And are you ready for some good news in this picture? The truth is that though we are smaller in number and influence, Churches and people in this Dio-cese are leaving a bigger footprint in their com-munities, perhaps bigger now than ever before. The engagement in mis-sion is real, and it never

ceases to startle me.Ascension Church in Northwoods,

North Saint Louis County, is a little Church with not much wealth at all. With few re-sources except their own lives, the people of this parish have taken on the work of tutoring students living in the neighbor-hood. Because they looked around and saw children and adolescents who needed more than they were getting in school. They also have a brilliant food ministry in a part of metro Saint Louis where there are a lot of

...it’s not the Church, and it’s not Christianity that’s dying. But it’s Christendom. Christendom is dying..

The demise of Chris-tendom means that an assurance of large numbers and wealth and influence is slowly fading away. Life then must change.

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Bishop Wayne praying over the six to be ordained.

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In the era of Christendom’s demise (continued)

hungry people. With Deb Gold-feder’s presence when the food pantry is open, they offer health screening to people who oth-erwise would have none. Small things leveraging something much larger, which is how the likes of mustard seeds work, that seed that Jesus so admired.

St. Stephen’s, Ferguson, has been diligently build-ing connections to the neighborhoods around it for years. Who could have known the payoff those relationships would have after August 9?

I point to these two small parishes because what they leverage, in the name of Christ Jesus and for his sake, comes not from a place of money and pow-er, which is the way of Christen-dom, but from their own lives and their faith. Off the top of my head I could point toward twenty oth-er places, so engaged in mission.

A vow to defend those who have no helper

I mentioned St. Stephen’s, and I simply must say more about Ferguson. I realize that there is fatigue among some Episcopa-lians when it comes to the issues that Ferguson raises, and that among others there is impa-tience and great hurt. I know that we are not of one mind. There is no quick fix to what ails us, and Ferguson is going to be with us a long, long time.

I need to say to you that I am thinking about what might happen this weekend—but I am also thinking about what needs to happen six months from

now. The is-sues have been long in the making and they will be long in the unraveling.

And I know that we are not of one mind. As far as I can tell, w h e n e v e r two or three Episcopalians

gather together, there will be five opinions among them. I want you to know that I am com-pletely at ease with that reality.

As a bishop, though, I have a particular responsibility in light of the racism revealed in the tragic circumstances of Fer-guson.

When I became a bishop, one of the solemn vows that I took was to “defend those who have no helper.” I said that I would do it, for the sake of Christ Jesus. These are the exact words from the ordination rite.

And I tell you that I am go-ing to fulfill that vow. It is my bounden duty to defend those who have no helper. That is the direction I am heading, and I hope that you will see fit to come along with me.

Three signs of the church’s life In this era of Christen-

dom’s demise, there continue

I point to these two small parishes because what they leverage, in the name of Christ Jesus and for his sake, comes not from a place of money and power, which is the way of Christendom, but from their own lives and their faith.

The Right Reverend George Wayne Smith is the tenth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Read more of his writings collected at diocesemo.org/bishop.

to be three signs of the Church’s life. Signs that people in the surrounding culture might find compelling. These are gifts in-herent to the Church’s life and I think that we need to give them starker contrast, practice them more clearly, and undertake the exercises necessary to strength-en them in our life together.

I have labeled these three signs: Community, Prayer, Be-yond. These are over-lapping realities, and the body of Christ is present in all of them. In the community, which is the Body of Christ. In the sacrament of the Eucharist, which is the body of Christ, and Christ’s blood. In the hungry, the thirsty, the strang-er, the ill, the naked, and those in prison, where we will find the body of Christ.

These three realities an-swer yearnings common in the world around us. People yearn for genuine community but will not settle for a club or pseu-do-community.

People in fact do seek God, and a deeper knowledge of God, but will not settle for clichéd prayers or worship that just goes through the paces. And people want honest venues for making a difference in the world but may become bored by holi-er-than-thou types, and impa-tient with do-gooder-ism.

Our shared servant ministryThis third area, Beyond

(as in beyond the walls of the Church), may be the linchpin for us. I’m talking about servant ministry, for the sake of the ser-vant Christ, out in the world. It is no small thing that we are or-daining six of our own to the di-

aconate in a few minutes, because their purpose and their very exis-tence serve to draw the attention of us all to the servant ministry that belongs to everyone who is baptized.

Deacons cannot be so dimin-ished in their life and purpose that they are the token servants for the community. That may be a clericalized sort of notion left over from Christendom, and it is not sufficient.

They are instead to be ser-vant leaders, showing us where Christ resides among the poor and the marginalized, and invit-ing us to go there with them.

They serve as leaders to show us the presence of Christ beyond the walls, just as priests serve as leaders in showing the ways Christ is present in the Body, the community, and in the Prayers, at the table, and when-ever two or three are gathered in Christ’s name.

Ordinations in conventionI love this venue of gathering

for worship in the same configu-ration that we will use in the rest of Convention.

There has to be continuity between what happens in wor-ship and what happens in the rest of our life. It’s about authenticity, which is a post-Christendom val-ue.

It also well describes Jesus Christ, who is the one true hu-man, in whose life, teaching, mir-acles, death, and resurrection, we know the one true God.

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For the Life of the World

A-175: Minimum Clergy Compensation, submitted on behalf of the Diocesan Council

1. BE IT RESOLVED that this 175th Convention of the Episco-pal Diocese of Missouri set the annual standard base compensa-tion for fulltime clergy in 2015 as follows:

CASH SALARY & HOUSING ALLOWANCE

$58,480 [The actual com-pensation should be determined by Resolution of the Vestry/Bish-op’s Committee, in consultation with the clergy.]

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

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

4. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that the medical cover-age for clergy be in compliance with Diocesan Resolution A-172;

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

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

7. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that all parishes and missions encourage their full-time clergy to set aside the equiv-alent of two days each week for personal time, 24 hours of which must be consecutive;

8. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that all parishes and missions be strongly encouraged to provide dental insurance for clergy and eligible dependents, or be assured they already have

Resolutions passed by convention

Music between business sessions: Leslie Scoopmire, Holy Communion, Chancellor Hal Burroughs, St. Peter’s, Bishop Wayne, music coordi-nator Eliza Lynn, St. John’s-St. Louis, Marshall Crossnoe, rector of St. Alban’s, Clay McKinney, Music Director at St. Martin’s on cello.

such coverage; and9. BE IT FURTHER RE-

SOLVED that the Clergy in Charge shall accrue two weeks of sabbatical time for each year of service.

B-175: Removing Barriers to Access, submitted by the Rev. Emily Hillquist Davis, Ms. Lisa Fox, The Rev. Knute Jacobson, the Rev. Johnnette Shane, Ms. Julia DeLancey, the Rev. Peter Van Horne

1. BE IT RESOLVED that this 175th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri commits itself to a wide diversity of membership on its canonically mandated, diocesan-wide bodies, specifically the Standing Com-mittee, Diocesan Council, Disci-plinary Board, and Commission on Ministry;

2. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED that this Convention commits itself to reducing the disproportionate attendance burden carried by some of the members of the aforementioned bodies, possibly including mem-bers residing outside of the St. Louis metropolitan area, mem-bers with children, members with disabilities, and members of lower socioeconomic status;

3. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED this Convention en-courages the use of email, video conferencing, or other electron-ic transmission as a means of reducing travel barriers (such as travel time and travel expense) for members to attend meetings of the aforementioned bodies;

4. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED this Convention en-

courages accommodation of all members of the aforementioned bodies when scheduling the time and location of meetings that require the physical presence of its members;

5. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED this Convention en-courages some meetings be scheduled outside of the St. Louis metropolitan area if such sched-uling would reduce barriers for members of the aforementioned bodies; and

6. BE IT FURTHER RE-SOLVED this Convention en-courages accommodation of the specific needs of all of its members, including provision of childcare, transportation, wheel-chair accessibility, interpreters, and other reasonable accommo-dations requested by members of the aforementioned bodies.

C-175: Increasing size of Nominations and Election

Procedures committee, sub-mitted by Ms. Betty Bowersox, Chairperson of the Committee on Nominations and Election Procedures

BE IT RESOLVED that Section 1 of Article III.6 of the Constitution of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Mis-souri be revised to increase the number of persons appointed to the Committee on Nominations and Election Procedures from six (6) to seven (7). The first sentence would then read as follows:

Section 1. At each annu-al meeting of Convention the Presiding Officer shall, with the consent of Convention, appoint a Committee on Nominations and Election Procedures, consisting of not more than seven persons, both Clergy and Laity [As this is a change to the Constitution and Canons, it will need to be voted on again in 2015.]

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Bishop Wayne Smith has appointed the Rev. Joseph Cortright Chambers to Can-on for Mission and Young Adults. Joe will continue as Chaplain of Rockwell House, Episcopal Campus Ministry at Washington University in St. Louis. He will begin to expand campus ministry relationships in the diocese as well as network young adult ministry and assist the work of Canon to the Ordinary Dan Smith with congregation-al transitions. The bishop sees this position as one of visioning and involvement in mis-sional projects.

Joe brings expertise from campus min-istry. He is in his ninth year of serving as a chaplain in the diocese and has served in a variety of campus ministry related leader-ship positions locally and church-wide. He served on the Young Adult Ministry Council of the Episcopal Church and continues to work with TEC on projects for young adults. Joe was one of the 24 members of the Task Force for Reimagining the Episcopal

Joe Chambers appointed Canon for Mission and Young Adults

The online edition offers click-able links to websites referenced in this is-sue’s articles, and photo galleries. Use

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Church (“TREC”) appointed by the Presid-ing Bishop. A former president of diocesan Standing Committee, Joe worked to develop its mission of visioning for the diocese and the life of the world. Joe also serves on the faculty of CREDO, a Church Pension Group wellness conference and retreat for clergy in the Episcopal Church.

Not only is Joe the chaplain of Rock-well House, he is also an alumnus. As a student at Saint Louis University he partici-pated in the life of the Rockwell House from 2001 until 2003 when he was sponsored for ordination to the priesthood. Joe attend-ed The General Theological Seminary and graduated with an M.Div in 2006.

He is married to Canon Amy Cham-bers Cortright, Vicar at Christ Church Cathedral, and they have two beautiful chil-dren. Joe is an avid runner and mountain climber; he loves the outdoors and playing golf. His interests are wide-ranging, from music and playing guitar to graphic design

and website development. Joe’s schedule will include time at

Rockwell House, time on the road, and time in the Offices of the Bishop. You can contact him at [email protected] or office phone: 314-255-1377.

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Easter Sunday

Palm Sunday

Leadership Conference at St. Martin’s Churchin Ellisville

Absalom Jones Challenging Colorblindness: A Multigenerational Conversation on Race, Identity and Equality

Ash Wednesday 40 Days of Lent begins. More at:diocesemo.org/Lent

Confession #1: Magdalene has changed my life!

Love Heals. This is the motto of Magda-lene St Louis. This is what I focus on every day. This is what I am shown every day. This is the most important thing for the women who will enter our program. This is beauty. This is truth.

The biggest part of my life recently has been working at Magdalene St Louis. Let me tell you a little about who we are and our background. We are a community for women who have survived lives of prosti-tution, trafficking, addiction, and abuse. Our first home will be opening this spring to about 7 women to start who will enter our 2 year program. We are modeled after a program in Nashville which is now known by the name of their social enterprise, Thistle Farms. The reason we have started a program in St Louis is because there is a huge need here. We are a top 20 city for sex trafficking. I have seen interactions hap-pening with women working the streets and johns. We have a problem. We are opening our doors because our program is unlike any other. We don’t charge our women anything and we provide them with every possible service needed. The key difference is the love at the center of it all.

One of my most memorable experienc-es so far was experiencing the culture of the community started already in Nashville. They don’t only talk about how love heals,

but they live it. It was a surreal weekend and the closest thing to the kingdom of God I have ever experienced.

We will be cultivating that same envi-ronment literally in my backyard because I live just a couple blocks away from the home. We have a large support network here in St Louis as well, and many people are actively involved in our circle. I instantly experienced this love from them as soon as I heard about Magdalene. I was warmly welcomed into the everyday life there. The same will be true for our women in just a few short months. We are serious when we say that everything we do is for our women.

This job is obviously very emo-tional. It doesn’t get any easier to read a heart-wrenching story of a woman. It doesn’t get easier to hear the ignorant comments from those who don’t truly understand what is happening. However, we support one another. We are truly a community. We have to be to bring about the type of change we want to see. We need everyone engaged to make a difference in our culture that says it is okay to buy wom-an’s bodies and sets them up for failure. There are days I cry because of all the dis-couraging things surrounding us. There are days I cry because of all the beautiful things surrounding us.

I know that love heals because it’s been

true in my own life when I have been strug-gling. We have seen it through interactions with our women as well. It is hard for them to believe that we truly mean what we say because they have only been told and shown that they are unworthy their whole lives. This is why what we do must be so radical. We are changing lives. We are changing a culture. Love breaks through all the barri-ers. It comes with no strings attached and no judgment. It’s unconditional.

Love Heals.

Deaconess Anne House Corps Member Sherry Joy Nelson writes about her internship at Magdalene St. Louis

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I am a dialectician. I don’t generally mention this on the first date, but I perceive the world as a series of opposing ideas inter-acting in opposition, and eventual reconcili-ation, with each other. For me to process my experience and plan for the future, I need to bounce ideas, observations, and insights off another person, or work through them in a notebook, for me to feel like I’ve gotten a handle on a reasonable position. Seldom do I think I have reached a final position. Certainty can be boring, I have found.

This is why I decided to join the Dea-coness Anne House; just like a bicycle, for me to be a stable person, I need to be in motion. Paradoxically, the great challenge of moving to a new city, living in an impov-erished urban area with six other strangers, to work in a job field I had little experience, during the midst of an international politi-cal movement, has done wonders for my well-being. With no jest, I can say that I am happier now than any time since my senior year of high school.

A little background on me, I grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin, a conservative hotbed fifteen miles west of Milwaukee, and attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, the great Berkeley of the Midwest. Continuing my theme of taking contrasting ideas and making them work together, I spent my college years in a tiny, residen-tial Episcopal ministry while studying in a colossal, very secular school. I loved the contradiction, as it helped me re-frame the Christian experience as a commitment to justice, reconciliation, and community liv-ing. At the same time, Madison experienced the biggest round of protests and demon-

toxic behavior patterns that destroy com-munities. Still, it’s never easy most difficult for me has been accepting that I will not be close friends with everybody in the house. And that’s all right, we are here to love and support each other, but we are not required to be drinking buddies. This is hard work, and yet it is fulfilling work, especially as I see my home life and my work life as work-ing together for the same mission this year. I want to emphasize to anybody considering applying for the Deaconess Anne House, or a similar program, that living with a unified purpose is a profound experience to hold

for a year, especially in the formative time of one’s twenties.

St. Louis itself is a city of contradic-tions, which was one of the reasons I choose to move here: A city

whose design and cultural identity is rooted in a World Fair 111 years ago; a city named after a violent, antisemitic French king, but primarily occupied by Blacks and Germans; a city of 318,000 people, and a metropolitan area of 2.9 million; the highest crime rate in the United States next to three of the 25 wealthiest suburbs; an East Coast city that happens to be on the Mississippi; The stark-est street divide between rich and poor (The Delmar Divide); the largest Bosnian popu-lation outside of Bosnia & Herzegovina; the biggest companies are Monsanto, Peabody, and Anheuser-Busch; and everything, yes, everything is made out of bricks.

I am so grateful for this ability to intern at Deaconess Anne House in the “Gateway to the West.” In all my confusion, in all my experience as a contradictory person, and active dialectician, the Deaconess Anne House leads me to believe in precisely one foundation: the salvific Kingdom of God. From the outside, it might not seem like much to be sure of, but I would not have it any other way.

Truth In ContradictionBy Brendan Jones O’Connor, 2014-2015 Deaconess Anne House corps member

strations in State history against the anti-union policies of the state governor. The conservatism of my home parish and my high school met a formidable challenge in the prophetic witness of Madison’s faith communities. I knew something had changed within me when I realized that the salvation Jesus preached, that the apostles followed until death, and that the saints devoted their lives to, is something very real and achievable in this life.

Deaconess Anne House promised me something I need-ed, a community dedicated to both social justice, and intentional life together. After two years past my graduation of failed

situations and emotional fatigue, I wanted more than anything to be part of a supportive group, willing to do the hard work of bringing the Kingdom of God into the world, including our-selves. Especially our-

selves. My job placement at Christ Church Cathedral as the digital missioner (social media outreach position) has challenged me to take social media very seriously as a way of fostering community. My house-mates have allowed me to notice strengths and weaknesses I did not realize I have. For example, I’m a better listener than I knew, but I’m not especially playful or competitive.

Living in a co-operative, co-ed house has taught me patience, as we hold week-ly meetings to evaluate what is working, and what does not. We constantly watch ourselves to avoid triangulation and other

Deaconess Anne House promised me some-thing I needed, a com-munity dedicated to both social justice, and intentional life together.

St. Louis itself is a city of contradictions, which was one of the reasons I choose to move here...

More of Brendan’s writing at his blog “Writing on Religion and the History of Ideas” at brendanjonesoconnor.com

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When I went to St. Stephen’s in Fergu-son the Wednesday after the Michael Brown shooting, I asked Father Steve Lawler the same question that all of us were asking, “What can I do to help?”

Father Steve paused in his thoughtful way and then answered, “In a few months, host a youth event at St. Stephen’s.”

He told me that he wanted people to see that there was more to Ferguson than what we saw on the news, that Ferguson was a normal town, a town just like the one in which many of us live.

So when a couple of youth leaders came to me and said that they saw a need for youth from our diocese to be able to come together in a safe space and process their thoughts and feelings, St. Stephen’s felt like the right place to be.

On January 25th around two dozen youth from various parishes around St. Lou-is county came to St. Stephen’s.

Youth began by hearing about the food pantry ministry at St. Stephen’s and partic-ipating in a short time of service by deco-rating and writing homemade “Thank You” cards to donors who had provided food to the food pantry.

Rob Good from the Commission on Dismantling Racism then facilitated activ-ities and a discussion surrounding the me-dia portrayal of Ferguson. Youth discussed the different messages they had heard about Ferguson and what the over-arching narrative was.

Brittany Ferrell and Alexis Templeton, two young leaders from the activist group Millennial Activists United, spoke on their experiences and answered questions.

Finally, there was time for prayer and quiet reflection. Youth used art supplies to write their hopes and prayers for our communities.

Youth conversation about FergusonYouth missioner Danielle Dowd writes about the gathering at St. Stephen’s Church in Ferguson on January 25

At this point, youth were able to make the choice to participate in an optional pilgrimage prayer walk to the memorial site on Canfield Dr. I told the participants that regardless of how we might feel about the Michael Brown shooting, this was a place where something happened that shifted the consciousness of our city and changed our world.

About half of the participants came on this prayer walk. We gathered together in a parking lot on the corner of West Florissant and Canfield and prayed out our voices and asked God to give us eyes to see what God would have us see.

Then we silently walked to the memo-rial site, holding in our hands the pieces of paper with prayers that we had written together earlier.

When we reached the memorial, we circled up for a time of silent prayer and placed flowers and prayers at the memorial.

We walked back in silence again, circling up again in the parking lot to pray our voices back in, and took some time to reflect with one another about what it felt like to see the physical space which was the epicenter of so much that has happened in our communities.

Before leaving, each youth and youth leader was provided with both an electron-ic copy and a hard copy of a hand out with resources, support, and discussions ques-tions.

These issues are complicated, difficult, and emotional, and deserve ongoing reflec-tion and conversation. I was honored to bear witness to our young people doing just that.

Discussion Questions1. What was the most mean-

ingful part of discussion for you today and why? "

2. What points of view did you hear that you had not previously considered? What surprised you? "

3. How do these new points of view affect your own current un-derstanding? How will this affect your life moving forward?

ResourcesTalking with Youth About Tragedyhttp://tinyurl.com/n6ae98w

Sharing Stories, Building Trusthttp://tinyurl.com/ngsekna

Dismantling Racismhttp://tinyurl.com/mg7rcqo

Bishop Smith’s statementhttp://tinyurl.com/q2v5u7y

Presiding Bishop’s statementhttp://tinyurl.com/l5a5dd3

SupportThe issues surrounding the

events in Ferguson are complex. They need and deserve ongoing con-versation. These topics are difficult and emotionally charged.

In order to aid you and your youth as you wrestle with the issues at hand, here are some resources. Do not hesitate to contact me for further resources, pastoral care, and support.

Danielle Dowd - Youth MissionerEmail: [email protected]: (314) 665-4123

Photos and video of the MAU presenta-tion and Q&A available on the diocesan Youth Ministry Facebook group, contact Elle Dowd.

The Episcopal Church in the Worldwide Anglican Communion: 80 million Christians around the world,

led by the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Jus-tin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

in The Episcopal Church: 2 million Episcopalians in 109 dioceses and three regional

areas in 17 nations, led by the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Pre-siding Bishop and Primate.

in the Diocese of Missouri: 12,500 members in 43 con-gregations, campus minis-

tries and an intentional community, led by the Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith, 10th Bishop of Missouri.

SEEK, February 2015Episcopal Diocese of MissouriOffices of the Bishop1210 Locust St.St. Louis, Missouri 63103

Seek is a quarterly publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Dioce-san members may request a compli-mentary subscription by mail: send address to the Offices of the Bishop attn: Seek Subscription. Seek is also distributed to each congregation in the diocese. Archived editions of Seek are online at diocesemo.org.

Editor: Ms. Beth Felice, Director of CommunicationsEditorial Board: the Rev. Dr. Dan-iel Handschy, Dean of the Episco-pal School for Ministry; the Rev. Jon Hall, Rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Ellisville; Mr. Ken Luebbering, Grace Church, Jefferson City; Ms. Sar-ah Bryan Miller, St. Peter’s Church, La-due; the Rev. Dr. Marc Smith, Rector of Ascension Church, Northwoods; the Rev. Dr. E. Daniel Smith, Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of Missouri.

Submissions by post attn: Beth Felice, or online via diocesemo.org/submit.Deadline: May 5, 2015 for the edition available June 2015.

10


Web link to this issue’s online galleries.

or open your browser to:

diocesemo.org/Feb2015Seek

Dear Friends in Christ:“Let us consider how to provoke one another to love

and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the habit of some is, but encouraging one an-other, so much the more, as you see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

In this transitional season in the life of the Christian Church, we five bishops have gathered to discuss new ways for our two traditions to work more closely together.

We want the people and clergy of our synod and dioceses to know how important we believe these con-versations are and how crucial we believe it is to invest in relationships across denominational boundaries. We are committed to working collaboratively toward a common mission and purpose. Indeed, we feel the Spirit of God urgently calling us to do so!

To this end:• Each of us has made it a priority to explore joint opportunities for ministry in Christ’s name.• Each of us is fully committed to continuing this conversation and to engage in further interde-nominational prayer and Bible study.• Each of us is committed to the faithful consid-eration of every reasonable opportunity to work more closely together.

We invite others, lay and ordained, from our two great faith traditions to join us in engaging in the deepest fellow-ship.

Brothers and sisters, we continue to ask for your prayers, just as we continue to pray for all of you.

Midwestern Episcopal and Lutheran bishops issue joint statementMeeting on November 7, 2014, in Kansas City were:

Bishop Roger Gustafson of the Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaBishop Martin Field of the Episcopal Diocese of West MissouriBishop Wayne Smith of the Episcopal Diocese of MissouriBishop Michael Milliken of the Episcopal Diocese of Western KansasBishop Dean Wolfe of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas

(cc) Photo credits: pg 1, CCC Lenten video series: image from Cr4nberry, https://www.flickr.com/photos/haz-ael/2102853439/ ; pg. 1 Opinions: image from Garry Knight, https://www.flickr.com/photos/garryknight/5519583998/

11


Leadership conference is March 7

This year in the diocese, our ministry togetherEach year for convention, the gov-ernance bodies and organizations submit a summary of the calendar year’s work. They are published on-line and in the year’s official Journal. This year we heard from: Arts&Faith STL, an effort to encour-

age arts organizations of all disciplines to develop programming inspired by or in col-laboration with faith partners to promote interfaith dialogue and respect

Camp Phoenix about the successful 2014 season with 75 young people (ages 8 to 15) at the annual summer camp of the Epis-copal Diocese of Missouri.

Commission on Dismantling Racism is charged by the National Church and the Diocese of Missouri to promote racial jus-tice in the Episcopal Church.

Commission on Ministry is charged with assisting the Bishop “in determining present and future needs for ministry in the diocese”, “in enlisting and selecting persons for Holy Orders”, and making recommen-dations to the Bishop. The charge to the Commission includes guiding and exam-ining postulants and candidates, assisting with ministry enrichment for deacons and

priests, and helping to explore and imple-ment ways in which the diocese may live out its baptismal ministries.

Community of Hope, which trains and supports laypersons for pastoral ministry within and beyond their congregations.

Companion Diocese Committee offers narrative from this past year in the Diocese of Lui, South Sudan, and news from all the mission partners. Due to the continued un-rest in South Sudan the diocese did not be travel to Lui this past year, but hopes to con-tinue mission trips in the future.

Daughters of the King are a spiritual sisterhood of women dedicated to a life of Prayer, Service and Evangelism.

Diocesan Council and the Standing Committee reported on their meetings this past year. Inside the Offices of the Bishop we offer reports from the Canon to the Ordi-nary, Communications and the Archivist, and the Youth Missioner.

Episcopal Campus Ministry-Rockwell House has grown steadily over the last four years, the students have become really good friends, and the community has great depth.

Episcopal School for Ministry launched the Program for Congregational

Vitality (once called the School for Congrega-tional Development) in Fall 2014, including a first attempt at offering programs at re-mote sites. The Program for Congregational Vitality has enrolled participants attending sites at Grace Church, Jefferson City, Trini-ty Church Hannibal, Holy Cross, Poplar Bluff and Eden Seminary. Beginning in the Spring term of 2015, ESM will begin offering cours-es in Anglican Studies through Eden Theo-logical Seminary.

Reports from our ministry partners: St. Luke’s Hospital , University of the South, and Episcopal City Mission.

Task Force for the Hungry has been revitalized in 2014 with a solid group of members that meet quarterly. We contin-ue to direct funding to 6 hunger ministries within the diocese, and the amount of $ we have been able to provide is slightly above this point in 2013 due to continued generous donations. We are encouraging other hun-ger ministries within the diocese to apply for funding in 2015 and adjusting percent-ages given to existing ministries based on changing needs within our communities.

diocesemo.org/convention2014

Held at St. Martin’s Church in Ellisville from 9am-2pm, this year’s conference explores the dynamics of change with-in American society and the church, and potential leader-ship strategies to address them. Again this year the cost is $20 per person which includes lunch.

Our main presenter will be Dr. Matthew Price, Church Pension Group’s Vice President for Research and Data. Matthew works closely with the Episco-pal Church Center to collect and

analyze demographic trends and other data on the growth of the Church. Their work on the State of the Church has sparked quite a lot of conversation among the CPF Trustees and Execu-tive Council; conversations that will likely continue throughout the year. We will hear about the changes going on inside and out-side of the church, and how it is leading change in the church.

After the main presentation there are break-out groups to discuss how these changes affect

specific ministry areas: mission and ministry, worship, finance, formation, facilities, and leader-ship and renewal. Each session’s notes will be brought back into the gathering for further discus-sion. It’s hoped that the session notes will also be shared in fu-ture diocesan publications.

This is a one day conference you don’t want to miss, as we look at how our diocese can ex-perience change to grow and to teach and to spread the Gospel throughout Missouri.

RSVP with Robin Weisen-born, [email protected]. Bring a check on the 7th.

Upcoming training, conversations, and series on institutional racismdiocesemo.org/racismdiocesemo.org/ferguson

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What’s a little parish to do when your furnace decides to become possessed and belch soot all over the inside of the church? Well, in the case of Trinity-Kirksville, we held Sunday services next door in the living room/dining room of the vicarage for two weeks until an abatement company came to restore the sanctuary and the undercroft.

Although we were able to move back into our usual worship space before Christ-mas, the two Sundays in smaller quarters gave worshipers an opportunity to explore just how big a part the building does--and doesn’t--play in understanding what wor-ship is about for us, individually and collec-tively. Parishioner Sally West, who grew up Quaker, saw the sudden change in plans as an opportunity to return to the idea that sitting in a church doesn’t necessari-ly make it “church.”

“Having church in a home highlighted the intimacy of community,” she reflected.” “It also re-minded me of the ultimate unimportance of trappings—no matter how traditional and valued they might be.”

The first challenge came in wondering how we’d fit the usual Sunday crowd into two rooms. The incident happened during Truman State’s fall break, so we did have a slight safety net in knowing these were generally low Sundays. Thanks to Hospice of Northeast Missouri, we managed to add a few extra chairs; some people, however, willingly opted for sitting on the floor. The cozy but friendly atmosphere seemed to help everyone to roll with the circumstanc-es a little better.

Another challenge had to do with what we’ve come to expect in terms of music. Music director Scott Alberts quickly for-mulated some hymn changes. Although

some of the originally scheduled hymns remained, a few changes were made that ac-commodated a capella singing a little better. The song that caught many parishioners’ ears the first week was when we sang “His eye is on the sparrow”—because outside the window, several spar-rows were in attendance, perched on nearby bushes, with their eyes on us! It was a reminder that our stained glass windows block our view of God’s realm at times.

Several in attendance remarked that much was the same as any Sunday--famil-iar hymns, four-part harmony, the famil-

iar words of the Eucharistic Prayer—but having a relaxed attitude about the glitches (and the occasional muffled barks of the vicar’s dog, Harvey, in the basement) seemed to keep worship focused. We even had first time visitors one week, who

seemed to be fine with jumping right in and bringing the gifts to the altar. Coffee hour also seemed to last a little longer and the conversations seemed more like the kind of conversations one would have at a dinner party.

Perhaps the experience was best summed up by Trinity-Kirksville parish-ioner Jessie Cragg: “Holding our Sunday service in the Vicar’s house had us sitting close together, although in disarray – no neat rows of pews. Juggling hymnals and service bulletins was awkward. Passing the alms basin and even receiving Eucharist in such a close setting was a challenge. Pass-ing the Peace was actually a lot of fun as we milled about. The familiar words of the liturgy seemed different somehow. Even in such a close environment, focus was easier,

Deep in construction, then the boiler goes outCan a small parish hold services in an even smaller rectory and still be on speaking terms? By Maria Evans.

perhaps because we could all hear each oth-er’s individual voices. The makeshift altar attracted close attention, especially from us Altar Guild members. When the Vicar spoke her sermon, she looked right into our eyes from only a few feet away, and it seemed as if she was sharing some heartfelt thoughts that she really wanted us to hear. The experience reminded me of our annual Liturgy at the Lake, where we hold service at the state park beside a lake on a morning

that has invariably been cool and rainy each year. Familiarity is comforting, but the unfamiliar can be renewing.”

Dr. Maria Evans, is a member of Trinity Church, a pathologist, and a postulant in the diocese. She blogs for the Episcopal Cafe’s Speaking to the Soul, the Christian Century, and others.

...reminded me of the ultimate unimportance of trappings--no matter how traditional and valued they might be.

Familiarity is comforting, but the unfamiliar can be renewing.

oppressed, and those who suffer for con-science sake, for those bereaved and for courts of law, and others. So many per-spectives, all humbly lifted up to God!

In those moments, offering and hearing the yearnings of all our hearts, we held each other’s deep concerns and hopes sacred.

We let others touch and change our own hearts. We opened to transforma-tion by God and one another.

The more thoroughly we are trans-formed to listen and understand the yearnings of all God’s children, the more urgent it will be for us to become God’s reconciling people.

We will need the faithful endurance of pilgrims, the strategy of seasoned missioners, the company of one another to keep us from falling away into com-placency or crusade.

That is a long term journey and may seem impossible, but as the angel said to Mary, “With God, all things are possible.”

In the Aftermath (continued)

13


In the aftermath of the death of Mi-chael Brown, we have witnessed a crisis of racial distrust and outrage in our city. We have seen the pain of those who grieve or who fear similar ends for their loved ones.

We have seen peaceful demonstrators, braving teargas to make their voices heard, and we have seen antisocial rioters, hurling missiles and insults at police, and leaving distraught business owners in piles of charred rubble.

Local public officials and police have struggled, sometimes heroically and some-times ineptly, to keep control, and some cit-izens, including clergy have trained to place themselves in the hotspots as de-escalators.

Whose heart is not breaking to realize the devastating distrust, and resentment that divides our community, and, in fact, communities throughout our nation?

How are we to respond? We Christians avow that the ministry

of each baptized person is to “represent Christ” and “to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world” (BCP p. 855). Mike Kinman, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, reflected: “This is only the next stage in an ongoing journey that began well before August 9 and will continue for years after… We can approach this journey as tourists, con-suming the experience as it comes to us on TV and social media. We can approach this journey as missioners and have as our goal to make the world a better place... But I want to suggest Christ calls to approach this journey as a pilgrimage—the real gift of a band of pilgrims is that even though every-one is walking the same steps, they are all

in very different places and as long as none expects the other to be exactly where they are, they can push and prod one another, challenge and chide one another, love and share with one another, and they will all go deeper into the journey together. They will all be changed.”

Mission or CrusadeWatching events unfold, I have thought

of another journey that Christians have tak-en through the centuries: the Crusade.

This is not such a holy journey, though always taken in the name of God. A mission journey is taken to accomplish an end. It is prayerful, faithful, collaborative, obedient, humble, powered by love of God and neigh-bor. Often requiring self-sacrifice, it can be a creative force for God’s Kingdom, and if successful, will incarnate God’s love in the world.

Sometimes, if ungrounded and un-checked by faith, the missional journey crosses over to become a crusade.

A crusade is also a means to an end, but quite different in nature. A crusade is self righteous, proud, judgmental, powered by anger and entitlement. It leaves a trail of destruction, physical, emotional, and spir-

itual in its wake. Crusaders sacrifice others, not self.

Most of us today ab-hor the idea of crusade, but whenever we set off on a mis-sion to make things better, we are vulnerable to slip into crusading mode if we listen

only to ourselves and like-minded friends. We have seen this happen before our

eyes recently.

Pilgrimage is an altogether different journeyPilgrimage has a direction toward God.

The point is to travel towards the holy with others, and to let ourselves be lead and transformed according to God’s desires.

Pilgrimage often leads us in unexpect-ed paths with unlikely partners, and breaks us open to new revelations.

Each of us must choose how we will journey with our neighbors in this time of

crisis and in the long journey before us.

Will we be tour-ists, risking nothing, watching from a safe distance, retreating to the comfort of

complacency? Will we arm ourselves only with preconceived notions and crusade to enforce our own point of view? Or will we be pilgrims, pushing away from our home base to walk with others, whether or not we are of the same mind, with the possibility of being transformed by God, and those with whom we walk?

Will we take on a mission to build something positive, more like the Kingdom that Jesus came on earth to initiate, the Beloved Community of Jesus that the Rev. Martin Luther King envisioned?

For myself, the remote stance of a tourist makes me feel powerless and discon-nected from God and my neighbors. I also abhor my occasional crusader impulses, when momentarily convinced of my own righteousness, I want to enforce it upon others. It distresses me that I also have had moments of being both tourist and crusader at once, pontificating about what those on the front line are doing wrong while sitting securely in front of my TV.

On the evening of the Grand Jury announcement and again last week at our Adult Forum, we have gathered at Emman-uel to voice our fears and hopes through the Collects in the Book of Common Prayer.

We chose prayers for peace, for justice, for times of conflict, for guidance, for those

In the Aftermath, How will we go forward?By the Rev. Martie Metzler, associate priest at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Webster Groves

Watching events un-fold, I have thought of another journey that Christians have taken through the centuries: the Crusade.

Pilgrimage often leads us in unexpected paths with unlikely partners, and breaks us open to new revelations.

continued on page 12

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The Church shares Christ’s ministry of bringing the creat-ed order into relationship with its Creator. The Church, in its corporate reality as the Body of Christ, animated by the Spir-it, extends the Incarnation of Christ throughout history. As the continuation of the Incarna-tion, the Church incorporates both the divine and human natures of Christ.

“As the father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21).

The whole Church shares in the mission of the apostles as it witnesses to the resurrection of Christ.

In the baptismal vows, each Christian promises to “proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ.”

The Church proclaims the Good News as it reads and in-terprets the Scriptures, as it ad-ministers the Sacraments, and as it models in its common life the reconciliation and restored relationships between creation and its Creator.

The Church both invites

others to enter into the commu-nity of the Body of Christ and seeks to establish relationships of justice and dignity among all people through proclamation of the Gospel.

A shared priesthoodThe whole Church shares

in the priesthood of Christ. It carries out its mission of restor-ing the created or-der to its proper relationship with itself and the Cre-ator as it gathers for its worship of God, as it prays for the world and as it proclaims the good news of God in Christ.

As it gath-ers for worship, members of the Church bring the fruits of their labor in the world as an offering to God.

The bread and wine of the Eucharist represent both God’s free grace in the fruits of nature – grain and grapes – and the la-bor and economy of the human

Called together by Bishop Wayne, the Joint Task Force on the Ordination Process includes members of the Episcopal School for Ministry, the Com-mission on Ministry and the Diocesan Board of Examining Chaplains. In re-assessing the whole process to becoming ordained they have developed a common language for us to talk about the ministry of the baptized, the ministry of ordained clergy, and the ministry of the church.

A Theology of MinistryThe Ministry of the Church

Q. What is the mission of the Church? A. The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. Q. How does the Church pursue its mission? A. The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the Gospel, and promotes justice, peace and love.

community in the effort that transforms those gifts to bread and wine.

The Church offers to God its own common life and the whole economy of the house-hold of God under the signs of bread and wine to be consecrat-ed to God’s purposes.

In the Church’s worship, through the agency of the

Holy Spirit, God transforms the Church’s offering into the Body of Christ for the world.

Gathered as that Body, the Church inter-cedes on behalf of the world, endeavoring to discern God’s

purposes and intentions in the specific context of each gath-ered local community.

A shared servant -ministryThe whole Church also

shares in the servant-ministry of Christ. As members of the

The Ministry of the Body of ChristChurch return to the world, transformed and empowered by the Spirit, they endeavor to realize in the Church’s common life, and in the economies from which they presented their gifts, the relationships that character-ize the Incarnate Body of Christ.

As the Body of Christ for the world, the Church serves to make relationships within the various communities in which they live and work more worthy of being offered to God.

The Church does this through the ministry of its members as they seek to heal broken relationships and econ-omies in the world, as they uphold the dignity of all the creatures of God and seek to dis-cern the divine energies work-ing through the whole created world. Its members bring these relationships back to the assem-bly gathered to worship.

Through the ministry of all its members

The whole Church shares the apostolate, the priesthood and the servant ministry of

Through the ministry of all its members, lay and ordained, the whole Church participates in the divine life of the Trinity, and seeks to draw all creation into that life of love.

Q&A from the Book of Common Prayer: An Outline of the Faith commonly called the Catechism

continued on pg. 16

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Q. What is the ministry of the laity? A. The ministry of the laity is to rep-resent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given to them, to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.

The Ministry of the BaptizedGifts of the Baptized

Baptized persons are called to be actively involved in Chris-tian life.

Each baptized person brings unique gifts to ministry, including gifts of time, talent and treasure. Baptized persons are musicians, teachers, learn-ers, leaders, workers and sup-porters of work, and have the opportunity to move in and out of various roles as they discern where the needs of the commu-nity, gathered and scat-tered, match with the gifts of the individual.

Baptized persons, through their faithful-ness, integrity and com-passion, carry on the work of reconciliation in the gathered community and in their witness and service to the community at large.

Ministry of the Baptized Within the Community:

Baptized persons are called to continue in the Apostle’s teachings and in prayer.

The liturgy begins with the gathering of the people whose faithful presence in prayer and praise enables the creation of a community that is welcoming, inclusive and reconciling.

The baptized may serve with the clergy in the minis-try of word and sacrament, as ushers or hosts, acolytes, lec-tors, Eucharistic ministers, lay preachers, Eucharistic visitors and worship leaders, as well as through music and preparation of the altar.

Baptized persons have roles within the life and governance of the parish. They financially support the work of the Church through prayerful stewardship. Their presence on vestries, committees and boards assures the orderly management of parish affairs, including busi-ness matters, stewardship of property, the work of hospitality

to all, and ministry in pursuit of social and economic justice.

Bap-tized persons have roles as teach-ers and continuing

learners in the formation of mature Christians who seek to develop a Christ-centered pat-tern of life.

All of this work is sustained through the prayers and gifts of the faithful.

Scattered throughout the community, baptized persons witness in word and deed to the good news of reconciliation through Christ; such witness is their most powerful tool for evangelism. This includes faithfully joining with others in ecumenical and interfaith actions, witnessing to the spirit of reconciliation within the community.

Through secular employ-ment and work with community agencies, they are called to carry out their baptismal vows to

“seek Christ in all per-sons” and to “strive for justice and peace among all people.”

Ministry of the Bap-tized in the Diocese

Baptized per-sons serve with clergy as delegates to regional convocations and to the annual diocesan conven-tion, representing the people in the formation of vision and policy. They serve on a variety of boards, councils and commis-sions for the diocese.

Through the diocesan cycle of prayer, they support the work of parishes, missions and minis-tries throughout the diocese.

Within the region, the Diocese of Missouri exercises its prophetic voice to call for com-passionate justice for God’s peo-ple and care for God’s Earth. The work of the diocese is supported through faithful stewardship of the baptized.

Ministry of the Baptized within the Church and the World

Bearing the message of rec-onciliation to a broken world, baptized persons are found serving through national and international ministries, includ-ing representation at the Gener-al Convention of the Episcopal Church, the National Council of Churches and the Anglican Communion. They join in prayer for people throughout the world and for peace in the world.

Through gifts of time, talent and treasure, baptized persons reach out in love in the name of Christ throughout the world.

Scattered throughout the community, bap-tized persons witness in word and deed to the good news of reconcil-iation through Christ; such witness is their most powerful tool for evangelism.

You can read all of the Task Force’s Theology of Ministry online at diocesemo.org/theologyofministry .

This group was also tasked with updating the nuts and bolts of the discernment process and are creating materials for seekers beginning discernment and parish discernment committees, in ad-dition to revising and updating the forms and checklists used in the process.

They started with the more global task of our need for common language about discernment and the theology of ministry in all orders (bishop, priest, deacon, lay) and the ministry of the church in the life of the world. They used that to inform creation of a discern-ment manual which will become available around the time of the diocesan discernment conference in June 2015.

There are plans to create an introductory video for general use, as well as printed pamphlets with this material. Watch the web news and weekly email for updates. diocesemo.org/subscribe

16


Q. What is the ministry of a bishop? A. The ministry of a bishop is to represent Christ and his Church, particularly as apostle, chief priest, and pastor of a diocese; to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the whole Church; to proclaim the Word of God; to act in Christ’s name for the recon-ciliation of the world and the building up of the Church; and to ordain others to continue Christ’s ministry.

When someone is baptized or we all renew our baptismal covenant, the first action we take is to recite the Apostles' Creed, the ancient summary of apostolic faith and teaching. We follow that with the promise to continue in that apostolic teach-ing and fellowship, in the break-ing of bread and in the prayers.

From the earliest times, the order of ministry that has contin-ued and guarded that faith has been the episcopate.

Bishops have modeled that ministry in their own proclamation of the Gospel and in administra-tion of the Sacraments through-out their dioceses.

In their regular teach-ing and preaching, and in the baptizing and presiding at the Eucharist, they seek to encour-age and support the apostolic ministry of all the baptized to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ, to serve Christ in all persons, to strive for justice and peace, and to respect the dignity of every human being.

Bishop as linkFrom the beginning, the

bishops' apostolic ministry has been extended by the priests and deacons of the diocese.

A major responsibility of bishops is to ordain sufficient numbers of priests and deacons to work beside the bishops in

The Ministry of the Episcopatestrengthening the work of the laity in their various congrega-tions.

The discernment of min-istries — both lay and ordained — is vital to a healthy and spirit-filled Church. The bish-op has the unique opportunity to be the link between those congregations, and to encourage the discovery of spiritual gifts

both within individ-ual congregations, as well as mutual ministries among them.

The chief pastorAs the chief

priest and pastor of the entire diocese, the bishop also is responsible for oversee-ing these apostolic ministries, so they remain faithful, united and disciplined.

Bishops regularly do so by being the chief presider in the congregations of their dioceses as they make their circuit of par-ish visitations.

They also do so when their dioceses gather for their an-nual conventions and on other occasions, as well as at regular meetings with the clergy of the dioceses.

Governance and oversightBishops share the ministry

of oversight with the laity and the clergy through the various forms of governance in our Church.

The fundamental purpose of that governance at every level

of the Church—con-gregational, dioc-esan, provincial, national and even international—is to assist the mission of the Church to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.

The bishops are in a unique position to do so as they rep-resent their dioceses in the councils of the province, the Episcopal Church and of the worldwide Anglican Commu-nion. Each level of our Church has gifts of ministry to enrich the whole Church. One way that is demonstrated is that bishops participate in the ordination of other bishops.

The discernment of ministries — both lay and ordained — is vital to a healthy and spirit-filled Church.

The reconciliation of the worldFinally, bishops have the

responsibility both individually and collectively to act in concert with others in our civic commu-nities for the reconciliation of the world in the name of Christ.

The world naturally looks to our bishops to provide such leadership as our communi-ties strive to live in peace with justice, respecting the dignity of every human being.

Christ as it offers itself to embody Christ in the world, bringing the divine and created natures into relation-ship in the Body of Christ.

Through the ministry of all its members, lay and ordained, the whole Church participates in the divine life of the Trinity, and seeks to draw all creation into that life of love.

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Read all six chapters (ministries of the Body of Christ, the baptized, the episcopate, the priesthood, the diaconate, and on discernment) online at diocesemo.org/theologyofministry.

The Ministry of the Body of Christ(continued from pg. 14)

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by Emmanuel Episcopal Church’s rector, the Rev. Dan Appleyard. Writ-ten in the week of November 16th, as the region awaited the announce-ment of the Grand Jury decision in the matter of the shooting of Michael Brown, Emmanuel and their rector continued with their ongoing work in dismantling racism.

In the midst of the tension in the air in our region, Emmanuel held another Alli-ance for Interracial Dignity (AID) meeting on November 11, hosted by Dr. Jason Q. Purnell, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University. His presentation was on his research and the project, “For the Sake of All” (http://forthe-sakeofall.org/)

This multi-disciplinary project on the health and well-being of African Americans in St. Louis was well received and good dis-cussion followed.

Two days later I attended a Jewish/ Christian dialogue meeting at Eden Semi-nary and felt blessed to have some heartfelt, prayerful conversation with people from both faith communities.

It won’t surprise you that our topic was “What does your faith tradition say about the events of Michael Brown’s death and the possible outcomes of the Grand Jury’s assessment of Officer Darren Wilson’s kill-ing him?” It was a nuanced and thoughtful discussion about the challenges facing our region and nation.

In the midst of it, I walked away with some gems of wisdom from ancient and modern Jewish traditions. One Rabbi offered several passages from Pirke Avot - which translates into English as: Chapters of the Fathers. It is a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims of the Rab-bis of the Mishnaic period, around 200 CE. Here are some of the passages (quotes of the Fathers/Elders) he offered us to reflect on

as we consider the events unfolding around us:

1:10 Shmaayah would say: Love work, loath mastery over others, andavoid intimacy with the government.

1:14: Hillel would also say: If I am not for myself, who is for me?And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?

2: 3. Be careful with the govern-ment, for they befriend a person only for their own needs. They appear to be friends when it is beneficial to them, but they do not stand by a person at the time of his distress.

2:10 Rabbi Eliezer would say: The honor of your fellow should be asprecious to you as your own, and do not be easy to anger.

2:16 Rabbi Tarfon would also say: It is not incumbent upon you tofinish the task, but neither are you free to absolve yourself from it.

3:2 Rabbi Chanina, deputy to the kohanim, would say: Pray for the integrity (peace) of the government; for were it not for the fear of its authority, a man would swallow his neighbor alive.

He followed those quotes, with “A Meditation for Peace: St. Louis, 2014.” It was inspired by and adapted from the words of Ibtisam Mahameed & Tamar Elad-Appel-baum from Kolot: The Center for Jewish Women’s and Gender Studies. It goes like this:

Let us be a light— for peace,Now, more than ever, during these days of so much crying. A light to illuminate our future, face to face,

A light across borders, beyond fear. Blessed are You, Source of Life, Who helps us to bring Light where there is darkness, Healing where there is brokenness, and, Peace to all of the earth’s inhabitants.

I, in turn, shared with them passages from scripture, the August statement from Emmanuel’s vestry, and our church’s histo-ry in combating racism. I also shared this prayer from The Book of Common Prayer, entitled “A Prayer for the Human Family”:

O God, you made us in your own im-age and redeemed us through Jesusyour Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred whichinfect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us inbonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accom-plish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I don’t know what has happened since my writing this article, nor what you are experiencing as you sit and read it. But I do know that all that is happening in our region creates an opportunity for learning, listening, active engagement, and change.

We are being given an opportunity to live into the prayers we pray, like the one above. We are being invited into a seminal moment in the history of St. Louis, and per-haps our nation.

I hope you will join me in looking for ways that you can “break down the walls,” “unite in bonds of love” and “work through the struggle and confusion” so that all peoples and races and nations in the human family may live in harmony.

Working through the struggle and confusion

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Standing Committee The Standing Committee of the diocese

functions as the council of advice to the bishop, is a visioning group for the diocese. Certifies candidates for ordination in this diocese and votes on consent to the election, ordination, and consecration of bishops churchwide. They also may serve as ecclesi-astical authority for the diocese in the ab-sence of a bishop.

To maintain parity between clergy and lay members, the three positions are stag-gered from year to year. This year conven-tion elected one clergy person and two lay members to four year terms, Mrs. Simone Camp, Dr. Adam Pearson, and the Rev. Jerre Birdsong.

Simone Camp is a member of St. Alban’s Church in Fulton. She has a long and impres-sive history of faithful service and leadership at St. Alban’s. She’s served several times on the bishop’s committee, and as Bishop’s Warden. She is currently Treasurer. Simone is a Lec-tor and a Lay Eucharistic Minister.

Rector Marshall Crossnoe said, “At St. Alban’s we rely on Simone, and she always comes through. Right now, we are benefit-ing from her gifts and service in our Capital Campaign to finance and install a lift at the church.”

In the diocese, she’s served repeatedly as St. Alban’s delegate to Diocesan Conven-tion, and more than one term on Diocesan Council. “She knows her way around the diocese, both literally and figuratively as it pertains to leadership and ministry,” added Crossnoe. “She is a practical and level-head-

Elected by Diocesan Convention at its annual meeting in November

ed leader who loves God and the Church. And when it comes to fiscal things, she has a “task-oriented sense” that allows her to see what needs to be done, and how to get there.”

Adam Pearson is a member of Holy Communion Church in University City. Rebecca Ragland, serving as Holy Communion’s associate priest, then as interim rector nominated Adam saying, “He has a strong and enduring track record of community engagement, as evidenced by his profes-sional and volunteer endeavors in St. Louis City, and would make an outstanding com-mittee member.”

Adam is an occupational therapist by trade, and has worked in several settings where he has specialized in serving the homeless population. As a clinician and educator, he started a clinical program at a large drop-in day shelter, and, along with graduate students, provided therapy services to almost 100 men, women and children. In current position, he is the first director of a permanent supportive housing program that will deliver clinical services and housing to homeless clients with se-vere mental illness.

He is enthusiastic about the mission to end homelessness in St. Louis. Most impor-tantly, his faith influences his works. “He recognizes that social justice and equality are not only essential to our community’s vitality, “ continued Rebecca, “but are cen-tral to the gospel of grace. This faith-based foundation has spurred much of his involve-ment in the church, and other volunteer leadership endeavors that focus on serving the underserved.”

Jerre Birdsong, recently ordained deacon, serves St. Mark’s Church in St. Lou-is. Before becoming a deacon, he was active in his parish and the diocese since moving to St. Louis in 1977,

In the fiscal arena, he served as a

trustee on the Diocesan Investment Trust for fifteen years with much of that time as Chair. Jerre served as Diocesan Treasurer from 2004 to 2009. While Diocesan Treasurer, he was in-strumental in increasing the transparency of all diocesan assets, clearly delineating responsibility for funds, and communicating procedures for requesting such funds for ministry. “I do not view such efforts toward good corporate governance as legalistic formalities,” he said, “but rather as attention necessary to make the ministries of the diocese more effective.”

Jerre has been active in food, home-less, and youth ministries, creating diverse worship experiences, low income housing, stewardship, national and international missions, children’s advocacy, and hospice chaplaincy.

He served as the alumni representa-tive on the Board of the Episcopal School of Ministry.

“In providing a council of advice for the bishop, all views must be brought into light,” Jerre continued, “and discernment should involve Spirit-led good judgment. As a newly ordained deacon, I will ensure that the voice of the poor and oppressed not be forgotten in any business or ministry before the Standing Committee.”

Diocesan CouncilThe Council carries out the work of di-

ocesan convention between annual meetings, prepares and oversees the budget, develops and reviews diocesan programs. It consists of members elected (by convention and convocation) and appointed by the bishop. Council functions as the Corporation of the Diocese.

Each year two lay members are elected to Diocesan Council by convention for three year terms, and this year they are Ms. Patri-cia N. Heeter and Ms. Elizabeth Yount.

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Pat Heeter is a lifelong member of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in St. Louis. She is the church historian/archivist and is writing the history of the 140 years of All Saints’.

Pat served as a delegate to the 2001 Special Convention to elect George Wayne Smith as Bishop Coadjutor and as a delegate to the 162nd Diocesan Convention. She was a member of Metro II Convocation. Pat has served on the vestry as clerk (at present time as Jr. War-den) and has served on a search committee for a rector. She has been a member of the diocesan Episcopal Church Women Board. and served as registration chair for ECW’s Province V Annual Meeting held in St. Louis in April 2013. At the present time she is serving as the ex officio chair of the ECW Board Scholarship Committee.

Pat is a retired educator/school psy-chologist/psychological examiner.

Elizabeth Yount is a lifetime resident of University City. She grew up in St. Peter’s Episco-pal Church, spent some time at St. Michael and St. George’s, and returned to St. Peter’s a decade ago. Liz has been a Sun-day School teacher and Children’s Program volunteer for years, and is currently serving a second term as lay delegate to the diocesan convention. She was elected as an alternate lay delegate to the 2015 General Convention. She’s married and has three children, Katherine, Michael, and Christopher. Professionally, she is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and works in the tax area serving high net worth individuals, corporate executives, profes-sional athletes, and expatriates. In her free time she loves to be outdoors, whether watching her son play soccer, sitting on a beach, or hiking in the mountains.

Disciplinary BoardThis board exists to help in cases where

clergy have been presented with charges under the Ecclesiastical Disciplinary Canons (Title IV), of the Episcopal Church Canons. If a presentment arises the board president along with the bishop will review the work of the Intake Officer to determine need for further investigation.

Depending on investigation’s outcome, the board may work in two groups, one that would seek conciliation, the other to serve as a trial court should a case go that far.

The clergy person and lay member elected to four year terms by convention are the Rev. Dawn-Victoria Mitchell and the Hon. Shirley Padmore Mensah.

Dawn-Victoria Mitchell is the rector of Trinity Church in Hannibal and St. Paul’s Church in Palmyra. She has previously served the diocese as a convocation clergy representative to Dioce-san Council (once from West Convocation and once from Kemper). She is involved in her community as a vol-unteer hospital chaplain, where she serves as president of the executive committee for the chaplaincy corps.

“The Disciplinary Board is a board that we hope never needs to meet,” she explained. “As a priest, I have had to navi-gate sensitive issues. In each instance I have tried to minister in a loving way and to not jump to judgment. I strive to always listen carefully and to treat others fairly, with re-spect and dignity, in all situations. My min-istry with the local hospital means that I am attuned to the need to listen carefully to all sides of an issue and to the importance for maintaining confidentially. “

Shirley Padmore Mensah is a member of Holy Communion Church in University City. She has been a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri since 2012. Prior to

that, she worked in private practice as a trial lawyer beginning in 1995. After spending two summers as a sum-mer associate for what is now Husch Blackwell, she joined the firm in 1995 as an associate in the Litigation Depart-ment and remained with that law firm until she was selected in 2012 to serve as a Unit-ed States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri. During her time in private practice, Judge Mensah concen-trated her practice in areas of commercial, construction, product liability and toxic tort litigation. Her professional experience also includes serving as an adjunct profes-sor teaching trial practice and procedure at Washington University School of Law.

Extremely active in the community, Judge Mensah has served as a member of the board of directors for Safe Connections, and has served organizations such as The Links Incorporated and the African Refugee Service. In addition, she serves as a mentor for college and elementary students and is often asked to speak to students of all ages about the legal industry. She is a graduate of the 2006-2007 class of Leadership St. Louis.

Judge Mensah received her J.D. from Washington University School of Law and her B.A. in political science with an em-phasis in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania.

Originally from Monrovia, Liberia, she came to the United States with her family at the age of 10 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1988.

Cathedral ChapterA chapter is similar to a vestry or bish-

op’s committee; it’s a governing body of a con-gregation. The chapter of the Cathedral has positions for six diocesan convention elected members. Each year two positions are open, one lay member and one clergy person, and we alternate years with candidates who re-

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Elected continued

Michael Angell was called as the rector of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion in University City. His first Sunday will be on Palm Sunday.

Jonathan Stratton was called as the rector of Trinity Epis-copal Church in the Central West End (St. Louis). His first Sunday was January 25th.

Rebecca Ragland left the position as interim rector of Holy Communion Episcopal Church in University City and was appointed Director of the Deaconess Anne House.

William “Bill” Luley has retired as rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Manchester.

Doris Westfall, is the interim rector for St. Luke’s Church in Manchester.

Alfred “Al” Jewson is the interim rector of Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Lake St. Louis.

Jerre Birdsong is appointed deacon at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in St. Louis. His ministry area is Hospice.

Kevin McGrane is appointed deacon at St. John’s Episco-pal Church in Tower Grove (St. Louis). His ministry area is hunger ministries.

Deborah Goldfeder is appointed deacon of Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Northwoods. Her ministry area is health ministries and advocacy.

Nancy Belcher is appointed deacon of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Fulton. Her ministry area is elder ministries.

Rebecca Barger is appointed deacon of St. Francis’ Epis-copal Church in Eureka. Her ministry area is national and international concerns.

Chester Hines, Jr., is appointed deacon of Christ Church Cathedral. His ministry area is St. Louis City a/ County concerns.

Clergy transitionsside in St. Louis city and county, with candidates residing outside of St. Louis city and council.

Of the slate of nominees, (this year residing in the city or county), convention elected the Rev. Susan Bartlett and Ms. Daph-ne Hedges.

Susan Bartlett. Ordained deacon in 2005, her ministry in the church and the community has included “Holiday of Hope” for those grieving during the holidays the loss of loved ones, “Waters of Hope” to raise funds for wells in Lui, and serving as Coor-dinator of an Alpha program in her congre-gation. She offers experience as a two-term Senior Warden and vestry member, leader in non-profit community agencies, and her servanthood ministry as a deacon in the diocese, where she served on the Commission on Ministry, Board of Directors for the Episcopal School for Ministry, and the Board of Examining Chaplains.

Susan was trained in speech pathology and for almost 30 years was the Coordinator of the Parents as Teachers program in the public schools of Rolla.

Daphne Hedges is a member of Grace Church in Jefferson City. From her first cathedral visit in the ‘80s to Flower Festival, through workshops and ordina-tion services held there, to her recent ‘pil-grimage’ visit this summer, she’s appreci-ated our Cathedral for “its beauty as a holy space and its importance to the diocese and the community. The Cathedral’s wel-come for neighborhood use is particularly appealing, as are ideas being considered there now, particularly Magdalene House and the charter school. I have become invest-ed in the mission and ministry of our Cathedral; it already has a place in my heart.”

Daphne has served in various ministries in her local parish, from leading the stewardship team, to Lay Eucharistic Member, Altar Guild, Godly Play storyteller, and vestry mem-ber.

“As much as I am invested in the vitality of our parish, I also care deeply about the vitality and mission of our Cathedral as a significant voice in the life of St. Louis and of the diocese.”

Seek: voices of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Feb. 2015

Documents

Transcript of Seek: voices of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Feb. 2015