One in Mission

Vol. 01, issue 01Fall 2014

A Quarterly Publication of The Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia

Being the Missional Church

Serving Our Lord, Caring for All,

Spreading Christ's Word

c o n n e c t i n g e n g a g i n g p r o c l a i m i n g

From the EditorWelcome to the first issue of a new work in our diocese, One in Mission. This publication will be different from anything you've received in the past. It will be quarterly and in color, as Epiphany was; it will share our stories, as Connections did--but unlike those previous publications, One in Mission will focus on illustrating what being the missional church looks like in our diocese.

"Being missional" is a phrase we are hearing and using a lot in the diocesan office and in our parishes, but being missional is not new to us. When you think about your parish at its best, being missional is very likely part of that picture. And yet, there is some confusion about what being the missional church really means. We are wondering and learning about that together.

Is it outreach, or is it formation within the congregation? Is it the responsibility of the clergy or of the laity? Does it mean giving up church buildings, or does it mean holding on to them? Do we do it parish by parish, or is it a "diocesan thing"?

Yes, to all of the above--no wonder that we're a little unsure about how to live out the call to be missional.

Recently, I heard the Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls, Chief Operating Officer of The Episcopal Church, give a description that sums up for the Church what we hear from Bishop Mark and our Executive Board about our diocese. He talked about reclaiming the word "missionary" and explained the shift in Church focus: "Being missional is not about 'sharing Jesus;' it is about meeting Jesus in the places where God is already at work."

One in Mission wants to tell the stories of our congregations living into that idea. Where is God at work in our communities? How does our gathering together to worship God and remember Jesus strengthen us to go out into the world, building relationships, and joining with God to do God's work? Where are we meeting Jesus--and how do we respond?

I look forward to spreading the good news of One in Mission.

Kate GarciaEditor, One in Missionnews@dioswva.org

In This IssueGuests for Gospel Mission page 3Bishop's Message

Celebration and Challenge page 4ERD Turns 75

New Canon Missioner page 5 for the Abingdon and New River Convocations

Taking It to The Streets page 6

The Rev. Deacon Bill Bumgarner and parishioner Jo Kelley during discussion of how St. Peter's can be The Missional Church in Action in Altavista

Welcoming Lockn’ 2014 page 8Engaging Our Neighbors with a Loving, Generous, and Welcoming Spirit

Slammed page 10The Opportunity To Flourish

The Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales page 11Our Friends in England

Photo credit: Georgia Stromer

One in Mission

The Rt. Rev. Mark Bourlakas, BishopKate Garcia, Editor and DesignerPhotos provided courtesy of Bishop Mark Bourlakas, except where otherwise noted.Cover photo: Outdoor Eucharist offered during Lockn'. Pictured, the Rev. Deacon Kathy Chase. One in Mission is published four times per year in spring, summer, fall, and winter by the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, PO Box 2279, Roanoke, VA 24009. Postmaster: Send address changes to the address above.Articles and photographs for this publication and our website are welcomed. Articles are subject to editing for brevity and clarity. Send to news@dioswva.org.

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St. James’, the Episcopal parish in Taichung, Taiwan (http://www.stjames. org.tw/church/index.jsp). St. James’, which now has a 100+ members worshipping between two services, one in English and one in Chinese every Sunday, began in 1971 with financial assistance from

other parts of the Episcopal Church, including the United Thank Offering.

The joyous singing of the children of St. James’ Preschool greeted us the morning we visited the parish. St. James' preschool ministry, established in 1974, now serves over 350

children ages 2 to 6 and is recognized as the finest preschool in Taichung. Reaching out in love for its neighbors, the school serves children whose families are Christian as well as those of other creeds and none.

Blessed in their own beginnings, St. James’ believes a large part of their mission is to form partnerships to plant new parishes. In 1998 they entered into a mission partnership with the Diocese of the Central Philippines. Learning of a group of Christians worshipping under a mango tree, St. James’ raised the funds to enable them to build a church. Since then, the people of St. James’ Church have raised funds to build a total of 12 churches in the Diocese of the Central Philippines. Rather than confining their stewardship to enhancing their own buildings and programs, St. James’ continues to move out in Gospel mission.

In People of the Way, Dwight Zscheile reminds us that “we are invited to join up with God’s ongoing movement in the neighborhood, trusting that the Spirit is at work in the life of our neighbors . . . and that by going with empty hands as learners we will experience God’s peace. We must go as Christ came to us—as guests, in a posture of humility and dependence.” What new neighborhoods might the Holy Spirit be trying to draw our parishes

Taipei City. (The Diocese of Taiwan is in Province VIII of our Episcopal Church along with Hawaii,

Micronesia, Alaska, California, and several others of our westernmost dioceses.) In a very different culture, where the total number of Christians is less than 5% of the population, we found ourselves to be the ones who were foreign and strange. The bishops of our church and their spouses/partners all had to rely on the hospitality of our Taiwanese brothers and sisters.

One of our mission field trips was led by the bishop of Taiwan, The Rt. Rev. David Lai, to the

Bishop's Message

Guests for Gospel MissionThis new quarterly publication focuses, as it will every quarter, on what it means for us as disciples of Jesus to engage and adapt our proclamation of the Gospel to the new mission fields that surround our parishes. As such, my hope is that it will serve as a resource for fresh and creative thinking about how we participate in the calling of God’s Holy Spirit throughout our diocese and beyond.

One of the primary movements of this new season of missionary endeavor is that of going out from the safe and predictable walls of our churches to humbly receive the hospitality of others. We are usually pretty good at hosting others. Our churches are welcoming. However, it is far more challenging to turn ourselves over to being hosted by others, especially by others that we find different and, sometimes, strange.

A few weeks ago, the Episcopal Diocese of Taiwan hosted the fall meeting of our Episcopal House of Bishops in

Guests for Gospel Mission continued on page 4

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Guests for Gospel Mission continued from page 3

and our diocese into?

Are we willing to go

out with open ears,

open hearts and open

hands? Are we willing

to be hosted by others

in order to learn from

them? Only with a

willingness to go out

as guests with open

and prayerful hearts

are we able to hear

the missional call of

the Holy Spirit.

In the midst of the many experiences and stories

of Christian witness in Taiwan and other parts of

the Far East, I highlight the mission of St. James’

in Taichung because they sincerely understand

that their mission to live into the Gospel cannot be

confined within their walls. The members believe

that, as disciples of Jesus Christ, they have a

mission responsibility to spread the good news in

a country where theirs is the minority voice. And

the joy of the children we experienced that

morning at the pre-

school was evident in

every member of St.

James’ we encoun-

tered. They were

excited, hopeful, and

engaged.

My prayer is that we

might live into this

new season of being

Jesus’ disciples with

the same joyful

expectancy. New life

for our parishes and ourselves will be found in

travelling light with Jesus into the unknown and

strange mission fields that surround us. May we

muster the courage to GO.

Peace,

The Rt. Rev. Mark Bourlakas

Sixth Bishop

Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia

Celebration and ChallengeERD Turns 75For 75 years, Episcopal Relief

and Development’s diverse,

faithful community has responded compassionately to the suffering in our world. With partnership

from Episcopal parishes and individuals, ERD has grown from its founding in 1940 as a granting

agency into a respected international development organization. ERD strengthens local churches

and empowers communities to fight poverty, hunger, and disease with sustainable, locally driven

solutions. Together, through ERD, more than three million people are reached annually in almost

forty countries. Visit http://www.episcopalrelief.org/church-in-action/75 to learn more.

To celebrate the 75th Anniversary, Bishop Bourlakas and Nick Moga, our diocesan coordinator for

ERD, are challenging each convocation to raise $1,500. This will make a total gift of $7,500 for

ERD's efforts to reach out to a hurting world. The bishop is seeding the challenge with $500, $100

for each convocation. Convocations, working through their congregations, will come up with their

own ways of raising the $1,500. Nick Moga is ready to assist with materials and support, and we

look forward to sharing the stories of our convocations' creativity.

We hope to raise the $7,500 before our Diocesan Council in January, so that the gift can be part of

our family celebration when we gather.

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New Canon Missioner for the Abingdon and New River ConvocationsThe Rev. Canon Kathy Dunagan has been called as Canon Missioner for the Abingdon and New River Convocations. She began serving the diocese in this way in early September. "I look forward to Kathy's contributions to our mission team," said Bishop Bourlakas in announcing the appointment.

"Canon Kathy" is the second Canon Missioner in our diocese; the Rev. Canon Mark Furlow serves in this role for the Augusta and Lynchburg Convocations. Canon Missioners support their area congregations not only with their physical presence, but also through networking and sharing of resources. They are also engaged in transition ministry and search coaching in their convocational regions. At convocation meetings this fall, Dunagan spoke of her role in terms of being a liaison and catalyst, hearing and sharing narratives, and--most importantly--building relationships.

Prior to her call as Canon Missioner, Dunagan had recently returned to her hometown of Bristol--where her extended family still lives--with her daughter, Kate, and husband, the Rev. Joe Dunagan. He is the new rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Bristol.

During the previous year, both Dunagans had served at�St. John's, Roanoke, and began their diocesan ministry as trainers for Safeguarding God's People.�While Canon Kathy continued her practice as a licensed counselor and therapist, she also worked with St. Mark's, Fincastle, during that same time period.

Dunagan attended college at Emory and Henry and UNC-Greensboro. She received a Master of Divinity from The Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She is currently working on a Doctor of Ministry at the School of Theology at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennesee, and expects to be awarded her degree in May. She is a Fellow of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.�

After being ordained a deacon in 1999 in the Diocese of Georgia, it was Bishop Alexander's intention to ordain Dunagan to the priesthood in the Diocese of Atlanta. However, the family's move to Virginia intervened. Bishop Bourlakas has followed up on that intention, and she is now an approved candidate for ordination to the priesthood in this diocese. It is Bishop Bourlakas' intent to ordain her in December.

The Rev. Canon Kathy Dunagan, with the Rev. Russ Hatfield

O God, by your grace you have

called us in this diocese to a

goodly fellowship of faith.

Bless our Bishops,and other clergy,

and all our people.

Grant that your Word

may be truly preached and truly heard, your Sacraments

faithfully administered and faithfully

received.

By yourSpirit, fashion our

lives according to the example of your

Son, and grant that we may show the power of your love to all among whom

we live; through Jesus Christ

our Lord.

Amen.

A Prayer for the DioceseBook of Common Prayer

page 817

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Taking It to the Streets: The Missional Church in Action in Altavista

By Jennifer Cumby

As part of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia’s transition to more missional outreach, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Altavista is involved in a project of discernment that is both revitalizing and reinvigorating its membership.

Using the book, The People of the Way by Dwight Zscheile as a guide, Bishop Mark Bourlakas is actively encouraging each church in the diocese to reexamine and reevaluate outreach programs through the lens of a more missional approach.

To that end, the bishop requested that Deacon Bill Bumgarner, of Lynchburg, take on a pivotal role at St. Peter’s. Without a consistent clergy presence for over a year, the small but active church was in need of attention.

Bumgarner, a trustee of the diocese and a member of the executive board, was charged with filling the lack of clergy presence at St. Peter’s and also leading the church through the discernment process toward incorporating the missional approach to outreach.

“This parish is already a good parish. I’ve just brought consistency,” Bumgarner says. “This discussion has brought a lot of energy and the parish has really been energized.”

A member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Lynchburg, Bumgarner visits Altavista two Sundays each month to deliver a sermon, serve communion, and hold conversations of discernment. In helping St. Peter’s, Bumgarner is a living example of the missional approach himself. Creative use of the deacons of the church, Bumgarner says, is one hallmark of the bishop’s call to rethink and repurpose the resources within the church.

“Missional church is basically being called to be sent out,” Bumgarner says. “It’s a little different than what many people think the traditional church is about. It’s about meeting people on their own terms, not on church’s terms.”

Josephine “Jo” Kelley, Senior Warden at St. Peter’s, looks at Bumgarner’s involvement as a welcome catalyst to help the congregation move forward and continue their involvement in the community beyond the four walls of the church.

"We feel very grateful to have Bill with us,”

The Rev. Deacon Bill Bumgarner and parishioner Carolyn Burks; she is holding a Eucharistic Visitor's kit, which she will use when taking communion to shut-ins.

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“We always want to be inviting and welcoming as a church, but more and more it’s about going out and walking out into the world.”

mindset helps congregations form authentic

relationships and become active listeners. Being

able to respond to the real needs of the

community, Bumgarner says, is an essential part

of the missional approach.

“We always want to be inviting and welcoming

as a church, but more and more it’s about going

out and walking out into the world,” Bumgarner

says. “What gifts do we have that we can share in

the community that match a community need?”

For Kelley, the attention from the diocese, the

bishop, and Bumgarner is more than welcome.

“We feel very grateful that the bishop thought of

us,” Kelley says. “To have Bill Bumgarner with us

has been a very good experience.”

Kelley says. “He’s

just a real good fit

for where we are

in our discernment

process for the

missional church.”

Rather than

peering outward

from the church,

Bumgarner says,

having a missional

In addition to their work with local charities--

like the local shelter for battered women,

Frannie’s House--Kelley says that the small,

active congregation at St. Peter’s is looking at

other potential areas of outreach.

“We’re just beginning to discern,” Kelley says.

“Because we are already so active in the

community, we have some thoughts about what

is needed.”

Some ideas include partnering with other local

organizations and churches to teach life skills

classes, helping those applying for medical

assistance, and aiding those grandparents who

are raising their grandchildren.

“Our focus, as far as the missional church goes,

has not been on bringing in new membership,”

Kelley says. “Our goal is to support this idea of

missional church and use our experiences to

move it forward and to continue to use that in

the community around us.”

Jennifer Cumby is a freelance writer, editor, web developer, and content strategist who lives in Lowesville, Virginia, with her husband and three children. She is founding member of and contributor to I Believe You/It’s Not Your Fault and serves as co-editor of the online satirical website McShouty’s. You can follow her on Twitter @greenasphodel or learn more about her work at www.jennifercumby.com.

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Trinity Episcopal Church, Arrington, completed its second year of missional outreach and fundraising via its temporary neighbor, the Lockn’ music festival.

Welcoming Lockn’ 2014: Engaging Our Neighbors with a Loving, Generous, and Welcoming Spirit

By Jennifer Cumby

From September 4 through 7, the event drew approximately 30,000 attendees from all over the globe to Nelson County. With acts like the Allman Brothers, Willie Nelson, and Widespread Panic on the main stage, tiny Trinity Episcopal Church, founded circa 1830, across the road offered festival-goers a chance for rest, respite, and sanctuary through a number of different missional initiatives.

Welcoming SoberLockn’ back to its grounds, Trinity again provided a safe, private, grounded space for twice-daily meetings which offered group support for those attendees who are in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction.

Additionally, parishioners of Trinity ran their WaterLockn’ ministry for the second year, taking festival-goers swimming at a local private swimming hole.

This year, WaterLockn’ served over three hundred festival-goers and enjoyed broad participation by Trinity members and other volunteers. The event raised just under $7,000--much of which will go to various mission projects within Nelson County and for Haitian outreach.

The people of Trinity, Arrington, gathered for fellowship and to work toward the common goal of mission with the commuity. Photo credit: David Wooldridge

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Above: Server Eve Yagel offers communion to Burnley Harvey at Trinity’s outdoor Sunday service on the last day

of Lockn’ 2014. Photo credit: Eli Cumby-Woolridge

Below: Children provide enthusiastic accompaniment.

Trinity’s youth also staffed a lemonade, local honey, and t-shirt stand on the church grounds. Selling donated goods and shirts they had screenprinted themselves, the children raised over $300 for the local chapter of the ASPCA.

A coordinated visit from Bishop Mark Bourlakas allowed Trinity to receive six new members--David Wooldridge, Pam Hilberge, Clint Sorrels, Charlotte Bertsche, Kara Eaton, and Matthew Booth--during an outdoor service on the final day of Lockn’ 2014, as the music of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and the band Soja filled the air.

Developing a deepening relationship with festival organizers, Trinity has already been invited back to participate in Lockn’ 2015.

To view more pictures, visit Trinity Episcopal Church-Arrington’s Facebook page or the WaterLockn’ Facebook page. You can also follow WaterLockn’ on Twitter @Waterlockn.

“Peace Be With Y’all!” WaterLockn’ attendees cool off, relax, and enjoy the beauty of the Tye River.Photo credit: Frannie Grace Stadlin

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The June heat of Dallas was sweltering but I didn't dare let go of my cup of coffee. It would be a long day of lectures and discussion at the 2014 Summer Institute on Theology and Disability at SMU Perkins School of Theology. From the website: “The Summer Institute on Theology and Disability (SITD) brings together academics, theologians, practitioners and others—people with and without labeled disabilities—to explore the inclusive intersections of theology and disabilities.” I was attending the conference as a DIOSWVA advocate to help build community with and minister to our many members with physical and mental disabilities. DIOSWVA’s own Darla Schumm, associate professor of religious studies at Hollins University, Roanoke, was the the keynote speaker of the morning. Her talk, “Removing the Speck from My Neighbor’s Eyes: Some Theological and Ethical Reflections on Blindness,” was to begin at 9:00 AM.

Instead of riding the bus, Darla, her guide dog Chloe, and her friend/advocate/travel partner Kim were taking a cab and asked if I wanted to ride with them. They all crammed in the back seat. I quickly got in the front seat but didn’t realize Darla’s hand was still in the doorway while she and Chloe were getting situated. I shut my door. On Darla’s hand. I have never been that crazy about Texas, but I started planning my new life there because figured there was no way to return to Roanoke and face Darla’s husband and son. I snapped to when I heard Darla scream, “My hand! My hand!” I opened the door and jumped out to see if she was OK. Not that the pain wasn’t intense, but by some grace the placement of her hand was such that there wasn’t any significant damage. When I heard her laugh about the disaster, I realized that authentic friendship had been born.

You can view or hear all of the conference presentations at http://bethesdainstitute.org/2014-presentations. In addition to Darla’s, I

recommend Eric Carter’s, “The Other Six Days,” for research-based ways churches can meet the needs of folks in religious communities and Stanley Hauerwas’s perspective on the theology of disability. Carter points out that churches need to consider not special needs ministry but human needs ministry by asking, “Do all of our members have friends, support, the chance to contribute, the opportunity to flourish?” Hauerwas explained that each of us is given a life with some suffering and that we bear that suffering by slowing down and sharing our experiences with each other in Christian community. Over the next few months, I look forward to sharing ideas from this conference that may help lead our diocese into deeper spiritual relationship with each other.

Let me be clear that I do not advocate slamming your friends’ hands in doors. But I believe that the door-slamming led me into an enlightenment that might not have happened any other way. Darla's lack of sight does not make her pitiful. She needs her guide dog and some extra time to get in a cab, as all of us need help maneuvering through this chaotic world. But she is tough, and she laughed at my obsessive mothering over her after the door slam happened. At the same time, she does not sit on a pedestal because of her lack of sight. She sits up there because of the knowledge she imparts in the classroom, the books and articles she writes, the son she mothers, her sense of humor. As we move forward in ministering to our members with disabilities, I pray that we all slam into relationship with each other. With all our blindnesses, our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities, may we laugh, occasionally take Advil for the swelling, and move on to speak to the world with eloquence and power.

Martha Bourlakas is a writer who lives in Roanoke, Virginia. She is mother to three daughters, ages 11, 17, and 20, and wife of Mark, the Episcopal Bishop of Southwestern Virginia. When life permits, she reads nonfiction, bakes cakes, goes to the movies, and wallows on the floor with her two dogs. She received her MFA from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky.

Slammed: The Opportunity To Flourish

by Martha Johnson Bourlakas

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Top left: Interior of Bradford CathedralCenter left: Bishop Nick and Bishop MarkLower left: Visiting bishopsTop right: Bishop Nick with regional dignitariesCenter right: The newly-formed dioceseLower right: Procession leaving Bradford Cathedral

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Our Friends in England From Easter Sunday 2014, the new Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales replaced the Dioceses of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds, and Wakefield.

The Rt. Rev. Nick Baines, former Bishop of Bradford, was enthroned as bishop of the new diocese. Bishop Mark Bourlakas participated in the service held in Bradford Cathedral.

The Diocese of Bradford and the Diocese of South-western Virginia have enjoyed a com-panion realtionship for more than thirty years. It is the hope and intention of both bishops to continue this relationship with the new diocese.

The mission of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia is to challenge and support the creativity of our congregations in Christian growthand global responsibility.

Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern VirginiaPO Box 2270Roanoke, VA 24009

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Here in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, Christ Episcopal Church in Big Stone Gap has a highway billboard mission celebrating God's all-inclusive love. Photo credit: The Rev. Ray Moore