D eanery Days are coming. Do you have your calendar marked? This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet others from your deanery and share in this new offering. As a Diocesan staff, we have been looking for ways to have

programs that are meaningful and reach more people. Bishop Brian Thom is interested in finding ways to use the deanery structure and has sought Deans with an understanding of the importance of their role as communicators and facilitators of and for the parishes of their deanery.

Replacing the central location model of the Ministry Fair, Deanery Days are a way to move to deanery sites where the location is more convenient and the topics can be more relevant to each individual deanery. This way, parish leaders, staff and parishioners can learn, share and connect in a new way.

“We will be able to get

feedback from more individuals in their own voices on their own ground. The staff of

the diocese will also get a better idea of ways in which they can be more helpful and

supportive. It will be fun for the Diocesan staff to be able to come and share what we do

well, and we are excited to learn about the skills of the folks of the Diocese and the

possibility for these gifts to be shared diocesan-wide”, says Jeanne Thomas, Diocesan

Administrator. Don‟t miss this great Deanery opportunity!

Come and Celebrate Your Deanery by Jes Benson, Diocesan Communications

Bishop’s Page 2

Book Review 3

Our Shared History 4-5

Around the Diocese 6

Idaho Episcopal Foundation 6

Camp and Youth News 7

Staying Up to Date 8

Inside this issue:

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Volume 2, Issue 2

Winter, 2011

Emmanuel, Placerville

Visit the Diocesan website at www.episcopalidaho.org

for more information on Deanery Days 2011

Emmanuel,

Placerville, becomes the newest parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho. The story is on Page 4!

V OLU ME 2, ISSU E 2

Many of you may recognize Blake from his presence at Paradise Point over the years. His wonderful spirit and sense of humor will bless the Diocese, indeed! Blake‟s ordination to the priesthood is expected this summer.

Congratulations, Blake!

Blake Coats of Weiser, Idaho was ordained a Deacon by Bishop Brian Thom at St. Luke‟s Episcopal Church on December 19th at 7pm. Despite a blizzard, clergy members, friends and family were able to celebrate Blake‟s ordination to the Sacred Order of Deacons.

Page 2

Clergy by Jes Benson, Diocesan Communications

These Roads…...A Message from our Bishop

I did something recently that I have been waiting to do for at least ten years: I painted a painting. Well, it was more like spreading paint on a canvass, but it was a wonderful moment.

For years, I had been considering the possibility of maybe trying to experiment with paint. Yet, serious perfectionist issues continually blocked any action. How would I know what to do? When would I find time to devote to „my art‟? Don‟t I need a studio first? Good grief!

Finally, one day last month, I bought some paint and a canvass. I came home, laid the canvass on the kitchen counter, opened the tubes, and smeared paint. Thanks be to God.

I say “thanks be to God” because I have come to believe that all the best impulses and actions in my life are God-inspired - either something that God knows that I need personally or something that God knows will help me be more useful to God. Not to say that I experience all these events as positive at the moment, but I continue to trust that each of God‟s ideas are good for me. When I am bravest, I even dream ahead to what the next gift from God might be.

As I travel the Diocese of Idaho this year, I will ask each congregation “What will God be doing here this year?” As we consider our answers, I hope that each congregation will open itself up to what could be rather than only focusing on what is. With this question before us, I pray that we all can begin to shift our energies away from our very human, but nevertheless defeating routines of status-quo, survival -thinking, and woe-is-the-world abdications. They get us nowhere and certainly frustrate some divine creativity.

What will God be doing in our parishes this year? What will God be working on in your life? Can we dream ahead to what God‟s next gift might be? Let‟s summon our courage and give it a try.

+Brian

failures of our present condition.

McNeal does not discuss the mission of the church. This is, for him, an old term, intimately c o n n e c t e d w i t h o u r o l d programmatic paradigm. Rather he speaks in-depth about what it means to become missional. He rejects out of hand any theology that limits God‟s activity in the world primarily to the church. We are not, he says, the exclusive conservators or protectors of God‟s grace: “The missional church is not a what but a who,” according to McNeal. “Missional is a way of living, not an affiliation or activity.”

What I find compelling about this Book is the author‟s care in laying out, in practical ways, how

we can move from business as usual, to a missional focus. For example, he suggests three shifts necessary for those wanting to go missional. They are:

From internal to external in terms of ministry focus

From program development to people development in terms of core activity

From church-based to kingdom-based in terms of leadership agenda

While I believe this is an important read for every member of the church, I would put this on the list of must read for every leader in the church today, both lay and ordained. McNeal spends a significant amount of t ime discussing how we can make this shift. His character descriptors of a Kingdom oriented leader include being organic, disruptive, personal, prophetic, and empowering.

For those content with the way things are in our church, I‟d suggest reading the Convention Journal from the 1964 Convention of the Missionary Diocese of Idaho. While I don‟t know the exact population of Idaho in that year, it‟s safe to say it was much less than today. Given that, according to the Journal there were 433 baptisms, 394 confirmations, 9332 total baptized members, and nearly 3000 children and teachers in church school programs in the Diocese of Idaho in the previous year. Maybe it really is time for a new paradigm!

Missional Renaissance Changing the

Scorecard for the Church

By Reggie McNeal

We live in an age when our classic institutions appear no longer to enjoy our loyalty. They don‟t appear to serve us well. They seem inefficient and unable to meet our needs. Our attitudes often convey this, as we express cynicism, anger a n d r e s e n t m e n t a b o u t government, political parties, corporations, etc. There are times when even the church appears to be part of this institutional mindset.

Reggie McNeal, author and Missional Leadership Specialist for Leadership N e t w o r k o f D a l l a s , Texas,challenges the people of the church to let go of our “Western, Constant inian, institutional view of what church is.” According to McNeal the programs and structures we‟ve set up to “do” church no longer serve our true mission. His book puts into words what many of us know is happening, but lack the language to articulate. In fact, McNeal spends most of his time, in Missional Renaissance talking much more about what we need to do to move in a new direction, than lamenting the

Page 3

Book Review by The Very Rev. Rich Demarest, St. Michael’s Cathedral, Boise

According to McNeal the

programs and structures

we’ve set up to “do”

church no longer serve

our true mission.

I DA HO E PIS COPA LI A N

EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN PLACERVILLE BECOMES IDAHO’S NEWEST PARISH

I n November, 2010, Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Placerville, Idaho, became the newest parish in the Idaho Episcopal Diocese (there is also an existing similarly named parish in Hailey). However, although

Emmanuel may be its newest parish, Episcopal services were being held in Placerville long before the diocese even existed!

In the early 1870s, Daniel S. Tuttle, the great Episcopal missionary bishop to the mountainous west, visited Placerville, holding two Sunday services and baptizing one child. A church building was constructed in 1894,

according to oral history and photographic evidence. This building may have been partially or totally destroyed, however, because records show that Will Hiatt supplied lumber from his sawmill and led church construction in the early 1900s.

Subsequent generations have added features to enhance the quaint period charm of the simple white frame Victorian building. In 1970, Dorothy and Oscar Baumhoff contributed four beautiful stained glass windows, salvaged from a Catholic church in Tillamook, Oregon. The bell that is rung for every Sunday service came from a church in historic Silver City, and an antique foot-operated pump organ regularly accompanies services. Central heat has also been added to the church, a feature not true to the period architecture, but much appreciated by the congregants.

Emmanuel celebrates a longstanding open and ecumenical tradition. Despite widespread ethnic prejudice against the Chinese in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when a local Chinese woman died during a typhoid epidemic, her funeral was held at Emmanuel. And when a fire in 1931 destroyed the Roman Catholic church in Granite Creek, Emmanuel‟s congregation invited the Catholic congregation to hold its services at Emmanuel. Emmanuel‟s welcoming tradition may be summed up best in this quote from Mrs. Henry Ashcroft in 1932, “It is a

Page 4

Our Shared History by Elizabeth Nelson, Emmanuel, Placerville

I DA HO E PIS COPA LI A N

Father Gallagher and Will Herrera

celebrate baby Noah’s baptism

V OLU ME 2, ISSU E 2 Page 5

most hospitable church and welcomes ministers of all denominations to hold services there. Almost continuously since its erection, it has housed a non-denominational Sunday School conducted by laymen, or, more properly speaking, laywomen of the community.”

The needs of the local community have historically occupied a prominent place in Emmanuel‟s mission activities. This continues to be the congregation‟s primary concern, especially since it is the only church for approximately twenty miles in any direction. Since becoming a parish, Emmanuel has begun

plans to expand its mission activities, especially since it was honored as the recipient of monies from a special offering taken at the diocese‟s annual convention. These monies will be added to the funds that Emmanuel raises by selling various items, including self-produced CDs of worship music featuring members of the congregation, and assorted sets of note cards featuring photos of the church.

Emmanuel currently holds services every Sunday at 11 a.m. Most Sunday

services consist of Morning Prayer, led by laypeople, with a visiting priest leading a Eucharistic service once per month. Emmanuel‟s serene setting contributes to a prayerful worship experience, although its remote location (twenty miles down an unpaved road) sometimes poses a challenge to attendance. However, the congregation prides itself on its tough “can-do” attitude and ensures that worship continues year round, welcoming visitors, newcomers and each other warmly and with open arms. Visitors may call ahead for directions or additional information, or if in any doubt about the road or weather condi t ions (208-392-9934) . However, visitors must call before leaving the Boise area, as there is no cell service whatsoever at or in the vicinity of the church, and very little cell coverage in the county in which the church is located.

“It is a most hospitable church and welcomes ministers of all denominations to hold services there. Almost continuously since its erection, it has housed a non-denominational Sunday School conducted by laymen, or, more properly speaking, laywomen of the community.”

Y ou are cordially invited to the 2nd annual Bishop‟s Banquet. The Idaho Episcopal Foundation is pleased to present this gala event, which will be held April 2nd at the Doubletree Riverside in

Boise. Reservations are $75 each and will be available next month. Highlighting the event will be presentation of the Mission In Excellence Award to an Episcopalian, who through active involvement in mission and ministry exemplifies the call to be the heart and hands of Jesus in the world.

At last year‟s inaugural Banquet, Bishop Thom presented the Mission in Excellence Award to Marie Blanchard for her dedication and success in founding a free healthcare clinic for low income individuals and families lacking insurance coverage. During her career as a nurse, Marie witnessed the growing number of uninsured in Boise. Upon her retirement, Marie decided to address this problem and conceived the Friendship Clinic. Founded in 2003, the clinic provides free healthcare services every Monday evening from converted rooms in the parish hall of All Saints Church. In her acceptance speech, Marie recounted services provided at the clinic, which were instrumental in the positive outcome of people suffering serious medical conditions. The Clinic facilitated successful treatment of a woman with breast cancer; a young boy‟s eyesight was saved; and a man‟s foot was saved after losing two toes to infection. Marie continues to run the Clinic and is focusing efforts on expanding the hours of operation, to accommodate the large numbers of people in need of free health services.

There are many among you who quietly and faithfully give of yourselves to a mission or ministry, which

exemplifies the heart and hands of Jesus in the world. On April 2nd, we will honor one of you.

Page 6

F or several years, Christ Church, Shoshone, has opened its doors to the WIC (Women, Infants and Children)

program once a month. When the Women‟s Guild was considering ways that they could assist the participants, they thought outside the traditional food pantry box and created a household pantry. When Lincoln County WIC participants come to Christ Church, the Guild opens a pantry of household supplies and each woman can select 5 items per visit. Typically on hand are cleaning supplies and paper goods (toilet paper, etc), shampoos and other personal hygiene items. “When the women of the Guild considered what to stock, these expensive items came to mind,” states Helen Hopkins, who works as a nurse for the State with the WIC participants and is also a Christ

Church member.

The Women‟s Guild holds fundraisers throughout the year (a winter craft bazaar, Lenten and Advent

soup dinners) and they ask folks who attend their Advent Carols potluck to bring items to stock the pantry as

well. “A long-term goal would be to take it county wide and beyond the WIC participants. We would also love

to see other parishes get involved”, Helen said.

Around the Diocese by Jes Benson, Diocesan Communications

I DA HO E PIS COPA LI A N

Idaho Episcopal Foundation News by Susan Wishney

A shopper at Christ Church’s pantry!

V OLU ME 2, ISSU E 2 Page 7

And the Survey Says…… by Jes Benson, Diocesan Communications

At Diocesan Convention 2010, there was much conversation about the way that the folks of the Diocese would like to receive information. First of all, if you are not receiving the Idaho Episcopal News, our bi-weekly e-newsletter, that means that we do not have an e-mail address for you. We would love to be in touch with you via e-mail, so please call the Diocesan Center at 208.345.4440 to share your address or e-mail Jes at jbenson@idahodiocese.org to be added to the distribution list. We do not share this list with anyone.

Secondly, for those of you who receive e-mails from the Diocesan Center, within two months, you will receive a survey in your inbox that will help us to evaluate the best means for communicating with you and your household. Please take a few minutes to fill this out. If you do not wish to receive e-mails from us or if you are not a computer person, please call the Diocesan Center to take a 2 minute survey. You will also be able to access the survey on the homepage of our website. Thank you in advance for your participation!

Camp and Youth News by Marty Beck, Director of Camp and Youth Ministry

I hope that you had a chance, this Christmas season, to relive childhood memories with family and friends by enjoying the traditions and excitement

of the season. Decorating the tree, playing in the snow and spending the time with the ones we love are some of these traditions. For me as a child, the time just before summer camp was just as exciting as Christmas. Waiting for the day to pack my bags and find out who my counselor would be, or which one of my friends from last year would be in my cabin, was a highlight of my summer. The excitement of Christmas was the same feeling I felt when I stepped onto the bus headed for Paradise Point (I, too, was a camper there as a child). I feel fortunate that I still get to have that feeling every week of summer when I see the new group of anxious campers arrive at Paradise Point. It is the spirit of youth that makes every summer remarkable, memorable and life changing.

2011 will be another wonderful year of faith formation on the waters of Payette Lake. The budgeted position of a seasonal Spiritual Formation Director (based on the success of intern Blake Coats last summer) will continue to provide the groundwork for a lasting spiritual program to inspire and foster camper connections with God. As the result of the generosity of a grant from the Idaho Episcopal Foundation, next month, Paradise Point will see the addition of online registration and management software. This will provide parents and campers with a much more streamlined format when registering for camps and camp events. This software will also allow staff to remotely access all necessary camper information and forms, thus easing the work of the Diocesan Center staff.

Youth of the Diocese, Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Hailey will host the Spring Diocesan Youth Event, April 8-10, 2011. Teenagers from around the state will gather for a great time of team building, service work and time with their distant friends. More information will be available soon. This summer high school youth from the diocese will join us in a trip to St. Paul, Minnesota, for the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) June 22-26, 2011. This event will focus on Jesus Christ and his presence in our lives. EYE provides an opportunity and creates an environment where our young people and the adults who accompany them can continue to grow on their journey in faith. Plan to join us!

Marty Beck

The Episcopal Diocese of Idaho 1858 West Judith Lane

Boise, ID 83705

Staying Up to Date

We are faith communities that generate life; we risk, collaborate, embrace, nurture, respect,

challenge, share, advocate and serve.

There are several ways to stay informed with news from the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho. You can find the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho on our website www.episcopalidaho.org and on our facebook page at Episcopal-Diocese-of-Idaho. You can also subscribe to our bi-monthly online newsletter, the Idaho Episcopal News, by contacting Jes Benson at jbenson@idahodiocese.org or calling 208.345.4440.

For Episcopal Church news, you can follow on:

facebook (Episcopalian)

twitter (iamepiscopalian)

youtube (TECtube)

You can also go to newsline at www.episcopalchurch.org/newsline.htm or the Episcopal News Service at www.episcopalchurch.org/ens/ and

Infoline at www.episcopalchurch.org/info/

The Idaho Episcopalian is a quarterly publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho

The Rt Rev Brian Thom, Bishop and Publisher

1858 West Judith Lane, Boise, ID 83705 208.345.4440 fax 208.345.9735

Editor: Jes Benson– jbenson@idahodiocese,org Submission deadlines are the 15th of March, June and September for the 2011 editions. The Idaho Episcopalian welcomes topics of interest to the people of the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho. Publication is subject to space constraints and editor‟s approval. For the written editorial policy, contact Jes. Thank you for reading the Idaho Episcopalian.

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