Seek Spring 2011, News from the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

8/7/2019 Seek Spring 2011, News from the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

1/8

Volume 4, Number 2, Spring 2011

The Episcopal Church, inrecent years, has placed a resh emphasison the churchs mission. Likewise, in hisDiocesan Convention Address this year,Bishop Smith ocused on the central-

ity o mission in the lie o the diocese,when he said that we all could be chal-lenged "to make the work o mission anorganizing principle in (our) lie togeth-er." We, at Emmanuel, have articulatedthat claim in part o our Core Valueswhen we say that we will strive to beBold in Mission.

Mission activities o young andold are proving to be ripe environmentsor re-energizing our individual com-mitments to our Baptismal Covenant.Our dedication to mission is shownthrough our Food Pantry, our envi-ronmental stewardship projects, ourseasonal outreach eorts to serve our

brothers and sisters rom the streets othe city o St. Louis to our more globaleorts to serve in Guatemala and Lui.In all, Jesus' model o reaching out toheal a broken world is touching the aitho individuals and our community.

With that re-energized ocus, Ibelieve that many people in our par-ish are nding a new appreciation orthe variety and vitality o cultural andreligious worldviews among the hu-man amily. We are opening up to newunderstandings o the world and God'sdeep longing or a kingdom o peace andreconciliation. Time and time again, ouryoung people have said how they have

been powerully moved by the peoplethey have encountered in their missiontrips. Likewise, adults serving the pooron the Rosebud Reservation in SouthDakota have returned to Emmanuel

transormed in their aith, seeing them-selves with new eyes and understandingtheir ministries with new vision becauseo the people they encountered.

I believe that part o the rea-son that this understanding occurs isbecause there has been a shit in oursel-understanding as Christians o whatit means to be a "missional" people. Wehave come to believe that the Churchsrelationship to people o other culturesand religious traditions begins in therecognition o Gods many gits to us,including that o relationship. We havea resh understanding o the idea that allare made in the image o God (Genesis

1:27). When we meet another humanbeing, regardless o her or his dierencerom us, we are meeting a unique cre-ation o the living God. More and morewe are coming to the awareness that weare bigger than just ourselves, and ourparticular cultural/societal worldviews.We have come to believe that we are,in act, a community o all peoples andthat God made the whole human race tolive in harmony on earth. All are equalin Gods sight; and, each is equally theobject o Gods love. Because we areall children o the one God, we are allrelated to one another. It is in this sensethat we may call all men and women our

brothers and sisters. Thus, we really are

companions in community on thisragile earth, our island home.(BCP p.370) This companionshipis itsel a divine git which we arecalled to make real in our lives.

Just as God relied upon theincarnation to become more ullyknown, these places where we encounterdiverse and diering people ound inour mission journeys call or us to bewith them in the fesh. We can't "do-nate" mission alone: we must rely uponour incarnate place in the world withthem to be known by one another. Also,this relational dynamic in mission callsor us, as Gods daughters and sons, toactually refect the very nature o God.As Father, Son, Holy Spirit (Creator,Redeemer and Sanctier) is the ultimatemodel o creatively giving and receiv-ing, we are to imitate this Triune God

by having the courage and will to giveand receive rom each other in deep andabiding relationship. Like the oeringo the Christian virtue o hospitalitywhen we welcome people into our midst,Christian companionship in missionembraces those places where the recon-ciling love o God is easily understoodand received, so that our eyes, ears,hearts and minds are open to ully relat-ing to each other.

I once heard the image oSouthern women at a amily/communitymeal used to describe Christian hospi-tality. As hosts in a southern kitchen, wedon't sit or rest. We hover attentive to

the needs o those we encounter. Plates

are never empty, and we continuallyask i something more or dierent isneeded. The work is never done. Themission is never complete. Like goodsouthern cooks and hosts we continueto serve everyone throughout the east.And, as in such a wonderul meal, in themidst o all, we engage in deep con-versation with each other, sharing ourstories, and laughing and weeping asour lives are brought ever closer. Thisis perhaps the most divine git that weare to cherish: being drawn into closerrelationship with each other which ismarked by God's love and reconcilia-tion. This image strikes a chord in me,

as I refect on the transorming relation-ships that we experience, when we en-counter others in mission as companionsin Gods kingdom making.

So, I say come, join the mis-sion, join the east! Be ever more boldin mission! Be drawn ever closer to Godand our neighbor. For in such places, thekingdom o God comes near.

The throbbing heart o the

Prayer Book tradition, beginning in1549, is the incarnation o Jesus, es-pecially those moments o his deathand resurrection. This beat only in-tensies in our current Prayer Book1979, with its insistence on what isoten called the Pascal Mystery.This crucial concept in the Christianlie is perhaps obscured by its slightlyeccentric terminology, when it mightbe more clearly put this waytheEaster Reality.

I Christ has not beenraised, then our proclamation hasbeen in vain and your aith has beenin vain. Paul states it clearly here in

1 Corinthians, that everything de-pends on the resurrection, this Easterreality. The resurrection o Jesusdemonstrates Gods intended destinyor humankind and, in act, or allcreation. The salvation which God isworking in Jesus is never privatized,never as individualized as Americansmight want it. We are being saved inconcert with all creation a radicallycommunal context or what God isdoing. (Read Romans 8.) Resurrec-tions scope is cosmic! So EucharisticPrayer D lets the Church pray: Toulll your purpose, [O God, Jesus]gave himsel up to death; and, risingrom the grave, destroyed death, and

made the whole creation new.This Easter reality has a

particular poignancy in an age ogrowing awareness about ecologicaldegradation. To some it may straincredulity to say that God in raising

Jesus has made creation new. Sincecreation is in act such a mess, thenhow can we say that it has been madenew?

Two points. First, human sinremains as consistent on this side othe resurrection as beore, and cre-ation continues to suer rom human

handling. Our dirty ngerprints areeverywhere on this broken, beautiulworld. Second, the resurrection isGods denitive action in renewingthe cosmos, with the consequences othat action yet to be revealed. Godsproject, Gods mission (the missioDei, another o those eccentric butimportant terms) is to complete inthe world what is already completein Jesus. This act o Gods missiondoes not let us o the hook, sayingthat God will x it all in due time. Itis rather that the recognition o whatGod is doing in the world becomes aproound invitation to join in. Know-

ing the Easter reality is no excuse. Itis a call to mission.

The Prayer Book has threegreat expressions o the Easterreality. The rst is its Easter serviceitsel, the Great Vigil o Easterstill,

I regret, an under-used service inmany places. Many ear to use it inall its glory because it is so long, tak-ing two or three hours to complete.The act o its enormity is whatmakes the service work. The PrayerBooks Easter service overwhelms theawareness with what God has done.

There is literally too much to take in.All we can do is sit and let it all washover us: the songs, prayers, actionsand, especially, the scriptures. Hereis rather a dierent use o the Biblesstory, which may leave us vulnerableto a new awareness o resurrectionstruth.

The second expression,baptism, comes in the Prayer Bookright ater the Great Vigil o Easter,as i to suggest that the two belongtogether. They do. By means obaptism, the new believer takes intoones body the Easter reality. Or,more to the point, it is the other way

round. By baptism the new Christianis immersed into Christhis lie, histeaching, his death and resurrection.There is no greater human dignitythan this one, and it shows all who

look on the destiny which God has inmind or all humankind, and cre-ation.

It also obligates the newChristian or Gods mission.

The third expression is theweekly celebration o the Eucharist,

which is resurrections meal. It nour-ishes the Church not just or the sakeo its inner lie and the lives o itsmembers. The Eucharist is ood orthe journey, ood which Jesus identi-es himsel with, bread given orthe lie o the world. (Reread John 6or Jesus beautiul poetry about thisbread.)

For the lie o the world.Here is the ultimate purpose or cel-ebrating the Eucharist. Here is whywe are baptized. Here is why Godraised Jesus rom the dead.

The Right Reverend Wayne Smith is

the Tenth Bishop of Missouri.

The Reverend Daniel Appleyard is rectorof Emmanuel Episcopal Church in WebsterGroves. This is an edited version of the fullarticle which can be found in EmmanuelsReaching Out mission newsletter. (Photo ofBishop Wayne and Fr. Daniel at the Eucharistcelebrating the ministry of Emmanuel and

their rector in March.)


2/8

Making Disciples Building Congregations For the Life of the World

The photo above was roma workshop I attended where theauthor was one o the presenters andwas the celebrant in the Eucharistgoing on in this photo. (I yourewondering, I am one o the behindsin the picture. Shades o Moses onlygetting a glimpse o Gods backside!)

What I love about this photowhen I get to thinking about it, isthe wonderul intersection o theinnitely-sized Venn diagram o allthe bodies in this picture.

First there are the individualbodies circling the altar. Best as Iremember, everyone at the workshop

was rom the Episcopal Diocese oMissouri, representing a body oChristians within a larger body, theEpiscopal Church, which is part oanother body, the Anglican Commu-nion, which is a part o a body o allChristians, which is a part o a bodyo religion.

At the conclusion o theworkshop, when we celebrated theEucharist, we had the Body andBlood o Christ at the center o thecircle made by our individual bodies.That sacramental Body went insideo our own individual bodies. At theconclusion o the Eucharist, those

bodies and that Body went out intothe body o the world, the body oour homes and amilies, the bodieso our workplaces, and the bodies oour individual parishes.

Thats a lot o bodies!

Therein lies the paradox.We tend to think o our-

selves at times as these disconnectedobjects. When we are hungry, hurt,angry, lonely, or tired, we eel isolat-ed--that no one can possibly quiteget where we are. In my own case,I think oten about the challenge Ihave, being a thinker or the mostpart, having a natural disconnectwith eelers. It simply takes a whileor my eelings to come in line withmy thoughts. But what I come torealize looking at that picture, is thateven in our most lonely moments,we really shouldnt even begin to be

deluded that we are alone.Okay. Im going to say that

in a slightly dierent way. Whenwe consider the complexity o theintersections o all these bodies, whatit means is this: Even when we mightthink or eel we are alone, we arenot. In act, its impossible to be hu-man and, in the strictest sense, trulybe alone. Never. We simply cannotescape being part o not just one, butmany bodies.

Now, I have to admitsomething. For a person who tendsto crave solitude, the beginnings othis realization were very irritating. Ihave, or many, many years, retreatedinto solitude when I needed togure things out. I preer to hurtor grieve in solitude. The people inmy lie who have been my closestriends have known that when Imsick, or hurt, or tired, or grieving,I am okay with one-on-one com-pany...as long as the company doesntinteract much with me. I think backto the last time I truly had the fu. Itwas a perect sitting with a sick meinteraction. My riend sat and knittedand watched TV, and her dog andmy dogs played, and once in a whileshed ask me i I could handle eatingor drinking something. But mostly, Ijust wanted other noises, other voicesin the room, as long as the others inthe room didnt bother me much. Ijust wanted to be quiet and sick, inthe middle o obvious lie. It was acomort to just be by mysel, yethear lie around me.

But in recent months, Ivecome to realize what that delusion oalone was all about in actuality.Once I realized that there really ISno such thing as truly alone, thateven in solitude I am connected tomany bodies, I realized what I wasactually doing, was I was craving thecompany o the healing powers othe company o Heaven. Oh, wesay we are having alone time with

God. But really, we are not doing aone-on-one. We are connecting withall the saints and angels and prophetsand martyrs, as well as God. Theyare in the room just as surely as myriend, my dogs, and her dogs were--but leaving the initiative or inter-acting to me.

Thats how our relation-ship to God eels to me. In a perectGod moment, I know God is in theroom--but Im under no pressureto interact. My mere presence inthe Space where I can hear Godputtering around, when Im in mydaily activities, is what I eel whenthat relational moment takes place. Idont have to strike up a conversationwith him i I dont eel up to it. Hemight simply let me sleep i sleep iswhat I need. Its all good in the pres-ence o that body, whether I chooseto interact in it or not.

At the heart of asceticism is body-work. Asceti-

cism works the body in order to improve and to

perfect it, at least this was the way it was under-

stood in previous generations. Postmodern con-

ceptions of the body, however, demand a different

perspective. There are in fact, a number of bodies

that interconnect in the life of a person, and each of these bodies has an

impact on the ascetical program of an individual and community.

Richard Valantasis from Centuries of Holiness: Ancient SpiritualityRefracted for a Postmodern Age(Continuum Press: 2005)

What do we listen to? Whatdo we listen or? Perhaps, with allo the noise that surrounds us, thebetter question is whether we listen

to anything or anyone. The perva-siveness o several voices both on andofine can have the ironic aect thatwe do not listen, or that we have lostthe capacity to listen. We might tol-erate the voices, or like a good con-sumer, only purchase the voices wewant to hear, those voices that deliverthe desired message. We can choosewhat and to whom we listen. It is nosurprise that most o us choose tolisten to voices that tell us what wewant to hear, voices that sound likeours. Sometimes we branch out rom

listening to the voice o commonopinion in order to listen or a mes-sage that will help us with a problem.Listening or armation turns to lis-

tening or direction. But is listeningto and or what and whom we wantor need really listening? Hearing isthe acknowledgement o somethingbeing said, listening is attending towhat is being said and why.

Do we listen to and orGod? I we do, then we know thatGods voice is not one among many;it requires another way o listening.Listening or God cannot be a strat-egy or a wish-ulllment. One listensto God or Gods own sake; onelistens in expectation or the word-ed

presence o God, or the words thatbrings one into the divine presence.These words do not create morewords; instead, they make room orsilence, the silence where only Godsvoice is heard in the person o Jesus.Faithul and habitual engagementwith Scripture is the oundationalway we listen to and or God in theperson o Jesus, the Word o God.The only way to listen to and orJesus through Scripture is listeningto Scripture, to spend both quantityand quality o time with these words.Listening, the practice o attentive-ness, is to lay aside our various temp-tations or a quick answer, a solutionto a problem, or the need to hear anarming word. Listening to Scrip-ture allows these words to become

our imaginative world, to relinquishour questions to the text so that thetext can question us. You never know,listening to Scripture, listening toand or Jesus, the Word o God,might gives us ears to hear what Godhas being trying to tell you and me.

Dr. Maria Evansis a parishionerat Trinity Churchin Kirksville. Aprolic bloggerand social mediamaven, her articles can befound at kirkepiscatoid.blogspot.com. Evans goeson retreat during Lent; thisyear she chose a virtualretreat directed by RichardValantasis, author, Episcopalpriest, and cofounder ofthe Institute for Contem-plative Living in Sante Fe,

New Mexico. Last Septem-ber, Valantasis presentedPraying the Eucharist: AContemplative Workshop ,attended by clergy and layfrom around the diocese.

The Rev. Dr. Ralph McMichael,Episcopal priest and author, is thefounding director of the Center

for the Eucharist.

www.eucharistcenter.org

2011 Ralph McMichael

2011 Maria Evans


3/8

Did You Know?The Diocesan Commission on Dismantling Racismmaintains a lending library of resources at St. Peters Churchin Ladue. Dedicated in 2006, if offers materials on the topic of racism,its history and corrosive effects on all Gods people.

Open to all interested persons, you can feel free to browse theshelves or nd by topics:

History of the Civil Rights Movement, African-Americans Personal Histories Internalized Racism Spirituality and Racism White Privilege

Related Topics Poetry and Literature/Childrens Titles Just Get Me Started VHS tapes and DVDs Archives of the Commission

www.diocesemo.org/dismantlingracism

April 8th in Memphis wasnail biting time. Each year thecommunicators in the EpiscopalChurch gather rom dioceses,large parishes, seminaries andmission partnersor workshops,ellowship, and the competitionor best-in-class bragging rightsor our publications.

This years General Excel-lence In Newsletters or E-News-letters Award o Merit went to our

weekly diocesan newsletter iSeek.Named in memory o

Polly Bonds, a beloved directoro communications rom Ohiowho was a catalyst or beginningthe proessional organization, theannual awards recognize best newprojects as well as general excel-lence in print, web, and socialmedia.

Subscribed to iSeek?www.diocesemo.org/subscribe.

With an invitation to any-one in the diocese involved withtelling our stories, a monthlymeet-up or church communica-tors began in March.

Meeting the last Tues-day o the month ace-to-ace atChurch o the Advent in Crest-wood or virtually using WebEx,each meeting is a jumping-opoint or discussion and collabo-ration. The evenings topic wasFacebook and social media.

For the curious, a websiteis being built with basic publica-tions and technology best prac-tices, notes and resources rommeetings, and examples rom di-ocesan members and local church-es. You can nd it at diocesemo.wikispaces.com. A more tradi-tional email listserv was also inau-gurated. To subscribe send a blankemail to [email protected].

Bishop Waynes Visitations and Schedule

Sunday, May 1 Church o St. Michael and St. George, ClaytonSunday, May 15 St. Peters Episcopal Church, LadueSunday, May 21 Diocesan Confrmations at Christ Church CathedralSunday, May 22 Grace Episcopal Church, KirkwoodSunday, June 5 Trinity Episcopal Church, St. JamesSunday, June 19 St. Lukes Episcopal Church, ManchesterSunday, June 26 Oasis Missouri, Mass in the Grass, Tower Grove ParkSunday, August 7 Grace Episcopal Church, Jeerson CitySunday, August 14 St. Matthews Episcopal Church, MexicoSunday, August 21 All Saints Episcopal Church, St. Louis

In the early summer o1836, the missionary Bishop JacksonKemper crossed the Missouri Riverto St. Charles and met with a smallgroup o Episcopalians who hadestablished a presence in the smallvillage. Impressed by their zeal tolive and preach the Gospel, Bishop

Kemper established a mission onJune 5, 1836. Originally called St.Pauls, the new congregation sharedspace with a Methodist congregationand showed modest growth, becom-ing a parish in 1840 and changing itsname to Trinity. When the GeneralConvention recognized the Dioceseo Missouri in 1841, Trinity revertedto mission status.

Trinity would build its rstchurch, its third home, in 1870.For the next 75 years the congrega-tions ortunes ebbed and fowedand more than once it went longperiods without a priest. By 1949, the

congregation was down to just eightcommunicants when Roy Schaerwas assigned as lay reader to leadthe small, struggling congregation.Schaer was one o a group o eightmen called by Bishop Arthur Lich-tenberger to be trained as lay readersto serve congregations that had longbeen without a priest. Eventually or-dained to the priesthood in 1953, theRev. Schaer was able to rebuild thecongregation. By 1956 Trinity hadgrown to more than 175 baptizedmembers and regained parish status.

Outgrowing its church andrecently built parish house, the con-

gregation took the bold step to movewestward in 1960. The new churchon South Duchesne Drive, Trinityspresent home, was dedicated Sept.10, 1961. The parish hall was ex-panded in 1985. A building campaignin 2004 made the parish hall moreaccessible.

During its 175 years, Trinityhas been an integral part o the Dio-cese and the St. Charles community.It played a role in the ounding oTransguration in Lake St. Louis. Ithas been a training ground or newlyordained clergy and initiated theBiking or Bikes und-raiser or theDiocese o Lui in Sudan. Today, theparish is taking a lead role in reach-ing out to the hungry and homelessin St. Charles County.

It has been 175 years sinceBishop Jackson Kemper took a erryacross the Missouri River to the smalltrading post o St. Charles and ound

a small group o Episcopalians witha willingness to be a congregation.From that beginning grew a parishthat rom time to time has had toreach deep within itsel to nd thatwillingness to continue, maybe notso much to continue to exist, but tocontinue to be the people that BishopKemper called to live and preach theGospel so long ago.

Each month of this 175th year, Trinityhas planned at least one celebratoryevent. January was the dedication ofthe refurbished 100-year-old stainedglass windows that originally hung in

St. James Episcopal Churchin Macon, MO (Photos ofthe windows, including oneof Bishop Jackson Kemper,at right). February was therst of three history lec-tures and in March the newprocessional banner (photo

to right) was dedicated.April saw the second historylecture on the Civil War andits impact on local churchesas well as a Ragtime pianoconcert. Ahead this year:

May 22, Evensong & Dedica-tion of the newly refurbishedand expanded organJune 19, Trinity Sunday. Inaddition to the traditionalTrinity sundaes, a luncheonfeaturing presentation of abound history of the parish,and also a send-off for Rec-tor Tamsen Whistler leaving

for 3 month sabbatical.July 4, Parish marches inSt. Charles Fourth of Julyparade, then later celebrates with apicnic with the neighborhood.Aug. 14, 5:30 PM Speaker Series:Founding Women of Faith in St.Charles County with Pastor JamesVargo and FriendsSept. 25, A Walk Back in Time.Beginning at the rst church locationon Main Street, with presentationsin each of the parishs locations. AWalking, Driving, Teaching Tour.October, Scenes & Sketches in

Time: An Historical Trinity DramaNov. 5, Gala Celebration and Home-coming, Evensong, Organ concert, aparty on all 3 oors of the parishNov. 13, Bishop Waynes VisitationDec. 24, 5 PM, A Victorian Christ-mas, 11 PM Festival Holy Eucharist

www.trinity-stcharles.org


4/8

Holly Little had been realsick or the better part o the pastyear. Most o her riends startedmissing her months ago. One daylast winter she was shuttling aboutin her Dodge van on errands orother people. And then the bottomdropped out.

We at the Red Door hadjust nominated Holly to be therst recipient o the Good Samari-tan Award. In your Bible, you willrecognize the Good Samaritan asthe unsung hero o one o Jesusbest stories. The ones who get allthe credit or doing Gods work are,like me, dressed in nice clothes andstanding behind a pulpit or a po-dium or a lectern or a big desk. Lotso wonderul people receive lots oawards or being the best citizen orthe best teacher or the best athlete orbusinesswoman or landscaper or clubmember or philanthropist. Wherewould we be without all their goodworks?

But He wanted us to noticethose who are not recognized, who

are overlooked, who may actuallybe despised, who are at any rateanonymous, without a name, withoutwhom the world would be unbear-able or the worlds unortunate,silent majority.

But when someone likeHolly dies, all you get is the downand dirt y. Because she doesnt haveanyone to pay or her obituary. Andshe didnt have anything except herold van and the ew simple clothesshe wore.

Beore she passes rommemory let it be known that Hollywas a riend to the least and the lit-tlest o our town. I got to know herbecause she came to every one o ourree Red Door Community mealson the last Sun-day aternoon oeach month. She never came alone.She had six or eight or ten regularcustomers who took her ree doorto door service to the meals. Andshe did the same thing on the lastSaturday o the month or those whogo to eat at Vincents Vittles, andwas always willing to drive you tothe Salvation Armys Meals WithFriends.

During the week, it wasHolly who could carry you out to thewound clinic or the Senior Center orhelp you carry your groceries homerom the SavALot. For about a yearwhen the recession was at its worst,the Red Door hosted a small pet

ood pantry. It was a project o an-other one o the anonymous Samari-tans who goes by the street nameo Shadow. There are a hundreds opoor or disabled people out therethat live, not by bread alone, but alsoby the aection o a little pet. Andthey were having a hard time aord-ing eed. Shadow talked up the storeowners to get the donations, and

Holly helped him pick up the oodand deliver it in her van. I gave hera ew bucks or gas a couple o timesand she was embarrassed to take it.

I have missed Holly sinceshe got sick. Lots o anonymouspeople miss her way more. Hollysearthly re-mains will be cremated, asshe wished. And her riends will ndanother kind person to shuttle themaround to some o Hollys avoriteplaces in Cape to sprinkle her ashes.She was an outdoor woman, saidone, and didnt want to be coupdup. The other truth is there was noone to pay or a uneral. She made

her riends among the litt le people.She had one more riend,

and I have it on pretty good author-ity that in the twinkling o an eyeshe will hear him say, Come, youthat are blessed by my Father, inheritthe kingdom prepared or you romthe oundation o the world; or I washungry and you gave me ood, I wasthirsty and you gave me somethingto drink, I was a stranger and you

welcomed me, I was naked and yougave me clothing, I was sick and youtook care o me, I was in prison andyou visited me. I guess that will bebetter than getting the reward wenever got to give her.

The Rev. Bob Towner is rector ofChrist Church in Cape Girardeau,also known in the community as theRed Door Church. At the next parishsponsored, monthly communitymeal, the participants stopped topray Holly eternal blessings and toask God to give us all a Good Samari-tan heart, too. Red Door Churchserved 155 meals that eve.www.RedDoorChurchCape.org

Each Wednesday at St.Martins Church in Ellisville,we celebrate the Eucharist dur-ing the noon lunch hour. Theservice is only about 45 minutesso that anyone who needs to getsomewhere by 1 PM cando so with ease. Theliturgy is abbreviatedand ollows the Book oCommon Prayer service.The homily is short andis based on the saintslie and ministry we are

celebrating that day or,i there happens to be nosaints name assigned tothat day, the Daily Ocescriptures. The shortbiographical readings about thesaints come rom a collectionrom the Episcopal Church andaround the Anglican Commu-nion called Holy Women, HolyMen: Celebrating the Saints.About 20 olks gather each weekor the service. Its a great way toreconnect with God mid-week.

One thing I have noticedlately is how many o the saintswere regular people. I used tolit them up to a status that wasunreal, thinking they were allsuperhuman. In reality, they wereregular olks who participatedin work made possible throughGods providence. It is temptingto think that their contributionswere mostly due to their own ma-neuvering. However, what I havecome to see is that their work wasa result o day-to-day aithul-ness to Gods will. They werenot so much ocused on blazing

any trails as they were centeredin Gods power to change theirgiven situation over time.

Yes, there were otendramatic circumstances sur-

rounding them. Butupon closer examina-tion, their choices showa consistent pattern orelying on Gods willto direct their deci-sions during lie. Therewas no pie in the skyescapism or these

saints. Rather, a steadystream o prayers andactions. Their belieswere ashioned atertheir prayer lie. They

remained grounded and in themiddle. Anxieties o the times didnot become their anchors. Theywere ree.

I wonder i God is stillmaking saints who are aithulin the opportunities aordedto ones daily l ie. I wonder iJesuswords rom the Gospel oJohn, I am the vine, you are thebranches lets us know that it

is, precisely, the lie that abides inGods goodness which nds ever-lasting reedomin what is oursto claim, and what is Gods.

The Rev. Jon Hallis rector ofSt. Martins Churchin Ellisville.StMartinsChurch.org

Camp Phoenix

the summer camp of theEpiscopal Diocese of Missouri

July 24 - July 30, 2011

register online:www.camp-phoenix.org

Registration for Summer 2011 runs throughMay 15. Campers registering after May 15 will beplaced on a waiting list, and will be notied as spacebecomes available.

The fee for Camp Phoenix 2011 is $325 percamper, with a $25 discount for returning campers,and a $25 discount for families sending more thanone child to camp.

No child should miss camp due to nancial

need. Assistance through the Daniels ScholarshipFund, application due May 15.

2011 Jon Hall

2011 Robert Towner


5/8


COAL Born in Louisville, Ken-tucky, Johnnette Shane was raised inMadisonville. O growing up aroundstrip mining she said, It was notbeautiul. That much I do remember,and I'm reminded o something once

told meIt's a terrible thing whenyou realize that your hometown isugly. I guess that's how I eel aboutMadisonville; it probably did aectme spirituallyit was not a placeo much physical beauty. Coal didloom large over us, cranes and greatpiles o stu around, and my athermostly made his living rom coal.Johnnette, who was named ater herather, has two siblings, a brotherDrew and a si ster Leslie Dee. Hermother, Lavena, was nicknamedPete.

WOOD Ater attending RhodesCollege in Memphis, Tennessee,she became a carpenters apprenticeto learn how to build things, towork outside. She worked on allsorts o jobs in many locations. Onejob in concrete orm constructionchanged her career path. To savetime, the company discouraged saepractices or the workers. Shanetried to communicate her concernsbut management paid no attention,and she nally quit. A month later, aworker died on the job. At that point,she said to hersel, This just isntright, that people have to work underthese conditions. So she applied to

law school, aspiring to become anorganizer in occupational saety andhealth.

THE LAW Next came a 16year journey through labor, then

criminal law, starting work in apublic deenders oce, then pri-vate practice, beore ending up as ahearing ocer. She also worked orseveral years prosecuting child abuseand neglect cases.

THE SACRED Shane wasway more interested in religionthan most kids. She admits beingthe kid who asked too many ques-tions in conrmation class, whichirritated the priest. By high school,she was attending the cathedralchurch in downtown Louisville byhersel because she didnt like herparents church. She also served onthe diocesan committee chargedwith considering revision o theprayer book as a high school student.She rst became aware o a call tothe priesthood in 1976, when shegraduated rom college, but Ken-tucky wasnt real progressive atthat time, and the Episcopal churchhad just started ordaining women.The call was put on the back burneror a long while. She was away romthe church during college, but cameback when she elt it was t ime to dosomething about the call that shedheard time and again over the years,

that she always thought would goaway. She attended seminary atthe Church Divinity School o thePacic in Berkeley; the discern-ment process there turned out to belengthy, with a three-year-residencyrequirement beore applying orpostulancy. Once she nally gotin, though, it was great! Its un towake up in the morning, go down tobreakast, and nd people to talk toabout God, she says. How cool isthat?

For Shane, theres a al sedistinction in our society betweenthe sacred and the secularthesacred is everywhere. Ater nish-ing seminary, she served as a hos-pital chaplain in the Bay Area. Hersupervisor, a Buddhist in the Tibetantradition, told her, The person youhave the hardest time with will beyour greatest teacher.

This puzzled her until onepatient requested a chaplain visit allthe time. However, when she wentto his room, all he did was yell at her.She was rustrated until she realized,I did need to minister to him, I justcouldnt be on the level he wanted.The trick is nding the sacred, evenin relationships with dicult people.Shane believes that one o the jobs oa priest is to remind people that thesacred is everywhere.

My parish has twowomens groups. One is a tradi-tional daytime group, specializ-ing in lunch, interesting speakers,and good works. The other is orwomen who work.

Its called the EveningWomens Association o St. Pe-ters, although I still yearn or thesecond choice name, The VelvetUndercrot. Most o us are BabyBoomers, with a ew ellow trav-elers leavening the mix. We meeton one Friday night per month.

Some meetings have setprograms. Some are loose, andIoten unable to drive placeslatelyrecently volunteered myhouse as a meeting place or oneo the latter.

It seemed like a goodidea at the time, despite my cur-rent physical weakness; the house

was clean, and all I really neededto do was a little setup with a loto help rom my best riends andmake some mulled wine.

Then I realized that I hadntconsidered the work involved incleanup. Oh, well: It would get donewhen it got done.

These werethoughtul guests: earlyon, Ann asked, Whattime do you need us toleave? I usually tireout a little beore 9, Ireplied. She noddedcrisply.

It was a lovelyevening, with a goodgroup lling the am-ily room, eating anddrinking and makingcomortable conversa-tion. Then, a little be-ore 9, Ann announced,Okay, now were goingto clean up.

They movedinto the kitchen, dealtwith letovers, pitchedthe trash, tossed therecyclables into thebin, then moved onto

the dirty dishes, mak-ing light work o it all. Then, withcheery good-byes, they headed out.

When youre sick, the littlethings mean a lot. All those who helpare a blessingand, this night, thatmeant those who gave me a much-needed social evening, and evencleaned up the mess.

Sarah Bryan Miller is a graduate ofthe Episcopal School for Ministry, alicensed lay preacher in the Dioceseof Missouri, and a parishioner at St.Peters Church in Ladue, where shesings in the choir, serves as a lector,preaches, and teaches. Bryan, theeditor and chief writer for Grace PrayerNetwork, where this meditation rstappeared, is a frequent contributorto Forward Movement publications,including the upcoming 2012 edition,Walking with God Day by Day. A formerprofessional singer, she is the classicalmusic critic of the St. LouisPost-Dispatch. In November2010 she was diagnosed withinammatory carcinoma, an

aggressive breast cancer forwhich she is currently beingtreated.www.graceprayernet.org

Post-

cards

from

L u i

This is Joy at her gar-den plot during theagriculture consultanttraining in Yei, Su-dan, that she attendedrom October to De-cember 2010. She willlead the ag trainingsin Lui Diocese withthe help o her col-

league Charles, who also attended the three-month training. Theysend their thanks to the Diocese o Missouri or sponsoring them.

Ater the death o Diocese o Luis Bishop BullenDolli on Dec. 11, 2011, Bishop Bismark o neighbor-ing Mundri became interim caretaker. A meeting oLui diocese in late February sent three nominationsor bishop orward, including that o the Rev. StephenDokolo, Lui diocesan secretary and Eden Seminarygraduate. Episcopal Church o Sudan will meet to electon May 14, 2011, in Juba, and the consecration dateor the new bishop will be June 26, 2011. The uneralto celebrate the lie and mourn the death o Bishop

Bullen is scheduled or June 10, 2011, and, God wi lling, Bishop and Mrs.Smith will attend. More news o Lui online at LuiNetwork.ning.com.

Part of Trinity parishio-ner Julie Seidlers arti-cle introducing recentlycalled Vicar JohnnetteShane is excerptedhere, the entirety is atwww.TrinityKirksville.org.

2011 Julie Seidler

2011 Sarah Bryan Miller


6/8

The Rev. Beverly VanHorne, Interim Dean, announcesthat registrations continue or the2011-2012 academic year or theEpiscopal School or Ministry.

The Episcopal School orMinistry o the Diocese o Missourioers educational resources to makedisciples and build congregations orthe lie o the world. In addition, theSchool exists to

Deepen the spiritual lives andstrengthen the ministries in thechurch and the world o all whoseek to grow in the knowledgeand love o God; Prepare people to serve thechurch as priests and deacons; Strengthen the ministries oflay and ordained people throughcontinuing education.

The three-year cycle otheological studies program, be-ginning with the Introduction tothe Old Testament, is the primarytraining and education program orthose preparing or ordination asDeacons in the Diocese o Missouri.One does not have to be a postulantor candidate or Holy Orders as aDeacon in order to register to begin

FAll TerM 2011-2012August 20, 2011Sptmb 23-24, 2011Octob 28-29, 2011Dcmb 2-3, 2011Dcmb 17 , 2011

SPrING TerM 2011-2012Dcmb 17, 2011Januay 27-28, 2012Fbuay 24-25, 2012Mach 23-24, 2012Api 21, 2012

Tradition I, the Rev. Rod WiltseWhat are the essentials of the Christian faith? How were theyidentied, developed, and articulated? What do the Apostlesand Nicene Creeds mean? These are the questions this courseconsiders in depth and with a sense of how we answer them fortoday. The tradition of the Church is what is handed on frombeliever to believer, form local church to local church, as Chris-tians gather to make new Christians and to celebrate theircommon life in communion. Come and learn what the rst fewcenturies of the Churchs life give us as we renew our own senseof Christian identity and mission.

Tradition II, the Rev. Dr. Peter Van HorneChurch History II examines the history of the ChristianChurch from the Reformation to the present day, along withthe history of the Episcopal Church from its origins in colonialAmerica to today.

Christian Spirituality, the Rev. Rod WiltseChristian Spirituality explores the intimate relationshipGod has established with us and the variety of responsesdisciples have made to Gods love over the years. Fromthe meaning of the wordSpiritualitythe breathof life, the prayer of Israel, and the Church; from thePsalms of the Hebrew Scriptures to the Desert Mothersand Fathers, we will immerse ourselves in The Practiceof Prayer and Search for a Christian Spirituality for the21st century.

Theology I, the Rev. Dan HandschyThe student will learn a model of theological reection thatshe can apply to any text or event as a way of appropriatingthe revelation of God, and the human response to it. Thismodel will form the background to all the content of thecourse. The student will use this reection model for severalshort papers during the course. Course content will coverthe major types and subdivisions of Christian Theology,including Systematic Theology, Biblical Theology, Christol-ogy, Ecclesiology. We will also explore several of the majordoctrines of the Christian Church, including the Trinity,Salvation, Atonement and the Sacraments, especially theEucharist. The student will be given the opportunity toarticulate her own appropriation of some of the doctrinalthemes covered in the course, and reect on their reality inher own life.

Sacramental Theology, the Rev. Rod WiltseJohn Macquarrie, the noted Anglican theologian of the late20th century, wrote, The Church has been guilty of thetrivialization of the Sacraments. The Episcopal School forMinistry in the winter-spring term beginning in Decemberexamines the sacramental life of the Church with the hope ofavoiding such trivialization in the future. We explore Bap-tism and the Eucharist and how the Church is a living sacra-ment reaching out into the darkness of the world as the Lightof Christ. Those sacramental rites, conrmation, matrimony,reconciliation, unction and holy orders, which strengthen andsupport us, are considered as means of our t ransformation.

Liturgics, the Rev. Dan HandschyThis course will explore several facets of liturgical leader-ship in a congregation. Students will gain condence inliturgical planning, liturgical leadership and an un-derstanding of the theology of liturgy. We will approachliturgy as a complex system of communication. We willexplore how liturgy conveys its messages, what it commu -nicates, and how to read various liturgical practices. Stu-dents will learn how to pray the liturgy for themselves,and how the liturgy shapes and forms a communitysprayer life. Practically, students will learn how to put to -gether a customary for a community, and the importanceof doing so. The course will take account of the liturgicalrenewal movement of the twentieth century, and the newliturgical materials (Enriching Our Worship) approvedfor use in the Episcopal Church. As Eucharist constitutesthe principal liturgy of the Episcopal Church, the coursewill focus on the Eucharist, but we will also look at HolyBaptism, and the pastoral services (Marriage, Reconcili-ation, Unction, Burial, etc.). In all of these services, wewill pay attention to how these services both express andshape the corporate life of a congregation.

Old Testament, the Rev. Dr. Barbara WillockIn order to understand what happened with Jesus, andwhat it means for you, us, and the world, you have tospend a lot of time with the Old Testament. This courseallows the student to do just this. The student reads muchof the Old Testament, and learns how to grasp what is be -ing read. There is the opportunity to explore in more deptha particular theme that becomes central to the Christianfaith. Here is a chance to engage the Bible with purpose,discipline, and with fellow learners.

New Testament, Dr. Ron CrownThis class examines the world of the New Testament, Jesusand the Gospels, and Acts and the Epistles.

Preaching, the Rev. Dr. Barbara WillockOne of the chief responsibilities of ministry is teachingthe church its story and then helping the church keep thatstory straight. Nowhere is this more visible than in theact of preaching. Two sermons are prepared and deliveredby each student and positive feedback is given by theother students and faculty. During the preparation ofeach sermon, the instructor is available for consultationand support. Participation by those who have not takenESMs Old and New Testament courses allowed onlywith approval of the Dean and Instructor.

SMMer TerM 2011-2012Api 21, 2012May 18-19, 2012Jun 15-16, 2012Juy 20-21, 2012August 18, 2012

YEARONE

YEA

RTWO

YEARTHREE

FALL TERM SPRING TERM SUMMER TERM

the program, and acceptance to,attendance and completion o thethree year School program o theo-logical studies does not guaranteeone will be given canonical standingas a postulant and or a candidate, orbe ordained to Holy Orders.

The School holds its classesat Eden Theological Seminary inWebster Groves, MO. Those whowish to spend the night pay an ad-ditional ee or the semester to coverthe room expense. In addition thereare textbooks to purchase or eachcourse. Meals or the weekend, din-ner, breakast and lunch are includedin tuition. For inormation about theclasses oered please go tohttp://www.diocesemo.org/aboutus/episcopalschoolorministry/

The school meets rom

6PM Friday to 3PM the next day,Saturday. Three times a year theSchool meets on Saturdays to nishthe term and begin the new one. Onthose days and all School programwith a topic o general interest isheld in the aternoon. Each time themembers o the School gather timeis spent in worship, ellowship andclass.

To register or or moreinormation, contact Cory Hoehn,Regist rar, 314-231-1220 x1383 orBeverly Van Horne, Interim Dean,314-620-4405 or [email protected] or inormation and anapplication.

SUMMER TERM 2010-2011April 16, 2011May 20-21, 2011June 17-18, 2011July 15-16, 2011August 20, 2011

2011-2012 school year dates:

Fall Term 2011:Aug 20; Sep 23-24; Oct 28-29;Dec 2-3; Dec 17

Spring Term 2012:Dec 17; Jan 27-28; Feb 24-25;

Mar 23-24; Apr 21

Summer Term 2012:April 21; May 18-19; June 15-16;

July 20-21; Aug 18

Photos (above and clockwise): Students atorientation; Barbara Willock, Dan Handschy;ESM student and Beverly Van Horne


7/8


I started my career insales in Texas, in the 80s. Oil was"King." A boom economy soaredwith no limits.

To be a real Texas oil-man, the olklore went, you haveto have made and lost your ortunethree times! The impact o thiswas lost on me at 27 years o age.

Thirty years later, I now under-stand, with wisdomonly time and a careerin sales can bring.

My rst tripto the Gateway180was against my bet-ter wishes. My riend dragged methere. I dont want to go, I said,sounding like a second graderwaiting or a snow day. I my kidscan go, you can. he said. And so,I went. Now, 14 years later, I stil ldont want to go. I pull covers over

my head, hit snooze and roll over.Minutes go by. An awake con-science takes over. I roust myselrom bed, slug down coee, pull arazor across my ace and make theamiliar trek downtown. When myvehicle hits the shelters asphalt, itlands on "Holy Soil." 50,000 meals,served over a decade and a hal, andthe person most amazed by it all,

is me. The guy who didntwant to go.

For only a ewminutes o my time, and alittle o mysel, the worldgets changed, at least or

the hundred or so people thereevery week. This carries me or theweek. Any diculties I may experi-ence come into perspective andright-size. I become grateul or allI have, including al l my problems.

I want my epitaph to read:

He was a decent guy. Today, Ibelieve strongly in Service Work. Isee Service as humility; a means toovercome the human condition oarrogance. People talk o God andGods Will, until they get behindthe wheel o a car. To overcomemysel, I do what I can to leave thisplace better than I ound it. Noone cares what I think or say. They

only care about my actions; whatI do. I Im thinking about otherpeople, I cant be thinking aboutmysel.

Ive loved my loves andlost my losses, a St. Michaelsparishioner said. Ive experiencedmy share o reversals. Good times,supposed to last orever, neverdid. Hard times, which eel likeorever, never last as long as theyeel. To put one oot in ront o theother, Im told, is "The Next RightThing." Its the ac tion o Faith.Generally, i I do the exact oppositeo whatever it is Im thinking, its

probably the right thing.I believe in tithing time.

God gives me 24 hours to live thisday. 10% is two hours. Thats justthe amount o time it takes me tovolunteer or usher. Or, make anyother o the countless donations otime. I trudge the dull, gray daysby being the best committee mem-ber, chairperson, usher, greeter, orsponsor, I can be. I take on mun-dane tasks with enthusiasm, to be agood oot-washer, and take respon-

sibility or the well-being o others.It may be the cost o admission toheaven. I it isnt, it sure isnt goingto keep me out. In the nal analy-sis, i I leave this place better than Iound it, I have done my job.

The Shelter Ministry at the Church of St. Michael and St. George prepares

and serves breakfast to approximately 100 residents at Gateway180 everySunday at 6 AM. 52 Sundays a year a core group of about 15 volunteersfrom the parish assemble at the intersection of Cole and 19th Street, duenorth of Union Station, to serve what residents call the best meal they haveevery week.

Gateway180: Homelessness Reversed is a resource for women and childrenexperiencing the unimaginable burden of homelessness. They provide safe,nurturing emergency shelter services designed to get families into transi-tional or permanent homes in under 30 days.

Sunday mornings at Gateway180 the volunteers set the tables with linensand prepare a feast of made-from-scratch pancakes and wafes, bacon orsausage, 5 fresh fruits, 5 dif ferent juices, grits, oatmeal, toast, biscuits andgravy, as well as fresh coffee.

The Shelter Ministry is an outgrowth of ministry from when the Cathedralhad a basement shelter, 20+ years ago. The core group of volunteers arejoined regularly by friends, family and other parishioners who reach out togive of themselves to be the arms and legs of Christ.

Wayne Norwood,parishioner atthe Church of St.Michael and St.George, is a formersales and market-ing executive turned realtor. Hedescribes himself as a devoutEpiscopalian who is passionateabout God and Jesus Christ, andsomeone who makes mistakesevery day. I simply know enoughnot to repeat them. Every nightwhen I go to bed I say, God, mayI be treated tomorrow exactly theway I treated people today. Most

days I think my tomorrow will bepretty good. Some days I thinkitll be just great. And a few daysI think I may get hit by a bolt oflightningand then when I dont, Ithink, Truly a merciful God. Nor-wood has been involved with theShelter Ministry s ince 1996. Thisreection was originally publishedin Duo, the magazine of CSMSG.

While the National Anthemplayed aintly in the distance anda helicopter whooshed overhead, Istood in otherwise complete silencewith 10,999 ellow companionspreparing or the start o the KansasCity Mara-

thon. Evenas I stood onmy tiptoes,I couldbarely seethe startingline over theheadphone-strappedheads orunnersshruggingtheir shoul-ders loose inront o me. Isaid a prayer

to God andthanked himor bringingme to thatmoment, andor bless-ing me withgood health to make the day pos-sible.

Ater the ten minute walkjust to get up to the starting line, Iheard no starting gun bang intothe air, only hundreds o metallicbeeps rom the timing chips tied to

running shoes as they stampededacross the initial time line.

What seemed like a warm-up ater our months o training, Iwas eeling strong and condent atthe our-mile marker until a specta-

tor attempted tocross the throngso runners to get abetter view on theother side. Fatewould have himjump directly inront o me and Iturned an ankletrying to avoidhim, not havingprepared in mytraining or some-thing as unthink-able as spectators.

Ater Itook the Lordsname in vain, Idecided the injurymay actually bea blessing. I hada ready to useexcuse or not

nishing or a poor perormance. Icontinued on, praying or the pain tobe manageable and then tossing awaya long-sleeved warm-up shirt to thestreet.

The race continued some-what uneventully until I elt the

pull o hamstring cramps on each omy legs around mile 15. Ater pul l-ing over to stretch and deciding toreplace sodium at the next Gato-rade station, my sel-absorbtion was

quickly orgotten as a bareoot run-ner casually passed me in ecientstride. I had read about amateur run-ners experimenting without shoes;some attribute the great success oKenyan runners to their running onbare eet. I just didnt think anyoneactually did it!

As I approached mile 20,my tank was on empty. Dehydrationhad nally gotten the best o me, butI used my unctional reserve to runthe downhills, to water stations, andto mile markers. I used whatever was

2011 Wayne Norwood

Matt Krause is a parishioner at GraceChurch in Jefferson City. He was in trainingto run another marathon taking place justafter our publication date. This reectionoriginally appeared in Graces Messenger.

let to mentally recite my avoritescripture or times o trial, Psalm23:4. Yea, though I walk through thevalley of the shadow of death, I will fearno evil; for thou are with me; thy rod

and thy staff they comfort me.Thankully, I crossed

my rst marathon nish line, andreceived my Finisher medal and abottle o water rom a waiting vol-unteer. As I took a sip, the volunteerinquired, So, you gonna run theTurkey Gobbler 10K?

2011 Matt Krause

Fow Fstiva at th Cathda

Flower Sunday this year falls on Mothers Day, May 8th. The cathedral willagain be lled with beautiful owers and plants, the historic bequest of HenryShaw. Festivities begin with a concert by Collegium Vocale at 7:30 PM Sat-

urday, May 7th. Theyve chosen a program of Sacred Music of the GermanBaroque. Sundays combined service will be at 10 AM. Guest preacher is thenew president of the Missouri Botanical Gardens, Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson. Hehas worked extensively with botanic gardens and their network organizationsworldwide, helping to establish examples in over 30 countries. Sunday at2:30 PM, a concert for Mothers Day Concert . The Shepley series welcomesAnnette Burkhart and Jennifer Lim Judd, pianists. (Pictured are CollegiumVocale, left, and Wyse Jackson.)


8/8

SeekQuarterly from the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

Episcopal Diocese o Missouri

1210 Locust StreetSt. Louis, Missouri 63103

The week o January16th presented Calvary Church inColumbia with an unprecedentedopportunity to help people in need.During that week, 35 Calvary vol-unteers staed Room at the Inn, anovernight shelter or people withouthomes, located at Missouri UnitedMethodist Church. Pastor KeithVessell and a committed core oMUMC sta and volunteers coor-dinated a two-month project shelterproject that averaged housing 50people each night during an excep-tionally cold January and February.Social service agencies helped dointake and identiy guests specicneeds, but the program couldnt havehappened without volunteer help.

Calvarys volunteers at TheInn saw amiliar aces, guests romthe Breakfast Cafand Loaves andFishesministry programs. Vessellwrote that it was hard to characterizethe guests staying at the Inn. Manyo our guests get up every morn-ing and go to work just like you andme. The volunteers greeted shelter

guests upon arrival, oered snacksand warm drinks, and kept watchthrough the night. In the morning,they got the day o to a nutritiousstart with generous donations oinstant oatmeal, granola bars, reshruit, boiled eggs and coee.

Following, are some refec-tions rom Calvary parishioners.

We met wonderul, sweetguests. Our chess games attractedsome un comments rom guests

about what moves to make. Wewound up having a meaningul late-night conversation about lie andabout service in a community. Theexperience was a blessing.

Chris Marshall

My normal schedule is upat 4:30 AM to prepare or work andhome around 8 PM, so working atthe shelter aterwards made or along day. But, I have a nice warmplace to go and spend those ewhours that I have at my home, andthe guests at the Room at the Inndo not. I know that many o them

have problems and cant get intothe other shelters because o thoseproblems but that is no reason orthem to have to sleep outside in thebrutally cold weather. Many o usare but one or two paychecks awayrom being homeless and you neverknow what is going to happen to youin lie. That is why I volunteered. Ididnt see any miracles, and I cantsay that anyones lie was changed bymy being there, but maybe it made adierence.

Kathy Alexander

It was nice to get to know theother volunteers, but it was especiallygratiying to get to know the guestsat the Inn. It reminded me o an im-portant lesson learned twenty yearsago, when I was a college studentin Philadelphia. There were manyhomeless people living in West Phila-delphia at the time (and, sadly, therestill are). When they asked studentsor money it was a dilemma, on theone hand, we wanted to help out, butalso were concerned the money would

be used to buy alcohol or drugs. Somestudents solved the dilemma by pur-chasing ood or necessities, and I my-sel did that sometimes. I will neverorget the moment I realized that italso meant something to spend timewith the homeless and listen to them.A homeless man asked me or money,and I told him that I didnt have anybut that I could chat with him or abit. We talked or about 30 minutesabout his lie. At the end I conessedto him I did have some money onme and oered to give him some.He reused to accept the money andsaid that all he wanted was someoneto talk to. It was really touching, androm that moment on I decided tostop and talk to the homeless, to givethem my time, to lend them a sympa-thetic ear. In the end, I learned, ood,clothing, and shelter are important,but giving someone your time and at-tention is important too: it eeds thesoul; it can make someone eel hu-man again. Ray Marks

Every olding chair in the buildingwas set up as ushers welcomed parishioners,diocesan members and community well-wish-ers to a celebration o the renewed ministry oSt. Francis Episcopal Church in Eureka. Thecongregation currently meets in a MasonicLodge building.

Bishop Wayne began his sermon witha amiliar ngerplay: Heres the church, heres thesteeple... but speculated that wasnt completelytrue. He spoke about the Greek word that

church (and the German kirche and Scottishkirk) are derived rom, kuriakon, and its mean-ing: that which pertains to the Lord. And, o

the later use o the word church, where peopleand building got lumped together. The peopleo God are a household, but not a house, notthe real estate. Bishop Wayne acknowledgedthat there were people in the room enviouso the group that had no building to main-tain, and that there were others that carrieda certain sadness about not having a place oones own. But that St. Francis is a reminder oanother, more ancient way o being a Christiancommunity. He concluded, You pitched your

tent in this place or a season. The church, theBody o Christ, is a living organism and not abuilding, at all.

The people of St. Francis invitethe diocese to these upcomingevents: May 7Refresh YourSpirit Spring Retreat at ShawNature Preserve in Gray Summit,MO. 9 AM to 4 PM, $15/personwhich includes a sandwich &chips. Bring your own beverage &snacks. Ascension-Northwoodsis participating; will carpool. Ledby Kristie Lenzen, a St. Francis

parishioner who has an M.A. inPastoral Studies from AquinasInstitute.June 5, Hymn sing at Ascension-Northwoods at 5 PMfollowed by apotluck. This is a combining of St.Francis and Ascensions choirsand congregations for singing andfellowship.June 26, Mass in the Grass,10 AM at Lakewood Hills subdivi-

sion pavilion in Pacic. Sundayworship, potluck lunch, followedby swimming in the lake, which isclose by.Tuesday evenings: RSVP (Robeand Slippers Virtual Prayer),going boldly into the future withvideo conferencing EveningPrayer. For more information onthese and other ministries at St.Francis, visit their website: www.stfranciseureka.com

Documents

Seek Spring 2011, News from the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri