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Magazine of the Diocese of Southwest Florida.
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7/17/2019 Southern Cross, Jan. 2007
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7/17/2019 Southern Cross, Jan. 2007
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On the Cover: The Rev. Dr. Dabney Smith was
elected Dec. 9 to be bishop coadjutor. He will become the
fth bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida.
S
The Episcopal Church is part of the ANGLICAN COMMUNION, a
global community of 70 million Anglicans in 38 member churches/
provinces in more than 160 countries.
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Rowan WilliamsLambeth Palace
London WE1 7JU
UNITED KINGDOM
In the United States, the Episcopal Church is a community of 2.3 mil-
lion members in more than 100 dioceses in the Americas and abroad.
Presiding Bishop
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori815 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017
(212) 867-8400
The Diocese of Southwest Florida is a community of 33,000 Chris-
tians in 11 counties serving 78 congregations, 13 schools and the
DaySpring Conference Center. Established 1969.Bishop
The Rt. Rev. John B. Lipscomb
Bishop Coadjutor-elect
The Rev. Dr. Dabney T. Smith
The Southern Cross A member of Episcopal News Service and Episcopal Commu-
nicators, The Southern Cross is published six times a year: January,
March, May, July, September and November. Copies are shipped freeto all congregations for distribution.
Articles, letters, calendar information and photos are wel-
come. They will be used on a space-available basis and are subject to
editing. Send all material (preferably in electronic form by e-mail) to:
Jim DeLa, editor
The Southern Cross
7313 Merchant Court
Sarasota, FL 34240
Phone: (941) 556-0315 Ext. 268
Fax: (941) 556-0321
E-mail: [email protected]
C
outhernross
The
Lent 1999A Publication of the Diocese of Southwest Florida
HIGHLIGHTS IN THIS ISSUE
Mailing address:
7313 Merchant Court
Sarasota, FL 34240
Phone: (941) 556-0315
Fax: (941) 556-0321
Web site: www.dioceseswfa.org
Submission deadlines
for upcoming issues:
March/April: February 1
May/June: April 1
July/August: June 1
September/October: August 1
23 Events Calendar
One ballot!
The Rev. Dr. Dabney
Smith elected coadjutor
on Dec. 9.
6
21 30 years of women priests: Service,
celebration planned in St. Petersburg
Katrina’s legacy:
Volunteers nd
New Orleans still
in desperate need
12
3 From the Bishop
5Bishop on leave: Health concerns force
Bishop Lipscomb to take disability leave
4 Refections/Letters to the editor
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BishoptheFrom
(Continued on page 17)
Sermon by the Rt. Rev. John B.
Lipscomb at the 38th Annual Con-
vention of the Diocese of Southwest
Florida Dec. 2 in Venice:
Grace to you and peace from
God our Father and from our Lord
Jesus Christ — the Way, the Truth,
and the Life for all people.
This will be a very busy week for the clergy and people
of the Diocese of Southwest Florida. Yesterday you had the
opportunity for conversation with the candidates who are
standing for election for bishop coadjutor. I have to tell you I
am hopeful this will be one of those days where he can keep
business to a minimum, because I’m hoping we can take the
maximum amount of time, about an hour and a half during
the lunch hour, for the diocese to talk together around tablesand in small groups about what it is that God is calling us to
be and do as God’s people as we prepare for the election.
We need to have a time of conversation. We need to have
a time to reect prayerfully as we make our decisions.
Next Saturday we will meet at the Cathedral Church of
St. Peter for the election of my successor. Please hear me,
reverend clergy, this is not a commitment but a request. I
would ask the clergy of the diocese to vest and join me in
leading the faithful as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, prepar-
ing our hearts and minds for the work that lays ahead.
The Rev. Canon David L. Seger, who served as the con-
sultant for our coadjutor nominating committee, will be the
preacher and chaplain to the electing convention. Before we
move to the work of electing a bishop, I think we have to ask
the question, “Are our eyes open and our hearts ready to seek
the Lord’s will for the future of His Church?”
Today we gather under the theme, “Let the whole world
see and know.” These words are part of the concluding col-
lect at ordinations and on Good Friday. This is the invitation
of our Lord to follow Him to the Cross. Dietrich Bonheoffer
reminds us that when Christ calls us, he calls us to die. We
cannot serve as faithful ministers of Christ if we do not die to
self and allow Jesus the throne of our hearts.
As long as we are in charge and we are in control, God
cannot do with us what God would do.This convention is an invitation to come and see the life
and ministry of your Diocese of Southwest Florida and to nd
your role in building that Kingdom of God that we pray at
every Eucharist will come among us. Our work can only be
accomplished as we remain faithful to the catholic faith and
witness of the whole Church universal. We must continue in
the Apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread,
and the life of prayer. If we are to be the Church described by
the Creeds, then there’s no other way for us to be the Church
than to be the Church of the apostolic age.
This convention is an invitation for you to prepare for the
election of our next bishop by dying to personal agendas, that
we might be one in Christ. This is the beginning of
the Advent season, and I would call you to know
that this convention is a time to wake up and
get over our lethargy and live with our eyesfully open and our hearts fully awake.
Learning to see with the eyes of our
heart is critical to conversion. Learn-
ing to see with the eyes of Jesus is
important for the renewal of his
Church. The Gospel, Letters and Revelation to St. John are
marked by numerous invitations for us to open our eyes and
see. The rst chapter of John’s gospel says a great deal about
“seeing.” Sight requires light. The opening words of the gos-
pel remind us the source of light in this life is Jesus Christ,
who is also the light of the world. In Jesus, the Word made
esh, wrote John, “and that life was the light for all people.”
It is in the Light of Christ we live, if we are to see the realityof God at work in the world and in our own lives.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with
God. All things came into being through him, and without
him not one thing came into being. What has come into be-
ing in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not
overcome it…The true light, which enlightens everyone, was
coming into the world… The law indeed was given through
Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one
has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the
Father’s heart, who has made him known.” (John 1:1-5, 9,
17–18, NRSV)
Jesus’ invitation to discipleship was the invitation “come
and see.” Two of the disciples of John the Baptist, upon
hearing their teacher declare Jesus “the Lamb of God” who
was to take away the sin of the world, decided to follow the
Lord. When Jesus asked what they wanted, they replied, to
“know where He was staying.” He offered them his hospital-
ity saying, “come and see.” We know Andrew, Simon Peter’s
brother, was one of the two. The other is left nameless. And I
would like to believe that that is because the other person is a
mirror in which we are to look and see into our own lives as
we begin to follow Christ.
Later Philip shares with his friend, Nathaniel, that he hasfound the one of whom both Moses and the prophets wrote
— Jesus of Nazareth. “The Lord your God will raise up for
you a prophet like me from among you, from your country-
men, you shall listen to him,” promised Moses. (Acts 3:22,
NRSV) Again words on which we reect in the season of
Advent from Isaiah the prophet:
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great
light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them
light has shined. … For a child has been born for us, a son
given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is
Holy Spirit’s work in Southwest Florida is something the church can rejoice in
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Editor’s note: This is the sec-
ond installment of a series of col-
umns by deacons of the diocese
addressing the UN’s Millennium De-
velopment Goals.
By the Rev. Nancy Metze Smith
In the November/December 2006 is-
sue of The Southern Cross, we were
informed of the eight Millennium
Development Goals established by 191
nations including the United States.
If these goals are met by 2015,
our world will be a much better place
for millions of people, people we may
never see, talk with, hug or even know
that they have been helped by us. Each
of us can make a difference!
When our deacons’ group was dis-cussing writing these articles, one of us
said that we should all be reminded that
these Millennium Development Goals
—The Rev. Nancy Metze Smith is a
deacon assigned to the Church of the
Epiphany in Cape Coral.
MDG goal 1: Eliminate poverty and hunger
are our call from
God. If we do not
think of our giving as a
command from God to share our wealth
and blessings, then these efforts will be
another social organizational action.
You and I who are reading this
now, because we are professed Chris-
tians, know God is leading us to help
relieve poverty. The monies we give,
the prayers we offer and the spreading
of the Word are appreciated by God. Let
us make God happier with us than God
already is.
The rst goal in the list of the
MDGs is to eradicate extreme pov-
erty and hunger, to reduce by half the
amount of people living on less than
one dollar a day by the year 2015.
What does “extreme poverty”
mean to you? You have seen photos
of children and adults dying because
of lack of food and water and lack
of basic medical care. Have you
thought “What can I do to help?” The
MDG program will provide you withthat means.
The program gives you choices of
where a donation of 0.7 percent of your
yearly income donation will be used
to help eliminate extreme poverty and
hunger.
By choosing an organization such
as Episcopal Relief and Development,
Episcopalians for Global Reconcilia-
tion, ONE Episcopalian, our companion
Diocese of the Dominican Republic,
the Anglican Relief and Development
Fund, Five Talents and/or The Millenni-um Project, you participate where your
heart is. Below are brief summaries of
how we can achieve these goals.
Not only can you give of your
RR R eflections
Letters to the editor and Reectionsessays
to The Southern Cross are appreciated and
encouraged.
We ask that letters be as concise as pos-
sible — with a 300-word suggested limit
— and stay on one topic. Authors should
include their full name, parish afliation or
city of residence. Anonymous letters will not
be published.
All submissions are subject to editing to
improve clarity and to t in the available
space for each issue.
Please send correspondence to:
Letters to the Editor
The Southern Cross
Diocese of Southwest Florida
7313 Merchant Court
Sarasota, FL 34240
Or send letters by fax to (941) 556-0321; or
by e-mail to [email protected].
Letters
People are excited bynew presiding bishop
In our church we try to disagree
without being disagreeable, therefore inthe politest way I can, I disagree with
Edward Weber’s presumptions in his
letter in the Nov./Dec. 2006 issue about
the prevailing views in Southwest Flor-
ida of our presiding bishop, Katharine
Jefferts Schori. Whether he is right or
wrong, I question his authority to speak
for Southwest Florida. I for one, and
many of my Florida friends, believe she
is exactly what is needed to reassess our
taken-for-granted spiritual interpreta-
tions of God’s will and Jesus’ teachings.I also strongly object to his ac-
cusing the delegates who voted for her
as doing it to poke a stick in the eye of
traditionalists. Anyway, perhaps some
traditionalists need to be aware that
some traditions can do a lot of harm
— like jihad, for instance.
Mr. Weber’s idea of Jefferts
Schori’s “demonstrated absence of job
experience” may be his opinion, but
where is his proof? And what is his
denition? Is it the person who does not
have the same goals for the job as he
does? Compassion is more productive
than condemnation.
— Betzi Abram Iona-Hope Church, Fort Myers
Enthusiasm was clearlyevident in Columbus
I wish to clarify several mislead-
ing statements contained in Edward
Weber’s letter (Nov./Dec. 2006 issue).
I attended General Convention
and was a page in both the House of
Deputies and the House of Bishops.
The committee responsible for framing
responses to the Windsor report workedextremely diligently for 10 days in at-
tempting to draft a response that would
be acceptable to both houses.
Two public hearings were held to
take testimony from those wishing to
put forth their points of view. The rst
attended by more than 500 lasted ap-
proximately one and one half hours,
and the second with more than 1,000
in attendance lasted two and one half
(Continued on page 22)
(Continued on page 22)
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In Brief
(Continued on page 21)
Trinity conference tobe webcast Jan. 22-24
Trinity Institute’s 37th National
Theological Conference, Jan. 22-24,
at Trinity Church, Wall Street, will be
broadcast in its entirety, live on the
Web. At least one church in Southwest
Florida, Iona-Hope Church in Fort My-
ers, will be showing the webcast for all
who are interested and will participate
in group and panel discussions during
the conference.
The conference, titled “God’s Un-
nished Future, Why it Matters Now,”
will focus on what it calls “apocalyp-
ticism,” where popular apocalyptic
works such as the Left Behind series
pit the forces of good and evil in an
imminent showdown where God willdefeat the forces of evil, the earth will
be annihilated and the saved lifted up.
The claim of this conference is that this
vision is a massive and dangerous dis-
tortion of the biblical picture of God’s
purpose, supporting a politics of polar-
ization, violence and extremism.
Speakers include authors and
lecturers Jürgen Moltmann, the Rev.
Barbara R. Rossing, Th.D., and the
Rev. Professor Peter J. Gomes.
Suggested fees for participating
at Iona-Hope are $25 for the entireconference or $15 per day. Register by
calling (239) 454-4778 or by e-mail to
Pontifax servicesset in January
Ecumenical services marking the
annual Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity have been scheduled in Janu-
ary.
On Wednesday, Jan. 19, a service
with Bishop Robert N. Lynch of theCatholic Diocese of St. Petersburg
and Bishop Edward R. Benoway of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, Florida-Bahamas Synod
invite participation in the Pontifax Day
of Prayer 2007. Bishop John Lipscomb
of the Diocese of Southwest Florida
had been scheduled to participate
before he went on medical disability
leave.
By Jim DeLa
Editor, The Southern Cross
Diocesan Council has approved a
plan designed to put an end to disagree-
ments over the nancial health of Day-
Spring Conference Center.
In an agreement brokered by a task
force led by the Rev. John Adler, the for-
mer president of the Standing Committee,
DaySpring Conference Center will pay
interest on two of its current mortgages,
pay interest and principal on a third mort-
gage, and also pay interest on a $360,000
loan taken out by the diocese to provide
the center with cash advances.
The diocese, in turn, will no longer
expect repayment of $1.6 million of
what the task force calls “investments in
the ministry” of DaySpring over the last
several years.
“What it simply says is, what’s
run under the bridge has run under the
bridge,” Adler told Council at its Nov. 30
meeting. “We recognize that for the best
interest of the diocese and the ministry
Bishop John B. Lipscomb has an-
nounced he will be on medical disabil-
ity leave, possibly for the next 6 to 12
months.
After being briey hospitalized in
late November, the bishop said in an open
letter to the diocese Dec. 13 that his doc-
tors urged him to rest.
“Since my diagnosis of Parkinson’s
Disease in 2002, and malaria in Africa
in 2004, I have experienced a continued
decline in my health with a concurrent
decline in my ability to fulll my re-
sponsibilities as the Bishop of Southwest
Florida,” the letter said.
The announcement has forced some
events to be rescheduled. Two Decemberordinations to the priesthood were held
as planned, with the Rt. Rev. William
Skilton, the bishop suffragan of the Dio-
cese of South Carolina, lling in.
The diocese’s bishop coadjutor-elect,
the Rev. Dr. Dabney Smith, is planning to
be in Southwest Florida by Feb. 1.
Smith’s consecration, originally
scheduled May 17, has been moved up
to March 10, at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral
of St. Jude the Apostle, the cathedral of
the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Pe-
tersburg, provided the required consentsfrom half of the bishops with jurisdiction
and standing committees of other dioceses
in the Episcopal Church are received by
then.
The full text of Bishop Lipscomb’s
letter is:
The Clergy and People
The Diocese of Southwest FloridaDear Friends in Christ,
Since my diagnosis of Parkinson’s Dis-ease in 2002, and malaria in Africa in 2004, Ihave experienced a continued decline in myhealth with a concurrent decline in my abilityto fulll my responsibilities as the Bishop ofSouthwest Florida. During my hospitaliza-tion in November, my physicians stronglyencouraged me to take a short-term disabilityleave.
I have spent much time in prayerfulreflection regarding the future. My family
and I have decided that I should accept the judgment of my physicians. I was placed onmedical disability Dec. 12. I pray that I will beable to regain my health and continue to serveour Lord and the Church.
I know this comes at a bad time. If myhealth permits me to return to work in 6-12months, it remains my intention to attend theLambeth Conference in 2008, and to effect thetransition of jurisdiction to the Fifth Bishop ofSouthwest Florida in 2009.
We were blessed on Dec. 9 with theelection of The Rev. Dr. Dabney Smith as ourbishop coadjutor. I will be regularly availableto him for consultation as necessary and ap-propriate.
May the Lord bless and keep you asyou continue to serve and lead the Dioceseof Southwest Florida.
Bishop Lipscomb takesshort-term disability leave
Diocese, DaySpring clear upfinancial relationship issues
(Continued on page 21)
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Fast Forward
By Jim DeLa
Editor, The Southern Cross
If the Rev. Dabney Smith seems a bit out of breath these
days, it’s for good reason.
His name was placed in nomination for bishop co-
adjutor on Oct. 31. On Dec. 1, he and ve other nomi -
nees spent more than nine hours answering questions from
clergy and lay delegates who would decide his future.
Eight days later, he was elected after a single ballot.
He’s now preparing for perhaps the biggest transition of his
career, from rector of Trinity Church in New Orleans, to bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of Southwest Florida.
Since the election, he’s been preparing his parish to
search for a new rector, answering calls from reporters, try-
ing to nd a new place to live and getting ready to move.
Once he gets here, around Feb. 1, things are not go-
ing to slow down. Since Bishop John Lipscomb announced
Dec. 12 he was going on short-term medical disability leave,
Smith’s learning curve has accelerated. His consecration
date has been moved up from May 17 to March 10.
A quick ballotFr. Smith was elected on the rst ballot Dec. 9. Del-
egates had barely taken their seats after a break followingthe rst ballot when the announcement was made.
“Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, we have an elec-
tion,” said Bishop Lipscomb to a stunned convention inside
St. Peter’s Cathedral in downtown St. Petersburg.
After 45 seconds of cheers and applause, Smith’s name
was announced, triggering another 30-second burst of ap- plause.
When reached by phone, the audio was piped into the
cathedral for all to hear. “Dabney,” said Bishop Lipscomb,
“It’s my great honor to ask you if you will accept canoni-
cal election as the fth bishop of Southwest Florida. It was
The pace of transition will be quicker than expected,but Bishop-elect Dabney Smith is ready for the challengeof being coadjutor for the Diocese of Southwest Florida
(Continued on page 8)
The Rev. Dabney Smith answers questionsat the Dec. 1 walkabout in Venice. Smith was
elected bishop coadjutor of the diocese in one
ballot Dec. 9.
Photos by Jim DeLa
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(Continued on page 9)
a rst-ballot decision and we hope you
will make the right answer. Will you
accept?”
“I am pleased and honored. I would
love to, thank you,” Bishop-elect Smith
replied. “I am so blessed and honored
... and I would just like to thank theconvention and the diocese and I look
forward to a wonderful, loving relation-
ship.”
“Amen,” answered Bishop Lip-
scomb.
The winner needed 45 clergy votes
and 107 lay votes to be elected. Smith
won handily, with 50 clergy votes and
133 lay votes.
Meet the bishop-electBishop-elect Smith was able spend
a few minutes with The Southern Cross
to talk about his election and the transi-
tion to come:
What was your initial reaction to the
phone call on Dec. 9?
That morning I was in the middle
of a premarital counseling session. I
excused myself; I thought this was just
going to be the results of the rst ballot,
that it would just take a minute.
What happened was, I got the
phone call and the man said “please
hold for Bishop Lipscomb.” I kept hold-ing and didn’t hear anything and kept
saying “hello …” and nally I heard his
voice but it sounded like it was way off
in the distance. I listened more closely
and realized he was addressing the con-
vention and I was on live.
At that point I quickly tried to gath-
er my wits about me and tried to think
of something to say. I was stunned,
actually. That was my initial reaction.
Were you surprised that it took onlyone ballot? What does an election
on the rst ballot mean to you as the
bishop-elect?
It’s certainly unusual. In terms of
signicance to my ministry, I think it
means there was a sense of unity within
the life of the Diocese of Southwest
Florida which I am moved by and deep-
ly appreciate.
You’ve lived in Florida before, and
you’re a graduate of the University of
South Florida. How does it feel, in a
sense, to be coming back home to bebishop?
It feels wonderful, like a grace-
lled blessing from God. There is no
way I could have designed this, if I
could design my life, any better. It
makes me so grateful, and I feel so
humbled and pleased by it.
What excites you about answering the
call to be our bishop?
What excites me is being able to
participate in the life of the greaterchurch in ways that are vital, evangelis-
tic, holy, mission-focused and Christ-
centered.
I’m getting more and more excited
now that the euphoria has drifted away
and I’ve started to face the realities.
Once you say yes, you want to start.
What scares you about answering the
call to be our bishop?
The rst thing that came to mind is
the fear of trying to get to a congrega-
tion on Sunday and getting lost.
Clearly, I have a huge learningcurve ahead of me. I’ve not been a bish-
op so I’m not sure I would say scared,
as much as challenged, by the new ways
of being and practicing ministry that I
will be learning on the run.
In the light of Bishop Lipscomb’s re-
cent announcement to go on medical
disability, how has that affected your
plans for transition?
First of all let me say when Bishop
Lipscomb called me, I felt very dis-
tressed for him personally and know
that he is doing the right thing medi-
cally to take care of himself. I’m hold-
ing him deeply in prayers, both John
and Marcie.
In terms of what it meant person-
ally when I got the call, I realized im-
mediately that things were going to
accelerate, and that the Feb. 1 start-up
date was now completely necessary.
Fast Forward(Continued from page 7)
The Rev. Dabney Smith was one of six nominees who met clergy and parishioners at
the Dec. 1 walkabout in Venice. Smith’s wife, Mary Ellen, is at the far right.
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At a glance:
The Rev. Dr. Dabney T. Smithhas been rector of Trinity Church, NewOrleans, La., since January 2005. Thechurch, with about 2,500 members andseven associate clergy, includes TrinityEpiscopal School (pre-K through eighthgrade with 329 students), and a counsel-
ing and training center.Earlier he served at Holy Trinity
in Melbourne, Fla; St. Michael and All Angels in South Bend, Ind.; and GraceChurch in Port Orange, Fla. He earneda B.A. in broadcasting production fromthe University of South Florida, Tampa(1980); an M. Div. from Nashotah House,cum laude (1987); and a D. Min fromSeabury-Western Theological Seminarywith special focus on congregationaldevelopment (1999).
Dr. Smith, 52, grew up in Florida.He and his wife, Mary Ellen, married in1975 and are the parents of three grownchildren, two daughters and a son. Hishobbies include music (he played guitarand keyboards in various groups formany years), and reading history andbiographies.
In post-Katrina New Orleans, heserves on the Jericho Road EpiscopalHousing Initiative that exists to createdesperately needed housing for hur-ricane victims. He is also on the steeringcommittee of Common Good, a publicpartnership of faith-based, nonprot,
civic and higher-education organizationsthat brings the voice of the citizens ofNew Orleans to the table with the politi-cal and business sectors. He served onthe Diocesan Rebuilding Committee forthe Diocese of Louisiana and on thediocesan executive board.
In his own words: “What excitesme about the possibility of becomingyour coadjutor is my sense of leadershippurpose that involves teaching, preach-ing, challenging, and encouraging thebaptized to live faithfully as enthusiasticChristians. I am convinced that impas-sioned Christianity is contagious andhelps the Church grow. The opportuni-ties for evangelism in Southwest Floridaare immense. Clear diocesan commu-nication, vibrant congregations, healthyclergy leadership, and the pastoral pres-ence of the bishop all unite for healthymission and ministry. I am honored tobe considered to share in the service ofOur Lord with you.”
The particular issues that I thought
about were nding a place to live,
knowing that I wasn’t going to have as
much of a cushion of transition as I had
thought — jumping out of the plane, as
it were.
I’m also feel-ing a sense of
God’s guidance,
and I know that
our Lord will put
the right people
in my path to help
me along. I rec-
ognize that I will
make mistakes
and just lean on
the gracious good-
will of the people
the Diocese ofSouthwest Florida
to help me along
and keep me up in
prayer.
How has your
congregation
in New Orleans
dealt with your election?
They have been so wonderfully
gracious. Clearly there’s been sadness
and a modest amount of anxiety butthat’s dissipating. They’ve been con-
gratulatory and grateful for our time
together. Appropriately sad, but happy
for Southwest Florida.
How can the people in Southwest
Florida help you prepare for your
episcopate?
Two things: First, hold Mary Ellen
and me up in prayer as we make this
transition to something that I think is
going to be a wonderfully exciting and
challenging new adventure in servingthe Lord.
The second thing is simply prag-
matic — please don’t assume I remem-
ber your name after you’ve told me one
time.
Lastly, during the walkabout, you
only had ve minutes to tell people a
little about yourself. Consider this a
second chance. What did you leave
out of your presentation that you
wished there had been time to say?
When I was in my rst year of
seminary, I took janitorial care of this
little parish in Watertown, Wisc., as part
of a living arrangement. I got to live in
the house and take care of the church.
One day I was sweeping up the
front walk of the church and found
stuck underneath the door of the church
a little note, in a child’s handwriting. It
was a prayer. I’vekept it in my desk
ever since. The
child was getting
ready to take a
test, and it said,
“Please, God, help
me do the work I
don’t know how
to do. Amen.”
And I thought,
that’s a pretty
good prayer for
somebody start-ing into life as a
bishop. I’m glad
I kept that prayer
all these years.
I greatly look
forward to getting
to know the dio-
cese in a deeper,
more signicant way. I am so pleased to
serve our Lord and am very grateful to
be able to do so there.
I’m convinced that God has suchgreat use for the Episcopal Church, and
all we need to do is live into a sense of
obedience to his call and claim upon us
so that we may continue to live as the
healthy Body of Christ.
Fast Forward(Continued from page 8)
Consecration dateis set for March 10
What: The Rev. Dr. Dabney T. Smith
will be consecrated as
bishop coadjutor ofthe Diocese of Southwest Florida(pending consents from diocesan bishops
and standing committees).
When: Saturday, March 10, 2007,
at 10 a.m.
Where: Cathedral of St. Jude
the Apostle, 5875 5th Ave. North
in St. Petersburg.
A reception will follow.
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By Jim DeLa
Editor, The Southern Cross
The Diocese of Southwest Florida
will reduce its giving to the Episcopal
Church in 2007 by more than $200,000 in
order to bring the amount in line with the biblical concept of the 10 percent tithe.
At the diocese’s annual convention
Dec. 2 in Venice, clergy and delegates
voted 149–128 to amend the diocese’s
2007 budget to reduce the amount to
be given to the Episcopal Church from
$529,262 to $314,017.
Convention also saw an end to a
three-year-old arrangement to allow
congregations to request the percentage of
their diocesan apportionment that would
go to the national church be diverted to
the companion diocese of the DominicanRepublic.
However, Diocesan Council may
revive that option when they consider a
proposal at its Jan. 20 meeting.
Convention also approved a $3.1
million budget for 2007 and elected candi-
dates to ll seats on various committees.
Biblical standard?The Dec. 2 budget amendment was
introduced by the Rev. John Hiers, rector
of the Church of the Ascension in Clear-
water. Hiers has pushed for a reductionin giving to the Episcopal Church for
several years.
As a deputy to the national church’s
General Convention, he introduced reso-
lutions to change the national standard to
10 percent in 1997, 2000 and 2003. Each
time, the idea was soundly defeated in the
House of Deputies.
Hiers pointed out that congregations
in Southwest Florida give only 10 percent
of their budgets to the diocese, and the
diocese is healthy.“The biblical principles of tithing
have worked very well in this diocese,
and I think it’s time that we continue to
follow that for health of our diocese,” he
said on the oor of convention. “I think
this also applies to the diocese and the
national church.”
Several delegates unsuccessfully
urged defeat of the amendment. “The
Old Testament tithe was never intended
as anything other than an individual’s
obligation to God,” said the Rev. Doug
Remer, rector of St. John’s Church in
Tampa.
The current formula used by the
Episcopal Church applies to everyone,
he said. “For this diocese to attempt to
opt out of that unilaterally, I think, is a
denial of our obligation to the national
mission and ministry to which we are
committed,” he said.
Two votesWhen the question was called and a
voice vote taken, Bishop John Lipscomb
initially ruled the amendment had been
defeated. Supporters immediately pro-
tested and called for an actual count,
which yielded the 149-128 result in
favor of amending the single “Episcopal
Church Asking” line item from $529,262
to $314,017.
After the vote, Bishop John Lipscomb
expressed his displeasure. “As a rector ofa parish, I never thought it was appropri-
ate to not pay a full apportionment. I must
say as bishop I am somewhat disappointed
and that it’s only appropriate to pay your
full apportionment,” he said.
Each of the 100 domestic dioceses
in the Episcopal Church is asked to
give 21 percent of its budget to fund the
wider church’s mission and ministry. The
percentage is actually calculated using
budget gures from two years prior, after
a at $100,000 deduction.
Diocese votes to slash giving to Episcopal Church
Attempts at flexibilityUntil recently, the diocese had
paid the full asking. In 2003, diocesan
convention approved a plan to address
concerns of congregations and individu-
als unhappy with what they perceived as
an unacceptably liberal theological drift
of the Episcopal Church. These churches
were able to request the fraction of theirdiocesan apportionment earmarked for the
national church go instead to the Diocese
of the Dominican Republic.
The plan was originally approved for
one year and was renewed through reso-
lutions at convention over the next three
years. That practice ended at December’s
convention, when the resolution to keep
the plan alive was ruled out of order after
a technical challenge from the oor. The
resolution had not been distributed to
clergy and delegates at least 30 days priorto convention, a violation of diocesan
canons.
But that ruling may not be the last
word on the subject. At its Jan. 20 meet-
ing, Diocesan Council will be asked to
approve a plan that would allow congre-
gations and individuals to designate their
apportionment dollars to go either to the
Episcopal Church or to the Dominican
Republic.
Bishop John Lipscomb (far right) celebrates the Eucharist at the start of diocesan
convention Dec. 2 at the Venice Community Center.
Photo by Jim DeLa
(Continued on page 11)
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The request is being formally made
by Bishop Lipscomb and two Sarasota
rectors, the Rev. Ted Copland of St. Boni-
face Church and the Rev. Fred Robinson
of Church of the Redeemer. They drafted
a statement after a conference call involv-
ing the bishop and nine priests.In a letter to the St. Boniface vestry,
Copland said the new plan “indicate(s)
our common support of the consciences
of individuals and congregations, some
of whom are unable to support the Epis-
copal Church and some who are unable
to support the reduction in funds to the
Episcopal Church. We anticipate that the
statement will indicate a pastoral, rather
than a legislative, way of dealing with
these issues of conscience for calendar
year 2007.”
The new plan would only be in effectfor 2007, and congregations following the
plan will not be considered in arrears on
payment of its apportionment and will
be entitled to the usual canonical status
with seat, voice and vote at diocesan
convention.
Many dioceses fall shortSouthwest Florida is one of at least 47
other dioceses that pay less than the full
asking by the Episcopal Church. Accord-
ing to the most recent gures provided by
the church, 46 dioceses were on track to
pay the full asking or more in 2006; 30
dioceses were paying between 10 percent
and 20 percent of their yearly income; and
17 others were giving between 1 percent
and 9 percent. Some dioceses do not
provide budget data, making percentage
calculations impossible.
Where will the rest go?The responsibility of deciding what
to do with any of the $215,245 that will
not be going to the national church or the
Dominican Republic now falls to Dioc-
esan Council. Bishop Lipscomb said he
plans to ask Council to consider using
those funds outside the diocese, “for the
mission of the wider church.”
“I hope this will go to ministry at
least outside the diocese and not be used
for operations,” he said.
ElectionsConvention also elected the follow-
ing people to various ofces:
Standing Committee: The Rev.
Diocesan convention(Continued from page 10)
Youth from St. Luke’s Church in
Fort Myers and St. John’s Church on PineIsland participated in an outreach program
Nov. 4 to children at Pink Citrus Mobile
Home Park on Pine Island.
Pink Citrus is a community of fami-
lies who work primarily in the island’s
plant and tree nurseries.
The youth groups helped the children
at Pink Citrus create special friendship
boxes. The theme for the program was
leaving old friends, the acceptance of
new friends and keeping memories of all
of our friends. A total of 30 young people
and children participated.After the program concluded, St.
Luke’s youth joined St. John’s youth in
Comfort Hall at St. John’s for a pizza
supper.Outreach to the Pink Citrus commu-
nity began in the summer of 2005 when
the Rev. Jim Kelly, rector of St. Wilfred’s
Church in Sarasota, brought his youth
group to Pine Island for a mission trip
after Hurricane Charley.
A Kids’ Club story time program fol-
lowed by a craft project became a reality
when the youth of St. Wilfred’s returned
this past summer for their second mission
trip to Pine Island. Since July, the children
of Pink Citrus have met monthly on site in
the Mobile Home Park with Deacon Di-ane Millott and the Rev. Ann McLemore,
vicar of St. John’s.
Youth groups spreadcheer on Pine Island
Youth from St. Luke’s, Fort Myers, and St. John’s, Pine Island, help make friendship
boxes for children at Pink Citrus Mobile Home Park on Pine Island.
Georgene Conner, the Rev. Douglas
Zimmerman and the Rev. Fredrick Rob-
inson.
Diocesan Council: The Rev. Glad
McCurtain and Mr. Wayne Farrell.
Ecclesiastical Trial Court: The Rev.
Read Heydt, the Rev. Margaret Koor and
Mr. Jonathan Smith.
Diocesan Review Committee: The
Rev. Barbara Muller.
Trustee, University of the South:
Mr. Roger D. Schwenke.
Trustee, Bishop Gray Inns Foun-
dation: No nominations were received.
The seat will be lled by appointment by
Diocesan Council.
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By Jim Stewart
Eleven pilgrims set out from St. Peter’s Cathedral Church in
St. Petersburg on a journey the day after Thanksgiving to
respond in a tangible way to the need that remains unmet
in New Orleans, 15 months after the rst of two hurricanes
devastated the region.
We picked the particular sponsoring group and place because
they were what was presented as an opportunity in an ocean of needsponsored by a part of our church’s denomination. We now know the
suffering and loss far exceed anything any of us imagined before see-
ing it rst-hand.
I’m also sure that, while many worthwhile efforts continue to ad-
dress the area’s wounds, none can possibly be staffed or administered
by more loving, caring or compassionate men and women than this
one sponsored by the Diocese of Louisiana.
It’s tough getting folks to understand the scope and desperate
nature of what continues to happen to those still left in New Orleans
and along the northern Gulf Coast. People listen and are dismayed
Washing away Katrina’s legacy A work crew from
St. Petersburg discoversthat more than a year
after Hurricane Katrina,
New Orleans is still indesperate need of help
Hundreds of houses like this one, seen here in November, have not been touched 15 months after Hurricane Katrina blew
through New Orleans.
Photos courtesy of the Rev. Gigi Conner
(Continued on page 13)
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that things are still wrecked 15 months
later. Some neighborhoods seem very
normal while just a few blocks away there
are no lights or phones or running water
for miles. There are other places that are
simply memories for those who used to
live and work there.Many of the people are gone also,
some without a trace.
We’re told that the four- to eight-
foot-high “bathtub ring” so prominent
on many building exteriors tells the tale
that the ood waters stayed for weeks,
because that’s how long it took to repair
the breached levees and return to service
the pumps that keep the city dry.
Pumps are needed continuously
because much of the city is below sea
level. What is not widely known is that
the storm surge from Katrina pushed thewater some two feet higher than the “ring”
and then quickly receded to settle at the
level recorded so graphically on each
building. As that water swiftly exited the
city with enormous power, it took with
it people, pets, belongings and parts of
buildings. It’s believed that many of the
persons never located disappeared at this
terrible time.
The city was broke before the storm.
So was the state. Now half the city’s tax
base is gone and jobs go begging becausethe workers who might return to ll them
have no place to live.
In the four years ending this summer,
the Iraq war will have cost in real terms,
adjusted for ination, the same as our 20
years of armed conict in Vietnam. Halli-
burton has very lucrative no-bid contracts
to supply our military, yet the independent
contractors hauling the toxic trash from
in front of gutted houses in New Orleans
have learned that FEMA soon won’t pay
them any longer.
In the section of the city called East
New Orleans, where we worked for threedays, there are blocks and blocks of
wrecked houses. Now and again there’s
one or a couple that have been rehabili-
tated sitting next to another one or two
with a FEMA trailer in front providing a
place to live while rebuilding. They seem
very small, hardly more than a couple
of rooms and a toilet. At least they have
running water and electricity.
The physical work we did was very
hard and dirty. I feel pretty capable physi-
cally but don’t believe I could have done a
fourth day. None of the rest of our groupthought so either. Some were younger,
a few older. We all ran out of gas after
three days.
The work of separating salvageable
belongings from everything else was emo-
tionally difcult. But the interaction with
the owners of the ravaged houses was both
enormously rewarding and heart-rending.
I encountered absolutely no bitterness or
anger, just amazing grace.
We were careful to look for and
separate personal items and photographsfrom the rest. We found little that could
be salvaged. The primary job consisted of
removing all the contents (waterlogged
furniture, bedding, carpets, appliances
and clothes) followed by the wooden trim
and cabinets, then the drywall, ceilings,
and insulation. All the appliances (water
heaters, washers, dryers, refrigerators,
freezers) were full to the brim with putrid,
toxic liquid. So were some of the bathtubs.
Almost everything that could absorb wa-
ter was still wet after 15 months.
The weather was pleasant, but the
inside of the houses was dark and hotand full of mold and roaches. Sometimes
we strayed from the prescribed order of
doing things and poked holes in the dry-
wall to let in some light and air. It was
lthy work but nobody complained or
betrayed the smallest part of reluctance
or queasiness.
We were well-supplied with tools for
moving heavy loads and deconstructing
the walls. Everything that could be was
loaded into wheelbarrows and hauled to
the curb. The rest we carried by hand. A
single 1,200 square foot house producesa prodigious pile, as wide as the house
and as high as we could get it, between
ve and six feet, and from the curb back
toward the house maybe 15 to 20 feet.
Independent contractors with large dump
trucks and front-end loaders picked it up
the same day.
Ten of my workmates were women
who toiled as hard and as productively
as any man next to whom I ever labored.
That upper-body strength difference many
say is important just wasn’t in this context.On the third day, our crew boss, a young
college woman a third of my age and
half my weight, one of the women from
our group and I wrestled a refrigerator, a
water heater, and a washer all full
of vile liquid onto a hand truck
and out to the curb. I think each
appliance outweighed all three of
us combined. It felt good.
Once gutted, a house is ready
for mold abatement and decon-
tamination. Only then can the
homeowner nish the inside andfurnish it. It’s an agonizingly
slow process. We’re told that the
FEMA funds for hauling the trash
away will soon stop. If that can-
not be replaced, the program we
were part of will have to stop.
Other things I learnedWhen I got back home I
needed time to decompress and
process. My body was tired but
Katrina’s legacy (Continued from page 12)
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sturdy shell,” I offered. She replied, “We
have a very nice shell — but there are
so many poor people.” She sees that she
has options that many of the poor do not.
Her heart is full of compassion for others
in the face of the destruction of all the
property she owned except the clothes in
which she ed the ood waters.
The value of the work we did is
estimated at between $6,000 and $8,000 per house. So far, this program sponsored
by the Diocese of Louisiana has gutted
about 450 houses and has a waiting list of
more than 200. If those houses are done,
volunteers will have contributed labor
worth more than $4.5 million through this
effort. Seems like a lot, but it’s a drop in
the ocean in light of the size of the need.
If the government won’t do more,
then many more volunteers need to go
and help. I don’t think New Orleans will
die no matter what we do or don’t do, but
she needs more, much more, than we’ve provided thus far.
Of 79,000 grant applications for
assistance in 15 months, our federal
government has approved 48, averaging
about $50,715 each, acording to The New
York Times. Half the population of the city
that gave us jazz and Dixieland, Creole
food, Cajun cuisine and Zydeco music
has vanished. More than half the dwelling
places are in worse shape than if they’d
been bombed.
David Brooks of the Times said in
the immediate aftermath of Katrina, “…it
is a national humiliation to see bodies
oating in a river for ve days in a major
American city…, they [the government]
violated the social fabric, which is in the
moments of crisis you take care of the
poor rst. That didn’t happen; it’s like
leaving wounded on the battleeld.” He
angrily declared that Americans just don’t
do that. Only we did, and the people of New Orleans struggle on mostly without
bitterness or anger. It’s a terrible and beau-
tiful thing to see. And we continue to do
very little. Rather than speak of recovery,
they say the disaster continues.
We know that one of the givens in life
is that even in the family and the church,
people will let you down. Jesus asked his
disciples to watch a while — and they
napped instead. They were challenged to
stand up for him — and they denied him
and ed in fear. In response, He thanked
God for giving him these men to love.There are people in New Orleans
with nothing left but their grit and de-
termination not to be defeated and who
continue to soldier on while thanking God
for the people who let them down. That’s
a faith-based community. I’m going back
when I can. We can do better.
—Jim Stewart is a parishioner at St.
Peter’s Cathedral.
not injured in any signicant way and
didn’t hurt as much as I expected it to.
My frame of mind was and is a mixture
of serenity, anger, satisfaction, disappoint-
ment and optimism tempered by a sense of
the enormity of it all. My head feels like
a storm-tossed living room full of brokenand soggy furniture. I feel fragile and de-
termined and broken and full of hope.
I know about a dozen people who
understand concretely how I feel, whose
lives will never be the same because of
our shared experience, who care and un-
derstand in new and important ways how
others suffer and deal with loss.
Because of the toxicity of the interi-
ors of the houses, we were admonished to
never enter without a protective mask. We
never did. The second day home, I sum-
moned enough courage to clean my work
boots. It made my throat sore. I realized
then that my throat had been sore from the
rst hour of the rst day of work, despite
the mask, and didn’t return to normal until
I’d been back a day or two. The junk in
those houses really is toxic. We were able
to leave, but those still in New Orleans
have to live with a poisonous environment
for the foreseeable future. Without more
money to clean it up, the only option may
be to bulldoze huge areas of the city. If
that happens, those whose insurance orgrant claims have not been acted upon
never will be.
I’ve learned that people really can go
on without their stuff. All their stuff, every
shred. They may have acquired some new
stuff, but their old stuff and their old life
are gone forever — and some of them
know they’ll be all right, never again
restored to the wholeness of pre-Katrina
days, but OK nonetheless. They hide
their grief for those who perished and talk
mostly about their stuff.
If the people I met there had beenfull of anger and resentment I would have
readily understood. Instead I encountered
kindness and compassion toward those
who were there to help and those who
weren’t and never had been.
A woman whose house was destroyed
and watched us pile all her belongings
along with those of her babies on a trash
heap, shared that ood insurance had been
enough to cover about 20 percent of her
monetary loss.
“At least you still have a very nice,
Katrina’s legacy (Continued from page 13)
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St. Peter’s Cathedral will host a
special observance of the 30th anniver-
sary of the ordination of women to the
priesthood on Saturday, Jan. 6, beginningat 11 a.m..
Preaching at the service will be the
Rev. Tanya Beck, transitional dean and
rector of Christ Church Cathedral in
Indianapolis.
Historical perspectiveIt was 30 years ago that the 65th
General Convention, with much trepida-
tion, voted to allow women to be ordained
to the priesthood. The 1976 convention
faced nearly 50 resolutions addressing the
question of ordination, with most callingfor canonical change that would open the
priesthood and episcopate equally to men
and women.
On June 15, 1976, 67 bishops an-
nounced they would co-sponsor legisla-
tion at convention to permit the ordination
of women to the priesthood. Fifteen other
bishops announced they would vote for
the legislation, thus forming a majority
in the House of Bishops.
Since then, an entire generation, both
in chronological age and in terms of theirmembership in the Episcopal Church, has
known nothing but a church in which
women serve as priests.
“I can go through a whole year now
with nobody having a problem that I’m
a priest,” the Rev. Carol Chamberlain of
Philadelphia, one of dozens of women or-
dained to the priesthood in January 1977,
told Episcopal News Service in 2001.
“I’m proud of our church. We’ve
come a long way. We’ve led the way.
Wonderful ministry is being done around
the country by ordained women and menworking together.”
In the fall of 2005, among 16,523
Episcopal clergy, there were 4,607 women
priests with 2,033 actively employed,
332 retired and 913 considered inactive
because they were not working in orga-
nizations that contribute on their behalf
to the Church Pension Fund. There are
1,329 women deacons. Of the church’s
292 bishops, 12 are women.
Many, if not most, in the church have
“come to the conclusion that there is a
30th anniversary of women’s ordination to be celebrated in St. Petersburg
The 30th Anniversaryof the Ordination
of Women to the Priesthood
Saturday, Jan. 6, at 11 a.m.
St. Peter’s Cathedral140 4th Street North
St. Petersburg, Florida
Preacher: The Rev. Tanya Beck, tran-sitional dean and rector, Christ Church
Cathedral, Indianapolis
Reception following the service
rich diversity brought by women to the
church,” said the Rev. Margaret Rose, di-
rector of the church’s Ofce of Women’s
Ministries.
Rose suggested that women, both
lay and ordained, are continually chang-
ing the Episcopal Church by “the way in
which they exercise ministry in a hier-
archical church.” She said that women
have a relational style of ministry to the
church. “I think the whole church is richerfor it,” she said.
Remaining work Yet, Rose and others say, there is
more work to be done. Calling herself
a “pathological optimist,” Rose said,
“I want to be realistic about where we
aren’t.”
Of 5,829 parish clergy listed in a
2004 study using various church re-
sources, slightly more than 29 percent
were women, and 23.2 percent of the
senior or solo clergy were women. Therewere 813 men in the “senior” category and
133 women. In the “solo” category there
were 2,664 men and 918 women. There
were 653 female associates and curates,
and 648 males.
In 2004 the median salary for women
clergy was about $10,000 less than for
men. Among senior clergy the gap was
about $13,000, about $6,000 for solo
clergy and about $4,000 for associates,
assistants and curates. The latest compen-
sation report by the Church Pension Fund
details the differences between the way
male and female priests are paid.
At a gathering a few years ago of
women who had been ordained 20 years
or more, one priest said that women hadto decide either to stand for election as
bishops “or forget it,” Rose said. The
attitude was “the church is worth it, let’s
take it.”
As of 2006, only the dioceses of
Fort Worth, Quincy and San Joaquin do
not permit the ordination or deployment
of women as priests. Women seeking
ordination in the Diocese of Fort Worth
are transferred by arrangement to the
neighboring Diocese of Dallas.
On the last day of the 1976 conven-tion, ENS reported that the convention
had dealt with “the most controversial
and potentially explosive issues to come
before the supreme legislative body of the
church since the very rst such meeting
in 1785.”
“It dealt with them, despite ominous
forecasts of schism and disruption, in
an atmosphere of marked restraint and
mutual respect for opposing views, often
reecting profound depth and passion,
and with a general spirit of acceptance
of majority rule. With a handful of excep-tions, both clerical and lay champions of
defeated causes reacted to their losses in
a spirit of professed Christian acceptance,
pledging continued loyalty to the Episco-
pal Church,” ENS reported.
Yet it was also reported that some
people were considering “the formation of
a separate, non-geographic diocese within
the Church, within which its adherents
could continue to reject women priests
and use only the 1928 Prayer Book.”
The current version of Book of Com-
mon Prayer got the rst of two needed
approvals at the Minneapolis convention
four days after the approval of women’s
ordination. It was approved for the second
time in 1979.
—Episcopal News Service
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Middle schoolerslearn lessonsabout service
Students at St. John’s Middle
School in Tampa got some frst-
hand experience in servant
ministry last fall when the entire
school took a day to volunteer
at various locations, including
soup kitchens and daycare
centers. Above, students serve
lunch to toddlers at the RosaValdez Center.
At r igh t, the se rv ice day
organizer, teacher Dwayne
Varas, talks to students in the
school chapel at the end of
the day. “This is the Christian
mandate,” he said. “We’ll
be working with them in the
next few weeks to get the
connection with what we do in
here and real life.”
Episcopal News Service
Bishop Peter Lee of the Episcopal
Diocese of Virginia said Dec. 17 that he
was saddened by the fact that Nigerian
and Ugandan congregations were “oc-
cupying Episcopal churches.”Lee’s statement came as eight of
Virginia’s 195 congregations announced
that their members had voted to sever ties
with the Episcopal Church and afliate
with the Anglican Church of Uganda or
the Anglican Church of Nigeria by way
of the Anglican District of Virginia, part
of the Convocation of Anglicans in North
America (CANA). The members of the
eight congregations amount to about
8,000 of the diocese’s roughly 90,000
Episcopalians.
The Episcopal Church includes some7,200 congregations in its 100 domestic
dioceses, and about 150 in its 10 overseas
dioceses and one convocation.
“We are saddened when individuals
decide they must leave the Episcopal
Church, for we are diminished when any
brother or sister departs from the commu-
nity,” Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts
Schori said.
“We live in a time and a society that
is easily drawn to polarities. These depar-
tures are taking place in most mainline
denominations, and are an expression ofthe anxiety of our times and the discom-
fort many people feel in trying to live in
tension. Anglicanism has always held that
living in the tension of comprehensive-
ness is our vocation. God gives us a gift
in the midst of that diversity, and we more
fully know both truth and God’s will for
us when we are able to embrace that diver-
sity. The quick x embraced in drawing
lines or in departing is not going to be an
ultimate solution for our discomfort.”
The Associated Press reported that
the vote margins were 90 percent at TheFalls Church, Falls Church and 92 percent
at Truro Church, Fairfax.
A joint meeting of the diocese’s Ex-
ecutive Board and Standing Committee
of the diocese, with legal representation,
was planned for Dec. 18 “to consider the
full range of pastoral, canonical and legal
obligations of the Church and our respon-
sibilities to those faithful Episcopalians in
these congregations who do not choose
to associate with the Church of Nigeria,”
Lee said.In the meantime Lee has asked the
leaders of “these now Nigerian and Ugan-
dan congregations occupying Episcopal
churches to keep the spiritual needs of all
concerned uppermost in their minds at this
difcult moment in our Church history,
especially continuing Episcopalians.”
He said that he will direct diocesan
personnel to work with departing mem-
bers and those who remain loyal to the
Episcopal Church to work out agreements
about sharing congregational property
until those disputes can be settled.“Our polity maintains that all real
and personal property is held in trust for
The Episcopal Church and the Diocese,”
Lee continued. “As stewards of this his-
toric trust, we fully intend to assert the
Church’s canonical and legal rights over
these properties.”
Congregational property is held in
trust for the diocese, and the diocese holds
property in trust for the wider church.
Canon 15.1 of Virginia’s diocesan canons
concurs with the national canons.
Va. parishes vote to leave Episcopal Church
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named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace. His authority shall grow continu-
ally, and there shall be endless peace for
the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it with
justice and with righteousness from thistime onward and forevermore. The zeal
of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isa-
iah 9:2, 6-7, NRSV)
Notice that the prophet tells us that
justice and righteousness are the twin
arms of the revelation and the work of
the kingdom. Now Nathaniel was reti-
cent to receive and respond positively
to Philip’s enthusiastic witness. Philip
must have shrugged his shoulders and
given a wry smile as he offered the
same invitation, “come and see.”
There are other invitations to openour physical and spiritual eyes. John the
Baptizer, in a single moment of grace,
had his eyes opened when he was al-
lowed to see the Holy Spirit in the form
of a dove descending on Jesus at his
baptism, conrming, “This is the Lamb
of God.” The Gospel tells us it was the
next day as Jesus is walking by and
John was watching him that he pointed
him out to his own disciples exclaiming,
“Look, here is the Lamb of God.”
In the Eucharist, one of the GreatThanksgivings asks God to open our
eyes to see God’s hand at work in the
world about us. Many sing the petition,
“Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open
the eyes of my heart. I want to see you.
I want to see you.” Unless the eyes of
our hearts are opened, we will not see
the Lord.
Robert Barron in his book, And
Now I See, writes, “Christianity is,
above all, a way of seeing. Everything
else in Christian life ows from and
circles around the transformation ofvision. Christians see differently, and
that is why their prayer, their worship,
their action, their whole way of being in
the world have a distinctive accent and
avor. Thomas Aquinas said that the
ultimate goal of the Christian life is a
‘beatic vision,’ an act of seeing God in
the fullness of his glory.”
The training of the early disciples
was about a new way of seeing. Seeing
as Jesus taught us to see often brought
moments of sheer clarity, as on the
Mount of the Transguration, or in the
Upper Room on the day of Easter, or
by charcoal re at dawn by the Sea of
Galilee, or on the road to Damascus.
The goal of salvation history is
given concrete expression in the vision
of John on Patmos that reaches its apex
in a vision of hope for those who are the
heirs of the Kingdom of God.
“And I saw the holy city, the NewJerusalem, coming down out of heaven
from God, prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband. And I heard a loud
voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among
mortals. He will dwell with them as
their God; they will be his peoples, and
God himself will be with them; he will
wipe every tear from their eyes.Death
will be no more; mourning and crying
and pain will be no more, for the rst
things have passed away.’
“And the one who was seated onthe throne said, ‘See, I am making all
things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this,
for these words are trustworthy and
true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the begin-
ning and the end. To the thirsty I will
give water as a gift from the spring of
the water of life. Those who conquer
will inherit these things, and I will be
their God and they will be my children.”
(Revelation 21:2–7, NRSV)
There is wisdom in the saying,“there are none as blind as those unwill-
ing to see.” I think that sometimes we,
as Episcopalians, love to do violence to
the Word of God when we seize it out
of context and use it, as an old friend
of mine used to say, as a pretext for the
sermon that we want to preach. I think
all of us have been guilty of that at one
time or another.
I want to suggest this morning that
we do that quite often when we cel-
ebrate and read it in church, because we
always stop at these words, “and theywill be my children.” But the proclama-
tion of the Good News of Jesus Christ
is a word of judgment as well as a word
of hope, redeeming love in the context
of eternity and God’s judgment. By
cutting a verse here or by not reading
whole passages in context, we fail to
remember that our hope is built on the
judgment that will come. The words of
Revelation continue:
“But as for the cowardly, the faith-
less, the polluted, the murderers, the
fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters,
and all liars, their place will be in the
lake that burns with re and sulfur,
which is the second death.” (21:8,
NRSV)
That is why when I get to the
throne of Grace, I am asking for mercy
and not for justice.
Paul serves notice that selective
fundamentalism in reading of God’sWord is the path to hell for the Church
and the world. If we only read what we
want to read, what makes us comfort-
able, and fail to speak of the task of
God’s judgment on the world, we are
not being the church of Jesus Christ.
Now we love to read the phrase,
“Live by the Spirit… and do not gratify
the desires of the esh.” And we go on
to talk about the fruit of the Spirit be-
ing love and joy and peace and all those
wonderful things. But what that passage
also reminds us is that if we are lead bythe Spirit, we are not subject to the law.
Now the works of the esh are obvious:
fornication, impurity, licentiousness,
idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jeal-
ousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, fac-
tions, envy, drunkenness, carousing. All
these things are not of the Kingdom of
God. “Those who belong to Christ have
crucied the esh.”
And what is the Gospel being
preached among us? What will the
world nd if it accepts our invitation to“come and see” in Southwest Florida,
which is a microcosm of the Episcopal
Church? I think what they will see is
that we are like any other people in this
country. We are people deeply divided
on issues that will not be solved in our
lifetime.
Please understand that issues of
human sexuality began in the Garden
of Eden. And as a professor of ethics
once said, when asked when will we
stop being tempted by the sins of the
esh answered, “three days after we’redead.” They will probably be with us
forever.
I think it is important that we learn
that we have been God’s people mov-
ing in strength because we have had our
eyes on the common mission that Jesus
has given us, and not the divisions and
the things that divide us. But to ignore
them, however much we want to, will
not do us any good. Divisions ignored
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will be like a cancer within the soul of
the Church.
The Diocese of Southwest Florida
has an opportunity to be a laboratory in
mission and healing and reconciliation,
and we do have the opportunity to tell
the whole church, “come and see.”Our faith is expressed in many and
varied ways. One of my great joys is
to see St. Francis in Tampa mature as a
congregation and take a place of leader-
ship in the diocese. It will be our joy to
ordain the rst deacon raised up by this
faith community in mission through this
center of outreach. We should rejoice
that we now have ministry among Span-
ish-speaking people not only in Tampa
but also in the other areas of the dio-
cese. If I’m correct, we now have more
than 20 clergy that can celebrate theEucharist in Spanish and can minister to
those communities. That is good news,
and to the world I would say, “come and
see.”
We have a edgling ministry to
the Haitian community in Immokalee.
This new work will need strong support
if it is to ourish. To see this ministry
strengthened and grow we will need re-
sources from beyond our diocesan mis-
sion budget, which is already strained.
We need to remember that the larg-est diocese in the Episcopal Church is
the Diocese of Haiti, and we now have
the opportunity to be linked with them
in the work of mission.
Our diocesan prole stated the
diocese hopes the fth bishop of South-
west Florida will be involved in the
Councils of the Episcopal Church and
Anglican Communion. It is not enough,
however, for the bishop to be the only
link between the diocese and the wider
Church. Our diocese has offered many
of its members for service as leaders inProvincial and National Church work. I
am pleased that this year the Rev. Ray
Bonoan has been asked to serve on the
Standing Commission on Ecumenical
and Interreligious Relations. The Rev.
Hayden Crawford will continue to serve
the Jubilee Advisory Committee. Paul
Neuhauser will continue to serve on the
Executive Council Committee on Social
Responsibility in Investing. We have
many others who serve the Anglican
Communion through the Compass Rose
Society. I say to the world, “come and
See.” A rm foundation has been laid
on which the diocese may continue to
build.
In the space of 17 short years, since
the rst woman priest was licensed to
be a priest in our diocese, we have seen
the ministry of ordained women our -
ish. Women presbyters now serve as
rectors of parishes, convocational deansand as members of Standing Commit-
tee and Council. On the Feast of the
Epiphany, we will celebrate 30 years of
women in the Order of Presbyter. Le-
gal sanction was given by the General
Convention of 1976. And I would ask
everyone to join us at the Cathedral for
that celebration.
I should also note the Diocese of
Southwest Florida has its rst woman
president of the Standing Committee.
Karen Patterson has assumed the ofce
at a critical moment in the life of ourdiocese. Karen, I thank you for your
years of faithful service to this diocese
and the national church. I pray that God
will continue to bless you in this new
ministry.
We have work in Uganda. We are
working for the peace of God’s people
in northern Uganda. Bishop Ochola,
welcome back to the convention. God
bless you for what you’re doing for
God’s people.
We’re also deeply involved in mis-sion in the Dominican Republic. The
churches of this diocese have contrib-
uted countless dollars and energy to
raising up ministry in that diocese. The
bishop in that diocese, Bishop Holguin,
has had a vision for the Kingdom of
God that is powerful and infectious.
Wherever we have gone as a dio-
cese in these last years, we have pro-
claimed the Good News of Jesus Christ,
and so I would say to the world, “come
and see.”
Locally, hundreds of our commu-nicants participate weekly in programs
that feed the hungry and give shelter
to the homeless. Many of our congre-
gations are involved with Habitat for
Humanity and other community initia-
tives to care for those through whom we
know we are ministering to Christ.
We have a concrete plan to do
church planting and renewal that goes
out to the year 2020. We are assisting
existing congregations with needed ex-
pansions. At present, we are nding new
avenues for mission as we live into the
eight Millennium Development Goals
and support the work of Episcopalians
for Global Reconciliation. All this takes
place in a diocesan community where
the apportionment rate is among the
lowest in the country. In the last ve
years we have gone from nancial dis-
comfort to nancial health. And that is
a good thing. These are tangible resultsof our life together and to the world I
would say, “come and see.”
In the next few minutes, it is my
hope that this convention will support a
resolution for the expansion of our work
with the farm workers in Immokalee.
We have begun a new work in partner-
ship with the Diocese of Southeast
Florida and the Coalition of Immokalee
Workers in the Alliance for Fair Food.
It does us little good to eat the pro-
duce of our land if that produce is being
gathered in by slave labor. I think it istime for the church to stand up and say
the people who work the elds and are
the rst to provide the rest of us bread
on our table, they deserve a living wage.
From this time on, I pray that the
Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Fran-
cis will be Farm Workers Sunday in our
two dioceses. To the world I would say,
“come and see.”
Let the whole world see and know
that this is a diocese that engages in
the work of evangelism. Evangelismis alive and well even if Episcopalians
have trouble getting the “E” word
across our lips. This past year we had
our rst “Believe in a Miracle” day of
evangelism.
And what a day it was. More than
500 women gathered at DaySpring
to hear the Rt. Rev. Stephen Charles-
ton call for conversion of heart as the
ground for our life in Christ. This year
“Believe in a Miracle” will move to this
convention center with the expectation
of doubling last year’s attendance. Thatis exciting and I would say to the world,
“come and see” the work of evangelism
in this diocese.
The “Welcome, We Care” program
will challenge “God’s Frozen Chosen”
to remove the insulation, thaw a bit and
give a warmer welcome and nurture
to all newcomers and members of our
congregations. I think one of the things
we need to remember is that it is very
From the Bishop(Continued from page 17)
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From the Bishop(Continued from page 18)
(Continued on page 20)
difcult to break into the congregational
systems of this diocese. We need to
open our hearts and minds to the strang-
er that God brings to us — we have
been told that by so doing, we have
welcomed angels unaware.
We were blessed during the Great
50 Days to have with us two evangelists
from Nigeria. We are planning now for
a continuation of their work during the
coming Easter season. They shared in
the Global Day of Prayer on Pentecost
as millions gathered around the world
to pray for the renewal of the Church.
There will be information about the
Global Day of Prayer made available
to our congregations early next year. I
encourage each congregation to partici-
pate in this ecumenical opportunity.This past May “Equipping the 70,”
a program under the direction of Epis-
copal Men’s Ministry, completed the
rst series of training events for per -
sonal evangelism and witnessing. This
program has moved beyond the bounds
of the diocese to become an ecumenical
work encompassing several different
denominations and fellowships. This
year Episcopal Men’s Ministry will
offer several new programs to support a
growth in our discipleship.
Let the whole world see and knowthat we are blessed in the Diocese of
Southwest Florida with faithful women
and men who are engaged in the mis-
sion and ministry of the Kingdom of
God. Renewal, evangelism, church
growth and Matthew 25 ministries are
the heart of the life of this diocese.
There are concrete expressions of this
work all around us if we are willing to
open our eyes and see. They are expres-
sions of the faith that we share. This is
our prologue to the future of the dio-cese.
And what of that future? The coad-
jutor Nominating Committee has done
superb work for this diocese. I do want
to take this opportunity to express my
sincere appreciation to the co-chairs,
Judy Stark and the Rev. Michael Bas-
den. Along with the Nominating Com-
mittee, they have given long hours of
prayerful service to the diocese as we
engage the discernment process regard-
ing our future. Judy, Michael, members
of the committee, the Lord bless you
and bring to completion the good work
you have started.
In the Committee’s report to the
diocese on the survey taken in June
2005, they wrote:
“…it was rewarding to see that
ministries to youth and young adults
were overwhelmingly important (82 percent ranked them highest or sec-
ond-highest). So was development and
support of existing congregations (88
percent) and to new congregations (71
percent). Whoever becomes our next
bishop will lead a diocese that wants to
grow and realizes that young people are
our future.
“Our new bishop will head a dio-
cese that has made it clear: We want to
remain a part of the worldwide Angli-
can Communion. (93 percent ranked it
highest or second- or third-highest). Wewant to participate in the dialogue on
human sexuality, and we want our bish-
op to participate in the councils of the
Episcopal Church and the worldwide
Anglican Communion.”
Our desire to remain a constituent
member of the Anglican Communion
was conrmed by the last convention.
The delegates voted overwhelmingly to
adopt the Windsor Report as the process
to move the Communion to the Lam-
beth Conference of 2008 and into the
future God is preparing for us.
That report was not just about
structure. Remember it was also about
being an inclusive church, about open-
ing our lives to those who are different
from us that we might learn from them
and they might learn from us.
I’m always a little bit leery when
I hear people championing the Wind-sor Report, wondering have they the
whole thing. To be a part of the Windsor
church is to accept the whole document,
not just the parts that we like.
It is vital to the work of the Diocese
of Southwest Florida to remain a con-
stituent member of the Anglican Com-
munion. Without the Communion, we
lose the global vision necessary for the
21st century.
There was a banner on the wall of
the Chapel at the Convent at Sewanee
that showed a Church building stand-ing alone in the middle of a eld with
a padlock on the front door. Across the
top was printed, “The Seven Last Words
of the Church.” Down the side, “We
never did it that way before.”
Brothers and sisters, we have to
look for new ways, and we have to look
past the present and be less than content
with the way things are. We are living in
a radically new and different period of
Bishop John Lipscomb delivers his sermon at the 2006 diocesan convention Dec. 2
at the Venice Community Center.
Photo by Jim DeLa
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life where globalization asks us to be a
partner in the work of the church, not to
necessarily be the church.
I think old premises and ways of
being will not sufce in the future. We
may have signed on for one kind of
church, but brothers and sisters, we arenow living in a new reality. And there
will be a continued evolution and revo-
lution in our understanding of our rela-
tionships within the Episcopal Church
and within the Communion. There will
be avenues for strengthening the bonds
of affection between the provinces and
the diocese of the people of God.
And I would say to those who won-
der if a Windsor diocese also can be a
diocese that includes all sorts of condi-
tions, come to Southwest Florida. Open
your eyes and see.There is a renewal of the vision
that has been held by this diocese. As
you have heard many times, from many
studies that date back long before my
predecessor was here, there has been a
consistency among God’s people of this
diocese, the things they thought were
important. And I can tell you the things
you thought were important in the past
were the things you think are important
for the future.
There is a renewal of the visionheld by this diocese. Of great impor-
tance are the following rst steps to a
vision for the future. Survey respon-
dents were asked to list the top three
things the diocese should focus on in
the next 10 years. These are the 10 top
areas participants said were important:
l Church growth/evangelism
l Reconciliation/unity/remain in
Anglican communion
l Youth
l Human sexuality issues
l Outreach/charity/mission workl Traditionalism/Biblical values
l Social issues/justice
l Expand, support, strengthen par-
ishes
l Inclusiveness
l Spiritual growth
My experience of our diocese
would conrm the work of the Nomi-
nating Committee. I believe that they
accepted the invitation, “come and see”
and offer the diocese a clear vision of
who we are and where we dream the
Lord might take us. The question will
be, “Does the diocese have the will and
the faith to live out this vision?”
I can also say from my experience
there will need to be a radical change in
attitude and behavior if these areas of
importance are to be more than “God,
mother, and apple pie” statements of
what we think we should say when
asked what is important in the life ofthe Church. To be an inclusive church
means to be an open and inviting com-
munity where people are allowed to
grow in faith and service. Too often, our
congregations are closed systems that
do not welcome the stranger.
It will be the task of the fth bishop
of Southwest Florida, as it has been
mine, to take these hopes and dreams
and fashion them into a vision for the
future. In all of this there was awareness
(90 percent of those responding) that a
primary task for my successor will beto “guard the faith, unity and discipline
of the Church.” It is perhaps in this that
our next bishop will feel the greatest
tension and stress.
I look forward to a collegial part-
nership with the bishop coadjutor. The
coadjutor will assume responsibilities as
the fth bishop of the diocese at a point
in time when by mutual agreement we
believe it is appropriate.
At that time, we will form a team of
diocesan leaders to support the transi-tion process. The canons provide for 36
months from the date of the coadjutor’s
consecration for the completion of the
transition of the leadership of this dio-
cese to its fth bishop. I pray that we
will do all our work in the Lord’s time.
Times of transition call for reec-
tion and a time to renew commitments
and covenants as God’s people. At a
time of transition in the life of Israel,
Joshua called the people together and
said to them:
“Now therefore revere the LORD,and serve him in sincerity and in faith-
fulness; put away the gods that your
ancestors served beyond the River and
in Egypt, and serve the LORD. Now if
you are unwilling to serve the LORD,
choose this day whom you will serve,
whether the gods your ancestors served
in the region beyond the River or the
gods of the Amorites in whose land you
are living; but as for me and my house-
hold, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua
24:14–15, NRSV)
From the Bishop(Continued from page 4)
I want to suggest to you this morn-
ing that nothing could be more critical
to the church than to know what God
it is that we serve. Years ago the story
was told of Dr. James Stewart, who
taught philosophy at the University of
North Carolina. A student came in and
said, “Dr. Stewart, I no longer believe
in God.”
Dr. Stewart said, “Well, tell meabout this God you don’t believe in.”
And for the next 30 minutes, the young
man waxed eloquent. And at the end
of that time, Dr. Stewart said, “I don’t
believe in that God, either.”
And he pulled his Scriptures off
the shelf and walked that young man
through the story of salvation, showing
him that God is a community, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, that calls the whole
to the table within the Kingdom.
Folks, we are not Unitarian Uni-
versalists. We believe there will be a judgment, that Christ will come again.
We believe that God is Father, Son
and Holy Spirit, one God, a trinity of
persons and a unity of substance. We
believe that God has revealed himself in
the Word made esh, Jesus Christ, cru-
cied and risen from the dead.
As for me in my house, that is the
Lord that we will serve. My brothers
and sisters in Christ, the time has come
for us to do the work that God continues
to call for us to do. And to you and tothe world I would say “come and see.”
Let us pray:
O God of unchangeable power
and eternal light: Look favorably on
your whole Church, that wonderful and
sacred mystery; by the effectual work-
ing of your providence, carry out in
tranquility the plan of salvation; let the
whole world see and know that things
which were cast down are being raised
up, and things which had grown old
are being made new, and that all things
are being brought to their perfection by him, through whom all things were
made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord;
who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
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On Jan. 24, Our Lady Queen of Peace
Catholic Church, 2002 Allamanda Dr.
in New Port Richey, will host a 10 a.m.
service with Bishop Benoway preaching.
Hospitality begins at 9:30 a.m. in the
parish hall.
On Sunday, Jan. 28, another serviceis scheduled at ?? a.m. at the Episcopal
Church of the Good Shepherd, 1115 Cen-
ter Rd., in Venice.
The theme for this year’s services is
based on the Mark 7:31–37 passage of
Scripture and is summarized as “open our
ears and loosen our tongues.”
Pontifax is a Latin word for “bridge-
builder,” and this annual celebration is
led by representatives of the Episcopal,
Catholic and Lutheran women’s orga-
nizations.
Altar Guild meetingdates change
The Diocesan Altar Guild has
changed their usual annual meeting dates.
The north branch meeting has been moved
to March 10, 2007, and the south branch
will be March 31, 2007.
Thelma Wallis and Ann Neller will be
retiring and the bishop will be installing
new co-presidents.
Fundraising seminarset for Jan. 19
The Episcopal Church Foundation
and the Diocese of Southwest Florida
offers “Foundations For Fundraising” on
Jan. 19 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
513 Nassau St. South in Venice.
Foundations for Fundraising offers
three separate curriculum tracks, each fo-
cusing on one of three critical fundraising
areas: capital campaigns, annual giving
and planned giving. You choose whichof these courses most ts your needs, and
presenters will deliver an intense seminar
that will help you develop an effective
program for your parish in that area.
This event is free of charge, but the
diocese must have advance registration
before Jan. 5.
Seminars will be taught by faculty
from the Episcopal Church Foundation
and the Episcopal Network for Steward-
ship. Contact Jean Bordeaux at jbor-
[email protected] for details.
Beers to speakon state of the church
David Booth Beers, the chancellor
to the presiding bishop of the Episcopal
Church, will speak on the state of the
church Feb. 5, 2007, at St. Boniface
Episcopal Church in Sarasota.Beers’ presentation, “A check-up
on where we are as a church,” will befollowed by questions, answers and con-
of DaySpring, that we go together, arm
in arm, from this moment on.”
The 92-acre conference center and
summer camp facility on the Manatee
River near Ellenton has been operated by
the diocese since 1979.
At the meeting, Adler read a list of 11goals the task force had prepared:
1. A goal of increasing diocesan par-
ticipation in DaySpring;
2. All money previously advanced
to DaySpring will be considered
an investment in the ministry of
DaySpring;
3. All parties shall work together so
that DaySpring can raise money
outside of the diocesan budget,
including capital fund drives;
4. A goal is for DaySpring to be nan-cially independent, without taking
funds from the diocesan budget;
5. Management will manage;
6. Council will set policy;
7. There are no current plans to sell
any or all of DaySpring;
8. In recognit ion of the diocesan
investment in the ministry of Day-
Spring, the management of Day-
Spring shall begin to contribute to
the cash ow of the diocese.
9. DaySpring management shall
present a plan to provide funds tothe diocese in recognition of the
diocesan assumption of mortgage
debt, which we believe to be pos-
sible at the current payment levels
shown on the 2007 budget;
10. That $30,000 shown in the 2007
diocesan budget payable to Day-
Spring shall remain for that year.
11. We have agreed to work together
cooperatively in furtherance of
both diocesan and DaySpring
goals.
“It was felt by all of us participat-
ing in this conversation, that it would be
appropriate for DaySpring to recognize
that investment by making, sometime in
the future, some contribution to the cash
ow of the diocese,” Adler said.
Task force member Ted Tripp, who
is also president of the DaySpring Board
of Trustees, agreed. “We believe the man-
agement of DaySpring can provide cashto the diocese in lieu of those mortgages
and other payments that will reect the
fact that the diocesan funds provided the
asset in the rst place,” he said.
Adler also told Council while the
11 stated goals cover most of the big is-
sues, there are still details to be worked
out. “There is a great deal of negotiation
and compromise going on,” he said.
One sticking point that has been solved,
he added, was the debate over whether
depreciation should be factored into
DaySpring’s nancial reports. ”One ofthe things that will happen is that a de-
preciation schedule will be drawn up in
2007,” he said, although it’s not known
when DaySpring would be able to begin
payments.
The diocese’s chief nancial ofcer,
George McLaughlin, added that while
DaySpring will pay the interest on two
mortgages and the loan, the diocese will
pay back the principal.
“That’s the compromise we reached,”
he said. “DaySpring will [also] pay for theVBS building (Pavilion 2, near the youth
cabins) totally, given the fact they’re using
it and earning revenue from it.”
Finance Committee chairman Allen
Getz, who also sat on the task force, said
the process simply divided responsibility.
“We just kind of said ‘this is yours and
this is ours,’” Getz said.
The task force also included Day-
Spring’s executive director, Rosemary
Benoit.
DaySpring (Continued from page 5)
versation. The day is for both clergy and
lay leadership.
The program runs from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. Lunch will be provided for a $5
donation. Register in advance by e-mail
St. Boniface Church is at 5615
Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key, in
Sarasota.
In Brief(Continued from page 5)
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Reflections(Continued from page 4)
blessings but you can encourage others
to do so. If you are a student, a teacher,
a parent or in any other way involved
with children, you can introduce these
young people to what they can do for
others. A club could be formed whereby
the members can choose a project andraise money to support others much less
fortunate than they. Schools can also
participate. Visit www.er-d.org/school
for more information.
Gifts For Life is a program through
Episcopal Relief and Development. The
Gifts For Life catalog gives sugges-
tions of what a donation can supply. For
instance, $75 can provide a well that
could supply water to an entire com-
munity.
“Chickens are an important sourceof food and money for many families,”
the catalog says. “Just one hen can lay
nearly 200 eggs per year. The families
can eat some of the eggs and also sell
extra chickens at the local market.
When you buy a family a ock of chick -
ens, we (Gifts of Life) will also teach
the family how to take care of them.”
Education also reduces poverty.
Many have given $250 per year to the
scholarship program for children in our
companion Diocese of the Dominican
Republic to attend an Episcopal school
run by the diocese.
You might want to study the differ-
ent organizations working toward these
goals. The following web sites will give
much information:
1. The ofcial UN MDG web site:
http:/www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2. The Millennium Project: http://
www.unmillenniumproject.org/index.
htm
3. The World Bank (Data and Re-
search): http://www.worldbank.org/
4. Episcopalians for Global Rec-
onciliation: http://www.e4gr.org/index.
html
5. The ONE Campaign: http://
www.one.org/
6. ONE Episcopalian: http://www.
episcopalchurch.org/ONE/
7. Episcopal Relief and Develop-ment: http://er-d.org/
8. The Anglican Relief and Devel-
opment Fund: http://www.anglicanaid.
net/
9. Five Talents: http://www.vetal-
ents.org/ (Matthew 25:14-30)
Blessings to you and yours and
may we all use our talents and gifts to
reduce extreme poverty in our world.
hours with some 70 people testifying,
including Bishop John Lipscomb.
By late Tuesday afternoon,
with no proposals coming from the
Windsor committee and with the
convention scheduled to conclude
Wednesday evening, PresidingBishop Frank Griswold called a joint
meeting of both houses stating he
was appointing a committee to pre-
pare a Windsor response that would
be presented to a joint meeting of
both houses Wednesday morning,
when each house would then vote
separately on the resolution.
Each house passed the resolu-
tion overwhelmingly, and it was the
best that could be done by a divided
constituency. It was not a perfect
response but a good starting point.To say that Bishop Jefferts Sch-
ori’s election was not greeted with
enthusiasm is an absolute misstate-
ment of fact. I was present when the
Nominating Committee of the House
of Deputies announced her selec-
tion by the House of Bishops and
the deputies, both clerics and laity,
exploded with enthusiasm. The af-
rmation of her election by the depu-
ties was almost by acclamation, and
she was greeted by a standing and
prolonged reception when introduced
to the house shortly thereafter.
I subsequently met her and was
impressed by her strength and desire
to bring unity to the church. She
should be a great bishop.
— Richard F. Gerhart
Church of the Nativity, Sarasota
Letters(Continued from page 4)
All Faiths Food Bank holiday driveThe Rev. James Hedman receives bags of food from children at St. Mary Magdalene
Church in Bradenton Nov. 19. The church donated 7,698 pounds of food for individuals
and families in crisis in the Sarasota/Bradenton area.
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Training/Workshops/Retreats
CCalendar Special EventsThe 30th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women to the
Priesthood. Jan. 6, 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Cathedral, 140 4th
Street North, St. Petersburg. A service to mark the 30th an-
niversary of women’s ordination in the Episcopal Church.
Preaching will be the Rev. Tanya Beck, formerly of this diocese
and currently the transitional dean and rector of Christ Church
Cathedral, Indianapolis. A reception will follow the service.
Contact St. Peter’s Cathedral at (727) 822-4173.
David Booth Beers on the State of the Church. Feb. 5, 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight
Pass Road on Siesta Key in Sarasota. David Booth Beers, the
chancellor to the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church,
will give a presentation titled, “A check-up on where we are as
a church,” followed by a question-and-answer session. Lunch
will be provided ($5 donation). He will also speak on Sunday,
Feb. 4, at the 9 and 11 a.m. services and the forum at 10:10 a.m.
Register in advance by e-mail to [email protected]
Believe in a Miracle. Feb. 10, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Venice
Community Center, 326 Nokomis Ave. S., in Venice. A day of
renewal for women. Special guests include Bishop Stephen
Charleston, dean of Episcopal Divinity School, and music by
Dr. Horace Boyer. Cost is $10; lunch is included. Registration
is required. Contact Jackie Robe by e-mail at jrobe 18413@
aol.com.Webcast: National Theological Conference. Jan. 22–24. Trin-
ity Institute’s 37th National Theological Conference at Trinity
Church, Wall Street, will be broadcast live on the Web and shown
at Iona-Hope Church, 9650 Gladiolus Drive in Fort Myers. Local
attendees will participate in group and panel discussions during
the conference, titled “God’s Unnished Future, Why it Matters
Now.” It will focus on what it calls “apocalypticism,” where
popular apocalyptic works pit the forces of good and evil in an
imminent showdown, where the earth will be annihilated and the
saved lifted up. Suggested fees for participating at Iona-Hope are
$25 for the entire conference or $15 per day. Register by calling
(239) 454-4778 or by e-mail to [email protected].
If your group or congregation is planning an upcoming
event of interest to the rest of the diocese, please send the
information to:
The Southern Cross Calendar
7313 Merchant Court
Sarasota, FL 34240
or e-mail it to [email protected]
The 2007 diocesan events calendar is also available on our
web site:
www.dioceseswfa.org
“Safeguarding God’s Children” Trainer Recertication. Jan.
6, 9 a.m. to noon at Iona-Hope Episcopal Church, 9650 Gladi-
olus Drive, in Fort Myers. Required for all trainers. Day includes
review of existing material, introduction of the new elder-care
module and additional resources. Contact: Tana Sembiante at
(941) 556-0315, ext. 274, to register.
Facilitator Training for Walking the Mourner’s Path. Jan.
11–13 at Trinity-by-the-Cove, 553 Galleon Dr., in Naples. The
program is a Christ-centered, scripturally sound and church-
based ministry. Walking the Mourner’s Path is not group therapy
but is spiritually directed. To offer the program, a priest and two
lay people are required to offer the course. Cost is $350 for onefacilitator; $250 each for two or more. Contact the Rev. Alice
Sadler at (239) 262-6581, ext. 206.
12-Step Retreat. Jan. 12–14 at DaySpring Conference Center
near Ellenton. For all people in a 12-step recovery program.
Meetings, meditation, fellowship and relaxation amid nature.
Sponsored by the Committee on Recovery Ministries. Contact:
Jean Bordeaux at (941) 556-0315, ext. 271.
“Safeguarding God’s Children” Trainer Recertication.
Feb. 24, 9 a.m. to noon at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, 1200
Snell Isle Blvd. NE, in St. Petersburg. Required for all trainers.
Day includes review of existing material, introduction of the
new elder-care module and additional resources. Contact: TanaSembiante at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274, to register.
Happening # 57. March 2-4 at DaySpring Conference Center
near Ellenton. Weekend retreat for rising 10th-12th graders.
Contact: Tana Sembiante at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274.
New Beginnings #41. April 13-15 at DaySpring Conference
Center near Ellenton. Weekend retreat for 6th-8th graders.
Contact: Tana Sembiante at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274.
“Foundations for Fundraising.” Jan. 19 at St. Mark’s Epis-
copal Church, 513 Nassau St. South in Venice. A program for
clergy and parish treasurers sponsored by the diocese and the
Episcopal Church Foundation. Curriculum tracks include stag-
ing successful capital campaigns, the latest thinking on annual
giving and the power of gift planning. The seminar is free but
reservations must be made no later than Jan. 5. Contact Jean
Bordeaux at (941) 556-0315, ext. 271.
12-Step Retreat. March 23–25 at DaySpring Conference Center
near Ellenton. For all people in a 12-step recovery program.
Meetings, meditation, fellowship and relaxation amid nature.
Sponsored by the Committee on Recovery Ministries. Contact:
Jean Bordeaux at (941) 556-0315, ext. 271.
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