October, 2010 • Volume 135, Issue No. 10

By Kathryn McCormick

Elections for various diocesan positions will take place at the 184th AnnualCouncil to be held in Jackson, January 28-30, 2011. The office of Treasurer iselected for a one-year term and may be re-elected to office. Mr. Ed Thurmond,St. Mary’s, Lexington is currently serving as Treasurer.

The Annual Council will also elect members to the Diocesan ExecutiveCommittee. Two members of the clergy and two members of the lay order willbe elected. The Rev. Taylor Moore, St. Peter’s, Oxford has served a full term and

is not eligible for re-election; however, the Rev. Dr. Lynn Barker,Tombigbee Convocation was elected to an unexpired term and is eli-gible for re-election. The members of the clergy remaining on theExecutive Committee are: the Rev. Margaret Ayers, St. James’, PortGibson; the Rev. Jeff Reich, St. John’s, Laurel; the Rev. PatrickSanders, St. Timothy’s, Southaven; and the Rev. Lee Winter,Resurrection, Starkville. For the lay elections, Mrs. Sheri Cox, St.James’, Jackson, having served a full term, rotates off the ExecutiveCommittee and is not eligible for re-election. Mr. David Sheley,Trinity, Hattiesburg, completes an unexpired term and is eligible forre-election. The following persons were appointed by the bishop,

served a one-year term and are eligible for election to a three yearterm: Dr. Stephen Stray, St. Andrew’s, Jackson; Mr. Jim Thorell, St.Timothy’s, Southaven; and Mr. Jim Wheeler, Redeemer, Biloxi. The

following lay persons remain on the Executive Committee: Dr. EdwinGraham, St. Peter’s by-the-Sea, Gulfport; Mr. Steve McNair, Trinity, Pass

Christian; Mrs. Alice Perry, St. James’, Jackson; and Mrs. Hilda Povall,Calvary, Cleveland.

Also to be elected to the Standing Committee are one presbyter and onelay person to serve full terms of four years and one presbyter to fill a one-yearunexpired term. This committee is composed of four presbyters and four con-firmed adult lay communicants, each of whom is elected for a four-year term andis ineligible for re-election for at least one year. The terms expiring are those ofMr. Ed Cole, St. Mark’s, Jackson; and the Very Rev. Edward O’Connor, St.Andrew’s Cathedral, Jackson. Those members remaining are: Mr. JohnAnderson, Jr., St. Andrew’s, Jackson; Mr. John Carrier II, St. Paul’s, Meridian; theRev. David Knight, St. Patrick’s, Long Beach, the Rev. Kyle Seage, St. Philip’s,Jackson; and Mr. David Sparks, All Saints’, Tupelo.

Trustees of the Diocese, by state charter, is the Diocesan official corpora-tion. “The Bishop of the Diocese shall, ex officio, be the President of saidCorporation. The members composing said Corporation shall be five in number,all of whom shall be confirmed adult lay communicants and four of whom shallserve for a four year term or until their successors are elected, but no more thanthree consecutive terms. Four of said Trustees shall be elected by the DiocesanCouncil and the fifth Trustee shall be appointed by the Bishop for a one yearterm, for no more than four consecutive appointed terms.” The elected term ofMr. John Davis expires and he is eligible for re-election. The elected trusteesremaining in office are Mr. Holmes Adams, St. Andrew’s, Jackson; Mrs. LynnJenkins, St. Andrew’s, Jackson; and Mr. Mike Strojny, St. Mark’s, Gulfport. Mr.Filo Coats, All Saints’, Grenada is serving a one-year appointed term and is eligi-ble for election to a full term or re-appointment to a one year term. Council willelect one trustee to serve a four-year term.

Trustees of the University of the South serve staggered three-year terms.The Sewanee Trustees are composed of one cleric and two lay members. AtCouncil we will elect one cleric. The Rev. David Elliott, III; St. Andrew’s, Jacksonserves in this position and is eligible for re-election. The terms of Mr. ScottDavis, St. Patrick’s, Long Beach and Mrs. Margaret McLarty, St. Andrew’s, Jacksonwill continue.

The Ecclesiastical Trial Court will elect two clerics and two lay persons toserve a term of three years. The following terms expire, but all are eligible for re-election: Mr. Roger C. Clapp, St. Andrew’s, Jackson; the Rev. Paul Stephens, AllSaints’, Tupelo; the Rev. Ann Whitaker, Creator, Clinton; and Mrs. Maurie White,St. Peter’s, Oxford. Those remaining on the Ecclesiastical Trial Court are Mr. HalMiller, St. James, Jackson; the Very Rev. Dr. Julia Moore, Delta convocation; theRev. Jan Oller, St. Peter’s, Oxford; and the Rev. Marian Fortner, Trinity,Hattiesburg.

Deputies to the General Convention, consisting of four clerics and four con-firmed adult lay communicants, will also be elected. Council shall also elect fouralternate deputies of each order. General Convention will be held inIndianapolis, Indiana, July 5-12, 2012. The current clerical deputies who are eli-gible for re-election are: the Rev. Canon David Johnson, Diocesan Office; theVery Rev. Edward O’Connor, St. Andrew’s, Jackson; the Rev. Sylvia Czarnetzky,St. John’s, Aberdeen and the Rev. David Knight, St. Patrick’s, Long Beach. Lay

Nominations, Continued on page 5

By Rose Mary Foncree

Terry’s Church of the GoodShepherd welcomed the Rev. NeddieWinters of Mission Mississippi, alongwith 37 members of his congregation, fora morning of spirited worship and fel-lowship on Sunday, Aug. 29. PastorWinters serves as president of MissionMississippi and pastor of Voice of CalvaryChurch in Jackson.

Ed Peters officiated at MorningPrayer, and Pastor Winters delivered thesermon. He noted that MissionMississippi was founded not to combatracism but to promote reconciliationamong black and white Christians and among the various denominations.

Pastor Winters’ central text was Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 5. “We’re not the same today aswe were yesterday,” he said. “We’re new creatures, and we have a ministry of reconciliation.”

After the service everyone enjoyed a special coffee hour hosted by the ladies of Good Shepherd Church.

The Rev. Rose Mary Foncree is a deacon at Good Shepherd, Terry.

Nominations requested for diocesan elected positions

Like numerous parishes and missions, a service of Blessing of Animals was held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Diamondhead in October. Fifty-one pets and otherbeasts were blessed in remembrance of the love of St. Francis of Assisi for all creatures.Recipients included a horse, a hummingbird, and a variety of dogs and cats. A cat thatescaped during the service miraculously was found two days later, and the humming-bird, which was not able to fly during the service, took flight that evening. Pictured is theRev. Bill White, rector of St. Thomas, as he blesses Max the dog, an obvious Saints fan,owned by Janis Floyd. See page 8 for more pictures.

Kent Alday, Good Shepherd Senior Warden; Pastor Neddie Winters; RoseMary Foncree, Deacon; and Jason Abrams, VOC Youth Minister are pic-tured after the Mission Mississippi service at Good Shepherd.

Mission Mississippi visits Good Shepherd

2 The Mississippi Episcopalian

OUR DIOCESE

October 2010

Well, my friends, itis October 2010 and asI write this, I think thatit was probably aboutthis time five years agothat, after a brief “stormhiatus,” I once againbegan communicating

with you via this column. As I recall, I reintro-duced myself to y’all as I’d been away “so long.”

So much has happened. I sit, fairly happily,in a new house, and since Christmas 2007, in arebuilt Church. We’re in the midst of our firstcool snap of the Fall and the Saints have wonone Super Bowl and are 3-1 on this season.Things ain’t so bad. True: the economy hasn’trecovered and the oil mess in the Gulf has madelife here rather miserable for many in ourCoastal areas, but...it could have been worse. (Itcould, but for the Grace of God, always beworse!) The Tropics seem quiet and although wecan’t yet let down our guard, we can thank Godthat, while we feel and pray for those who havesuffered flooding and high winds along theEastern and Central American coasts, we aregrateful that something has been taking most ofthe storms this season well to the north and outto sea - out of harm to anyone.

In a year like this, October is, without adoubt, my favorite month - unless it might beApril. When it comes down to it, it’s a toss up. InOctober, we’re looking toward Advent, myabsolute favorite liturgical season; I love thedusk and the return to “God’s time” and themeditation we do as we prepare for the birth ofOur Lord and contemplate his coming into ourown lives. In April we’re celebrating Easter andthe Resurrection - either just past or in fullbloom. It can’t get much better than that.

October is also when we celebrate our pets– having them and their unconditional love – aswe honor St. Francis of Assisi. While my “babies”

and I missed our celebration at St. Peter’s-by-the-Sea, Gulfport, where our EYC fromSt.Peter’s; St. Patrick’s, Long Beach, St.Thomas, Diamondhead, and Christ Church,Bay St. Louis, gathered to bless furry, slithery,slimy, etc., etc., special friends, I certainly lookedvery lovingly at my two and hugged them ashard as I could. They went through The Stormwith me - and we all survived. Our service alsooffered special prayers for those members ofGod’s animal kingdom who have become specialangels for us, and their successors. May none ofus ever forget those who have gone before andmay we hold them tightly in our prayers as weoffer before the Lord the best friends we willever find: those who know no hatred, no maliceand offer us nothing but love. I know you’veseen this one forwarded via email many times,but I have to ask: is it any wonder that DOG isGOD spelled backward? I haven’t come up withone for “cat” yet, but believe me, I know there’ssomething out there and given enough time, Iwill figure it out. My Lizzie was definitely sent byGod, and remains His agent here, frequentlyvery vocally.

So how did others celebrate our four- (andmore-) legged creatures? Holy Innocents’,Como, with a blessing of the animals in honorof St. Francis, with the special supplication that“in the interest of the peaceable kingdom, allpets be on a leash or in a carrier.” St. John’s,Ocean Springs, bravely gathered for a picnicand blessing with animal friends. A Mass on theGrass at the home of parishioners was followedby an informal meal. Mediator, Meridian, alsocelebrated its special pets, while as all othersdid, collected donations for local humane soci-eties and animal shelters. All Saints’, Tupelo,offered thanks for their parishioners’ animals atthe same time they poignantly said “Let us alsobless the forgotten animals through “our gen-erosity.”

Others celebrating pets, e.g., Ascension,Hattiesburg, noted that “our pets need to gettheir toenails trimmed, collars shined up, per-sonalities adjusted and their saintly souls read-

ied for St. Francis and the Blessing of ourAnimals.” Advent, Sumner, entreated: “Pleasebring your dear ones leashed, in cages or onhoof...”

“Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, to theebe ceaseless praise outpoured, And blessingwithout measure. Let creatures all give thanks tothee and serve in great humility.” – from theMass on the Grass, St. James’, Greenville.

St. Paul’s, Corinth, celebrated and blessedits pets on October 10.

So we all love our pets. What else is goingon?

St. John’s, Pascagoula, plans the Mass onthe Grass October 10 as its stewardship kickoff.St. James’, Greenville,’s, annual HarvestBazaar, its biggest fundraiser, is November 18.St. Peter’s, Gulfport’s, ECW plans its annualHarvest Luncheon for November 4.

Church of the Redeemer, Biloxi, sent aspecial thank-you note to St. Mark’s, Gulfport,for including it in its annual baseball game andfish fry.

St. Pierre’s, Gautier, has found a newhome for its 1902 reed organ at St. Mary’sEpiscopal Church, Bolton, in memory of the par-ents of James Anderson who conducted the LayReader Conference sponsored by St. Pierre’s lastJune.

Resurrection, Starkville, plans an Orderof Service for All Hallows Eve with the Blessingof the Trick-or-Treaters.

Holy Trinity, Vicksburg, will have itsannual joint Halloween Social with ChristChurch on October 24. The annual turkey din-ner is set for Thursday, November 18.

Trinity, Natchez, is already revving up forAdvent with its 20th annual Lessons and CarolsDecember 12 and Friday chamber music con-certs December 3, 10 and 17 with organ andflute recitals.

St. Patrick’s, Long Beach, presented JohnWestley Hodges in concert October 8, accompa-nied by Dawn Nelson.

All Saints’, Tupelo, and St. Peter’s,Gulfport, are both offering Yoga classes at 5:30p.m. on Mondays. What a wonderful way to startthe work week! All Saints’ also had an AfricanTeam Ministries crafts and jewelry sale (one of

my very favorites!) in September with proceedsbenefiting the Church in East Africa. (An aside:One thing I love about these sales is that whoev-er is in charge seems never to be there to receivemoney. They simply trust – very uncommonthese days. and a bit extra. These people arewonderful; they produce beautiful art and theyhave faith. What I miss in this ministry is not hav-ing the opportunity to tell them how much Iappreciate them and love their artwork! Butthen...maybe that’s what it’s all about.)

Mediator, Meridian, is “going green,” pro-moting recycling, Girl Scouts are participating bypromoting recycling as they look toward win-ning a Girl Scout Gold Award for their effort.Mediator is also sponsoring the Seeds of FaithConference November 5-7 with Barbara BrownTaylor. Details: www.meadiatormeridian.com.

NOTABLE QUOTES...A Christian at a retreat center saw this sign

on a walkway path: “Don’t just do something.Stand there.” The sign hinted of Psalm 46:10 :“Be still, and know that I am God.” Only bybeing still can we sense God’s presence andknow him intimately. Experiencing calmnessrequires taking frequent respites from our fever-ish lives...”Mary has chosen the better art,” theLord said to busy Martha ( Luke 10:42). Whenwe make the choice to be still, we choose thebetter part as well.”...Trinity, Yazoo City.

“What is a church?” Now that seems like aneasy question, the sort of question one mightanswer in a simple sentence or two...For themost part, the early Christian Church met in pri-vate homes. The root meaning of “church” is notthat of a building, but the body ofbelievers.”...All Saints’, Jackson.

“...it is through time spent with other mem-bers of the body of Christ in which we becomethe Body of Christ. In spending intentional timetogether, we become more fully who we are andwe learn what it means to be a folk, the peopleof God. It is important that we come together intimes of joy and celebration, and it is importantthat we come together in times of sorrow andsuffering.”...St. Peter’s by-the-Sea, Gulfport.

Notes & QuotesBy Maria Watson

The Mississippi Episcopalian (USPS 024755) is published monthly by the Episcopal Diocese ofMississippi, 118 N. Congress St., Jackson, MS 39201. Periodical postage paid at Jackson, MS.POSTMASTER: Send change of address to the Mississippi Episcopalian, P.O. Box 23107,Jackson, MS 39225-3107. In giving changes of address send the old address as well as thenew. We cannot be responsible for the return of manuscripts or photographs.

Official news organ of the Bishop and the Diocese of Mississippi118 N. Congress Street - P.O. Box 23107

Jackson, Mississippi 39225-3107

The Rt. Rev. Duncan M. Gray IIINinth Bishop of Mississippi

The Rev. Scott LenoirEditor

Continually published for 132 years in the Diocese of Mississippi

OUR DIOCESE

The Mississippi Episcopalian 3

August 17 – Staff meetings through the morn-ing. Afternoon conference with seminarian DonChancellor.August 18 – Morning appointment with the Rev.Luther Ott. Conference call with Trustees of thediocese to discuss certain land management mat-ters. Leave mid-afternoon for the Delta to visitChapel of the Cross, Rolling Fork for my annualvisitation. I preach, celebrate and confirm 2within this very warm and hospitable communi-ty. Enjoy the fellowship of a good meal with thecongregation after the service. Return to Jacksonlate.August 19 – Conference call in the morning recampaign for new location of Episcopal ChurchArchives. Spend most of the day with theFinance Committee of the diocese taking a veryclose look at our diocesan revenue and expens-es. In the evening, I join with the vestry of St.Peter’s by the Lake, Brandon for conversationfollowing my annual visitation.August 20 – Kathy and I leave for New Orleansfor a brief visit with Peter and Giulianna. Thisthird weekend in August has developed into ourwedding anniversary get-away traditionovernight in New Orleans.August 21 – Our 36th Anniversary of our wed-ding. What an extraordinarily rich journey it has

been! After a day with Peter and Giulianna inNew Orleans we return to Jackson in theevening.August 22 – Spend the day at St. Philip’s,Jackson as I preach and celebrate at two morn-ing services and one in the evening. In addition,I enjoy breakfast with the Men’s Group and alarge and bountiful lunch with the entire congre-gation. A challenging time for the congregationwith the resignation of their rector, but theirspirit is good and they are facing the future withgreat hope and expectation.August 23 – Fly out very early in the morning toSeattle, Washington, to participate in theGathering of Leaders Conference at the DumasBay Center near Seattle. This is a great networkof young clergy who do peer teaching with oneanother. I’m glad they let old bishops join them!August 24 – Gathering of Leaders, Seattle,WashingtonAugust 25 – Gathering of Leaders ends. Returnto Jackson late in the evening.August 26 – Morning appointment with staff,then a visit with an aspirant for holy orders.Afternoon appointments with the Rev. BetsyBaumgarten and the Rev. Robert Wetherington.Later meet with the wardens of St. Philip’s,Jackson.

August 27 – In office most of the day. Drive toGray Center in the afternoon for the RenewalRetreat by the Gay and Lesbian Task Force of thediocese. This year’s leader is the Rev. SamPortaro, retired chaplain at the University ofChicago, author of several books, and a formerclassmate of mine at seminary.August 28 – Participate in the Renewal Retreatat Gray Center.August 29 – Up early to drive to Meridian so Ican preach and celebrate at the 8:00 a.m.Eucharist at St. Paul’s. More than 30 people askme to lay hands on them as they reaffirm theirbaptismal vows. After a brief reception betweenservices, I lead an adult discussion class on thechanging cultural landscape that impacts ourevangelism and mission efforts.

At the later service, I preach, celebrate, con-firm 5 and lay hands on over 50 as they reaffirmtheir baptismal vows. Lunch with the vestry fol-lows as we talk about next steps in their move-ment toward calling a rector.

Following lunch, I drive to Enterprisewhere I preach and celebrate at St. Mary’sDinner follows in the newly renovated parishhouse. Surprised by the number of young adultssettling in Enterprise.

Home to Jackson late.August 30 – Day off spent at home.August 31 – Staff meetings in the morning.Spend most of the rest of the day with the

Diocesan Executive Committee.September 1 – In the office in the morning.Annual consultation with the Rev. Chris Colby.Meet later with Mr. David O’Steen to discuss theMississippi Music and Liturgy Conference. Latera session with the Rev. Jennifer Deaton to dis-cuss the evolution of the Center for Formationand Mission.September 2 – Drive down Highway 49 to PineyWoods School for a visit to this historicallyAfrican-American boarding school with deepEpiscopal roots. Enjoy a tour and lunch withstaff as I hear again the extraordinary work ofalmost a century of scholarshiped education forAfrican-American youth.

Return to office in the afternoon.September 3 – Morning appointment withmembers of St. Philip’s, then leave office tomake a trip to Oxford where Kathy and I willbabysit our granddaughters while their parentstake a much needed weekend trip out of town.September 4 – In Oxford with family. Mournthe loss of Ole Miss’s first football game of theseason.September 5 – In Oxford with family. Onegranddaughter (Harper) and I make it to St.Peter’s for their family service.September 6 – Leave Oxford and return toJackson. It has been a very special weekend!

The Bishop’s Journal

October 2010

FAITHFUL DEPARTEDWilton J. “Bill” Johnson, Jr., 83, communicant of St. Paul’s Meridian, died September 7, 2010.

Edith Pauline Ruhr, 93, communicant of Christ Church, Bay St. Louis, died September 15, 2010.

Norma Lee Hamilton Fields, 86, communicant of All Saints’, Tupelo, died September 12, 2010.

Susan Quarterman Reid, 61, communicant of St. Timothy’s, Southaven, died on July 16, 2010.

Frances Crumbaugh Walker, 82, communicant and former Vestry member of St. Timothy’s,Southaven, died on July 19, 2010.

Bright - Youthful - Honest - Caring - Dependable - Committed - Educated - Strong - Loyal - Responsive- Confident - A People-person - Over 21 years old - Industrious - Self-starter - Good Sense of Humor -Loves Children - Loves Out-of-doors - Drinks little - Non-smoker - Computer Savvy - Microsoft OfficeLiterate - Good Command of the English Language - Safe Driver .

If you think you might fill the bill for this much-sought-after position, email your resume tobhorne@graycenter.org. Application deadline is August 1, 2010.

Details of this position may be found on our website, www.graycenter.org, Click on the “News”page button on the left of the home screen and look for Employment Opportunities at Gray Center.

The Marines are Looking for “Just A Few Good Men”

We’re Not So PickyLook at Some of the Characteristics You Could

Find in Our Next Guest Services Attendant:

Questions call Bill Horne, 601-859-1556, M-F, 7am - 5pm.

4 The Mississippi Episcopalian

EVENTS

October 2010

By Elizabeth Logan

The Church of the Mediator will hold the annual“Seeds of Faith” conference on November

5 -7, featuring Barbara Brown Taylor as theguest speaker. The conference is an outreach in spiri-tual formation, originally developed by Education forMinistry (EFM) participants at the Mediator.

The weekend conference begins Friday eveningwith an introductory session. Saturday is a full confer-ence day with morning and afternoon sessions. Theevent concludes on Sunday morning with a Questionand Answer session followed by the speaker’s partici-pation in the structure of the church service.

In this year’s Seeds of Faith conference, one isinvited to seek God in the ordinary activities of every-day life - things anyone can do, without any specialequipment, which are all but guaranteed to deepen alife - or lighten a life, if that is what you need - as longas you are willing to give yourself to them, body andsoul.

Regarding the content of the conference, Taylorremarked, “Whether people identify themselves as spiritual or religious, one thing they share is the ten-dency to look for God in the extraordinary - in sacred places, on holy days, through reverent practicesdesigned to help them transcend the distractions of everyday life. This works so well for so many thatthey may not notice how it also bleaches their everyday lives of divine meaning.”

Taylor is one of the most popular and requested speakers on religion in the country today andwas booked to do the Seeds of Faith Conference two years ago. To have Taylor spend the entire week-end in Meridian is a blessing given her popularity and demands of her schedule.

Taylor teaches religion at Piedmont College in rural northeast Georgia and is an adjunct professorof spirituality at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur.

She is the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, An Altar in theWorld, published by HarperOne in February 2009. Her first memoir, Leaving Church, met with wide-spread critical acclaim, winning a 2006 Author of the Year award from the Georgia Writers Association.Taylor lives on a working farm with her husband Ed and a yard full of animals.

Conference information is available at cmediator@comcast.net, or you may call the church officeat 601.483.3959. Registration forms are available at www.mediatormeridian.com.

Elizabeth Logan is the conference coordinator and a communicant of Mediator, Meridian.

Barbara Brown Taylor headlinesMeridian conference

Barbara Brown Taylor

Transforming Evangelism Conferencecoming to cathderal

Dr. David Gortner to lead conference

By Kyle Seage

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Jackson will host the Central Convocation AltarGuild meeting on Saturday, November 6th, from 9:30 a.m until 1:00 p.m. The contentof our time together - from the wise words of our speaker, Rebecca Youngblood, tothe shared experiences of women to the time gathered at meal and worship - it prom-ises to give us all a time to refresh and renew. All women are welcome,whether or not you belong to an altar guild in your congregation!

Please take some time and read below about the pertinent issuesthe Rev. Youngblood will address during our time together andmake plans to be with us! If you would like to register, please callthe church office, 601.956.7588 or email the church administrator,lisa@stphilipsjackson.com. The cost is $15 which includes lunch.

Change: God’s Invitation to Spiritual Growth

Transitions. The unexpected. Chaos. Disruption. Something new. Our lives, in truth, are full tooverflowing with change. The children: They’re growing so quickly. Our jobs: Will they be theretomorrow? Our bodies: Why doesn’t my knee work like it used to? Our churches: Where are theyounger people? Our prayer life: Why don’t I feel as close to God as I once did? Why does my tried-and-true way of praying seem to go nowhere now?

When change comes, what invitation from God comes with it? How are we beingcalled to respond? How is God at work in times of transition to change us more andmore into the likeness of Christ?

In our morning together on November 6, we will look change full in the face andpractice finding God’s presence in the midst of it. We will fortify ourselves

with spiritual exercises that offer wisdom and serenity in the midst ofall that comes our way.

The Rev. Rebecca Youngblood (Becky) is a Mississippi nativewith thirty-one years of experience in ministry as a pastor, continu-ing educator, and spiritual director. Ordained in the United

Methodist Church, she currently directs the Center for Ministry, based atMillsaps College and devoted to developing Christian leaders through lifelong learning

and spiritual formation. Created by Millsaps and the Mississippi Conference of the UnitedMethodist Church in 1999, the Center relates to laity and clergy of many denominations across thestate. Becky is an avid reader, a determined gardener, and an eager bluegrass listener. She lives inJackson.

The Rev. Kyle Seage is the interim rector of St. Philip’s, Jackson.

By Bryan Owen

St. Andrew’s Cathedral invites you to join us for a conference on evangelism facilitated by the Rev.Dr. David Gortner on Saturday, October 23, 2010. The author of Transforming Evangelism (ChurchPublishing, 2008), David is Director of the Doctor of Ministry programs and Professor of Evangelismand Congregational Leadership at Virginia Theological Seminary.

David will address the fears and negative connotations many of us have about evangelism, andthen offer reflections on what it means to embrace evangelism as a personal spiritual practice, a habitof listening for and naming the Holy in our daily lives. Part of becoming vital Christian communities iseach of us becoming awake and alive to God’s goodness in our lives and the lives of all other peoplewe meet - and then naming what we have seen. This is a spiritual practice that infuses all arenas of ourlives - our homes, our work, our schools, our leisure, our ventures into the marketplace.

The day will focus on the most essential part of evangelism: stories. We will work together onthree essential streams of story that tell of the wonder of God’s relentless love for us.

1. Our own stories of encountering God and of personal transformation.2. The Great Stories from scripture and Christian history.3. Other people’s stories and what they reflect of the Holy Spirit at work in their lives.

After practicing telling and listening to these streams of story, we will talk about ways to make thispart of our daily lives as faithful Christians. And we will discuss ways to practice in our Christian com-munities back home. We will begin to weave these three streams of story together, and by speakingnaturally with others of the God of Life, we will become what Jesus said of the kingdom of God - leav-en in the dough, and scatterers of seed.

Conference Date: Saturday, October 23, 2010

Location: St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Jackson

Schedule: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (including breaks and lunch)

Registration: $20 per person, $30 per couple. Make checks payable to St. Andrew’s Cathedral andmail to P. O. Box 1366, Jackson, MS 39215. Earmark checks “Evangelism Conference.”

For more information, contact the Rev. Dr. Bryan Owen at 601-354-1535, ext. 129, or at bowen@stan-drewscathedral.org.

The Rev. Dr. Bryan Owen is the Canon for Parish Ministry at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral

St. Philip’s hosts Central Convocation Altar Guild meeting in November

The Mississippi Episcopalian 5

OUR DIOCESE

October 2010

I consider my friend, the Rev. William Ndishabandi, to be a very good teacher. He is rector of AllSaints, Jackson. He uses his monthly newsletter for teachings such as the one following. It is from hiscurrent newsletter. Enjoy.

“What is a church?” Now that seems like an easy question, the sort of question one might answerin a simple sentence or two. One obvious possible answer would be, “A church is a building in whichbelievers meet for worship,” and another one would be, “A church is a body of believers committed tohonor their spiritual doctrine by congregating together on a certain day of the week.” In fact, the earli-est Christians in the New Testament didn’t have special buildings in which to meet for worship. For themost part, the early Christian Church met in private homes. The root meaning of “church” is not thatof a building, but the body of believers. It is ironic that when you ask people what church they attend,they usually identify a building. Romans 15:5, says “... greet the church that is in their house.” Paulrefers to the church in their house-not a church building, but a body of believers. Thus, the word for

“Church” in Greek “eklesia” means “a convened assembly.” This word “eklesia” also has a Hebrew root, meaning, “to summon.’’ - whichin a sense means those people who are called together by God. In other descriptions the Church is “the communion of saints,” “a cityset on a hill” (Matt. 5:14), “a royal priesthood,” “a dwelling place for God” (Eph. 2:22). Paul suggests that “we are God’s building,” (1Corinthians 3:9). The foundation is Jesus Christ (v. 11), and people are the building built on it. Peter adds that we are all “livingstones...being built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5). As we are built together, we “become a dwelling in which God lives by hisSpirit” (Ephesians 2:22). We are the temple of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:17; 6:19-). We are “the people of God,”1 Peter 2:10 tells us. “We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (v. 9; see Exodus 19:6). Ashis people, we are given a great inheritance, and in response we are to try to please him and bring praise to his name.

Thus, if we claim to be what we ought to be, (a church which is a body of believers), a city set on the hill, a royal priesthood, God’stemple of the Holy Spirit, why is it that in spite of great sermons preached on pulpits of many churches in our cities, that crimes ofhatred, racism, poverty, sins of greed, materialism, idolatry, lust, divorce and marital infidelity and hypocrisy, are escalating in our cities?What’s wrong with the church? Someone recently said that “the church is failing just because it has given up on true radical transforma-tion. Instead of counting the number of new converts we count attendance and dollars. For some churches evangelism means gettingpeople churched” (Keith Drury). Priests/ Pastors/Preachers are getting burned out trying to meet individuals’ needs, cater for their musi-cal preferences, entertain them, amuse them, impress them with clever talks, and turn them into self-centered consumers of religion likeit was pizza. Drury laments that our “church has lost its vision and disciple-ship ministry. It is no longer fishers of men but keepers ofaquariums. Church leaders are busy transferring fish from other aquariums calling it church growth.

Maybe we may learn from the early church. Bonhoeffer, in his book. The Cost of Discipleship, reveals that the early Christian com-munity, although it had no freedom of worship, had a profound effect on the surrounding culture. Within a hostile and violent world,they witnessed to God’s love and grace as they had experienced it in Jesus. Both as individuals and as communities of Christians, theysought to live lives informed by the power and values of Jesus. Bonhoeffer indicates that due to their witnesses, “the ancient Roman prac-tice of infanticide was abandoned and the gladiatorial contest (killing for sport) was forbidden” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1976). The powerand those values learned were transmitted and reinforced as they gathered regularly to share the bread and wine, to tell and retell thestories of Jesus. They understood themselves as a “peculiar people,” as “strangers and sojourners” as “citizens of heaven” (Heb. 12:12-14}and Paul adds, “they were in the world but not for the world.”

How can we, in the modern church, have an influence on our society? Is there anything we can learn from the early church? Ofcourse yes! Every generation has faced the same question and they have answered it. Jesus had very little to say about the church. Hespent a great deal of time talking about the king-dom of heaven. In this regard, that should be ourcentral theme. We must consider the church as themedium through which kingdom potentialities arebrought to reality. Leo Tolstoy says, “Before onecan hope to make the world better, he/she mustmake himself/herself better.” What this means to usis that before we build altars and sanctuaries, wemust build up faith and purity and the spirit ofprayer. Someone said “the character of any organi-zation is determined by the character of its mem-bers”. Bartow suggests, that “the church that oughtto be, will need the spirit of individual responsibili-ty which is but another expression for the spirit ofsacrifice, and if the church is to endure, two ele-ments must never be overlooked: evangelism andstewardship. Evangelism is the answer to the ques-tion of what Christ has done for you. Stewardshipis the answer to the question, what have you donefor Christ?” (Henry Bartow, p.210). Let us be achurch that is able to encourage, support eachother, be responsible to keep that which we wereentrusted, fight the good fight and aim at winningthe prize (Phil. 3:12-20). Let us be a church withthe heart of Jesus where everybody is somebody!

William*

By Denny Allman

Ring Around the CollarNominations requestedContinued from page 1deputies eligible for re-election are Dr. Anita George, Resurrection,Starkville; Dr. Ed Sisson, St. Peter’s, Oxford; Canon KathrynMcCormick, St. Andrew’s, Jackson; and Mrs. Bobbie Marascalco, HolyTrinity, Vicksburg. Current alternate deputies who are also eligiblefor re-election are: The Rev. Dr. Ruth Black, St. Andrew’s, Jackson;Mrs. Margaret McLarty, St. Andrew’s, Jackson; Mr. Ed Thurmond, St.Mary’s, Lexington; Mr. Danny Meadors, St. Patrick’s, Long Beach; Mr.Jack Conway, St. Philip’s, Jackson.

Each person nominated must have given his or her prior consentto serve in the position to which he or she is nominated. The nomi-nation form must be received by the Secretary of the Diocese, P.O.Box 23107, Jackson, MS 39225-3107 no later than December 15, 2010in order to be printed in the Council edition of The MississippiEpiscopalian and included in packets for Council delegates. Thenomination form can be found on the website of the Diocese ofMississippi (http://annualcouncil.dioms.org) or by calling the diocesanoffice (601-948-5954). The nominees are asked to also submit a black-and-white (high resolution) headshot photograph for publication toKathryn McCormick at kwmccormick@dioms.org.

Kathryn McCormick is the Secretary for Council.

By Matthew Davies,October 07, 2010

[Episcopal NewsService, London] Withfewer than 100 days togo before southernersin Sudan vote onwhether to remain aunified country or toseparate from thenorth, ArchbishopDaniel Deng Bul ofthe Episcopal Churchof Sudan is makingevery effort to ensure that the Jan. 9 referendum goes ahead asplanned and that peace holds in the war-torn country.

Deng and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who areappealing to the international community to support the people ofSudan, briefed media at Lambeth Palace on Oct. 7 ahead of a series ofmeetings with officials in the U.K. Government's foreign office. Themeetings are intended to provide updates on the situation on theground in Sudan and to ensure that the U.K. Government plays a cru-cial role in supporting the peace and stability of Africa's largest nation.[A videos stream of the full press conference is available HYPERLINK"http://bit.ly/9Dzm1a" \t "_blank" here.]

The archbishops explained that the critical issues related to thereferendum include delays in voter registration, tensions in the bor-der regions, and the future for some 4 million refugees from thesouth who are currently living in the north.

Williams talked about the danger of Sudan "sleepwalking towardsdisaster … if action does not continue from the international commu-nity."

—Matthew Davies is editor and international correspondent of theEpiscopal News Service.

Editor’s note: Read “Promoting peace and stability in Sudan” on page 12 of this issue.

Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul of the EpiscopalChurch of Sudan and Archbishop ofCanterbury Rowan Williams addressing themedia during a briefing at Lambeth PalaceOct. 7.

Archbishops appeal to government, international

community as Sudan approaches referendum

October 20106 The Mississippi Episcopalian

OUR DIOCESE

By Patti SnipesDespite threatening weather, the skies cleared for the dedication of the Fowler Angel Garden at St-Peter’s-by-the-Lake on

September 26, after the Sunday service.The garden, constructed over the past year and a half is in memory of Charles “Bubba” Fowler and in honor of Dot

Fowler. The project was conceived by a group of six women who enlisted the help of landscape architect, Rick Griffin. A parish-

ioner, George Bobo, donated his time to construct the berms and the 35-foot-wide circle as the foundation for the project. Asthe area was extremely low, it was necessary to build the area up with sand, and swales had to be dug to assure waterdrainage; a culvert was put in place for the entrance. The berms were amended with soil additives and sat through the win-ter.

Committee members who were responsible for the planning and execution of the garden were for the most part overseventy, and together with husbands, performed most of the work themselves. Parishioners graciously assisted on workdays.There was no cost for labor with the exception of the water system and construction of rock swales before you enter the gar-den.

The approach to the garden features long swales lined with large flat river rock and pebbles. A short path leads to ahand-forged arbor adorned with climbing Jasmine, and a boulder inscribed “The FowlerAngel Garden” sits beside the arbor.

The Semi-circular berms are planted with a colorful variety of perennial plants andshrubs including hydrangeas, knockout roses, speedwell, barberry, lantana, butterfly bush,fatsia, juniper, azaleas, quince, creeping artemesia, variegated grasses and other plants.

The center of the garden is of white crushed stone. Hand-made stone benches, dedi-cated by members in honor of loved ones, sit at the base of the berms. A beautiful stonepond, with a small waterfall, anchors the back of the garden; a stone bridge and a sculp-ture of the Angel Gabriel flank the pond. Handcrafted fused glass pieces featuring dovesare placed throughout the berms and add color and sparkle along with large rocks ofamber glass scattered among the flowers and shrubs.

The garden is intended as a quiet spot for meditation, prayer or just to sit in itsbeauty.

Patti Snipes is a communicant of St. Peter’s, Brandon.

Angel garden dedicated at St. Peter’s Brandon

By Chet DobrowskiThe Coast Brotherhood of St. Andrew thanks all those who helped make the Saturday, October 2nd, 2010 BBQ a success.

“It was a beautiful day the Lord gave us and I have received many compliments about the 1/2 chicken & 1/2 pound pulled porkmeals that was prepared for the low donation of $7.00”.

Many people gave up their Saturday morning to boil and barbecue chicken, make baked beans, make barbecue sauce,make coleslaw, smoke the pulled pork & prepare it, clean the cookers and pots and pans, work on the serving line makingplates, delivering plates offsite, selling tickets, etc. Others gave their time also in days prior to the 2nd in preparation for theBBQ.

It takes special people to give up their free time to do these things and we have many special people at St John’s and St.Pierre’s Episcopal Church and within the community that supports our outreach projects.

Proceeds from the BBQ’s are distributed among many worthy organizations including, but not limited too: the SalvationArmy, St. John’s food pantry, Daily Bread, Samaritan Ministries food pantries, National Day of Prayer, needy families atChristmas, and other worthy causes. This would not be possible if it were not for all the wonderful people in the church andcommunity that continuously support our functions. Chet Dobrowski is the Director of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew at St. John’s, Pascagoula and St. Pierre’s, Gautier.

Coast Brotherhood BBQ funds support outreach

Aaron Thomas Baker was recently baptized at St. Francis ofAssisi in Philadelphic by the Rev. Harriet Simmons. Picturedfrom left front: Aaron’s parents, Chris and Emily, and the Rev.Harriet P. Simmons, Back row, Aaron’s godparents: ConnerCaffey and Bryn Caroline Stromberg.

Charlie Latady & Bill Baumhauer grill BBQ chicken for Brotherhood ofSt. Andrew BBQ in Pascagoula.

By Anne BetzBishop Gray made his annual visit to Coast Episcopal School on Thursday,

September 9. The new Head of School, the Reverend Elizabeth GoodyearJones and the Board of Trustees, chaired by Kelly Duffy were installed.

The chapel was the setting for a Holy Eucharist followed by a processionof Bishop and Board to the pre-school and toddlers’ buildings. It was a joyousmoment for all students, faculty and parents to have the Bishop with us, as wellas the Rev. Patrick Skutch and the Rev. David Lemburg (both C.E.S. parents).

Coast Episcopal School celebrates its 60th year of operation in 2010. Anew building is scheduled to be completed in November according to LizJones. The Gail Keenan Art Center will house music, Spanish, art and a com-munity gallery. The art center will be dedicated by Bishop Gray sometime inJanuary. Ann Betz is the Director of Admissions at Coast Episcopal School in LongBeach.

The Fowler Angel Garden is named in honor of Dot Fowler and her late husband, Charles“Bubba” Fowler. Dot is pictured above with the Rev. Charlie Deaton.

Coast Episcopal School celebrates installation of Board and Head of School.

The Fowler Angel Garden at St. Peter’s by-the-Lake, Brandon was dedicated last month.

October 2010 The Mississippi Episcopalian 7

Sonny Hill, pictured above, is a collector and vendor of stamps, postal coversand postcards. Below are a few of his postcards of Episcopal Churches in thediocese of Mississippi dating from the early 1900s. Sonny is a retired banddirector who now teaches private lessons and is a communicant of Chapel ofthe Cross, Madison.

An early viewof St. Andrew’sCathedral

St. Columb’s Chapel, Battle Hill in Jackson served for a brief time as the dioceseancathedral under Bishop Hugh Miller Thompson. The chapel burned and was demolished in 1919.

St. Bernard’s, Okalona , 1907

POSTCARDS FROM THE PAST

October 20108 The Mississippi Episcopalian

OUR DIOCESE

By Jennifer Deaton

Rooted in Prayer: Benedict’s Sacred ReadingThe Center for Formation and Mission is delighted to

invite you to a weekend of study and conversation on thehistory and spiritual foundations of Benedictine thoughtand practice. This event will be held at Gray Center,December 3-4, beginning with dinner Friday and endingmid-afternoon on Saturday. Participants will be housedin the cottages (single and double occupancy are avail-able), and the program will take place in the chapel.

Participants will look at early Eastern Christian sourcesof Benedict’s rule and will explore links between prayer, theol-ogy, and scriptural study that are the root of Christian faith. LectioDivina, a prayerful sacred reading of scripture, is at the heart of Benedict’srule, and can help us understand the movements of our own hearts and minds as we learn to praydeeply and move into new spiritual country with Christ.

Having some sense of a roadmap or template by which we might negotiate our efforts in prayer isoften helpful, and the ancient method of Sacred Reading has been passed down for centuries - both forbeginners and for those seasoned in the religious life. All are welcome.

The Reverend Alston Johnson, rector of Chapel of the Cross in Madison, will coordinate thisweekend. For more information and for an on-line or printable registration form, please go tohttp://www.dioms.org/digital_faith/events/441

My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord: Knitting and Crocheting in AdventKnitters and crocheters and needle-workers of all threads, both begin-

ners and experienced, are invited to a special weekend event at GrayCenter, December 3-5, beginning with dinner on Friday evening andending just before lunch on Sunday. Participants will have theopportunity to share their work, learn new techniques, andweave a rich fabric of prayer, reflection, and fellowship aswe enter the Advent season together.

Our reflections will center on Mary, who graciouslyaccepted God’s invitation to become mother ofEmmanuel, God-with-us. Through scripture, poetry, andprayer, we will explore her “yes.” Participants will have theopportunity to learn a variety of new techniques, someinformally through conversation with other needle-workers, and some formally through optional work-shop offerings. Our Saturday morning workshop willbe about knitting lace and includes a pattern for knit-ting and personalizing baptismal cloths. The afternoon workshopweaves together ideas, patterns and examples of Christmas orna-ments, stockings and last minute gifts.

We will be housed and meet in the Big House (doubles and a limited number of singles are avail-able). Full weekend participants are welcome to participate in the workshops free of charge (or to siton the sofa and work on their own projects). Day participants may register to attend the two work-shops on Saturday, including lunch.

Susan Nix and the Rev. Jennifer Deaton will coordinate this weekend. For more information andfor an on-line or printable registration form, please go to http://www.dioms.org/digital_faith/events/442

For questions about these or other Center for Formation Events, please email the Rev. JenniferDeaton at deatonj@gosaints.org

The Rev. Jennifer Deaton is the coordinator of the Center for Formation and Ministry and Chaplainat St. Andrew’s School.

CfFM hosts conferences in December

BILL KING BILL YOUNGBLOOD

601-953-2847

Volunteers from the Madison Ark Animal Shelter in Madison brought puppies and kittens to theBlessing of the Animals service held at Chapel of the Cross on St. Francis Day. Animal Shelters are agreat place to find a family pet. Support your local animal shelter to look for loving animals whoneed homes.

Church of the Mediator,Meridian, held a Blessing of theAnimals on Sunday, October 3.Pictured is Jean Garrison withher dog, Missie, being blessed bythe The Rev. Helen Tester.

October 2010

OUR DIOCESE

The Mississippi Episcopalian 9

Is Episcopal Relief and Development calling you?By Cathy Halford

For any organization to be able to stay in business andmake a difference, it needs the time, talent, and treasure ofpeople who care.

To allow Episcopal Relief & Development to continue tominister to those in need - those affected by hunger, disease,economic plight, and low educational skills, it needs people who arewilling to lead and bring people together in the name of ERD in order tohelp raise money to support the programs that make a difference in the46 countries where ERD is present.

Each parish in the Diocese of MS should have one person who is arepresentative for ERD. There should be approximately 83 people whocan represent the parishes in the Diocese of MS to work together to keep Episcopal Relief &Development strong and ready to bring God’s love to not only those who are vulnerable and haveno voice but to let those who have already received help know that they will continue to be support-ed.

WHO ARE YOU? You may already be involved in outreach. You may be on the vestry. You

may work with the youth in some capacity. You may sit on the fifth row on the right side of yourchurch and wonder what you have to offer. (By the way, whoever you are, you do have something

to offer, and this may be it!) WHAT CAN YOU DO? You may help the church fight extreme poverty and disease; raise

money to buy Nets for Life to help eradicate malaria; hold an Alternative Gift Market; teach theyouth in your parish about the lives of children in developingcountries and how they can help them through Hope ChestActivities.

If you are interested, talk to your priest or senior war-den if you are without a priest at this time. Then pleaseemail me at chalford48@yahoo.com to let me know yourintentions.

Remember Matthew 25. ERD NEEDS YOU!! Show that you care.

The Rev. Cathy Halford is the Diocesan Episcopal Relief and Development Representative andDeacon at All Saints’ Church, Jackson.

Cursillo 119 begins begins Oct. 21By Shaula Hailey

I hope that everyone is enjoying this wonderful weather after the “dogdays” of summer! Fall is upon us and so is Cursillo #119. The dates areOctober 21-24, 2010 with Asem Zeini as Rector and Dan Robertson as HeadChaCha. Please pray for the Staff and Participants of this wonderful week-end! A complete list can be found on the Cursillo web site at eitherwww.cursillo.dioms.org or http://cursillo.dioms.org. under “next retreat”.

There have been some wonderful changes made in the flow of theWeekend that I want everyone to be aware of. First, the Participants willarrive at Gray Center between 4:45pm and 5:45pm and everyone will havesupper together at 6pm. This will be more relaxing and makes for more bonding time for everyoneplus no one has to eat in the early afternoon and be starving by bedtime Thursday night. The eveningmeeting will still begin at 7:00pm. As always, we will not begin until everyone is present. Second, theParticipants will stay in the chalets along with two ChaCha’s in each one, and the Staff will stay in theinn. This will give the Participants access to the common areas in the chalets to further bond and visitwith one another after meetings and services if they choose. I would suggest that Sponsors encouragetheir Participant(s) to shoot for arriving by 5:00pm since it will take a little more time to get themunloaded and settled in a chalet and still make it back to the dining hall by 6:00pm. If anyone has aphysical impairment that makes walking difficult, transportation will be provided. The third and veryimportant change is that Clausura has been moved to 3:30pm. There will be no other changes in theSunday times. This not only relieves some of the stress to cram everything in on Sunday that has to becovered when everyone is exhausted, but it also allows more Cursillistas to attend their regular Sundaymorning activities and still make it to Gray Center for the closing service. There have been a couplemore minor “tweaks” to the actual Weekend, but please rest assured that all changes have been madeprayerfully, with the benefit of the new Cursillistas as the prime importance.

While I am throwing changes at you, let me make everyone aware of a VERY IMPORTANT COM-MUNICATION IMPROVEMENT!!! I will send e-mails from my personal computer through Cursillo#119. After that, ALL communication and updates will still come from me but it will be distributedthrough a listserv program from the Diocesan office. This is a communication goal we have been striv-ing toward for some time now! Many thanks to Emily Everett, assistant to the Canons, who has workedvery hard to come up with a way for the Cursillo Community to stay informed with no threat of spamand your privacy is protected. The catch is YOU MUST REGISTER!! She has made this very simple andyou can share as much or as little information is you choose. Go to the Cursillo web site and look forthe blue arrow pointing to the envelope on the left hand side of the homepage, enter your informationand hit submit. Please post this at your Ultreya’s, in your church newsletters, and send it to friends thatmay not be in my database. Use it or lose it! Prayer and support of one another is essential and wecannot hold one another up if we don’t stay connected and informed. Please use the web page to postany prayer requests, meetings, etc. Make it a favorite! If you have any questions, contact me at: Shaula-Cursillo@comcast.net.

Cursillo #120 will be held at Gray Center April 27-May 1, 2011. Barbara McDonald will be theRector and Bishop Gray will serve on Staff as a Spiritual Director. Prayerfully consider sponsorship. It isnever too early to send applications in to Cusillo in MS, P.O. Box 16834, Jackson, MS 39236-0834.There is some partial scholarship funding available if someone is in need. NO ONE should not attend aCursillo Weekend because of financial burden!

“Make a Friend-Be a Friend-Bring a Friend to Christ.”

Shaula Hailey is Registrar for the Mississippi Cursillo Secretariat.

10 The Mississippi Episcopalian

OUR DIOCESE

By Janet C. Nail

The Irish womancalled on her friend theday after her husband’sfuneral.

“Tell me, Mary,how was the wake formy Jimmy.”

“Oh, Maggie, we gave him a great send off!”“Did we sing?”“Sing? We sang every song he ever loved.

Michael played the fiddle, and Patrick played hispennywhistle. We sang like angels!”

“Did we tell stories?”“Maggie, everyone who ever knew Jimmy

had a story to tell. His brothers and sisters, histeachers, his friends, his children-we all remem-bered him and told stories.”

“Did we drink toasts?”“Everyone had a toast for Jimmy. We drank

to his life, his love of life, his joy and laughter.Oh, we toasted Jimmy up to Heaven.”

“One more thing; tell me, Mary. Was Ithere?”

We think that life is linear. If we studyhard, follow the rules, everything will be okay,right? But then life throws you a curve. Yourmother calls you as usual on Sunday afternoon,and tells you that she saw the doctor last weekand she has cancer. Your boss calls you in heroffice and tells you that the cutbacks mean thatyour job has been eliminated. Your child bringshome a report card that is all F’s and a notefrom the teacher asking for a conference.

You look around at the shambles of yourlife, and you ask, “Was I there? Did all this hap-pen to me, really?” It seems incredible, doesn’tit?

When you are standing in the ruins, youneed company, a companion who has walkedthis way before and who knows what you areexperiencing. You need a friend to lean on.

Patricia Livingston, in BLESS THIS MESS(Sorin Books, 2000), is that kind of friend.

She begins by acknowledging the chaos.And she admits that this is difficult for her, forshe grew up in the fifties, in an orderly house-hold that ran on schedule (her father was acareer Army general); she thought life was sup-posed to be like that! The chaos must be herfault.

A class with the respected scholar CarrollStuhlmueller, C.P., opened her eyes. He men-tioned that the praise Psalms were praising God

for creation, and often for creation in the senseof deliverance from some kind of turmoil. Hesais that the concept of creation for the biblicalpeople was never creation out of nothing, as wecommonly think of it, but always creation our ofchaos.

Freedom! The chaos is not of our making,nor is it our fault. It is the way things havealways been.

Her personal example of creation out ofchaos involves her father and her grandson. Herfather had beautiful hands, strong and well-shaped, with long, expressive fingers. AsAlzheimer’s took his mind, those long, expres-sive fingers continuously plucked at his blankets.

After his death, she returned to NotreDame, feeling like an orphan at fifty. As shestruggled with her new stage, her daughter wentto the hospital to have her baby. Pat drove backto Florida to see them and arrived as her daugh-ter and son-in-law drove up with the baby. Shestood in the yard, holding the blanket-wrappedinfant-and weeping as his long, expressive fin-gers plucked the blanket. Nothing is lost in cre-ation.

The first part of the book explores the roleof chaos in our lives, the ways life knees you inthe groin when you least expect it. It may bemajor, like a parent’s death, or it may be minor,like a child coming home from school with headlice. When it happens, it is overwhelming.

The second part of the book is focused onwhat moves us from chaos to creation.

The first help on the way is a core beliefthat you can hold on to. Pat’s core belief is thatwe are not alone, God is always with us. Andshe sees God in the people who are part of herlife, her sisters, her friends, her children.

Second, she urges us to remember thatGod initiates the companionship. And whenGod seems far away, it is not our place to “fix”things; God will do it. He will send a messengerto remind you that He is near.

Remember “Love thy neighbor as thyself”?The third way we move from chaos to creation isto care for ourselves and for others. After herdivorce, Pat went to a Jesuit priest she respectedand poured out her sense of failure and loss.He responded, “I am sending you on a mission.”That mission was to buy beautiful towels, fancysoap, fine lotion and spend time every day pam-pering her hands. She says it was hard to do,but now it is part of her life, for she can’t carefor others unless she cares for herself.

Another help is to connect with life. For

some people it is a garden. For others it may bepets (my cats have comforted me through a mul-titude of painful moments). For others it is thecompany of family and friends. Grandchildrenare truly a gift of God who can overcome anypain.

And then there is my favorite: reading andremembering. I have books that I reach forwhenever I am blindsided by life. Narnia, TheLord of the Rings, The Dark is Rising books-allthese calm my soul and bring me closer to God.As she quotes A.A. Milne, one needs a“Sustaining Book, such would help and comforta Wedged Bear in Great Distress.” And it isWinnie the Pooh who comforts her. In “TheBlustery Day,” Piglet says, “Supposing a tree felldown, Pooh, when we were underneath it?”“Supposing it didn’t,” said Pooh, after carefulthought. This is wisdom indeed for those of uswho struggle with worry and dread!

It is said that angels fly because they takethemselves lightly. Laughter lightens many bur-dens. Seeing the humor in life helps to movefrom chaos to creation.

In the midst of chaos, we often focus onthe bad things around us. Pat Livingston urgesus to look for the good. It may be like a friendof hers whose kitchen caught on fire just beforeher son’s wedding. Her response was, “Hooray!Now I don’t have to cook for all the guests whoare here for the wedding!” But looking for thegood can sharpen your vision and open you tojoy.

And about that joy; deepening the joy is atool to help us from chaos to creation. After hergrandson was born near Christmas, Pat was in astore buying groceries. The clerk was cheerful,and asked people if they would like to add a dol-lar or more so that the store could use it to buygroceries to give to the needy. After customerafter customer had grudgingly given a dollar orcursed her or shouted at her, she stopped ask-ing. But Pat asked if there were a limit; she

wanted to give fifty dollars. She had the joy of anew grandson, and she wanted to share it.

A second example of joy came in a memoryof her father. He was living with a family whocared for Alzheimer’s patients in their home, andGeneral Westmoreland was coming to the smalltown to dedicate a memorial to the Viet Namwar dead. The family showed the article toGeneral Hickman, and he wanted to go, for heremembered Westmoreland. He not only want-ed to go, he wanted to wear his uniform. Afterthe ceremony, Westmoreland saw him, cameover and saluted him, then embraced him. “Iwish I could stay and talk, George,” he said, “buthe helicopter is waiting for me. I really appreci-ate your coming out. It means the world to me.I have always admired you.” Then he left. AndGeneral Hickman looked over at his caretakerwith tears in his eyes. “What am I getting allchoked up about?” He had already begun to for-get. But Westmoreland never knew there wasanything wrong. He took the general’s presencefor the honor it truly was.

And always, hang in there. Pat Livingstonsays she lives by Yogi Berra’s saying “It ain’t over‘til it’s over.” Never give up. Things will workout, they usually do (that’s my saying!).

And finally, pray. Pray the way thatstrengthens you. Pray the Rosary. Pray the Bookof Common Prayer. Pray the Psalms. Cry.Laugh. Sing. It’s all prayer. And it all helps.

From all this comes the answer. Love wins.Creation comes out of the chaos.

Yes, life can be a mess. Your best laid plansfall through. The people you love die. You haveto leave a home where you have been happy.You get sick. Life sucks.

But God can bless the mess, and you canremember, “Yes, I was there, wasn’t I!”

Janet Nail is the director of the DiocesanAudio Visual Center and communicant of Trinity,Yazoo City.

In the midst of Chaos, look for the good

October 2010

DIOCESAN CALENDAR

EVENTS

October 2010 The Mississippi Episcopalian 11

OCTOBER

12-15• Clergy Conference

15-16• Licensed Lay Ministry Conference, GrayCenter, Canton•Gray Center Board, Gray Center, Canton

17• Bishop Gray visits: St. Peter’s, Oxford - 11:00a.m.• Bishop Gray visits: Calvary, Michigan City -4:00 p.m.

18• Bishop Gray visits: St. Luke’s, Brandon - 6:00p.m.

20• Bishop Gray visits: St. Alexis’, Jackson - 6:30p.m.

20-24• Cursillo #119, Gray Center, Canton

21• Standing Committee - 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.,Allin House, Jackson

24• Bishop Gray visits: Creator, Clinton - 10:30a.m.• Bishop Gray at Cursillo Closing Service - 3:30p.m.

26• Bishop Masereka, Uganda hosted by St. Mary’sCathedral, Memphis

27• Bishop Masereka, Uganda hosted by andpreaches at St. Peter’s, Oxford - 5:30 p.m.

28• Bishop Masereka, Uganda hosted by St.George’s Clarksdale29• Bishop Masereka, Uganda visits St. Andrew’sSchool, Jackson

29-31•Happening #72, Nativity, Greenwood

30• Bishop Masereka, Uganda visits Ascension,Hattiesburg• Fundraising Dinner for the Bishop MaserekaChristian Foundation, Uganda - 6:00 p.m.,Chapel of the Cross, Madison

31• Bishop Gray visits: All Saints’, Grenada -10:30 a.m.• Bishop Masereka, Uganda preaches at Chapelof the Cross, Madison - 8:45 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

NOVEMBER

2•Deadline for submittal to the MississippiEpiscopalian - 12:00 noon

3• Convocational Deans - 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.,Allin House, Jackson

5-6•Gray Center Work Weekend, Gray Center,Canton

7• Bishop Gray visits: All Saints’, Tupelo - 9:30a.m.• Bishop Gray visits: All Saints’, Jackson - 6:30p.m.

9• Fresh Start, South - 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.,Trinity, Hattiesburg

11• Fresh Start, North - 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., AllSaints’, Tupelo•Deacons’ Council - 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.,Allin House, Jackson12-13• ECW Fall Conference and Board Meeting,Gray Center, Canton

12-14• Jr. High DOY, Camp Bratton Green, Canton

14• Bishop Gray visits: St. Francis’, Philadelphia -11:00 a.m.

14-16• Presbyter Post-Ordination Consultation, GrayCenter, Canton

16•Gray Center Executive Committee - 5:00 p.m.,Allin House, Jackson

18•Diocesan Trustees - 2:00 p.m., Allin House,Jackson

19• Central Convocation Youth Lock-In, St.Andrew’s Cathedral, Jackson

21• Bishop Gray visits: St. Paul’s, Corinth - 11:00a.m.• Bishop Gray visits: St. Bernard’s, Okolona -5:00 p.m.

24-26• Allin House closed for Thanksgiving

DECEMBER

3-4• Center for Formation & Mission presents“Benedict’s Sacred Reading” Conference, GrayCenter, Canton• “Seeing the Face of God in Each Other” Anti-Racism Training, St. Patrick’s, Long Beach

3-5• Center for Formation & Mission presents“Knitting and Crocheting” Conference, GrayCenter, Canton

5• Bishop Gray visits: St. Timothy’s, Southaven -10:30 a.m.

7•Deadline for submittal to the MississippiEpiscopalian - 12:00 noon

9•Diocesan Finance Committee - 11:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m., St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Jackson

12• Bishop Gray visits: St. John’s, Laurel - 10:30a.m.•Dedication of the Church of the Resurrection,Biloxi - 5:00 p.m.

16• Standing Committee - 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.,Allin House, Jackson

17•Diocesan Executive Committee - 11:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m., St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Jackson

19• Bishop Gray visits: Ascension, Hattiesburg -10:30 a.m.

23-27• Allin House closed for Christmas Holiday

27-January 1•Winter Solstice, Camp Bratton Green, Canton

31• Allin House closes at 12:00 noon for the NewYear

A dinner in honor of Bishop Zebedee Masereka of Uganda will be hosted by Bishop GrayIII at Chapel of the Cross in Madison on Saturday, October 30th, at 6:00 pm at the Chapel of theCross and all are invited to attend .

Dinner will be on the grounds and/or in the Parish Hall, depending on weather. The din-ner costs $18.00 per person and other offerings to support the foundation will be gratefullyaccepted as well.

Please RSVP (by October 22nd ) to insure an adequate number of meals are prepared andalso to avoid waste. Proceeds of the dinner will be donated to BMCF. Please RSVP to ToriLipscomb at 601 352 8377, or by email to reception@bejarch.com.

Bishop Gray hosts dinner in honor of Bishop Masereka

Trinity Church, Pass Christianto dedicate organ

On Sunday, Nov. 7, a new Allen L-331 organ will dedicated at Trinity Church, Pass Christian.Trinity organist/choir director John Barrilleaux, said that the service will begin at 3:30 p.m. at thechurch on 125 Church Avenue in Pass Christian.

Included in the dedication service is an organ recital by Aram Basmadjian who was recentlycritiqued by a review in Simi, California as “truly one of the most gifted young organ virtuosos inAmerica. He commands recognition with a forceful artillery of technique and expressiveness.”

Preceeding the Nov. 7th dedication, an organ master class with Basmadjian will be offeredfree of charge on Sat. Nov. 6th.

Contact John Barrilleaux by phone at 800-783.3056, or 228-363-1844 to RSVP or to get moreinformation. Barrilleaux’s email address is johnb@churchorgan.co

GRAY CENTER

12 The Mississippi Episcopalian

By Bul Garang Mabil

[Episcopal News Service] Blessed are the peacemakers, forthey shall be called the children of God — Matthew 5: 9

The present situation in the Sudan — marked by theupcoming January 2011 referendum on self-determination inSouthern Sudan as defined in the 2005 Comprehensive PeaceAgreement (CPA) signed in Kenya between the SudanPeople’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Governmentof Sudan’s National Congress Party (NCP) — poses complexquestions to many people. With the possibility of SouthernSudanese independence in 2011, many people in the interna-tional community and the Sudan alike have begun to expressa growing fear not only over a possible resumption of thenorth-south civil war, but also over the likelihood that a newindependent state will not prove viable. The reasons com-monly cited for this pessimistic prediction are insecurity andthe potential for tribal fragmentation.

Yet there are grounds on which to refute this predic-tion. The history of the Sudanese people as a whole fromtime immemorial has been the struggle of the masses againstinternal and external oppression. Ancient Egyptian recordsfrom the third millennium B.C. tell of thousands of slaves and cattle captured in the African lands tothe south, which is modern-day Sudan. Sudan’s centuries of association with Egypt formally ended in1956 when the joint British-Egyptian rule over the country ended and Sudan was granted independ-ence. At that time, the British attempt to allow Southern Sudan to join newly independent East Africancolonies was thwarted by leaders in Khartoum; ever since then, Sudan has been at war with itself. Thisprotracted conflict is rooted in the cultural and religious divides that characterize the country today.The northerners who have traditionally controlled the country in Khartoum have sought to unify thecountry along the lines of distinctly radical forms of Arab-Islamic principles, in which Sharia law isregarded as the supreme law of the land, despite the opposition of non-Muslims, moderate Muslims,southerners and marginalized peoples in the west and east of the country. As a result, the regimes inKhartoum have time and again employed a variety of policies and methods to destroy or weaken thejust struggle of the Sudanese people, including the notorious policy of “divide and rule,” in order tomaintain their own power.

This policy has been the country’s lot and is currently being pursued by President Omar Hassanal-Bashir’s governing party (NCP) in order to try to undermine the January 2011 referenda in whichthe people of Southern Sudan will go to the ballot box to vote between unity or separation; and thepeople of Abyei, an oil-rich area on the border between the south and north, to decide whether tobecome part of Southern Sudan or remain part of the north. The people of the Nuba Mountains andthe Blue Nile, on the other hand, are to hold “popular consultations”-a CPA-mandated process where-by the two states will seek to renegotiate political, administrative and constitutional arrangements withthe central government.

According to these agreements, therefore, the referenda must take place in Southern Sudan andAbyei, and the people given a choice. The people of Southern Sudan and Abyei must be allowed a freeand fair vote. The people of Southern Sudan have been denied this right by the different regimes thathave ruled the Sudan since it became a sovereign state. While the CPA provides principles to makeunity attractive to the people of Southern Sudan and all the other marginalized areas of the Sudan, theKhartoum government has not acted in such a way as to make the unity of the country seem an attrac-tive option.

It is now imperative for the international community, especially the countries that helped negoti-ate the CPA — the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the “troika members” (the UnitedStates, Norway and the United Kingdom) — to unify efforts and support to help and sustain theprocess leading up to the 2011 vote, drawing lessons from the recently concluded elections, so as toassure the serious and peaceful completion of the CPA. The current atmosphere in Southern Sudansuggests that the peaceful conclusion of the CPA will only prevail when the people of Southern Sudanare allowed to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.

The idea of self-determination is not a new phenomenon, nor would this be the first time thatinternational forces and interests have worked to undermine the rights of others to determine theirown future by employing scare tactics. It is critical to remember that self-determination is a politicalhuman right that cannot be denied to the world’s oppressed people. Eritrea, East Timor and Kosovoare among the recent countries that benefited from this right. During their struggles, these countriesstood always for separation, from day one to the end. In the case of Southern Sudan, it is the generalexploitation, oppression and neglect of the Sudanese people by the successive regimes in Khartoumthat will be remembered at the ballot box this coming January 2011; the South is expected to vote toseparate from the north, bringing to an end what was supposed to be a united, “new” Sudan.

In case of a vote in favor of secession, the Khartoum-based regime must face the consequences ofnot transforming the country democratically — Southern Sudan must be declared an independent

state on that very day. The international community must beready to support a massive program of state-building anddevelopment in the event of this decision. Sudan’s borderingcountries’ choices in supporting and respecting the vote ofthe Southern Sudanese will also be particularly important. Asa recently releasedInternational Crisis Group Report (May 6,2010) explains in detail, each of Sudan’s neighbors — Kenya,Uganda, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya and Eritrea —has had a role,in one way or in another, in Sudanese history and in thenegotiations that led to the CPA. In the same way, each oneof them has different “interests at stake and will be directlyaffected by either peaceful separation or a return to conflict.”They will thus have to consider very carefully what they canor should do, as a renewed conflict in Southern Sudan wouldinevitably bring war and instability to the entire region, creat-ing more humanitarian crises like the recent one in Darfur.The United States’ peace process and counterterrorism poli-cies in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa would also beendangered.

It is not too late to help; now is the time to make thathappen, if anything has been learned from Sudan’s past his-tory of dishonoring too many agreements. Friends of Sudanwho care about the future peace of this country should write

or call President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, their senators and representativesand urge the peaceful implementation of the 2005 Peace Accords in Sudan, brokered in part by formerRepublican senator and Episcopal priest John Danforth.

—Bul Garang Mabil came to the United States in 2000 as one of Sudan’s “Lost Boys,” and serves onthe Diocese of Mississippi’s Sudanese Ministry Committee. He is also a member of South SudanReferendum Task Force in the United States, whose aim is to mobilize, coordinate, educate andenlighten the South Sudanese communities in the United States about their participation in theupcoming January 2011 referendum in Sudan.

Bul Garang Mabil

The Rev. Deacon James Henry LeBatard (right) of St. Pierre’s in Gautier was received as anOblate in the Order of St. Benedict of St. Joseph’s Monastery in September during amonastery retreat at Gray Center. Pictured with Lebatard is St. Joseph’s prior, Br. VincentIgnatius, OSB. An article about St. Joseph’s Monastery, located in Natchez, will appear inthe November issue of the MSE.

October 2010

Promoting peace and stability in Sudan