Tom Fortuna and Janna Haworth from St. George's Episcopal Church who are grateful for the gift from their friends from St. Michael's.

by Janna Haworth
Friendship that originated through the CREDO Strength for the Journey conferences brought a struggling Diocese of Quincy parish new Episcopal hymnbooks and Books of Common Prayer. Wendy Black of St. Michael's of the Valley in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and Tom Fortuna of St. George's Church in the Quincy diocese attended the CLE-11 conference for lay employees and lay leaders in May 2010.  In discussion, Tom recounted events when St. George's parishioners were locked out of their church and started meeting at Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA) with the Lutheran pastor and an Episcopal priest alternating duties.  While the Macomb, Illinois, parishioners were fortunate to have a worship facility, they were missing the tradition of the hymn and prayer books.  At the second Strength for the Journey lay conference in September (CLE-13), Lisa Simons of St. Michael's and Janna Haworth of St. George's renewed the connection.

After CLE-11, Wendy returned to Ligonier, Pennsylvania, where her congregation asked about her CREDO experience and she recounted the struggles of other parishes. She organized a "$30 for 30" campaign to send 30 sets of hymnals and Books of Common Prayer to the Illinois parish. A set of large-print books and the two-volume Accompaniment Hymnal were also sent. The books arrived in Macomb in November.

On St. Nicholas Day, at St. Paul's Cathedral in Peoria, Illinois, Bishop John Buchanan of the Diocese of Quincy blessed the hymnbooks and Books of Common Prayer.  The worship books were first used by the St. George's Episcopal parish on Sunday, December 12, to sing beloved Advent hymns.