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By the Grace of God
The Rt. Reverend Dorsey W. M. McConnell
Bishop of Pittsburgh
will ordain
Charles Brent Wagner Hamill
Terence Lee Johnston
Gwendollynn Gettemy Santiago
John Robert Schaeffer
to the Sacred Order of Priests
in Christ's one holy catholic and apostolic Church
Saturday, December 15, 2012
at ten o'clock in the morning
Trinity Cathedral
328 Sixth Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
Your prayers and presence are requested
Clergy: Red Stoles Reception follows
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 Pittsburghers Play Important Roles in the Work of the Wider Church
The work of the wider Episcopal Church between General Conventions began last week with a joint meeting of commissions, committees, agencies, and boards of the Church in St. Louis, MO, from November 12-15. These groups exist to move the mission of the church forward and prepare new legislation and other outcomes for the next General Convention in 2015.
The Diocese of Pittsburgh was represented by two individuals at this meeting: the Rev. Dr. James Simons from St. Michael's of the Valley, Ligioner, and Jamie McMahon from Calvary, East Liberty.
Simons serves as a member of the Executive Council (EC) of The Episcopal Church, which has the duty to carry out programs and policies adopted by General Convention and oversee the ministry and mission of the Church. The EC is comprised of twenty members elected by General Convention (four bishops, four priests or deacons and twelve laypersons) and eighteen members elected by province.
Simons attended this meeting as the EC liaison to the Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development. In a slightly humorous twist, McMahon has served on this same commission since 2009, and at this meeting in St. Louis, he was elected as chair for the next three years. The duty of this commission is to recommend policies that foster a broad understanding of Christian stewardship, both individual and corporate. The Commission recommends strategies to General Convention for stewardship, including education, development, and planned giving, with special sensitivity to the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Church. Its membership consists of three bishops, three clergy, and six lay people from across the church.
Of particular interest at this meeting was the special budget allocation of $4.1 million by General Convention for the creation of a newly reconfigured church wide development office. Besides this, there was wide-ranging conversation about providing resources for stewardship education across the church, forming better steward leaders from among our clergy and bishops, and thinking about how the ethics of fundraising relates to the work of the church.
Many other interim bodies met during this gathering covering topics as wide ranging as world mission, liturgy and music, the structure of the church, and constitution and canons.
The first meeting was held of the newly formed Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop that will work over the next three years to present nominees to the House of Bishops at General Convention in 2015. The committee has already created a Facebook page and Twitter account (PB27Nominations or #JNCPB) to communicate its work to the wider church.
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 2012 Annual Convention Election Results
All are three-year terms, starting January 1, 2013 ending December 31, 2015, unless otherwise noted.
Elected by convention:
Board of Trustees
Suzanne Dewalt, Calvary, East Liberty; Leon L. Haley, Holy Cross; Homewood; Robert Johnston, St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon
Cathedral Chapter
The Rev. Michelle Boomgaard, St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon; Doug Starr, St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon
Commission on Ministry
The Rev. Timothy Hushion, Trinity Cathedral
Committee on Constitution and Canons
The Rev. Richard Pollard, All Saints, Bridgeville; Lewis R. (Randy) Amis, Trinity Cathedral
Disciplinary Board
The Rev. Linda Wilson, All Souls, North Versailles; Mary H. (Holly) Craighead, St. Thomas, Oakmont; Sandy Ludman, St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon
Growth Fund Committee
Nancy Fincke, St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon
Standing Committee (Four year terms, ending 2016)
The Rev. William Geiger, Christ Church, Indiana; Dana Phillips, St. Thomas, Oakmont
Elected by District:
District 1
Chair: Daryl Walker, All Saints, Brighton Heights; Vice-Chair: Joyce Donadee, St. Brendan's, Franklin Park; Council: The Rev. Kathy LaLonde, St. Paul's, Kittanning
District 2
Chair: Bill Moore, St. Matthew's, Homestead; Vice-Chair: The Rev. Diane Shepard, Redeemer, Squirrel Hill; Trustees: Melanie Kurtz, St. Matthew's, Homestead; Council: The Rev. Carol Henley, Calvary, East Liberty
District 3
Chair: The Rev. Kris McInnes, St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon; Vice-Chair: Betsy Hetzler, Nativity, Crafton; Council: The Rev. Lou Hays, St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon
District 4
Chair: The Rev. Lenny Anderson, St. Francis, Somerset; Vice-Chair: Chris Baumann, St. Thomas, Northern Cambria; Trustees: John Rogers, St. Mark's, Johnstown (to fulfill a term ending in 2014); Council: Joe Baird, St. Peter's, Blairsville
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 Cursillo Ultreya
What is Cursillo? Cursillo is a movement of the church. Its purpose is to help those in the church understand their individual callings to be Christian Leaders. The leadership may be exercised in work situations, in the family and social life, in leisure activities, and within the Church environment. Leadership, in Cursillo, does not mean power over others, but influence on others; all of us need to be aware that we can exert a positive influence on those around us. Cursillo is patterned on Jesus' own example. He searched out and called a small group of potential leaders (pre-Cursillo); He trained them by word and example and inspired them with a vision (Three-Day Weekend); He linked them together and sent them out into the world to bring the world to Him (Fourth Day). What is Ultreya? Ultreya is an on-going, follow-up program for people who have made their three day Cursillo, linking them together in a Christian community that helps them support one another in their attempts to remain Christ-centered. Apostolic enthusiasm is sustained as participants share their lives in Christ and are inspired by the lives of others in the areas of faith, holiness, and evangelization. Ultreya provides the continued support to make the Cursillo experience a lifetime one. Why the Spanish names? The first Cursillos developed in the Roman Catholic Church in Mallorca, Spain, in the late 1940s. Under the leadership of their bishop, several laymen began to formulate a way to draw active laymen into the work of "Christianizing" the everyday life settings where they lived. Cursillo means "workshop" and Ultreya means ""onward" or "proceed further on". If I didn't go to Cursillo can I come to the Ultreya? Absolutely! Attendance at a Cursillo is not mandatory and you won't be checked to see if you know the "secret handshake" (There is no secret handshake!) Attend the Ultreya at St. James Episcopal Church in Penn Hills on Saturday, December 1, at 3 p.m. and see what what Cursillo is all about. |
4th Annual Christmas on the River Outreach Project at St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon
On Thursday, December 6, at 10:30 a.m., the Diocese of Pittsburgh ECW will be packing Christmas boxes for the Seaman's Church Institute at St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon. Since 1898 volunteers of the Seamen's Church Institute have been collecting, packing, knitting and distributing Christmas gifts to mariners who are miles from home on Christmas Day.
The Seamen's Church Institute is North America's largest and most comprehensive mariners' service agency, promoting safety, dignity, and improved working and living conditions for millions of men and women serving in the maritime workplace. Founded in 1834, the Institute is a voluntary, ecumenical agency affiliated with the Episcopal Church.
Needed are donations of hand lotion, chewing gum, wrapped candy, puzzle books, microwave popcorn, lip balm and paperback books.
Items can be brought to the packing party or left in the church offices at: St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon; Trinity Cathedral; Church of the Nativity, Crafton; St. Thomas Memorial Church, Oakmont; Calvary, East Liberty.
It will be a community work day with lunch provided. Please help with this wonderful ministry and fellowship opportunity.
Please RSVP by November 30 to Debbie Wiles at 412-344-5759 or debwiles@verizon.net. |
 Gospel of Mark Bible Study
Trinity Cathedral's young adult minister, Ben DeHart, will lead a Wednesday evening in-depth look on the Gospel According to St. Mark, Wednesdays beginning November 28th, from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at Trinity Cathedral.
Everyone is welcome. Call or email Ben DeHart for more details at 609-240-8558 or bendehart@gmail.com. Plans are to discuss Mark's theological and narrative structure (and how this helps us understand individual passages), its distinctive motifs (e.g. its "Messianic Secret" and why everything happens "immediately"), but most importantly we will wrestle with its key question, "Who do you [the reader] say that I [Jesus] am?" |
 Messiah Sing-Along at
St. Brendan's, Franklin Park
St. Brendan's Episcopal Church is presenting its 5th annual Messiah Sing-Along conducted by Woody Brown. The event is free and everyone is invited to join in the fun of singing this great piece or to just come and listen!
The sing along will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 16 at St. Brendan's Church in Franklin Park. People are encouraged to bring their own music, but scores will be available for purchase at the door.
For more information please visit www.stbrendans.org. |
 Church Builds Community Through Post-Sandy Relief Work
"This was the church at its best."
The words surfaced again and again as Episcopalians described how their churches became distribution centers for relief supplies and sanctuaries of warmth and food in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which slammed the Northeast on Oct. 29. The storm swept away or flooded homes along the coasts of New Jersey and New York, disrupted transportation and telephone services across the region and left millions of households without electricity and heat, and in some cases water, throughout multiple dioceses.
Churches responded by opening their doors as warming, charging and feeding stations; collecting and distributing emergency supplies and meals; and dispatching volunteers to visit and inventory the needs of those most affected by the storm. In the process, their clergy reported, the churches offered new opportunities for service and built community within and beyond their walls.
[...]
New-volunteer orientation happens every 15 minutes. Volunteers of all ages participate, including students from Public School 29 who spent their Veterans Day holiday running the "coat check" in the church balcony.
One volunteer told Sniffen she hadn't attended church in more than a decade. "This renews my faith in what the church can be," she said.
Read the rest of this inspiring story by Susan Sheridan from Episcopal News Service by clicking here.
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 Around the Diocese
Bishop McConnell's Visitation Schedule
December 2: St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Kittanning
December 9: Church of the Advent, Jeannette
December 16: St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Homestead
December 23: Church of the Nativity, Crafton
Retired Clergy Fall 2012 Luncheon: The luncheon for retired clergy and spouses will be on Tuesday, November 27, at DeNunzio's Italian Restaurant in Monroeville. Note: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the registration deadline has been extended until Monday, November 20. Register online at www.episcopalpgh.org/retired-clergy-lunch.
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Parting Shot
On November 11 and 12, representatives of 7 of the 13 Dioceses in Province III met in Harrisburg (Diocese of Central PA) for the Annual meeting of Province III diocesan anti-racism leadership. The Rt. Rev. Nathan Baxter, Bishop of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania and his wife, Mary Ellen and the Rev. Barbara Seras, Coordinator-Province III were present for the opening session. On the agenda was planning for the implementation of Anti-Racism resolutions passed at the 2012 General Convention. The discussion of partnering between Dioceses was continued with some Dioceses with established and active Anti-Racism training programs offering to assist Dioceses for whom offering the workshops has been a challenge. One action of the group was to explore the possibility of a Province III conference or activity under the joint sponsorship of all Dioceses within the Province. 
Seated: (l to r) Marion Spraggins, Diocese of Virginia; Nancy Travis Bolden, Coordinator-Province III Anti-Racism Ministry; Cynthie Gee, Arnold Gee, Diocese of Central Pennsylvania
Standing; (l to r) Maurice Spraggins, Diocese of Virginia; Elizabeth Wehle, Diocese of Delaware; The Rev. Canon Angela Sheperd, Diocese of Maryland; Ann Blackstone, Diocese of Pennsylvania; The Rev. Barbara Seras, Province III Coordinator; Ann Barbarin, Diocese of Pennsylvania; the Rev. Scott Allen, Diocese of Bethlehem; The Rt. Rev. Nathan Baxter,Bishop-Diocese of Central Pennsylvania; Denise Johnson, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Mary Ellen Baxter, wife of Bishop Baxter.
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All submissions to the Grace Happens weekly newsletter are welcome should be sent to asmuhl@episcopalpgh.org. Material should be sent before the close of business on Monday to be considered for inclusion in the current week's newsletter. Please be sure to include your contact information with any submission.
Submissions for publication of items on the diocesan web site and calendar should also be sent electronically to asmuhl@episcopalpgh.org.
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