On Tuesday, January 28, St. James, Prestonsburg, was vandalized. The violence done to the altar and church were very disturbing to the parish, and indeed to all of us who treasure our sacred spaces.

The young man who committed the damage has been caught and his family has reached out to us. We are currently working with the appropriate systems of justice and juvenile care to make sure that the young man finds the help that he needs and that the process of restorative justice will be honored.

On Monday of next week I will visit with the leadership of the parish. Sister Judy Yunker, Priest-in-Charge, and I will explore ways of reaching out to the community and the accused.

In the meantime, I invite you to join me in making a financial gift to the ministry of St. James. Thank goodness insurance will cover most of the physical damage, but our financial gifts will be a sign of solidarity and grace with this small but vital ministry in Prestonsburg. In service to God and on our behalf, this parish coordinates feeding ministries that affect hundreds of people in Eastern Kentucky. Read more about St. James.

If you wish to join me in financial support, you may make an online gift, designated, "St. James Prestonsburg" here or you may send a check with the same designation.

I also invite you to send your words of support to the parish by emailing Sr. Judy Yunker at revjudyy@gmail.com or by a note to St. James Parish, 562 University Dr, Prestonsburg, KY, 41653  

A central precept of the Christian faith is that believers live in community with each other. Familiarity, compatibility and rapport may be a byproduct of community, but are not the totality of it.

 

Living in community requires readjustment as the church extends itself to embrace all members. While this process is challenging, the result is to better reflect God. As theologian Dallas Willard once wrote: 

"The aim of God in history is the creation of an all-inclusive community of loving persons, with Himself included in that community as its prime sustainer and most glorious inhabitant." 

 Read more.

Some 3.6 million years ago in Laetoli, Tanzania, two primates walked side-by-side and upright through the wet volcanic ash leaving behind a clear trail of footprints that were subsequently fossilized as layers of volcanic ash covered them for our scientific and spiritual wonderment.

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong left the lunar module putting his left foot on the rocky surface of the moon. These footprints are still visible on the lunar surface because there are no weather patterns that would work to erode them. Therefore our visit to the moon will always be marked by human footprints.

Read more.

Se ven years ago, Deacon Lois Howard felt called to begin a ministry to Alzheimer's folks using Godly Play. Deacon Lois began the Godly Play program in the Diocese of Lexington in 1988 while Minister of Christian Formation at Christ Church Cathedral. She is an Accredited National Trainer of the Godly Play Foundation and is available to help churches begin or develop their own program of Godly Play.

Recently, her ministry was recognized by Jerome Berryman, creator of the program, in his most recent book entitled The Spiritual Guidance of Children. Last month, Virginia Theological Seminary contacted Deacon Lois asking her to write an article which they would publish, featuring this unique and powerful ministry to folks with Alzheimer's disease. The first part of her two-part article will be published on Monday, February 3rd and can be read at http://www.keyhallonline.org which is the website of Virginia Seminary's Center for the Ministry of Teaching, a wonderful resource for Christian Formation. 

God Willing and the People Consenting The Right Reverend W. Douglas Hahn on behalf of The Right Reverend Berry L. Beisner and the Diocese of Northern California will ordain Chana Winger Tetzlaff to the Sacred Order of the Priests in Christ's One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church on the Feast of Saint Brigid. Your prayers and presence are requested. A reception will follow the service.

Clergy: cassock, surplice, white stole.

The Diocesan ECW offers matching grants to congregational ECW's to financial support their programs. ECW's can apply for funds to match either in full or in part the local ECW's contributions. Does your ECW have a project that you'd like help funding? Complete the application or call with any questions.

Applications for United Thank Offering grants now available on the National Episcopal Church website: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/uto-grants.

Each diocese may submit two grants: one for ministry within the diocese and one for ministry with a companion or overseas diocese.

Criteria for selecting grants will emphasize programs that address the culture of violence by supporting the mission of peace as expressed in the Gospel. This focus was inspired by the Five Marks of Mission.

Deadline for submission to the National UTO office is February 28. Only online applications will be accepted.

Deadline for submission to the Diocesan Office is February 10. Please notify Diane Gabbard, Diocesan UTO Coordinator, at dianegabbard@gmail.com if you plan to submit a grant request.

Contact: Diane Gabbard, dianegabbard@gmail.com, 859-581-9113

The Rt. Rev. Addison Hosea Fund, established by the Episcopal Church Women to honor his life as a teacher and his great interest in education, awards grants for continuing education, special courses, or projects. The deadline for receipt of applications is February 1, 2014. Application forms may be found at diolex.org.

Junior High youth event for kids in grades 7-9. New Beginnings is a weekend full of fun, taking you through a discovery of: Who is God?, Who is God to You? and Who are you to God? This happens through making friends and sharing with old friends. The weekend is full of singing, skits, talks, games, worship, and conversations with each other.

February 2: Gray Zeitz - Gray Zeitz is the founder and operator of Larkspur Press, producing dozens of fine letterpress hand-bound editions of works by Kentucky poets and writers for nearly 40 years.

February 9: Bianca Spriggs - Affrilachian Poet and Cave Canem Fellow, Bianca Spriggs, is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in Lexington.

February 16: Katerina Stoykova-Klemer - In 1995, Stoykova-Klemer immigrated to the United States from Bourgas, Bulgaria. She writes poetry and prose in both Bulgar­ian and English.

The 9th Annual "I Love Mountains Day" rally and march at the Kentucky State Capitol of Frankfort is February 12th. On Tuesday February 11th, at 7 pm, The Church of the Ascension will host the Kentucky Chautauqua presentation of Lilley Cornett: A Voice for the Forest. David Hurt will portray Lilley Cornett, a coal miner in Letcher County in the early 1900s who purchased about 500 acres of old growth forest and resisted all attempts to log or mine the property. The property is now Lilley Cornett Woods, the largest piece of old growth in the state of Kentucky. The event is free and open to the public.

On Wednesday the Church of the Ascension will participate in the I Love Mountains march to the capitol. Any other church groups interested in joining in the march at 12 noon are welcome to join the Church of the Ascension on Wednesday.

Valentine Cabaret on Saturday, February 15th at 6:30 pm at St. Michael's. Join us for an evening of show tunes, sass, and laughter (we even hear there may be a duet with the Rector!) There is a suggested donation of $10, with all the proceeds going to the St. Michael's Endowment Fund. Be sure to mark this date on your calendar and join us for a wonderful evening.

Looking for a Lenten project? Plan to paint a room or common space at St. Agnes' House. You'll need to provide $150-$200 for paint and supplies plus labor. There are 9 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 3 kitchen/living room areas, office, chapel, 3 stairways. Saturdays during Lent preferred, but other times can be arranged.

Happening is a Christian experience presented by teenagers for teenagers. It is designed for all youth in grades 10-12. Adults who work with youth are also encouraged to attend Happening. Most Young people have serious questions about Jesus and the Church. Happening is designed to address these questions. During the weekend participants experience the love of Christ as shown through prayer, worship, and the ministry of fellow students, clergy and lay adults. The Happeners are encouraged to make their renewed faith a part of their everyday lives. Happening shows how Christianity can keep pace with the many changes in our lives and our world.

The Diocese of Lexington and its ministries, Cathedral Domain, Reading Camp, and St Agnes' House are participating in Kentucky Gives Day 2014 on April 9.

Save the Date for the Regional Confirmation Service with Bishop Hahn will take place at Christ Church Cathedral on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:00pm. Clergy: please RSVP to Brent Owens at bowens@ccclex.org.

The Berea College Appalachian Fund has once again awarded a grant of $13,000 to support patients' and caregivers' lodging and operations' costs. We are grateful for this ongoing support towards our budget of $110,000.

The grant amount covers 43 days of operation for the house, providing a much-needed service to people during challenging times of their lives.

The Berea College Appalachian Fund was established through a gift from Herbert Faber and Ruth McGurk Faber. Since 1950, the Fund has supported nonprofits working to improve the general education, health and physical well-being of people living in the Appalachian Mountains and surrounding areas.

To see how you can help, go to our "Get Involved" page: http://stagnesproject.wordpress.com/getinvolved/

Denise Giardina has written five novels with a remarkable range of settings, themes, and richly drawn characters. Storming Heaven is set in her native West Virginia during the early 1900s, an era when the coal mines arrived and brought brutal changes. Powerful and gripping, the LA Times called it "brilliant diamond-hard fiction, heart wrenching, tough and tender." Storming Heaven was chosen as a Discovery selection of the Book of the Month club and won the W.D. Weatherford award. Its sequel, Unquiet Earth won the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation and the Lillian Smith Award for fiction. Giardina is also the author of three other novels, including Saints and Villains, a fictional account of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which won the Boston Book Review Fisk Fiction Prize and was a semifinalist for the International Dublin Literary Award. Annie Dillard called Saints and Villains "a masterpiece . . .one of the handful of best books I've ever read."

Giardina has also published work in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Village Voice. The recipient of two Creative Writing Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Denise Giardina now lives in Charleston, West Virginia, is retired from West Virginia State University, and is an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church.

A book-signing and reception will follow the reading. The event is free and open to the community-everyone is welcome!