Working to help our neighbors overcome the March 2nd tornado devistation

Bishop's Message

Beloved in Christ,

You bid your faithful people cleanse their hearts, and prepare
with joy for the Paschal feast; that, fervent in prayer and in
works of mercy, and renewed by your Word and Sacraments,
they may come to the fullness of grace which you have
prepared for those who love you.  (A proper preface for Lent, BCP, p. 379)

The Lenten journey is all about grace, the fullness of grace. 

Bonhoeffer wrote: "Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, ... it is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. 
        . . .   Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him;  it is grace because Jesus says:  "my yoke is easy and my burden light." (The Cost of Discipleship, p. 45)

May these days ahead find us preparing for the fullness of costly grace, with joy.

With affection,

+Terry

On March 2nd and 3rd over 90 people crowded St. Matthew's Saints Hall listening and engaging in discussion on how to grow and invigorate their congregations at the Moving Forward Workshop led by author-priest Tom Ehrich. The workshop consisted of going over several strategies, each followed by small group discussions and Q&A. 

The challenge posed was whether clergy and settled constituents had the will to rethink their work and possibly change directions, because as Rev. Ehrich stated, "If you have the will to try, you can [reinvigorate and grow]!" 

Rev. Ehrich focused heavily the first day on the importance of social media, communication, and connecting in a world where the general population doesn't value Sunday service yet still seeks Christ and his mission in their communities. We have to ask people in the community who they are and listen with a whole heart and without judgement. Rev. Ehrich stated, "The minute you try to fix them... they will hit the door. It's about trust. It's about if you love them as they are." Combining this with a techno savvy, stimulating, and poignant message via social media and the internet can lead to church growth.

Rev. Anne Vouga and others in deep discussion over a strategy Rev. Ehrich presented

 Rev. Ehrich also challenged those present to look past the disagreements over tangible issues and return our focus and "the only reason we exist, to transform lives." Priests can take an active leadership role and pledge to tithe 10% of their income to the church not only because the Bible says so but also to state that "[they] are grateful; therefore [they] give." 

Challenges such as these brought up passion in those at the workshop from multiple affirming "Yes, we can do this!" to one parishioner from St. Alban's standing up and saying "You dive in. If it works, it works. If it doesn't work, move on to the next thing. We've got to to it to survive." 

The Bishop stated that if parishes wished to expand their electronic software toward social media or would like to hire a firm to help them consult on how to use social media, he would help offset costs if necessary. Along with this I offer my own services to the parishes and church organizations in the diocese if need be. See the article below.

Please do take a second to Like and Follow the diocese and join us as we further embrace spreading God's message 21st Century style.

If you are wanting to embrace social networking with a facebook account, please feel free to contact your helpful Communications Director, i.e. me! 

We can set up a consultation appointment where I will help you not only create your own page but also set up administrative settings, explain how to use it properly, and connect you to a few suggested contacts. All of this and a follow up once you are ready to go public! 

What's not to love? Bring your church or church organization into the 21st century by e-mailing me at bkinnaman@episcopalky.org 

Tprovide a full Christ-centered, safe, welcoming summer camp opportunity for as many youth as possible this summer, All Saints Summer Camp has begun a capital campaign in order to raise funds for both scholarships and camp supplies.

About one-half to two-thirds of the roughly 170 campers attending All Saints each summer need full or partial scholarships to do so. Camp costs $300 per camper per week, an amount already subsidized by the Diocesan budget. While some local churches are able to help with scholarship funding, there is still a need for additional funding to be sure we can continue never to turn campers away because of financial reasons. 

Beyond the upfront cost to campers, having the proper supplies for programming and safety is vital to providing the campers with their favorite parts of camp: swimming, art & crafts, camp-outs, and messy games. The additional funding would allow for updated pool, worship, camping equipment, new canoes, paddles, life-jackets, specialized arts & crafts, and an even better stocked nurse's station. 

If you would like to contribute to either capital campaign and help provide our youth with the opportunity to have a fun, safe, and faith-filled experience in an outdoor setting, please visit here and give generously. Your donations online are still tax deductible. 

Trustees & Council announced on their diocesan balance sheet that the total church pledges received by the diocese reached 99.63% of their proposed budget for the year 2011. 

This was made possible by contributions that exceeded the suggested 15% church budgetary pledge from the following: Christ Church Cathedral; St. Paul's, Henderson; St. Paul's, Hickman; St. Peter's, Louisville; St. Thomas', Louisville; Trinity, Owensboro; St. Luke's Chapel - ECH, Louisville. 

Many thanks and blessings upon them and all our churches as we strive to do God's ministry.

The Episcopal Church Woman's Board invites you to their 2012 Luncheon "Summer in the City" Friday, April 13, 2012 at 11:30 a.m. EDT. The event will be held at The Olmstead at 3701 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville. [map and directions here] 

Tickets are $30 per person and may be purchased in your parish, or at the Gift Shop of the Episcopal Church Home. Tickets will be availabe for purchase beginning Sunday, February 11 throughout April 6. 

Please make checks out to: The Woman's Board, Episcopal Church Home. Opportunity Tickets will also be availabe for $3 each, or two tickets for $5.

All profits go directly to benefit the Episcoipal Church Home residents.
You can do your part to support our Episcopal Church Home by joining us at The Woman's Board Annual Fundraiser.

Show us you care and please purchase tickets.  

St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel; if necessary, use words."  Episcopalian and sculptor Ed Hamilton might be quoted as saying, "Teach history; if necessary, use words."

Hamilton, a longtime leader at St. George's Church in Louisville, graduated from college with the intention of becoming a classroom teacher of history. Along the way, he became a sculptor, and now teaches history through visual and tactile media.  He has received many honors for his work, most recently, the Pioneer Award presented by the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage at a gala on February 18, 2012. 

Hamilton's works already interpret a large span of historical events and persons:

• York, slave of George Rogers Clark, who was with the Lewis and Clark expedition;
• "Migration to the West," located in the Frazier History Museum;
• The Amistad Memorial, in New Haven, CT;
• "The Spirit of Freedom" memorial, Washington, DC;
• The Tree of Life Menorah, at the Temple in Louisville; and
• The Lincoln Bicentennial Statue on the waterfront in Louisville.

He has begun another statue of Abraham Lincoln, this one for Centre College in Danville, KY.

Congratulations, Ed. Keep teaching history. If necessary, use words. 

Join Anchorage Presbyterian, Church of the Epiphany, St. Luke's Episcopal, and Bishop White on Palm Sunday afternoon for a celebration following in the footsteps of Christ on his walk to the Cross. They will meet at the beginning of the Anchorage Trail in downtown Anchorage and move through 15 stopping spots marking the journey of Christ to Calvary. The journey will end at the "Amphitheater" where a closing address will be made by the Rt. Rev. Terry Allen White. 

To view the event flyer, click here.

Since 1922, Episcopalians have supported the ministries of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East through the Good Friday Offering. Through the work of the Episcopal dioceses in the Middle East, Christians maintain a peacemaking and stabilizing presence in the region, serving their neighbors regardless of faith background.

Church active in Yemen

 CONTACT: The Rev. Canon Robert Edmunds, officer for the Middle East

 The wider church 

Roman vespers unite pope, archbishop of Canterbury in

 prayer: Williams preaches at St. Paul's Within the Walls

 Episcopal parish 

Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop of Canterbury Williams prayed together and lit candles in the chapel of St. Gregory following a March 10 service at San Gregorio Magna al Celio in Rome to mark the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Italy's Camaldoli monastic community. Photo/Matthew Davies

Matthew Davies | March 12, 2012

Anglicans and Roman Catholics share a somewhat turbulent history, but differences were brushed aside March 10 when Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Pope Benedict XVI prayed together during an ecumenical vespers service at San Gregorio Magna al Celio in Rome.

The service marked the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Italy's Camaldoli monastic community, which includes a presence at San Gregorio, a site of major significance to the origins of the Church of England.

Both Christian leaders, who held a private meeting earlier in the day to discuss human rights issues and concerns for the Holy Land, delivered a homily during the vespers and lit candles together in the chapel of St. Gregory.

Echoing the words of his two predecessors, Williams described the relationship between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church as "certain yet imperfect" during a sermon that extolled St. Gregory's virtues of humility and prophecy.

"'Certain' because of the shared ecclesial vision to which both our communions are committed ... a vision of the restoration of full sacramental communion," he said. "And 'yet imperfect' because of the limit of our vision, a deficit in the depth of our hope and patience." [The full text of the archbishop's homily is available here.]

The pope, according to a Vatican Radio translation of his address, which was delivered in Italian, expressed hope that "the sign of our presence here together in front of the holy altar, where Gregory himself celebrated the eucharistic sacrifice, will remain not only as a reminder of our fraternal encounter, but also as a stimulus for all the faithful - both Catholic and Anglican - encouraging them ... to renew their commitment to pray constantly and to work for unity. ..." [The full text of the pope's homily is available here.]

To continue reading, click here.

Communicating God's message through pop culture  

By Episcopal News Service

Elizabeth Paulsen | March 13, 2012

Daisy, an early 20th century servant girl on the popular PBS period drama "Downton Abbey," struggled at the end of the show's second season to understand and accept the love of another.

After the loss of her husband, Daisy questioned her grieving father-in-law's request to adopt her as a daughter, wrestling to reciprocate his love fully for myriad reasons.

For David Zahl, one of the founders of the non-profit organization Mockingbird, this storyline presents a Christian allegory, mirroring the struggle Christians endure to accept, without question, the grace and love of God.

"That God relates to you and me not according to feelings or attributes that we bring to the table, but those that His Son brought. As a result, we are adopted as children, receiving the same benefit, the same care, the same inheritance, the same love as the Son," Zahl wrote on Mockingbird's website mbird.com.

Illuminating God's message of grace in popular culture, including in television shows like "Downton Abbey" and others like "Friday Night Lights" and "Parenthood," is the cornerstone of Mockingbird, which strives to connect Christianity with everyday life.

Through mbird.com, contributors, including Zahl, analyze film, music, television, literature, social science and humor, dissecting the contents through a Christian understanding.

"We are not trying to cover popular culture," said Zahl. "But we are trying to reach people through both conscious and unconscious parallels in good art."

To continue reading, click here. 

'New Community Gathering' unites Episcopal ethnic ministries 

By Episcopal News Service

Pat McCaughan | March 6, 2012

Bishop Suffragan Diane Bruce of Los Angeles is blessed during a Native American ceremony at the New Community conference. Photo/Keith Yamamoto

Stories of faith and personal witness animated the historic Feb. 29 - March 3 "New Community Gathering" in San Diego of about 300 Asian, Black, Latino and Native American clergy and laity from across the Episcopal Church.

Community engagement, mission focus and collaboration ranked high on the agenda for the event, themed "Reclaiming our Mission; Reinterpreting Our Contexts and Renewing Our Communities."

Organized through the Ethnic Ministries offices of the Episcopal Church, the gathering challenged enthusiastic participants - as well as the wider church - to embrace renewal through creative mission, sharing resources and honoring ethnic and community context.

"There was a sense the timing was right for this historic gathering," said the Rev. Winfred Vergara, missioner for Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries (EAM). "It is simply a time of sharing joys and hopes and rethinking possibilities."

"We need to find resonance in each other's experiences because we have experienced feeling unwelcome, and because we have the capacity to welcome and embrace," he said. "The Spirit is here, expressing that we can reach out to one another because of common experiences of pain and common vision of hope."

To continue reading, click here.