Diocesan Convention News

Diocesan Convention, which meets annually, is made up of the clergy of the diocese and lay delegates. Our delegates, elected by your Vestry, were Sharon Stoll, Greg Gaar, and Kathleen Moore. Also on hand staffing Ministry Fair booths were Ray Stoll for Kairos and Peggy Curlin for the Diocesan Altar Guild. Convention approved a diocesan budget for 2015 of $3.3 million, a 3% increase over this year. Greg Hearing was elected a Trustee of the University of the South and Father Connelly was elected to the Standing Committee. Greg Hearing was also reappointed as a Vice Chancellor of the diocese. Steve Straske and Mother Sadler continue to serve on the Finance Committee and Steve continues as a member of Diocesan Council. More information will be in Connections, to be mailed to all parishioners by the diocese soon. 

What do you really know about the Bible?  Who wrote it?  Why is it important?  What does it have to do with your ordinary life?

As Episcopalians we read parts of it during our worship services.  We call it the Word of God.  What does that really mean?

On Sunday, November 2, and Sunday, December 14, from 4:30 until 6:00 p.m., we will be exploring these questions and questions like them.  It's an experiment in a basic Bible study that is aimed for those with minimal (or no) understanding of the Bible as well as those who are interested in either reviewing some of the basics of the Bible or filling in some of their gaps of understanding.  Men and women are invited.  There is no homework and no preparation is required.

If the format is well received, it will be continued into next year. The time of 4:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoons was chosen to coincide with meetings of the youth group in hopes of attracting parents of those participating in the youth program.

Father Charles Connelly and Dr. Hal Wiley will be the presenters.  Father Connelly's topic for the first meeting will be "Who Wrote the Bible?"  Dr. Wiley's will be "The Bible: The Part We Don't Talk about in Sunday School." Please join us!

Presiding was Father Chip Connelly, 65, the new St. John's rector. We're not parishioners and had not met him before. In fact, I had never met a priest named 'Chip' before. Catholics don't do that. It proved symbolic.

Informal and unaffected, Father Chip was totally at ease with a menagerie that also included cats, an iguana, a fish and a gerbil. St. Francis, an eclectic sort, would have approved.

'I love it; it's great fun,' said a beaming Father Chip. 'You're blessing a pet, but you're also blessing that person's relationship with one of God's creatures.' Amen.

On Sunday, the birthday of our rector, "Papa C," was celebrated with a cake from the children of the parish. Blessings for a wonderful year, Fr. Chip!

Please note that the November 4 meeting will conclude 2014 for the Men's Ministry and there will be no December meeting. The group will pick back up on January 6, 2015. 

"I discovered later, and I'm still discovering right up to this moment, that is it only by living completely in this world that one learns to have faith. By this-worldliness I mean living unreservedly in life's duties, problems, successes and failures. In so doing we throw ourselves completely into the arms of God, taking seriously, not our own sufferings, but those of God in the world. That, I think, is faith."  -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Men's Interactive Bible Study and Lunch group will continue their fall series on alternate Thursdays at 11:45 a.m. in the Peterson Room. Lunch is sandwiches at $5 per person. RSVP to dlrncrtpa@verizon.net if you would like to partake.