The Rt. Rev. Terry A. White, Bishop of the Diocese of Kentucky, has called the Very Rev. Amy R. Coultas to serve as Canon to the Ordinary. He simultaneously called the Rev. Jason D. Lewis as the Diocese's first Canon for Congregational Vitality. Both Canons' work would begin September 1st and will be formally installed at Diocesan Convention at Christ Church Cathedral on November 8th - 9th.

The Very Rev. Amy R. Coultas, Interim Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Louisville, KY, has previously served as Canon Missioner, Chair of the Deputation to General Convention, Vicar to St. James' Episcopal Church in Shelbyville, member of the Commission on Ministry, and as Chaplain to the Diocesan Youth Summer Camp. She currently serves as a member of Trustees & Council, the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of a Presiding Bishop, The Episcopal Church - Presbyterian Church USA Dialogue, and as the Ecumenical & Interreligious Officer of the Diocese of Kentucky.

The Rt. Rev. Terry A. White said, "Amy has a deep love for and commitment to the people of the Diocese of Kentucky and our common mission to make Christ's redeeming love known to all. Among her gifts is the ability to engage current missiology in ways that encourage and challenge members of the Church to build on our current strengths that the Gospel might be proclaimed in fresh and powerful ways. 

"Through her work within the Diocese of Kentucky, she has gained deep knowledge and understanding of the diocesan community. Her work for the wider Episcopal Church and through her extensive work with and among young adults, she has a fostered a solid network of connections where ideas for strengthening mission are shared.  Amy also brings gifts for organization and communication which will stand her well in working with congregations and her colleagues on the diocesan staff as an administrator and representative of the bishop. I am delighted that she has accepted this call to serve as Canon to the Ordinary."

The Very Rev. Amy Coultas responded to her call as Canon to the Ordinary saying, "Our shared diocesan life has been an essential part of my own Christian formation, and I am excited and humbled to be able to participate in that common life in this new position.  I look forward to working with the talented staff, and I am grateful for the strong foundations already laid by Canon Smith.  I have great respect for Bishop White's leadership and I am honored that he has asked me to serve in this way."

The Canon to the Ordinary is called to serve as Bishop's Chief of Staff and work closely with him on the variety of missional, strategic, personnel, financial, and administrative issues that form the Bishop's ministry.

The Rev. Jason D. Lewis, Rector of St. Mary Magdalene, Belton, MO, serves in the Diocese of West Missouri as the Chair of the Commission on Ministry. He has served as an instructor of the George Herbert Institute for Pastoral Studies. His wife, Amy, and three children, Julia, Maria, and William will be accompanying him in his move to Louisville. 

"In creating the position of Canon for Congregational Vitality, lay and ordained leaders counseled me to call a person with experience in building up a congregation. Jason is a great example of such a priest," The Rt. Rev. Terry A. White said. "When I first met him in the Diocese of West Missouri he was a lay leader of a new congregation, in discernment for the priesthood. That congregation moved from meeting in a funeral home, then to a storefront. My last day as a priest in Kansas City, I attended the consecration of his congregation's new church building. 

"Jason is well-versed in various approaches to strengthening congregations through mission and evangelism, as well as how lay and ordained leaders can effectively work together to build the reign of Christ.  He will also encourage a greater focus on stewardship, particularly financial stewardship.  He will travel the diocese, getting to know our congregations and listening to the challenges and opportunities before us, helping us focus our energies.  It is a genuine pleasure to welcome to him to the Diocese of Kentucky as our new Canon for Congregational Vitality."

In response to the Rt. Rev. Terry White's call, the Rev. Jason Lewis said, "I am really looking forward to coming and engaging this new ministry, meeting the people of the Diocese of Kentucky, joining their ranks, and walking alongside them to encourage and accomplish the work of God."

The Canon for Congregational Vitality is called to serve as a resource to congregations in building their evangelical, missional, and financial stewardship ministries. 

The Rt. Rev. Terry A. White, Bishop of the Diocese of Kentucky, has called Ms. Eduviges 'Vicky' Kaeser to serve as the Financial Assistant in the Diocesan Office. She will begin on July 15th.

Mason Ramsay of St. Mark's, Louisville is representing the Diocese of Kentucky and Province IV at the Province IV Youth Event in Quito, Ecuador. They will be departing July 9th and will return on July 19th.

Bishop White has asked members of the Diocese to pray for Mason and the entire mission team while they are abroad.

Gracious God, your Son before he ascended to glory declared that your people would receive power from the Holy Spirit to bear witness to him to the ends of the earth: Be present with all who go forth in his Name, protect them all the day long and bring them safely home. Let your love shine through their witness, so that all who come to them may see your glory in all that is given, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Did you grow up going to All Saints Camp? Did you volunteer at Gatherings or Camps as an adult? This summer, take a weekend to reconnect with other folks whose lives were touched by this special community. Join us for a gathering for folks with connections to All Saints Camp and their families at All Saints July 19-21. Come see the new facilities, get reconnected with old friends, sing camp songs, and help us look toward All Saints' future ministry. 

You can register online here.

For more information, join the Facebook group. If you have any questions about the event, contact Matt Bradley by email at mbradleytu@gmail.com or by phone at 270.227.9109. If you have questions about registration, please contact Brian Kinnaman at bkinnaman@episcopalky.org or by phone at 502.584.7148.

Baptism establishes the "priesthood of all believers" and the discipleship and ministry of each individual Christian, and the baptismal covenant provides a foundational document that leads us into ministry.  Each time we repeat these vows, we are committing ourselves to a life of ministry, but if we posed the question: "Who are the ministers of the Church?" many people would limit the list to priests and bishops.  If, however, we look at the answer to this question as it appears in the Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer, we read: "The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests and deacons" (p. 855).  The ministry of the Church is most effective when lay persons, bishops, priests and deacons are working together as a team.  When one of these roles is absent or underutilized, the Church's ministry is incomplete. 

In recognition of this fact and in response to the need for a well-defined and carefully executed program of education and formation for those individuals called to the diaconate or to intentional lay ministry in the Church, the Diocese of Kentucky established a School of Ministry in 2007.  The School of Ministry is a two-year program that meets one weekend each month (September through June) at All Saints Conference Center in Leitchfield.  Students spend the weekend (5:30 p.m. Friday until 4:00 p.m. Saturday) participating in coursework, small group discussion and spiritual formation.  In between weekend sessions, students have reading assignments, ministry projects and papers to write.  The program faculty includes seminary and university professors, clergy and laity.  Tuition for the program is $850 per year and includes housing, meals and all materials except textbooks.  Individuals who will be ordained deacons will spend a fifth semester during which they will complete a unit of Pastoral Theological Education and liturgics.

Applications are now being accepted for a new cohort of participants and will be accepted until August 15th.  It is strongly recommended that applicants have completed at least two years of Education for Ministry.  They must also be recommended by the priest-in-charge of their congregation.  Classes will begin in September 2013 and participants will graduate in June 2015.  Applications and directions for letters of recommendation are available on the Diocesan website (under "Ministries").  If you would like further information about the program, please contact The Rev. Dr. Rose Bogal-Allbritten, Director, School of Ministry, at 270-293-9490 or rosebogal@gmail.com.

Bishop White announced at the 185th Diocesan Convention that work on the budget will begin far earlier in the year. At the June 27th meeting of Trustees & Council the Preliminary 2014 Diocesan Budget was approved. 

Below you will find links to both a line item budget and a narrative budget. These budgets are meant to be used as complimentary documents so that a wider range of us may have a deeper and holistic understanding of diocesan finances.

2014 Diocesan Narrative Budget

2014 Diocesan Line Item Budget

To "work, pray and give for the spread of the kingdom of God" is one of the duties that we assume as Christians (BCP, p. 856).  Stewardship is our personal response to God's generosity in the way we share our time, talents and financial resources.  While it is easy to think of stewardship as something that happens on a congregational level, we need to remember that stewardship must not be limited to our response at the local level.  We are also called to share our time, talents and financial resources to further the mission of the church at the diocesan level.

The 186th Convention of the Diocese of Kentucky will be hosted by Christ Church Cathedral, Louisville, and will be held November 8-9, 2013.  At this convention, delegates will elect members to a variety of diocesan positions.  Additionally, four members of the clergy (presbyter or deacon) and four laypersons will be elected as Deputies of the Church to the next General Convention.  As the nominating committee chairperson, I ask that every layperson and member of the clergy of our diocese prayerfully consider the time and talents that he/she can offer in support of the work of the Church, and be willing to be nominated for election to one of these positions.

Attached is a list of positions to be filled at the next diocesan convention.  The list includes qualifications for the various positions, continuing members and members whose terms will expire this year.  A one-page Nomination Form is also included.  It is important that the individuals who are nominated have given their permission to be nominated.  Please note that all lay nominees must be active members of one of the congregations in the Diocese of Kentucky.  Priests in charge of congregations will be asked to verify membership.  Nominees will be sent a biographical information sheet that they will be asked to complete and return.