the southern cross, may/june 2011

2 The Southern Cross May/June 2011

On the cover:Kids at St. Francis Children’s Day Care center in Tampa plant seeds as part of an Earth Day experience. More on this story can be found on page 12. Photo by Jim DeLa

The Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida is a community of 34,000 Christians in 11 counties serving 77 congregations, 13 schools, two campus ministries and the DaySpring Conference Center. Established in 1969.

BishopThe Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith

Mailing address:7313 Merchant CourtSarasota, FL 34240Phone: (941) 556-0315Fax: (941) 556-0321

Website: www.episcopalswfl.org

In the United States, the Episcopal Church is a community of 2.3 million members in 110 dioceses in the Americas and abroad.

Presiding BishopThe Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori815 Second AvenueNew York, NY 10017(212) 867-8400

The Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion, a global community of 70 million Anglicans in 38 member churches/provinces in more than 160 countries.

Archbishop of CanterburyThe Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Rowan WilliamsLambeth PalaceLondon WE1 7JUUNITED KINGDOM

The Southern Cross is a member of Episcopal News Service and Episcopal Communicators. The Southern Cross is published six times a year: January, March, May, July, September and No-vember. Copies are shipped to all congregations for free distribution.

Articles, letters, calendar information and photos are welcome. They will be used on a space-avail-able basis and are subject to editing. Send all ma-terial (preferably in electronic form by e-mail) to:

Jim DeLa, editorE-mail: [email protected]

The Southern Cross7313 Merchant CourtSarasota, FL 34240Phone: (941) 556-0315, ext. 268

HigHligHts iN tHis issue

submission deadlines for 2011 issues:

July/August 2011 June 1september/October August 1November/December October 1

5 Annual Appeal: Endowments funds to supportchurches’ ministries, DaySpring

Kudos for the Cross:Southern Cross garners Episcopal Communicators awards

3 From the Bishop

A Publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida

SouthernCrossThe

7

23 events Calendar

10 Protecting assets:Tips for keeping track of fixed assets

17 getting creative: ERD fundraisers mixing fun and faith

18 Changingtimes:S.C. parishinstalls giving kiosks for debit/credit cards

3The Southern Cross May/June 2011(Continued on page 20)

BishoptheFrom

the Rt. Rev. Dabney t. smith

How are we doing? Just look around

One of the great honors I have in life is the

privilege of visiting the congregations that make up the Diocese of South-west Florida.

A question that is of-ten raised by individuals is, “How is the diocese doing?” That question is interesting to me in that it can indicate so many variables. How is the diocese doing financially? How is the diocese doing in mission? How is the diocese doing in the wider Church? How is the diocese doing in preparing people for ordination? How is the diocese doing in helping congrega-tions in clergy transitions? How is the diocese doing at DaySpring? How is the diocese doing in youth ministry?

How is the diocese doing?The primary point I want to make here is a

simple one. The diocese is doing as well as the congregations are doing. Healthy congregations make a healthy diocese.

The reality is that some congregations are growing in budgets, baptisms and buildings. Some congregations are stable and getting by. Some congregations are more fragile.

All of our congregations are doing the Lord’s work. All of our congregations are in the dioc-esan family together. We support each other. We share with each other. We belong to each other.

There are times when the diocese is per-ceived within a congregation as some other group out there beyond the congregation. Please know that all of the members of the Standing Commit-tee, all of the members of the Diocesan Council, all of the members of the Congregation Devel-opment Committee, all of the members of the Commission on Ministry, all of the members of the ECW, all of the members of the deputation to General Convention, are all members of local congregations.

The diocese is just us!

The Diocese is just us at St. John’s, St. Mary’s, Church of the Good Shep-

herd, Church of the Re-deemer, Christ Church, St. Alban’s, St. Dunstan’s, St. Peter’s, Trinity-by-the-Cove, St. Mark’s, St. Bede’s, Holy Innocents, St. James, Church of the

Nativity, St. Monica’s, St. Paul’s, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, All Angels by the Sea, All Souls, Calvary, Church of the As-cension, Church of the Annunciation, Epiphany, St. Alfred’s, All Saints, Good Samaritan, Grace, Iona-Hope, St. Andrew’s, Lamb of God, St. Giles, St. Anselm’s, St. George’s. St. Edmund’s, St. Stephen’s, St. Augustine’s, St. Hilary’s, St. David’s, St. Luke’s, St. Margaret’s of Scotland, St. Raphael’s, St. Michael’s, St. John the Di-vine, St. James House of Prayer, St. Francis, St. Martin’s, St. Elizabeth’s, St. Wilfred’s, St. Na-thaniel’s, St. Chad’s, St. Vincent’s, St. Thomas, St. Catherine’s, St. Matthew’s, St. Clement’s, St. Boniface, St. Cecilia’s, St. Bartholomew’s, St. Anne of Grace.

You will see in this issue of The Southern Cross that the diocese is already gearing up for our convention in October. We continue to move and work together. Thank you for all that you do to make your congregations healthy, vital and purposeful. When you do so, you make a healthy diocese. Because it is just us!


Letters to the editor and Reflections essays to The Southern Cross are ap-preciated and encouraged.

We ask that letters be as concise as possible — with a 300-word suggested limit — and stay on one topic. Authors should include their full name, parish af-filiation or city of residence. Anonymous letters will not be published.

All submissions are subject to editing to improve clarity and to fit in the available space for each issue.

Please send correspondence to:

Letters to the EditorThe Southern CrossDiocese of Southwest Florida7313 Merchant CourtSarasota, FL 34240

Or send letters by fax to (941) 556-0321; or by e-mail to [email protected]

Letters RRReflections

— Virginia Harper is clerk of the vestry at Iona-Hope Episcopal Church in Fort Myers. (Continued on page 21)

By Virginia D. Harper, ed.D.

You can’t have real religion unless you work for justice for the hungry and the poor.

— David Beckmann, Pastor and president of Bread for the World.

I love our denomination’s com-mitment to feeding the hungry. In fact, among many others, one of the main and most passionate

reasons I love the Episcopal Church nationally, this Diocese of Southwest Florida in general, and my scrappy pro-gressive parish in particular, is the total commitment to feeding the poor.

Years ago, I asked my pastor, the Rev. Dr. John Adler, what he personally thought Jesus’ greatest commandment for all of us to perform in this modern world — that is, after the “big ten.” Without hesitating he barked passion-ately, “Feed the hungry.”

Sometimes it takes another voice to ring in my head for me to completely understand the passion of God. God’s heart lies with the poor, the distressed, the disadvantaged, the weak and the sick. I am personally and theologically offended when certain gloating faithful tell me they can prove that God prefers wealth and prosperity within scripture. But that’s another essay.

Since John’s scriptural wakeup call reminder, I give food away to my stu-dents who need it, collect surplus citrus to give away and always drop some-thing in our food basket for blessing every week. Food anxiety has returned to infiltrate all levels and classes of people. For those of us who can get to a grocery store, we marvel at the rise in simple food costs. Even a peanut but-ter and jelly sandwich now costs more than $5 for the supplies. I try to imagine what it must be like to open an empty refrigerator or search behind cushions or car seats for loose change, or as hap-pened in my neighborhood last week, as the perpetrator admitted, resort to stealing metal awnings to scrap for food

money for five children at home.Throughout scripture God has a

passion for the poor and hungry. When Jesus joined us and then physically de-parted, he left us with admonition after admonition to feed his sheep. He knew the poor and hungry would always be with us, and here we are 2,000 years later, living out his predictions. Jesus also knew that the world would always be full of unfair ironies and class war-fares. Today the richest 400 Americans have an accumulated wealth that is over 50 percent of the rest of us combined. And they don’t want to share and our lawmakers don’t have the temerity to ask them to.

Our Florida state legislators and members of Congress apparently think it’s OK to balance the budgets on those who can least afford it. Our governor proposes to do away with corporate tax-es as if that will somehow make us all better off. He wants to reduce pensions for the old, Medicaid for the weakest and least healthy, and unemployment help for the soon-to-be-hungry. But somehow reducing corporate taxes will make it better for all of us? Not once have I read how cutting back on meager benefits for those who can least afford it will somehow make it better for all of us. Almost 50 percent of us live below the median income level. Of course we can’t balance the budget either national-ly or statewide when we let those whose wealth is redundant and lacking in transparency deliberately make it harder to help the poor and feed the hungry.

If H.R. 1, the U.S. House’s budget bill, makes its way to the president’s desk and our governor has his way, the prediction is that another 20 percent of us will fall into the most vulnerable so-

The deficits of faith

5The Southern Cross May/June 2011

in BriefDiocese to revamp current website

Over the next several months, the diocese will be working with DigitalFaith.org to completely rede-sign our website, www.episcopals-wfl.org, to make it easier to use for both church professionals and seek-ers, streamline online registration and online giving, add a mobile ver-sion of the site and more. An added benefit of the Digital Faith partner-ship is that the diocese will pick up the entire tab for hosting, training and support for the first 50 congrega-tions interested in having their own new Digital Faith website.

Digital Faith (www.digitalfaith.org) uses a web-based, multi-user, content management system that requires no software or program-ming knowledge to use. Contact Jim DeLa at [email protected] or at (941) 556-0315, ext. 268 if your church is interested in receiving this service.

New program for kids, moms in sarasota

“Mommy and Me,” a new, free Tuesday morning program begins May 17, from 9:30-11:15 a.m. at St. Margaret of Scotland Episcopal Church, 8700 State Road 72 in Sara-sota. The children will be given a new activity such as arts and crafts, music, story time or free play. Two volunteers from St. Margaret’s will supervise play.

No preregistration is necessary for a morning of socializing and play with others. For more information, call the church office at (941) 925-2525.

Hudson church to host youth theater camp

A Youth Theater Camp spon-sored by St. Martin’s Episcopal Church Women will be held the weeks of July 11 and July 18 at the church from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mon-days through Thursdays.

(Continued on page 10)

Create

The Bishop’s Annual

Appeal invites you

to prayerfully

consider investing

in our future.

Legacy

Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida

7313 Merchant Court

Sarasota, FL 34240

www.episcopalswfl.org

Nam

e (please print)

Telephone number

Mailing address (C

ity, State, ZIP)

Email address

C

hurch (include city)

After prayerful consideration, I/We m

ake the following com

mitm

ents to the 2011 Bishop’s Annual Appeal.

q

Apply this gift to the Episcopal

Charities Endow

ment Fund.

q

Apply this gift to the DaySpring

Endowm

ent Fund.

q

Split this donation evenly be-

tween the tw

o funds.

q

Contact m

e about making a gift

through my estate, or a planned

gift.

q

Keep my gift anonym

ous and

do not publish my nam

e.

Make checks payable to the Episcopal D

iocese of Southwest Florida.

To give online by credit card, go to ww

w.episcopalsw

fl.org/donate_now

a

Diocese’s first annual appeal hits mailboxes

The diocese recently launched its first mass mail campaign to raise money for two permanent endowment funds.

Congregations provided more than 18,000 address labels to the diocesan office for this campaign.

Called the Bishop’s Annual Appeal, it asks parishioners to consider giving to two endowment funds:

The Episcopal Charities Endow-ment Fund supports congregation-based community outreach ministries, accord-ing to a letter from Bishop Dabney Smith.

“This fund strengthens our ability to support the mission of Christ by serving the poor and marginalized people throughout our diocesan com-munity,” he wrote.

A 10 percent tithe of the funds collected will be used in 2011 to support outreach ministries, with the remainder put in an endowment fund to be used to ensure a vital Episcopal Charities Fund for future generations.

Bishop Smith said, “Many of our congregations are dealing with issues of domestic poverty, food kitchens, homeless min-istry, and more. I am asking for your support as we estab-lish a permanent legacy in the Diocese of Southwest Florida to

serve the unmet needs in our communities and to continue to offer a sacred place for people to gather. We need your financial contributions to do this.”

The DaySpring Endowment Fund has been estab-lished to ensure the diocese’s camp and conference center will continue for generations to come.

DaySpring Episcopal Conference Center plays a vital role in the mission and ministry of the Diocese of Southwest Florida. Its mission is “to be a sacred place in the heart of our diocesan community that exists to enrich and empower all people in Christ.” This is best realized through our ministry of hospitality.

The timing of the appeal was intentional, Bishop Smith wrote. “I have chosen this time of year for our ap-peal because it is through the Miracle of Easter that we can do all things in the name of our Risen Lord.”

Brochures are also available in every Episcopal con-gregations in Southwest Florida.

To give online, go to www.episcopalswfl.org and click on the Bishop’s Annual Appeal button.

Brochures like this one have been mailed to households across Southwest Florida.


Good Friday

Holy Week activities across the diocese encompassed a number of Good Friday

observances, including the youth of St. Peter’s Cathedral and St. Giles Church in Pinellas Park walking the Stations of

the Cross in downtown St. Petersburg (above), as well

as parishioners of Church of the Good Shepherd in

Dunedin, (at right) who also performed the ritual through

the downtown area.

Photo by Jim DeLa

Photo courtesy of Church of the Good Shepherd


Diocesan Director of Communica-tions Jim DeLa earned six awards for work in 2010 at the recent annual confer-ence of the Episcopal Communicators, an independent organization of professionals and volunteers involved in communica-tions work in the Episcopal Church.

The diocese’s bimonthly magazine, The Southern Cross, won an Award of Merit (second place) for General Excel-lence among Episcopal newspapers and periodicals with circulations of less than 12,000.

Judges in that category praised the consistently professional writing and said The Southern Cross’ colorful and dynamic cover designs “set the gold standard” for diocesan publications, and was “an attrac-tive, well-produced newspaper, created with plenty of dedication and hard work.”

DeLa also took first and second place awards for news photography, a first-place award for feature photography, as well as a second-place award for an interactive web article about an icon installation at Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota, and an honorable mention for news writing for an article about ministry to deaf families

at St. Alfred’s in Palm Harbor. DeLa has been director of com-

munications for the diocese since 1999. He is the immediate past president of Episcopal Communicators and his work is regularly seen on the Episcopal News Service website as well as in the church’s new independent newspaper, Episcopal Journal.

Magazineis named

one of the church’s best

The image of the Ash Wednesday service at St. Peter’s Cathedral (photo left) was judged the best news photo of 2010; the image of summer camp on the cover of the July/August issue was named the best feature photo.

This photo accompanying a story about local congregations’

involvement in social activism earned a second-place award for

news photography.

The diocese is sponsoring a Family Ministry Conference on June 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Church of the Good Shep-herd, 401 W. Henry St., in Punta Gorda.

Clergy and lay leaders will discuss how congregations of all sizes can implement ideas to make their churches welcoming to families through worship, formation and fellowship.

The conference will feature three sessions where presenters will offer their experience and ideas on how churches can minister to children, youth and young families. The facilitators are:l Lisa Puccio, director of family minis-

try at Christ Church Cathedral, Hous-ton. A former teacher and school administrator, she has experience in ministry with special intention for families.

She is a member of the Christian Formation Steering Committee of the Diocese of Texas and is a member of the National Association of Episco-pal Christian Education Directors.

l The Rev. Edward Gleason, associ-ate rector at Trinity-by-the-Cove, Naples. He has served as a chaplain to an Episcopal day school.

He created the My Church Book se-

ries to enhance ministry to families. The conference will be convened

by Bishop Dabney Smith and the Rev. Canon Jim Williamson, canon for Chris-tian formation.

Participants, whether lay or ordained, should leave the conference with tools that will make the 2011-12 program year one that inspires, invites and transforms family ministry.

The cost of the conference is $10. Register online at www.episcopalswfl.org or by calling the diocesan office at (941) 556-0315.

Conference to focus on family ministry


Clergy and lay delegates at the 2011 diocesan convention will be electing 18 people to serve in positions on the Standing Committee, Diocesan Council and other panels.

Any canonically resident clergy or lay parishioner who is qualified to vote at their congregation’s annual meeting is eligible to be nominated.

Diocese lookingfor those

willing to serve

Countdown to ConventionWhile the 2011 diocesan conven-

tion dates of Oct. 21–22 may seem comfortably distant, there are deadlines throughout the year that congregations, their clergy and lay leaders should keep in mind.

According to the diocese’s Con-stitution and Canons, and the Episcopal Church’s canons, meetings must be held and paperwork must be filed in a timely manner in order for the business of con-vention to run smoothly. In a nutshell, here are this year’s deadlines:

June July

June 21: 120 days before convention

This is earliest date a deanery can hold a meeting, called a con-vocation, to discuss convention. Usually, the bishop and staff are on hand to present and explain in detail the next year’s budget and present for discussion any resolu-tions that may already be filed. The clergy and delegates of each deanery will also elect its repre-sentation to Diocesan Council for the next two years. Deaneries have already announced dates for their fall convocations. They are:

Sept. 6 – 7 p.m. Naples/Fort Myers deaneries, location to be determined;

Sept. 7 – 7 p.m. Manasota/Venice deaneries, location to be deter-mined; and

Sept. 8 – 7 p.m. Tampa/Clearwa-ter/St. Petersburg deaneries, loca-tion to be determined.

July 21: 90 days before convention

This is the deadline for the Nomi-nating Committee to certify that any potential nominees being considered for elected office are eligible for election.

A nomination form may be completed online by visiting www.episcopalswfl.org/diocesan_convention.

The duties of these bodies are as follows:

Standing CommitteeThe Standing Committee acts as a confidential council of

advice to the bishop. It acts either at the bishop’s call or on its own initiative.

The committee is required to consider and approve requests for the ordination of bishops in other dioceses and of clergy within the Diocese of Southwest Florida.

It becomes the ecclesiastical authority of the diocese in case of the death, incapacity or prolonged absence of the bishop.

Membership consists of five presbyters and four laypersons, each of whom serve a three-year term. No member can serve more than two consecutive terms.


Diocesan CouncilThe Diocesan Council is the board of directors for the

corporation of the diocese and serves as an “interim body” between conventions. It is responsible for the oversight of the work of the diocese including finance, property issues, diocesan policy, DaySpring and other matters. Council usually meets on Saturdays at DaySpring on the third Saturday of the month, six to eight times a year.

Council representatives serve two-year terms and may not serve longer than six consecutive years. An election to fill an unexpired term is counted as a full term.

Each deanery elects positions at fall convocation for a two-year term to be ratified at convention. “At large” positions are elected at the diocesan convention. On the even-numbered years, convention elects one presbyter “at-large” member. On the odd-numbered years of convention two lay “at-large” members

August september October

August 1: 80 days before

convention The bishop’s office must publish a preliminary roster of convention, including clergy, lay delegates and alternates, indicating who has seat, voice and vote at convention.

August 23: 60 days before convention

l Resolutions to be consid-ered at convention must be received by the diocesan office by this date;

l The Nominating Commit-tee must submit to the secretary of convention the election ballot as it will appear at convention.

September 1: The last day for audit re-ports for the fiscal year 2010 to be filed with the diocesan office. This is mandated by the Episcopal Church’s Title I, Canon 6, Sec. 1. All congregations failing to file an audit report are automatically referred to the Finance Committee.

September 22: 30 days before

convention By this date:lRoster corrections from

congregations must be received by the diocesan office;

lSecretary of convention is notified of the time and place of convention;

lApplications by a con-gregation for elevation to parish status must be filed;

lThis is the last day a dean-ery may hold a convoca-tion;

lResolutions filed by com-mittees, clergy or del-egates must be provided to members and published on the diocesan website.

October 14: 1 week before

convention The final roster of clergy and lay members of con-vention must be delivered by the bishop to the Cre-dentials Committee.

October 7: 15 days before

convention Bishop’s office must notify congregations of any convention roster disputes.

October 21-22: Diocesan Convention

are elected — one must be male, one must be female.

Disciplinary BoardThis is a new panel being constituted by election for the

first time. It replaced two entities, the Disciplinary Review Committee and the Ecclesiastical Trial Court.

The board receives and reviews disciplinary matters con-cerning priests and deacons under Canon IV of the Episcopal Church.

It is a nine-person board consisting of five clergy and four laypersons.

As allegations or charges against clergy arise, the Disciplin-ary Board can form two essentially different kinds of panels, depending on the case: l A conference panel that can lead both parties (now referred



Do you know where your assets are? A fixed asset is defined as long-term tangible property that

an entity owns that has a life expectancy of more than a year. Tangible fixed assets consist of land, buildings, computer equipment, furniture and vehicles.

Tracking fixed assets is an important concern of every parish regardless of size. Many parishes find it a challenge to track the location, quanti-ty, condition and mainte-nance status of their fixed assets simply because they don’t know where or how to start. Here is some guidance as well as some tips in completing a Fixed Asset Listing, which will hopefully make the process a little less daunting.

Are you starting from scratch? Does your balance sheet list a value for fixed assets but you have no idea what makes up that total? The following steps will help you start the process.

The first step is to print out the detail of all the fixed asset accounts.

The second step, which may be the most difficult, is to verify that the parish still has all the assets listed on the report by conducting a physical inventory. If you come across an item that can’t be found or you know the parish no longer has, a journal entry will have to be done to remove the asset from the account.

The third step is to try and locate the original invoice of the item so that the cost entered into the system can be verified. If you come across any dis-crepancies, a journal entry will need to be made to correct it.

The final step is putting it all to-gether. I recommend putting all the documents in a binder and labeling it “Fixed Asset Listing.” The binder will consist of the detail asset listing by cat-egory or however it is broken down on your balance sheet, along with copies of the purchase invoices and, if any, the current policy in place for capitalizing

fixed assets.The verification of property and

equipment is part of the annual audit process, therefore the fixed asset list should be reviewed and reconciled at the end of every year. The detailed asset list should be reviewed to verify that the list balanc-es to the general ledger, to find out if there are any items on the listing that are no longer used by the church, and if there are any assets that have been purchased that are not included in the listing.

So why go through all the trouble? Well,

not only is it good business practice to know what your church actually owns, if there was ever a catastrophic event such as a fire, and assets were destroyed, you would have a list for the insurance company along with the cost of each asset.

So don’t delay any further in creat-ing your binder. You’ll be glad you did.

Some additional tips:l The physical inventory process

would be a good summer project for high school students.

lTaking pictures of all the assets with a digital camera or labeling each asset with a sticker helps in identifying each asset.

lAt the very least, take a video in-ventory for insurance purposes and store it in a safe place.

in Brief(Continued from page 5)Keeping track of fixed assets

is simply good stewardship

— Nora Ortiz is the diocese’s parish administration resource, a specialist in parish administration, serving parish and diocesan leadership with expertise in parish financial management, including financial reporting, parochial reports, audits, benefits administration, ac-counting systems and internal controls. Contact her at [email protected].

ResourcesNora Ortiz

The program will culminate with a play on Thursday, July 21 at 2 p.m. This two-week experience will introduce students to areas including sound, music, singing. acting, and set design and construction.

Class size is limited to 20 mem-bers in grades 2-5. Registration is $10 per child or $15 per family.

Please contact Kathy Crump at (352) 293-6335 for information or to register.

Peace pilgrimage planned to Holy land

The Peace and Justice Commit-tee of St. Boniface Church is spon-soring a peace pilgrimage to Jordan and the Holy Land Nov. 3-15.

The $3,359 cost covers airfare from Sarasota, all transfers, accom-modations and all meals except lunch, all admissions, tips, guides and deluxe motor coach.

The pilgrimage will include an overnight home stay with a Palestin-ian family and a visit to a kibbutz, as well as other opportunities to meet average Israelis and Palestinians who continue to hope and work for peace.

This will be in the context of a pilgrimage to the holy places of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Depending on the political situation, there will be an optional extension to Egypt including Mount Sinai and Luxor.

For more information, email [email protected] or [email protected] or call the Rev.Robert Thacker, tour leader (941) 918-8232, or David Evans, Peace and Justice Committee chair (941) 951-2059.


to as complainants and respon-dents) into conversation with the goal of reconciliation; or

l A hearing panel, which functions more like an ecclesiastical court and may release a judgment, called an “order.”

Board members serve three-year staggered terms. Since convention is electing all nine members this year, exactly how the terms of the nine members will be staggered has yet to be determined.

Trustee, University of the South

The University of the South, located in Sewanee, Tenn., is the only university in the nation owned entirely by the Epis-copal Church.

Each of the owning dioceses, all lo-cated in the Southeast, is represented by its bishop and three additional delegates to the Board of Trustees, one of whom is to be a priest.

Continuity and longevity in tenure

of the office is desirable as influence tends to increase with experience and familiarity with the university’s vari-ous offices.

The trustees meet annually and have a great deal of ultimate authority regarding the life of the University. The board meets once every May on a Thursday and Friday.

Bishop Gray Inns FoundationThe Bishop Gray Inns are two fa-

cilities for the elderly formerly owned by three dioceses: the Diocese of South-west Florida, the Diocese of Southeast Florida and the Diocese of Central Florida. Each diocese elects four repre-sentatives to the Board, who serve along with the Bishop of each diocese.

Members elected to the board should be able to attend the board meet-ings, which are held in a regular rotating basis in Davenport, Lake Worth and by conference call (with members gathered at central locations).

The term of service is three years and each board member is eligible for re-election for an additional three-year term. The position can be filled by either clergy or laity.

Convention elections(Continued from page 9) the ballot:

The following seats will be filled at elections at the 2011 diocesan convention in Punta Gorda:

Standing Committee:2 presbyters1 layperson

Diocesan Council:2 lay persons for at-large seatsDeaneriess at convocations, will elect:Clearwater: 1 clergyFort Myers: 1 clergyManasota: 1 laypersonNaples: 1 clergySt. Petersburg: 1 clergyTampa: 1 laypersonVenice: 1 layperson

Disciplinary Board:9 members, 5 clergy and 4 lay-persons

Trustee, University of the South:1 layperson

Trustee, Bishop Gray Inns Foundation:3 people, clergy or lay

Jay Crouse, director of strategic projects for Episcopal Men’s Ministries, presented an hourlong overview of min-istry to men to 25 seminary students at Nashotah House Theological Seminary on April 15.

Through the invitation of the semi-nary’s dean, the Rev. Robert Munday, and Academic Dean Woody Anderson, the focus of the presentation centered on parish life and the role of a vital ministry to men to draw men back into the life of a local congregation.

Episcopal Men’s Ministries and the Diocese of Southwest Florida have also presented three Vision for Life confer-ences; Nov. 5-6, 2010, at St. Mary’s Epis-copal Church, Tampa; Jan. 22 at Church of the Nativity, Sarasota; and March 12 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Bonita Springs.

Pictured along with Nashotah House Dean Robert Munday (center) and Episcopal Men’s Ministries director Jay Crouse (second from left) is Diocese of Southwest Florida second-year seminary student Roy Alison, at left.

More than 100 men from throughout the diocese attended. Conference speakers included Bishop Smith, Canon Michael Durning, the Rev. Jim Hedman of St. Mary Magdalene, the Rev. Jon Roberts of Good Shepherd, Venice and the Rev. Doug Scharf of Holy Innocents. Partici-

pants also heard from laymen Bill Hardy, Andy Carlson and Jack Sites. In addition, Episcopal Men’s Ministries’ directors Jay Crouse and Scott Brewer made a presenta-tion at each conference on how to develop and sustain a ministry to men in a local congregation.

Courtesy photo

Men’s Ministry has a busy year


Urban Oasis

story and photos by Jim DelaEditor, The Southern Cross

It’s Earth Day, and inside the gates of St. Francis Chil-dren’s Day Care center in Tampa, dozens of kids and their teachers are in constant motion.

A group of preschoolers attacks small garden plots with rakes and shovels. Others, paintbrushes in hand, are decorating large barrels positioned under rain gutters.

Arts and crafts tables are full of recyclable materials such as plastic bottles and scrap paper to use to make Mother’s Day gifts.

These inner-city kids are learning lifelong lessons about caring for the Earth and using resources creatively and wisely.

Simone Johnson, the center director, said in the five months she has been on staff, the day school has made a con-

scious effort to be as “green” as possible by collecting recy-cled materials for art projects and using rain barrels to collect water to irrigate their organic gardens.

Students have also been helping to raise some small ani-mals. “We’ve done the incubator (chicks). We also have had some guinea pigs and rabbits to help develop that love of life, that respect for God’s creatures.”

On the morning of Earth Day, kids and teachers were busy preparing the several organic gardens on school prop-erty. “The gardens are thematically based, like a lot of the activities here,” Johnson explained, with one plot dedicated to tomatoes and peppers.

Nothing is wasted. “We reuse the seeds as we pick the product — the tomatoes are cored and we’ll replant the seeds

Tampa day care center celebrates Earth Day every day

Baby goats visiting St. Francis Children’s Day Care on Earth Day were a hit with the kids.


over here.” Another plot has a healthy looking crop of collard greens, which, when picked, will be replaced with strawber-ries and peas. In another plot, plans are for a variety of let-tuces and other vegetables.

The harvested food is used by the school — the children cooked collards green, for example, during a multicultural day program. Food from the gardens is also prepared and served to adults taking parenting classes at St. Francis.

If this harvest is good this year, Johnson said the school will share the crops with parishioners at St. Francis, and with students’ families who are in need. “We do provide meals and canned goods for our families, so that will become part of the offering, giving them the opportunity to have fresh, organic

Students at the center prepare a garden plot for planting on April 22, which was Good Friday and Earth Day.

Students paint a rain barrel that collects water for the garden.(Continued on page 14)


Episcopal Public Policy Network

This year, Earth Day fell on Good Friday — a profound coincidence. In the season we mark the crucifixion of Christ, let us remember that when Earth is degraded and species go extinct, a part of God’s body experiences a different type of crucifixion, and another way of seeing and experiencing God is diminished.

To fully honor Earth Day throughout the year, we need to reclaim the theology that knows Earth is “very good” and holy. When we fully recognize this, our actions will create a more sustainable, compas-sionate economy and way of life.

The first Earth Day in 1970 marked a rare occasion where millions of Ameri-cans united to demonstrate their concern for the deteriorating state of the environ-ment. Forty years later, the importance of protecting the environment has become ever more apparent when we experienced the largest accidental oil spill in the his-tory of the petroleum industry. Although the BP oil leak has been capped after flowing for three months, the effects on

local wildlife persist. More thanr 400 spe-cies in the Gulf are at risk, and thousands of gallons of poisonous chemicals have spilled into the water and made their way into the air.

This year on Earth Day we all can do our part to act as good stewards and advocates for the environment, ensur-ing that later generations will be able to benefit from all the beauty and bounties of the Earth. You can reaffirm your com-mitment to protecting the environment by volunteering, letting your representatives know that you support sound environmen-tal policies, or making a small lifestyle change to reduce your negative impact on the environment. If everyone chooses to do something small, together we can cre-ate a better world for future generations.

To help you further reflect on God’s earth as gift, here are some additional resources:

Earth Day Resources:National Council of Churches’ Earth Day Sunday Resources:

vegetables in their homes.” Once the chickens at the day school start produc-ing, eggs will also be made available, she explained.

Heidi Honea, executive director of the school, told The Southern Cross that the lessons will continue throughout the summer, when enrollment swells when their popular summer program begins. By that time, more garden plots will be ready, thanks to a local Boy Scout troop taking on construction as an Eagle Scout project.

The center is at 912 E. Sligh Ave. in Tampa, part of St. Francis Episcopal Church. It offers volunteer prekinder-garten classes and after-school care to children 5-12 year of age. Services also include literacy programs, a lending library, wellness programs, hearing and vision screenings, nutrition services, a health clinic, limited physical, oc-cupational and speech therapy, and developmental screenings. For more information, you can contact the center at (813) 231-4169.

urban Oasis(Continued from page 13)

Earth Day on Good Friday a profound occurrence NCC’s Eco-Justice Working Group,

produces an Earth Day Sunday resource. http://nccecojustice.org/resources/index.php#earthdaysundayresources

Earth Ministry’s Worship Aids: A rich collection of homilies, hymns,

prayers, litanies, sample worship ser-vices and more. http://earthministry.org/resources/worship-aids

Episcopal Ecological Network’s Liturgical Resources:

Sample creation season services, litanies, liturgies, service bulletins and related materials. http://eenonline.org/reflect/liturgy.htm

Earth Day Network: Though not faith-based, this net-

work provides a wealth of educational resources for all ages, including lesson plans for their “green schools” projects. www.earthday.org/education

GreenFaith’s Resource Center:Resources related to worship, educa-

tion and spiritual practices. http://green-faith.org/resource-center/spirit

Students marched to display their homemade Earth Day T-shirts at St. Francis Children’s Day Care center in Tampa.


The youth at St. Anne of Grace Episcopal Church in Seminole have started a new program on Sunday eve-nings called the Abundant Life Garden Project, a curriculum designed by Epis-copal Relief and Development.

The program builds upon the idea of being good stewards of the natural resources with which the Lord has blessed us with and learning about the real needs of people throughout the world.

Lessons are divided into five areas focused on water, seeds, soil, animals and the harvest. Each Sunday evening, kids from St. Anne’s ages 4–12 gather to think about one of the topics, find and read related Bible stories, learn about the current needs of people worldwide related to the topic, and participate in a group learning activ-ity designed to help them better understand the issues they are studying.

The first week, the youth “walked for water,” where they designed and walked a 10-minute path to obtain a bucket of water to in order to water their plants. They learned that many people must make long journeys just to ob-tain water, a resource we often take for granted. At the end of the project, the church hopes to plant a community garden.

In early February the church asked Gale Moore to be involved with christian formation at St. Anne’s, which has a number children attending church but no youth direc-tor.

“About a week later I attended Cursillo at Day-

Spring in Ellenton,” Moore said. “About a week after that we de-cided to re-start a youth group on Sunday evenings for our younger children, but I had no idea about a program or curriculum.”

After praying about it she began searching online for some ideas and came across the ALGP. “I really felt it was the answer to prayer,” she said. “Our children vary with the youngest at 4 and the oldest at 10. They love singing and they love being outside and anything to do with nature and our beautiful Florida weather.”

Most of the meeting are held outdoors, she said. Although the program was designed as a five-week program, St. Anne has adapted it so that each topic lasts 2-3 weeks. “I love that it is equally great for 4-year-olds and 10-year-olds and that we can go at our own pace,” Moore said.

St. Anneof Grace adaptsgarden projectfor youth group

Aly, Kaylee and Ariana ready their buckets for the “Walk on Water.”

Ariana studies her collection of leaves and twigs during the Abundant Life Garden Project at St. Anne of Grace in Seminole.

Courtesy photos


Blessing of the Fleet

The diocesan Summer Camp theme for this year is Get it, Got it, Give it. To-gether as a community, campers will be exploring what it means to live out the Great Commission.

Each day youth will experience wor-ship, Bible study, arts and crafts, drama classes, music, outdoor activities includ-ing canoeing, and sports.

Evening p r o g r a m s i n c l u d e campfires , movies un-der the stars ( w e a t h e r permitting), s c a v e n g e r hunts, square dancing, tal-ent shows and more.

The camp has an experienced col-lege-aged counseling staff, along with a support staff of adults, a camp nurse and two lifeguards.

The lead staff for camp this summer will all be trained in first aid and CPR.

The cost for each camper is $375. Camp dates are:l Elementary Summer Camp: June

12-17l Youth Summer Camp: June 26 to

July 1

The summer camp program will take place at DaySpring Episcopal Confer-ence Center, 8411 25th St. E. in Parrish. DaySpring is on a 92-acre campus located along the Manatee River.

For more information about the 2011 Summer Camp, contact the camp’s direc-tor, Jackie Overton, at (941) 488-7714.

For questions about registration, please contact Michelle Mercurio at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274 or go to www.episco-palswfl.org/youth_ministry to download registration forms.

Counselor trainingThe diocese will also be offering a

leadership development counselor-in-training program for high school youth in grades 9-12.

This training will include team build-ing, learning skills to facilitate small groups, and hands-on opportunities to lead our camp community in Bible study,

Summer Camp still taking registrations

worship and other activities. Training space is limited. Contact

Michelle Mercurio at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274.

Bishop Dabney Smith blesses boats in the Gulf of Mexico as part of the Blessing of the Shrimp Fleet March 12 in Fort Myers. Members of St. Raphael’s Church in Fort Myers also took part in the festivities.

Photo by Bonnie Beaulieu


The campaign to pay for 10,000 mosquito nets to save 30,000 lives in sub-Saharan Africa is halfway to its goal.

Diocesan Episcopal Relief & Devel-opment co-coordinator Maureen Belote has been on the road, speaking to parishes about how easily and inexpensively each person can save the lives of three people by donating just $12 to the NetsforLife campaign.

When you contribute $12, it goes to more than just a long-lasting, insecticide-treated net. It supports a full program-matic approach to building stronger, more sustainable communities. NetsforLife uses an integrated approach to malaria prevention including:l Raising awareness about malaria

prevention and teaching communi-ties about how to prevent infection, recognize symptoms and know when to seek treatment;

l Using local church structures and faith-based groups to distribute long-lasting, insecticide-treated nets to remote areas, where government institutions often do not reach;

l Training malaria control agents to educate their communities on malaria and distribute nets; they also assist with monitoring and evaluation;

l Following up to ensure that aware-ness training programs are working effectively and the message about the importance of using nets is spread-ing, and providing communities with information about how to get access to testing and treatment.

Some parishes are partying to raise funds and awareness. St. Andrew’s Church in Spring Hill, for example, invited ERD spokespeople to give the homily at all services the weekend of

March 12–13, where a special fund rais-ing luncheon was held.

Approximately 70 people attended the luncheon put on by Marjorie Convery and Ludwig Wallner, with ample help from the parishioners of the church. Col-lections in the church, the luncheon and raffle, raised $1,200. “We are very proud to be able to contribute to such a great cause,” Convery said.

Good Shepherd Church in Dunedin has been inspired to service this year by the rector’s husband and ERD parish representative Gus Robbins-Penniman. Through direct appeal, specially des-ignated breakfasts, HOPE CHESTS (provided free from Episcopal Relief & Development), and a fabulously success-ful Low Country Shrimp Boil dinner, Good Shepherd has been able to raise well over $6,000 for the Nets for Life Project. The dinner was supported by members from four other churches who attended.

If you would like either Jody Tiffany ([email protected]) or Maureen Belote ([email protected]) to address your parish just send an email. There is a wealth of ideas, including a curriculum for use by adults and one for children, at www.inspirationfund.org.

NetsforLife fundraisers getting creative

A Low Country Shrimp Boil dinner at Church of the Good Shepherd in Dunedin was a successful fundraiser for Episcopal Relief and Development’s NetsforLife campaign.

Courtesy photos

It’s not hard to see why the Shrimp Boil in Dunedin was a successful fundraiser.


Editor’s Note: On Sunday, March 6, St. Paul’s Church in Summerville, S.C., installed two electronic giving kiosks on their property. In a brochure called “Four Ways to Give,” St. Paul’s Financial Ministry Team explains, “Ways of giving have changed over the course of Biblical history — from doves and goats to cash to checks…and now to electronic meth-ods.” Joy Hunter, editor of Jubilate Deo, the newspaper of the Diocese of South Carolina, sat down with Bob Hilton, a vestryman and chair of the Financial Ministry Team, and talked about this new electronic giving option.

Jubilate Deo: Bob, (pointing to the electronic giving machine) this is kind of weird.

Hilton: It is kind of weird. Even if you look in the more modern translations of scripture you can’t find any references to electronic giving. But, on the other hand, you can’t find any references to writing a check either. It’s a situation where we’re trying to make it easy for people to be generous. In the last couple of years, St. Paul’s (under Rector Mike Lumpkin’s leadership) has put an em-phasis on generous giving, and the vestry realized that while we encouraged gener-osity we had road blocks.

Jubilate Deo: What kind of road blocks?

Hilton: The majority of Americans don’t carry cash or checkbooks anymore. I think statistics show that about 5 percent of people carry checkbooks and out of that, maybe 20 percent of Americans use checks as their primary bill paying mechanism. Forty-two percent are using debit cards, so what we’re trying to do is make it easy for people to be generous.

Buddy Heuer (another member of the Financial Ministry Team) and I talked to about 20 different churches, finding out how people were using things like kiosks or electronic giving machines.

Jubilate Deo: Did you find any local

churches with kiosks?Hilton: There aren’t many around

here. Seacoast (in Mt. Pleasant) does have them.

Jubilate Deo: Any Episcopal churches?

Doves, checks and kiosksS.C. parish introduces electronic giving centers

Bob Hilton, a member of the Vestry and Financial Ministry Team at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Summerville, S.C., makes use of St. Paul’s new electronic giving center.

Photo by Joy Hunter


Hilton: Yes. There was an Episcopal Church in Dallas.

Jubilate Deo: You’re breaking new ground!

Hilton: We went online and Googled “online giving for churches.” I spoke with a lady at Granger Community Church in Indiana. I saw from their website that they were a Financial Peace church (teaching Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace Univer-sity, FPU) and I said, “OK, how do you reconcile accepting credit cards and Fi-nancial Peace?” She said, “It’s funny you should ask that. I’m the FPU coordinator, and I really struggled with this when we started, but what we found was that there were a number of people who use credit cards but pay them off every month be-cause they want the rewards.” She said, for most people, after their house, their tithe may be their biggest expenditure of the year, and they say, “I want the points.“

So we have a disclaimer on the screen that says, “God and St. Paul’s don’t want you to go in debt to make your tithe and ask that you please not use your credit card if you don’t pay it off every month.”

Jubilate Deo: Does it accept debit cards?

Hilton: Yes. Originally we were just going to do debit cards, but ev-erybody we talked to said they started off just doing debit cards but that they got such a backlash. Everybody wanted credit cards because they wanted to get the points. And so you kind of meet people where they are.

Jubilate Deo: It makes sense to have online giving to keep up with the times, but why put a kiosk into a church building?

Hilton: Well, one of the articles we read in our search talked about the kiosk

and the benefits of it. We talked to several companies and ended up going with Se-cureGive. They have an interesting story. The pastor of Stevens Creek, outside of Augusta, tells how his son said, “Dad, I never put anything in the plate, because I never have any money. I’ve got my debit card. That’s all I carry. If I could swipe my debit card I’d be a regular contributor.” So the pastor started looking around for somebody who had machines like that and didn’t find anything set up for churches, so he started this little company. It’s a family business. They put some units in their church, and it kind of took off. Now they’re in about 200 churches, and he continues to pastor Stevens Creek.

Jubilate Deo: That’s a great story. Have you gotten any flak for the ma-chines?

Hilton: Not so far. Of course it’s only been a week, but in talking with the other churches, they said if it’s presented properly there isn’t much of a problem with that. It’s helped that the Financial

Ministry Team has prepared the congregation by presenting hu-morous videos showing that mos t peop le do give online and don’t carry cash.

J u b i l a t e Deo: So what can people do with the kiosk?

H i l t o n : First of all they cannot get cash out of it.

J u b i l a t e Deo: I was go-ing to ask that!

Bummer! (laughter)Hilton: It’s for contributions only.

The reason we have Four Ways to Give is to cover all the bases. First, of course, we still pass the plate. That’s not going to change. We have auto draft that you can set up through Kerry (St. Paul’s parish administrator). The downside with that is that it requires the office to initiate a trans-action each time, whether it’s monthly or every other week. The online giving lets

people give from home or wherever it’s convenient, and it also allows them to do recurring payments. The beauty of that is that it doesn’t add additional work to the church office. And now we have the Giving Center.

Jubilate Deo: Has it been used much, in this first week?

Hilton: We had it for Sunday, about 8-10 people used it that day, then on Monday we had a book sale. On Tuesday night at Alpha it was used quite a number of times for meals and such. About $270 came in that night.

Jubilate Deo: Do you have to pay a fee for it?

Hilton: The parishioners do not have to pay a fee. The church does. It’s approxi-mately 3 percent of the transaction for a credit card, and 45 cents per transaction for a debit card.

Jubilate Deo: So using your debit card is better for the church.

Hilton: Well, it depends on how much you give.

Jubilate Deo: If the average gift is $150.

Hilton: Yes. But depending on your transaction, it may not be. It was one of the worries of the women running the Tea Room. They said, “Gosh, if a customer uses a credit card and we get $13 for a meal, then 3 percent... that would really cut into it.” And I said, “Well, that would be 39 cents.” “Oh, well that’s OK! That’s not so bad!” It’s a fear everybody has — that we’re giving up a percentage. On the flip side what Stevens Creek found was that 27 percent of the people who used the kiosks had never given to the church before.

Jubilate Deo: Twenty-seven? That’s a lot of new givers.

Hilton: Well, as I said, people don’t carry cash or checkbooks anymore. You have to find a way to meet them where they are. It’s all about taking away road-blocks to generosity.

Doves, checks and kiosks(Continued from page 18)

The majority of Ameri-cans don’t carry cash or checkbooks any-more. I think statis-tics show that about 5 percent of people carry checkbooks and out of that, maybe 20 percent of Americans use checks as their primary bill paying mechanism.

—Bob Hilton


in Brief From Episcopal News Service

Association for Episcopal Deacons (AED) is the new name of the organi-zation for Episcopal deacons formerly known as the North American Associa-tion for the Diaconate (NAAD). The new name was officially adopted at a meeting of the AED Board of Directors in March. The Association for Episcopal Deacons is the professional association serving the approximately 2,900 deacons throughout the Episcopal Church.

According to Deacon Pamela Nesbit, newly-elected president of AED, the name was changed in order to better reflect the organization’s mission within The Episco-pal Church, which is active in 16 nations around the world.

In addition to its mission to provide a broad range of informational and edu-cational resources to deacons and those interested in or studying for the diacon-ate, AED has also expanded its vision to engage the diakonia of all believers, rec-ognizing that all Episcopalians are called by the Baptismal Covenant to serve the marginalized in Christ’s name.

Among the recent initiatives of the Association for Episcopal Deacons are:

The Seven: A part-time, 10-month hands-on spiritual and educational ex-ploration program for young adults (18-30 years old) who want to engage in meaningful work and reflection in their communities while discerning their own

vocational calls in mentored relationships with Episcopal deacons.

A Latin Experience: A program for deacons, or those in formation for the dia-conate, to spend time sharing in the lives and ministries of deacons in the Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic. In this way the Association is orienting its members to the culture and gifts of our sisters and brothers in Province IX.

A Statement on Engaging the Diakonia of All Believers, based on work done by the Lutheran World Fed-eration in a statement titled Prophetic Diakonia: For the Healing of the World. As the Association expands in the way it encourages the diakonia of all believers, the Board has endorsed this statement as one for the whole church to engage. The statement urges all members of the Body of Christ to recognize the ways in which they are called to Christ-like service. A Domestic Poverty Initiative is mobilizing interested deacons and others to create and expand local programs to combat poverty through the sharing of informa-tion and resources. This is the Associa-tion’s response to Resolution A155 from the 2009 General Convention.

The Association maintains a website at www.diakonoi.org and also publishes a journal, Diakoneo, and an online newslet-ter, Deacon Update, which are available through the website.

eRD assessing storm-damaged dioceses

Episcopal Relief & Development said April 28 that it has been in contact with dioceses in the southern part of the United States and is working with lo-cal churches to respond in a number of locations after powerful spring storms battered the region.

This most recent wave of destruc-tive weather comes after storms barreled through the Southeast over the weekend of April 16.

Episcopal Relief & Development

“encourages prayers for people who are at risk or who have suffered losses, for the families of those who have died, and for the rescue and relief teams who are working to save lives and address im-mediate needs.”

Katie Mears, program manager of Episcopal Relief & Development’s U.S. Disaster Program, has been in contact with the dioceses of Alabama and Atlanta. According to Mears, reports indicate that none of the churches in the Atlanta diocese were damaged, but a number of parishes have member families who have

been impacted by the storms. Several churches are involved in immediate relief efforts, including providing temporary shelter and distributing food and other necessities.

The Diocese of Alabama is still as-sessing damage, but at least one church is beginning to respond to local needs. “We have been in touch and we are ready to assist them as they carry out this valuable ministry,” Mears said.

In heavily-damaged Tuscaloosa, lo-cal news reports said that volunteers were using St. Matthias Episcopal Church as a staging area.

Dioceses weighing inon Anglican Covenant

About a fifth of the Episcopal Church’s 109 dioceses and three regional areas have responded to a request from the church’s leaders for comment on the proposed Anglican Covenant.

Executive Council member Rosalie Simmonds Ballentine told Episcopal News Service April 27 that by her infor-mal count, 22 dioceses and 16 congrega-tions have submitted comments. Another 18 responses came from individuals, according to Ballentine, who chairs a council covenant task force.

The comments are in response to a September request from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, House of Depu-ties President Bonnie Anderson and Bal-lentine for Episcopalians to discuss the proposed covenant during the time before General Convention in 2012.

The 2009 meeting of General Con-vention asked, via Resolution D020, that the church’s dioceses study the proposed covenant and report to Executive Council. Jefferts Schori, Anderson and Ballentine asked bishops and diocesan General Con-vention deputations to respond by April 24 so that council could consider their comments as it prepares a report, which is to include draft legislation concerning the church’s response to the covenant, to next year’s meeting of General Convention. Resolution D020 asked for that report.

Ballentine said that the task force has not yet looked at the responses it has


Deacons’ professional groupadopts a new name


cial categories. Under attack: Proposed cuts to the WIC program, the one that supports women, infants, and children. Food stamp reduction. Huge cuts to international food and health aid would immediately affect almost 20 million people worldwide, including much-needed simple medicines, those for ma-laria as well. Underdeveloped countries would lose access to aid for farmers and small agricultural farms. The safety net of unemployment benefits would wither away. And yes, churches — us, you, me — will find the burden of feeding sheep overwhelming. It already is in some parishes.

These issues are not political issues.

These issues are moral and religious ones. Our state and national budgets are moral tenets. Budget proposals and laws answer, in practicality, how we treat each other. I joined the national protest fast sponsored by Bread for the World and other religious and secular charities. I silently invoked God’s help in keeping our food baskets full.

I look at our full church food baskets, our rapidly depleted storage shelves in our pantries, our vans full of soup kitchen donations that are distrib-uted in a nanosecond even as hundreds statewide are turned away, and I see firsthand how we are treating each other. Our parish food bank is already stretched, stressed and always needs strengthening.

How about yours?

received. When the council meets June 15¬-17, she said, the group will outline how it intends to prepare its report to convention. Groups that report to the General Convention must have their ma-terials ready in the fall for inclusion in the so-called Blue Book collection of reports to the 2012 General Convention. Council meets again Oct. 21-24.

Full communion agreements celebrated

U.S. Episcopalians, Canadian An-glicans and Lutherans in both countries came together May 1 to honor the 10th anniversaries of their denominations’ declarations of full communion.

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, Anglican Church in Canada Archbishop Fred Hiltz and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada National Bishop Susan Johnson partici-pated in unique simultaneous liturgies on either side of the U.S.-Canadian border.

Johnson presided and Jefferts Schori preached at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Fort Erie, Ontario. Hanson presided and Hiltz preached at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Buffalo, New York (Diocese of Western New York). Both services began at 3 p.m. EDT.

The celebrations included elements

of the worship services of the four de-nominations.

“The world around us is in urgent need of our shared gifts,” Jefferts Schori said during her sermon.

“These 10 years are a good start,” she added.

In his sermon, Hiltz echoed her sen-timents. “There is a heartfelt joy among us today,” he said. “And I cannot help but think there is some heartfelt joy in heaven as well.”

“Called to Common Mission,” the full-communion agreement between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and “The Waterloo Declaration“ between the Angli-can Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, both took effect in 2001. But no formal agreements exist between the different denominations across the border, a situation the leaders have said they hope to change.

Western New Yorkseats new bishop

The May 1 installation and seating of the Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Buffalo, N.Y., con-cluded a joyous weekend of festivities that reflected the diocese’s diversity and hope for the future.

On April 30, Franklin, 64, was or-dained and consecrated as the diocese’s 11th bishop in a two-hour service that drew about 950 local, national and in-ternational, ecumenical, interfaith and

other guests to the Center for the Arts at the New York State University at Buffalo North Campus in Amherst.

Franklin was elected Nov. 20, 2010 on the seventh ballot out of a field of four nominees. He succeeds Garrison, who was elected in 1999.

Franklin had served as the senior associate priest at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since July 2010, having returned from five years in Italy serving as an associ-ate priest at St. Paul’s Within-the-Walls in Rome, a post he took shortly after his 2005 ordination. While in Italy, he also served as associate director of the Ameri-can Academy in Rome, as a fellow and associate priest of the Anglican Centre in Rome and vicar of the Church of the Resurrection in Orvieto.

He previously was Dean of Berk-ley Divinity School at Yale, and was also a professor at General Theological Seminary and at St. John’s University in Minnesota.

Aid sought for victims of Nigerian election clashes

The team leader at the Centre for Gospel Health and Development in Jos, Nigeria, has warned that blankets, mat-tresses and medical care are urgently needed for victims of post-election vio-lence in Jos.

The Ven. Noel Bewarang, who is also a steering group member of the Anglican Communion’s Anglican Alli-ance, undertook a needs assessment on Easter Monday at the camps for internally displaced people at Jos East local govern-ment area. He found about 3,000 people, mostly Christians, who had been attacked in Toro, Tilden Fulani and Magaman Gu-mau in Bauchi state.

“Based on our assessment, the vic-tims are in dire need of blankets and mat-tresses as their houses were completely burnt,” said Bewarang. “This is the rainy season in Plateau state and it can really get cold at night. Medical care is another urgent need — quite a number of the children have fevers and diarrhea. Nine male corpses were recovered and buried, several people are still missing.”

Violence in Jos erupted on April 18 as the results of the presidential elections began to indicate that President Goodluck Jonathan was ahead on the polls.

Reflections(Continued from page 4)

in Brief(Continued from page 20)


BBooksListening Hearts: 20th Anniversary Edition, Discerning Call in CommunityBy Suzanne G. Farnham, Joseph P. Gill, R. Taylor McLean and Susan M. Ward. Foreword by Parker Palmer$18, paperback, 192 pages, 5 x 7.5Church Publishing, Inc., April 2011

This 20th anniversary edition intro-duces the unique approach of Listening Hearts to the spiritual practice of discern-ment for a new generation.

Written to make the often elusive and usually clergy-centered spiritual practice of discernment accessible to all people, Listening Hearts features simple reflec-tions and exercises drawn from scripture and from Quaker and Ignatian traditions. The seminal work in the Listening Hearts series, this book has been a beloved re-source for tens of thousands of individual readers, retreat participants, small groups and church leaders, listening for and re-sponding to God’s call in their lives.

Suzanne G. Farnham is the founder of Listening Hearts Ministries and a popular speaker and retreat leader. Joseph P. Gill is a Baltimore area attorney, active lay leader and trainer in Listening Hearts Ministries. R. Taylor McLean is an ac-tive lay leader in Baltimore and serves as president of the Listening Hearts Minis-tries Board of Trustees. Susan M. Ward is a former Listening Hearts trustee who lives in Baltimore, where she is an active lay leader.

Curating WorshipBy Jonny Baker$20, paperback, 192 pages, 5.5 x 8.5Church Publishing, Inc. February 2011

Curation: the act of imagining and overseeing an exhibition or art experi-ence.

Worship Curation: the act of imagin-ing and overseeing a worship experience.

Worship curator Jonny Baker intro-duces this original approach to the design and sharing of worship. Rather than simply presiding over liturgy or leading a worship team, Baker and a new genera-tion of leaders are negotiating between institutions and artists, crafting beauty for God out of whatever they’ve got on

hand, helping people to make connections between their own lives and stories and the life and story of God.

Curating Worship is presented in two parts. The first considers the kind of thinking, skills and disciplines involved in good curation. The second part fea-tures in-depth interviews that tease out the ideas, theories and processes behind the creative approaches of people who are curating worship experiences around the world.

Jonny Baker is Mission Leadership and Communities Team leader for the Church Mission Society, and a leader at Grace, an alternative worship community based at St. Mary’s Church-Ealing in Lon-don. He is co-author (with Doug Gay) of Alternative Worship: Resources from and for the Emerging Church.

The Hospitality of God: Emerging Wor-ship for a Missional ChurchBy Mary Gray-Reeves and Michael Perham$18, paperback, 160 pages , 5.5 x 8.5Church Publishing, Inc., March 2011

What happens when two bishops known for their liturgical sensibilities travel to study alternative Christian com-munities on two continents? Bishops Mary Gray-Reeves and Michael Perham traveled throughout the U.S. and U.K. to study fresh expressions of church and identify the principles that link these new forms of worship and community.

The Hospitality of God captures their practical and inspiring findings and builds a bridge between fresh new voices and the institutional church.

A detailed and systematic analy-sis features case studies and examines such issues as history, method, setting, scripture, prayer, music and Eucharist. It also includes liturgical texts the authors encountered on the road or created in response to their journey into emergence.

The Rt. Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves is the Bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real in California. She is a passionate liturgist and part of a cohort of Generation X leaders in the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church.

The Rt. Rev. Michael Perham is Bishop of Gloucester in England, where he has written several popular books on liturgy and the spiritual journey. He has

served on the Church of England’s Litur-gical Commission.

Strength for the Journey: A Guide to Spiritual PracticeBy Renee Miller$16, paperback, 144 pages, 5 x 7 Church Publishing, Inc., May 2011

This is a brief collection of spiritual practices that were developed for and refined by CREDO workshops. There are 20 specific practices grouped into the categories “Meditative Practice,” Minis-try Practice,’” Media Practice,” “Mind Practice” and “Movement Practice.” Each entry is aimed at achieving mindfulness in simple activities.

This book takes a start-where-you-are approach to spiritual practice, so the reader can find an individual practice based on traditional or non-traditional interests, from centering prayer to hand-work, from technology to movies.

Because there is no one-size-fits-all practice, each piece concludes with a brief discussion of the personality type that may be particularly attracted to the practice described or that may be worth considering by one not so instantly en-thusiastic.

The foreword by Brian Taylor lays out the theological underpinnings of spiritual practice in general.


training/Workshops/Retreats

CCalendar

special events

If your group or congregation is planning an upcoming event of interest to the rest of the diocese, please send the information to:

The Southern Cross Calendar7313 Merchant CourtSarasota, FL 34240 or e-mail it to jdela@

episcopalswfl.orgThe diocesan events calendar

is also available on our website:

www.episcopalswfl.org

Fresh Start meeting (clergy and lay). May 14 at DaySpring Conference Center in Parrish. Session topic is church size, an overview of church size theory and data, and how this infor-mation can be applied to current ministry situations. Register online at www.episcopalswfl.org/form6257.htm or contact Tana Sembiante at (941) 556-0315, ext. 271.

Audit Workshop. May 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at DaySpring Conference Center’s Bishop Haynes Room. Videoconferenc-ing will be available. Please RSVP to Nora Ortiz at [email protected] and indicate if you will be attending live or via videoconference.

Family Ministry Conference: June 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Church of the Good Shepherd, 401 W. Henry St., in Punta Gorda. Clergy and lay leaders will discuss how congregations of all sizes can implement ideas to make their churches welcoming to fami-lies through worship, formation and fellowship. The conference will feature three sessions facilitated by Lisa Puccio, director of family ministry at Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, and the Rev. Edward Gleason, associate rector at Trinity-by-the-Cove, Naples, and is convened by Bishop Smith and the Rev. Canon Jim Williamson, canon for Christian formation. Registration is $10. Register by calling the diocesan office at (941) 556-0315.

Stewardship 101 Workshop: Saturday, June 18, starting at 9:30 a.m. at DaySpring Conference Center in Parrish. Facilitated by the Rev. Christopher Gray, diocesan development officer, the workshop will help congregations begin planning fall steward-ship programs. Advanced reservations are required. Please do so by email at [email protected] before May 25. A complimentary lunch will be provided for those in attendance. The day should wrap up by 3 p.m. More details about this workshop will be available soon.

Theater workshop for kids. July 11-21, Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 15801 U.S. 19 in Hudson. St. Martin’s Theater Group sponsors the workshop for children in grades 2-5. Registration is $10 per child or $15 per family and is limited to 20 participants. Contact Kathy Crump at (352) 293-6335.

Standing Committee Meeting. May 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the diocesan office, 7313 Merchant Court, Sarasota. Regularly scheduled meeting.

Diocesan Council Meeting. Saturday, May 21, 9 a.m. to noon at DaySpring Conference Center, 8411 25th St. East in Parrish. Regularly scheduled meeting.

Congregational Development Committee Meeting. June 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the diocesan office, 7313 Merchant Court, Sarasota. Regularly scheduled meeting. Contact: Kevin Fitzgerald at [email protected].

Meetings

Episcopal Summer Camp. June 12 to July 1 at DaySpring Conference Center in Parrish. Elementary camp, for rising 3rd-5th graders, is June 12-17, while Youth Camp, for rising 6th-8th graders, is June 26 to July 1. Fee is $375 and scholarships are available. Visit www.episcopalswfl.org/youth_ministry for more information.

Camp Able. July 18-23 at DaySpring Conference Center in Parrish. A summer camp program for persons with special needs. The cost is $350 per camper. For more information, go to www.campable.org.

the southern cross, may/june 2011

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