The Diocese of Washingtonlaunched its updated website, edow.org, on Jan. 29.

"The goal was to make it moreattractive, more user-friendly andmore functional," said canon to theordinary Paul Cooney. "I believe allof those objectives, and more, willbe evident to you when you take thenew site for a test drive."Improvements to the site include

redesigned navigation built aroundthe needs of parishes and leaders, anew calendar feature, an expandednews section, an updated historysection, a new "find a church"search engine which is integratedwith Google Maps, an improvedonline giving/pledging system, anew “update center” where users canupdate all their information with thediocese in one place and an

improved site search tool.Additionally, parishes are now able

to complete parochial reports, clergyreports and parish election reportsonline, submit grant applicationsand reports and pledge to the dio-cese."The hope is that most visitors can

get what they want directly from thehome page and site navigation withminimal clicks," said IT directorPeter Turner, noting that the site’scontent has been streamlined andhundreds of out-of-date pages havebeen removed. The site also includes features that

enable users to more easily share orprint pages, and incorporates RSSfeeds so other web sites, blogs, orRSS readers can get updates withoutneeding to visit the site.

By Lucy Chumbley

The final slate of candidates for theninth Bishop of Washington will beannounced March 31 on the BishopSearch Web site, http://search.edow.org. Biographical information about the

four to six finalists will be postedonline after the announcement ismade, and word will be sent whenthis is available via the bishop searchlistserv (sign up atbishopsearch@edow.org).The announcement will follow an

approximately year-long process, dur-ing which members of the Search andNominating Committee prepared aprofile to "sell" the diocese to poten-tial leaders and met with numerousparishioners to discern and describe

the desired qualities sought in thenext bishop. In mid-January, 13 candidates trav-

elled to the Diocese of Washingtonfor two and a half days to take part ina retreat with the 18-member SearchCommittee."The intent was to make sure this

was as inclusionary a process as possi-ble," said committee chairman GerryPerez. "That way, everybody got tomeet them. There was no filteredinformation."The decision to bring the candidates

to Washington also was cost-effective,he said, explaining that in some dio-ceses teams of two or three people aresent to meet the candidates wherethey live and then report back to theSearch Committee.

During their visit, the candidateswere able to enjoy some social timewith committee members and somefocused time in small groups, wherethey were asked to discuss a series ofquestions on leadership, spirituality,theology and vision."Everybody on the committee was

able to have one or two encounterson one of those subjects with everycandidate," Perez said.

Prayer was an important componentof the gathering, and the Rev. NathanHumphrey was chosen to serve aschapel coordinator."It was decided that the full comple-

ment of Morning Prayer, NoondayPrayer, Evening Prayer, Eucharist andCompline would frame our formalconversations and informal socialtime," Humphrey wrote in a report

A BISHOP’SROLE:

Page 10Martin Smith

reflects on the episcopacy

ELECTINGA BISHOP:

Page 5Historiographer

recounts elections past

inTHEwindowFEEDING THE

HUNGRY:Page 3

Hunger Fund supports local food

banks, pantries, programs

Photo by Leta Dunham

BISHOP JOHN BRYSON CHANE presents Cheryl Daves Wilburn with the

annual Bishop’s Award during the 116th Diocesan Convention Jan. 29.

Canon to the ordinary Paul Cooney also received an award for his service.

see FINAL SLATE, page 5

Bishop’s Award

Bishop nominees to be announced March 31

edow.org relaunches

LET’S GETCOOKING:

Page 13Diocesan

cookbook willhelp the hungry

Editor's note: The following is anexcerpt from the Bishop's last address tothe Diocesan Convention on Jan. 29.The video and full text of this address isavailable at http://convention.edow.org.This morning I would like to share

with you some closing thoughts andreflections as your bishop after havingbeen blessed by God with the oppor-tunity to serve one of the great dioce-ses in the Episcopal Church and intruth a diocese that hasbecome important withinthe life of the largerAnglican Communion.Through our relationshipwith Washington NationalCathedral and its Centerfor Global Justice andReconciliation, it hasbecome a visible witness ofreconciliation and compas-sion throughout the world.I thank God for this dio-cese's witness to so manyand for its mission claimedin the name of Jesus Christ. As a diocese we are blessed

and sustained by the collective mis-sion and ministry of our 89 congrega-tions; our seven Spanish-speakingworshipping communities, ourNigerian Igbo worshipping communi-ty, and the promise in the very nearfuture of a new Korean worshippingcommunity that will be established inRockville. Even with the great challenges caused

by rapid shifts in demography, ourhistoric African American congrega-tions continue their work and out-reach and are a treasured blessing toour diocese. They carry into the 21stcentury a deep history of mission and

ministry, magnified by such greats asthe Rev. Alexander Crummell. ThreeAfrican American bishops servingwith jurisdiction in the EpiscopalChurch today have roots originallyplanted in the Diocese ofWashington. And their leadership hasgiven life and new vision to the dioce-ses of North Carolina, Michigan andMaryland. A long time ago when I was teaching

an adult confirmationclass and sharing howit is possible to experi-ence the very face ofGod in our lives, oneof the inquirers asked;"but John, how in theworld can I ever hopeto see the face of Godin my life?" My answer was sim-

ple and direct and Ihold to it even today;"God is seen andexperienced by engag-ing and claiming thefaces of diversity that

are either present or absent in thepews of our churches. Not to experi-ence the human diversity that Godcreated by his ordering of the humancommunity through the gifts of dif-ferent languages, cultures, skin colorsand customs…. is to be blind to thevery face of God." Our diversity as adiocese is a great gift from God thatwe must continue to uplift, sustainand celebrate.Our 20 Episcopal Schools in the dio-

cese, including our newest - theBishop John T. Walker School forBoys, located in the 8th Ward of theDistrict of Columbia - are regarded

by the Episcopal Church and theNational Association of EpiscopalSchools as significant gifts that drivethe overall mission of educationalengagement and excellence that havealways defined our denomination andthis diocese. I give thanks to God for the ministry

of our Episcopal chaplains, our schoolheads, boards of trustees, vestries,teachers and administrators who serveand support these very importantmission centers of the diocese. As I continue to reflect on the almost

nine years of ministry shared withyou as the eighth Bishop ofWashington I will forever be indebtedto you, the clergy; our priests anddeacons of the diocese for your lead-ership and compassionate care of thepeople and worshipping communitiesyou have been called to serve. You are faithful witnesses to the

Gospel of Jesus Christ and have beencolleagues in the journey we haveshared as a diocese. May God contin-

ue to bless each and every one of youfor your pastoral care and support ofthose you serve, and for living wellinto the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have always said to my brother and

sister bishops in the House of Bishopsthat the clergy of the Diocese ofWashington are the brightest and bestin the Episcopal Church. God hastruly blessed me with the honor ofserving you, your congregations, wor-shipping communities and schools. Ithank God and each of you for thehonor you have bestowed upon me toserve as your bishop. As I reflect on the leadership of this

diocese none of the accomplishmentsof our parishes in the broad field ofministry could have been undertakenwithout the great generosity of thelaity. It is the unlimited generosity ofsharing your baptismal gifts and inliving well into your confirmationvows as congregational and diocesan

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Volume 80, No. 2, March/April 2011Newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington IISSSSNN 11554455--11334488

Bishop John Bryson ChaneEditor, Lucy Chumbley

POSTMASTERWashington Diocese Church House Permit # 99291Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailingoffices. Send address changes to Washington Window, Episcopal Church House,Mount Saint Alban, Washington, D.C. 20016-5094To correct an address, send previous and current address tonewspaper@edow.org or to the above address.Advertising rates available at www.edow.org/windowCalendar submissions due April 15. Call 202/537-6560 or e-mail newspaper@edow.org with story ideas.

“Our diversity as a diocese is agreat gift from God that we

must continue to uplift, sustain and celebrate.”

see BISHOP, page 8

Bishop JohnBryson Chane

Address to the 116th Diocesan Convention

BISHOP’Svisitations&engagementsMarch 5: New deacon postulants

retreat St. Paul's, K StreetMarch 6: Sunday visitation: St.

James', Indian HeadMarch 8: Diocesan Council, 6

p.m.March 9: Ash Wednesday at

Washington National Cathedral;Noon service - presider andhomilistMarch 12: attending the

Samaritan Ministry Gala March 13: Sunday visitation: St.

Luke's, BrightonMarch 13: Absalom Jones service

at St. Phillip's, D.C.March 15: Daughters of the King

Evensong at Washington NationalCathedral (5:30 p.m.)March 16: Holy Trinity School

board of trustees meetingMarch 19: Region 6 Clericus

meeting at St. Paul's, WaldorfMarch 20: Sunday visitation at

Christ, Accokeek; Attending a serv-ice with All Saints' Igbo languagecongregationMarch 25-31: Spring House of

Bishops meeting in Hendersonville,N.C.April 1-15: VacationApril 17: Palm Sunday visit to St.

Peter's, PoolesvilleApril 18: Protestant Episcopal

Cathedral Foundation board oftrustees meetingApril 20: Gay and Lesbian

Activists Alliance of Washington:2011 Distinguished Service AwardApril 21: Maundy Thursday cler-

gy renewal of vows service atWashington National Cathedral(noon) April 22: Good Friday liturgy at

Washington National Cathedral(noon to 3 p.m.)April 24: Easter Sunday at

Washington National Cathedral; 8a.m. preaching; 11 a.m. presidingApril 25: Jerusalem Partnership

CommitteeApril 27: Washington Episcopal

School service of thanksgiving inhonor of Stu Work's tenure as headof school

Diocese holds its 116th annual conventionAt its 116th annual convention onJan. 28-29, the Diocese ofWashington approved a $3.757 mil-lion budget for 2011, reducing itsspending for the fourth consecutiveyear. Bishop John Bryson Chane urged

the diocese to "claim its diversity"during his last address to the conven-tion, and keynote speaker RobertJohansen offered a "forecast for thefuture," calling on those present tolearn from the young and "engagewith discerning questions - that'swhat you can bring to the future."The convention elected officers to

serve the diocese in various leadershiproles and passed resolutions onMembership in the Convention forCertain Clergy of Churches in FullCommunion, and on Peacemaking in

the Holy Land.All materials from the convention,

including the video and slideshow ofJohansen's presentation, video ofBishop Chane's Friday night sermonand Saturday address, the full text ofthe resolutions and all election results,can be found on the convention website, http://convention.edow.org/.

St. John’s School namesStevens head of schoolSt. John's Episcopal School, Olney,announced the appointment of

Thomas R.Stevens as thenext Head ofSchool on Dec.16 after anextensivenational search.Stevens willbegin his newjob on July 1.He comes to

St. John's fromRocky Mount Academy in RockyMount, N.C.

Making a difference

Loaves and Fishes, from grantaccounting received in March, 2010:“The anecdote we offer in this reportconcerns not our guests but ourhardy volunteers. During the prodi-gious January snows that struckWashington, D.C., earlier this year, itwas evident that both driving andpublic transportation were out of thequestion for our volunteers. Enoughexperienced volunteers who livewithin a mile or two of the churchwere recruited to fill in. They mushedthrough the snow on foot and fullmeals were served every scheduledday. Hungry guests only slightlyreduced in number figured out howto get through the snow as well.”

Joe's Place (Christ Church, Durham), from July, 2010:“I don't know what life would have been for Mom and me this past year ifwe didn't have Joe's Place where we could get food that is needed andgiven with love and charity of heart. God bless you Joe and your grand-daughter, Kim, and a special thanks to Durham church.”

St. Michael's and All Angels Community Dinner Program, March 2010:“Our receipt of the Hunger Fund grant has had a tremendous and positiveimpact on our congregation as well as the surrounding community. April2010 will mark the 5th year of the operation of our dinner and distributionprogram and the award in 2009 was our first time receiving a Hunger Fundgrant. As a result of the grant, the program has expanded. Currently, inaddition to serving dinner once a month food is distributed three times amonth (on the third Saturday as well as the 1st and 3rd Sundays of eachmonth. Receipt of the Hunger Fund grant and expansion of the program hasalso prompted us to seek and receive funding from additional sources. Infact, St. Michael's was awarded an Abe's Table grant on August 31, 2009and more recently a CAFB grant in the form of food credit in April/May2010.”

We Are Family Senior Outreach Ministries, March 2009:“Due to their mobility issues, seniors and disabled folks can be an almostinvisible population suffering from hunger or food insecurity. With theresources from the Episcopal Hunger Fund grant, We Are Family was able toestablish a unique partnership with Thelma Warfield, a senior leader in theColumbia Heights area. Although largely confined to a wheelchair, Ms.Warfield was able to utilize her detailed knowledge of her neighbors' needsto make sure that no one was going without appropriate, nutritious food.With the help of student volunteers recruited by We Are Family, Ms.Warfield was able to provide the essential link between our food resourcesand dozens of at-risk seniors in her immediate community, targeting those ingreatest need. For example, Ms. Warfield was able to connect us to ElsieNelson, a bed-bound senior who is unable to go to the store for herself, andwho needs regular grocery delivery.”

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IN BRIEF

By Lucy Chumbley

On the second Thursday of every oddmonth a dedicated group from acrossthe diocese meets to give away asmuch money as it can.Since it was formed in the mid

1970s, the diocesan Hunger Fund hasgiven away more than $1 million ingrant money to local food pantries,food banks and feeding programs -with the stipulation that the fundsprovided be used strictly for food. That's a lot of groceries."It has to be either food or dispos-

able cutlery," said committee chairLee Mericle. "It only goes for thosethings and we're pretty scrupulousabout that."In 2010, the Hunger Fund gave out

$51,500 to 12 area programs. Manyare volunteer-run; some are operatedby churches in the diocese and othersare supported by them."We minister to the hungry in this

area and the organizations that feedthem," said committee member SusanNolan. "The money goes where theneed is.""We review every request we've got-

ten, see how much money we haveand give away as much as we can,"Mericle said. "We go through therequests, take a look at them and talkabout them. Then we vote on it."The average grant is $3,000 to

$5,000, and organizations arerequired to account for how they'vespent the money. But during thisrecession the Hunger Fund has beenstruggling to keep up with the num-ber of requests for help."The economic downturn is when

we really started having trouble fulfill-ing the requests," Mericle said."When the economy tanked, therequests went up and were moreurgent. We went through a periodwhere we were getting requests andwe could hardly fulfill any of them.

We were having meetings where wecould only give out $1,000 for a$5,000 request."Though things have improved a bit,

"we haven't gotten requests fromsome groups for a few years now," shesaid. "They quit asking. I'd love toget them back. But I can't call themunless the funds are there.""I have no doubt we could give away

all the money we brought in," sheadded. "We're not in the business ofhaving money sitting in the bank.That's not what we're for."The Hunger Fund is supported by

donations from churches and individ-uals in the diocese and also with pro-ceeds from two sponsored HungerWalks it organizes each fall in CollegePark and Indian Head. A diocesancookbook will be published later thisyear, with proceeds going to theHunger Fund (see What's Cooking?on page 13).Some congregations, like St. Stephen

and the Incarnation, use dedicatedcollection envelopes for their contri-butions, while others designate a spe-cial monthly collection (Christ,Rockville gives the offering from itspopular Jazz Vespers service). Anddonations are always accepted online,at edow.org/hungerfund."The original idea was a buck a

month," Mericle said. "The idea of abuck a month is that most people canafford $1 a month extra. Most peopleput a dollar of change on their dressereach night. If everybody in the dio-cese gave a buck a month, we coulddo so much… We could show theworld and show ourselves that theDiocese of Washington cares aboutpeople in the diocese who do nothave enough food."At this point, she said, "our income

is a little over a buck a year." In 2010,23 churches contributed to theHunger Fund. "It would be nice if itwas 87, but we're working on that!"

Committee makes grants to feeding programs in every part of the diocese

Hunger Fund seeks help to meet demand

A volunteer prepares food at

Charlie’s Place, a ministry of

St. Margaret’s, D.C.

Stevens

Body of Christ aims to intro-duce readers to differentparishes in the church family

of the Diocese of Washington. Thismonth, the Rev. John Beddingfield,rector of All Souls, D.C., NancyeSuggs, senior warden, and SusanMorrison, vestry member, speakabout the life, history, plans and char-acter of their congregation.WW: All Souls is celebrating its cen-

tennial this year. What celebrationsdo you have planned?BEDDINGFIELD: We're really

using the whole year to celebrate.After some events this summer, onOct. 8 we're having an openhouse/picnic in our parking lot. OnOct. 9, we'll begin the official cele-bration with a special service and, onOct. 16, Bishop Chane will be withus for the 11 a.m. service, followed bya solemn evensong. Also in our plansis a big dinner where we'll dress in thestyle of the early 1900s. And there'sour stained glass. Our windows arereally exquisite, so we're going tomake a keepsake portfolio with printsof our beautiful windows. The plan-ning process for all this has been greatfun and very instructive, because inlooking at ways to reach out to othersto join in our celebration, we havebeen asking questions such as how dowe talk about ourselves and whatwould we like to say to our neighborsand to the diocese and to the largerchurch. Our founding rector, JamesMcBride Sterrett, had a wonderfulway of expressing our mission:"Neither a high church nor a lowchurch, neither a broad church nor anarrow church, but a church for allsouls." And most of us feel that we

are moving into his vision, especiallytoday when we have such diversity inour membership.WW: All Souls has been through dif-

ficult times, hasn't it? There was atime when the diocese thought youmight have to close. MORRISON: When I came here,

there were more people in the choirthan in the pews. Sometimes therewould be seven people attending aservice. WW: How did you change that?SUGGS: We had a core group of

people who believed that we hadsomething here that was importantand that we were going to do whatev-er needed to be done to get otherpeople to come see what that some-thing was. And I've always felt thatthe fact that we've prevailed was areally tangible work of the HolySpirit, that we were never meant toclose. Closing would have interferedwith our mission, and once weregrouped and figured that all out,then we were able to turn everythingaround.BEDDINGFIELD: On Sunday

mornings, both our breakfast and ourcoffee hour are very welcoming.People find us, even though we'rekind of hidden in plain sight, just offConnecticut Ave. This is that sort ofplace, where people walk in andthink, "I may not know what Ibelieve, but this place feels like a placewhere I can pray and get centered."We are an unusually eclectic place.WW: It sounds as if you have a

strong sense of community. SUGGS: And that sense of commu-

nity is a genuine thing. I've been here35 years and I'm proud of the fact

that we really do live into ourdeclared mission. The people Sterrettwas talking about welcoming into achurch for all souls in 1911 aren't thekind of people we welcome today, butour mission remains the same.

BEDDINGFIELD: All Souls had agay rector at the time of the consecra-tion of Gene Robinson in 2003. TheWashington Post did an article on howour parish had dealt with that issueon a local level and a significant num-ber of our current parishioners arepeople who read that article andthought, "That sounds like a churchwhere I want to go."WW: How does your mission trans-

late today into outreach and program-ming?BEDDINGFIELD: People do min-

istry very quietly here. While a num-ber of parishioners are involved inhands-on ministries such as ChristHouse, Habitat for Humanity, andother direct service programs, manydo 'mission' 9 to 5 every day of theweek. They work for non-profits, theywork in the labor movement, inthink-tanks, and in the government,trying to change the world. Theirministry is full-time. It's no mistakethat the word 'sanctuary' is in ourmission statement, because so manypeople who come to All Souls do solooking for sanctuary, for a place tobe quiet and pray, to rejuvenate andthen go back into the world and con-tinue their good works. That beingsaid, we've encouraged involvementin both ongoing and new ministries.In addition to a mission trip to SouthAfrica, last night the vestry approvedmission grants from our endowmentof $92,000, divided between local

and international missions.WW: What about ministry to the

surrounding neighborhood?BEDDINGFIELD: We welcome

groups to meet here, we provide freespace to the Farmer's Market, andother things. One of our goals thisyear is to become handicapped acces-sible. We do want to become better intune with the neighborhood. We'rebeginning to do more with the elderlyin our neighborhood and with stu-dents and congressional interns, somany of whom live in residence hallsalong Connecticut Ave. WW: It sounds as if you're a parish

that's not searching so much asexpanding what you already knowabout yourselves.BEDDINGFIELD: I want us to

grow but I want us to grow in depthand in love and in faithfulness. In thenext few years, we'll probably add aworship service on Saturday orSunday evenings. We might havesomething a little more contemplativeand chant-based. We're very much aeucharistically centered place.Especially since All Souls was rebornin the 1980s it was very much rebornaround the table, the table of thechurch and the table downstairs.There's no separation. People at AllSouls live an Anglo-catholic faithwithout being focused on the lan-guage so much as being focused onthe depth of the Eucharist, the life ofprayer, spiritual practices. People wantan embodied ministry and that's whatwe're all trying to live into at AllSouls.

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BODY OFCHRIST

All Souls Memorial Church

2300 Cathedral Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20008

202/232-4244www.allsoulsdc.org

Established 1911; 450 membersThe Rev. John Beddingfield,

Rector

INTERVIEW: DIANE NEYPHOTO: LETA DUNHAM

By Susan L. Stonesifer

At the first convention of thenewly-created Diocese ofWashington in December

1895, there were seven candidates,nominated from the floor, on the firstballot. On the first day, the combina-tion of high and low church, localand out-of-town nominees caused theballoting, which was clergy only, togo until midnight. After one droppedout, Alexander Mackay-Smithtelegraphed the Rev. Henry YatesSatterlee, rector of Calvary Church,New York to see if he would agree to

have his name submitted. As a totaloutsider and compromise candidate,he was elected on the 10th ballot.After expressing surprise to a NewYork reporter at his election andreluctance to leave his successful workat Calvary, Satterlee was besieged withletters and telegrams asking him tocome. Like many of us, he made a listof pros and cons and ultimatelydecided to become the first bishop ofthe Episcopal Diocese of Washington.After Bishop Satterlee's death in

February 1908, the next electionbegan on May 6. Lay delegates couldvote and a simple majority of lay andclerical votes were needed to win. The13 candidates, all nominated from thefloor, were quickly winnowed downand Bishop Charles Henry Brent,missionary Bishop in the Philippines,was elected on the second ballot.However, a month later Bishop Brentcabled the president of convention todecline his election. The conventionmet again in June and a list of seven

nominees was presented, with Brentstill among them. Brent won again,highlighting his overwhelming popu-larity among the delegates. He againdeclined. At an October session ofconvention the high and low churchfactions reappeared. The two leadingcandidates of those factions wrangledat the top of the voting until onewithdrew his name. On the seventhballot a compromise candidate,Alexander Mann, rector of TrinityChurch, Boston emerged victorious.However, he declined the honor, pub-licly citing his extraordinary opportu-

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WALKABOUT SCHEDULE

What is the purpose of the walkabouts?

The Search/Nominating and Transition Committees strive to host walkaboutsthat are true gathering times of prayerful and thoughtful discernment andnot forums where candidates are expected to parade, posture and win votesthrough humor, charm and other personal attributes.

These four events are opportunities for members of the diocese to meetthe candidates who have been selected to stand for election as the NinthBishop of Washington and their spouses/partners, and to get to know thembetter as priests, pastors, persons and companions in ministry.

As a diocese, we offer hospitality to those who believe God is calling themto serve among us as our chief pastor and spiritual leader. We are called totreat them with respect and dignity and embrace who they are and the giftsthey have to offer, to put aside pre-conceived notions and agendas and trulylisten to them, being open to the movement of the Spirit in our midst.

We hope these gatherings will be positive, helpful and informative forthose voting in the June 18 election as they strive to make wise and discern-ing decisions.

May 22: Candidates and their spouses/partners arriveMay 23: Walkabout at St. Mary's, Foggy Bottom - 6:30 to 9 p.m.May 24: Walkabout at Washington Episcopal School - 6:30 to 9 p.m.May 25: Walkabout at Ascension, Gaithersburg - 6:30 to 9 p.m.May 26: Walkabout at Christ Church, Chaptico - 6:30 to 9 p.m.May 27: Private closing Eucharist for candidates with chaplain

From 6:30-7 p.m. people will gather and greet the candidates informally.Formal introductions will begin at 7 p.m. In a plenary session, each candi-date will be asked to give a brief introduction. Candidates will then rotateinto breakout rooms where they will be given the opportunity to answerthree pre-planned questions. A final fourth question may be an open ques-tion of interest to those attending.The Search Nominating/Transition Committees are committed to ensuring

that ALL in the diocese have an opportunity to attend or view a walkabout.Therefore, the gathering at Washington Episcopal School will be videotapedand will be made available online at edow.org for those unable to attend forany reason.The committees also are dedicated to ensuring that at least one walkabout

will be bilingual and that interpretation will be available for the hearingimpaired. Locations where translation and signing will be available will bedetermined and advertised well in advance.The candidates and their spouses/partners will be given opportunities dur-

ing this week to tour the Diocese of Washington and meet with variousgroups. These include the Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys, theStanding Committee, the Cathedral Foundation and the clergy of the dio-cese. There also will be a meet and greet at Collington Episcopal Life CareCommunity for diocesan seniors; and a tour of historic St. Mary's City. Someparishes have graciously offered to host lunches and dinners for candidatesas they travel through the diocese.

---- TThhee BBiisshhoopp SSeeaarrcchh//NNoommiinnaattiinngg aanndd TTrraannssiittiioonn CCoommmmiitttteeeess

on the shape of the retreat liturgies."In addition to the chapel, a quietroom was set aside with icons, a Bibleand spiritual classics. Kneelers, floorpillows, rosaries and Anglican prayerbeads were also provided. … It wasvery much intended that the quietroom and chapel would together pro-vide a quiet, regular 'heartbeat' ofcorporate and individual prayerthroughout the retreat."Liturgies were led by committee

members, "with lay people officiatingat the offices and ordained membersonly stepping in when functions werereserved to the clergy or extra helpwas needed," Humphrey wrote, not-ing that the Friday Compline washeld in Spanish. "Candidates wereintentionally not put on the spot tolead anything, as the chapel wasintended to be a spiritual refuge fromthe pressure to 'perform.' The onlyliturgical role the candidates werepressed into was that of sharing theintercessory biddings at the two cele-brations of the Eucharist."A guest speaker, John Berry, director

of the U.S. Office of PersonnelManagement, was invited to describe"the dynamics and politics" of life inthe metropolitan Washington area.And as the final piece of the gather-ing, the candidates were asked topresent a "self-revealing piece" - a ser-mon, reflection or some personalinsight they had gained."We really did get a good sense of

their personalities, how they interact-ed with others," Perez said. "Nowwe're talking about which candidatesresonated the best with us."At press time, the committee had

winnowed its list to eight candidatesas a result of the January retreat.Reference and background checks arenow under way, and the committeeexpects to eliminate up to four morecandidates during this process. "We continue to meet to discuss this

on a weekly basis," Perez said, addingthat he is pleased with the way thesearch process has unfolded so far. "Ithink the group has worked veryhard, very faithfully. There's atremendous build up of trust throughthe group, and I think we're ahead ofschedule in terms of coming to agood slate."The eight candidates currently under

consideration "have a host of diversetalents and skills," he added. "Anyone would be a good choice.""I am amazed at how 18 people

from all sorts of backgrounds andfrom all sorts of churches have cometogether and worked together sowell," wrote committee memberAnne-Marie Jeffery. "I love how hon-est and direct we can be with eachother. I don't think anyone is shyabout putting forward their opinionand that is a gift."The retreat's format was so well

received that other dioceses, includingthe Diocese of Nebraska, are choosingto use it as a model, Perez said."I feel that we have created a great

model of procedure for any searchcommittee, and a stellar model ofinterviewing in the weekend retreat,"wrote committee member ErikaGilmore."The process invited all participants

to enter with a sense of openness andgrace that lead to a very spiritual andrevealing exercise," wrote committeemember Cecily Thorne. "Where thisformula succeeded was in creating anatmosphere where all participants hadthe chance to get to know each otherat a very human level."In late May, members of the diocese

will have an opportunity to meet thenominees in person during a series of"walkabouts" (see sidebar). The ninthBishop of Washington will be electedat a special convention on June 18.

FINAL SLATE, from page 1

see HISTORIC ELECTIONS, page 9

Who says it’s easy to elect a bishop?The Diocese of Washington’s historiographerlooks back at some previous bishop elections

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leaders that has made all the differ-ence in sustaining the ministries ofyour parishes and the diocese.Without you, we would not be ableto function as a diocese. The thou-sands of hours you spend serving onaltar guilds, vestries, outreach, financeand buildings and grounds commit-tees, teaching church school and adulteducation programs, leading steward-ship and capital campaign drives, andcaring for the very young in our nurs-eries are the "pearls of great price"that Jesus refers to in the Gospel ofMatthew. Without the constant involvement of

the laity who serve on the commis-sions, committees and task forces ofthe diocese collectively, we would notbe able to function. To the lay mem-bers of the diocese I say thank you forsharing your myriad of gifts with ourparishes and for caring enough toshare your gifts as leaders within ourdiocesan governance structures.There has been renewed interest and

much conversation about missionsince the Episcopal Church gatheredin Anaheim, Calif., at its last GeneralConvention two years ago. Mission isa word and concept that continues tobe discussed by the Diocesan Counciland in every parish I have ever visitedwithin the diocese. In fact the conver-

sation about mission, what it meansand how it is lived out has been apart of the Christian church since thetime of Christ. Localizing it, national-izing and globalizing it gives the worda prism-like quality that changes withthe various levels of light and veritythat pass through it - or - by thedarkness that cannot penetrate it. Mission cannot be defined simply by

the church's outreach in the commu-nity, by mission trips to regionsbeyond our borders or by budgetsthat disperse money to support wor-thy projects and programs. Mission isa complex concept and yet, when weengage in its various contexts, weknow it when we see and experienceit.Recently an Episcopal priest, the Rev.

Dwight Zscheile, wrote the followingstatement about mission: "It is notthe church of God that has a missionin the world, but the God of missionthat has a church in the world."The question that I pose to us today

as we move forward in the process ofelecting the ninth Bishop ofWashington in June is: "Are we thatchurch?"

BISHOP, from page 2

Photo by Leta Dunham

Bishop John Bryson Chanedelivers his annual address to the

Diocesan Convention on Jan. 29.

nities in Boston, although newspapersrumored that he was disturbed by theinternal dissention in churchmanshipin Washington, that his salary could-n't be matched, and the challenge offund raising to build the Cathedral.In November the convention reassem-bled with a ballot of names from theprevious elections. On the fourth bal-lot, Alfred Harding, rector of St.Paul's, Washington, was elected. Adedicated parish priest, he was highlyrespected throughout the diocese.This rough and tumble processrequired four sessions and 18 ballotsover six months.One month after Bishop Harding's

death in April 1923, the DiocesanConvention met on May 31 to againwork on the election of a bishop. Thistime the arguing point was whetherto elect a local clergyman or a promi-nent outsider. There was again nopreliminary procedure to identify oreven sort through candidates beforethe casting of ballots. Eight werenominated, but voting came down tothree: one from New York City andtwo from Washington. JamesFreeman, rector of Epiphany,Washington finally won after 17 bal-lots over two days. The outsider, anda favorite among the clergy, wasdropped after growing hostility fromhis having preached in a Unitarianchurch in New York and that he hadgone to Italy for his health at the timeof the convention.Twenty years later a new era in

diocesan elections dawned. AfterFreeman's death in June of 1943, aspecial session of Convention was

called at the end of July - not for end-less ballots, but to consider theprocess of electing a bishop. The firstNominating Committee had mem-bers from all parts of the diocese, aswell as two women. Chaired by OwenRoberts, associate justice of theSupreme Court, the committee tooknames in writing and on the floor.The candidates were narrowed downfrom 52 to four nominees, none fromthe diocese. In November at a specialconvention three local candidateswere nominated from the floor, butAngus Dun, dean of the EpiscopalTheological School, in Cambridge,Mass., won on the third ballot. Theplanning and leadership of theNominating Committee saved timeand resources.For the first time a Bishop

Coadjutor was going to be electedrather than allow a vacancy in thebishopric by death. In November of1958, after a request by Bishop Dunsix months earlier, a special electionwas held. The month before theNominating Committee had present-ed a report listing a slate of four can-didates, reduced from the 35 namespresented from three public meetings.John Coburn, dean of EpiscopalTheological School, in Cambridge,Mass., asked that his name be with-drawn from nomination. Since theNominating Committee didn't feel ithad the charge to create a new report,it was decided that his withdrawal let-ter would be read at the conventioninstead of a nominating speech.However on the third ballot Coburnwas elected and he declined the elec-tion two weeks later. In January 1959the convention reconvened with the

three remaining candidates and threeother candidates from the floor. Overfour ballots William Creighton of St.John's, Norwood, kept a thin leadfrom a candidate outside of the dio-cese. After several of the local candi-dates had withdrawn, Creighton, whohad been a close second to Coburn inNovember, won. He becameDiocesan Bishop in November 1962.When Bishop Creighton decided to

call for a coadjutor in 1976 theNominating Committee was chargedto produce a slate of five to 10 names.For the first time, the committee usedconsultants in the process and gath-ered information from other diocesesthat had recently elected bishops. Inorder to elicit feedback from membersof the diocese about what qualitieswere need in their bishop, mass mail-ings were used to gather and sharethat information. After a screeningprocess for the 34 submitted names,five were on the ballot, of whom twowere local. At the election in Junethere were no nominations from thefloor and Suffragan Bishop John T.Walker was elected in minutes on thefirst ballot.After Bishop Walker's sudden death

in 1989, the Standing Committee ofthe diocese appointed 10 clergy and10 laity to the NominatingCommittee, equally divided betweenmen and women. The search for can-didates followed the formula of sort-ing through credentials of nominees,bringing a select number toWashington for interviews and thenannouncing candidates. The ballothad six which included two local cler-gy. There were informal meetings forthe public to meet with the candi-

dates, a brochure was published withbiographies and a videocassette of thecandidates talking about themselveswas made available to be shown byparishes. The special convention washeld at Epiphany, D.C., on June 30,1990 and Bishop Haines was electedon the second ballot.Ten years later, in December 2000,

Bishop Haines retired. At the January2001 convention, 23 people wereelected for eligibility to serve oneither a Search Committee orTransition Committee. Membershipwas from around the diocese andbrought a range of experience indiocesan ministries. Electronic mediaplayed a large part in this process. Aprofile of the diocese was created andsent to all clergy, wardens and lay del-egates. It was also available on theInternet. E-mail was vital in commu-nications. One hundred and thirty-two names had been submitted forconsideration or found via CDOcomputer match. A questionnaire andprofile was sent to these, with 46individuals expressing interest. Twentywere interviewed by phone and agroup of six names were submitted tothe diocese. None were local or nomi-nated by petition. An extra day wasadded to the beginning of theDiocesan Convention in January2002 and John Bryson Chane waselected as eighth Bishop ofWashington on the second ballot.Susan L. Stonesifer is the Diocese ofWashington's historiographer. Sourcesinclude "Electing the Bishops ofWashington 1895-1990: the Evolutionof a Process," by Richard Hewlett.

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HISTORIC ELECTIONS, from pg 5

Saterlee

Creighton

Harding Freeman Dun

Walker Haines Chane

Taking myusual walkaround theTidal Basin yes-terday, I waspondering ourupcoming epis-copal election.A wry quota-tion fromClaire BoothLuce popped

into my head: "Anyone who is notconfused today cannot be thinkingstraight." Understanding what a bish-op is meant to be and do has becomecomplicated. So many expectationsare now heaped on the role: Whatperson could possibly fulfill the wishlist of ideal skills in our "profiles?" Ican't help shaking my head over it all.I have had the experience of being achaplain to the House of Bishopsthough turbulent years. I have been achaplain to a Lambeth Conference,and the spiritual director and confi-dant of quite a few bishops. I knowthe harm done by the cruel unrealismof our current projections onto theoffice of bishop.The path round the Tidal Basin-

alongside the Jefferson Memorial,through the Roosevelt Memorial andnow past the glorious new monumentto Martin Luther King Jr. -is quite anintense place for reflecting about lead-ership! And there are two images thathelped me focus on the core vocationof bishop. There is the bronze statue

of FDR sitting down in his wheelchair,and now there is the grand stoneimage emerging of Martin LutherKing standing tall. Sitting and stand-ing represent two fundamental aspectsof the episcopal vocation. A core symbol for the bishop's office

is the chair. Traditional language of asee, of having a cathedra, or officialseat, comes from the ancient practiceof sitting down to teach. Teachershelp us find meaning, and no oneshould offer themselves to be a bishopwho doesn't want to serve by helpingus concentrate on the fundamentalissues of what life means in the lightof the gospel. God help us if we pre-vent that ministry by turning bishopsinto tortured managers.As well as symbolizing the call to

articulate the gospel's meaning withus, the chair resonates with other pas-toral needs in today's world. When allseems constantly in flux, when tech-nology is racing and the ground isheaving under feet, we need leaderswho will sit down with us, to centerus, to stabilize, above all to help usfocus. The bishops who have inspiredme all have been good at sittingdown. They put roots down quickly.They are willing to sit round the tableand roll up their sleeves. They have aknack of leveling with us and gettingto the point. As pastors they haveknown how to minister simply by sit-ting with people.The complementary symbol for the

bishop's office is the vantage point.Episkopos simply means supervisor oroverseer. It implies the vantage points

enabling a leader to see the big pic-ture, to take in the larger context, torelate what is happening in a particu-lar spot to movements in the mainorganization and society at large.Larger vision is intrinsic to the bish-op's office, and the willingness tostand up for the imperatives of thebig picture of God's world in itspredicament, and God's promise ofthe Kingdom. The new King monu-ment is a thrilling artistic expressionof the ministry of standing out andstanding up for the demands andhopes of God's bigger picture! Noone should be a bishop whose natureis to be immersed in the local scenealone. God calls for the practice ofstanding up to see ahead and aroundand even afar, and the willingness topay the price of reminding us of ourlarger connectedness: it always arousesresentment. My walk brought me back past the

Holocaust Museum, and I glanced upat my old office there, and thoughtabout a letter Ignatius, bishop ofAntioch, wrote to the church inEphesus, en route under armed guardto his inevitable martyrdom in Rome.Advising the laity about their relation-

ship to their own bishop, he wrote,"Pay special attention to the bishopwhen he is silent." Here was a leaderwho kept the mystical core of hisfaith intact, who continued to be inawe of the profound mystery of God,and the way the crucified Christbrings us, through his vulnerability,into personal intimacy with that mys-tery. There's nothing sentimentalabout that intimacy, and holy silenceis our protection against glib religiosi-ty. A visit to the Holocaust Museuminduces the kind of silence Ignatiuswanted to see a bishop practice. Well,we can kill our bishops by smotheringthem under our projections, so myhope is that candidates will come for-ward who won't let us, because theymaintain in prayer their own intimateconnection with the mystery of God.Bishops who pray don't pretend tohave answers to everything, and theycan foster our humility, which in theEpiscopal Church today should be ahigh priority. We have good but hardtimes ahead.Martin L. Smith is a well-known spiri-tual writer and priest. He is the seniorassociate rector at St. Columba's, D.C.

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Martin L. Smith

BEARINGS:

Reflections on the role of a bishop

“Sitting and standing representtwo fundamental aspects of the

episcopal vocation.”Borrowing By Jay Treadwell

Thank you God for allowing me to

Borrow your lovely dayBorrow your cold wind at my backBorrow your cold wind in my faceBorrow your dappled sun throughsticks of treesBorrow your fallen leaves wrestlingwith earth

Borrow your tall grasses shimmeringin marshBorrow your natural path windingthrough woodsBorrow your brownness of flowersfadedBorrow your shells on the beachBorrow your snow geese aloftBorrow full lungs as I runBorrow my good health for todayNot to be overdrawn with your gifts.

Quinceañera15 CANDLESWearing a special pink

dress, Lisseth Mora

Urbina celebrates her

Quinceañera at St.

Alban’s, D.C., on Jan. 30.

The celebration, a Latin

American ceremony that

marks the passage from

childhood to woman-

hood, was the first of its

kind at St. Alban’s,

which has offered a

Spanish language serv-

ice each Sunday since

October 2009. The new

congregation is led by

the diocese’s canon for

Latino Ministries, the

Rev. Simón Bautista.

Diocese of Honduras Seeking English Speaking Teachers

Honduras is the home of seven Episcopal bilingual schools and theRev. Andrea Baker, Superintendent of the schools, is seeking English speak-ing teachers to serve for 1-2 years. The schools welcome applications fromretired teachers, recent college graduates, and others interested in teachingabroad.The school year runs from mid-August to mid-June. Each school pro-vides housing and a modest monthly stipend for teachers.

If you are interested in exploring this ministry, please contact:The Rev. Andrea Baker at episcopalschools.hn@gmail.com

Reflexionando aMateo 5: 10-12, del Sermónde la Montaña. El Sermón de

la montaña esuna pieza clavepara entender lapropuesta quenos hace Jesússobre el Reino

de los Cielos. Una de las cosas impre-sionantes de su modo de hablar esque no se reserva nada. Jesús todo loexpone en posición clara y abierta, sinambigüedad, como si no le importarala crítica o la pérdida de puntos depopularidad. A decir verdad, a Jesúsno hay necesidad de leerlo entrelíneas, como adivinando lo que quieredecir. Con él se pueden firmar conve-nios en primera lectura porque todolo que dice se puede escribir en letrasgrandes. Con él no necesitamos auxil-iarnos de una lupa para leer las letraspequeñas que muchas veces acom-pañan los contratos que nos presentanlas corporaciones humanas que andandetrás de nuestro dinero y quepueden terminar causándonos muchodaño.

La conclusión del sermón de lamontaña es un buen ejemplo parailustrar lo que acabamos de decir. Sibien es cierto que esta conclusiónpuede tornarse algo desconcertantepara algunos de los que escucharon aJesús aquel día, no es menos ciertoque pone en alerta a sus seguidores deuna gran verdad "que no todo escolor de rosa, y que el camino al cielono está amortiguado por una espesa

alfombra roja". Esta forma de concluir no es exacta-

mente lo que los oídos de la multitudque seguía a Jesús estarían esperandoescuchar, no después de un discursoinaugural lleno de promesas del cielo.Esto pudo haber hecho que muchagente se sintiera incómoda. Y es natu-ral, el ser humano tiene una tendenciaal bienestar que muchas veces le difi-culta hacer negociaciones pacíficascon cualquier forma de dolor ysufrimiento. Es que las palabras deJesús no ocultan para nada que elcompromiso con el Reino de Diospuede afectarnos hasta en lo que másatesoramos, la propia vida.

Las últimas palabras del discurso deJesús expresan verdades inexorablesque se convierten en compañerasinseparables del evangelio bien vivido,propiamente anunciado y decidida-mente testimoniado; nos recuerdanque el Reino de los cielos no solo traeconsigo palmaditas en la espalda,también nos puede traer calumnias,odio, amenazas, despidos,deportación, persecución, encarce-lamiento y hasta la muerte. La cosaes que cuando se trabajan los detallesse esclarecen las expectativas.

¡Dichosos! ¡Bienaventurados! Sonpalabras que alegran nuestros cora-zones cuando las escuchamos especial-mente si quien nos las dice es Jesús.Pero tienen su precio, hay que pagarpor ellas. Eso es lo que sugiere el dis-curso de la montaña, sugiere que elReino de los cielos está a la disponi-bilidad de nosotros pero tenemos quecolaborar de alguna forma para llevar-lo a su plenitud.

Tal vez la pregunta es cómo partici-par de manera efectiva y creativa enun proyecto que lleva tantos siglos endesarrollo y que aún le falta para lle-

gar a su etapa final. Jesús nos ofrecealgunas sugerencias en el discurso dela montaña: ser misericordiosos ycompasivos, luchar por la paz y la jus-ticia, ser humildes de corazón. Estascosas, cuando las hacemos bien, nosdan la aprobación de Dios y la de losque le aman las cosas de Dios; tam-bién nos ganan el rechazo de los quese empeñan en obstaculizar el proyec-to salvador de Dios. Cuando optamospor la buena noticia de Jesús conteni-da en los evangelios, nos exponemos avivir bajo este doble efecto.

Siempre que hacemos unreconocimiento de nuestra realidadinmediata y no tan inmediata,podemos encontrar decenas de opor-tunidades para poner en práctica lasacciones que nos sugiere el Sermón dela Montaña. Podemos descubrir opor-tunidades para ejercer la misericordiay la compasión, así como terreno paratrabajar por la justicia y la paz.Podemos buscar tan cerca como ennuestra propia comunidad, o tan lejoscomo África, Palestina o Haití.Podemos optar desde trabajar con losmás necesitados de nuestra comu-nidad hasta envolvernos en la luchapor la reforma inmigratoria y elDream Act.

La cuestión es identificar qué quere-mos hacer y por quiénes queremoshacerlo. Una vez que hayamos hechoesas decisiones será más fácil ponerseen camino. Posiblemente eso es lo quehicieron personas como MartínLuther King, Nelson Mandela, elarzobispo Romero, el arzobispoDesmond Tutu, la madre Teresa deCalcuta, César Chávez y muchosotros. Ellos hicieron una opción,abrazaron su causa y vivieron con lasconsecuencias en su propio tiempo.Este es nuestro tiempo.

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MEDITATION

COMUNIÓN

Simón Bautista

David of WalesCommemoration: March 1

Time and place: Born in Menevia,

Wales, in the 4th century; died c. 601

at Mynyw, Wales; interred in St.

David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire

Representation: Leek (also the

symbol of Wales). Often portrayed as

a bishop with a dove on his shoulder.

Story in brief:Little is known about David of Wales,

the only Welsh saint to be canonized

in the Western Church, but his

mythology abounds. Born to Nonna,

commemorated as a holy woman in

the Middle Ages, David founded a

monastic community in Menevia

modeled on that of the Desert

Fathers of Upper Egypt. The monks

worked hard and subsisted on a diet

of vegetables, bread, milk and water.

David was known as a great abbot

and became head of a national

school of learning. The earliest record

of David's life dates from about 1090

and he is mentioned in the eighth

century catalogue of the saints of

Ireland and in the Martyrology of

Tallaght, which records the date of

his death as March 1. He is said to

have made a number of missionary

journeys and to have visited the Holy

Land, where he was consecrated

archbishop by the patriarch of

Jerusalem. More than 50 pre-

Reformation churches in South Wales

were dedicated to David and after

Pope Callistus II approved his cult

many made pilgrimages to his shrine,

including William the Conqueror and

Henry II. Welshmen still wear leeks or

daffodils on his feast day. In his final

words to his followers, David urged

them to be joyful, keep their faith

and creed and "do the little things

that you have seen me do and heard

about." Do the little things in life has

become a popular Welsh saying.

A SAINT FOR MARCH American historian Christopher Lasch wrote that

when critics accused Martin Luther King Jr.'scivil rights movement of being "petit bourgeois,"

many of King's followers responded, in essence, "Yes,and what's your point?" The term petit bourgeois covers a multitude of sins and

virtues. Among them is surely the desire to "do formyself," or "do for ourselves". King's movement neces-sarily addressed larger issues of law and policy, but most-ly in the service of opening opportunities for individu-als, families and communities to "do for themselves":address their own issues, provide for their own needs. Recent events in Tunisia, Egypt and beyond reflect this

petit bourgeois aspect of the U.S. civil rights movement.The young man whose self-immolation catalyzed theTunisian uprising was just trying to start a small busi-ness, so he could care for himself and his family.Government enforcers made it so difficult to do so thathe found his life unbearable. Many of the Egyptian pro-testors were young people who just wanted to live hon-

orable, decent lives; the regime that governed themmade this modest goal ridiculously hard to achieve. All of this might put us in mind of that avowedly petit-

bourgeois apostle, Paul. In the third chapter of his sec-ond letter to the Thessalonians, he writes: "…we (Pauland his fellow-apostles) were not idle when we werewith you, we did not eat any one's bread without pay-ing, but with toil and labor we worked night and day,that we might not burden any of you." He adds, hereand in his second letter to the Corinthians, that weshould not only work hard to avoid burdening others,but also so that we'll have something with which helpthose in need when the occasion arises.Some great movements have very modest goals. Paul's

mission, King's movement, the Tunisian and Egyptianinsurgencies: each embraced revolutionary change, buteschewed grandiosity. For this reason, perhaps, theyreach across the centuries, or half-way across the world,to touch and inspire us.The Rev. John Graham is rector of Grace, Georgetown.

By Judy Russell

I Am Number Four (PG-13)This is an action sci-fi thriller, but itis also yet another teenager-with-extraordinary-abilities love story. Thistime the lead, John Smith (AlexPettyfer), is not a vampire or were-wolf, but a refugee from anotherplanet whose inhabitants have senthim and eight other youngsters toEarth to evade death from the handsof the evil Mogadorians. Afterdestroying their home planet and itsinhabitants, the Mogadorians trackthe remaining children and theirhelpers to Earth. Now they are killingthese children-in numerical order.Three very graphic executions areshown before we meet John. He isNo. 4.John and his protector Henri

(Timothy Olyphant) have had tomove from place to place all his life tostay ahead of the menacing villains.They have not been able to stay inany place long. As an attractive

teenager it is hard for John to blendin at the local high school. As hematures his abilities and superpowersare hard to control and become evi-dent to those around him. When hisnotoriety makes it necessary to makeanother move, John refuses. He hasmet the love of his life, Sarah (DiannaAgron), and he will not leave her. It istime for him to make a stand. Whenhe is located by the Mogadorians, theequally gifted No. 6 (Teresa Palmer)comes to his aid. This is not a film for younger chil-

dren. There is a great deal of fighting,stabbing, blasting and bigger-than-lifevillains who travel with huge, big-toothed mad dog like creatures. Theymay also not find the tendermoments of first love very interesting.

The Green Hornet (PG-13)This revival of the campy television

series of the '60s keeps some of its oldfashioned charm -the theme music,the car flipping garage, and the fastkarate action - but the lead characters'roles are very different. Britt Reid'scharacter (Seth Rogen) is a rathersour, spoiled, complaining youngman who has lingering issues whenhis father dies. He inherits his news-

paper business, the L.A. DailySentinel. His only "friend," Kato (JayChou), has a much larger part in themovie than he did in the series, andthis is accentuated by Britt/TheGreen Hornet as he continuallyargues with him over what his roleshould really be-butler, chauffeur,mechanic, protector or friend.Secretary Lenore Case (CameronDiaz) adds some lovely spice to thetwo men's interactions with eachother, but it is Chudnofsky(Christoph Waltz) who really sets theplot rolling. Britt's new "career" ofmasked superhero heats up when hehas a faceoff with this mega-menace.There is a great deal of fighting

(karate and otherwise), guns, chasing,crashing and dashing so youngerviewers may miss most of the humor.Comic book enthusiasts and peoplewho remember the television serieswill be glad to see their "old friends"back. Even Black Beauty, the 1966Imperial Crown sedan, is exactly thesame - shined up and on the screenonce again!

The Rite (PG-13)This dramatic horror film was

By Beth Lambdin

127 Hours (Rated R)Aron Ralston (winningly portrayed byOscar-nominated James Franco), anexperienced 27-year-old canyoneer,struck out before dawn on April 26,2003, to do what he loved: explorethe remote back country of Utah.This fateful day, before leaving home,he fails to pick up his ringing phone,and misses a chance to connect withhis mother and tell her where he isgoing. He stops at Blue John Canyonwhere the day dawns sunny andbright, and he soon crosses paths withtwo young, female hikers. Arondelights in showing them the hiddentreasures studded among the stunninglandscape. They splash in an under-ground pool before parting. Aronstrikes out on his own; the solitudewith the land feeds him. He jumpsconfidently rock to rock. Beforedescending a narrow passageway, hetests an 800-pound boulder to makesure it's stationary. It seems immov-able, but the boulder tumbles afterhim pinning his right forearm againstthe canyon wall. Shocked but fasci-nated, resourceful but underprepared,Aron matter-of-factly instructs him-self not to lose it. He's in deep trou-ble with little hope of rescue. He con-

serves his meager supplies, and uses adull knife to scrape away at the boul-der, making little progress. As hoursdrag into days, that dull knife movescenter stage. Danny Boyle (SlumdogMillionaire) directs this fictionalizedadaptation of Ralston's memoir,Between a Rock and a Hard Place,with the same fierce, frenetic stylethat so effectively captured thevibrant energy of Mumbai, India inSlumdog, propelling it to an Oscarwin. But, although this too was nom-inated for Best Picture, here that stylejars. The film demands viewer vigi-lance as it cuts back and forth in timemixing reality (graphic reality) withdelirious fantasy (or are they visions?).Some viewers will find the film life-affirming, but mostly I just felt sick,dreading the cut that would set himfree.

Blue Valentine (Rated R)About halfway through this nearlytwo-hour film, I noticed flashes oflight from my neighbors' cell phonetexts. Not even a frank depiction oforal sex could hold their interest,although it generated plenty of pre-release fuss; the film originallyslapped with the dreaded NC-17 rat-ing. The talented duo of RyanGosling and Michelle Williams (nom-inated for Best Actress), play aScranton, Pa., couple whose marriagehas hit the skids-hard. Through a cre-ative and seamless use of time (butnot conventional flashbacks), we also

see them as a young couple in love.Gosling plays Dean as a sexy under-achiever, a high school dropout work-ing for a moving company. He's awedby Williams, who plays Cindy, a col-lege student with dreams of being adoctor. Her home life stinks whereher father is an abusive tyrant.Cindy's chief emotional outlet is lov-ing a grandmother who doesn't yell.That is, until Dean arrives and per-sistently woos her. On an early date,he sings (goofily) and she dances (alsogoofily); it's charming. At thatmoment, the film is rich with possi-bility. But, along with that of my tex-ting neighbors, my interest soonfaded, even with the news of Cindy'sunplanned pregnancy. While Dean isa devoted father, he still drinks toomuch, and his aimless personalitydoesn't change. Doctor dreamsdeferred, Cindy is a now a capablenurse, but she's hardened her heart toDean. Their last-ditch efforts torekindle romance are pathetic, butnot heartbreaking. In the post-film-ladies-room-line critique, severalwomen said, "I kept thinking itwould get better." Me too; it didn't.

No Strings Attached (Rated R)Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portmanstar as Adam and Emma in this pre-dictable, raunchy romance fromdirector Ivan Reitman that poses thequestion: Can a relationship of just

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FAMILYFILMS

WINDOWON FILM

see WINDOW ON FILM, page 14

see FAMILY FILMS, page 14

Entrepreneurspractice the artof turningideas into amarketableproduct orservice, thenassuming therisk and man-agement of theresulting busi-ness enterprise.

At this point in our lengtheningGreat Recession, many entrepreneursare born out of necessity. This col-umn focuses on the thinking andaction that has brought one particularentrepreneur, "Gabe," to a betterplace during this recession.In retrospect, Gabe sees that he

began his business career when hegraduated from college. He workedhard to become known as an honest,forthright, organized professional. Headvanced to responsible jobs in televi-sion production and media entertain-ment at excellent companies, both ofwhich eventually downsized, cuttingout his successful broadcast designand animation departments. In thesecond situation, while employed butpending layoff, he sought full timework until he decided to use his siz-able energy and commitment to

launch his own design company. Gabe says, "I focused on three main

topics that are the backbone of mybusiness philosophy: the mechanics ofstarting a successful design business; abusiness strategy of collaborationrather than competition, which meansthat I'm always striving to be anactive participant in the artistic andproduction community; and the'steps to avoid' pitfalls in an effort toanswer the question, Why do somecompanies succeed while others fail?" First Gabe created a lengthy list of

questions along a timeline. He identi-fied his business opportunity - thevalue, practicality and uniqueness ofproduct/services provided - and thenecessary financial, legal and peopleresources. He acknowledged the com-petition. He broke his questions intosmaller "doable do's" to avoid feelingoverwhelmed and eventually realizedthe questions sorted themselves outwithout being roadblocks to success.Friends who wished him well con-tributed their services of web and logoideas, and previous bosses and peersoffered sage advice. He selected avenue for his launch and threw a fan-tastic party that drew colleagues andother supporters from near and far. He says, "Above all, if you lose your

job remain an active member of yourindustry's community and/or profes-sional associations, become a volun-teer in your field, take or teach a

class, gain a certificate, learn a newpiece of software - all networkingexperiences where you can share yourpassion for what you do." Staying connected to combinations

of dynamic, always changing peoplebecame the backbone of his businessand a motivator for persistence andstamina despite the natural setbacksthat always accompany growth. Nowhe seeks out opportunities to mentor.One secret: "When you ask someonehow they are, really mean it and listenwell." Once the mechanics of establishing

his business were accomplished,Gabe's joy has been managing hisbusiness as he gains clarity about whatkind of company he wants and whattype of leader he is. He believes hisability to change focus, shift gears,push the business in the direction ofthe skid (what his clients need) is key.Able to rent studio space after his firstyear profits, Gabe's dream is to con-tinue creating established pipelines ofwork as he functions as an offsite artdepartment for clients. "My business strategy answers the

question: How are we all going towin?" he says. "I've created my mis-sion statement to reflect my collabo-rative leadership… a broadcast designand animation studio for creative peo-ple on a mission to amplify and unifythe design community." He believesthis collaboration will be key to his

company's success. And what do faith and family have

to do with entrepreneurship? Gabesays, "I gained valuable insights whenI stopped blaming my tumultuouschildhood and took responsibility formy own destiny. … I support reasonand tolerance in our communitiesand embrace a free and responsiblesearch for truth and meaning. Irespect my wife's religious back-ground; we were married and had ourchildren baptized in her church." His wife, an entrepreneur in her own

right, stands back to let him do histhing without becoming too anxiousover his progress or setbacks; he doesthe same for her. They share parent-ing and housekeeping responsibilitiesand try to foster each other's personaland professional growth."Optimism is the recognition that

the odds are in your favor; hope is thefaith that things will work out what-ever the odds. Hope is a verb with itssleeves rolled up. Hopeful people areactively engaged in defying the oddsor changing the odds." - David Orr,Hope is an Imperative

Margaret M. "Peggy" Treadwell,LICSW, is a family, individual andcouples therapist and teacher in privatepractice. She can be contacted at PeggyMcDT@gmail.com

13WASHINGTON WINDOWMarch/April 2011 | www.edow.org

WHAT’SCOOKING?

Margaret M. Treadwell

FAMILY MATTERS:

Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled upOur cartoon is drawn by Bob Erskine.

Diocesan Cookbook!We challenge you to make a differencein these lean times and support thediocesan Hunger Fund by contributinga recipe, volunteering to test recipes orcontributing funds to help offset thecost of production of a cookbook. Proceeds from the sale of the cookbook

will benefit the Hunger Fund, (see storyon page 3) which makes grants tonumerous area feeding programs in theDistrict of Columbia and the Marylandcounties of Montgomery, PrinceGeorge's, Charles and St. Mary's. Allgrant money is used to purchase food orserving utensils. You can contribute your favorite and

special recipes by filling out an onlineform at edow.org/cookbook, or you arewelcome to send them to "Cookbook"at Episcopal Church House, Mount St.Alban, Washington, D.C., 20016. We hope to have as many parishes as

possible represented in the cookbook,and also as many cuisines! Extra creditfor recipes with an interesting story!

inspired by true events. It is based onthe novel by Matt Baglio, The Rite:The Making of a Modern Exorcist. Thestory follows a reluctant young collegestudent's trip to the Vatican to studyexorcism. As part of his studies hemeets and helps a rather unorthodoxpriest, Father Lucas (AnthonyHopkins), who shows him the darkerside of faith. The Exorcist (1973) it is not. There

are no new theatrical ideas to makethe victims of possession really scaryand no tricks to make the audiencejump, but the connections betweenscience and faith are interesting.Outstanding performances by ColinO'Donoghue (as Michael Kovak, theseminarian), and of course Hopkins,carry us through the story to a casetoo difficult for either priest toresolve. Along the way both menmust reassess their lives and motives. This is not a good selection for chil-

dren since it is about demons in thereal world and the power held by thedevil over the world and its people.Also, it is just too creepy for young,creative minds.

Gnomeo and Juliet (Rated G)Is it possible for garden gnomes to

reenact western literature's mostfamous love story? That was the goalof director Kelly Asbury and song-

writer Elton John. This animated filmabout two neighboring families (andtheir garden decor) who are caught upin a longstanding feud showcasesmany Hollywood voices and a won-derful score of classic and originalsongs by Elton John as it rocksthrough the story of forbidden love.Gnomeo (voiced by James McAvoy),a blue gnome, falls for the lovely andadventurous Juliet (voiced by EmilyBlunt), a red gnome. The blue andred gnomes families cannot work outtheir differences any better than theirowners, Mr. Capulet (voiced byRichard Wilson) and Miss Montague(voiced by Julie Walters). The pair'sparents, Lady Bluebury (voiced byMaggie Smith) and Lord Redbrick

(voiced by Michael Caine), stir up theaction even more when they learn ofthe relationship of their "children."Even Mr. Shakespeare (voiced byPatrick Stewart) makes an appearanceas a park statue. This film's animation is so well done

that on occasion the audience mayforget that it is drawn -that is untilthe garden characters come into con-tact with "people." As in other recentanimated films, when people arearound all motion stops and the char-acters become only cement and plas-tic. But these characters are so muchmore than their material components;their emotional messages will reachinto the hearts of all viewers. Thereare many sight gags and excitinglawnmower races (including the pow-erful Terrafirminator, voiced by HulkHogan) as well as a wise pink flamin-go (voiced by Jim Cummings) whichround out this retelling. Since this is a"G" production the ending is not thesame as the play so adults should notbe concerned about the final scene.

Rango (Rated PG)This is an action-packed animatedfeature with an old western theme.The plot is the same as many of thetelevision Westerns of the '60s: astranger comes to town and ends upsaving the day. But this time the storyis given a new twist since the"stranger" is a chameleon thespian,

Rango (voiced by Johnny Depp), wholoves creating, telling and acting outelaborate stories. When Rango isstranded in a Nevada desert towncalled Dirt, his swashbuckling storiesland him in the job of town sheriff.His acting abilities then have to con-vince bandits and other villains thathe is "man enough" for the job.There are several scenes during the

movie which may concern youngerchildren-the car crash at the begin-ning of the movie which separatesRango from his keeper, Jake (voicedby Bill Nighy) the rattlesnake whohas very long fangs, and bandits onflying bats who chase and shoot avariety of guns at Rango and hisfriends. Although these are scary,director Gore Verbinski has made surethere is no blood or gore shown andthat there is plenty of silly side actionto counterbalance the tension. The"circle of life" is presented severaltimes during the film, but thesescenes are explained beautifully asfacts of survival in the desert. Thereare characters that smoke, chewtobacco, or down shots of "cactusjuice" in the town's saloon, but theseare part of the stylized western themeand are not highlighted. Although themovie is a little long for very youngchildren, it is fun for all ages.Judy Russell teaches music and perform-ing arts at Beauvoir, the NationalCathedral Elementary School.

14WASHINGTON WINDOW

March/April 2011 | www.edow.org

sex lead to love? The talentedPortman is more accessible here(think Garden State) than in her hon-ored Black Swan role, but this is noOscar contender. The film opens 15years earlier with Adam and Emmameeting cute at summer camp. Adam,whom we later learn is a generallygood guy, crudely propositionsEmma. While she demurs, a spark isignited and through magical, cine-matic circumstances they cross pathsagain and again until they finally"hook-up" as adults. Now, she's a har-ried LA doctor and he is a lowly pro-duction assistant desperate to estab-lish his own career in the wake of hisfamous but dissolute father. In a rolereversal that may be intended toempower women, Emma is the onewho wants just sex, while Adam, theromantic, (and more emotionally sta-ble one), longs for a more meaningfulrelationship. Both are surrounded bygaggles of friends, Jake Johnson andLudacris in Adam's ring and GretaGerwig and Minda Kaling in Emma'scorner, offering the requisite goodand bad advice. They're quite good.Kevin Kline is also amusing in thesmall part as Adam's lecherous father.Here as in the recent DrewBarrymore/Justin Long vehicle, Going

the Distance, the casual, frequent useof vulgar, sexually-explicit languagewas like crows cawing in my ear,tonally at odds with the underlyingsweetness of at least one of the char-acters. Sometimes, less is more.

The King's Speech (Rated R) Nominated for a slew of Oscars (12),this crowd-pleasing film is one of thefew contenders that hasn't generated amaelstrom of critical controversy. Nosex, no violence, the R rating is forsalty language spewed in frustrationby Colin Firth as King George VI, thefuture king of England. He leads ateam of Oscar nominees includingGeoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue, hiseccentric speech therapist, and HelenaBonham Carter as his devoted wife,Queen Elizabeth; they're all outstand-ing. But, the film's success largelyrides on Firth's convincing and sym-pathetic portrait of a reluctant kingwith a major speech impediment.Through flashbacks we get a sense ofhis gilded, stilted and lonely life witha tyrannical father who had little sym-pathy for a young son who stam-mered. At his wife's urging, Bertie (asGeorge VI is known to his family)surreptitiously meets with Logue, anunconventional "therapist" whoinsists that in their sessions they meet

as equals. This does not sit well withthe short-tempered royal. But underBertie's rage lies a sensitive soul whocomes to not only rely on Logue, butto understand all he's lost by being acreature of privilege. His fecklessolder brother, Edward VIII (played byan excellent Guy Pearce) in line forthe throne, abdicates to marry thenotorious American divorcée, WallisSimpson, thrusting Bertie into thelimelight. Dark clouds gather overEngland as Hitler marches acrossEurope and threatens England's free-dom. The English people already havethe pugnacious, articulate Churchillwaiting in the wings to succeedHitler-appeasing Neville Chamberlin,but in these troubled times, they alsocrave inspiration from an eloquentmonarch.

Another Year (Rated PG-13) The changing seasons in the life of anaverage couple in London frame thisquiet, character-driven gem from theveteran, British director Mike Leigh.Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen flaw-lessly play Tom and Gerri, one ofthose enviable, long-married, slightlysmug couples completely at ease withthemselves and each other. He is anengineering geologist and she a coun-selor. They enjoy their work, but even

more satisfying is the time they spendtending their garden, tilling the soil,planting vegetables, and harvestingthe bounty. Natural caretakers of notonly the soil, they also provide on-going refuge for one of Ruth's co-workers, Mary (Lesley Manville in aheart-breaking performance). She'sone of those needy, boundary-chal-lenged women many of us go out ofour way to avoid, darting into anoth-er aisle in the grocery store when wespot them coming our way. Everyconversation revolves around her; themundane issues of life like buying aused car or negotiating trafficrecounted in tedious detail. She gulpscopious amounts of wine, flirtsshamelessly with men, and openlydisdains any woman she views ascompetition. She'd be easy to writeoff as a tiresome, middle-aged alco-holic. But, Manville makes her shinewith a sympathetic patina that nevercompletely rubs off. It's easy to likethe Toms and Gerris of the world, butit's the lonely, desperate Marys whochallenge us to open our hearts andhomes. Beth is a freelance writer who special-izes in film reviews and narrative non-fiction. Let Beth know what you thinkabout her reviews at beth@bethlamb-din.com.

WINDOW ON FILM, from page 12

FAMILY FILMS, from page 12

To the editor:I was happy to see the Rev. MarcBritt's op/ed, The realm outside thepolitical sphere, in theJanuary/February issue of theWindow. This kind of critical self-examination of mainline church lead-ers is exactly what I hoped to encour-age when I wrote Paradoxy: CreatingChristian Community Beyond Us andThem. Marc's article is thoughtful,well-written, and raises several impor-tant issues: particularly, his emphasison formation.I would quibble a bit with his classi-

fying Paradoxy as a book in the"emerging church mode," however. Ifthe "emergent" movement is rightlycalled a post-modern phenomenon(not that there's anything wrong withthat), then perhaps Paradoxy mightbest be called "post-emergent." Why?Because it is an attempt to articulatetheologically where the church isgoing and what it might look likewhen that which is now only "emer-gent" has fully emerged and begun toconsolidate.I strongly agree with Marc's "ride or

be drowned" analysis of my "ridingthe wave" metaphor. I would like tobe clear, however, that I am not sug-gesting that the church merely posi-tion itself to ride the current wave ofcultural change: that it merely adjustto the ever-shifting paradigms of thepopular culture (though the two areto some degree connected). Rather, Iam arguing that over the decades andcenturies, the church's existing para-digms of Christian community havebecome increasingly inadequate andnow teeter on the edge of collapseprecisely because as creations ofhuman rationality, they could notavoid being influenced by the culturearound them. As with all finite understandings of

the infinite, they cannot help but fallshort of fullness.I wholeheartedly agree with Marc (as

he argues from Hunter) that we mustmove beyond the political sphere:beyond the realm of power and influ-ence. If politics is "the art of the pos-sible," as some have said, then faith isthe art of "impossible possibilities,"and it is within that realm where wemust search for the future of thechurch. We have to open ourselves tonew ways of being church that tran-scend the theopolitical polarities - theconservative and liberal Christianities- that have polarized the church formost of recent memory.I disagree with Marc's suggestion

that the emerging church movementis about offering a "niche" version of

church. In fact, I would suggest it is,at its heart, an attempt to do just theopposite. We have to remember thatthe emerging church took root whenyoung conservative evangelicals beganto realize that their own brand ofChristianity - conservative evangeli-calism - was a "niche" version ofChristianity: strong on doctrinal cor-rectness but weak on love in practice.Niche Christianity was not what theywere perfecting, but what they wererejecting, piecing together in its placea version of Christianity that wasmore whole. It is a great temptationfor those of us in liberal, mainlineChristian denominations like theEpiscopal Church to observe emer-gent evangelicals reaching out toappropriate practices from our tradi-tion and assume that our version ofChristianity is more whole and lessniche-y. But the reason that assump-tion is so easy for us to make is thatwe have not yet engaged in the samecourageous, self-critical examinationthat they already have done. Theywould be well within their rights tosay to us, "You don't know whatyou're missing."In the end, however, in many ways

Marc and I end up on the same page.It really is all about formation. All ofus needed to be seeking to be formedby God for God's purposes. And that includes the church.

The Rev. Ken Howard, Rector, St. Nicholas, Darnestown

To the editor:(In response to Marc Britt's op/ed,The realm outside the political sphere,in the January/FebruaryWindow.)When we hold that attending church

for worship has become just anotherconsumer option, and the productisn't selling, then we must concludethat our product has little value, orour sales force is inadequately trained.Consumerism is not user driven. It ishierarchal, driven by producers,advertisers and salesman. The producthas to be sold. Joshua Cooper Ramoin The Age of the Unthinkable relatesthat: “Once users step into creativeengagement the dynamics of complexsystems shift forever. Users stop beingconsumers and become participants.”They take ownership and in the salesforce of the church they become dis-ciples. And in that, the divinity ofevery member is manifested.This shift is a manifestation of mov-

ing from a centralized hierarchalorganization to a holistic decentral-ized one. Pope John 23 initiatedVatican I in 1963, as a decentraliza-tion effort, and Cursillo was imple-mented in Spain in the 1930s follow-ing the Civil War to reengage themen of the villages, who had goneadrift from the church. ResurrectingCursillo in the diocese might be a

good starting point in "Formation."The saying "if you don't stand for

something, you will stand for any-thing" may seem trite, but it is thatwhich carries people to the heights ofperformance, dedication and servicein the realm of the unimaginable.Church leaders, therefore, will do wellto tread lightly to conforming culturalinfluences, and be bold enough towithstand the temptations of comfort.Let us, therefore: TEACH THETRUTH OF GOD, PREACH THELOVE OF GOD, HEAL SICKBODIES AND SOULS BY THEPOWER OF GOD.Joseph L. Dick, Captain USN (Ret.)St. Mary's Parish

To the editor:May I express my profound disagree-ment with the sermon of BishopChane (November/DecemberWindow) and especially his 'history'source, Karen Armstrong? I don'tknow how much of the sermon isBishop Chane and how much isArmstrong.I consider her, former nun, then

atheist, then self professed monotheistto be to be a totally unreliable sourceof any information. In a 2007 inter-view, she said: "There is far more vio-lence in the Bible than in the Qur'an;the idea that Islam imposed itself bythe sword is a Western fiction, fabri-cated during the time of the Crusadeswhen, in fact, it was the WesternChristians who were fighting brutalholy wars against Islam."Clearly Armstrong knows that the

violence of the bible is Old Testamentand is rejected in the Christian part ofthe Bible, the New Testament, so whydoes she blur that distinction? But theremaining perversion of plain historyis the reason I consider her to be acrackpot, with no claim to be a 'histo-rian.' Mohammad led men in battleand they killed many who would notfollow him. Jesus killed no one. Withthe death of Mohammad, his follow-ers did jihad, the military type, andwent west for easy pickings. Theyconquered all North Africa, crossedinto Europe at Gibraltar and had abloodbath in Spain. Karen Armstrongwould have us believe the Muslimarmies danced peacefully across NorthAfrica like Fred Astaire doing a danceroutine and kissing everyone alongthe way. There is no way to sugarcoather statement that "it is a Western fic-tion" that Islam conquered with thesword. Her statement is a big lie.Islam had been a warrior religion, a

fighting religion since day one. Thesword is still a feature of the flag ofmany Islamic nations. Jihad has a mil-itary side as well as a spiritual sideand we ignore that at our peril. I recommend as a balance to the

views of Bishop Chane, reading of

God's Battalions by Rodney Stark, ahistorian at Baylor University.Stephen S. ElginBethesda, Md.

To the editor:Many thanks to Martin L. Smith forThe Intact and Abundant InnermostPerson, which appeared in theJanuary/February issue of theWindow. My mother has dementia,and his article brought me more com-fort than I can express. I am so verygrateful.Betsy DavisSomerset, NJ

To the editor:In the September/October Windowthere was an article about the 2010diocesan budget challenges. These areindeed difficult and painful times onthe employment front and I do notenvy the difficult choices that theDiocesan Council is facing. That said,it concerns me that the Rev. NancyLee Jose is quoted as saying "We arenot setting a good example for thediocese." She goes on to say, "Whatwe need to do is pass a deficit budg-et." One can debate whether the merits

of options including no pay raisesagain and increased costs to partici-pants in the health care plan, but Ifail to understand how passing adeficit budget will set a good exam-ple. I hope that this comment attrib-uted to Dr. Jose is not reflective of themindset of the other members of theDiocesan Council. A significant por-tion of the population throughout thecountry seems to be in denial that oureconomy came dangerously close tocomplete collapse, and many econo-mists say recovery will take years. Ifthis were a one or two year event, per-haps a modest deficit would beacceptable if sufficient reserve fundswere available, but we are entering thethird year of this recession, andWashington, D.C., which has beenmostly spared compared with muchof the rest of the country, is now fac-ing increasingly dire financial fore-casts. Add to this mix survey reportsshowing a general decline in charita-ble giving with church giving in par-ticular trending downward. Under these circumstances, prudent

fiscal stewardship suggests that thediocese must adjust our expectationsas to what we can and cannot affordand what we will and will not be ableto do in the immediate years ahead,whereas approving a deficit budgetseems to send a message of fiscal irre-sponsibility.Greg DuRossWashington, D.C.

15WASHINGTON WINDOWMarch/April 2011 | www.edow.org

LETTERS TOTHE EDITOR

activities&eventsAging In Place, The Role Of CongregationsMarch 3, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. atSt. John's, Beltsville. With ChristalBatey, a community resource advo-cate. Sponsored by Seabury Resourcesfor Aging. Lunch provided; RSVP to202-414-6314 or |ashaw@seaburyresources.org American Friends of the Diocese Of JerusalemMarch 6, 3 to 4:30 p.m. at St.Mark's, Capitol Hill. PhoebeGriswold, president of the AmericanFriends of the Diocese of Jerusalem,will host a free presentation andreception. RSVP to middleeastworkinggroup@gmail.comShrove Tuesday SupperMarch 8, 4 to 7 p.m. at St. Barnabas,Temple Hills. Adults $7.50; children3-12, $3.75 and children under 3free. 301/894-9100 or 301/894-5242. Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper& Mardi Gras FunMarch 8, 5 to 7 p.m. at St. Mary's,Foggy Bottom. Adults $8;students/youth $4. 202-333-3985.Weekly Wednesday Walk Along A Labyrinth

March 9 through April 20 at St.Alban's, D.C. (Nourse Hall). Walkthe labyrinth from 1 to 9 p.m. onWednesdays. Docents will providehospitality and guidance. 202-363-8286.Diocesan Leadership WorkshopsMarch 12 at Christ, Clinton; andMarch 26 at the Chevy Chase 4HCenter. 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Costis $25. www.edow.org/eventsSamaritan Ministry's Silver Gala March 12, 6:30 p.m. at theConference Center at 4000Wisconsin Ave. Samaritan Ministrycelebrates its 25th anniversary withfood, music and a live and silent auc-tion. Tickets $100. Tables, sponsor-ships available. 202-722-2280 x326.Vocational Ministry Retreat April 1-2 at St. Mary's Seminary &University Center for ContinuingFormation, Baltimore. Led byMarjory Zoet Bankson. Enables allbaptized people to discern God's callto ministry in their lives. $120; regis-ter at http://www.edow.org/eventsCalled, But Who Is Listening?April 2, 2 p.m. in WashingtonNational Cathedral's PerryAuditorium. Denise Hopkins ofWesley Theological Seminary discuss-es Isaiah and the call to work on jus-tice and peace for Israel and Palestine.

arts&music"Budrus" ScreeningMarch 10, 6:30 p.m. in WashingtonNational Cathedral's PerryAuditorium. Award-winning docu-mentary film about a Palestiniancommunity organizer and Israel'swall. Q&A with producer follows.Tickets, $4, www.nationalcathedral.org Mozart at St. Matthew'sMarch 12, 7 p.m. at St. Matthew's,Hyattsville. Concert features Mozart'sGrand Mass in C Minor. Tickets $10,available at 301-559-8686 or door. Beethoven's Missa SolemnisMarch 13, 4 p.m. at WashingtonNational Cathedral. The CathedralChoral Society sings. Tickets from$25 at 877-537-2228 or www.cathedralchoralsociety.org.Choral Evensong to Benefit BWSMarch 20, 5 p.m. at Bradley HillsPresbyterian, Bethesda. The choirs ofRedeemer, Bethesda and Bradley HillsPresbyterian will sing music byHerbert Howells. An organ recitalwill precede. Reception follows. Gospel Sunday at St. Philip'sMarch 20, 3 p.m. at St. Philip's,Anacostia. Inspirational/Gospel musicand songs and guest speakerEmmanuel F.Y. Grantson. Icon Workshop March 21-26 at St. Phillip's, Laurel.Iconography class by Philip Davydov,master iconographer from St.Petersburg. $600, includes all materi-als. 301-776-8954 orWMACO@COMCAST.NET.Floral DemonstrationApril 30 in Washington NationalCathedral's Perry Auditorium. Withrenowned designer Allan Woods. $30.Coffee and light refreshments.Proceeds benefit the cathedral gardensand grounds. Members of parishflower and altar guilds are encouragedto attend.

services&worshipSchool Of PrayerMarch 7 through April 4, 7 to 9 p.m.in the Cathedral's Garrett Lounge. Anintroduction to a prayer form andexperiential time for opening to Godthrough different ways of praying.$75; register at www.shalem.orgAsh Wednesday Quiet MorningMarch 9, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. atWashington National Cathedral'sCenter for Prayer and Pilgrimage.$30/adult; $25/senior/student.Register at www.nationalcathedral.orgAn Evening of Prayer, RenewalMarch 11, 7 to 9 p.m. at WashingtonNational Cathedral's Center forPrayer and Pilgrimage. Chanting,labyrinth, silence, worship and prayer.crossroads@cathedral.orgLenten Silent RetreatMarch 11-13 at the Bon SecoursSpiritual Center. Carol Wade willlead, "Alive in Christ," taking a freshlook at the Lenten pillars of prayer,fasting, and almsgiving through thelives of mystics, artists, and everydaysaints. $195. www.edow.org/retreat or202-337-3415, bennmargar@aol.comLenten Quiet DayMarch 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at theShalem Institute. The unconditionaland boundless love of God and ourresponse. Cost is $50. Bring lunch.Register at www.shalem.orgThird Wednesday Retreats AtAscension, Silver SpringMarch 16 and April 20 at Ascension,Silver Spring. 9:30 to 11:45 a.m.Topics are Praying with Julian ofNorwich and Desert Spirituality. Freewill offering accepted. Contact TerriMurphy at Rainingshamrocks@aol.comor 301-587-3272. Prayer Brunch at St. Philip's, April 9, 11 a.m. at St. Philip's,Anacostia. Inspirational and Gospelmusic, guest speaker will be ReginaldAudrick. $20 suggested donation.

Washington WindowEpiscopal Church House

Mount Saint AlbanWashington, D.C. 20016-5094

The newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of WashingtonMarch/April 2011, Vol. 80, No. 2 ISSN 1545-1348

POSTMASTER (Permit #99291) Send address changes to Washington Window,Episcopal Church House, Mount Saint Alban, Washington, D.C., 20016-5094

Photo by Leta Dunham

DEPUTIES listen to keynote speaker Robert Johansen at the Diocese of

Washington’s 116th convention, held Jan. 28-29 at the National Cathedral.