seek, nov. 11, 2014

SeekNovember 11, 2014

© The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, 1210 Locust St., St. Louis, Missouri 63103 ph: 314-231-1220 web: diocesemo.org

Episcopal Diocese of MissouriOffices of the Bishop1210 Locust St.St. Louis, Missouri 63103

ph: 314-231-1220www.DioceseMo.org

voices from the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

To Lament

The word “lament” used to feel like an antiquated word. The connotations in my mind were of ancient biblical people whose lives I couldn’t quite settle into. Maybe it was the translation and the re-maining highfalutin lilt still echoing from the KJV, but I never really identified with the psalms of lament and veered away from the Book of Lamentations.

What I did do was write music at a specific emotional juncture: I make up songs when I feel torn in two. The songs somehow sew me back together in their making. I am brought to a place internally where I have nothing to lose and I’m will-ing to let go and follow the sounds that come. In the process, I am mended.

Last summer I was reeling from the grief of my father’s death, my brother’s struggles with mental illness and my first real experience of romantic betrayal. This combination of loss and pain baffled me and I couldn’t even figure out which loss to mourn first. My first session with a new counselor was devoted to helping me prioritize my grief—to find an accessible entrance into this pain.

As a singer who has sung since my memory began, my catharsis was, not

Eliza Lynn writes on psalms of lament, clouds of grief,ancient prayer, and hearing Jesus through the blues.

surprisingly, musical. I sang songs I had written years ago and blues I had learned while living in NC – but now I sang them for real. It’s not that I didn’t mean them before, but now they were the very thing that contextualized

my life experience.

My songs “Hard to let it hurt,” “Weary,” and “Pull-ing of tides” were on such constant repeat on my gui-

tar and banjo, I figured my new neighbors would think those were the only songs I knew how to play. But always paired with them were a few traditional blues (“Hard time killing floor,” “Troubled in mind,” “Mamie”) that let me contact such intense pain...there were times I couldn’t sing for the sobs coming, but my fingers kept playing.

By September, I had waded through months of this experience, during

which time I had taken two graduate the-ology courses at Aquinas Institute. I was explaining my process of healing through music to Fr. Harry Byrne, OP and he said the phrase, “American blues as contempo-rary lamentations.” Thus began my direc-tion of study.

Every single course I’ve taken since then has held this notion in mind. I’m hopeful that a thesis comes of this work, but I know that the real outcome is that I am better. I feel energized about life and

no longer consumed by the cloud of grief. I have had many opportuni-ties to bring my field of study into being through presenting blues and my own songs as a way to hear the psalms of lament with new ears.

The most powerful experience

“American blues as contemporary lamentations.”

Paul Gauguin, 1848 - 1903, Human Sorrow (Miseres humaines), Medium woodcut on japan paper, Rosenwald Collection of the National Gallery of Art

...most powerful at an all-day Lenten retreat at Potosi maximum security prison.

continued on next page

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MAKING DISCIPLES BUILDING CONGREGATIONS FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD

INSIDETo Lament by Eliza Lynn

The End of Racism matters to the Churchby Bishop Wayne Smith

$40,000 Grant for Ferguson

Youth missioner offers re-source for parents and hosts conversation on Ferguson

Gathering Leaders with Joy: Diocesan Convention

November’s Ordinands

From the Archives by Sue Rehkopf

November trip to Lui post-poned by Canon Dan Smith

Called to be a City on the Hill by Brendan O’Connor

What’s a Diocesan Youth Advi-sory Committee? by Christian Davis

Teens help with Deaconess Anne House by Kyleigh Wacasey

3 months later: looking back at EYE by Maddie Eveland

ECM Celebrates 60 Years of Hope and Healing by Beth Goad

A Celtic Eucharist in Ferguson by Donna Hawk-Reinhard

Jesus never said the road would be easy by Renee Fenner

When Violence comes close by Edie Bird

First, we Pray by Tamsen Whistler

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was at an all-day Lenten retreat at Potosi maximum security prison. On the drive down, I was overwhelmed what I was attempting to do: provide an opportuni-ty for this handful of Catholic inmates to feel some of the pain associated with the impending execution of their dear friend, Jeff.

Each of the incarcerated retreat-ants were devout men and the Hospice volunteers for the prison—an incred-ible ministry that Jeff had started. It was a deeply moving experience to be with Christians during Lent, thinking of the passion of Jesus while wading into the unspeakable pain of the imminent execution of a loved one.

This is where I have seen Jesus more clearly than ever.

And asking the men which psalms were really speaking to them during that time gave me further affirmation of

the immediacy of the healing possible from these ancient prayers. Leaning into these prayers in times of critical pain is precisely what Jesus did. “My God, why have you forsaken me?”

This fall, I’m blessed to be in a course at Eden Seminary entitled “Lam-entations, Resiliency and the Family of God.” Week by week, we sink into the pain expressed in the Book of Lamen-tations and each week, we are asked where we see resilience and how this af-fects our ministry. There is one student who often sees resilience in Daughter Zion’s lament through the very fact that she’s still talking to God.

I hope someone always raises this point.

When we lament, we are commu-nicating our pain and sometimes that is the most faith-filled act we have.

To Lament (continued)

During Advent, we anticipate the coming of Christ, an event that awakens our deepest desires and longings. This Advent, the SSJE Brothers invite you to join us in looking clearly and honestly at our lives and taking action.

Each day the calendar will reveal a spe-cial Advent word and meditation, accompa-nied by a beautiful image.

Complete set of Advent resources are available for educators and clergy to down-load at: www.SSJE.org/adventwordresources

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The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri DIOCESEMO.ORG

Thus begins St. Louis 250 years ago, in 1764, a

group of French Creole settlers came to a place some 25 miles south of the confluence of the two great American rivers, the Missouri and Mississippi. The iconic arch on the grounds of the Jefferson National Ex-pansion Memorial marks the site of the early trading village. Pierre Laclede, his common-law wife Marie Therese Chou-teau, and stepson Auguste Chouteau led this endeavor.

Thus began St. Louis.

By the time of Auguste Chouteau’s death in 1829, the family had accumulated thir-ty-six slaves, all of African descent. So began the long disparity in power and privilege enjoyed by European-Americans

The end of racism matters to the Church

and African-Americans in St. Louis.

The disparity dates from the time of the region’s French beginnings.

From the annals of a defin-ing event in the region, we also learn that both leaders of the Corps of Discovery, Meriwether

Lewis and Wil-liam Clark, were slave owners.

This expedi-tion, leaving St. Louis in 1804 to find the head-waters of the Missouri and a path to the Pacif-

ic Ocean, included Clark’s slave named York, a bondservant since childhood.

Intertwined legacies of the Missouri Compromise

Later, William Clark was territorial governor when Mis-souri became a state—a slave

state—in 1821, an event growing out of the Missou-ri Compromise of 1820.

That hard-fought legislation defined how slavery might spread, or not, in the huge territories of the West.

It’s interesting to note that Clark, though not an Episcopalian, was a charter signatory for the founding of Christ Church, now our Cathe-

Bishop Wayne Smith on the racial wound present for the entire history of St. Louis

dral, in 1819. Slavery continued to

define the places for blacks and whites in Missouri his-tory, a fact deeply rooted in the region’s DNA.

Eleven years of litigationIn 1846 the slave Dred

Scott filed suit for his freedom in St. Louis Circuit Court, on his own behalf and that of his wife, Harriet.

The Scotts had lived for some years in Wisconsin Territory, free soil accord-ing to the Missouri Com-promise. Scott argued that he was a free man, and his wife a free woman, because they had lived in free territory.

It took eleven years for the litigation to run its course, and in 1857, the Su-preme Court de-cided, 7-2 against Scott, that not only was he not free, but because he was of Afri-can descent he could never be a citizen.

Thus the Court over-turned the Mis-souri Compromise of 1820.

It is poignant to know that the body of Dred Scott lies buried in Calvary Cemetery, on West Florissant Avenue in St. Louis City, only three miles from the burned-out Quick Trip in Ferguson, also on West Floris-sant.

The conclusion of the Civil War promised to change the structures of slavery and rac-ism. The constitutional end to slavery, the granting of voting

rights to ex-slaves, and the clarifica-tion that they were in fact citizens, brought a season of hope.

The end of slavery, however, gave way to other means to keep people of African descent down. Various strategies of voter suppres-sion; limited or

no access to public education; extreme enforcement of seg-regation; and the numerous iterations of separate-but-equal practices—all these took digni-ty and power away from black people.

Slavery continued to define the places for blacks and whites in Missouri history, a fact deeply rooted in the region’s DNA.

I am an American! protest sign, photo credit Leslie Scoopmire.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice Everywhere! chalked message in Ferguson. Photo credit Danielle Dowd.

It is poignant to know that the body of Dred Scott lies buried in Calvary Cemetery, on West Florissant Avenue in St. Louis City, only three miles from the burned-out Quick Trip in Ferguson, also on West Florissant.


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The end of racism matters to the Church (continued)Recent history, race reality

The race riots in St. Lou-is in the 1960s and -70s were relatively small in number and intensity. They left our region with a false sense of security. People, especially in the domi-nant culture, felt safe in assum-ing that race was not a problem here.

The shooting death of Michael Brown on August 9, and the subse-quent outrage from the community of Ferguson, gives lie to this assumption. It lays bare the racial wound that has been present for the entire history of St. Louis, and it does no good to ignore it. In fact, the rage from the community may mean that no one can ignore the wound any longer.

The end of racism mattersThe end of racism mat-

ters to the Church because of the issue of justice, but, it also matters because God’s intent at the end of the age is to build a new world from “every family, language, people, and nation.” (Rev. 5:9)

The Church is to be a servant of that vision, despite our falling short of it, and any Church that does not inhabit the wild diversity of peoples that Revelation describes is incom-plete.

We who are the Church do well to learn from the rage pres-ent in Ferguson and surround-ing communities.

That rage did not come from nowhere, and it has some-thing important to tell us.

We can also commit our-selves to honest and difficult conversation, in the presence of the racial wound in our commu-nity, for the community’s sake.

And for the sake of Christ Jesus, himself wounded and risen for the whole cre-ation.

Whenever we take even small steps is overcoming rac-ism, we move toward a fuller inhabitation

of God’s intent for us, coming at the end of the age.

A foretaste of that beautiful future is available and neces-sary, here and now.

While Ferguson has been the epicenter of the current strife and public attention, the frustrations and alienation of its residents are shared in many adjacent and proximal munici-palities.

The “urban core” of North St. Louis County and City is largely served by three Epis-copal parishes: St. Stephen’s (Ferguson); Ascension (North-woods); and All Saints’ (St. Louis City). All have been significantly impacted by the upheaval in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown and the com-munity’s response to it. They also have been at the forefront of mobilizing resources for the

It lays bare the racial wound that has been present for the entire history of St. Louis, and it does no good to ignore it.

The Right Reverend George Wayne Smith is the tenth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Read more of his writings collected at diocesemo.org/bishop. Photo credit Leslie Scoopmire.

For a timeline of Episcopal response to the shooting of Michael Brown and following protest in Ferguson and St. Louis and a media feature bibliography: diocesemo.org/ferguson

The tragic death of Michael Brown and the ensuing events have laid bare the racisms, in-equalities, and fears that ordinarily remain well hidden here in Saint Louis, often just under the surface.

I call upon Episcopalians and other people of faith, especially those whose race or culture gives innate privilege, to look upon what has been laid bare, to pray about these things, hum-bly to learn from them, and to yearn and work for responses that would bring justice.

the Rt. Rev. Wayne SmithBishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri13 August 2014, St. Louis, Missouri

The Episcopal Church and Episcopal Relief partner with diocesan churches offering immediate and long-term aid

$40,000 Grant for Ferguson

community, ministering to the needs of protesters and police alike and simply “being the church” for all whose lives have been touched by this tragedy.

Grant objectives• Implement nutrition edu-

cation, counseling and food preparation programs at All Saints’ and Ascension Epis-copal Churches

• Replenish and expand the food and personal care products provided through the pantries operated by St. Stephen’s, All Saints’ and Ascension.

• Develop and implement a community collaborative to

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For the Life of the World

Danielle Dowd, youth missioner of the Diocese of Missouri, has developed a framework to get difficult conversations started.

“I’ve written some steps to consider and attached a page of resources for fur-ther inspiration. Please know that I am here any time that you have questions or need support.”

She adds, “We may feel intimidated by these discussions. We may feel inade-quate to lead them. But our youth need a safe space to tell their stories and pro-cess their feelings. They need us to come forth as servant leaders—leaders who are ready to cry with them, to struggle

Youth Missioner offers resource for parents talking to their children about tragedy

assist in funding the economic recov-ery and revitalization of Ferguson-area businesses.

• Develop and implement a public/pri-vate sector partnership to extend the reach of the St. Stephen’s, All Saints’ and Ascension food pantries to the home-bound in North St. Louis County and City through a mobile service staffed by trained, mentored and compensated young residents of the community.

• The Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith, Bishop of Mis-souriThe Rev. E. Daniel Smith, Canon to the OrdinaryThe Rev. Marc Smith, Vicar, Episcopal Church of the Ascension, NorthwoodsThe Rev. Steven Lawler, Rector, St. Ste-phen's Episcopal Church, FergusonThe Rev. Michael Dunnington, Priest-in-charge, All Saints' Episcopal Church, St. Louis

Read the full background and grant specif-ics online: diocesemo.org/ferguson.

• Sunday, November 16, 10:00am - 4:30pm• at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Fergu-

son• Sunday morning Worship together, followed

by lunch and a Conversation on Racism • Who: Youth (Senior High and interested,

mature Jr. High age students) from the Epis-copal Diocese of Missouri and their friends

• Bring: Canned food items for St. Stephen's food pantry

• Contact: Elle Dowd, Diocesan Youth Mis-sioner, at [email protected]

Dowd writes, “Many youth have had con-versations in their schools about Ferguson, race, and racism. Due to segregation in our schools and living communities, youth have not often been able to discuss and listen to perspectives that might be different from their own. We have seen the need for youth to have a safe space to wres-tle with these issues from a faith perspective.

That is why on Sunday, November 16th, we are hosting a youth event focused on Ferguson, the shooting of Mike Brown, and racism in our communities.

Youth Conversation about Ferguson hosted by Danielle Dowd

alongside them, to listen to them. Many of the questions that come along with these discussions do not have easy an-swers. Enter into them anyway.”

Dowd outlines four parts to the framework:

1. Show Up2. Create a Safe Space3. Provide Outlets for Emotion4. Follow upA short bibliography of additional

resources is included. You can download “A Framework for Discussing Tragedy with Youth and Children” from diocese-mo.org/ferguson.

Youth are invited to worship at St. Ste-phen's Episcopal Church in Ferguson at the 10:00 am service, followed by lunch, a service opportunity, activities and discussions (led by Rob Good from Dismantling Racism and Brit-tany & Alexis, young people on the ground in Ferguson), space for prayer and reflection, and finally, a pilgrimage to Mike Brown's memorial on Canfield for a time of prayer.

Following this event, youth, parents, and youth leaders will be given a hand out with fol-low up discussion items as well as resources for continuing the discussion with youth.

I know that this topic is incredibly charged. My hope is that instead of turning away from those intense feelings, we will lean into those feelings and allow our youth to process them in a safe and healthy way that honors in the inherit dignity of all human beings.

Please forward this invitation on to your youth, youth groups, and anyone else who may be interested. Feel free to come to me with any questions, feedback, or concerns.Memorial at the shooting site of Michael

Brown, photo by Danielle Dowd.

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Following the new structure begun last year, this year’s gathering promises to have time for both the business of an annual meeting but with time, as Bishop Wayne wrote delegates, “for conversation, reflec-tion, and simply enjoying one another.”

The Convention will meet at the Uni-versity Center, on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Gi-rardeau, with hotel accommodations at the Drury Lodge.

“As with last year’s meeting,” continued the bishop, “the Convention begins with the Eucharist, to draw us together at Christ’s ta-ble and to set the tone for our work, and in the course of which we will ordain six new deacons for our Diocese’s life and work.”

Theme for gatheringPlanned are three addresses and re-

flections built around aspects of Christian life essential to our well-being and faithful-ness:• Community: Life together and life with

God, presenter Bishop Wayne• Prayer: Both liturgical prayer and per-

sonal prayer, presenter Shug Goodlow, Christ Church Cathedral

• Beyond: How community and prayer compel us into mission, presenter the Rev. Mike Angell, Missioner for Young Adults and Campus Ministry for The Episcopal Church

Life of the DioceseDelegates will hear: updates on mis-

sional life in the Diocese of Missouri, in-cluding news from the Diocese of Lui and Deaconess Anne House, two visible expres-sions of mission; a presentation from rep-resentative youth of the diocese and from youth missioner Elle Dowd at the end of her

Gathering leaders with joyAnnual convention of the diocese to be held this November 21-22 in Cape Girardeau

first year. Again this year the bishop will give his

overview of the year and challenge for our future together during the sermon of the opening Eucharist.

The business of conventionThe business portion of the meeting

includes consideration of the 2015 oper-ating budget, consideration of resolutions brought for discussion and vote, and elec-tion to diocesan governance positions.

Biographical information for nominees for office are available online at the main convention web page: diocesemo.org/con-vention2014.

You can also find a preliminary sched-ule there, and as the documents of conven-tion are published they are uploaded to that central location.

Resolutions will be available in early November, along with the draft budget. For a timeline with exact dates and publication times, check the convention website.

Following convention from outside CapeWe’re hoping to have the opening Eu-

charist on the web. The room will be rather packed, there is a small corner for one cam-era, so don’t expect a deMille production.

As we get closer to convention, we’ll have a social media communications plan ready. And not to sound like a broken record, but check diocesemo.org/conven-tion2014 for updated information on this aspect of convention.

Sabbath timeThis year’s convention sabbath time

activities are being coordinated by youth missioner Danielle Dowd.

One of the activities will be facilitat-ed by the Rev. Edie Bird, rector of Christ Church in Cape Girardeau. She will lead Dances of Universal Peace. “These are simple circle dances, using very simple songs and chants from the wisdom tradi-tions of the world,” said Bird. “We make our own music, to go with very simple dance steps, by chanting and singing. All of the dances emphasize the ministry of reconcil-iation, working towards inner peace, and peace-making out in the world.” People of all ages and abilities can participate,.

Another Sabbath time activity will be lead by Dr. Kathy Farwell, one of the co-fa-cilitators of “Creative Expressions,” a minis-try of Christ Church Cape. Offered will be a weaving project. Farwell notes, “It is simple and repetitive to the point that it becomes meditative. The way that the yarn fibers weave around one another is a metaphor for us of ‘community.’ And the weaving can even be used as a sort of prayer shawl.”

There will be a space set aside for con-templative prayer, with finger labyrinths, prayer writing materials, and icons to med-itate upon.

For people who would prefer, Sabbath time can also be used to spend time with one another in a less structured way. “Last year, many people used this time to spend time in community, to simply be together,” said Bishop Wayne.

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The online edition offers click-able links to websites referenced in this issue’s articles, and photo galleries. Use your smartphone to read this code:

or open your browser to:diocesemo.org/Nov2014Seek

Annual Convention of the Episcopal Dioceseof Missouri held this yearin Cape Girardeau.November 21-22, 2014

Nominees 2014 For Cathedral Chapter (electing one clergy person & one lay member, both from outside St. Louis City/Coun-ty): The Rev. Susan Bartlett, Deacon; The Rev. Carol Wesley, Priest-in-Charge of St. John & St. James Church, Sullivan; Mr. William Cramer, Trinity Church, St. Charles; Ms. Daph-ne Hedges, Grace Church, Jefferson City.

For Diocesan Council (electing two lay members): Mr. Richard W. Braznell, (withdrawn, not pictured); Ms. Patricia N. Heeter, All Saints’ Church, St. Louis.

For Disciplinary Board (electing one clergy person and one lay member): The Rev. John Kilgore, Canon, Christ Church Cathedral; The Rev. Dawn-Victoria Mitchell, Rector, Trinity, Church, Hannibal & St. Paul’s Church, Palmyra; The Rev. Johnnette Shane, Rector, Trinity, Kirksville; The Rev. Susan Skinner, St. Peter's Church, Ladue; Ms. Lynette Bal-lard, Grace Church, Kirkwood; Ms. Ellen Jeffery, St. Mark’s Church, St. Louis; The Honorable Shirley Padmore Men-sah, Holy Communion Church, University City; Mr. Scott Thompson, St. Mark’s Church, St. Louis.

For Standing Committee (electing one clergy per-son and two lay members): Mr. Jerre Birdsong, candidate for ordination to the diaconate; The Rev. Teresa Danie-ley, Rector, St. John’s Church, St. Louis; The Rev. Annette Joseph, Rector, Holy Cross Church, Poplar Bluff; The Rev. Suzanne Wolfenbarger, Rector, St. Paul’s Church, Sikeston; Mrs. Simone Camp,St. Alban’s Church, Fulton; Mr. James P. Donovan, Trinity Church, Hannibal; Dr. Susan Mills, Christ Church, Rolla; Dr. Adam Pearson, Holy Communion Church, University City; Mr. Geoffrey Pruitt, St. John’s Church, St. Louis.

Biographical information: diocesemo.org/convention2014.

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Kevin McGrane, Sr.I live with my

wife Catherine on a 10 acre homestead we call Windy Hill. We have three adult children, all married, and have 5 grandchildren, with #6 on the way.

My “Eureka!” moment came during a short “We Believe” course at my home parish Emmanuel Church in Webster Groves. I listened to a video of Bishop Smith’s convention sermon and realized that I was meant to go deeper, go outside, and be sent.

A deacon is called to a life of diako-nia, kerygma, and koinonia: sacred ser-vant-hood, proclaiming the Gospel, and creating community.

It all starts with servant-hood: preach-ing the Good News by our actions, which helps create community. As St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words!”

Nancy BelcherI am a cradle

Episcopalian. I’ve been married for 40 plus years to a wonderful, support-ive man. I grew up in the church when

Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves and to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.” If you don’t believe it, join St. Mark’s Church at Riverview Nursing Home at 1 pm on the second Sunday of each month.

Jerre BirdsongTo allow focused

time for my forma-tion as a deacon, I retired as VP and Treasurer of Ameren Corp. in 2013 after a 35-year career in finance. I discovered the Episcopal Church as a 17-year-old or-ganist who was asked to play for a Christmas Eve midnight mass. The liturgical and theological attraction was immediate.

For many years, my ministry in my home parish of Emmanuel and the diocese primarily involved music and finance. My wife, who was a master planner and project manager, minis-tered by leading building and mission ventures. She recruited me heavily for her projects, allowing the Holy Spirit to soon create my own passion for outreach mission.

At the Episcopal School for Minis-try, I discovered spiritual practices and the seeking of God every day in the mun-dane. My spirituality and passion for outreach have become an overwhelming component of who I am.

My wife died in 2010, but she con-tinues to inspire me in my life and min-istry, and I turn the rest over to the Holy Spirit.

The diaconate is stronger than a call—it is a compelling pull into the world, into the church, and into the realms of the holy.

A deacon assists all congregants in living into our baptismal covenant

November’s ordinandsIn their own words, those to be ordained Deacons share a bit of their history, their calls to the diaconate, and what “Deacon” means.

women couldn’t be ordained. As a young child I wanted to be an acolyte. What a long way the church has come! I have been a member of Grace Church in Jeffer-son City for over 10 years and have been actively engaged at St. Mark’s Church in Portland, Missouri during my field experi-ence since December.

As Grace Church began a prayer shawl ministry I realized how important a tangible expression of God’s love is needed by each of us in this chaotic world. For so many people in the toughest time of their life, having God’s love wrapped around them with a hand-made shawl or blanket was what God called me to do, at least until I learned about the diaconate.

My call to the diaconate came from my friendship and experience with several older parishioners and hearing their life stories which began with the prayer shawl ministry. We lost too many stories. How-ever, I feel the Holy Spirit has opened my eyes to see those elderly treasures with their wisdom, strength and faith. I feel my diaconal call is to help the church not forgot God’s oldest friends and to become engaged in ministry where we can extend God’s Kingdom to them and they to us.

A deacon in the Diocese of Missouri can be engaged in extraordinary ministry. This is a time when helping those on the margins is supported by and enriched by so many people throughout the diocese.

Whether it is Bishop Smith, the Epis-copal School for Ministry, the Commission on Ministry, Priests, deacons and congre-gations, we are in a time when we all can fulfill our mission to bring the needs of the world to the church and see fantastic results. As our baptismal covenant clear-ly states we are called “to seek and serve Nancy Belcher

Kevin McGrane

Jerre Birdsong

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to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself” and to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”

Rebecca BargerI am mar-

ried to my hus-band of 25 years, Phil Barger, and we have two college-aged children. My professional back-ground was in Radiation Oncolo-gy in which I worked as a technologist for over 14 years.

I retired from the work force 19 years ago in order to attend to our growing children and our home-life. During those years, working as a volunteer at church became my secondary focus. I worked in a variety of ministries with ease, energy and with great interest.

Only after I started the discernment process did I become aware that God had been guiding me during those years and building a foundation on which the call to servant ministry would be established.

In 2010, I enrolled at the Episcopal School for Ministry in the theological formation program and shortly thereafter, I entered into the discernment process through my home parish at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church.

Last May, I began my field assignment at St. Paul’s Carondelet. One of the roles of a deacon in the Diocese of Missouri is to make the needs of the world known to the members of the parish—serving as a con-nection between the church and world. I find an interesting aspect of diaconal min-istry is getting to know and understand the character of a parish by recognizing its passions and skills while identifying the needs of the greater community, then helping others to integrate these together.

From the Archives: Conventions pastThis photograph marked a special convention year for the Diocese of Missouri:

the 50th Annual Convention was the final time when parishes from across the entire state met as one diocese.

After consideration at two prior conventions, clergy and delegates in Missouri finally accepted a detailed report of the Division Committee, and voted to apply to General Convention for approval of the division of the Diocese of Missouri.

When General Convention met that October in New York, our application was approved unanimously by the House of Deputies, but barely passed in the House of Bishops with a vote of 28 to 25.

While Diocesan Convention actually met in the Chapel of Christ Church at 13th and Locust, the Bishop, clergy and lay delegates gathered for this photograph across the street at the Exposition Hall (now the site of the St. Louis Public Library). Front and center, of course, is Bishop Tuttle. —Sue Rehkopf, Archivist

Chester Hines, Jr.I am a lifelong resident of St. Louis who

has been married for nearly a half centu-ry. I’ve raised two sons and been an active church worker and participant in the Bap-tist, Methodist, and Episcopal Churches.

My strongest relationship with Christ during these nearly forty years of active par-ish participation has been at All Saints, Holy Communion, and most recently at St. Timo-thy’s, Episcopal Churches in this diocese.

My call to ministry came many years ago but I wrestled with it. Mentally and emotionally fought with Christ for years

reasoning that He had made a mistake and this call was intended for someone else.

I did everything I possible could to avoid the continuing conversation I was having with Christ.

The more I resisted the call the more uncomfortable I became with myself and my relationship with Christ.

It wasn’t until I gave in to the call from Christ that I began to have a sense of com-fort and a degree of understanding that I was not in charge of making this decision but it was a call given to me and it was my task to respond in the affirmative.

Rebecca Barger


The Episcopal Church in the Worldwide Anglican Communion: 80 million Christians around the world,

led by the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Jus-tin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

in The Episcopal Church: 2 million Episcopalians in 109 dioceses and three regional

areas in 17 nations, led by the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Pre-siding Bishop and Primate.

in the Diocese of Missouri: 12,500 members in 43 con-gregations, campus minis-

tries and an intentional community, led by the Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith, 10th Bishop of Missouri.

SEEK, November 11, 2014Episcopal Diocese of MissouriOffices of the Bishop1210 Locust St.St. Louis, Missouri 63103

Seek is a quarterly publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Dioce-san members may request a compli-mentary subscription by mail: send address to the Offices of the Bishop attn: Seek Subscription. Seek is also distributed to each congregation in the diocese. Archived editions of Seek are online at diocesemo.org.

Editor: Ms. Beth Felice, Director of CommunicationsEditorial Board: the Rev. Dr. Dan-iel Handschy, Dean of the Episco-pal School for Ministry; the Rev. Jon Hall, Rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Ellisville; Mr. Ken Luebbering, Grace Church, Jefferson City; Ms. Sar-ah Bryan Miller, St. Peter’s Church, La-due; the Rev. Dr. Marc Smith, Rector of Ascension Church, Northwoods; the Rev. Dr. E. Daniel Smith, Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of Missouri.

Submissions by post attn: Beth Felice, or by email to [email protected]: January 5, 2015 for the edi-tion available Feb. 1, 2015.

10


My response was to listen and be guid-ed by the spirit of Christ and to do the work Christ has given me to do.

Everyday has become a day of excitement and adventure because I never know what my next assignment will be or how it will come. It can be both exciting and challenging.

A deacon in the Diocese of Missouri is an opportunity to explore how he/she can be in service to Christ, the church and the parish-ioner.

The work of a deacon is varied and can manifest itself in many different ways. It can appear to be very straight forward and simple and at the same time have many twists and turns and a very high degree of complexity.

A deacon in the Diocese is both free to explore and at the same time confined to the direction, guidance, and authority of the Bish-op. This is a complex organizational arrange-ment and clearly presents challenges. It is the deacon’s responsibility to navigate and these

complexities and at the same time perform good works and produce a good product in and for the Diocese.

Deborah GoldfederI am a care-

giver, a teacher, a missioner, a speaker of truth, a Daughter of the King, a wife and a Faith Community Nurse. I endeavor to bring together body, mind, soul and spirit for those in my care and for myself as well.

The Holy Spirit has been at work in my life softly calling me to be what God intends for me to be. I felt that call most clearly when I was asked to work in South Sudan as mis-sioner from the Diocese of Missouri for six months and that same Holy Spirit sustained me through all those challenges.

A deacon in the Diocese of Missouri brings to her/his min-istry the gifts and talents s/he has been given so I suspect when you see one deacon, you see one deacon. Together, the collegium of deacons brings a wealth of servant ministries to the entire church and to the world.

Chester Hines is chairperson of the diocesan Dismantling Racism Commission. Photo from an August workshop on dismantling systemic racism held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Sikeston.

November Ordinands (continued)

Web link to this issue’s online galleries.

or open your browser to:diocesemo.org/Nov2014Seek

Deborah Goldfeder

11


As most if not all of you know, South Sudan has been wracked with violence since December of 2013. Our sisters and brothers in Lui have not been immune to that violence.

The market in Lui was looted and virtually torn down early in the year. There has also been some violence in Moru land between the Moru who farm and those who herd cattle.

As of now there does not seem to be an easy settlement between the govern-ment of South Sudan and the opposition to that government.

Fact-finding trip postponedIn spite of all this there had been

plans for a small “fact finding” group of perhaps two or three people to travel to the Diocese of Lui after convention this November.

We have decided that this trip will not take place during 2014.

Several factors have influenced this decision. We have limited entry points into South Sudan. Normally we fly from the U.S. to Amsterdam and from there to Kampala, Uganda.

Two other entry points are to travel through Ethiopia which means we would fly to Juba and then need a 110 mile car journey of about 7 ½ hours or to fly through Nairobi, Kenya. At this point the safety of traveling from Juba to Lui is suspect especially for westerners.

The U.S. State Department and the Foreign Ministry of the United Kingdom are both recommending that citizens of those nations not travel through Nairo-bi or Kampala. The issue there being known terror organizations operating in both cities.

Therefore, we have decided not to travel to Lui this year.

Plans for Spring 2015It is hoped that in the Spring of

2015 a small group of two or three, including Canon to the Ordinary Dan Smith will travel to Lui in a fact-find-ing mission.

A part of what we need to under-stand is that when we send groups, particularly large groups to Lui, sig-nificant strain is placed on the church and the community.

We need to answer the question about whether the benefits of the mis-sion out weighs the stress placed on the community. In addition we need to know as fully as possible whether groups sent to Lui are safe and do they by their presence cause a security risk to the community as a whole.

In spite of what seems to be bad news we are in regular communication with our sisters and brothers in Lui.

Their internet connections are working. We have been able to get funds to them.

Bishop Stephen and Lillian have recently traveled to Sweden and Bish-op Stephen is now on Facebook. We know that the World Health Organiza-tion has set up at Lui Hospital to help with refugees that have come to Lui.

All of our continued prayers are needed.

November trip to Lui postponedCanon to the Ordinary Dan Smith, “We need to answer the question ‘Do the benefits of the trip outweigh the stress placed on the community.’

Loving and merciful God, you bestow your grace on all of your children:

Remember our sisters and brothers throughout the world who, in partner-ship with Episcopal Relief & Develop-ment, strengthen communities, empow-er the poor, nourish the hungry, restore the sick and uplift those affected by disaster;

and uphold Episcopal Relief & Develop-ment for the next seventy-five years, so that your Kingdom might be known to all people;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Collect for the 75th Anniversary of Episcopal Relief & Development

www.episcopalrelief.org/75

The Rev. E. Daniel Smith is Canon to the Ordinary, and coordinates diocesan

trips to Lui, South Sudan.

12


It is a very strange thing, being a part of the Deaconess Anne House. As a program of the Episcopal Service Corps, we are a group of seven interns living in a slowly revitaliz-ing neighborhood in St. Louis, working 32 hours a week in different job sites, following a regular prayer schedule, and committing to an education and discernment obligation. I cannot imagine 7:45 daily Morning Prayer fits into many young adults’ visions of the postgraduate life.

I consider that throughout my child-hood, and especially my teenage years, I internalized this mantra: “No parents; no rules.” From age 16, I obsessed over the topic of college, and invested much energy find-ing a place where I wasn’t living under the panopticon of teachers, coaches, parents,

and other disciplinary figures. On my own I could discover myself, that is, my true self, undaunted by the expectations and de-mands of others.

How then did I ever find myself as a 24-year-old man living in a house with six peers, with one collective grocery fund, and one chore board?

I can trace that back to my time in col-lege, my grand experiment in “Freedom.” In attending a colossal state university, Univer-sity of Wisconsin, I knowingly signed up for huge lecture halls, unlimited distractions, and enough campus bits-and-bobs to get lost in until graduation.

Amid all the frenzy, I found myself as a member of St. Francis House, the student Episcopal ministry. Compared to Badger-

Called to be a City on the HillDeaconess Anne House intern Brendan O’Connor writes about finding daily order and life in community

Catholic or Cru, we were the size of a dis-cussion group, but in these close bonds and regular liturgy, I came to see how a consis-tent presence reframed my crazy, huge col-lege experience to a smaller, more intimate set of decisions and practices.

The peace I really wanted from my col-lege experience was not so much in an abil-ity to do whatever I wanted, which in itself turned out to be a burden, but in finding the relationships of people who were willing to walk with me on the journey. Even if they weren’t of the same opinion or traveling to the same destination.

In the film Into the Wild, Christopher McCandless attempts to escape the chal-lenging, undesirable parts of society by liv-ing as a vagabond across the United States and Canada. After finding himself isolated in Alaska he writes in his journal, “Happi-ness is real only when shared.”

From my past and current experience of living in an intentional community, I could not agree more.

Living in our house isn’t always fun or easy, and neither do we see eye-to-eye on everything (or even most things). I’m not always as good of a person as I ought to be. Rather, I can be unfeeling or temperamen-tal, and I also recognize that my Christian journey looks in many ways different from several of my peers.

However, it is in these strange, won-derful communities like the Deaconess Anne House that the mundane and chal-lenging practices of buying the right cereal brands, cleaning the dishes, and resolving roommate conflict are for a higher purpose.

We are called to be a city on a hill, and that community looks to me like a group of people who are willing to accept their differences and imperfections, and work together regardless. For that reason, and many more, I am proud to be living in the Deaconess Anne House. DAH interns 2014: Christopher Potter, Alex Herb-ertson, Rosemary Haynes, Sherry Joy, Tori Dahl, Martin Geiger, Brendan O’Connor.Read more at Brendan’s blog: http://brendanjonesoconnor.com/

13


Hello! My name is Chris-tian Davis. I attend Grace Church in Kirkwood, where I’ve grown up, and have spent time at St. Thomas Deaf Church and St. Martin’s, Ellisville to hang out with my friends.

I am one of nine members of the Diocesan Youth Advisory Committee (DYAC). I applied for DYAC because I’m interested in a more active youth ministry within the diocese as well as the opportunity to socialize with other diocesan youth.

Our first meeting was early in the morning on Saturday, Oc-tober 4, led by Diocesan Youth Missioner Elle Dowd and the Rev. Mike Angell, Missioner for Young Adults and Campus Min-istry for The Episcopal Church.

I’m a teenager! 10:00 a.m. is extremely early. Nonetheless, we all managed to arrive at the beautiful St. Timothy’s Church in Creve Coeur. During the meeting we discussed with en-

thusiasm youth events planned for the year such as diocesan convention, the lock-in, and the Absalom Jones celebration.

We had time to talk about what we would like to see in the church and in youth ministry, and give feedback.

Mike was there to give his guidance and lead some discus-sions on leadership. He taught us new ways of engaging others to help make our ideas a reali-ty. I found it very beneficial to talk with Mike and Elle and to discuss church with people my own age.

DYAC hopes that the youth in our diocese will find their voice and be given the opportu-nity and responsibility to run events and activities.

To encourage youth partic-ipation, adults need to be aware that some of the youth in their parish do want more ways to connect with their congrega-tions, but often that desire re-

What’s a Diocesan Youth Advisory Committee?

Christian Davis, left, talking with Mike Angell at the DYAC think-tank.

by DYAC member Christian Davis, Grace Church, Kirkwood

mains unspoken because youth can feel overlooked.

I find churches to be the most positive communities that I have experienced besides my summer camp. This is a primary reason for my desire to be in-volved in my diocese and create a voice for others my age.

Establishing an environ-ment where youth can feel secure about themselves, where they can be supported, and where they won’t be judged—in other words, not High School—is most important for strength-ening youth ministry.

Upcoming Youth eventsDeaconess Anne House hosts an Advent Quiet Day 9:00 am on December 6 at the Deaconess Anne House. Open to dioc-esan members. RSVP online at diocesemo.org/DAH.

DAH is tidying up its web presence and about to restartnewsletter production. If you’d like to subscribe, pleasevisit diocesemo.org/DAH for all updates.

Deaconess Anne House offers quiet day

• Conversation about Ferguson, Nov. 16 (see pg. 5)• Youth presence and presentation at diocesan

convention, Nov. 21, 22 in Cape Girardeau• January 9, Lock-in• February 14, Absalom Jones commemoration• March/April - DYAC meeting date TBA

DYAC members: Audrey Schuman, Cameron Graham, Kyleigh Wacasey, Duncan Phillips, Annie Chappell, Scott Scoopmire, Annabel Dolan, Maddie Eveland, Christian Davis

14


At the end of summer, I went to the Deaconess Anne House to help clean up the house for the incoming year’s interns.

I found out about this opportunity the weekend after Camp Phoenix had ended. I had been deleting my thir-ty-eight spam emails that I really didn’t need when all of a sudden I notice an email that was from Grandma. I checked on it since I knew it was im-portant.

It was an email from Elle about the DAH service clean-up weekend and its details. I looked at my grandma and when I asked about it she asked if I wanted to go, so I said, “Sure! Why not?”

The idea of working on Saturday didn’t really interest me. What I was interested in was seeing some of the friends I made at Camp Phoenix during the Sunday when we would worship together at the Cathedral.

When the day arrived I was dropped off at the house with my little brother and his friend. Inside we met up with former DAH intern Jillian and diocesan youth missioner, Elle.

I placed my stuff on the third floor in the room I would be staying in, we hung out a bit and then helped with dinner. Annie arrived and we all ate a dinner of spaghetti with the curly noodles, played some

games, and then went to bed.On Saturday we woke

up and after morning prayer and breakfast, we went to Old North City’s Farmers Market. We visited La Mancha, Crowne Candy Kitchen, the chess-boards, and listened to music.

We headed back to the house around twelve and worked outside in the back-yard. We planted flowers, moved bricks, cut the grass, and picked weeds from in between the bricks. We moved into the house after that and organized the living room a little bit.

It was then about four o’clock when Elle, Annie, my brother, my brothers friend, and I met up at the kitchen table and had a devotion and discussion about different spiritual “seasons” and spiri-tual growth until dinner was ready.

We headed back outside and had hamburgers and s’mo-res. While we ate we listened to Jillian talk about her experi-ence of living at the Deaconess Anne House.

After dinner we watched Back to the Future on an old VCR and TV set.

Sunday morning after breakfast we all gathered in Elle’s car and drove to the Cathedral where we worshiped together. That is where I met up with my family and headed home.

Teens Help with Deaconess Anne House clean-upby Kyleigh Wacasey, a member of St. Paul’s Church, Carondelet and recently appointed member of the Diocesan Youth Advisory Committee

The experience of living and working in the Deaconess Anne House for the weekend was a lot of fun. Although, I

didn’t see any of my friends at church, I was happy that I decided to go that weekend. I even had fun doing the hard work in the backyard!

I just fell in love with the house, the neighborhood, and everything that went along with it. Spending the week-end at Deaconess Anne House serving and hearing about the program made me think that it was something that I might want to do in the future, when I get old enough to apply for the program.

I want to say thank you to Elle and Jillian for inviting us to help out. I hope we are able to help out again next year!

Relaxing dinner around the fire after a hard day of work cleaning up the back yard. Photo credit Danielle Dowd.

Kyleigh Wacasey

15


Weekly email news? Yes!Subscribe here:

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3 Months Later: Looking back at EYESurprises of faith conversations on social me-dia and a new set of friends by Maddie Eveland, diocesan EYE delegate and member of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd

I attended the Episcopal Youth Event last July and it changed my life.

Throughout our time at the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) we were given the simple task of periodically posting on Twitter, Instagram, and other social me-dia about our experiences. As I was doing this I had no idea the impact it would of had on me even now, to this day.

Not only does it keep me in touch with the amazing people I met, but it brought me closer with people back home.

Up until this event, my spiritual life didn’t intermingle with my social life. I didn’t talk to my friends about church or God.

There were many people who saw my postings on social media while I was at EYE and reached out to me afterwards.

Because of those tweets, I got to connect with people back home on a spiritual level in ways I had never done before.

Had I not gotten past the fact that broadcasting your faith isn’t necessarily the “cool” thing to do, I would of never devel-oped the relationships I have right now, even with people back home.

Those posts about EYE sparked conver-sations about my faith with people I had never spoken to about God before. Our relationship is deeper now because of those conversations. I credit that to my experi-ence at EYE.

When asked to choose a word to de-

scribe the experience coming back from the Episco-pal Youth Event, I chose “over-whelming.” I’m not talking about

getting off the plane and being surrounded by friends and fam-ily, or getting asked questions a mile a minute about the experience; those are easy.

I’m talking about those mo-ments when you realize that dinner is going to be at a ta-ble of five not 1,200. Or when it hits you that the person you were sitting next to at every ser-vice is now three states away.

The relationships I made

Up until this event, my spiritual life didn’t intermingle with my social life.

at EYE continue. They are one of my favorite parts of the entire experience.

Through social media, we are able to keep up with each other.

I was surprised to realize how much I trust the friends I made through EYE. I credit this to

the fact that our friendships were formed on a shared foun-dation of faith.

One of my new good friends, someone I met at EYE, stated, “It’s so nice being in a room where everyone knows what Compline is.” This is a per-fect example of what EYE was about. Everybody understood each other and respected what we were all there for: to increase our faith, and to make friends along the way.

Had I not gotten past the fact that broad-casting your faith isn’t necessarily the “cool” thing to do, I would of never developed the re-lationships I have right now, even with people back home.

Picture of youth from the infamous Dio Alamo (the dioceses of Alabama and Missouri) at this summer’s Episcopal Youth Event. Maddie Eveland

is in the lower right-hand corner. Photo credit: Danielle Dowd.

16


“For Episcopal City Mission chaplains, a moment in time is the space in which relationships are formed with children in detention,” said Tom Schweizer, an ECM Board member and emcee at the October 2nd fundraiser. He was explaining how the Moment in Time Gala got its name. “It is the opportunity to hear a story, offer support, or invite a new perspective. A mo-ment in time can be brief. It can be simple. And it can change everything.”

Mission to childrenECM held its eleventh annual Moment

in Time Gala at Windows on Washington. This year’s event celebrated the 60th Anni-versary of Chaplaincy providing support, hope, and healing to children in detention. The children served by ECM in detention are between 11 and 17 years of age with an average age of 14 to 15.

ECM chaplains provide non-denom-inational spiritual care and programming to the young people in the pre-trial deten-tion centers in St. Louis City and St. Louis County and at Lakeside, St. Louis County’s long-term residential treatment facility.

Attendance at all ECM programs is voluntary. ECM chaplains do not evange-lize or try to change a child’s basic faith orientation.

Being present as a reminder of God’s love“The children whom we serve at

Episcopal City Mission are adolescents, muddling their way toward maturity in imperfect circumstances, as does every human being,” said Bishop Wayne Smith in comments offered after the keynote

Episcopal City Mission Celebrates 60 Years of Hope and Healing

address. Smith is President of the ECM Board. “Maybe the purpose of ECM is to be there for them, and to remind them that even in their muddling, they are beloved by God,” he added.

“Encouraging Children Ministries”The keynote speaker for the evening

was Leonard McDonald, who has worked for the St. Louis County Department of Hu-man Services for 30 years and has served as the Director of Residential Services since July 2012.

His office has always been at the Lake-side Center and he is very familiar with the work of ECM chaplains. McDonald stated the children at Lakeside say that Chaplain Dietra is “easy to talk to and she always lis-tens to what we have to say. She doesn’t let us make excuses about our behavior. She is encouraging, open, and honest and she keeps it real.”

That is why McDonald said ECM could easily stand for “Encouraging Chil-dren Ministries.”

McDonald also quoted from Matthew 25, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Then he added, “ECM lives this out every day ... ministering to the young people in Lakeside and in the City and County detention centers.”

A great party The 2014 Moment in Time included

a cocktail reception, music for dancing by the Just In Time Ensemble, dinner, and silent and live auctions.

One spectacular live auction item Keynote Speaker Mr. Leonard McDonald

by Beth Goad, Executive Director of Episcopal City Mission

donated by this year’s Honorary Chairman, Mr. Barry Cervantes, was an eight-day and seven-night stay at Grand Solmar, a luxury condo resort in Cabo San Lucas. This was only one of the many great silent and live auction items bid on during the evening.

Raising funds for ministryThanks to the sponsors of Moment in

Time and the 165 attendees at the event, ECM had one of its most successful fund-raising events in many years, which realized a gross total over $71,000.

It is through the generosity of our sup-porters, such as those at Moment in Time and throughout the year,that ECM is able to continue to serve the needs of the children in detention.

They’re our children, too“Change is what we need for these

young people,” added Schweitzer, “because they are our children, too. The support, prayers, donations and all that ECM sup-porters do—it all makes a big difference in these children’s lives.”

17


Over the last year, St. Stephen’s in Fer-guson has been celebrating a Celtic Eucha-rist on Sunday evenings at 5pm followed by theological discussion during a light meal.

This service is based upon the liturgy from the Iona Community, uses music from the Celtic tradition, and includes a short meditation on St. Patrick’s Breastplate from the writings of Rev. David Adam, former rector of Holy Island, Lindisfarne.

Finding the “thin” placeThe service is held in the sanctuary,

with dim lights, candles on the altar, and meditative silence interspersed between soft, lilting music and gentle words.

The rhythm of the service is directed by the muted chiming of a bell, including the five minutes of silent meditation at the beginning of the liturgy.

The service was de-signed to provide a res-tive, peace-filled space that many of us desper-ately need in order to enter the transformative thin place where heaven and earth unite in the liturgical space.

Service after the serviceThe meditation is

typically three questions on the Gospel reading with time for reflection between each question.

After the service, many gather in the par-ish hall for a light meal and theological discus-

sion centering on the questions from the meditation.

At the end of the discussion time, one of the discussion leaders collects the themes of the discussion into a prayer of the gathered community. Then community prays the Lord’s prayer in unison.

Part of community formation includes setting out the meal after the Eucharist and then clearing the table and washing dishes after the meal.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church is located at 33 N. Clay Ave., Ferguson, MO 63135.

In addition to Sunday morning services and the 5 p.m. Celtic Eucharist, Rite II Morning Prayer is said at St. Stephen’s from 8-8:30 a.m., Monday through Friday.

A Celtic Service in FergusonDr. Donna Hawk-Reinhard writes about the Sunday evening Celtic Eucharist at St. Stephen’s Church in Ferguson

The altar, Lindisfarne Parish Church. (cc) Photo credit: Ian Cardinal

DioMO Smart Phone app

for iPhone and Android, on iTunes and Google Play &diocesemo.org/app

18


Our Gospel passages of late have had a lot to say about how we as followers of Christ are to act toward one another. If there is a problem between members we are to talk it out and not hold onto grudges. If we have offended another, we are to ask forgiveness and if someone offends us, we are to forgive them as we ourselves are for-given by our Heavenly Father. We are to be people who show compassion, love, respect, and caring each and every day and not just to those whom we know, but to everyone. We are asked an awful lot as disciples.

The tragic shooting of Michael Brown in early August has rocked Ferguson, Flo-rissant, and other nearby communities, and most of our nation. There are still many unanswered questions, anger, and fear. The cries for justice, peace, and equality will not fade quickly into the night as protests and strategy meetings continue even now.

Some of you may remember that during the first several days of unrest I was supposed to be on vacation.

After a successful run of the Haw-thorne Players’ The Wiz, yours truly had hoped for a time to simply be, but that was not the case as I, along with other diocesan clergy, tried to lend a presence to the com-munity.

Those who have email received almost daily words from me asking for prayers and that we might consider donating food items to St. Stephen’s food pantry.

I am so grateful that we, the parish family of St. Barnabas, were able to check in on one another, support one another, and join our prayers and presence with the city of Ferguson. I am grateful to those who

Jesus never said the road would be easy or convenient

The Rev. Renee Fenner, rector of St. Barnabas’ Church writes about God’s time and our call to be Church

donated and delivered food items so that others could eat. I am grateful for those who helped staff the booth usually staffed by members of St. Stephen’s at the Fergu-son Farmers’ Market. I am grateful for the Commission on Dismantling Racism whose pre-planned visit in late August was right on time as those in attendance were able to talk about what was happening in our com-munities, share their feelings, and ask the all-important question: ‘What can we do?’

The short and long answer is that we continue being the church. We continue to be disciples of Christ who try to live by Jesus’ mandate to “love one another.”

We continue to pray not only for ourselves but for our sisters and brothers everywhere. We continue to listen and to learn. We continue to be the warm, inviting, and welcom-ing place to all who seek refuge and seek to know the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves. We continue to live out our baptismal covenant; striving in every way we can, individually and corporally, to work for justice and peace and to respect the dignity of every human being.

Jesus never said the road would be easy or convenient, only that he will always be with us. With God’s help, we can help make the world that we share a better place for ALL.

Originally published in the St. Barna-bas’ Salter, October 2014. St. B’s, who began the year with a serious deficit and is not out of the woods yet, was ex-tremely generous in contributing to the

food pantry at St. Stephen’s. Senior Warden Jim Hollenberg writes, “The call went out to bring some canned goods to church, and in one weeks’ time we responded with two car trunks full of food, with another delivered the following week. This was accomplished without any reduction in our normal dona-tions to TEAM, the Florissant-Hazelwood food pantry and ministry.”

19


When I arrived in Cape Girardeau, people were ex-pressing a great deal of concern about a rise in violent crime in the city, and particularly in the neighborhoods south of Christ Church. Throughout the sum-mer months, I heard a lot of talk about it.

Last Saturday there was a prayerful walk through the neighborhoods lead by three historically African-American congregations.

For two hours we walked and sang gospel music, stopping to pray at each of the sites where violence had occurred during the past few months.

This was a deeply faithful response to a crisis of fear. I was deeply blessed to partici-pate, and to be able to walk with Breita Church, Youn and Julie Gonzales, and beautiful little Elaine who came out for the march.

It was a won-derful reminder to me that when violence comes close and we are afraid and anx-ious, prayer is as necessary as breathing. In fact, prayer is vital, no matter how we feel or what we are doing.

The movie Of Gods and Men also reminds me of this. This movie based upon the true story of a small community of French

monks in Algiers who were faced with rising violence and fear in the 1990s, represents the faith response of unceasing prayer and continued service. In one particularly mov-ing scene, the monks are confronted with armed terrorists at their gates on Christmas Eve. After the armed men leave, the monks go into the chapel and celebrate The Feast of the Nativity with simple reverence and grace.

Ironically, I find that my life of prayer is derailed not by truly grave matters like war, but

by countless little things that claim to be urgent, but are actually not at all urgent.

The constant text-messages, emails, phone calls, and the un-ceasing activity of my anxious mind are the things that fool me into think-ing that I should

put prayer aside. Since ancient times, faith-

ful people have kept regular times of prayer throughout the day and night. These times of prayer need not be lengthy or complicated. A minute or five minutes a few times a day, prac-ticed faithfully, begins to work a change in our hearts and minds.

When violence comes close, prayer is as necessary as breathingEdie Bird, rector of Christ Church in Cape Girardeau on a deeply faithful response to a crisis of fear The rela-

tionship with God becomes firmly estab-lished through the practice of daily prayer, it deepens and it grows.

There is an ancient

Christian practice (some will re-member this from older prayer books) of keeping regular times of prayer at sunrise ( 6 a.m.), morning (9 a.m.), noon, 3 p.m., and sunset (6 p.m.) along with bedtime (9 p.m. or so). If one wakes in the night (as I often do), it is the loveliest time for quiet prayer. There is nothing like the vigil of prayer in the deep quiet of the night.

The constant text messages, emails, phone calls, and the unceasing activity of my anxious mind are the things that fool me into thinking that I should put prayer aside.

The relationship with God becomes firmly established through the practice of daily prayer, it deepens and it grows.

At the church, I am going to keep the 9 a.m. hour for Morn-ing Prayer on the days I am in the Office and invite you to join me for this time of prayer if you wish. In addition to singing some psalms and reading a little bit of Scripture through the week, just praying that God’s good and gracious will be done in each of our lives. I’ll also be praying for peace in our homes, our neighborhoods, our city, our state, our nation, and our world. Please join me at 9 a.m. whenev-er you are able and wish to.

Originally published in Christ Church’s The Fountain, October 2014. Photo from this August’s Dismantling Racism training at St. Paul’s Church in Sikeston. The Rev. Edie Bird, left, participates in a listening exercise.

Sunday, November 30, is the first Sunday of Advent.

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What’s the deal with Fergu-son? Why is it still in the news, on our prayer list, in our (some-times heated) conversations? What’s the deal?

The situation in Ferguson, sparked by a fatal confrontation between a police officer and a teenager is bigger than the incident itself. As devastating as that event is and has been for all concerned, what it has revealed is even more painful, more con-troversial, and more difficult to accept, let alone resolve.

One sign of the depth of the issues involved is the tendency either to demonize the police officer and canonize the teen, or demonize the teenager and canonize the cop.

That approach serves nei-ther justice nor truth. It’s almost a red herring, a distraction that prevents real conversation and an honest look at the bigger pic-ture of the systems in play that have resulted in this incident and others like it.

We have a problem—gener-ational, cultural, economic, and intense.

Why do I insist that WE have a problem? THEY are in Ferguson; WE are here. And here is a fine place to be, a good place, safe, sensible, comfort-able, and calm.

Considering that the shooting of Michael Brown was the first police-involved citizen fatality in Ferguson in thirty years, I would imagine that

First, we prayby Tamsen Whistler, rector of Trinity Church in St. Charles

“good, safe, sensible, and calm” are adjectives many people in Ferguson would have used to de-scribe their hometown not quite sixty days ago.

Experiences of subtle, or even blatant, racism were un-derstood as distinct incidents, not as part of a larger pattern.

The concept of “white privilege” has been dismissed as silly or as sour grapes on the part of people of color—and it is hard to recognize if I’m the one benefiting from it. But I am, I do, I know it.

What do we do about this? First, we pray—for humility, understanding, the ability to speak truth and to hear it, com-mitment to our community as a whole, the wisdom to see what steps we might take, and the willingness to take those steps.

Next—still praying—is to start a conversation. We need to listen to each other, rather than dismissing one person’s uncom-fortable reality when it clashes with ours.

We need to drop defensive-ness, all of us, all colors and in-come levels. We can’t fix every-thing. We can’t make everyone law-abiding and respectful of each other—but we start where we are with the people we know, then seek out those we don’t know so well, talk with and lis-ten to them too.

Originally published in Trinity Tidings, October 2014.

Jason Samuel has resigned his position as Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Lake St. Louis to become Priest-in-charge of St. David of Wales Episcopal Church in San Diego, California. Photo credit: Jonathan Sanders, Samuel’s last Eucharist as rector at Transfig on October 19.

Lydia Agnew Speller, former Rector of St. Mark’s Church in St. Louis, is extending her interim position as Priest-in-charge of Grace Episcopal Church in Port Huron, Michigan for another 3 to 5 years at the request of that diocese’s bish-op and the parish leadership.

Jedediah “Jed” Fox, curate and assistant to the rector of the Church of St. Michael and St. George in Clayton, has been called as Rector of the Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington as of January 1, 2015.

Clergy transitions

seek, nov. 11, 2014

Documents

presenting blues

psalms of lament

life experience

traditional blues hard

contemporary lamentations

clouds of grief

new ears

book of lamentations