March 31, 2011
Crossroads materials now are online
Three promotional pieces describing the Crossroads capital campaign now are on the diocesan website.
The 10-minute video is posted on the front page at and people can watch it there by clicking the play button on the embedded video. A link to its original location on YouTube – for those who want to share it through social media like Facebook and Twitter – is . That link also is available through the diocesan Facebook page,
Two campaign brochures are posted on the Crossroads section of the diocesan website at . They are in a flip-book format that allows viewers to browse through them as they would through the paper version.
Any additional questions about the Crossroads campaign or about materials that are going to all parishioners in the next several days should be directed to Director of Development and Stewardship Char DeWitt at (785) 250-0060 or .
Bishop Wolfe asks for generosity to aid Jerusalem churches with Good Friday offering
From Bishop Dean Wolfe:
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is a long standing tradition in many of our churches to receive an offering to assist the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem in Holy Week. The Diocese of Jerusalem funds more than 30 institutions in the Holy Land, including critically needed schools, hospitals and orphanages. My visits to that diocese have convinced me of the importance of this support, both spiritual and financial.
The Christian community in the Holy Land continues to lose members due to huge political and economic pressures.
I invite you to remember our brothers and sisters who live and work in the Diocese of Jerusalem and who represent every Christian by their presence in the homeland of our Lord.
Please be generous in your gifts and continue to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
Good Friday offering materials
Additional information, including resources that parishes can use to collect funds for Episcopal churches in the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East, are available at
New readings suggested for Holy Week liturgies
Earlier this week Bishop Wolfe forwarded information to parish clergy from the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music about new suggested readings for use with Holy Week Liturgies.
When the Revised Common Lectionary was adopted, it replaced existing Lectionary readings in the Prayer Book. Left unaddressed, however, were readings designated within the liturgies of Holy Week themselves.
Anyone needing this information may request it by writing to .
The lectionaries published by St. Mark’s Press, a ministry of Good Shepherd, Wichita, contains these suggested readings, also. Books can be ordered from them at
Links to RCL readings also are available online at
Save the date – vocationers’ weekend
The Commission on Ministry of the diocese will host a weekend gathering for anyone who is considering or has considered a call to ordained ministry.
It is set for June 24-25 and will run from dinner on Friday through mid-afternoon on Saturday at the Bethany Place Conference Center in Topeka.
More information will be available soon, but mark your calendar now.
Campus ministry opens applications for intern position
The campus ministry program in the diocese has undertaken a search for a new campus intern for the coming academic year.
Applicants must be recent college graduates with evidence of a mature Christian faith. Interns receive a stipend of $9,000 and housing in the Canterbury House at the University of Kansas. Interns oversee the undergraduate peer ministers at K.U. and K-State, as well as assisting the ordained campus missioners with pastoral and administrative needs.
More information and an application form are available on the campus ministry website. Go to the diocesan website, and click on the tab at the top that says “Campus Ministry.”
Cathedral to host reconciliation workshop
Grace Cathedral, Topeka, will offer a daylong workshop, “Stand Up and Take Your Mat,” exploring reconciliation in the Episcopal tradition.
The event is set for Saturday, April 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the cathedral, at the corner of 8th and Polk near downtown Topeka.
The day is designed for people who are hurt from a failed relationship or estrangement from family, struggle to let go of past disappointments and destructive habits, carry guilt form past mistakes, have an inner emptiness that nothing seems to fill, or seek a more vigorous relationship with God.
The cost to attend is $10, which includes lunch. The deadline to register is April 8. Contact the cathedral at (785) 235-3457 or to register or for more information.
Play ball! K.C. Royals offer discounted tickets for May 1 game
Baseball fans across the diocese are invited to attend a special “Faith and Family Day” at Kauffman Stadium Sunday, May 1 as the Kansas City Royals take on the Minnesota Twins.
After the conclusion of the 1:10 p.m. game, former major league pitcher Jim Morris will speak. Morris is a former high school teacher who at age 35 was signed to pitch with the Tampa Bay Rays. His story was told in the movie “The Rookie” starring Dennis Quaid.
Tickets are available for $15 for lower deck seats and $10 for upper deck.
Online orders can be made at .
Holy Week services should be on parish websites now
It’s not too early to start putting times of Holy Week and Easter services on parish websites.
Make sure they are clearly and prominently displayed, and then remove services once they are over to keep your site current and fresh.
If your parochial report isn’t in yet, it’s a month late
Has your parish submitted its required annual Parochial Report yet? The deadline to do so was March 1.
The report itself can be submitted online, but two hard-copy pages still need to be returned to the diocesan office – the signature page and the supplemental page.
In addition, please be certain the other information sheets that were sent with the report are returned to the diocesan office.
They include the list of lay delegates (orange sheet), directory updates (lavender) and clergy continuing education report (white).
The diocesan office also would appreciate a copy of each church’s most current parish directory.
Questions about the parochial report should be addressed to Comptroller Jay Currie at . He also can be reached by phone at (800) 473-3563 or (785) 235-9255.
Tocher lecture in May will blend art and faith
The Tocher Lecture this year will offer a different take on matters of theology with a presentation by a visual artist.
Makoto Fujimura will speak on Thursday, May 5 at 7 p.m. at Grace Cathedral in Topeka. His lecture is entitled “Practicing Resurrection: Art & Life.”
The event is free and open to the public.
Fujimura also will present an invitation-only seminar in the afternoon for clergy and a limited number of guests, beginning at 3 p.m. at the cathedral. Advance registration is required, and seating is limited. For an invitation contact the Rev. Andrew Grosso, the event coordinator, at or (913) 367-3171.
Fujimura is an artist, writer and speaker who has been recognized by faith-based and secular media for his influence on modern culture. His work combines traditional Japanese painting technique with a Western approach to abstraction. His works are exhibited at galleries around the world, and he was a presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts from 2003 to 2009.
He has created a specially designed and produced edition of the four gospels to help mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. Those will be on exhibit this summer at the Museum of Biblical Arts in New York.
Want to help a college student help people in need?
Do you want to help Kansas college students help change lives in some of the poorest areas of Kenya? Are you interested in supporting the development of servant leadership among our young adults? Consider helping our team of college students who have discerned a call to mission next summer, building houses and working to improve the health and well-being of a community in Kenya.
Many donations have been received so far, but an additional $5,000 is needed.
You can help with you monetary contribution in two ways:
Send a check. Make checks payable to "Diocese of Kansas," with "K2K college team" in the memo section, and mail to the Rev. Michael S. Bell, PO Box 381, Manhattan KS 66505.
Pay by credit card. You can charge your donation to your credit card via PayPal, through St. Francis Canterbury at K-State:
All gifts will be acknowledged as charitable donations.
KSM spring classes explore varied topics
Want to expand your knowledge of church-related topics? If so, the Kansas School for Ministry has some exciting classes this semester that may interest you.
Classes meet once a month at the Bethany Place Conference Center in Topeka, from 5:30 p.m. on Friday through 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Additional homework is required during the weeks following each class.
The cost to attend for non-ordination track students is $75 per course. For more information on any of these classes or to enroll, contact KSM Coordinator the Rev. Andrew Grosso at or (913) 367-3171.
Upcoming classes include:
May 13-14
BIBL 120: Prophets and Writings. Detailed examination of the historical setting, literary characteristics, and major themes of the prophetic and wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jerermiah, Psalms, Proverbs, Job, etc.). Also includes attention to the tools and methods used in the historical-critical exegesis of biblical texts. Facilitator: Dr. Melissa Tubbs Loya
BIBL 220: Pauline Epistles. Detailed examination of the New Testament texts traditionally associated with the apostle Paul (including pseudepigraphical works), including analysis of their historical context, literary structure and theology. Also includes some attention to the tools and methods employed in historical-critical exegesis. Facilitator: the Rev. Dr. Richard McCandless
Idaho parish seeks help for Honduran children’s home
Members of Nativity Episcopal Church in Lewiston, Idaho, in the Diocese of Spokane, are asking Episcopalians across the church to use an easy way to provide funds for El Hogar, a home for orphaned, abandoned or hopelessly poor children.
Purchases from amazon.com made through El Hogar’s website will result in 4 percent of the total order being donated back to the home. Go to and click the button with the amazon logo.
April 30 is deadline for opinions on possible Hymnal revision
The national body charged by General Convention with exploring a possible revision of The Hymnal 1982 has produced an online survey and seeks comments and input.
The survey is available at and will remain online until April 30. It is being coordinated by the Church Pension Fund’s Office of Research
The Episcopal Church Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music is asking anyone in the Episcopal Church to take the survey and offer their opinion.
The survey seeks answers to two questions:
Do the Hymnal and other music resources meet the needs of the church? and
If not, what is the best way to meet those needs?
Health ministries conference offered
The National Episcopal Health Ministries is sponsoring a conference, “Seasons of Health Ministries,” May 19-21 at the Mercy Center in Burlingame, Calif., near San Francisco. It is designed for parish nurses or anyone involved in health ministries in the Episcopal Church.
The keynote speaker will be noted author Sara Miles.
The cost to attend is $450 for registrations received before April 15, which includes six meals and overnight accommodations.
Additional information is available on the group’s website,
Clergy notes
The Rev. Don Davidson, rector of St. David’s, Topeka, is recovering at home after a heart attack March 21, which was followed by the placement of a stent to open a blocked artery. He expects to be back at work around Easter.
Deacon Barbara Gibson is recovering after hip replacement surgery earlier this month.
Anniversaries of ordinations
Congratulations go to these people as they celebrate the anniversaries of their ordination in the next two weeks:
April 5: The Very Rev. Jerry Adinolfi, St. Paul’s, Coffeyville (14 years)
April 13: The Rev. Evan Ash, non-parochial (34 years)
Next DioLog
The next edition of DioLog will be sent to subscribers on Thursday, April 14. Information to be included should be sent to Melodie Woerman, diocesan director of communications, at , no later than Tuesday, April 12.
DioLog is a publication of the Office of Communications of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas.
Parishes are free to excerpt anything printed in DioLog; attribution that material is reprinted from DioLog is appreciated. Feel free to copy this and make it available to parishioners in whatever way is most useful.
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