June 14, 2012
Youth missioner search committee announced
A committee to advise Bishop Dean Wolfe on the hiring of the next Youth Missioner will have its first meeting on June 26. The group is chaired by Bill O’Neill of St. Michael and All Angels, Mission, and includes the Rev. Bill Wolff, St. Peter’s, Pittsburg; Danette Friedel, Good Shepherd, Wichita; the Rev. Betty Glover, Trinity, Arkansas City and Grace, Winfield; and Carson Ferrer, St. Thomas, Overland Park.
The group hopes to have finalists visit the diocese this fall, with a youth missioner named by early November.
KSM class schedule is announced for the coming year
The 2012-2013 schedule of classes at the Kansas School for Ministry has been announced by KSM Coordinator the Rev. Andrew Grosso. The schedule is on the diocesan website at The dates when classes meet and when course materials are due are posted at
Orientation for new students is set for July 14-15, and classes start on Aug. 16.
Grosso notes that the schedule for the coming academic year has shifted formats, with classes now starting on Saturday morning and concluding about noon on Sunday, rather than the Friday-to-Saturday schedule of recent years.
The switch will accommodate a number of students attending from the dioceses of West Missouri and Western Kansas.
Anyone with questions about KSM and its classes may contact Grosso at or (913) 367-3171.
Deadline extended for this year’s vocationers’ weekend
The deadline to sign up for this year’s vocationers’ weekend has been extended to Tuesday, June 19.
The event is set for June 22-23 and will run from dinner on Friday through mid-afternoon on Saturday at Grace Cathedral in Topeka. The weekend is sponsored by the diocesan Commission on Ministryfor anyone who is considering or has considered a call to ordained ministry.
A registration form and an information flyer are online at
Overnight accommodations will be at the Capitol Plaza Hotel at a discounted rate; the cost of the hotel is the registrant’s responsibility.
For more information contact the Rev. Art Rathbun at or the Rev. Tom Wilson at .
Safeguarding God’s Children and People training workshops set in two locations
Special workshops designed to ensure a safe environment in churches are planned in two locations in August.
Two sessions of Safeguarding God’s Children are planned: Saturday, Aug. 4 at Grace Cathedral, Topeka; and Saturday, Aug. 11 at St. John’s, Parsons.
This training is required for all those who work regularly with children and youth in the Episcopal Church, but it is encouraged for others who are in leadership positions in parishes. The goal is to provide parish environments for children that are free from sexual abuse or exploitation.
At Grace Cathedral, 701 SW 8th Ave. in Topeka: The training runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon and includes lunch. The cost to register is $10. To sign up, contact Michele Moss in the diocesan office at or (800) 473-3563 or (785) 235-9255. Questions should be directed to the trainer, Michael Massey, at .
At St. John’s, 1801 Corning in Parsons: The training begins at 10 a.m., and there is no charge. To register or for more information, contact the Rev. Jan Chubb at
One session of Safeguarding God’s People, the diocesan-required anti-sexual exploitation training course for parish leaders and employees, has been set for Saturday, Aug. 11 at 1 p.m. at St. John’s, 1801 Corning in Parsons. To register or for more information, contact the Rev. Jan Chubb at
The diocesan safe church policy, which describes the two workshops and who is required to take them, is on the website at
Registration is open for MissionPalooza
Youth who will be in grades 9-12 this fall now can register for MissionPalooza, the diocese’s urban mission program taking place in Kansas City July 16-22 that trains teens to put theirfaith into action.For five days youth come together in community, mission, fellowship and worship. Students spend their days heeding Christ’s call to feed the hungry, visit the sick and comfort those in need.
St. Paul’s Church, located at 40th and Main in Kansas City, Mo., will host the event and provide housing for participants.
Registrations and more detailsare on the diocesan website at
Photos from June 2 ordinations now are online
Deacon Bob Hirst has posted many of the photographs he took at the June 2 ordination of six new deacons. They are on his Flickr stream at
Priests, take note of 2013 calendar item
Dates in 2013 for the annual Gathering of Presbyters now have been set. It will take place Nov. 19 through Nov. 21, again at the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita.
The event runs from noon on Tuesday through noon on Thursday.
Updated Manual of Business Methods for congregations now is available
The Episcopal Church Finance Office has updated major sections and chapters of the Manual of Business Methods in Church Affairs, available for downloading at no charge at .
This is a 177-page PDF document.
"The Manual of Business Methods is an important tool for efficient congregational financial management and oversight,” said N. Kurt Barnes, Episcopal Church treasurer and CFO. “The recent updates, which are indicated by dates at the end of each chapter, include new areas important for congregational operations.”
Section topics include Financial Management, Internal Controls, Taxes and the Episcopal Church, Bookkeeping, Clergy Discretionary Funds, Audit Guidelines for Congregations, Risk Management and Insurance, Parochial Reports, and Records Management.
Additional chapters and appendices will be updated during the course of 2012.
It is the policy of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas that all parishes, regardless of size, are required to adhere to standards of financial recordkeepingand reporting, drawn from the Manual of Business Methods.
General Convention still needs volunteers
Volunteer opportunities still are available at the Episcopal Church 77th General Convention July 5 – 12 in Indianapolis.
Patrick Haizel, General Convention volunteer coordinator, said that all are welcomed to help out. “We are still looking for people of all shapes and sizes, skills and talents, to volunteer some of their time to assist in the smooth operation of the convention,” he said. “By volunteering, you become a part of the convention, through observation and participation, while learning about the way the church operates from behind the scenes.”
To sign up and select the shifts and areas that suit your schedule and talents, go to .
Have you made your mark with any of the Five Marks of Mission?
Individuals, parishes, dioceses and networks are invited to upload videos demonstrating their efforts toward achieving one or more of the Five Marks of Mission:
- To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom;
- To respond to human need by loving service;
- To seek to transform unjust structures of society;
- To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth; and
- To teach, baptize and nurture new believers.
Videos should be no longer than five minutes and must be submitted before July 5 online at
All approved videos will be posted at, and viewers can vote on their favorites.
The videos with the most votes will be screened at General Convention in Indianapolis, July 5-12.
Anniversaries of ordinations
Our apologies go to Deacon Allen Ohlstein, St. Paul’s, Leavenworth, whose 7-year anniversary on June 11 inadvertently was omitted in the most recent edition of DioLog.
Congratulations go to these people as they celebrate the anniversaries of their ordination in the next two weeks:
June 17: The Very Rev. Timothy Kline, non-parochial, Diocese of Western Kansas (20 years)
June20: The Rev. Elizabeth Gomes, St. Christopher’s, Wichita (21 years); Deacon Carmen Anderson, retired (25 years)
June 21: The Rev. David Mouille, retired (44 years)
June 22: The Rev. Sharon Billman, St. John’s, Parsons (9 years)
June 23: The Rev. Jerry Eytcheson, Epiphany, Independence and Ascension, Neodesha (19 years); the Rev. Betty Glover, Trinity, Arkansas City and Grace, Winfield (5 years)
June 24: The Rev. Dean Stone, retired (35 years)
Next DioLog
The next edition of DioLog will be sent to subscribers on Thursday, June 28. Information to be included should be sent to Melodie Woerman, diocesan director of communications, at , no later than Tuesday, June 26.
DioLog is a publication of the Office of Communications of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas.
Parishes are free to excerpt anything printed in DioLog; attributionthat material is reprinted fromDioLogis appreciated. Feel free to copy this and make it available to parishioners in whatever way is most useful.