July 9, 2015
General Convention wraps up historic meeting
The 78th General Convention, which met from June 25-July 3 in Salt lake City, made history in a number of important ways –electing the church’s first African-American presiding bishop, Bishop Michael Curry from the Diocese of North Carolina; approving trial liturgies for the marriage of same-sex couples in the church; requiring all dioceses to support the Episcopal Church’s three-year budget; and adding significant money to the budget for church planting, outreach to Latino communities and racial reconciliation.
A recap of Convention action from Episcopal News Service is online at
Presiding Bishop-elect Curry’s sermon at the closing Eucharist, in video and transcript form, is online at
Information about the church’s actions on same-sex marriage, written by diocesan Director of Communications Melodie Woerman, who was following the marriage committee, is available at
Reports on other action are available from two sources: Episcopal News Service, at and Deputy News, at
The convention also saw more than 1,500 people, including 80 bishops, participate in a march against gun violence on June 28. Photos from that event, by Woerman, are online at
Aug. 7 is deadline for Diocesan Convention actions
Those who want to run for office at this October’s Diocesan Convention, or submit a proposed debatable resolution or amendment to the constitution or canons, have until Friday, Aug. 7 to do so.
> Elections
Elections will fill slots on the Council of Trustees and the Disciplinary Board.
The Council of Trustees is the governing body of the diocese between conventions. Seats on this body to be filled at this convention are:
- At-large lay representative (three-year term). The incumbent, Bob Skaggs, is not eligible for re-election; he has served two consecutive three-year terms.
- At-large clergy representative (three-year-term). The incumbent, the Rev. Patrick Funston, is eligible for re-election.
The Disciplinary Board hears some complaints about clergy misconduct and makes recommendations to the bishop about possible action. It consists of four clergy and three lay members who serve for three-year terms.
All incumbents are eligible for re-election. They are Janine Cox, Sarah Bousfield, Philip Davidson, the Rev. Dawn Frankfurt, Deacon Bob Hirst, the Rev. Laurie Lewis and the Very Rev. Steve Lipscomb.
To submit nominations
All nominations must be made on the nomination form, available on the Diocesan Convention webpage,
The form must be accompanied by a head-and-shoulder photograph of the nominee, at least 300 dots-per-inch and 2-by-2 inches in size.
Send materials to:Ashley Petty, 1858 Claflin Rd., Apt. 10, Manhattan, KS 66502; or
> Debatable resolutions
Send proposed debatable resolutions to: Gary Chubb, 1329 Grand Ave., Parsons, KS 67357-4256; or
> Amendments to the diocesan constitution or canons
Send proposed amendments to the diocesan constitution or canons to: Frank Taylor, P.O. Box 550, Olathe, KS 66051-0550; or
Girls Only Weekend is tomorrow
High school women still can register for the Girls Only Weekend, which starts tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.
The workshops will be:
- Body image and self confidence, by Ms. Jillian Carroll
- Our identity in Christ, by Mrs. Ellen King
- Women in the church, by the Rev. Susan Terry
Everyone will get a journal and a mirror to decorate and take home. Elle Hollrah is going to cook up some fabulous meals, we’ll go swimming, walk to Sylas and Maddies for ice cream, watch a movie, and encourage one-another. It’s going to be an awesome weekend, so please join us!
When: Friday, July 10, 6:30 p.m. to Sunday, July 12, 11:30 a.m.
Where: Trinity Church, 1011 Vermont Street, Lawrence
Who: Youth females currently in grades 9-12 (for the 2014-15 school year)
Fee: $50
Registration:
Note: We will be going swimming, so bring a swimsuit and a towel!
Weekend conference planned to explore vocational calls
Do you think you might have a call to ordained ministry or a specialized lay ministry, such as lay preacher, catechist, worship leader, youth minister or director of children’s education?
Do you know someone in your parish who has developed or shows potential for these special skills?
The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas invites interested persons to “Explore Your Call” during a weekend conference Aug. 14-15 at Grace Cathedral, 701 SW 8th Ave. in Topeka. The conference begins on Friday at 6 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
You will learn more about discerning and recognizing your call, the ordination process and its required prerequisites, and classes offered at the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry.
There also will be discussions geared toward full-time and bi-vocational ministry, and on what to expect as a clergy spouse.
There is no cost to attend, but registration is required through this online form:
For more information, contact Canon to the Ordinary the Rev. Torey Lightcap at (785) 235-9255 , or the Very Rev. Steve Lipscomb, chair of the Commission on Ministry, at (785) 235-3457 .
Aug. 3 is deadline for scholarship aid requests from clergy children
Aug. 3 is the deadline for clergy children to apply for a Father Young Fund grant for the fall semester. All students interested in receiving an award from the Father Young Fund should send a letter addressed to Bishop Wolfe stating:
1. Who they are (their relationship to a clergy person in the diocese);
2.Where they are attending school;
3.Their year in school; and
4.What they plan to study.
Awards from the Father Young Fund are sent directly to the student at their home address in the third week of August.
Guidelines for applying for assistance from the Father Young Fund:
- Assistance will be provided for eight semesters of undergraduate work only.
- Assistance is normally reserved for students attending Kansas colleges or universities.
- Application for the fall academic term is to be made no later than Aug. 3; for the spring term no later than Jan. 4.
- According to the conditions of the original gift, this fund can only be used for children of clergy canonically resident in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas.
- Once enrolled in college, a student becomes eligible to apply for assistance from the Father Young Fund.Assistance has ranged from $500 - $1,000 each semester and is based on the number applying and the amount of interest earned on the fund.
- To apply, each semester the student should send a letter to the bishop before the closing date.
As soon as all applications have been received from the students, the amount of financial assistance will be determined, and a check will be sent to the student.
If you have any questions, please contact Jeanne Atha , (785) 235-9255 or (800) 473-3563.
Fall Fun Fest Registrations now is available
Invite a friend to this awesome event! We’ll have sumo suits, Zorb Balls and the Radical Run obstacle course. We’ll also make new friends, hear some youth share thoughts on faith, watch a movie, and eat yummy food.
Try out the diocesan youth events and kick-off the school year with this great over-nighter.
When: Saturday, September 12, 1 p.m. to Sunday, September 13, noon (parents are invited to join us for the 10:45 a.m. worship service)
Where: St. James’ Episcopal Church, 3750 E. Douglas Ave, Wichita
Who: Youth currently in grades 6-12
Fee: $40 ($55 after August 28)
Priority deadline: Friday, August 28 (fee increases $15 after this date)
Registration forms:
Print and share the poster:
Do you know a student heading off to college this fall? Please let us know.
The diocesan campus ministry program strives to reach out to Episcopal college students at the colleges and universities across our diocese – and we also do our best to connect students from this diocese who are attending college in another diocese with a correlating campus ministry program.
But, we need your help to do this.
If you know such a student, please go to fill in their information. It will only take a moment.
The contact information you share is confidential and will only be used for ministry purposes.
Bishop encourages use of lectionary bulletin inserts
Bishop Wolfe encourages all churches to use bulletin inserts that include the readings for Sunday’s service.One provider is Church Publishing, which makes inserts available in both regular and large-print version.
You can learn more about them through Church Publishing’s FAQ page, at
You can see samples of both versions at
Episcopal bishop from South Sudan to speak in St. Joseph, Mo.
The Rt. Rev. Moses Anur Ayom, Episcopal bishop of Athooch in South Sudan, will speak on Sunday, July 19 at First Lutheran Church, 302 S. 10th St. in St. Joseph, Mo.
He will be present at the 10:45 a.m. worship service and will preach at the 1:30 p.m. Sudanese service.
All who are interested are invited to attend to hear him speak.
Alabama August pilgrimage to honor civil rights martyr Jonathan Daniels
The Diocese of Alabama is hosting a pilgrimage Aug. 14-15 to mark the 50th anniversary since the death of Jonathan Daniels, an Episcopal seminarian from New Hampshire and a civil rights activist. He was murdered in Hayneville, Ala., in 1965 while saving the life of a young black woman.
In 1991 Daniels was designated a martyr in the Episcopal Church and is recognized annually with a pilgrimage to the place of his assassination.
The program for this year’s commemoration begins on Friday evening, Aug. 14, with a program featuring Morris Dees, co-founder and chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center.
It continues on Saturday, Aug. 15, when participants gather in Hayneville at 11 a.m. at the courthouse square and then walk to the jail where Daniels and others were held, and then to the site of his murder.The pilgrimage will conclude with a special service in the Lowndes County courtroom, where Daniels’ killer was tried and acquitted. In a solemn ceremony during the service, the roll of the civil rights martyrs of Alabama will be called.
Holy Eucharist will be celebrated from the judge’s bench-turned altar. Presiding Bishop-elect Michael Curry will deliver the sermon.
More information about all events is on the Diocese of Alabama website,
An online registration form is available at
New Vestry Resource Guide now is available
The Episcopal Church Foundation has just published a new edition of Vestry Resource Guide. This publication helps vestry members and clergy work together to become an effective, even transformational, leadership team.
With information and recommendations forcongregations of all shapes and sizes, this tool helps vestries focus on what God is calling them to do in the world.
The cost is $12 per copy when ordered through the publisher, Forward Movement:
Copies also can be ordered by calling Forward Movement at (800) 543-1813.
Training offered for volunteer disaster chaplaincy
The Beecken Center of the School of Theology at the University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn., in partnership with the National Disaster Interfaiths Network, offers a two-day course in disaster chaplain training Aug 4-5
The curriculum prepares chaplains and credentialed religious leaders to provide spiritual and emotional care during deployment to disaster sites as well as within their own communities.
Also offered will be a course in Engaging Faith Communities in Disasters on Aug. 3. This curriculum provides an overview of why and how to engage faith communities during disasters and public health emergencies.
The cost to attend the Disaster Chaplaincy training is $355 per person. Registration and more information is online at
The cost to attend the Engaging Faith Communities in Disasters training is $125 per person. Registration and more information is online at
Input needed about church kitchens
A survey seeks to get input from the churches of the Episcopal Dioceses of Kansas about what the researcher calls “the most underutilized resource most churches already have – their kitchens.”
From this interest has sprung theChurch Kitchens Institute, dedicated to safe, staffed and successful culinary ministries.
The survey is online at
The deadline to reply is Sept. 1.
More information about the Church Kitchens Institute is at
People notes
The Rev. Stephanie Jenkins has announced that Ryan Zavacky has been hired as intern at the Canterbury House at the University of Kansas in Lawrence for the next academic year. He mostly recently has served with the Episcopal Church’s Young Adult Service Corps in Grahamstown, South Africa. He is a graduate of Alma College in Alma, Mich., where he was active in student activities.
Ashley Petty will return for a second year as campus intern at the Canterbury House at Kansas State University in Manhattan. She is a graduate of Wichita State University and was very active in diocesan youth and campus ministry programs.
Clergy news
The Rev. Betty Glover has accepted a call to become interim rector at St. David’s, Topeka, beginning July 25. She was ordained in the Diocese of Kansas and previously has served at St. David’s as a deacon, as well as priest at Trinity, Arkansas City and Grace, Winfield. She most recently has served as interim at churches in North Carolina.
Deacon Craig Klein, who moved to Topeka from the Diocese of Utah and now is licensed in this diocese, has been assigned by Bishop Dean Wolfe to St. David’s, Topeka. Klein works for Washburn Tech, where he will lead and direct the interdisciplinary health center being housed on the school’s campus.
Anniversaries of ordinations
Congratulations go to these people as they celebrate the anniversaries of their ordination in the next two weeks:
July10: The Rev. George Wiley, Canon Pastor (38 years)
July 18: The Rev. Kevin Huddleston, St. Michael and All Angels, Mission (27 years)
July 22: The Rev. Donald Martin, Ascension-on-the-Prairie, Colby; St. Francis, Russell Springs; St. Luke’s, Scott City; St. Paul’s, Goodland, Diocese of Western Kansas (23 years)
Stay in touch via Facebook and Twitter
You can find news, features and updates from the diocese on social media. We’re on Facebook – EpiscopalDioceseofKansas ( – and Twitter – @EpiscoKs.
Next DioLog
The next edition of DioLog will be sent to subscribers on Thursday, July 23.
Information to be included should be sent to Melodie Woerman, diocesan director of communications, at , no later than Tuesday, July 21.
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.
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DioLog is a publication of the Office of Communications of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, 835 SW Polk Street, Topeka, KS 66612.