Oct. 1, 2015
Last call for convention registrations
While the official deadline for registering for Diocesan Convention was last week, Convention Coordinator Michele Moss said she can accept registrations until Friday, Oct. 2.
Lay delegates, clergy and visitors may register online at
Need to see the convention book, or other items related to the gathering? It’s all on the Diocesan Convention webpage,
Attention clergy spouses
All clergy spouses who are attending Diocesan Convention are invited to gather for lunch on Friday, Oct. 23 at designated tables in the ballroom of the convention center. Come renew old friendships, make new ones and find out what has been going on with fellow clergy spouses.
Go through the buffet line to get lunch, and then find the tables in the ballroom for fun and fellowship.
If you have questions, please call Ellen Wolfe at (785) 393-1327.
Episcopal Church Women Annual Meeting follows end of Convention
The Annual Meeting for all women of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas will take place right after the adjournment of Convention on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The event will focus on the problem of human trafficking, especially in Kansas. The speaker will be Kansas Assistant Attorney General Christine Ladner, who chairs the AG’s Human Trafficking Advisory Board. She will present case studies from jury trials she has prosecuted.
The meeting will be in the Pioneer Room of the Capitol Plaza Hotel Conference Center. The cost is $10, which includes lunch.
The deadline to register is Oct. 16.
An informational registration form (in PDF format) is available at
Those attending should print out the form, complete it, and send to the address on the form by the registration date, with a check.
Delegates who have their lunch provided through convention are invited to attend the program.
Youth are invited to participate in Diocesan Convention
Youth in grades 9-12 are invited to participate in several activities at Diocesan Convention. The youth will be hosting a camp scholarship fundraising dinner Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at St. David’s in Topeka, and youth are needed to help serve dinner.
Youth also are asked to serve as pages during convention business sessions on Saturday. Pages pass out ballots or other handouts.
Youth are also needed to serve as acolytes on Friday morning at the Cathedral and assist with a Compline service on Friday night.
There is no cost to attend. Forms and more information are on the diocesan youth website
Space is still available in the convention Exhibit Hall
A few tables remain for those who wish to be exhibitors at Diocesan Convention. More information about what this involves is on the registration form:
Questions? Contact Convention Coordinator Michele Moss at , (785) 235-9255 or (800) 473-3563.
Tocher Lecture will help kick off Diocesan Convention weekend
The annual Tocher Lecture this year will take place on Thursday, Oct. 22, the evening before the start of Diocesan Convention activities.
The speaker will be the Rev. Dr. William Kondrath, who is conducting a multi-part training in anti-racism as part of the convention workshops. Kondrath is a noted consultant in the field of anti-racism and multiculturalism.
The lecture is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m., and will take place at St. David’s, 3916 SW 17th Street, at the northwest corner of 17th Street and Gage Blvd.
> Come early for a dinner to benefit youth ministry! If you’re heading to the Tocher Lecture, arrive at 5:30 p.m. for a special dinner to benefit the diocesan Youth Ministry program. A suggested donation of $8 will support their work with young people across the diocese.
St. Paul’s, Coffeyville sponsors ninth annual ‘Coats for Kids’ run
Vehicles of two, three or more wheels are welcome at the “Coats for Kids” run sponsored by St. Paul’s, Coffeyville, on Saturday, Oct. 17. The church is joined as a sponsor by American Legion Riders Post 138.
Those attending the event, which is in its ninth year and honors the memory of Ed Schille, will gather in the church parking lot (7th and Elm Streets) at noon.
The parade will begin at 12:30 p.m., ending with lunch back at the church.
Those who wish more information may contact Rogene Schille at (620) 251-6862 or (620) 252-5737.
Daughters of the King plan Fall Assembly
Members of chapters of the Daughters of the King across the diocese, as well as Junior Daughters, are invited to the Fall Assembly at Grace, Winfield, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Special guests will include Pat Hind, Province 7 DOK president; diocesan Canon to the Ordinary the Rev. Torey Lightcap; and Erin Mae and Amber Rogers of Scenic Roots, who will present a concert.
The day will include a celebration of the Holy Eucharist, a prayer workshop and words of inspiration.
The cost of registration, which includes lunch, is $15 before Oct. 25 and $20 after that date or at the door.
The daughters will have a booth at Diocesan Convention, where people can register.
For more information, call (620) 402-6045.
Women of the Southwest Convocation are invited to meet
All women of parishes in the Southwest Convocation are invited to a meeting of fellowship and to support one another as Christian women.
The meeting will take place on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon at Good Shepherd, 8021 W. 21st St. North in Wichita.
Another goal is to gather women who want to put their faith into action and seek God’s will for concrete ways to serve their local communities.
Please RSVP by Oct. 15 to Margarita Hunt at (316) 680-8981 or . Those with questions should contact Hunt for more information.
New classes, later start time at the Bishop Kemper School in November
The Bishop Kemper School for Ministry is offering two church history courses in November – “History of the Episcopal Church” and “Church History: Modernity and After.”
Either class will help people better understand how history has shaped the challenges and opportunities that face Christianity and the Episcopal Church in 2015 and beyond.
To make it easier for lay students to attend BKSM’s focus weekends, the school is piloting a new schedule in November.
Course instruction will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, rather than at 8:45 a.m. That way, if students wish, they can drive to Topeka on Saturday morning instead of on Friday. Of course, students still are welcome to spend the night at Upton Hall on Friday and join other students for breakfast, Morning Prayer and the praxis session at 10:15 a.m.
Doug Lawrence, the head musician at Trinity, Lawrence, will be leading November’s praxis session on church music, with special emphasis on its relationship to evangelism.
For more information about November classes or to register, visit the BKSM website at:
Registration for Happening #90 is open now
Happening is a Christian experience by youth for youth. It’s a weekend retreat, focusing on Jesus and what he taught. There are games, music, great food and a chance to talk with peers about things that really matter.
The priority registration deadline is Thursday, Oct. 22.
- When: Happening #90 will be Nov. 6-8
- Where: St. Michael and All Angels, 6630 Nall Avenue in Mission
- Who: Youth in grades 9-12
- Fee: $50 ($65 after Oct. 22)
See for more information or to register.
Author to speak at Trinity, Lawrence, this Saturday
Linda Robinson, an author, nurse, midwife and missioner to Africa, will speak at Trinity, Lawrence, on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The church is located at 1027 Vermont Street.
Robinson will provide insights based on her new book, Sunday Morning, Shamwana – A Midwife’s Letters from the Field.
The native of Bar Harbor, Maine, Robinson served as a nurse-midwife in the remote village of Shamwana in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through the organization Doctors without Borders.
Grab your cellphones. Social Media Sunday is set for Oct. 25
Do you want to help your congregation reach out to others through the power of social media? Then don’t miss Social Media Sunday, set across the Episcopal Church for Oct. 25.
This is a day to encourage parishioners to update their Facebook status with church information, tweet the sermon, Instagram a photo or upload a short video clip from the service to YouTube.
The goal of Social Media Sunday is to help church members share the good news of Jesus with people they already know by posting about their church on their own social media channels.
A Facebook group has been set up for the event at
Add the hashtag #SMS15 to all your posts, too.
Questions? Contact diocesan Director of Communications Melodie Woerman at or (785) 235-9255.
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 Interfaith Network, offers a two-day course in disaster chaplain training Nov. 10-11.
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 Nov. 9. 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 http://beeckencenter.sewanee.edu/events/disaster-chaplaincy-training-nov-2015
The cost to attend the Engaging Faith Communities in Disasters training is $125 per person. Registration and more information is online at http://beeckencenter.sewanee.edu/events/engaging-faith-communities-in-disasters-nov-2015
Episcopal Church Foundation announces upcoming webinars
Several upcoming online seminars might give your congregation just the information it needs on a variety of important topics:
- Strategic Vision and Planning. Oct. 8, 6-7 p.m. Central time. By embracing a holy shift into thinking strategically, congregations can begin to get unstuck and move into having relevant, meaningful and vital conversations, and effectively plan for the future.
- A Walk through the New Vestry Resource Guide. Oct. 13, 6-7 p.m. Central time. The Vestry Resource Guide is an essential tool to help vestries focus on what God is calling them to do in the world. This provides a review of what’s in it.
- Digital Giving: Models and Tools. Oct. 27, 6-7 p.m. Central time. This webinar will survey digital tools to support various models of congregational fundraising.
- Basics of Endowment. Oct. 29, 6-7 p.m. Central time. This is a review of basic principles and best practices for endowment management.
- Episcopal Relief & Development’s Asset Map. Nov. 3, 6-7 p.m. Central time. Learn more about a new platform available to The Episcopal Church for congregations and other institutions to share their many ministries and gifts.
- First Steps in Leading Change. Nov. 24, 6-7 p.m. Central time. A look at general principles and best practices for leading a change process effectively, as well as examples of Episcopal congregations that have led change processes.
Clergy news
The Rev. Ted Blakley has accepted a call to become rector of Grace, Hutchinson, in the Diocese of Western Kansas, beginning Nov. 15. He has served as curate at St. John’s, Wichita, since his ordination in June 2014. His last day there will be Nov. 1.
Condolences go to the Rev. Kevin Huddleston, rector of St. Michael and All Angels, Mission on the death of his father, Jack, on Sept. 21. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
Anniversaries of ordinations
Congratulations go to these people as they celebrate the anniversaries of their ordination in the next two weeks:
Oct. 1: The Rev. Ty Petty, non-parochial (43 years)
Oct. 5: The Rev. Kay Dagg, non-parochial (13 years)
Oct. 6: Deacon Terry Miescher, St. Bartholomew’s, Wichita (16 years); Deacon Patsy Abshier, retired (16 years)
Oct. 11: The Rev. Rita Stockton, Church of the Upper Room, Lakin, Diocese of Western Kansas (12 years)
Oct. 12: The Rev. Nicolette Papanek, non-parochial (13 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
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