Jan. 31, 2013
The Rev. Alberto Cutié will be in KC to support Latino ministry at St. Paul’s
Author, former TV host and Episcopal priest the Rev. Alberto Cutié of Miami will be in Kansas City Feb. 22-24 for a series of events highlighting ministry with the Latino community by St. Paul’s, Kansas City.
Joining in the festivities will be Julio Cuellar, a noted Bolivian guitarist and musician who leads worship at several Episcopal churches in the Washington, D.C. area.
Most of their efforts will take place on Saturday, Feb. 23 at St. Paul's, 1300 North 18th St., where Cutié will lead a Spanish-language service with baptisms and Holy Eucharist at 4 p.m. and Cuellar will present a workshop on Latin music for worship at 11 a.m.
Cuellar will be part of the 4 p.m. service, and both will participate in the parish's weekly breakfast program and food pantry, earlier that day. A dinner at 6 p.m. will cap off their day.
Other events include a Friday evening reception and book signing at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City, Mo., and worship with the two men in area churches on Sunday morning. Cuellar will be at the 11 a.m. service at St. Paul’s for a bilingual Eucharist.
Anyone wanting to participate in the music workshop with Cuellar or the Saturday evening dinner is asked to register with the church office at or (913) 321-3535
There is no charge for any of these activities, but donations to support the church’s launch of Latino ministries are welcomed.
Additional information is on the diocesan website at http://www.episcopal-ks.org/news/.
Bishop Seabury Academy invites all to Feb. 19 basketball games
All members of the diocese are invited to show some Episcopal Church team spirit by attending the “Bishop’s (Basket) Ball” night on Tuesday, Feb. 19 in support of Bishop Seabury Academy, the diocese’s secondary school.
Join Bishop Dean and Ellen Wolfe and other Episcopalians to watch the Seabury Seahawks take on the Wichita Defenders. The girls play at 5:30 p.m. and the boys at 7 p.m. in the school’s gym at 4120 Clinton Parkway in Lawrence.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children.
For more information contact the school’s chaplain, the Rev. Patrick Funston, at .
Food for Haiti event aims to set a Guinness world record
An event in Wichita on Saturday, Feb. 16 seeks to set a Guinness world record by packaging 350,000 meals in one hour, all to go to feed school children in Haiti.
The event is sponsored by Rotary Club of Wichita, Numana and Volunteer Kansas. To set the record, more than 2,000 volunteers are needed. Stations will be set up with various food products that will be combined into packages to be shipped to Haiti.
Efforts will provide lunches for 800 school children for a year and a half, as well as weekend food for them and their families.
The packaging event will take place at the Kansas Coliseum Pavilion II at 122 E. 85th St. North in Park City, just east of the city of Wichita.
Volunteers should arrive between 10 and 11 a.m., with the packaging to begin at noon.
Register at http://www.volunteerkansas.org/Opportunities/Opportunity/704:Serving_the_Starving_in_Haiti_and_at_Home_-_Guinness_World_Record_Event or call Numana at (316) 452-5445.
KC cathedral sponsors event to train Safeguarding God’s Children trainers
Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday, Feb. 16 will offer a time for people who wish to offer the “Safeguarding God’s Children” program to receive the required training.
Those wanting to sign up to take this training or who need more information should contact diocesan Youth Missioner Karen Schlabach, who is responsible for Safeguarding God’s Children programs in the diocese. She can be reached at .
Reminder: parochial reports are due by March 1
The annual parochial report required of parishes in the Episcopal Church has been mailed to all churches in the diocese, and clergy and wardens should note that the deadline to submit the completed report is March 1.
Even though the report itself can be filed online (http://generalconvention.org/gc/parochial_reports), the diocesan office still needs the following items returned in hard copy:
· The completed signature page (page 1)
· The supplement page
· The directory update form
· The form listing parish delegates
· Clergy continuing education form
· A copy of the church’s directory
Questions about completing the report, in print or online, should be directed to Comptroller Jay Currie, (800) 473-3563 or .
Resources for Lent
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is February 13. Here are some resources that can help make this holy season more meaningful:
· Episcopal Relief and Development’s Lenten meditation booklets can be ordered as late as tomorrow and still arrive in time for Lent. More information is on the ERD website at http://www.er-d.org/
· The Society of St. John the Evangelist offers daily video meditations to help people on a journey into the heart of God in prayer. Subscribers to the brothers’ popular “Brother, Give us a Word” daily email will automatically receive notice of these videos. More information is on the SSJE website, http://ssje.org/ssje/prayer/.
· Lent Madness returns this year, bigger and better than ever. It features daily match-ups among saints of the church, using the method of a sports tournament bracket, to help participants learn more about these saintly people. New this year is a store that offers wall-sized Lent Madness brackets, along with coffee mugs and other items. Information is at http://www.lentmadness.org/
Youth news
Recharge. The deadline for youth leaders to register for Recharge is Feb. 14 The Recharge weekend for adults who work with youth is set for Feb. 22-23 at Camp Wood YMCA near Elmdale, southwest of Emporia. The theme this year is “Dangerous Wonder,” based on a book by Michael Yaconelli. Attendees should expect to leave well-rested and with lots of practical ideas for their ministries. We especially will be focusing on local youth ministry ideas for a small number of youth. More information and registration is available at http://www.episcopal-ks.org/youth/Recharge.html
Youth Peer Ministry applications now being accepted. The diocesan youth peer ministry program currently is accepting applications for our upcoming retreat March 8-9. The peer ministry program seeks to provide an opportunity for high school students in the Diocese of Kansas to grow in their faith, receive training in ministry and life skills, assume roles of liturgical leadership, welcome other students into the body of Christ, and develop other young leaders.
If you know a youth in your parish who would fit this position or be interested in this position, invite them to apply to be a peer minister. Applications are available on the diocesan youth web site: www.episcopal-ks.org/youth/peerministry.html. If you have any questions about the peer ministry program please contact the Peer Ministry Coordinator Michael Funston or Youth Missioner Karen Schlabach at .
Summer youth ministry internship applications now available Do you know a college student interested in pursuing a vocation in ministry? Why not ask them if they are interested in applying for the Summer Youth Ministry Internship. Applications for the program are due Feb. 23. Learn more about the program and how to apply: www.episcopal-ks.org/youth/internship.html.
New Beginnings: April 19-21 at St. Michael’s in Mission. For students in grades 6-8 of the current school year. New Beginnings is a weekend retreat focusing on the two greatest commandments: loving God with all our heart, mind and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. The registration deadline is April 5 and more information is at http://www.episcopal-ks.org/youth/newbeginnings.html
Registration for MegaCamp is now open: MegaCamp is a single exciting week for youth in grades 3-12, whether or not they are Episcopalian. MegaCamp is set for June 2-8 at Camp Wood YMCA near Elmdale, southwest of Emporia. The cost is $390 per camper, and some scholarship assistance is available. Registration materials are available online at http://www.episcopal-ks.org/youth/summercamp.html.
Packets of registration materials will be sent to all parishes in the coming week, including hard copies of the required forms. Staff applications are also available now and are due March 15. See http://www.episcopal-ks.org/youth/summercamp.html.
Acolyte Training Day is this Saturday
All acolytes of the diocese – or people interesting in becoming one – are invited to attend a training day this Saturday, Feb. 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. James’, 3750 East Douglas in Wichita.
The speaker will be Kent Wingerson, verger at Grace Cathedral, Topeka.
Topics addressed during the event will be an overview of the acolyte ministry and its importance in the liturgy; basic roles, responsibilities, behaviors and etiquette; and practice in duties such as torch bearer, crucifer, thurifer and server.
The event is being sponsored by St. James’. There is no charge to attend, but pre-registration is requested.
Contact the church at (316) 683-5686 to sign up or for more information.
Women’s summit set for April 19-20 in Wichita
The first-ever diocesan Women’s Summit will take place April 19-20 at St. James’ in Wichita with the theme “Women and Girls: Made in the Image of God.”
It is designed for Episcopal women of all ages from high school and older.
It is being planned by a group of women from the diocese that includes Ellen Wolfe, wife of Bishop Dean Wolfe; Ginger Shields, a member of the Episcopal Church Women board; and Deacon Fran Wheeler of St. Aidan’s, Olathe.
The summit, which will run from Friday evening through Saturday afternoon, will address three questions through speakers and small group discussions:
· What does the Bible say to us about who we are as women?
· What does contemporary society and the media say to us about who we are as women?
· What do we say to each other about who we are as women?
Overnight accommodations in private homes can be arranged for participants wishing them; group hotel plans will be announced soon. The cost to attend hasn’t been finalized, but scholarship assistance will be available.
Questions about the event, or offers to assist with its planning, may be directed to Ellen Wolfe at or (785) 393-1327; or to Fran Wheeler at or (913) 226-0540.
Anti-racism workshop scheduled for May 18
A workshop designed to help people explore issues of racism in society and themselves will take place on Saturday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bethany Place Conference Center, 835 SW Polk, in Topeka.
The cost to attend is $20 per person, and lunch is included.
To register, send your name, parish and contact information to Michele Moss at or (800) 473-3563. Payment may be made at the door.
By action of General Convention, this training is required for everyone in leadership positions throughout the Episcopal Church, all clergy, those employed by the church, and those elected or appointed to any church office.
Upcoming KSM classes
A variety of classes offered by the Kansas School for Ministry still may have room for students who want to enrich their own spiritual life by extensive study on one of these topics:
· Feb. 9-10: Congregational Development and Evangelism (Dr. David Thompson); Contemporary Ethics (Dr. Don Compier)
· March 9-10: Church History Survey (The Rev. George Wiley); Polity and Canons (Mr. Larry Bingham)
· April 13-14: British Christianity (The Very Rev. Bill Wolff)
· May 11-12: History of the Episcopal Church (The Very Rev. Bill Wolff)
The cost to attend is $100 per course for non-ordination students. Fees cover tuition, overnight accommodations in the Bethany Place Conference Center and four meals. The cost of books and other materials are not included.
Those wanting to enroll or who need more information should contact KSM Coordinator the Rev. Andrew Grosso at or (913) 367-3171.
House of Deputies president speaks out for immigration reform
The Rev. Gay Jennings, president of the Episcopal Church’s House of Deputies, on Jan. 29 issued a letter calling on Episcopalians to ask their elected officials to support immigration reform.
She noted that the 77th General Convention, which met last July in Indianapolis, continued its call for comprehensive immigration reform.
The full text of Jennings letter is available at http://houseofdeputies.org/president-s-letter-on-immigration-reform.html.
Deacons Association plans June assembly
The Association of Episcopal Deacons has announced that its next annual Assembly will take place June 13-16 in Williamsburg, Va. Its theme is “Jamestown: A Mere 400 Years. Weaving a New World View.”
All deacons are invited to attend this event, but association members pay a reduced fee for the conference.
More information is on the association’s website, http://www.episcopaldeacons.org/
Anniversaries of ordinations
Our apologies go to the Rev. Joyce Homes, whose years of ordination in the previous edition of DioLog were incorrect. Mother Holmes celebrated the 21st anniversary of her ordination on Jan. 18.
Congratulations go to these people as they celebrate the anniversaries of their ordination in the next two weeks:
Feb. 2: Deacon Bobbie Barber, retired (16 years); Deacon Suzi Drury, retired (16 years)
Feb. 12: The Rev. Elborn Mendenhall, retired (53 years)
Next DioLog
The next edition of DioLog will be sent to subscribers on Thursday, Feb. 14. Information to be included should be sent to Melodie Woerman, diocesan director of communications, at , no later than Tuesday, Feb. 12.
DioLog is a publication of the Office of Communications of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas.