Reminder: Deadline to Register for Diocesan Convention Is Sept. 25

Sept. 17, 2015

Reminder: deadline to register for Diocesan Convention is Sept. 25 Lay delegates, clergy and visitors are reminded that they have until Friday, Sept. 25 to register for Diocesan Convention. All registrations are online; the form is at https://edok.formstack.com/forms/diocesanconvention15. Additional information is on the Diocesan Convention webpage, http://www.episcopal- ks.org/life/convention.php.

Pre-convention convocation meetings start this weekend Clergy and lay delegates to Diocesan Convention will gather in pre-convention convocation meetings set for the next two Saturdays, to hear from Bishop Dean Wolfe and others about items on the agenda for convention:  Northeast Convocation: Saturday, Sept. 19, 9:30 a.m., Trinity Church, 1027 Vermont Street, Lawrence  Northwest Convocation: Saturday, Sept. 19, 1 p.m., Grace Cathedral, 701 SW 8th Ave., Topeka  Southeast Convocation: Saturday, Sept. 26, 10 a.m., St. John’s Church, 1801 Corning, Parsons  Southwest Convocation: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2 p.m., Trinity Church, 400 W. Ash, El Dorado Lay delegates and clergy are reminded to bring their convention book with them to their meeting.

Required anti-racism training to be offered at Diocesan Convention A five-part series of workshops, plus the annual Tocher Lecture, will form the latest offering in anti- racism training by the diocese. These sessions will be offered in conjunction with Diocesan Convention by the Rev. William Kondrath, Ph.D., a gifted educator who has extensive experience in the field of anti- racism and multiculturalism. Anti-racism training is required within the next three years for all priests and deacons; all members of the Council of Trustees; all members of the diocesan staff; all Senior and Junior Wardens of all congregations; all Vestry members; all full-time and part-time church employees; and all persons in the ordination process. More information about the sessions is available at http://www.episcopal- ks.org/life/documents/Conv-anti-racism-flier.pdf

Campus ministry parish partnership grant applications are due Friday, Sept. 18 The Campus Ministry Council announces its bi-annual call for parish-partner campus ministry grants. The maximum grant amounts (per site) are set each semester by the Campus Missioner, based on prior grant utilization and available resources. The grant application deadline is Sept. 18, with awards announced Sept. 30. The grant application process begins with the submission of a draft proposal to the Campus Missioner, who can help you finalize your application as well as help guide your application through the review process toward a timely answer. The application is online at http://edokcampusministry.wordpress.com/parish-partner-grants/ The Campus Ministry Council seeks to distribute funds among a broad range of campus ministry programs to both help start up new and novel programs as well as offer supplemental support to successful existing programs as funding is available. Questions? Contact Campus Missioner the Rev. Stephanie Jenkins at [email protected] or (785) 766-7435.

Free, online course on responses to gun violence is available until Sept. 28 A free, online course, open to everyone in the Episcopal Church, will explore practical responses to gun violence. The course is a series of video lectures and discussions, led by Bishop Eugene Sutton of Maryland and Bishop Ian Douglas of Connecticut, and will be available anytime until Monday, Sept. 28. It will take most people about 45 minutes to complete. The course is offered through ChurchNext, an online platform to help people learn more about their faith. For more information or to register, go to https://www.churchnext.tv/school/catalog/course/a- christian-response-to-gun-violence-with-eugene-sutton/. Resources for congregations, including downloadable posters, bulletin inserts and a Launch Guide, are online at https://churchnextblog.wordpress.com/the-big-class/.

Youth 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. 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. Interested youth should register by Monday, Sept. 21. There is no cost to attend. Forms and more information are on the diocesan youth website https://edokyouth.wordpress.com/diocesanconvention/

Is your church hosting a “Blessing of the Animals” in early October? Many Episcopal churches mark the Feast of St. Francis on Oct. 4 by offering special “Blessing of the Animals” events. If you do, be sure to let your local media know. Newspapers and television stations especially like to include these because of the high level of visual interest. Diocesan Director of Communications Melodie Woerman is available to help. Contact her at [email protected]. Do you want Episcopal-themed pet items? The Episcopal Media Center offers a variety of dog collars and leashes that you may want to offer for sale to those attending. Those, along with other items, are online at http://episcopalmarketplace.org/Products/Browse-All-Gifts Church groups receive a 50 percent discount on dog-related items, and merchandise also can be provided on consignment, meaning no upfront costs. For more information, contact the sales department of Episcopal Media Center at (866) 815-0495 or [email protected]. St. Paul’s, Clay Center, offers a service of repentance this Sunday, Sept. 20 St. Paul’s, Clay Center, invites all who are interested to join them in a Service of Repentance, Healing and Reconciliation on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. at the church, 1010 Sixth Street in Clay Center. The service will pay tribute and give voice to Mai DeKonza, the only African-American member in the church’s history. She died in 1959 and was buried in an unmarked grave. Confirmed in 1900, she was “tolerated but not accepted” by fellow members, according to parish histories. The church’s desire in this service is to make reparations for their failure to care for her as a beloved child of God. After the service there will be a procession to the Greenwood Cemetery for prayers at a newly installed headstone on her grave.

St. John’s, Wichita to begin Spanish service on Sept. 27 St. John’s, Wichita, will begin offering a new Spanish service on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. at the church, 402 North Topeka Street. Leading the service will be the Rev. Elizabeth Montes, chaplain at St. Francis Community Services in Wichita. The Rev. Earl Mahan, rector at St. John’s, and other interested members of St. John’s are working with Montes to get this new Hispanic ministry up and running. Mahan said he welcomes the prayers of everyone in the diocese for this new venture.

Author to speak at Trinity, Lawrence, on Oct. 3 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.

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 https://edokyouth.wordpress.com/happening/ for more information or to register.

Safe Church training offered in Parsons in November St. John’s, Parsons, is hosting Safe Church training on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the church, 1801 Corning in Parsons. A session of Safeguarding God’s Children will take place from 10 a.m. to noon, and Safeguarding God’s People will be from 1 to 3 p.m. The Rev. Sharon Billman will be the trainer. To register, or if you have questions, contact her at [email protected], (620) 421-5561 or (620) 778-5561. Episcopal Relief & Development hosts webinar on micro-financing opportunities Episcopal Relief & Development is hosting a free webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 5-6 p.m. Central time to offer information about its micro-financing project “Saving with Education.” Registration is required, and space is limited. Online registration is at https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=n7ew3xod7mrl. The program focuses on community-based savings groups that create and manage their own revolving loan funds. In three years, more than 5,700 people have joined groups and saved a total of $750,000. The program began because the majority of people living in poverty are women, and 70 percent live in rural areas with no access to banks or financial services. Micro-finance provides opportunities for people to build resilience and to meet household expenses. For more information, contact ER&D at (855) 312-4325.

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 the day is to help church members share the good news of Jesus to 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 https://www.facebook.com/groups/SMS15/. Add the hashtag #SMS15 to all your posts, too. Questions? Contact diocesan Director of Communications Melodie Woerman at [email protected] or (785) 235-9255.

Live-stream of talks by Bishop Steven Charleston is open to all Bishop Steven Charleston will present two talks on Wednesday Sept. 23 at a Methodist church in Oklahoma, but both talks will be live streamed to the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, a Kansas City suburb – and all invited to attend those. Bishop Charleston will speak at 11 a.m. on the topic “Native American Theological Theory,” and at 7 p.m. on “The Four Vision Quests of Jesus.” The broadcast of these talks will be in Building C, Room C041 at the Church of the Resurrection, 13720 Roe Avenue in Leawood. There is no need to register to attend, but those with questions may contact Tracy Miller at (913) 253-5085.

Prairie Village church hosts conversation about refugees Village Presbyterian Church will host a dinner and panel discussion, “The Great American Refugee Crisis,” on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6:15 p.m. Immigration attorneys Angela Ferguson and Catalina Velarde and the Rev. Rick Behrens will discuss what happens to undocumented immigrants and families who are detained at the U.S. border, as well as what happens to others who successfully cross the border and take up precarious living arrangements in communities across the U.S. The cost is $5 per person, with a registration deadline of Oct 2. Call Marianne Weber at (913) 671- 2333 to make a reservation. Copy machine – free to a good home A copy machine that belonged to St. Christopher’s in Wichita before it ended its ministry on Sept. 13 now is available free to anyone who can use it – and who can pick it up. For more information or to claim the machine, contact Gloria Tilford at (316) 993-1309 or [email protected].

Clergy news The Rev. Ben Varnum invites all interested members of the diocese to the Celebration of New Ministry on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m., installing him as tenth rector of St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church, 285 S. 208th Street in Elkhorn, Neb. He most recently served as assistant rector at St, Thomas’, Overland Park. The Rev. Alan Tilson will be part of the cast of the play “Out of Order” at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park. The play, which stars Gary Sandy from the television show “WKRP in Cincinnati,” runs Dec. 2 through Feb. 14, 2016. More information is online at http://www.newtheatre.com/cs/cs_next.html

Anniversaries of ordinations Congratulations go to these people as they celebrate the anniversaries of their ordination in the next two weeks: Sept. 21: The Rev. Canon David Kent, retired (52 years); the Rev. David With, licensed (52 years) Sept. 26: Deacon Don Chubb, Grace Cathedral, Topeka (39 years) Sept. 27: Deacon Patty Minx, non-parochial (12 years) Sept. 28: The Rev. Don Moses, retired (47 years) Sept. 29: The Rev. Marc Lee, non-parochial (35 years) Oct. 1: The Rev. Ty Petty, non-parochial (43 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 (https://www.facebook.com/EpiscopalDioceseofKansas) – and Twitter – @EpiscoKs.

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