The Alabama Episcopalian T H E Ep I S C O P a L Di O C E S E O F Al a B a M a • Ja N U a Ry / Fe B R U a R Y 2013 • Vo L
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The Alabama EPISCOPALIAN T h e ep i s c o p a l Di o c e s e o f al a b a m a • Ja n u a ry / fe b r u a r y 2013 • Vo l . 98, no. 1 The Francis Millward Williams Window at St. John’s in Montgomery, Host Parish of Our 182nd Annual Diocesan Convention 2 • The Alabama Episcopalian Around Our Diocese The Alabama Episcopalian January/February 2013 Continuing To Help Victims On the Cover Recover from Hurricane/ Superstorm Sandy By Diocesan Staff and Christine Turner, a Member of Trinity in Wetumpka Staten Island on Sunday and went directly to the Staten Island VFW, where we off-loaded the cleaning supplies The Francis Millward Williams Window at St. John’s in and some blankets. This area was very close to the shore Montgomery was given in memory of a child who died and served as a relief center for locals to get needed at a very young age; photo by Andrew Garner supplies and hot food. “We also took some blankets and jackets into the city in T h i s is s u e to Coney Island to a shelter that still did not have power. St. John’s in Montgomery is hosting our 182nd After we unloaded the supplies, we used our rental van Annual Diocesan Convention on February 22 and to help those at the relief center who were having a hard 23. The theme for this year and the next two annual time taking their supplies back to their temporary or conventions is “Invite, Inspire, Transform,” taken from permanent homes. One man pushed his fiancée to the the Standing Commission on Lifelong Formation. center in a shopping cart because her back was hurting. “Each year we will take a good look at these three “The resilience and strength of those we met on actions to which our faith calls us,” notes Bishop Sloan. Staten Island was amazing. Everyone was so grateful for “At our convention we come together to celebrate the supplies that were donated. They all seemed to still be the life and work of our diocese, to strengthen and in shock at what had happened to their area. This is the give thanks for work already done, and to hear the first such storm any of them had to deal with, but they challenges and possibilities before us.” For more about Jordan Whetstone of Grace Church in Anniston with Ken and Dyana are working this year’s convention, including the 2013 Proposed Washkevich and Katina Lee of Building on the Rock Church in very hard to Program and Budget and nominees for office, please see Manchester Township, Beckerville, New Jersey, with the shower trailer get things back pages 16-17. from our diocese set up and ready for use near Toms River, New Jersey; to normal, For the first time, our Youth Department is hosting photo by the Rev. Deacon David Whetstone and they a Diocesan Convention Youth Lock-in for are making Our diocese is continuing to reach out to help 9th-12th graders at the Ascension in Montgomery. progress. I was victims of Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy, which caused In addition to members of the Youth Department a bit surprised significant damage and loss of life as it swept through the representing the youth of our diocese, the lock-in at how Caribbean, headed north along the East Coast, and made participants will also spend some time at convention gracious they landfall in New Jersey on October 29. The Rev. Deacon to show how actively involved the youth are in our were. Even in David Whetstone, our diocesan disaster coordinator, diocese. For more about the lock-in and other upcoming their time of and his daughter, Jordan, delivered Alabama’s Disaster youth events, please see pages 6-7 or contact Youth trial, they went Response shower trailer to Manchester Township in Director Holly Bauer at [email protected] or our out of their New Jersey the week before Thanksgiving. The portable diocesan Youth Ministries Coordinator Susan Oakes at way to make us shower facility was set up at the Building on the [email protected]. feel welcome. Rock Church, which is being used to house survivors Our diocese is participating in ongoing efforts “I want to of Hurricane Sandy while their homes are being to help people recover from the devastation of thank every- refurbished. Building on the Rock is partnered with the Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy (please see the story and one who made Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey and other community photos on this page). We are also continuing to work donations agencies to provide post-storm relief and recovery alongside our sisters and brothers in Haiti in a wide and prayed Christine Turner with Michelle, one of the other assistance in the hard-hit Toms River area. variety of initiatives as part of our diocesan companion for us on our disaster response volunteers Christine Turner and Jonathan Simmons, parishioners relationship (please see pages 10-11). journey. A from Trinity in Wetumpka, worked with other Alabama The Camp McDowell staff is planning many special thanks organizations to collect and deliver supplies to Staten fun-filled events for the coming months, including to Trinity parishioners Gloria Johnston, Susan Powers, and Island. “We collected a pickup truck full of cleaning Folk School workshops, Father/Son Weekend, Kate and Kathy Saylor for helping man the donation site supplies and blankets from Trinity Church and also Mother/Daughter Weekend, and of course and helping me load my truck.” donations collected by Jonathan Simmons at his business Summer Camp and Special Session (please see Individuals and parishes who want to contribute to in Montgomery,” Christine reports. “We had dozens pages 8-9 for details). the ongoing recovery efforts are invited to make donations of blankets plus a wealth of cleaning supplies and some directly to Episcopal Relief and Development’s Hurricane coats. I drove to Birmingham to connect with the The Alabama Episcopalian Sandy Response Fund or our diocesan Disaster Relief volunteers from Tuscaloosa, and we loaded the trucks The Alabama Episcopalian is published six times a year Fund. Checks for Episcopal Relief and Development with approximately $200,000 worth of cleaning supplies, (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, should be made payable to the organization and mailed September/October, and November/December). For the most blankets, and canned food, as well as some medical to Episcopal Relief and Development, P.O. Box 7058, current news about recent and upcoming events, please visit supplies, cooking equipment, and a generator that were Merrifield, VA 22116-7058; checks for our diocesan our diocesan Web site, www.dioala.org. collected by volunteers from all over Alabama as well as Please send stories and photographs (color, if available) fund should be made payable to the Diocese of Alabama Atlanta and some cities in Tennessee. for The Alabama Episcopalian to Editor Norma McKittrick at with Hurricane Relief in the memo line, and mailed to “On Saturday, November 10, our group of four [email protected] or 2156 Kent Way, Birmingham, AL 35226. Carpenter House, 521 20th Street North, Birmingham, volunteers drove the trucks from Birmingham to The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month AL 35203. prior to publication. Pennsylvania, where we stayed overnight. We drove into Th e Al A b A m A ep i s c o p A l i A n • JA n u A r y /Fe b r u A r y 2013 From Bishop Sloan The Alabama Episcopalian • 3 Even at the Grave The true light, which enlightens everyone, was com- The Word of God became flesh to ing into the world. show us how to live and that we Verses one through five are poetic—cosmic, theological, need not fear death, not for our- and transcendent—and ends with the honest recognition that life has darkness and that the central hope of all life is that selves, and not for those we love. At the Light of God shines in the darkness. Then in verse six it is suddenly pedestrian, everyday, ordinary: “There was a man Christmas we celebrate the birth of sent from God, whose name was John.” In a moment it goes Jesus, the Incarnation of God, the from magical to mundane, and I finally realized reading it at the Christmas Eve service that was exactly the writer’s intent, bridging and binding of the world of and really the whole meaning of Christmas, that the holy be- came human, that the extraordinary became common, that sin and darkness to the Heaven of the Word became flesh. Hello, friends: grace and the Light that still shines. The Word of God became flesh to show us how to live Many of you know that my sweet mother, Mary Bayer and that we need not fear death, not for ourselves, and not Sloan, died the week before Christmas. Thanks for all of your life and the hope of the resurrection. Surely if I really believe for those we love. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of calls and cards and e-mails—I really appreciate all of your that, surely if I really trust God as I say I do, this has to be a Jesus, the Incarnation of God, the bridging and binding of love and support. glorious time for Mom and for all those we love and see no Several have said that losing a loved one just before longer. In Epiphany we remember the Christmas makes the holidays less sweet, less joyful, or more Early in my time at St.