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THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF ALABAMA July/August/September 2018 • Vol. 103, No. 3 “Throw yourself into the hands of Jesus!” Joining the Way of Love and the 79th General Convention See article on page 6 dioala.org THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH In the Diocese of Alabama A community of about 32,000 baptized members in 87 parishes and worshiping communities and 8 college campus ministries. Established in 1830. The Alabama Episcopalian Bishop The Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan THE MAGAZINE OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF ALABAMA Carpenter House 521 North 20th Street Birmingham, AL 35203 IN THIS ISSUE 205/715-2060 04 Walking on Eggshells In the United States A community of about 1.9 million members in 109 dioceses in 16 nations. 06 The 79th General Convention: Established in 1789. The Way of Love Presiding Bishop The Most Rev. Michael Curry 14 70 Years of Summer Camp on Clear Creek Episcopal Church Center 815 Second Avenue 16 40 Days of Moral Action New York, NY 10017 Blessing of the Solar Array at 212/867-8400 20 Camp McDowell The Anglican Communion A community of 80 million members in 44 regional and national member church in more than 160 countries. NEWS FROM OUR PARISHES Archbishop of Canterbury Epiphany Guntersville Conducts World The Most Rev. Justin Welby 6 21 Lambeth Palace, London Refugee Day Drive England SE17JU Little Pantry at Trinity Clanton The Alabama Episcopalian The 79th General 22 Kelley Hudlow, Editor New Hours for Advent Bookstore Miles G. Parsons, Art Director 22 Denise Servant, Circulation Secretary Convention: The Way 23 St. Mark’s Players Present Nun Sense 2 Volume 103, Number 3 July/August/September 2018 of Love 23 Mass in the Grass at Trinity Wetumpka USPS 070-910 ISSN 1041-3316 NEWS FROM OUR SHARED MINISTRIES The Alabama Episcopalian is published four times a year (March 1, May 1, Au- Cursillo and The 4th Day gust 1, and November 1). For the most current news about recent and upcoming 24 events, please visit our diocesan Web site, www.dioala.org. 25 Companion Relationship Please send stories and photographs (full color, at highest resolution possible) to Editor Kelley Hudlow at [email protected] or 521 North 20th Street, Birming- 26 ECW Awards Annual Scholarships ham, AL 35203-2682; the submission deadline for each issue is February 1, April 1, July 1, October 1. Postmaster, parishes, and individuals, please send all address 26 Networking Meeting Reveals Fresh changes or additions to Circulation Secretary Denise Servant at dservant@dioala. Messaging org or Carpenter House, 521 North 20th Street, Birmingham, AL 35203–2682. Keep up with the latest news from around our diocese between issues of The 27 Mission Connects Us: God, World, Church Alabama Episcopalian on our diocesan Web site, www.dioala.org. If you are not already receiving our “DioAla News Update,” you can sign up to receive 28 Young People Paint Birmingham a weekly e-mail containing headlines with links to the latest news, photos, and videos about and from aroundour diocese. Simply send an e-mail with your name 29 Gumbo Gala Brings Record Revenue and e-mail address to [email protected] and put “Headlines” on the subject 14 line. You can “opt out” anytime. 29 CLERGY NEWS All address corrections or additions should be sent to Denise Servant at [email protected] or Carpenter House, 521 North 20th Street, Birmingham, AL 35203–2682. 70 Years of Summer 30 UPCOMING EVENTS dioala.org POSTMASTER: Please send address corrections to Denise Servant, Circulation Secretary, The Alabama Episcopalian, 521 North 20th Street, Camp on Clear Creek 31 SHARE YOUR STORIES & EVENTS! Birmingham, AL 35203–2682. Cover photo by Kelley Hudlow 2 | The Alabama Episcopalian dioala.org | 3 Walking on Eggshells The Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan ore and more often now I am asked to speak out about the politics of the day. I have so far Mdeclined to do so, and I think that’s the right choice, even though some of you haven’t liked it. Honestly, I haven’t always liked it myself. I don’t talk about politics because of promises I have made. I’ve been ordained three times: as a deacon in 1981, as a priest in 1982, and as a bishop in 2008. In each ordi- nation, the bishop described the order I was being ordained into and then asked me if I believe I am truly called to that order. A deacon is “to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.” (BCP 543) A priest is “to love and serve the people among whom you work, caring alike for young and old, strong and weak, rich You and I can’t stop it in Washington except by how Bishop Sloan visits Church of the Nativity, Huntsville, on May 13, 2018. Photo courtesy of Donald Christian. and poor.” (BCP 531) A bishop is “to be in all things a we vote, but we can stop it today in our homes, and in our faithful pastor and wholesome example for the entire flock parishes. We can stop playing roles other people have written but as is very often the case, he wanted to talk about the tian. We are experiencing a fundamental distortion of of Christ.” (BCP 517) I promised that I would be faithful for us in this insane “Us versus Them” tribalism. We can Gospel. He said something that I think we all need to Christian teaching, of what it means to follow Jesus. If it to God as a deacon, priest and bishop, and I do believe that stop setting partisan snares for each other, and looking for hear: “There is a fundamental distortion of Christianity, of doesn’t look like Jesus of Nazareth, you cannot claim that I am supposed to serve all people, the entire flock, as well things to be offended by. We can do what we say we’re go- the Christian faith. The Christian faith is grounded on and it is Christian.” as those outside the flock. I don’t get to choose the people ing to do when we renew our baptismal vows at baptisms and based on the teachings and the life of Jesus of Nazareth.” Well, I’m sure most of us can find something to I am to serve, or to love, or to pastor faithfully – I am not confirmations, and with God’s help “seek and serve Christ in He talked about people quoting from the Bible but not agree with in there somewhere, and probably something called to choose Episcopal Republicans over Episcopal all persons” and “respect the dignity of every human being” from the Gospels: “It is interesting to me that you do not to disagree with too, if we really want to. But maybe we Democrats or the other way around, but to love and serve (BCP 305) – even those persons and human beings who have hear Jesus who is the Lord for Christians – you don’t hear can all agree that there’s a lot about politics in 2018 that Christ in all of you – even those I disagree with. different political assumptions and convictions. the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Love your enemies, blessed does not look like love, that does not look like Jesus of Like many of you and most everybody else, I have The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop are the poor and the poor in spirit.’ You don’t hear Jesus’ Nazareth. And maybe we can agree that we can all be strong and heartfelt political opinions – I have for years. of the Episcopal Church, was all the rage a few weeks ago teaching: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto more Christian to each other. Maybe we can all agree But recently politics have become alarmingly divisive, so after preaching at a royal wedding in London. I thought he you.’ You don’t hear Matthew chapter 25: ‘As you did it that we need to do better, and that we can. And with much so that some of us feel like we’re walking on egg- did quite well, though I have heard him several times and to the least of these who are members of my family you God’s help, maybe we will. shells, because so many of us have allowed ourselves to be enjoyed it more when he was less … subdued. Now he has have done it unto me.’ You don’t hear Matthew 22: ‘Love I hope and pray that we will. pushed to one extreme or the other, and are easily offended, become a sought-after guest on various television programs. the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. On angered, and ready to abandon our families and friends I think it’s great, and that he represents us in this part of this hangs all the Law and the prophets.’” because we disagree. God’s Church very well. And then, getting a little worked up, Bishop Curry Sisters and brothers, this has to stop. We need to do I saw him this morning on a program on which the host continued, “If it doesn’t look like love, if it doesn’t look better than this. was trying to get him to talk about a politician or an issue, like Jesus of Nazareth, it cannot be claimed to be Chris- 4 | The Alabama Episcopalian dioala.org | 5 he 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church gathered in Austin, TX, from July 3-13. Following the success of Presiding Bishop Michael TCurry’s “Power of Love” sermon at the royal wedding in May, Episcopa- lians arriving in Austin were often greeted with “you’re with the church of the royal wedding preacher guy.” At the Opening Eucharist held the on July 5, Bishop Curry’s sermon focused on how we can live a Jesus-centered life.

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