Evangelism Outreach Youth Ministry Diocese plants Proposed cuts threaten Equipping young people Deacons, priests celebrate new church Appalachian ministry for ministry ordinations Page 3 Pages 6-7 Page 24 Page 28 June 2006 Volume XXXV, No. 6 INTERCHANGE www.episcopal-dso.org news from the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio TEACHING THE 75th General Convention Southern faith Ohio extends welcome BY RICHELLE THOMPSON INTERCHANGE EDITOR After three years of preparing for General Convention, the Diocese of Southern Ohio will in a few short days welcome an estimated 9,000 bishops, deputies, ECW triennial delegates, exhibitors, reporters and visitors to Columbus. The 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church promis- es to be an historic gathering with hallmark decisions about the For future of the church and its place in the Anglican Communion more news as well as the election of a new presiding bishop. about General “We're honored to serve as host for this important gath- Convention, see ering of our Church, and we look forward to extending our pages 12-17. hospitality to thousands of our brothers and sisters in Christ,” said the Rt. Rev. Kenneth Price Jr., Southern Ohio's bishop. “We view hosting General Convention as an opportunity to serve the larger Church and to be a witness for how a diverse group of peo- ple can come together to do God's work in the world.” The Diocese of Southern Ohio began its hosting duties in 2003, with Bishop Price's secretary, Jane Dupke Curry, attending the Minneapolis gathering to shadow the volunteer recruiter. A special issue of Interchange and a letter from Emerson Kearney, a child at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Cincinnati, Bishop Price was given to all deputies and bishops in Minneapolis and extend- acts out a Bible story as part of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. ed a warm welcome to Columbus. The cathedral serves as a regional training center for teachers of the Montessori- Southern Ohio's local host committee, chaired by Debby Stokes, has met approach program that fosters children's natural sense of wonder and love for regularly in the past three years. The 25 members have overseen different God. The cathedral offers its own Catechesis program to the children of its con- gregation on Sundays and a weekday program for children in the community. PLEASE SEE CONVENTION, PAGE 12 After 2003 General Convention Churches rebound, celebrate rebirth BY RICHELLE THOMPSON Church, Southern Ohio had people on “The problems we had made us a INTERCHANGE EDITOR both sides of the issue, some who lauded stronger church,” said Judy Brainard, who the election of Gene Robinson, an openly stepped up to serve as junior warden at St. Ginny Buckley ordered a special T-shirt gay man, as bishop of New Hampshire, Christopher's after about a third of her to wear when she volunteers this month at while others derided the decision. But for congregation left. “It made a lot of us General Convention in Columbus. The two of Southern Ohio's 83 congregations, think about what it meant to stay in the message on the front: “St. Christopher's, the 2003 General Convention prompted a church, about what it meant to be an Fairborn. Everything's coming up roses.” significant rupture, and at times, the faith- Episcopalian. We had to really figure out It's a bright, bold message and full of ful remnants wondered about the future of what we thought about the issues - for hope for the future from a congregation their struggling churches. ourselves and not what everyone was try- that three years ago was uncertain it could Today, both of the congregations - St. ing to tell us. It's caused many of us to keep the doors open in the aftermath of Christopher's, Fairborn, and St. Paul's, have a deeper, stronger faith.” the 2003 General Convention. Chillicothe - are moving forward, launching Like dioceses across the Episcopal new ministries and attracting new members. PLEASE SEE CHURCHES, PAGE 11 REFLECTIONS General Conventions reflect vibrant change in the Church I love the Episcopal Church. I am proud to be part THE RT. REV. as the senior active bishop -- if Robinson was confirmed as bishop of New of the Anglican Communion. I really believe the KENNETH L. this Convention confirms the Hampshire. His qualifications, and New Holy Spirit works at General Conventions. Behind election of his successor, Mark Hampshire's desire for him as bishop, were over- each of these statements, there is something in com- PRICE JR. Andrus, currently the bishop shadowed by his same-gender relationship, and the mon: we are the most diverse group that could ever suffragan of Diocese of subsequent fury unleashed through the Anglican be assembled. And that, I believe, is our strength. Alabama. Bill was beloved in Communion is well-known by us all. Some rejoiced The world is very different today than when I went his home state, which rejoiced over his consecration, and others have been so off to General Theological Seminary in 1965. I arrived in his election. No one threat- unhappy that they have left the church. with a manual typewriter, “hi-fi” record player, and my ened to leave then. However in Now, in 2006, the Convention will meet in trusty 1928 Prayer Book. My dorm had one payphone the ensuing 28 years, I imagine Columbus. No matter what decisions we make, in the hall, and library research was enhanced by mem- a few folks have had their dif- some will be happy and some will not. Some may orizing the Dewey decimal system. Worship services ferences with their bishop of even leave the church. If they do, I will miss them for were all from paperback and supplementary books. In California. they are friends like my college friend who left when 1968, I graduated from GTS, my wife Mariann gradu- The next three conventions we decided to ordain women. But even if this hap- ated from The Ohio State University, I was ordained, were in New Orleans, pens, I am convinced the Episcopal Church will and we were married - all within a month. The Anaheim and Detroit. In remain intact. My prayer is that people will not let Eucharist at our wedding was from the Trial Prayer 1982, we approved the cur- the issues of this day so rule their lives that they go Book. There were many jokes that perhaps it meant rent edition of our hymnal. In 1985 we elected away sorrowing and thus lose the fellowship (how- our marriage was a trial, but after 38 years, those jokes Edmond Browning as Presiding Bishop, and he ush- ever imperfect it is) we share within this part of the have stopped. In my first years of ministry, I used pur- ered in an era of increased social ministry awareness Body of Christ we call the Episcopal Church. It will ple books, green books, striped books. Some of my for our church. And in 1988, we consented to be their loss and ours. parishioners were happy with these liturgical changes, Herbert Thompson as bishop coadjutor of Southern It will have been 30 years since I attended my first others resisted them. Some even left the church over Ohio. A year later, the church elected its first woman General Convention. The Church in which I minister the loss of the 1928 Prayer Book. bishop, Barbara Harris, suffragan in Massachusetts. today is very different from the one in which I grew In 1969, when John Hines was Presiding Bishop, Some of my parishioners delighted in Bishop up. Cell phones and laptops are commonplace today. the General Convention met in special session in Browning's priorities and Barbara's election, and We have a different Prayer Book, different gender South Bend, Ind., and enacted a social ministry pro- others were upset. Some even left the church deputies, priests and bishops, and a very different gram that took the church to the frontlines of wit- (although none in Southern Ohio for they were relationship with our fellow 76.5 million Anglicans nessing for peace, justice and reconciliation. Some delighted with their new bishop coadjutor.) around the world. thought this was exactly the right course, while oth- In 1991, the Convention met in Phoenix. That But throughout all of these changes, some things ers believed the church had gone too far. Some even Convention was marked by severe tension within the have remained unchanged. We have the same Bible, left the Episcopal Church over this GC Special House of Bishops. They often met in executive ses- which is continually being revealed by God to us, the Program. sion, behind closed doors, and even in the House of same creeds, the same sacraments, and the same In 1970 in Houston, women deputies became an Deputies, we felt the tension. Following that orders of ministry. We continue to have generational innovation at General Convention. My home diocese Convention, the bishops began having an additional gaps and are constantly challenged to witness to a elected a fine woman who was a dyed-in-the wool meeting each spring to increase collegiality. Some of world filled with injustice, poverty and economic 1928 prayer book supporter. Sitting in General my parishioners were unhappy over what they con- issues. The numbers in the pews are not as great as Convention was hard for her because of that issue sidered less-than-model behavior, but I do not they were when I was a child, but in many ways the and other issues facing the church of that day. believe any threatened to leave over it.