[ENS] Reflections on poverty and climate change by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori appeared in the op-ed pages of May 20 editions of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The reflections begin: "Before I became a priest, I was a professor of oceanography. One of the things I learned was that oceanographers couldn't just study squid or fish in isolation. We had to study interconnected systems. We had to understand not only the animals' environment, such as the water, but its chemistry and circulation, the atmosphere above the ocean and the geology below it. And that, I believe, is how we must understand our world: We must see everything, and everyone, as interconnected and intended by God to live in relationship. . . ." The complete article is available at www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_86151_ENG_HTM.htm and is also enclosed with the snail-mail version of this newsletter.

Episcopal Café serves up nourishing spiritual food online
Blogsite amplifies Church's cyber voice

[ENS] What do Fenway Park, a blue and gold oil rendering of Our Lady of Good Counsel's sacred spaces, international reaction to the Lambeth guest list, and reflections on William Countryman's "Living on the Border of the Holy" have in common?

They're all on the "menu" at Episcopal Café, a nexus that links the "Church of Baseball," Heidi Shott's reflections about the faithful in baseball and congregational venues, with Erin McGee Ferrell's sacred art, spiritual commentary, and breaking news. It presents, hopefully, a broader view of the Episcopal Church and conversation about all of the above, says Canon Jim Naughton, the café's founder.

A ministry of the Diocese of Washington in partnership with the Episcopal Church in the Visual Arts (ECVA), the café, www.episcopalcafe.com/, is the church's latest effort at offering the faithful and seekers alike a cyber presence.

Naughton, canon for communications and advancement in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, said the café is a four-blogs-in-one site, inspired by the diocesan blog Daily Episcopalian and a desire to tell the church's entire story. Read the complete article at www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_86535_ENG_HTM.htm.

Diocesan News

Diocesan Leadership Conference teaches and inspires

On May 19, at Christ Church, Greenville, Bishop Henderson set forth his priorities for the diocese's next steps in mission. "It is time to get down to the nuts and bolts of mission," he said.  Diocesan priorities, the bishop noted,  include "the Healthy Church Initiative, planting new congregations, a plan for lifetime Christian formation, and a commitment to the Millennium Development Goals. Bishop Henderson's complete address is posted on the diocesan Web site, www.edusc.org.

Following the bishop's address, the Rev. Canon Mark Clevenger led diocesan Leadership Conference participants in a visioning exercise designed to foster the development of a new diocesan long-range plan and to train participants to conduct the same process in their home congregations. The conference grew out of the recent restructuring of the Upper SC community for mission effectiveness, including the diocesan Healthy Church Initiative and a new Statement of Mission (SOM) process that would build the SOM (or diocesan budget) "from the pew up."

As the day got under way, diocesan Healthy Church consultant Tony Watkins announced that more than $18 million dollars in pledges had been raised in two years for the support of local growth initiatives. The money will fund the new Healthy Church Foundation of Upper South Carolina.

Three ordained to the transitional diaconate, May 26

On May 26, at Trinity Cathdral, Bishop Henderson ordained three to the transitional diaconate: Mark Anthony Abdelnour, Joseph Kershaw Smith, and Joseph Stewart Whitehurst. The three are recent graduates of General Seminary, The School of Theology at Sewanee, and Seabury Western.

It has been announced that the Rev. Joseph Smith will serve at St. Matthew's, Spartanburg.

Congratulations to Camp Gravatt!

Camp Gravatt received the 2007 Palmetto Parent Family Choice Award for best residential summer camp. Palmetto Parent magazine asked its readers to vote on the most family-friendly businesses, events, and destinations in and around the Midlands. Camp Gravatt was the winner in the residential summer camp category. Way to go, Gravatt!!!

Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) responds to needs of Gulf Coast hurricane victims, calls for more volunteers

A first-hand account from our diocesan ERD representative, Scooty Burch (Holy Trinity, Clemson)

I returned late Sunday evening from a very moving visit to the Gulf Coast.  Four ERD diocesan coordinators met in New Orleans before the ERD Network Meeting and stayed at the St. Paul’s Homecoming Center, also known as The Beacon of Hope.  We slept on cots upstairs and had portable showers out back.

All ERD diocesan coordinators traveled on buses to sites in Mississippi and New Orleans. My impression is that Mississippi is beginning to come back.  Camp Coast Care, which initially served as a main distribution center for emergency relief (food, water, clothing, and medical supplies) needs volunteer skilled workers to rebuild homes.  The Diocesan Mobile Medical unit is no longer needed, because the local health clinic is up and running.  Some of the homes along the coast are beginning to be rebuilt.  Some of the churches along the coast are still in plastic Quonset huts.  The Diocese of Mississippi, in partnership with ERD, is still helping those in need.  Assistance programs are in place, such as soft 2nd loans that help residents reopen their businesses and rebuild their homes sooner.

New Orleans recovery has been a little slower.  Because of local and state complications, the Diocese of Louisiana has had a much more difficult time addressing the needs of the poor and lower income residents.  I worked with the Diocese of Louisiana’s Mobile Respite Unit which serves the Lower 9th Ward and St. Barnard’s Parish.  In four days over 650 people were given canned meat or soup, granola bars, snack crackers, small zip-loc bags of laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, and bottled water.  Each person was given a sheet of paper listing phone numbers of government, community and church resources.  Children received the same items as adults along with a tootsie roll and a beanie baby.  In addition to giving food and water, the respite unit helpers welcomed those in need. The volunteers would shake people’s hands and ask them how they were that day and listen to their stories.  A few of the people were living in abandoned houses.  Most of the people expressed appreciation, sometimes hugged us, and one said how grateful she was for the continued presence of the Episcopal Church. 

St. Anna’s Free Mobile Health Clinic, which provides nurses, doctors, and medical supplies; and St. Anna’s Loaves and Fishes mobile unit, which provides sandwiches, lemonade or ice tea, fresh vegetables and fruit, served with us for two days.  The Loaves and Fishes mobile unit is refrigerated (I think).  This unit also gave small toys to children.  Funds for relief programs such as these mobile units are going to be needed for a few more years. 

We can be very proud of how the Episcopal Dioceses of Mississippi and Louisiana in partnership with Episcopal Relief and Development have responded to and continue to respond to the needs of the hurricane victims along the Gulf Coast.  Please ask your congregations to pray for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and consider making a contribution to Episcopal Relief and Development for Katrina Relief.  Gifts may be made online at www.er-d.org, or by calling 1.800.334.7626, ext. 5129.  Contributions can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief and Development “Katrina Relief” P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058.

Volunteers are still needed!  Have your congregations check these Web sites:  Diocese of Louisiana www.edola.org and click on Volunteer Resources;  Diocese of Mississippi www.dioms.org and click on Camp Coast Care-Katrina Relief.

Church News

Upper SC's Hispanic community is flourishing in the Upstate and Midlands
Recent celebrations in Greenville & Columbia churches

St. Francis, Greenville, in transition, with renewed dedication to Hispanic ministry

By Elizabeth Gandolfo

At the heart of the Christian faith lies the paschal mystery, in which God calls and carries us forth from pain to joy, from despair to hope, and from death to new life. While we all experience this mystery in varied ways in our everyday lives, the people of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Greenville are in the midst of a special "Passover" from death to new life this spring. Despite concerted efforts at growth and a tireless commitment to living the Good News, the longstanding, English-speaking congregation at St. Francis has been gradually diminishing in numbers and financial solvency. As a result, the English-speaking congregation has made the decision to dissolve in June and move on to other area churches. Needless to say, this is a time of great pain, grief, and mourning at St. Francis.

Meanwhile, the congregation at St. Francis opened their doors to the Hispanic community over three years ago and has since experienced incredible growth in its ministry to our Spanish-speaking sisters and brothers in the Upstate.

Just a little more than three years ago the Spanish-speaking congregation began with three members over three Today an average of about 200 come together for worship at the Spanish-language Eucharist, at which Fr. Robert Taylor, the diocesan missioner to the Hispanic community, presides. On the occasion of Bishop Henderson’s visit to St. Francis on Sunday, May 13, the church overflowed, with more than 350 people in attendance.

Bishop Henderson presided at a special Spanish-language Eucharist that Sunday, during which 45 children received their First Communion. In addition to the children’s First Communion, 16 teens and 4 adults were confirmed and 7 adults were received into the Episcopal Church.

St. Mary's (Santa María), Columbia, celebrates new traditions at Pentecost

By Marlise Guillerault

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Columbia  took the traditional idea of reading Scripture for for Pentecost Sunday in several tongues to a new level this year. 

The whole Eucharist service was celebrated in both English and Spanish.. The congregation of La iglesia episcopal de Santa María normally gathers at 12:30 while those who attended at the 10:30 service are finishing their coffee time. On Pentecost Sunday the Spanish-speaking congregation was invited to join the English-speakers at the 10:30 Family Eucharist so that everyone could be together for the Annual Parish Pentecost Picnic held immediately after the service.

The service bulletin was bilingual, and as the service progressed, the prayers and readings alternated between the two languages with a translation available for those whose ears were not opened to the current spoken Word. The hymns chosen for the service, verses sung first in one tongue and then in the other, came from the “Wonder, Love and Praise” addendum to the Hymnal, which has a healthy selection of bilingual music.

In 2004, St. Mary’s parishioners opened their doors and their hearts to those members of the Hispanic community who missed having a liturgical church home.  The response has been encouraging with multitudes of baptisms and confirmations.  This summer will be the third anniversary for this congregation, developed under the guidance and hard work of Alfredo “Fred” Gonzalez and his wife Luisa, both long-time members of St. Mary’s. Fred Gonzalez is currently studying for the priesthood..  The Rev. Ann Pilat, deacon and Hispanic missioner to the Midlands, works from the Hispanic office at St. Mary’s. The Rector, the Rev. J. Blaney Pridgen III, has enthusiastically encouraged the growth of this ministry.

As the Hispanic congregation is assimilated into the life of St. Mary’s parish family, everyone is able to be part of Christ’s Great Commission and to take the Gospel to the whole world—even right here at home.

St. Paul's, Fort Mill receives award from York Place
Urges congregations to join them in adopting a cottage

By Lizann Lutz

From rolling up sleeves, to sprucing up and repairing, to reaching out to children in need, St. Paul's, Fort Mill, has earned a top service honor from York Place, the Episcopal Church Home for Children, York, SC. During the recent Founders' Day festivities, the York Place Board of Trustees gave the Henry Richardson Leadership and Service Award to the church for its friendship and hard work. Last year St. Paul's pledged its outreach efforts to York Place, a residential treatment center for children with emotional problems.  The church's outreach committee decided to "adopt" Hart Cottage, a group home for six to eight girls, in various ways.

First, the church began raising money for the Hart Cottage Fund, which helped with the repair costs and with the needs of the girls. One group provided upkeep repairs to the home itself—repairs to the kitchen, putting in landscaping, fixing a shed, and having a fence repaired. "We had people with all sorts of home repair experience. We worked together and tackled some of the wear and tear repairs that active homes have," says Lynn Smalt, one of the repair crew.  "Others were good at planting flowers and trimming bushes, making the outside look pretty.  It has been a wonderful experience because so many people are helping by using their talents." Another group, the ECW, provided holiday fare during Valentine's Day and Christmas and got clothes for the girls for back to school and Easter. And the girls are able to have haircuts and manicures, periodically.

St. Paul's fund drive for Hart Cottage allowed the young ladies to be hostesses at a Christmas party for everyone at York Place. The funds also provide allowances to help them manage money.

The Richardson Award remembers long-time Board of Trustees member Henry B. Richardson who was known for his dedication to York Place and its focus of providing high standards of excellence for children and their needs.

"Working with York Place is a really good fit," says Chris Krafft, a member of the vestry at the time York Place was chosen as the outreach project.  "There are a variety of talents.  Almost all of us at St. Paul's can be involved with Hart Cottage in so many ways.  State funding for the girls is tight and the cottages, like our homes, can always use sprucing up. Hart Cottage has become part of our family, and we plan to continue."

Most of all, St. Paul's members know the outstanding reputation of York Place for healing and restoring young lives. The parish has invited York Place President John Shiflet and other staff members to speak at St. Paul's, sharing the stories of helping young people be restored. "The hard work and initiative of St. Paul's members have made this ministry a success," says Franklin.  "We have had such a wonderful experience that we encourage other churches to adopt one of the five other cottages at York Place.  Because this relationship is so meaningful to so many of our members, we definitely want to continue for a long time.  We hope other churches will adopt a cottage."

Contact St. Paul's at 803.547.5968; York Place by calling 803.684.4011.