southern cross, march 2007

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http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/southern-cross-march-2007 2/242 The Southern Cross March/April 2007

On the Cover: Bishop surround Dabney Smith,

laying hands on him to consecrate him as bishop coadjutorof the diocese. The service was March 10 in St. Petersburg.Photo by Jim DeLa

S

The Episcopal Church is part of the ANGLICAN COMMUNION, a

global community of 70 million Anglicans in 38 member churches/

provinces in more than 160 countries.

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Rowan WilliamsLambeth Palace

London WE1 7JU

UNITED KINGDOM

In the United States, the Episcopal Church is a community of 2.3 mil-

lion members in more than 100 dioceses in the Americas and abroad.

Presiding Bishop

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori815 Second Avenue

New York, NY 10017

(212) 867-8400

The Diocese of Southwest Florida is a community of 33,000 Chris-

tians in 11 counties serving 78 congregations, 13 schools and the

DaySpring Conference Center. Established 1969.Bishop

The Rt. Rev. John B. Lipscomb

Bishop Coadjutor

The Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith

The Southern Cross A member of Episcopal News Service and Episcopal Commu-

nicators, The Southern Cross is published six times a year: January,

March, May, July, September and November. Copies are shipped freeto all congregations for distribution.

Articles, letters, calendar information and photos are wel-

come. They will be used on a space-available basis and are subject to

editing. Send all material (preferably in electronic form by e-mail) to:

Jim DeLa, editor

The Southern Cross

7313 Merchant Court

Sarasota, FL 34240

Phone: (941) 556-0315 Ext. 268

Fax: (941) 556-0321

E-mail: [email protected]

C

outhernross

The

Lent 1999A Publication of the Diocese of Southwest Florida

HIGHLIGHTS IN THIS ISSUE

Mailing address:

7313 Merchant Court

Sarasota, FL 34240

Phone: (941) 556-0315

Fax: (941) 556-0321

Web site: www.dioceseswfa.org

Submission deadlines

for upcoming issues:

May/June: April 1

July/August: June 1

September/October: August 1

November/December October 1

23 Events Calendar

Coadjutor at last

Bishop Dabney Smith

consecrated in St.

Petersburg.

6

20 Hundreds of women believe: ‘Miracle’

revival stages successful encore

Celebration of

women priests:

Service marks 30-year

anniversary

18

3 From the Bishop

5Neighborhood gift: Palmetto church’s

playground lls big need

4 Refections/Letters to the editor


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/southern-cross-march-2007 3/24 3The Southern Cross March/April 2007

Bishop

theFrom

D

ear friends in Christ,

what a wonderful

whirlwind Mary El-len and I have been on.

The Diocese of South-

west Florida is long geo-

graphically and powerful

spiritually. We have experi-

enced lots of miles and hos-

pitable smiles. In our short time here we have seen (as

of this writing) in nine congregations, life-transforming

ministries and loving pastoral clergy. I suspect that these

congregations represent well the remainder of the dio-

cese. We are so pleased to be here and share in the opportunity to serve Our Lord together with you. God has

truly blessed us.

I want to express my huge gratitude and admiration

to so many saints in our diocese that have enabled such

a wonderful transition for us and a glorious consecration

service. I am grateful for the work and energy of the

diocesan staff, Karen Patterson and the Standing Com-

mittee, the Rev. Michael Basden, Judy Stark and the

Nominating Committee, Joan Kline and the diocesan

ECW, the clergy of the diocese, the diocesan Worship

Committee, the folks at DaySpring, the musicians, mul-

A transition made easy — thank you

Coadjutor theFrom

tiple choirs and altar guilds. In particular,

and in fear of leaving someone out, I want

to thank Chuck Miller, Fr. Fred Robinson,Archdeacon Gary Cartwright, Fr.

Rich Doscher, the Very Rev.

Russell Johnson, the Rev.

Canon Gigi Conner, the Rev.

Chris Gray, Jackie Robe,

Wayne Farrell, Jan Nothum,

Bishop and Marcie Lipscomb, and most especially,

Mary Ellen. There are so many people involved in mak-

ing this new time in the diocese special. I have abso-

lutely marveled at the activities, details, planning and

achievements. Thank you.I add one simple reminder. The reason for all of this

activity is because we serve the Risen Lord. This is not

about me. It is about Jesus Christ. When we forget Him,

we lose focus. When we remember Him, we gain real-

ity. Therefore, as a gentle and strong reminder to us and

to me, I thank you Jesus Christ.

May our diocese continue to serve Him with glad-

ness of heart. May God bless all of you.

Love in Our Lord,

Dabney T. Smith

My Dear Brothers and

Sisters in Christ

Jesus, words can

not express my gratitude to

the clergy and people of the

diocese who continue to prayfor my recovery. I am now

able to be in the ofce one

day a week and continue my

responsibilities as Bishop of Southwest Florida as I

am able. You strengthen me by the many expressions

of concern that I have received. Many of you have

sent visible symbols of your thoughts and prayers for

which I am most grateful.

My gratitude also goes to Bishop Coadjutor

Dabney Smith for his pastoral concern for me and

our diocese. In his rst few weeks, he has taken on

scheduled visitations, met with the clergy, and begun

his responsibility for the Commission on Ministry.

In addition, our bishop coadjutor will begin to take

responsibility for the areas of domestic mission and

renewal of our congregations. Earlier this month, we

shared a two-day retreat for prayer, Bible study,

and to begin working on how we will share the

oversight ministry for the diocese. I ask the

diocese to offer prayers of thanksgiving for

his consecration and the life of his family

among us.I would like to respond to the

Communiqué from the recently

held meeting of the heads of the

provinces of the Anglican Communion in Dar es Sa-

laam, Tanzania. A great deal of comment has been made

by many bishops and special interest groups within the

Episcopal Church. Most people in our Church will not

have changed their hearts or minds by what has been

said. Those who support a change in the traditional

teachings of the Church, and the rejection of Lambeth

1.10, as well as those who seek to maintain the tradi-

tional moral and ethical teachings of the Church, hold

their positions with equal fervor.The Communiqué provides the opportunity to re-

mind the people and clergy of the Diocese of Southwest

Thoughts on the primates’ Communique

(Continued on page 21)



Editor’s note: This is the third

installment of a series of columns

by deacons of the diocese addressing

the UN’s Millennium Development

Goals.

By Deacon Mellisa Sands

God’s gifts are plentiful. We

rejoice that we are blessed

with an abundance of all

that we need: food, shelter,

clothing, health care and education

— freedom from want. Yet an estimated

one billion people, approximately one

sixth of the world’s population, live in

extreme poverty.

Extreme poverty means that they

live on the equivalent of less than $1 a

day. It is not even accurate to say, “liveon,” because at that level of poverty,

a person merely exists. It is terrible to

realize that every three seconds a child

—The Rev. Melissa Sands is a deacon

currently assigned to Calvary Episcopal

Church in Indian Rocks Beach.

MDG goal 2: Universal primary education

of God dies of the

effects of poverty,

including starvation and

easily treatable diseases.

The UN Millennium Development

Goals present us with a road map to

approach the challenge of signicantly

reducing extreme poverty. Presiding

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has

reminded us that there is a “vision of

shalom embedded in the Millennium

Development Goals. …That vision of

abundant life is achievable in our own

day.”

The second of the eight goals is to

achieve universal primary education for

children. This goal looks to the future

by providing a basic education for all

children, of both genders. This goal en-

sures sustainability of current efforts

to reduce poverty and to keep it at bay.

Education is essential to im-

proving the wellbeing of the world’s

people. If a child learns to read, write

and do basic math, he or she can learn

a skill or trade to support the family.That child has the foundation for further

education to help build their country’s

economy or provide health care to their

people, rather than being reliant on the

good will of others. Combating igno-

rance will be the best weapon to meet

some of the biggest challenges of this

world, such as hatred between peoples

of different religions or teaching people

about AIDS prevention. A recent World

Bank study of education reminds us that

where there are higher literacy rates, the

country is more likely to have a strongdemocratic process.

Data from the World Bank show

more children around the world are

completing primary schooling, but those

RR R eflections

Letters to the editor and Reections essays

to The Southern Cross are appreciated and

encouraged.

We ask that letters be as concise as pos-

sible — with a 300-word suggested limit

— and stay on one topic. Authors should

include their full name, parish afliation or

city of residence. Anonymous letters will not

be published.

All submissions are subject to editing to

improve clarity and to t in the available

space for each issue.

Please send correspondence to:

Letters to the Editor

The Southern Cross

Diocese of Southwest Florida

7313 Merchant Court

Sarasota, FL 34240

Or send letters by fax to (941) 556-0321; or

by e-mail to [email protected].

Letters

Episcopal Church budgetdeserves full support

It was with great disappointment I

read the Diocese of Southwest Floridavoted to reduce its funding to the national

church by more than $200,000 to bring

the amount paid in line with the biblical

concept of the 10 percent tithe.

This is playing the “numbers game”

and ignores the funding requirements

of the Episcopal Church to carry out its

global missionary mission and humanitar-

ian programs to aid the needy and under-

privileged.

A review of the triennium budget

reects a document that is the result ofcountless hours of preparation by various

committees, the oversight by the Joint

Standing Committee on Program, Budget

and Finance, intense discussion by vari-

ous committees at General Convention

and approval by the House of Deputies

and the House of Bishops.

It is the “three-year game plan” for

the national church and one that all Epis-

copalians can be proud of to achieve the

desirable goals of:

1. Justice and peace for all of God’s

creation.

2. Reaching out to adults, youth and

children for full inclusion in the

church’s activities.3. Reconciliation and evangelism by

reconciling and engaging those who

don’t know Christ.

4. Congregational transformation

in revitalizing and transforming

congregations to commitment for

leadership development, spiritual

growth, lifelong learning, dynamic

and inclusive worship, and greater

diversity and mission.

5. Partnerships reaffirming the im-

portance of partnerships with prov-

inces of the Anglican Communityand beyond.

Equally important is the objective

of the Millennium Development Goals,

which include among other things the

eradication of extreme poverty and hun-

ger, gender equality and reduced child

morality.

The 2007–2009 budget is based on

a break-even basis at $152,002,295 and

is funded 61 percent from diocesan com-





In Brief


Deacon gets grantfor work in Dominican

Deacon Denise Vaughn, a postu-

lant at the Seminary of the Southwest

in Austin, Texas, has been awarded a

grant from the Seminary Consultation

on Mission for a project in the Domini-

can Republic.

Vaughn, a second-year divinity

student from St. David’s Episcopal

Church in Englewood, worked in Janu-

ary in the Diocese of the Dominican

Republic at San Esteban Church in

the city of San Pedro de Macorís, and

in Santo Domingo with Santísima

Trinidad Church.

The Consultation provides grants

of up to $5,000 for cross-cultural

projects designed to develop a global perspective of seminary life and cur-

riculum while fostering commitment

to mission.

Parishioner namedto UN commission

Susan

G u i s e , a

parishioner

at St. Anne

of Grace in

Seminole,has been

named as an

Anglican-

Episcopal

delegate to

the 51st United Nations Commission

on the Status of Women (UNCSW).

The annual UNCSW meeting

brings together thousands of women

from around the world to promote

gender equality and empowerment

of women. The theme of this year’s

UNCSW gathering, from Feb. 26through March 9 at the United Na-

tions headquarters in New York City,

is “the elimination of all forms of

discrimination and violence against

the girl child.”

More than 60 Anglican women

and girls, from 31 nations in both the

developing and the developed worlds,

will participate as members of the

largest nongovernmental delegation

Palmetto parish gives the giftof play to the community

Chances are if you’re near

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in

Palmetto on any given afternoon,you’ll hear the sound of children

playing. That’s music to a lot of

people’s ears.

The Anne Lewis Memorial

Playground ofcially opened to

the public Feb. 4 with hot dogs,

ice cream and thanks to the

people who made it possible.

The $28,000 playground

on St. Mary’s property is the

only facility of its kind in the

neighborhood. “It’s not just forour kids. It’s for the community,”

said Louise Cumming, secretary

to the church’s rector, the Rev.

Lee Miller.

Miller led a short dedication

service on the playground after

the parish’s 10 a.m. worship

service where a couple of dozen

kids anxiously waited for Lee to

cut the ribbon.

The church had been raising

The Rev. Lee Miller stands aside after cutting the ribbon opening a community

playground Feb. 4 in Palmetto.

Photos by Jim DeLa

Lulu Easterling tries out the swings at the new

playground at St. Mary’s Church in Palmetto.(Continued on page 16)



Bishop Dabney T. Smith is

presented after being consecrated

as coadjutor of the Diocese of

Southwest Florida.

Photo by Jim DeLa



By Jim DeLa

Editor, The Southern Cross

B

ishop John Lipscomb gave the

rst piece of advice to his newly

minted successor: “This may be

the last time when you’re in a

room where everyone agrees with you.”In a two-and-a-half hour ceremony

March 10 punctu-

ated with pomp,

trumpets, tradition

and humor, The Rev.

Dr. Dabney T. Smith

became Bishop

Dabney T. Smith,

the coadjutor of the

Diocese of Southwest Florida.

“It’s like watching ‘This is Your

Life,’” Smith told the nearly 1,500 people packed into the Cathedral of St. Jude the

Apostle in St. Petersburg.

Acknowledging his friends and family,

Smith said, “I am mindful of the fact that

Jesus informed us, and informs us still, that

in following him, we receive a hundredfold

of brothers and sisters. I’m also mindful

of the fact that as we gather this day, I get

a personal glimpse of heaven that I share

with you, a personal glimpse of the eternal

relationship we share with God and with

each other.

“I would ask us to remember this.Love the Gospel. Proclaim the Gospel.

Live the Gospel.

“There is a great

wisdom for people

like us who share in

an understanding of

sacramental theology.

You remember the teach-

ing — a sacrament is an

outward, visible sign of an

inward and spiritual grace.

The wisdom in this is Jesus

is the sacrament of God. The Church is thesacrament of Jesus. You are sacraments of

Jesus. He is why we gather this day.”

Guests at the service included mem-

bers of his former parishes in New Orleans,


‘Live the

Gospel’

‘ The saying is sure:Whoever aspires to the office of bishop

desires a noble task.’

1Timothy 3:1

Diocese celebrates consecration of coadjutor

Bishop-elect Dabney Smith answers questions from his co-consecrators March 10 in St. Petersburg.

Photo by Jim DeLa



Indiana and Florida’s east coast. They

watched as 21 bishops laid hands on

Smith, asking God to “make Dabney a

bishop in your church. Pour out upon

him the power of your princely Spirit,

whom you bestowed upon your loving

Son, Jesus Christ, with whom he en-dowed the apostles, and by whom your

Church is built up in every place, to

the glory and unceasing praise of your

Name.”

Smith was then quickly vested with

cope, miter, ring, cross and crozier and

presented by Bishop Lipscomb as “the

newest bishop of the Anglican Commu-

nion,” as the cathedral erupted in cheers

and applause.

Clear choiceBishop Smith was elected by clergy

and lay delegates on the rst ballot of

the Dec. 9, 2006, electing convention,

the clear favorite over ve other can-

didates. His consecration, originally

scheduled for May, was moved up after

Bishop Lipscomb announced he was

beginning a medical leave of absence

that could last up to a year.

“That’s when things got a little

tense” for the planners of the consecra-

tion, the Rev. Fredrick Robinson, chair

of the diocese’s Liturgy Committee,recently told The Tampa Tribune.

But the service seemed to go off

without a hitch, thanks to the work of an

army of volunteers and clergy and the

help of the Roman Catholic Diocese of

St. Petersburg, whose cathedral hosted

the event. Chuck Miller of Sarasota,

who coordinated much of the logistics

for the consecration, praised the cathe-

dral and the Catholic diocese’s staff.

“The hospitality and cooperation from

the cathedral has been phenomenal,” he

told the Transition Committee.The bishop of the Diocese of

St. Petersburg, the Most Rev. Robert

Lynch, attended the consecration. In

a recent column in the weekly dioc-

esan newspaper, The Florida Catholic,

Lynch described his relationship with

his Episcopal counterpart. “Bishop

Lipscomb has been a special friend to

me,” he said. “As leaders of our respec-

tive churches, we have worked together

on some difcult matters … He’s a

great man and a good religious leader,”

he wrote.

“Until we can all be one ‘as the

Father and I are one,’ it will be mo-ments like this that shape and encourage

the dialogue in the future toward the

unity of all Christians” (read the entire

column on page 11).

Full plate Bishop Smith will be taking on

responsibilities quickly since Bishop

Lipscomb announced in January he was

taking a medical leave of absence due to

complications from Parkinson’s disease

and malaria.

He will have oversight over con-

gregation development and new church

plants in the diocese as well as theCommission on Ministry, the diaconate

and diocesan communications.

Four days after his consecration,

Bishop Smith, along with Bishop Lip-

scomb, attended the House of Bishops

meeting at Camp Allen, Texas, where

the main topic of discussion was a pos-

sible response to the Anglican Commu-

nion primates’ demand for a moratorium

on same-sex blessings and election of

gay bishops in the United States.

The procession involved hundreds of persons representing every congregation of the

diocese.

Photo by Jim DeLa

Consecration(Continued from page 6)



The bishops attending the consecration

included:

The Rt. Rev. John Bauerschmidt

(Tennessee)

The Rt. Rev. Bruce Caldwell

(Wyoming)

The Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel

(East Carolina)

The Rt. Rev. Philip Duncan

(Central Gulf Coast)

The Rt. Rev. William Folwell

(Central Florida, Retired)

The Rt. Rev. Leo Frade(Southeast Florida)

The Rt. Rev. Michael Garrison

(Western New York)

The Rt. Rev. Francis Gray

(Virginia, Assisting)

The Rt. Rev. William Gregg

(North Carolina, Assistant)

The Rt. Rev. Rogers Harris

(Southwest Florida, Retired)

The Rt. Rev. Julio Holguin

(Dominican Republic)The Rt. Rev. S. Johnson Howard

(Florida)

The Rt. Rev. John Howe

(Central Florida)

The Rt. Rev. Telesforo Issac

(Dominican Republic, Retired)

The Rt. Rev. Charles Jenkins

(Louisiana)

The Rt. Rev. Donald Johnson

(West Tennessee)

The Rt. Rev. Charles Keyser

(Armed Forces, Retired)

The Rt. Rev. John Lipscomb

(Southwest Florida)

The Rt. Rev. Henry Parsley

(Alabama)

The Rt. Rev. John Said

(Southeast Florida, Retired suffragan)

The Rt. Rev. Calvin Schoeld

(Southeast Florida, Retired)

Nearly twodozen bishopsparticipate

State’s bishops’ tree goes back to 1851The line of bishops in Florida began with the Rt.

Rev. Francis Rutledge, whose tenure started in 1851 in

the Diocese of Florida, which at the time encompassed

the entire state.

In 1982, the Missionary Juris-

diction of Southern Florida was

created by General Conven-tion. In 1922, that jurisdiction

became the Diocese of South

Florida.

In 1969, General Con-

vention authorized further

dividing the state, creating the

dioceses of Central Florida,

Southwest Florida and South-

east Florida.



Bishop Francis Gray delivers the consecration sermon March 10.

Then Bishop-elect dabney Smtih sits with his family during the sermon by Bishop Francis Gray.Photo by Jim DeLa

Photo by Jim DeLa


In his sermon at Bishop Smith’s consecration, Bishop

Francis C. Gray Jr., said a bishop is called, above all,

to do three things: proclaim, protect and pastor.

Bishop Gray, who was the diocesan of Northern

Indiana when Smith was a rector of a church in South

Bend, said Southwest Florida had chosen well. “You

have elected a bishop who is a loving, thoughtful per-

son and one who has a passion for the Gospel of Jesus

Christ,” he said.

Gray said a bishop is to “give voice to the activity of

God which is Good News. The bishop is to be a forceful proclaimer, not a proclaimer of force.”

With the House of Bishops meeting coming the next

week, Gray cautioned against losing proper focus. “The

message the people should hear when the bishop gather

is of the Good News of the presence or God, and not the

unfortunate news that the bishops cannot agree with one

another on the phraseology of a prepared statement.

Speaking directly to Smith at times, Gray urged him

to guard the traditional faith. “To guard is to protect and

defend,” he said. “The guard is not to spend the treasure,

A bishop must proclaim,protect and pastor



We are all servants of the Gospel

— The Most Rev. Robert N. Lynch isbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese

of St. Petersburg. This column appeared

in the March 2-8 issue of The Florida

Catholic. Reprinted by permission.

By Bishop Robert N. Lynch

On Saturday, March 10, I have in-

vited the Episcopal Diocese of

Southwest Florida to use our St.

Jude the Apostle Cathedral for the or-

dination of their new coadjutor bishop,the Rev. Dr. Dabney Smith, who will

succeed to the position currently held

by my friend, Bishop John Lipscomb,

sometime in the future. Our cathedral

is the largest church available for this

ceremony and the Episcopalians have

no church of similar size and expect to

ll St. Jude’s. I hope you will be happy

that we have extended this hospitality

and will rejoice for our Episcopalian

brothers and sisters as they consecrate

a new bishop for their diocese, whichruns from Brooksville to Marco Island.

St. Jude’s will not be the rst

Catholic church in Florida used for the

ordination of a bishop of another faith

family. The Shrine of Mary Queen of

the Universe near Disney has been

used in the past for the consecration of

both Episcopal and Lutheran bishops.

When the Archbishop of Canterbury

visited Rome late last year, he was

invited by the Holy Father to celebrate

the Eucharist at Santa Sabina Church

on the Aventine Hill to accommodate

the expected large crowd. Several car-

dinals and bishops were present for that

celebration although they, like myself,

did not and will not take part in the

celebration other than to offer words of

welcome and hospitality.

There is also a personal reason why

I offered our cathedral for this occa-

sion. The priests of our diocese and I

have a special affection for Bishop John

Lipscomb, who now suffers from a

challenging and serious illness. Bishop

John spent a day with us at one of our

recent convocations and shared with us

his experience as a pastor in the Epis-

copal Church. The priests present still

remember those hours together and the bonding that took place that day. We are

not able or desirous of wiping away or

ignoring the differences that have sepa-

rated us for years, but we acknowledge

that we are all servants of the Gospel

and ministers of Jesus Christ in our own

churches.

Bishop Lipscomb has been a spe-

cial friend to me — coming to my side

at a difcult moment to pray and offer

encouragement. It is always wonderful

to get together with him and swap sto-

ries. In fact, sometimes I think we play

a pseudogame of “Can you top that?”

As leaders of our respective

churches, we have worked together

on some difcult matters, including

sexual misconduct by our clergy, and

he, for his part, has been as strong and

unrelenting in his approach to guaran-

teeing the safety of the young as I have

attempted to be. We also face similar

challenges of providing priests to our parishes. He’s a great man and a good

religious leader.

When he was consecrated about

three weeks after my own ordination, I

attended the ceremony — my very rst

ecumenical venturing out — and I was

welcomed warmly. I hope to return that

favor to Bishop-elect Smith. I invite

each of you who read these words to

pray for Bishop Lipscomb that he may

recover his full, good health and remain

among us for many years as a leader of

his faith community.So I wish all of you to know about

this forthcoming event at St. Jude’s, to

understand the reasons for it, and that

permission has been given to allow it to

take place. By midafternoon, our cathe-

dral will be again ready for confessions

and the vigil Mass. I hope you would

want me to welcome our Episcopalian

brothers and sisters and assure them of

our love, prayers, and best wishes. Until

we can all be one “as the Father and I

are one,” it will be moments like this

that shape and encourage the dialogue

in the future toward the unity of all

Christians.

Additional coverage:

Links to view the complete webcast

of the consecration, as well as audio

slideshows and coverage from News-

Channel 8, The Tampa Tribune and the

St. Petersburg Times can be found on

the diocesan web site:

www.dioceseswfa.org/coadjutor.htm

Sermon(Continued from page 10)

but to protect it from those who would

abscond with it or misuse it.

“The bishop is called to be the de-fender of the faith and not an innovator

with the faith. Bishops are to interpret

scripture, not to rewrite it.”

Gray also advised him to use all

the tools at his disposal. “Being a pastor

is like being a shepherd. The bishop is

presented with a symbolic shepherd’s

staff which can be used to push, pull or

prod the ock of Christ committed to

the bishop’s charge.

“Remember, there are two ends to

that staff, Dabney, and you may have to

use both of them.”

Other words of wisdom:

“Dabney, my

brother, read your

Bible, not your

press clippings.“Preserve the

apostolic tradition

and not the episoc-

pal prerogatives.

Use your gift of

reason to interpret

scripture rather

than to rewrite it.

“Be a person who seeks the experi-

ence of God and not the god of experi-

ence.

“Put on the whole armor of God.

You’ll need it.”

Gray also said he was sure Smith

will succeed as a

bishop. “I know

you will do good.

I trust you willdo well,” he con-

cluded.

“Your family

loves you. Your

diocese trusts you

with its future. And

your dad, whose

Lenten journey is

long over, and who sits at the Eucharis-

tic banquet not far from another carpen-

ter in heaven, is so proud of you.”



Celebration After the consecration service ended,

most of the 1,500 in attendance lled the

adjoining parish hall at the cathedral for a

reception and refreshments.

Top Photo: Bishop Smith was presented

with many gifts, including a purple cope

and miter from the Episcopal Church

Women of the diocese.

Photo above: As he worked his way to the

back of the hall, Bishop Smith took time to

meet and greet, and sign autographs.

Photo right: The City Council proclamed

March 10 as “Bishop Dabney Smith Day”

in St. Petersburg.

Photos by Jim DeLa



Signed, sealedand delivered

One consecration ritual done for every new bishop

was performed privately two hours before the service

began, in a small room

in the sacristy of theCathedral of St. Jude

the Apostle.

A bishop’s ordi-

nation certicate bears

the signature and wax

seal of each bishop

participating in the

consecration.

Actually, there

are two nearly identi-

cal certicates created.

One is delivered to thearchives of the Episcopal Church; the other, decorated with

purple ribbons, is given to the new bishop.

The Rev. Canon David L. Seger of Northern Indiana,

who served as the consultant for the coadjutor nominating

committee, and Judy Stark, co-chair of the nominating com-

mittee, oversaw the signing and sealing process.

Armed with a saucepan, hot plate and long spoon,

Stark worked to get the maroon wax mixture to its proper

consistency. “Too hot and it’s too runny,” she said, adjusting

the hot plate controls.

As bishops stood by, she slowly let wax drip from the

spoon, forming a small puddle on the edge of one of the

certicates. After a few seconds, a bishop pressed his sig-net ring into the goop,

letting it harden for

another few seconds. A

slight tap on the top of

the ring allows it to be

freed cleanly, leaving

the imprint of the ring

in the wax.

—Jim DeLa

Photos by Jim DeLa




In Brief (Continued from page 5)

Seniors ministry marks second yearThe senior ministry at St. Alfred’s Episcopal Church in Palm Harbor recently celebrated

its second year. Shown here with the Very Rev. Richard Doscher are Jean Bennett, 91,

and Ray Working, 98, who were crowned king and queen of the church’s Christmas

party. Last year the congregation served more than 70 seniors with monthly educational

programs. In 2006, programs included Hospice, a eld trip to the Pinellas County nature

preserve and a Christmas party. The church has about 20 elders with special needs

that volunteers ll through pastoral visits, personal phone calls and transportation.

Photo courtesy of St. Alfred’s Episcopal Church

to UNCSW.

The delegates were welcomed and

commissioned at a special event on Feb.

24 at Trinity Church on Wall Street and

heard from Presiding Bishop Katharine

Jefferts Schori; Hellen Wangusa, the

newly appointed Anglican observer to theUnited Nations; and Rimah Salah, deputy

executive director of UNICEF.

Guise attended plenary sessions as

well as parallel educational and cultural

events, engage in round-table conversa-

tions with other delegates, and selected a

particular area of focus, such as education,

health, prostitution or violence.

New staffer joinsMen’s Minsitries

David Dusek has joined the staff ofEpiscopal Men’s Ministries in Sarasota.

He joins a diverse multi-church lead-

ership team as the rst paid eld ministry

associate for this ecumenical men’s minis-

try in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Dusek is a graduate of the Man in

the Mirror Leadership Training Center, a

Promise Keepers’ Ambassador for South-

west Florida, a certied trainer for the

national Great Dads Ministry, and a rep-

resentative for Florida Men of Integrity,

a eld ministry of the National Coalitionof Men’s Ministries. He is also the direc-

tor of men’s ministries at the Tabernacle

Christian Church in Sarasota.

Dusek will also launch a new min-

istry initiative, “A Journey in Disciple

Making,” described in a news release as

a three- to ve-year program to produce

“a disciple who is equipped to live into

the Great Commission.”

Mourner’s Path training

scheduled in MarchClergy and lay volunteers are invited

to consider participating in a training

program of guidance and empowerment

for those wishing to minister to persons

in situations of grief.

“Walking the Mourner’s Path” is a

national Christian bereavement ministry

of compassion and accompaniment for

persons who are experiencing the pain

of grief.

The next facilitator training school

in Florida will be March 22–24 at St.Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Spring

Hill.

Organizers say this ministry em-

powers their professional staff persons

with pastoral responsibility as well as

lay ministers who work with those who

grieve and mourn.

For more information and registra-

tion, please contact Janet Moorman at

(352) 200-7422, Pastor Shanda Mahurin

at (352) 683-2010, or visit www.mourn-

erspath.com.

The cost for the three-day school is$250 (if two from the same organization

attend), which includes all materials and

lunch each day. Registration is limited.

Sewanee discernmentprogram begins in May

The discernment programs at the

University of the South in Sewanee,

Tenn., invite undergraduate students at

colleges to apply for the sixth Summer

Discernment Institute to be held May 28

to July 21.

Students interested in exploring

vocations in ordained ministry or service

with nonprot organizations will be ac-

cepted into the program and receive a

stipend for their work in their chosen

internship.

More information and a copy of the

application form can be obtained by call-

ing (931) 598-1869.

Phyllis Tickle to keynoteKanuga conference

There is an exciting new understand-

ing of Christian life emerging in American

culture.

The 26th annual conference of the In-

stitute for Servant Leadership at Kanuga

Conference Center on April 20–22 will

explore this grassroots movement with

authors who are seeking to understand the

revolution and pioneers who are working

in these emergent communities.



Blessing from aboveThe Rev. Christian Villagomeza, rector of St. Chad’s Episcopal Church in Tampa,

braved brisk wind and rain Jan. 28 to climb onto the roof to bless a new cupola before

the church’s 9 a.m. service. The blessing amid the blustery weather went off withouta slip.

Photo by Jim DeLa

Phyllis Tickle, former religion editor

of Publisher’s Weekly; Michael Battle, a

theologian of community; and Fred Burn-

ham, a proponent of Network Theory, will

explore the origins of this reformation in

community life.

Sara Miles, an innovative layperson

from St. Gregory’s Church in San Francis-

co, and Doug Pagitt, one of the pioneers

of the Emergent Church movement, will

talk about the experience from inside this

grassroots phenomenon.

For further information and an online

registration form, go to www.servleader.

org or call (828) 692-1694.

St. Stephen’sday school expanding

St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in

Bradenton is expanding its Fledgling Fal-

cons program for 3-year-olds to two satel-

lite sites, St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal

Church off State Road 70 and Lakewood

Ranch Blvd., and St. Margaret of Scotland

Episcopal Church in Sarasota County on

State Road 70.

The programs will be held three

hours a day, ve days a week, with a

maximum enrollment of 14 students

and will incorporate reading readiness,

math concepts, language development,

socialization, physical activity, chapel,

computer science, art and music.

Applications are available now,

and developmental testing will occur in

February and March. Both programs will

begin Aug. 21.

For more information or to requestan application, contact the school’s lower

school director, Sue Thomas, at (941)

746-2121, ext. 401, or by e-mail at stho-

[email protected]

National Cathedralsalutes Florida June 17

Join a delegation from the Sunshine

State in Washington, D.C. June 17 when

the National Çathedral celebrates the

people of Florida.

Meet other Floridians, including in-

vited member of Congress, state ofcials

and members of the National Cathedral

Association from Florida.

There will be tours, fellowship

and refreshments following the 11 a.m.

service.

The schedule is as follows:

Sunday, June 17

10:30 a.m. Choral Prelude

11 a.m. Holy Eucharist

12:15 p.m. Coffee in Rare Book

Library12:30-3:30 p.m. Tours of the Ca-

thedral

3:30 p.m. Choral Prelude

4 p.m. Evensong

Several churches in the diocese are

already making plans to bring groups of

acolytes and parishioners.

A pilgrimage is planned for the day

before, Saturday, June 16, from 3-6 p.m.





money since last fall beginning with

a pumpkin sale before Halloween.

“It started with the pumpkin patch,”

Miller said, saying the community at

large invested in the playground by

buying pumpkins.

Sales from that fundraiser weretotaling about $2,000 when a mem-

ber of the community, who wishes

to remain anonymous, asked what

the money was going to be used for.

“When we told him, he wrote us a

check for $21,000,” said parishioner

Lynne Rogers.

Miller also noted the contribu-

tions of other family members of

St. Mary’s, including the families of

Warren Whittle and Pete Sayre, who

donated the money for the swing set.

The park itself was named after AnneLewis, a charter member of St. Mary’s,

the parish’s rst acolyte mother and

supporter of the church’s LOGOS

program for youth. Lewis died in 2003

at the age of 85.

—Jim DeLa

Playground(Continued from page 5)

Parish provides tutorsSt. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Bradenton has launched a tutoring program

with the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class at the Nolan Middle

School at Lakewood Ranch. Every Tuesday morning, tutors provide one-on-one help

with grammar, pronunciation, spelling, reading, writing and comprehension. Shown

with four members of the class are, from left, Jesse Turner, Pamela Turner, Kathy

Gilpin and Lois Johnson.

Photo courtesy of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church

numbers lag behind for sub-Saharan

Africa, where some of the world’s mostdevastating poverty exists. Thousands

of children there are orphaned by AIDS

and are unable to afford to go to school.

In many parts of the world, girls are not

educated, leaving them helpless to care

independently for themselves.

The Anglican Communion has a

long tradition of education around the

world. The Episcopal Church is very

active in providing primary education

for “mind and spirit” in our companion

Reflections(Continued from page 4)

Resources:Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation: www.e4gr.org;

Dominican Development Group www.dioceseswa.org/Companion%20Diocese/ddghome.htm;

Episcopal Relief and Development: www.er-d.org;

Evangelical Lutheran Chuch in America: (www.elca.org/advocacy/one/) “God’s Mission in the

World: An Ecumenical Christian Study Guide on Global Poverty and the Millennium Development

Goals.” This study guide features six weekly sessions examining Christian understanding of

social justice, global poverty and the MDGs;

The Episcopal Church: (www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_11775_ENG_HTM.htm ) Several

multimedia interviews focusing on the Millennium Development Goals have been produced by

the Episcopal News Service and are available for online streaming. Bulletin inserts, available in

English and Spanish, can be downloaded.

Diocese of the Dominican Republic. For

only $250 a year, a child can attend an

Episcopal school. Last year, generous

donations to the Dominican Develop-

ment Group provided $93,000, or 360scholarships.

Archbishop Ndungane of South

Africa teaches, “all of us have a respon-

sibility to ensure that everyone who is

created in God’s image, with dignity

and worth, has all that is essential for

human living…Each person can make

a difference. It is little drops of water

that chip a rock away. It is little drops of

water that makes an ocean.”

Reservations are required. Call (202)

537- 2373 or e-mail [email protected] to sign up.

Acolytes with banners and clergy

are welcome to vest and join in the

procession. Everyone planning to at-

tend should register on line at www.

nationalcathedral.org.

For more information, contact the

NCA co-chairs for Southwest Florida,

Carl and Jill Stockton, at gwstockton@

comcast.net or (941) 378-8098; or visit

www.nationalcathdral.org.

Next installment of‘Groundwork’ ready

The 2007 installment of the

“Groundwork” evangelism resources,

including a Lenten guide for study

and action, is posted on the Episcopal

Church web site at www.episcopal-

church.org/groundwork.htm.

The resources offer practical sug-

gestions for action designed to increase

parish hospitality extended to visitors

and seekers.




Episcopal Relief and Development is an

effective, reliable and vital ministry of the

Episcopal Church in communities around

the world. Episcopal Relief and Develop-

ment provides emergency assistance

in times of disaster, rebuilds devastated

communities after the immediate crisis is

over and offers long-term solutions to help

people sustain safer, healthier and more

productive lives.

To make a contribution, donate to the Di-

saster Relief Fund online at www.er-d.org

or call (800) 334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can

be mailed to: Episcopal Relief and Devel-

opment, c/o Disaster Relief Fund, PO Box

7058, Merrield, VA 22116-7058.

Diocesan ERD Coordinators:Northern Deaneries:

Maureen Belote (727) 736-6466

[email protected]

Southern Deaneries:

Jody Tiffany (239) 262-3434

[email protected]

Coffee hour is a church tradition.

Why not make the coffee work for your

outreach programs? Here is a win-win

idea:

Buy great tasting Bishops Blend cof-

fee that your church or group can make $3

to $4 on the sale of every bag. This prot

can be used as your group sees t.

But that’s not all. Episcopal Relief

and Development nets 15 percent of

the purchase price of coffee from Pura

Vida, the supplier of Bishops Blend cof-

fee. This helps ERD meet the needs of

people worldwide in response to disaster

or developing means to lift people out of

poverty.

Bishops Blend coffee is a fair trade,organically shade-grown coffee. This

guarantees that the workers receive a fair

wage, and the coffee is grown without

the use of chemicals. The decaf coffee is

Swiss water decaffeinated, which further

ensures your coffee to be free of chemi-

cals or chemical taste.

Pura Vida is a nonprot charitable

organization. They use their prots to help

the growers and their families.

Here are three great ways to run a

Bishops Blend fundraiser:

Roast-to-Order (prepaid orders):

1. Take pre-paid orders for 12-oz. bags

of Bishops Blend at $10 per bag.

2. Collect and total all coffee orders,

then call Pura Vida Coffee to place

an order at (877) 469-1431 or fax

the order to (206) 328-2284.

3. You buy the coffee at $6 for regular,

$7 for decaf and cinnamon spice.

4. Your church or organization earns

$3 to $4 per bag.

Instant Brew (table or event sales):1. Purchase coffee ahead of time (see

prices above) to sell at an event or

table at church for $10 per bag.

2. Your group immediately earns $3

to $4 per bag. Combination:

Make your fundraiser an even big-

ger success by combining our two pro-

grams.

For example, run a coffee-selling

table to get your program off to a big start.

Then, canvas your congregation or local

community for prepaid orders. Recommended Program Length:

Most of our fundraisers run for an initial

period of 2–3 weeks. However, many

groups have chosen to continue the

program after they have hit their initial

goal, making it a part of their ongoing

fundraising efforts. We recommend that

you set a sales goal of at least 20 bags per

group member.

Shipping on your rst order is free.

Bishops Blend Coffees Available:

Bishops Blend Regular — This

smooth and rich French roast offers a

bold avor to complement any meal or

dessert.

Bishops Blend Decaf — The Swiss

water process ensures a chemical-free

decaf coffee, featuring great aroma, mild

taste and a soft nish.

Bishops Cinnamon Spice — This

blend combines pure, ground cinnamon

with the avor of toasted hazelnuts. Avail-

able in regular only.

Rebuilding New OrleansEpiscopal Relief and Development

and the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana

are furthering efforts to rebuild lives

and communities in the City of New

Orleans.

The Episcopal Urban Ministry Cen-

ter in the Center City neighborhood, was

dedicated on Monday, Feb. 26. This center

will serve as headquarters for humanitar-

ian services reaching people living and

returning to the local community and will

house a community room, case manage-

ment services, volunteer housing and

ofces for the Jericho Road Episcopal

Housing Initiative.

“The opening and dedication of this

ministry center represents our partnership

with Episcopal Relief and Development

and our commitment to the recovery

and rebuilding of New Orleans,” said

Bishop Charles Jenkins, of the Diocese

of Louisiana.

Meanwhile, the Jericho Road Episco-

pal Housing Initiative, a partnership of the

diocese and ERD, hopes to build up to 500

homes over the next ve to seven years inthe Center City neighborhood.

Together with the diocese, ERD is

supporting long-term rebuilding programs

in Louisiana focusing on livelihood and

housing renewal, psychosocial counsel-

ing, health care and distribution of critical

goods.

So far, over 3,330 people have vol-

unteered, helping survivors gut out their

homes and salvage belongings. More

volunteers are needed. For more infor-

mation, go to www.edola.org/odr_volun-

teer_main.php or call (504) 895-4304.

“There are many challenges to

why Katrina survivors cannot return to

New Orleans,” said Archdeacon Dennis

McManis, Operations Director for the Of-

ce for Disaster Response (ODR) in the

Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana.

“Many don’t have the resources,

there are no transitional living accom-

modations, commerce hasn’t returned

and infrastructure is still being rebuilt,”

said McManis.

Bishops Blend coffee fundraising ideascan benefit your church and those in need



The diocese celebrated a church

milestone Jan. 6 at St. Peter’s

Cathedral, marking the 30th

anniversary of women’s regu-

lar ordinations to the priesthood in the

Episcopal Church.

It was in January 1977 that ofcial

ordinations of women to the priesthood

began, four months after the 1976 Gen-

eral Convention formally approved the process.

The St. Petersburg service, planned

and celebrated entirely by women of the

diocese, honored the contributions of

women in ministry with music, dance

and prayer.

The canon missioner of the cathe-

dral, the Rev. Georgene “Gigi” Con-

nor, was the celebrant. The Rev. Tanya

Beck, the

interim dean at

Christ Church

Cathedral in

Indianapolis,

was the guest

preacher. For-

merly of this

diocese, Beck

celebrated her

30th anniver-

sary as a priest

on Jan. 1.

In the

service book-

let, a timelineof the evolu-

tion of wom-

en’s roles in the

church goes on

for more than three pages, beginning

with “1855: Bishop of Maryland sets

apart three deaconesses.” It continues,

including these entries:

“1889: Deaconesses canon adopted

by General Convention.”

“1969: Special General Convention

authorizes women lay readers and chal-

celebrationInof womenCathedral service marks

30th anniversary of women’s ordination

to the priesthood

Story and photos by Jim DeLa

Carylnn Crosby, at right, lights the

candles she and the other acolytes will

carry during the procession as Molly

Goodwill looks on.

The Rev. Tanya Beck



ice bearers; appoints joint commission

to study ordination of women.”“1970: At General Convention,

women admitted as lay deputies after

50-year struggle.”

“1973: General Convention rejects

ordination of women to the priesthood;

56 bishops issue statement of distress.”

“1974: July 29, Eleven women

deacons ordained to priesthood by

two retired and one resigned bishop in

Philadelphia.”

“1975: Sept. 19, House of Bish-

ops censures all bishops who ordained

women.”“1976 Sept: General Convention

approved the ordination of women to

the priesthood and episcopate.”

“1977 January: Women ordained in

Philadelphia and Washington begin to

be ‘regularized’ and regular ordinations

of women to the priesthood begin, with

100 ordained by year’s end.”

The timeline ends with a single

sentence: “2006 General Convention:

Katharine Jefferts Schori elected as

presiding bishop.”

A new generationThe last 30 years have empowered

lay women, too, and the acolyte crew at

the Jan. 6 service was a witness to how

far the church has come. Leading the

procession carrying crosses and torches

were three sets of mothers and daugh-

ters.

Martha Goodwill said the idea of

mother-daughter acolytes got its inspi-

ration at the diocese’s Dec. 9 electing

convention. Her son and daughter were

signed up as acolytes at the conven-tion’s opening Eucharist but there were

still a few spots

to ll. “The

acolyte warden

asked if I would

do it,” Goodwill

recalled.

The daugh-

ters helped their

moms by telling

them what to

do and where

to stand. “Theywere all telling

us what to do

because we had

no clue,” Good-

will said. “It

was so amaz-

ing,” she said.

Knowing

this service

was coming

up, Goodwill

asked Connerto consider

using mother-

daughters teams

again.

Goodwill said as a girl, she never

thought about being an acolyte. “I just

knew I couldn’t do it,” she said. “I had

served in the choir all my life and felt

I was serving that way. I just knew I

couldn’t do it. And that was that.”

Another rookie, Marcy Crosby,

participated with her 13-year-old daugh-

ter, Carylnn. She said she was happy for

the experience. “I think it was so neat todo something from a different perspec-

tive. I sang in

the choir in

this church for

probably 15

years. So it was

neat to have a

different role.”Carylnn,

on the otherhand, has beenan acolyte for

four years in a parish wherea gender gapdoesn’t exist.“It never reallyoccurred to methat I couldn’tdo anything,”

just because

she’s a girl, theteen said. “Eversince Gigi camehere she’s been

emphasizinghow importantwomen are tothe church,

and I can remember coming to serviceswhere it was all about women. It’s [be-ing female] never made that much of adifference.”

“A totally different perspective,”

Martha Goodwill said of Carylnn.

“There’s nothing that she would not

consider. ...Thirty years makes a huge

difference.”

Martha Goodwill and her daughter Molly wait

just inside the nave for the service to begin.

Women priests attending the Jan. 6 service were asked to introduce themselves.



What began as a friendly

challenge has evolved into

one of the largest gatherings

in diocesan history.

The second annual “Be-lieve in a Miracle” brought

nearly 800 women to the Ven-

ice Community Center Feb.

10, to share their faith stories.

“We’re all here to give glory

to God. Everyone has a story

to tell. And I hope you will

tell your story here today,” the

Rev. Canon Gigi Conner told

the crowd.

The 500 women who at-

tended last year were givena simple charge: tell another

woman about your faith and

invite them to this year’s

event. As applications poured

in, it was quickly evident that

the event was outgrowing

DaySpring, the diocesan con-

ference center near Ellenton.

The Venice Community

Center, the site of last year’s

diocesan convention and co-

adjutor walkabout, was full

by 9:30 a.m.

“We are hoping by the

end of the day you will all be

like the women at the empty

tomb and proclaim Christalive in your heart and your

church,” Conner said.

Attending this year’s

event was the diocese’s then-

bishop coadjutor-elect, the

Rev. Dr. Dabney Smith, and

his wife, Mary Ellen, as well

as Marcie Lipscomb, wife of

Bishop John Lipscomb, who

is currently on disability leave

and could not attend.

Returning as keynotespeaker was Bishop Steven

Charleston, the dean of the

Episcopal Divinity School in

Cambridge, Mass.

The organizer of “Believe

in a Miracle,” Jackie Robe,

credited Bishop Lipscomb

with getting the idea of such

an evangelism event off the

ground. “He was the instigator

and the one who helped us get

the funding,” she said.

‘Believe in a Miracle’draws 800 to Venice

Zandy Jordan welcomes participants to “Believe in a Miracle” Feb. 10 at the Venice Community Center.Photos by Jim DeLa

Bishop Steven Charleston was the keynote speaker for “Believe

in a Miracle” for the second straight year.



Florida that we continue to be part of

the conversation in our diocese and as

part of the Episcopal Church. As we

continue to seek a positive and godly

resolution to this crisis, the pastoral

directive of the bishop to the clergy

prohibits the blessing of same-gender

unions. What may be taking place inother dioceses of the Episcopal Church

does not set the policy of the Bishop of

Southwest Florida, nor does it permit

clergy acting in a manner contrary to

the pastoral direction of the bishop of

the diocese.

I am committed to the listening

process commended by Lambeth 1.10,

the Windsor Report, and most recently

by the Primates’ Communiqué of Febru-

ary 2007. Our diocesan reconciliation

committee continues to craft opportuni-

ties for the important work of learningand listening. It is vital for us to remem-

ber these documents call on the vari-

ous Provinces of the Communion “to

listen to the experience of homosexual

persons and to minister pastorally and

sensitively to all irrespective of sexual

orientation. The same resolution calls

on the members of this Communion to

condemn irrational fear of homosexu-

als.”

There are many concerns raised

in the recent Communiqué. There are

1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old

and New Testament as the revealed

Word of God.

2. The Nicene Creed as the suf-

cient statement of the Christian faith.

3. The two Sacraments, — Baptism

and the Supper of the Lord, — minis-

tered with the unfailing use of Christ’s

words of institution and of the elements

ordained by Him.

4. The Historic Episcopate, locallyadapted in the methods of its admin-

istration to the varying needs of the

nation and peoples called by God into

unity of His Church.

Over the next several weeks, I will

respond to the Communiqué with a

series of articles. Beginning March 16,

Bishop Smith and I will have the op-

portunity to be part of the continuing

conversation in the House of Bishops.

We will hear reports from the primates’

meeting and begin a response to theother provinces of the Communion. I

will be in a much better position after

the meeting of the House of Bishops to

further my responses to the Communi-

qué.

May the Lord bless and keep each

of you.

In Christ,

+John, SWFL IV

From the Bishop(Continued from page 3)

two immediate issues addressed to the

Episcopal Church to which we must

respond. The rst regards who will be

our ordained leaders, and if their man-

ner of life is a wholesome example to

the people of God. The actions of the

General Convention 2003 do not reect

the general consensus of the Anglican

Communion. Our actions have damaged

the global mission of the Communion

and set in motion the current crisis.We are also faced with decisions re-

garding our relationship to the Anglican

Communion. In response to the Com-

muniqué, many of our bishops have

suggested we retreat behind a provincial

and parochial wall. I believe much of

the response reects a form of congre-

gationalism elevated to the global stage.

However, our catholicity is not found in

the externals of our liturgy and certainly

not in our personal and private faith.

The Chicago-Lambeth Quadri-

lateral of 1886 and 1888 commendsto the Communion four foundational

principles for the reunion of the Church

divided by the 16th century reformation.

Perhaps the same principles need to

frame the continuing conversation in the

present Episcopal Church and Anglican

Communion. The Quadrilateral afrms

the following as the substantial deposit

of Christian faith and order. These prin-

ciples are reected and afrmed by the

vows taken by all clergy at the time of

their ordination.

Episcopal News Service

As the more than 400 participants in

the Towards Effective Anglican Mission

(TEAM) conference prepared to leave

Boksburg, South Africa, they knew they

were taking with them new ideas for mis-

sion and new partners in their work.

Participants spent each day from

March 7–14 in Bible study, worship,

workshops, plenary sessions, network-

ing and strategizing, all focused on the

church’s commitment to the Millennium

Development Goals — an eight-prong

declaration that has at its core the eradi-

cation of extreme poverty by 2015. On

March 11, conference participants went

to worship in 13 Anglican parishes in and

around Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Near the end of the eight-day meet-

ing at the Birchwood Conference Centre,

near the Johannesburg airport, a number

of conference participants reected on

their experience.

The Rev. Joanna Udal of the Episco-

pal Church of the Sudan said that the con-ference was a chance to “bring together

the best experience and wisdom with the

Communion on the really pressing issues

facing the world.”

She said that the fact that Sudan’s

concerns got heard “by people from more

afuent parts of the world” was a good

example of how the conference was all

about getting the developing and devel-

oped world “engaging together.”

The Rev. Amy Denney Zuniga,

ordained from the Diocese of Northern

California and now serving in the Igle-

sia Anglicana en la Region Central de

America, said the conference represented

“a collection of the gathered wisdom” of

the Anglican Communion.

The Rev. Callon W. Holloway Jr.,

bishop of the Southern Ohio Synod of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America,

attended with a small group of fellow

Lutherans.

Noting that the ELCA has lost 15 to

20 percent of people 25 and younger in

the last ve years, Holloway said young

people are “expecting tangible results”

from what the church preaches. He hopes

that churches’ commitment to the MDGs

will show results that will attract young

people and help them “nd their place

within that mission.”

TEAM participants head home with new friends, tools



mitments, 20 percent from investmentincome, 11 percent from governmentrevenues on joint projects which thechurch manages and the balance fromincidental sources.

For the year 2006, domestic diocesan

commitments were as follows:

Commitment No. of dioceses

21% or greater 45 15-20% 17 10-14% 15

5-9% 9 0-4% 14 Total 100

In some instances where dioceses failto meet the required 21 percent, diocesancommittees, parishes and individuals

contribute to cover the shortfall of their

dioceses. If all dioceses fullled their21 percent commitment, ECUSA wouldhave an additional $7 million annuallyfor missions.

Analysis of budget expenses for thethree-year period reects the following:

1. Canonical (19 percent): Includ-ing General Convention; Ofces of thePresiding Bishop and Bishop Suffraganfor Chapliances; Pastoral and MinistryDevelopment, Ecumenical and InterfaithRelations.

2. Programs (62 percent): Includ-

ing mission block programs principallyoverseas; partnerships and covenants;domestic appropriations, Episcopal Re-lief & Development Fund; EcumenicalAppropriations; Refugees/Episcopal Mi-gration Ministries; Anglican and GlobalRelations; Peace and Justice Ministries;Ministries with Young People and other

programs.3. Corporate expense (19 percent):

Communications and administrative ser-vices after the proposed staff reductions.

The budget is an instrument of faith,

not a political document. It representsa portfolio of projects to address thechurch’s mission throughout the worldand its corporate responsibility to thechurches in the Americas. As such, it de-serves the full support of all dioceses.

Hopefully, the Diocese of SouthwestFlorida will nd a way to fulll its 21

percent responsibility.

— Richard F. Gerhart

Bradenton

Results of diocesan surveyare distressing

The “From the Bishop” column in

the Jan./Feb. issue of The Southern Cross

listed the top 10 things survey respondents

said were important for the diocese to fo-

cus on in the next 10 years. In 10th place

is spiritual growth.

What does this say about us col-

lectively and individually and the churchat large with respect to our purpose and

priorities?

I agree that all of the other nine things

are important as well. I’d like to have a

church in my neighborhood, remain in

the Anglican Communion, see the youth

nourished, etc.

Are these more important than spiri-

tual growth? I hope someone can explain

to me how this is so. I fear that it cannot

be done.

I therefore reect on the questionof what this says about us as I pray for

enlightenment.

— W. Don Welch

St. Catherine’s, Temple Terrace

Emotion over Conventioncan cloud clarity

The editor was kind enough to print

my letter in November/December issue

of The Southern Cross. The January/February issue contained letters from

Betzi Abram of Fort Myers and RichardF. Gerhart of Sarasota which raise several

reasonable questions.

Ms. Abram is troubled by my “pre-

sumptions” about Bishop Jefforts Schoriand questions my authority to speak for

[all of] Southwest Florida. I attempted to

be clear that I was responding to a writer

who felt that coverage of the presiding

bishop’s election was muted and asked

why it had not been greeted with moreenthusiasm. I did my best to articulate a

general orthodox/traditionalist/reasserter

position (part of the struggle in the culturewars is dening the vocabulary).

Of course I do not speak for every-

one. If serious disagreement within theEpiscopal Church, including the Diocese

of Southwest Florida, didn’t exist, TEC

would not be at the edge of schism. I

readily accept that she and others feel

that Jefforts Schori is “exactly what is

needed,” but presumably she will concedethat others with equal conviction regard

her election as deeply unfortunate. I

doubt that a correspondent as courteous

as Ms. Abram intends to imply that the

“spiritual interpretations of God’s will

and Jesus’ teachings” of Christians who

are not liberals/reasserters are necessar-

ily “taken-for-granted” or to characterize

orthodoxy in Christianity as a tradition

“like jihad.”

Regarding my stating that Jefforts

Schori is inexperienced, I simply refer

to the facts that she had been ordained asa priest for 12 years, had no experience

as a rector, and had served for only ve

years as the bishop of a very small diocese

whose membership is less than the com-

bined membership of The Falls Church

and Truro Parish in Virginia which re-

cently disafliated from TEC.

Mr. Gerhart writes to correct two

“misleading statements” in my letter:

the inadequacy of General Convention’s

response to the Windsor Report, and lack

of enthusiasm to Jefforts Schori at the

Convention. My letter contained no impli-

cation that the delegates were in the main

unenthusiastic. On the other hand, surely

he understands that many traditionalists

are highly unenthusiastic.

I accept Mr. Gerhart’s account of

the effort invested at Convention trying

to frame a response to Windsor. The

result, however, has been denounced by

traditionalists as inadequate or evasive,

but also by many on the left who have

characterized it as sad, a betrayal and

so forth.It occurs to me how difcult it is to

speak precisely to each other when we are

emotionally invested. I tried to answer as

clearly as I could why traditionalists are

not only unenthusiastic but dismayed.

Certainly the answer advocated an or-

thodox position, but I don’t think that’s

avoidable if a full explanation is to be

made. If (and it may not be the case)

Ms. Abram’s phrase “taken-for-granted

spiritual interpretations of God’s will and

Jesus’ teachings” implies that she believes

traditional understanding of scripture or

the validity which is ascribed to it are

wrong and should be changed, I disagree

with her, but I accept that she is sincere

in her view.

I don’t disagree with Mr. Gerhart at

all except for his description of my earlier

letter as misleading or a misstatement of

fact, and I believe that that description

resulted from a misperception.

— Edward Weber

Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota

Letters(Continued from page 4)



Training/Workshops/Retreats

CCalendar Special EventsSummer Camp CIT training. May 29-31 at DaySpring

Conference Center near Ellenton. Camp counselor training in

preparation for the 2007 Summer Camp. For more informa-

tion, go to www.dioceseswa.org/youth/youth.htm, or contact

Tana Sembiante at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274 or at tsembiante@

dioceseswa.org.

Elementary Summer Camp. June 3-8 at DaySpring Conference

Center near Ellenton. For 3rd- to 6th-graders. For more informa-

tion, go to www.dioceseswa.org/youth/youth.htm, or contact


dioceseswa.org.

Youth Summer Camp. June 10-15 at DaySpring ConferenceCenter near Ellenton. For 7th- to 12th-graders. For more infor-

mation, go to www.dioceseswa.org/youth/youth.htm, or contact


dioceseswa.org.

If your group or congregation is planning an upcoming

event of interest to the rest of the diocese, please send the

information to:

The Southern Cross Calendar

7313 Merchant Court

Sarasota, FL 34240

or e-mail it to [email protected]

The 2007 diocesan events calendar is also available on our

web site:

www.dioceseswfa.org

Happening # 57. March 2–4 at DaySpring Conference Center

near Ellenton. Weekend retreat for rising 10th-12th graders.

Contact: Tana Sembiante at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274.

New Beginnings #41. April 13–15 at DaySpring Conference

Center near Ellenton. Weekend retreat for 6th-8th graders.

Contact: Tana Sembiante at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274.

12-Step Retreat. March 23–25 at DaySpring Conference Center

near Ellenton. For all people in a 12-step recovery program.

Meetings, meditation, fellowship and relaxation amid nature.

Sponsored by the Committee on Recovery Ministries. Contact:

Jean Bordeaux at (941) 556-0315, ext. 271.

Deacons’ Spring Retreat. March 23–24, from 4 p.m. Friday to

3 p.m. Saturday at DaySpring Conference Center near Ellenton.

Contact Deacon Denise Sealy at [email protected], for

room assignments; Deacon Marcia Tremmel at matremmel@

tampabay.rr.com, for retreat plans.

Deacons’ Fall Retreat. Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Day-

Spring Conference Center near Ellenton. For more information,

contact Deacon Lucien A. Watkins at (727) 433-0403.

Lay Chaplain: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn.,

is seeking a lay chaplain to work as a team member with the

Chapel staff. Primary responsibilities would include sharing in

the design and implementation of Chapel programming such as

the Catechumenate, Bible studies, outreach projects, student-led

events, and various other special events; and assisting in the

preparation of the liturgy. Participation in the regular round of

services is a weekly expectation.

The ideal candidate would have a bachelors’ degree with some

experience and/or training in youth ministry.

Sewanee was founded by leaders of the Episcopal Church in

1857. The University comprises a College of Arts and Sciences,with 1,400 undergraduates, and a School of Theology, with ap-

proximately 150 graduate students.

The interview process will begin April 9 and continue until the

position is lled. Interested individuals should submit a cover

letter, résumé, and names and contact information for three

references to the Rev. Thomas E. Mace, Chaplain, c/o Teresa

Smith, Personnel Services, 735 University Ave., Sewanee TN

37383-1000.

Ministry opportunities

MeetingsTampa Deanery Spring Convocation. March 27, 7 p.m. at St.

Catherine’s Episcopal Church, 502 Druid Hills Road, in Temple

Terrace. For more information, contact the Very Rev. Martha

Vaguener at (813) 782-1202.Diocesan Council meeting. May 19, 9 a.m. at DaySpring

Conference Center near Ellenton. For information, contact the

diocesan ofce at (941) 556-0315.

Diocesan Council meeting. Aug. 18, 9 a.m. at DaySpring

Conference Center near Ellenton. For information, contact the

diocesan ofce at (941) 556-0315.


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