May 16 , 2008

Online survey ends on May 21

Time is running out to give your thoughts on the proposed fundraising campaign for the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. You have until the end of the day on Wednesday, May 21 to complete the online survey. The survey is part of a diocesanwide study on the feasibility of a major fundraising effort across the diocese.

To take the survey, go to the diocesan web site at www.episcopal-ks.org. Click on the link to read about the proposed plans in The Dream of Kansas, then follow the link to take the survey. Your comments can be made anonymously and will be held in strict confidence by the consulting firm conducting the study.

Results of the study are expected in September.

How to help earthquake and cyclone victims

Episcopal Relief and Development is offering assistance to those affected by a massive cyclone (hurricane) in Myanmar and a devastating earthquake in China.

In Myanmar , ERD is working with the Anglican Church of the Province of Myanmar, or CPM. ERD has provided funds to assist with shelter, food, water and other emergency needs. CPM also is sending relief teams into affected areas to determine the extent of damage and report on additional needs. Current news reports indicate the military junta that rules Myanmar has put the death toll so far at 78,000, with more than 50,000 people still missing.

In China , ERD is working with the Amity Foundation, an independent Chinese Christian organization. With ERD’s support, Amity already has distributed rice, bedding and sheltering materials in provinces hard hit by the quake. Reports are that the death toll throughout the country could rise to 50,000.

Checks to assist with these efforts should be made payable to “Episcopal Relief and Development” and marked “Emergency Relief-Myanmar” or “Emergency Relief-China” on the memo line. Checks designated for the general Emergency Relief Fund also are welcome.

Send checks to Episcopal Relief and Development, P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058.

Donations also can be made online at www.er-d.org.

Ordinations set for June 7

God willing, four people will be ordained by Bishop Dean Wolfe as transitional deacons in a service at Grace Cathedral, Topeka, on Saturday, June 7 at 10:30 a.m. A reception will follow the service.

Those being ordained are:

Philip Ray Hubbard , who is graduating from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif. He is a member of St. Thomas, Overland Park.

Laurie Ann Lewis , who is graduating from Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Va. She is a member of St. James’, Wichita.

Paul King McLain III , who is a 2007 graduate of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. He is a member of Good Shepherd, Wichita.

Sarah Knoll-Williams , who also is graduating from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She is a member of St. Margaret’s, Lawrence.

Clergy will vest (alb and red stoles) and walk in the procession. They should arrive by 10 a.m.

Information from parishes still needed

Information from several parishes still is needed to complete the packet of information required with the annual parochial report. Still missing are:

St. Andrew’s, Derby – diocesan delegates page, Journal update page

St. Matthew’s, Newton – diocesan delegates page, Journal update page

St. Michael’s, Mission – diocesan delegates page, Journal update page, parochial report signature page, parochial report supplement page

St. Luke’s, Shawnee – diocesan delegates page, Journal update page, parochial report signature page, parochial report supplement page

St. Jude’s, Wellington – diocesan delegates page, Journal update page, parochial report signature page, parochial report supplement page

Good Shepherd, Wichita – diocesan delegates page, Journal update page, parochial report signature page, parochial report supplement page

St. Stephen’s, Wichita – diocesan delegates page, Journal update page, parochial report signature page, parochial report supplement page

If you have questions about these forms, please contact Michele Moss in the diocesan office at mmoss@episcopal-ks.org or 800-473-3563.

Cathedral to host piano concert May 23

The Great Spaces Music and Arts Series of Grace Cathedral, Topeka, will present a concert by pianist Kairy Koshoeva on Friday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m.

There is no charge to attend, but a freewill offering will be accepted.

A native of Kyrgyzstan, Koshoeva has received many awards during her career. She currently is completing a doctoral degree in musical art in piano performance from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Presiding Bishop to discuss Lambeth in May 20 webcast

All are welcome to view a live webcast about the upcoming Lambeth Conference in which Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will address members of the media on Tuesday, May 20, beginning at 1 p.m. Central time.

Joining the Presiding Bishop will be the Rev. Dr. Ian Douglas of Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., who is a member of the Lambeth Conference Design Group.

The webcast will be available through a direct link from the Episcopal Church web site, www.episcopalchurch.org. Questions, however, will be accepted only from credentialed media.

The Lambeth Conference is the once-a-decade meeting of all Anglican bishops. It will take place July 16-Aug. 3 at the University of Kent in southeast England.

The webcast also will be archived on the Episcopal Church website for later viewing.

Bulletin inserts feature info on Lambeth Conference

A series of bulletin inserts describing the upcoming Lambeth Conference are available for downloading from the Episcopal Church web site at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/95270_ENG_HTM.htm. They are available in two sizes in both black-and-white and color, in PDF format.

The first installment is scheduled for distribution on May 25. Additional inserts will follow throughout the summer leading up to the July 16 start of the conference for all Anglican bishops.

Reports due to Kansas Secretary of State by June 15

Parishes are reminded that as non-profit corporations they are required to file an annual report with the Kansas Secretary of State no later than the 15th day of the sixth month after the tax closing month – for most this will be June 15. Forfeiture occurs on the 15th day of the ninth month after the tax closing month.

Parishes can file their report online by going to http://www.kssos.org/other/ar_forms.html.

EFM mentor training planned for June

Mentor training for Education for Ministry (EFM) will take place at Bethany Place Conference Center and Grace Cathedral in Topeka on June 12-14. It will begin at 10 a.m. on June 12 and end at noon on June 14.

The class for basic training is nearly full, but there is still space for formation training. If you are interested in basic training, contact Mike Morrow, and he will see about either obtaining a second trainer or will assist you with other nearby training.

The cost for the training is $75. You can stay at Bethany Place for a nominal charge. If interested, or if you have any questions, call Morrow at (316) 269-6146 (work) or (316) 686-0956 (home). His e-mail address is mmorrow4@cox.net.

Stimulus checks are an opportunity to give

The $600-per-person economic stimulus checks will start arriving in mailboxes and bank accounts soon.

Why not consider donating a portion of yours to an organization that reflects the Millennium Development Goals? There are many worthy projects available, and you might just make a dent in the spiraling consumer culture.

Diocesan MDG grants this year went to two agencies you might want to consider:

• Maison de Naissance, a birthing home in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Information about this project that helps reduce maternal and infant mortality is available at http://www.maisondenaissance.com/.
• Comfort the Children International, an agency started by native Kansan the Rev. Zen Wilemon to work with the people of Kenya. It provides direct services to some of the nation’s poorest people and seeks to build relationships between Kenyans and Americans. More information is available at http://www.ctcinternational.org/new/index.html.
• The diocese also is planning to partner with Habitat for Humanity in 2009 to build homes in flood-damaged Coffeyville. You can help provide some of the funds needed to get this project off the ground by sending checks to the Diocese of Kansas, marked for “Coffeyville Habitat houses,” to 835 SWE Polk, Topeka, KS 66612.

For more ideas of where your money can go, check out the “Give It 4 Good” pages of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation at http://www.e4gr.org/.

Logo contest for General Convention 2009 announced

Artists and graphic designers of all ages are invited to create a logo to be used for General Convention 2009. The theme for the meeting is “Ubuntu” (pronounced oo-boon-too), an African word popularized by retired Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu that means humaneness, caring, sharing and being in harmony with all creation.

The logo should reflect the ubuntu theme in graphics and fonts.

The deadline for submissions is June 30 and can be sent to logocontest@episcopalchurch.org. More information about the contest is available at http://www.episcopal-life.org/79901_96731_ENG_HTM.htm.

The winning entry will be awarded $5,000 to be donated to an organization that addresses one or more of the Millennium Development Goals. Two additional prize donations of $500 also will be given.

People notes

Paul McLain has accepted a call to be curate at Trinity, Lawrence, effective June 8. He will be one of four people ordained as a transitional deacon at 10:30 a.m. on June 7 at Grace Cathedral, Topeka.

Campus intern named : The Higher Education Committee has extended a call to Kiera Evans as one of two campus interns for the 2008-20009 school year. Evans is a 2007 graduate of the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., and she will receive a master’s degree in social justice in intercultural relations from the SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vt., later this month.

Interviews continue for the second campus intern position.

Anniversaries of ordinations

Congratulations go to these people as they celebrate the anniversaries of their ordination in the next two weeks:

May 18: The Rev. Richard Osborne, St. Christopher’s, Wichita
May 19: Deacon Annie Hedquist, non-parochial
May 20: The Rev. Robert Layne, retired
May 21: The Rev. Michael Bernard, St. James, Wichita; the Rev. David Mouille, retired
May 23: The Rev. Susan Terry, Campus Missioner
May 26: Archdeacon Monte Giddings, St. Michael’s, Mission
May 30: The Rev. Craig Loya, Campus Missioner

Next DioLog

The next edition of DioLog will be sent to subscribers on Friday, May 30.

Information to be included should be sent to Melodie Woerman, diocesan director of communications, at mwoerman@episcopal-ks.org, no later than Wednesday, May 28.

Parishes are free to excerpt anything printed in DioLog; attribution is appreciated. Feel free to copy this and make it available to parishioners in whatever way is most useful.

To subscribe, send an e-mail to mwoerman@episcopal-ks.org with the subject line “subscribe DioLog.”