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ESS has to move

Building is part of site for new arena

The building occupied by Episcopal Social Services in Wichita will be purchased by Sedgwick County in coming weeks and then torn down to make way for a new arena to be built in downtown Wichita.

Episcopal Social Services in Wichita has begun to look for new space to house the agency’s ministries in the wake of a decision by Sedgwick County to locate a new 15,000-seat entertainment arena on a site that includes the current ESS location.

The agency is housed in a 12,500 square foot building at 233 South St. Francis in downtown Wichita. Information reported by the Wichita Eagle shows ESS as the largest property-holder in the affected area, with a valuation of more than $670,000.

Sandra Lyon, ESS executive director, said the county wants to move quickly to obtain all the land in the arena site plan, to keep on track for opening the new facility by 2009.

That means ESS is scrambling to locate a new building, she said. And the agency has some specific needs — at least 14,000 square feet, with adequate parking for volunteers and proximity to the downtown bus terminal and the local Social and Rehabilitation Services office to aid clients.

Finding such a building will be a tall order, Lyon said, but a committee already is exploring options. They hope to have potential property sites identified by mid-January.

She said it was important to know ESS’s cost to obtain and remodel its new building before it begins negotiating with the county for a financial settlement on the existing property.

Lyon said ESS has been in its current building for 17 years, after beginning its life in a building next door to St. John’s Episcopal Church. That building since has been razed.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the cost of purchasing and demolishing buildings on the site, along with infrastructure improvements, will cost about $14.7 million. The total cost of the arena project is expected to be about $184.5 million, financed by a 30-month 1 percent sales tax that started in July.

Diocese joins Big Tent Coalition

The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, through action of the Council of Trustees, has become a member of the Big Tent Coalition. The Coalition is a group of 80 churches, nonprofit organizations, agencies that serve the disabled and others from across Kansas who work for increased access to services for the neediest Kansans.

Together those groups include almost 650,000 members.

The Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America also recently became a member of the Coalition. The United Methodist Church in Kansas was an early supporter.

These three churches, along with a group of Roman Catholic nuns in Concordia, are the only religious bodies that are members of the organization to date.

Harder said the Coalition, which includes groups as diverse as the AFL-CIO and the Kansas Medical Society, wants to have more religious groups involved.

Needed medical services

The Coalition was formed in 2002 in response to proposals by the Kansas Legislature to cut funding for medical programs for the elderly, blind and disabled.

Dr. Robert Harder has been involved with the Big Tent Coalition since its founding.

He is a former secretary of the Kansas Departments of Social and Rehabilitation Services and Health and Environment and also is an ordained Methodist pastor.

Harder said four years ago the Coalition asked the Legislature to add $99 million back into the budget to cover needed services. The group’s efforts have meant $40 million of new general fund money in the past four years.

For 2006, the group is asking that $11.8 million be added to the state’s budget to remove people from the waiting list for services for the physically disabled and developmentally disabled. Another $17.7 million would provide additional child care assistance and other services.

Provides a voice

Harder said the goal of the Coalition is simple. “We provide a voice for hundreds of people in the state who can’t come to Topeka and represent themselves.”

He said the Coalition has a narrow focus — securing services for the most vulnerable citizens — and is not involved with more controversial issues that face the state.

The group operates on a shoestring budget, with most of the $4,000 to $5,000 it raises yearly going for a spring rally on the south lawn of the Statehouse, complete with an authentic big tent and picnic.

Money collected by passing the hat at monthly meetings pays for the Coalition’s web site, www.bigtentcoalition.org.

Bishop thanks retired clergy

Bishop Dean Wolfe extended a special “thank you” to the retired clergy of the diocese with a luncheon in their honor Nov. 18 in the Great Hall of Grace Cathedral, Topeka.

About two dozen clergy attended. The bishop noted that together they represented more than 600 years of ordained ministry. The Rev. Arleigh Lassiter had the longest service among those present, with 60 years as a priest.

Bishop Wolfe said he knew the sacrifices those years represented, too. “I know how many dinners got cold, how many ball games you missed,” he said. “And this diocese can’t thank you enough.”

He also outlined his goals for the diocese, including starting new churches, continued strengthening of campus ministry and increasing stewardship.

He also spoke of the possibilities for improvements to the Bethany Place campus shared by the diocesan offices and the cathedral, and renewed his call for a camp and conference center for the people of the diocese.

Chaplains appointed

Bishop Wolfe also introduced two people he has appointed as chaplains to the retired clergy of the diocese — the Rev. Ruth McAleer, who assists at St. Michael’s, Mission; and Deacon Keith Akins of Grace Cathedral, Topeka.

Each spoke briefly of the important ministries exercised by retired clergy, some of whom continue to serve as priests-in-charge of congregations.

The bishop asked retirees to be in touch with McAleer and Akins with any concerns they might have, so they can respond and, in turn, keep him informed of their needs.