Congregational development consultants gathered April 14-15  at Immaculate Heart Retreat Center in Spokane to begin the development and training for a diocesan  congregational development program. Facilitated by Betsy Greenman, retired Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Olympia, the group learned about various needs, methods and resources for working with congregations and participated in several guided case studies.

The consulting team grew from a mandate from Diocesan Council and Bishop Waggoner to build a congregational development program in the Diocese. At  its September  meeting, the Council adopted a report from the Mission Strategy Committee which highlighted the need  to assist congregations with articulating and implementing  their mission and vision.

Bishop Waggoner told the consulting group that a strong healthy diocese requires strong healthy congregations and reaffirmed the diocesan mandate of building “growing, dynamic communities of faith”.

In the next few months the consults with gather again for further training.  A survey has also  been prepared for clergy and wardens to assess their  congregations’ current strengths and priorities  for consulting or assistance. The survey will be made available  later this month.

Consultants will begin active work with in congregations later this year.

The team includes Bob Reilly, Wenatchee;  Bob Alexander,  Yakima;  Jan McCall, Pasco;  Lisa Stagaman, Spokane;  Bev Coram, Spokane;  Bryan Krislock, Spokane; the Rev. Paul Lebens-Englund, Spokane;  the Rev. Elizabeth Hasen, Spokane;  the Rev. Canon Holladay Sanderson, Moses Lake and Cheney, and the Rev. Canon Kristi Philip, Spokane.

For more information about this program please contact  Canon  Philip at kristip@spokanediocese.org or 509.624.3191.

Interns will spend a year working in project-centered leadership roles in congregations, the diocesan office and the local community as well as participate in a program of mentoring and reflecting on their experiences with a spiritual director. As the first year of this program, this class of interns will have a unique opportunity to take on a creative and engaging role helping shape and enrich the program for future congregations and interns.

Throughout their participation in this program interns will be provided a monthly stipend of $500 as well as housing and medical insurance. Interns are also expected to raise $5,000 towards the cost of the program, a process which the Diocese of Spokane is (eager, willing, able,) to facilitate. A one-of-a-kind program, in a beautiful corner of the country, developing skills and spirituality that will serve our church now and for generations to come: WaterMark.

For more information or to apply visit the diocesan WaterMark website or contact Bryan Krislock at bryank@spokanediocese.org or 509.624.3191.

We asked Bishop Waggoner to share his own plans and hopes for the Lambeth Conference 2008. More information will be posted on this site in the near future.

Gloria and I will be attending the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, England, this summer. It will be my first time and I will go in the hope and anticipation of genuine benefits to be derived from bringing together the Bishops of the Anglican Communion.

While I recognize there are justified reasons to question attendance, I shall go encouraged by the design, which includes retreat time, Bible study, prayer, worship, and regular opportunities to learn from those different from ourselves.

My own prayer is that we will engage one another in a spirit of humility and take advantage of this rare privilege for establishing and renewing relationships across the globe and for building networks for the mission God has given us all in Christ.

During the past two years the Archbishop of Canterbury has said more than once that he earnestly hopes the conference will enable bishops to more effectively equip the people of God for their ministries. May this be so throughout the world. That in itself will make it worth the trip.

When God commanded us to honor our mothers and fathers, he (some might say “she”) probably didn’t envision our contemporary observances of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Yet the months of May and June bring us special opportunities to reflect on our mothers and fathers, on those who have been like mothers and fathers to us, on our own mother- and father-like relationships with the children in our lives.

We know only too well that not all parent-child relationships are loving, gentle, or supportive, and that mothers and fathers cannot protect their children from pain and death. Our daily news, our sacred scriptures and our own experiences remind us of this on a regular basis.

Lynn Caruso has crafted a strong and lovely book in which we see motherhood – and by extension fatherhood – portrayed in all its beauty and promise, as well as its uncertainty and loss. Birth mothers, adoptive mothers, step mothers, foster mothers, god mothers, non-mothers all have an honored place here. A sense of humility, realism, and love permeates these writings – writings old and new, by men and by women, by the famous and not so famous, writings born from great joy as well as great sorrow.

The book is divided into seven sections, beginning with “Tilling the Soil: Honoring Our Maternal Ancestors” and concluding with “Sowing the Seeds: The Power of a Mother’s Love.” In between we move through the seasons of the year, including “Summer: A Season of Growth and Transformation” – where we find Gloria Waggoner’s poem for her grown sons – and “Winter: A Season of Loss.” It is a journey worth taking, and Caruso introduces us to excellent companions.

Gloria Waggoner has copies of the book for sale in Rosa Gallica; contact Gloria at 509-954-4328 or gloriaw@spokanediocese.org.

In September this Nativity team continued by hosting a community spaghetti supper; guests brought a “dinner-sized” donation (see Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation: www.e4gr.org) to raise money for the education of Eric, a Lewis-Clark State College student athlete from Kenya, and young triplets in Uganda. The education expenses ($1200 per year) of Denis, Isaac and Jacob have been funded by Nativity for several years  Raising the boys alone, their mother, Cecilia, is working to complete her own teacher training.

Nativity’s Jenny Ruppel, who has served on SJOM and Nativity’s MDG Committee, stated: “We are so wealthy, and so much of the world is poor. It’s time to get our community more involved in the reality of the global community. One way to understand the condition of our world brothers and sisters is to look in their eyes and provide what we can.” A helpful resource for their parish has been “What Can One Person Do? Faith to Heal a Broken World” (Alkire and Newell, Church Publishing, 2005). Internet resources have also provided something for every interest, passion and level of commitment. The Outreach Committee is committed to raising the equivalent of .7% of Nativity’s budget for MDG-related projects.

Do you know of someone who might be interested in serving the Diocese? Would a suggestion from you be appropriate? Perhaps you would like to use your own skills for the wider church? Learn more about how your Diocese functions with other like-minded persons by participating in Diocesan affairs. Those interested are encouraged to self nominate or, if preferred, be nominated by another with the nominee’s permission.

Detailed information and nominating forms are being mailed to each church, and are available on the diocesan website. Completed nominations should be submitted to the nominee’s deanery representative, preferably by email.

The deadline for nominations is July 31. The following positions are open.

Standing Committee—one lay position and one clerical position open for four year terms; one year absence required between elected full terms. Eight members meet as necessary, usually on Saturdays.

The Standing Committee serves as Council of Advice to the Bishop; acts upon the applications for Holy Orders; is responsible for the purchase, sale, leasing or mortgaging of any church real property; sanctions the election of each bishop in The Episcopal Church; and becomes the Ecclesiastical Authority for the Diocese in the absence of a Bishop.

Directors of the Corporations (Washington & Idaho) – two four year terms, either lay or clerical, with no term limits. Eight members meet as needed, usually on Fridays.

As the legal entities holding title to all diocesan properties, the Directors have control of and responsibility for property administration and invested funds. Experience in finance, real estate, administration or law important but not required.

Diocesan Council – in addition to four positions appointed by the Bishop, two clerical and two lay positions are open for three year terms; one year absence is required between elected full terms. Sixteen members meet quarterly on Friday evening and Saturday.

The Council has charge of the “unification, development, and prosecution” of the missionary, educational, financial and social work of the Diocese, and such other duties as delegated by Diocesan Convention. Council members serve actively on one of four committees, participate in regular ministry reviews of diocesan programs and entities, and develop and approve the Diocesan budget.

Qualifications
Lay – adult 16 yrs or older (18 yrs old minimum for Directors of the Corporations); a “communicant in good standing” of a congregation in the Diocese (for three years if nominee for Standing Committee); able to attend meetings of the office regularly.

Clerical – meet requirements for seat, voice and vote at Diocesan Convention; be canonically resident within the Diocese (for three years if nominee for Standing Committee); able to attend meetings of the office regularly.

For Standing Committee and Council – complete diocesan Anti-Racism Training within first year of office.

Contact your deanery representative for additional information.

Joyce says, “We are a Camp Cross family. Our six children have all attended multiple times, and our son, Paul Meyer, spent three wonderful summers working at camp. Another son who lives in the area has begun taking his young family to camp.”

When Joyce and Ed made their decisions about which charities to support this past year, they immediately thought of Camp Cross. Their gift of $5,000 establishes the Camp Cross Endowment, which will eventually help fund the camp through perpetual earnings.

“We support Camp Cross for the unique opportunity it presents as a place quite literally set apart from daily life,” says Joyce. “I love the feeling of magic that starts with the boat crossing. It’s emotionally and psychologically a meaningful, stage-setting experience. It presents a threshold to cross into a sacred place.”

“The Camp Cross experience is a blessing for every person in the Diocese, especially the young who are so open to new life and for those who can ‘lift their eyes.’ ”

Joyce and Ed McClanahan believe that we all deserve the magic of Camp Cross. “Magic happens with such ingredients as singing and roasting marshmallows over a fire by the lake, or in the dining hall on a rainy night; adding pieces to a picture puzzle;playing games; working together on a project to improve camp; taking a hike; participating in sports; trying to pass the canoe test; making a dash to the ‘greenhouse’ at night and finding the way back in the dark; comforting and being comforted by friends; sharing stories; and singing table grace. It’s the magic of sharing joy and praise in His Creation.”

The Camp Cross Endowment represents a new way to invest in the future of our Church. If you would like information about contributing to the Endowment, or to the Camp Cross Annual Fund, please contact the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane Foundation at (509) 624-3191 or foundation@spokanediocese.org.

Others from our diocese included Mike Henneberry, Dan and Joanne Cenis (St. Stephen’s, Spokane), Blythe Marney (Holy Trinity, Spokane), Kay Surles (St. James’, Pullman), and Bob and Joan Reilly (St. Luke’s, Wenatchee).The group of eight joined 38 other volunteer workers who spent a January week in Dangriga, a poor community on the southern coast of the Diocese of Belize in the Province of the West Indies. Other dioceses represented on the trip were Montana, Nevada, Olympia, and Texas.

In addition to screening for medical and dental needs and providing care to more than 750 patients, the medical team went into emergency room mode when seven victims of a tragic auto accident were rushed into the clinic. Although two victims died, and the equipment was minimal, the experienced team members and local doctor were able to stabilize the others, preventing further tragedy.

Volunteers also set up a computer lab, replaced a rotting roof on the local school, and completed other repairs. Churches contributing books, school supplies, medical supplies, and funds to the trip included St. James’, Pullman, St. Stephen’s, Spokane, and the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Spokane Valley. Holy Cross Anglican School now has a Resurrection Hall, named in honor of the Spokane Valley congregation.

Washington State University sophomore Sarah Vitort is part of the planning team for this year’s event. Sarah grew up in Vancouver, WA and is studying broadcast communication. She was active in the Diocese of Olympia’s HYC program and at the diocese’s Camp Huston. Last year, Sarah attended her first Prov8 event in Santa Barbara, CA and really enjoyed the experience, meeting other Episcopal college students from the western states.

College students from around our diocese are encouraged to plan early for this trip to save on airfares. Travel costs are routinely divided by the province, diocese, home congregation and participant, making this trip affordable. If you are interested in attending, contact Phil Mixter (pmixter@gmail.com) for more information.