News

Bishop Jim and Gloria Waggoner leave for the Lambeth Conference

Jul 12, 2008 – 8:49 pm

We ask your prayers for their safe travel and for their ministries, and for all who join them for reflection, prayer, discussion and fellowship in the coming weeks. We ask your prayers for those who are absent, and we pray with the Archbishop of Canterbury that this time together “will bear fruit in the life of the entire Communion in which God has called us to minister.” This is the 14th Lambeth Conference; more than 650 of the Communion’s 800+ bishops are expected, compared to the seventy-six bishops present at the first Lambeth Conference in 1867.

For more information, and to participate fin the Conference’s study of St. John’s Gospel through “Signs on the Way,” go to www.lambethconference.org.

Passover Seder brings community together in Bonners Ferry

Jun 1, 2008 – 12:03 pm

Members and friends of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, gathered  for the sacred Passover Seder feast prior to Easter Sunday.  The annual event was hosted by Al and Mary Brackenbusch, near Mount Hall, close to the Canadian border.  The home is located in the middle of their wheat farm overlooking the Kootenai Valley, perhaps similar to some of the rolling hills of Israel, where long ago the Jewish people celebrated their release from the bondage of Egypt and their return to their homeland as promised in the Book of Exodus in the Bible’s Hebrew Scriptures.

Guests brought delicious dishes to accompany the ceremonial meal of fresh roasted lamb and traditional Seder plates, prepared by Mary and Al.  The stacks of unleavened bread were hand made and baked by the hosts.

Special guests and co-hosts were the the Rev. and Mrs. Norman Braatz, the Lutheran pastor who leads services part-time at St. Mary’s.  Among other honored guests were retired Episcopal priests, the Rev. and Mrs. Todd Trefts and the Rev. Marge Stanley, both of whom have assisted at St. Mary’s in the absence of a full-time vicar.

Everyone had a delightful time around the candlelit, decorated tables while recalling the events of the Exodus, and raising glasses of wine or cider to toast freedom, prosperity, health, happiness and peace.

Mary and Al have hosted other dinners for the congregation among their many other services that help keep the life blood flowing at the small mission church.  Is it any wonder that, just prior to Passover, a tornado or cyclonic wind took down Al and Mary’s barn, just a few feet from their bedroom where they were sleeping, but the house was not touched?

Young adults evangelize in Salt Lake City

May 29, 2008 – 12:05 pm

In late March, something strange happened in Salt Lake City, Utah: young Episcopal adults from all over Province VIII converged on the city.  It was a time for evangelism.  Before you begin to imagine some type of reverse mission - with bike-riding liturgically minded Episcopal students preaching the benefits of the latest Lambeth pronouncements with Book of Common Prayer in hand - I should warn you that our good news was for our fellow Episcopal young adults: you are not alone and you are a part of this world.  We spent our weekend learning more about the roles we can play in our churches, our faith system and in our world.

The first speaker awakened us to our increased social responsibility for our fragile environment.  Our generation is inheriting a world on the precipice of natural disaster and thoughtfulness is necessary for the road ahead.  From the second speaker, we learned about a fantastic interfaith organization called “Utah Power and Light” that is encouraging churches to begin following responsible “green” policies in their building plans and energy usage.  Our final keynote address was from some special guests from Province VII, who talked about their campus ministry in Honduras.  They told of the tragedy of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Honduras. Currently, the country has around 18,000 people suffering from this tragic disease with only enough funding to treat 5,000 people.  The speakers were very frank about the problems they face teaching sex education in their cities.  Unfortunately, most of their resistance has come from other churches.

Students were able to attend many different workshops encompassing a variety of areas of religious and world awareness.  There were workshops on understanding U.N. Millennium Development Goals and religious fundamentalism, as well as our location-specific event: understanding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

But for me, the greatest benefit came from sharing time with others.  Six of us traveled from Washington State University (WSU) to Salt Lake.  We all got the benefit of learning and seeing other peoples’ walks of faith and how they were tackling the difficult issues of trying to understand our faith in the context of being members of the world.

My greatest blessing came from hearing how another student’s life had led her to where she is right now.  The Episcopal Church is not unique in the fact that it encompasses people from many backgrounds, but I have found that it is a church that does not erase our history once we come in the doors.  These experiences are what make us who we are and can help encourage us to grow towards the perfection we are drawn to in Christ.  These experiences are the evangelism that has encouraged me and shown me, as always, that the Episcopal Church does indeed allow many to come to Christ’s table and say “Though we are many, we are one.”

Foundation reports on endowment campaign results

May 29, 2008 – 12:01 pm

The 2007 Convention celebrated the conclusion of the initial phase of the Diocese’s first Endowment Campaign. We are delighted to report the results of this ambitious project through the first quarter of 2008.

The following congregations participated in Campaigns to raise funds for their own programs and needs: St. Paul’s - Kennewick, Nativity - Lewiston, St. Martin’s - Moses Lake, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist - Spokane, St. Andrew’s - Spokane, St. Stephen’s - Spokane, St. Luke’s - Wenatchee, and St. Michael’s - Yakima.

The Diocese underwrote much of the campaign costs to the congregations, which has been repaid by tithes from the participating churches. Less those tithes, the total pledged to these congregations is approximately $3 million.

At the same time, the Renewing Our Mission Campaign raised an additional $1.26 million for the Diocese, to be distributed to two endowments within the Foundation. These funds are designated to endow the Episcopate and to endow church growth and development.

Tithes accounted for approximately 24% of the total funds received by the Diocese, while other congregations held fund raising activities specifically to directly benefit the Diocesan campaign.

Foundation sets goal of five million

May 29, 2008 – 11:54 am

The “Renewing our Mission” endowment campaign began the process of establishing two endowed funds, one for congregational growth and development and the other to help underwrite the episcopacy.  These, and other endowment funds of the Diocese, are held by the Foundation of the Diocese of Spokane that is governed by a board of trustees made up of Episcopalians from throughout the Diocese.  The trustees have engaged Washington Trust to manage our investments according to an agreed upon investment policy that seeks long term growth while avoiding inappropriate risks.  Your contributions and pledges to the endowment campaign have been divided equally between the two funds, unless you directed otherwise.

The fund to endow the episcopacy currently has about $460,000 in it, of which half came from a previous fund for the bishop that had been around for several years.  Currently invested in money market accounts, it will soon be in a diversified portfolio of equity and fixed income funds.  Accordingly, it is already being drawn down at an annual rate of 4.5% to help underwrite the episcopacy.  We look forward to its continued growth through fulfilled pledges, additional gifts, and market growth so that, in time, it can lead to a significant reduction in the asking.

The fund for congregational growth and development has about $170,000.  It will need to grow to at least $500,000 before we can begin to use it to make grants to local congregations, but we are well on the way.  It also will continue to grow through fulfilled pledges, additional gifts and market growth.

A third fund has recently been added to the endowment through a single gift of $5,000 dedicated to Camp Cross.  As an endowment fund rather than a capital fund, it will not be spent but invested along with other gifts dedicated to the long term needs of Camp Cross.  In time it also will be able to help underwrite the continuation and improvement of that valuable ministry, but it has a long way to go to get there.

Our hope and prayer-filled intention is to build our funds to at least $5 million or more within five years.  Then we can really begin to do some exciting work for the Glory of God and the good of our congregations.  What can you do to help?  If you have not yet made a five-year pledge to Renewing our Mission, consider doing so today.  Perhaps you’ve made a pledge and now realize how easy it is.  Consider raising it by some substantial amount.  If you are involved in a donor advised or donor directed fund of your own, consider making Renewing our Mission a principal beneficiary. And by all means, remember the church in your will.

For more information, or to make a pledge, contact Teri Mathis, Director of the Foundation, at terimathis@mac.com or 509-954-3951

MDG Matching Grant Application packet available

Apr 30, 2008 – 4:39 pm

Additional matching grant funds are available for local congregations from the MDG allocation in the 2008 diocesan budget. Congregations may apply for up to $400 to match their own investment in MDG-related projects. You can review the packet for more information or contact Char Mills, co-chair of the MDG subcommittee.

Congregational consultant team gathers

Apr 17, 2008 – 4:51 pm

The Rev. Canon Kristi Philip and the Rev. Elizabeth Hasen discuss one of their case studies at the recent meeting of congregational development consultants

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.

Bishop’s update on Lambeth

Apr 10, 2008 – 7:52 pm

Bishop WaggonerWe 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.

To Our Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

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.

Review: Honoring Motherhood: Prayers, Ceremonies & Blessings

Apr 10, 2008 – 7:43 pm

Cover for the book \

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.

Lewiston congregation makes every meal count – at least twice

Apr 10, 2008 – 12:58 pm

When Church of the Nativity in Lewiston hosted our Diocesan Social Justice and Outreach Ministries Commission in June of 2007, Nativity’s Outreach Committee used the occasion to raise funds for KIVA (www.kiva.org), doing microfinance in developing countries. A wonderful Mexican lunch was prepared for the visitors who donated what they would have spent in a restaurant, bringing in $137. Nativity matched this to provide a generous start-up loan for entrepreneurs seeking to help themselves out of poverty.  

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.