Steve Fregeau/The NetKaren Gury (right) of St. Gregory’s, Boca Raton, gets guidance from professional tile-layers Jade Justice and Bill Bardash as she prepares to install a piece of the labyrinth in the floor of the Schofield Chapel. Gury and her husband David (not pictured) donated funds for both the chapel labyrinth and a Celtic cross inlaid in the floor of the chapel narthex.

THE NETTHE NETOFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE DIOCESE OF SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

JUNE/JULY 2005 • VOLUME 36 NUMBER 3

About 200 people from across the dio-cese, old and young, clergy and laity, re-flecting the variety of races and cultures

in our communities, came together at St. Mark’s School in Ft. Lauderdale on Apr. 8 and 9 to ex-plore the challenges of multicultural ministry. The theme of the Fifth Annual Bishop’s Spring Conference was One Body--Many Mem-bers: Ministry in a Multicultural World. Facili-tators and presenters were teacher and pastor Gary Howard, author of the book, You Can’t Teach What You Don’t Know and founder of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education in Seattle, Wash., and the Rev. Kortright Davis, pro-fessor of theology at Howard University School of Divinity and rector of Holy Comforter Episco-pal Church in Washington, DC. Both days were filled with the music of a va-riety of cultures: Members of the Haitian Com-mission singing in Creole; Fr. Leonel Ortez and his family, from Holy Cross, Miami, performing

Learning to listen and love on the “river of diversity”By Mary W. Cox, editor

“We have to be able to give up things that are

important to us to make others feel welcome.”

--Fr. Alejandro Hernandez

Holy Cross, Miami

“But we still wear masks...”—The Rev. Donna Hall,

Holy Spirit, West PalmBeach

“We could make a difference in our church and in

the world.”—Ian Headly,

St. Matthew’s, Delray Beach

“You just destroyed one of my core values...I guess I’m

going to have to learn to love. That hurts!”

—Chuck Millspaugh,St. Mark’s, Ft. Lauderdale

“’Love ye one another’ answers all the questions.”

—Helena Paris,St. Bernard de Clairvaux,

North Miami Beach

and leading praise songs in Spanish; Dean Matt Faulstich of the Broward Deanery channeling El-vis with a soulful “Glory, Hallelujah”; a women’s group from Ascension, Miami, offering a flow-ing liturgical dance; and a rousing reggae-gos-pel-calypso conclusion on Saturday afternoon by the Jamaican Folk Review. Welcoming participants on the morning of Apr. 8, Bishop Leo Frade said that the excite-ment of cultural diversity was what attracted him to our diocese. The purpose of the confer-ence, he said, was to help us all learn how we can be “better servants of God” in our multicul-tural communities. The first of the two conference presenters, Gary Howard, a self-described “white guy”, spoke briefly of his own awakening from grow-ing up as a “fundamentalist Presbyterian” in a “monocultural” society in Seattle, Wash., through student years at Yale during the civil rights movement of the 60s, to a recognition of

the need for whites to become “culturally com-petent”. It was the message he got in church, said Howard, that led him to his work teaching mul-ticultural understanding and social justice: “The idea that we’re all created in God’s image”. He told participants that the conference would take them on a “river journey”--a river of “diversity and healing”, always changing, cutting through canyons with layers of cultures, some-times rocky, sometimes smooth, “navigating the rapids” between absolutism and relativism. In the first activity, participants explored their own identities and were asked what as-pects of their identity—race, religion, life value, language, vocation, possessions—they would be willing to give up if forced to do so. Fr. Leonel Charles, rector of St. Christopher’s, Ft. Lauderdale, told the group that in Haiti, peo-ple have indeed been forced to give up every-

For the past year, Duncan Conference Center Director Fr. Steve Fregeau has been talking about the “transformation”

of the Center. With the completion of the Schofield Cha-pel, scheduled to be dedicated June 19, and the arrival of Program Coordinator Veneta Lorraine-Poirier, the transformation is evi-dent. Some upgrading of existing facilities con-tinues, but the Stahl Conference Building has been in use since March, and the dedication of the chapel will mark the end of major capital improvements to the Center. The Building to Serve campaign, which aimed to raise the $1,500,000 needed for the

New buildings, new programs “transforming”Duncan Center

See Duncan page 4

See Conference next page

Assistant Bishop James Ottley goes over last-minute details

of the conference with Dr. Kortright Davis.

Gary Howard invites conference participants on a “river journey”.

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thing. “This is not only an exercise for me—this is a reality that I have lived,” he said. Howard noted that for many people—not just in Haiti, “daily life is pressure to ‘give it up’.” “What do we do in the church,” he asked, “that makes people feel they can’t be fully who they are?” He asked the group to consider, “How can we be authentically different and still be deeply engaged in Christian community?” Cultural competence, he said, requires “the will and skill to engage diversity ef-fectively…and to form loving and authentic rela-tionships across our differences.” Culturally responsive leadership in our church-es will “facilitate authenticity”. The journey to authenticity, he said, also in-volves an awareness of social dominance, which functions across multiple differences—race, class, education and economic status. A panel of diocesan clergy—Bishops Frade and Ottley; Archdeacons Bryan Hobbs and Mary Gray-Reeves; Canon for Youth Ministry Terrence Taylor; Fr. Alejandro Hernandez, rector of Todos los Santos, Miami; the Rev. Donna Hall, assistant at Holy Spirit, West Palm Beach; and Fr. Frantz Casseus, chair of the diocesan Haitian Commis-sion and rector of Bon Pasteur, Miami—shared their views of how our diocese deals with diver-sity. There were positive comments. Frade said that our church is “trying to reach out…we have a de-sire to connect with each other.” “I am extremely proud of the Episcopal Church,” said Hall. “We go where others are afraid to go…to ask the hard questions.” But Hernandez cautioned that emphasis on different cultures might have an unwanted side effect. “African-Americans, Cuban-Americans, Haitian-Americans…without knowing it, we are contributing to divisions.” “We have to preserve our history,” said Taylor. “We need to tell our story—if you don’t know your own history, you might believe the untruths others tell about you.” “We need to keep having these conversations,” said Gray-Reeves.

The Rev. Kortright Davis ended the day with theolog-ical reflections on power, religion and culture (“No religion is culture-free”), what it means to be human (“Most of the time, to be hu-man is to fight…the hardest fight is against sin.”), the culture of sin, the cycle of baptism and the life of the Spirit. Each of his teachings was outlined by an allitera-tive pattern. The cycle of baptism, he said, could be described with “five Rs”: Recognition that we are members of one another; Repentance, turning away, “a radical posture that re-nounces negativities”; Res-urrection—we recognize that “the stone of your

whiteness or blackness has been rolled away”; Renewal; and Reconciliation, “trying to break down everything that divides us”. “The ministry of multiculturalism has to be the ministry of reconciliation,” Davis said. On the second day of the conference, young people enlivened the discussion of “Why has it taken so long for us to build communities of so-cial justice in our churches? What’s in the way? What will it take?” Ian Headly of St. Matthew’s, Delray Beach sug-gested, “It’s taken so long because we want it to be so long. If we wanted to change, we would have done it…we’re selfish.” Kaylin Lynch of St. Christopher’s, Ft. Lauder-dale, agreed: “People want what they get used to.” We need “courage to understand each other,” said another young woman. “Sometimes we have to go deep into the can-yons of experience in order to heal…How do we learn to sing harmony to the songs our kids are bringing us?” Howard challenged the group. Saturday’s panel was made up of laypersons: Hugo Elias, Todos los Santos, Miami; Eunice Louis-Ferdinand, Grace, West Palm Beach; Ellie Evans, St. Ambrose, Ft. Lauderdale; Donna Hil-dreth, Christ Church, Coconut Grove (Miami); David Pringle, Trinity Cathedral, Miami; Ian Headly, St. Matthew’s, Delray Beach; and Matt Thomas, St. Mary Magdalene, Coral Springs. Because four of the panel—Evans, Pringle, Headly and Thomas—are youth, much of the discussion focused on issues involving young people. There were candid criticisms of lack of inter-action among ethnic groups in youth events, failures of communication about youth activi-ties, and parish liturgies and programs that are planned for youth, not with them. Headly challenged the churches to “reach to the outside”, where kids are standing on the street corner, to tell them, “You don’t have clothes? We’ll help you with clothes. You don’t have grades? We’ll help you with school…” “Kids don’t have structure at home,” he con-tinued. “The church can give them backbone. It’s not that hard…We could make a difference in our church and in the world.” Fr. Mark Sims, rector of St. Mary Magdalene, Coral Springs, praised the youth for their com-ments, and added, “You need to help us—tell us

who the kids are that we need to help. Tell us specifically what you want in the way of liturgy—you write the liturgy, and we’ll use it!” Davis said that young people need to be in-volved in every aspect of church life, and suggest-ed that every congregation should be required to have a scholarship fund. Discussion continued on other groups that seem to be excluded from the church—the homeless, ex-offenders, the gay community—and young adults. We all have “co-responsibility”, Howard said, to make changes happen in our churches. As on Friday, Davis summed up the day’s con-versations with theological reflection. “The Trinity is the most central fact of diver-sity,” he said. He described Acts 15 as the first “General Con-vention,” in which the first-century Church wres-tled with the question of multiculturalism and the reality that the Holy Spirit had been given to people “not like us”. Diversity has always been part of what it means to be the Church, he said. “We cannot afford to take multiculturalism as an optional extra.” He closed the day with five P-words on justice: Prayer (“Prayer involves your whole being”); Per-spective (“Look at people and situations for…the Easter moment”); Protest (“The greatest form of protest is on the cross…the love of power is over-come by the power of love”); Patience (“It’s God’s world and we can’t afford to be in a hurry”); and Participation (“You can’t engage in justice with your mouth alone…with your checkbook alone…by just wearing the T-shirt”). “It is love that matters,” he concluded.” Love is the ONE commandment.” For more information on the work of the REACH Center, go to http://www.reachctr.org

Wristbands still available If you didn’t get one of the bright orange

(for racial unity and social justice) wristbands

with the E-Church logo and the words “Em-

brace Everyone”, or if you’d like to share the

message, these can be ordered for $2 apiece

from the diocesan office. Call 800-268-9993

or 305-373-0881, or email gail@diosef.org.

Medallists in the Diversity Exhibit

Young people in the diocese were invit-ed to submit art or writings on the theme, “What diversity means to me”. Entries were displayed at the conference, and each exhibi-tor received a medallion with the “E-Church” logo. The exhibitors were: Michael Layton--St. Mark’s, Palm Beach Gardens; Jocelyn Albury, Brenton Brown—Ascension, Miami; Takya Gardner, Tinesha Mitchell, Akilah Sweet-ing—St. Peter’s, Key West; Eileen Arugu, Mary Arugu, Stephanie Bramble, Stephen Bram-ble—St. Kevin’s, Opa-locka; Nerissa Stur-rup—St. Faith’s, Miami; Katie Reeves, Dorian Reeves—All Saints, Ft. Lauderdale; Jennifer Ramos, Ana Edad, Karla Lopez, Sandra U, Josue Padilla, Allan Padilla-Fernando, Johan-na Martinez—Holy Redeemer, Lake Worth.

•Conferencecontinued from page 1

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Follow-up workshops on multicultural ministry Two two-day workshops on multicultural ministry, designed as a continuation of the work of the Bishop’s Spring Conference, have been scheduled for fall. The One Body--Many Members workshops will be held Sept. 10 and 24 at St. Mark the Evangelist, Ft. Lauderdale, and Nov. 11 and 12 at the Duncan Center. Details will be published in Grapevine later in the summer, as well as in the August/September issue of The Net. Registration will be online.

On Tuesday, Sept. 6, from 1-4 p.m. at the Duncan Center (just before the Fall Clergy Conference begins), the diocese

will offer diocesan clergy the Safeguarding God’s Children workshop, an updated training in the prevention of child and adolescent sexual abuse. The workshop will be offered in both English and Spanish. Registration is available online at www.diosef.org/register.html. A Safeguarding God’s Children workshop in French will be taught by Haitian Commission

The South Palm Beach Deanery will host the 36th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Southeast Florida, Oct. 21 and 22 at St.

Gregory’s, Boca Raton. Convention sessions will be 1-4:30 p.m. on Fri-day, Oct. 21, and 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22. The Convention Eucharist will be at 6 p.m. on Friday at St. Gregory’s, followed by a ban-quet at the hotel. The preacher at the Eucharist will be the Rev. Dr. Kortright Davis, who was one of the present-ers at the Bishop’s Spring Conference in April. Complete information on hotel reservations, as well as other details of Convention, will be sent to delegates and clergy later in the summer and will be included in the August/September is-sue of The Net. Nominations are needed for the following po-sitions, which must be filled by elections at Con-

In a letter to all congregations, Bishop Leo Frade has asked each parishioner for a dona-tion of at least one dollar toward an advertis-

ing campaign for the diocese. As directed by General Convention 2003, the Episcopal Church has been developing a national advertising campaign that will begin in August and September with a television ad aimed spe-cifically at making the Episcopal Church visible and inviting to persons in “Gen-X” (early 20s-ear-ly 40s). Details at this campaign can be found at www.episcopalchurch.org/adcollaborative. Our diocese plans to extend the campaign into our communities with public service an-nouncements on television and radio from the

Safeguarding God’s Children training will be offered in three languagesChair Fr. Frantz Casseus at the meeting of the Haitian clergy of the diocese, Sept. 17 at 11 a.m. at the Diocesan Office. This training is now a requirement for dioc-esan clergy. In order to continue officiating in this diocese, all clergy, both canonically resident and non-canonically resident, must be certified as having completed the full three-hour training by Dec. 31, 2005. No previous diocesan child-protection training or other state or university course will satisfy this diocesan requirement. In addition to the Sept. 6 and 17 workshops, two parish-sponsored workshops are also be-ing offered for teachers, clergy, church leaders, parents or anyone working with children: Aug. 5, 8:30-11:30 a.m., at St. Mark’s School, Ft. Lau-derdale (contact Parish Administrator LaVerne Turck, 954-563-5155, to register) and Sept 10, 8:30 a.m.-noon, Holy Sacrament, Pembroke Pines (contact Parish Administrator Herma Mowatt, 954-42-8686 to register). Additional workshops may be scheduled at other parishes; these will be announced in Grapevine (www.diosef.org/grape-vine.htm). At present, only clergy are required to have this training, but it is recommended for all adults, both employees and volunteers, who work with children and youth. For additional information, or if your parish is planning a workshop that will be open others outside the parish, contact Gail McShane at the Diocesan Office, 1-800-268-9993 or 305-373-0881, ext. 23, or gail@diosef.org.

St. Gregory’s will host 36th Diocesan Convention

Frade requests donations for ad campaignKeys through Martin County, ads in bus shelters, and if enough money is raised, additional paid radio and television spots. In the diocesan budget for this year, only $2,000 is allocated for public relations and mar-keting. The proposed campaign, including prep-aration and placement of public service spots and bus shelter ads, will cost close to $20,000. “If we are to be about our mission, ‘to make known to all people the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, including ALL, exclud-ing none’,” the bishop says in his letter, “we must be sure that all people know we’re here, and I am counting on you to provide the means to begin to make this happen.”

vention: Standing Committee—two clergy mem-bers, one lay member; University of the South Board of Trustees—one lay trustee; Cathedral Chapter—one lay member; Ecclesiastical Trial Court—one clergy member (the Rev. Lynne Jones is completing the unfinished term of the Rev. Ali-son Harrity this year and is therefore eligible for election). The person being nominated must con-sent to the nomination. Submit nominations, along with a brief resume of each nominee, by Oct. 3, 2005 to the secretary of Convention, The Reverend Bernard Griffith, Christ Episcopal Church, PO Box 330006, Miami, FL 33133. According to the Canons of the Diocese, reso-lutions to be presented at Convention must be submitted to the secretary no less than 45 days prior to Convention; that deadline is Sept. 6.

Anti-Racism Training workshops to be held Nov. 5, 2005, and Feb. 4, 2006

The diocesan Commission on Racism, Justice and Reconciliation has announced plans for two Anti-Racism Training workshops in the

diocese during the next year. The workshops are scheduled for Nov. 5, 2005, at St. Paul’s, Delray Beach, and Feb. 4, 2006, at a location to be an-nounced in the South Dade Deanery. General Convention 2000 mandated this anti-racism training for all clergy, staff and lay leaders as a step toward ending institutional and other forms of racism. Clergy and lay leaders will be particularly en-couraged to attend the 2005-2006 workshops, but the training will be open to any parishioners who wish to participate. The intention of the train-ing is to encourage entire congregations and all church bodies to engage in serious self-examina-tion and dialogue in order to develop strategies to eradicate racism. It is the Commission’s goal to increase aware-ness and broaden the circle of participants who will effect positive change. They also intend to: make the dialogues available and pertinent for all persons; develop materials that are interest-ing and appropriate for youth and young adults; broaden the scope of engagement to reach the national level; and encourage congregations to become agents for change in our diocese. For more information on anti-racism training and the work of the Anti-Racism Committee of the Episcopal Church, go to http://www.episco-palchurch.org/social-justice and click on links for the Committee or Anti-Racism Articles. For information on the diocesan Anti-Racism Commission, contact Dr. Gay Outler, Commis-sion chair, at gayoutler@worldnet.att.net.

El martes 6 de septiembre de la 1 a las 4 de la tarde en el Duncan Center (inmediata-mente antes de que comience laconferencia de otoño del clero), la diócesis ofrecerá al clero diocesano eltaller de actualizaciónPro-tegiendo los niños de Dios que trata de cómo proteger a los niños y adolescentes de abusos sexuales. El taller se ofrecerá tanto en inglés como en español. Los interesados pueden matricularse en la siguiente dirección: www.diosef.org/register.html

Un atelier de travail sur: “La Protection des enfants, créatures de Dieu” sera offert en Français, à l’intention des membres du Clergé haitien du Diocèse, par le Rév. P. Frantz Cas-séus, au cours de la réunion ordinaire du Co-mité pour la Pastorale haitienne qui aura lieu le samedi 17 septembre prochain à partir de 11.00am au Bureau diocésain. Cette séance de Formation est obligatoire pour tous les membres du Clergé. Pour être autorisé à officier dans le Diocèse du sud-est de la FLoride, tous les members du Clergé, canoniquement et non canoniquement rési-dents doivent compléter trois (3) heures de formation au plus tard le 31 décembre 2005. Il est à souligner qu’aucune formation antéri-eure du même genre, reçu dans le Diocèse ou ailleurs, aucun cours universitaire, ne peut suppléer à cette exigence du Diocèse.

Veneta Lorraine-Poirier, new program coordinator for the Duncan Center, gives participants at the COPE conference (see p. 7) an introduction to the practice of spiritual direction.

Mary Lou Ricker/The NetDiocesan ECW Treasurer-Elect Fay Walker makes a presentation to new diocesan ECW President Cynthia Williams, thanking her for producing the annual calendar booklet for the past 10 years.

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construction of the two new buildings and re-furbishing of old ones, has passed the $1 million mark. As of June 1, a little less than $200,000 re-mained to be matched from the $500,000 match-ing gift provided by the Rev. Marta Weeks.

With the addition of the program director to the staff, the Center has now begun to develop its own programs for personal wellness and enrich-ment, as well as spiritual growth and renewal. Three new programs will be offered this sum-mer: Spirituality and Personality, June 24-26; a Play and Pray Weekend, July 15-17; and Father-hood--A Hero’s Journey, July 22-23. See box and story, right, for more on these and a complete list of Duncan Center programs for the rest of the year.

•Duncancontinued from page 1 Duncan Center

Programs 2005General Programs:

June 24-26 ........... Spirituality & Personality

July 15-17 ............. Pray and Play Weekend:

Summer Camp for Adults

July 22-23 ............. Fatherhood: A Hero’s

Journey

Sept. 9-11 ............ Fourth Day Renewal

Weekend

Sept. 30-Oct. 2 ... Spirituality & Personality

Nov. 4-6 .............. Benedictine Spirituality

Dec. 2-4 ............... Contemporary Prayer

Roy Oswald’s Programs for Clergy Training and Support

Aug. 23-25 ............ Fundamentals of

Transition Ministry

Sept. 26-29 .......... New Vision for Long

Pastorate

Nov. 28 – Dec. 1 .. Senior Pastors Conference

Dec. 2-3 ............... The Inviting Church

Dec. 5-7 ............... Transforming Your

Diocese

For information on any of these programs, call 561-496-4130.

Duncan Center will offer three new, varied retreats

This summer the Duncan Center is offer-ing three new and varied retreat experi-ences: Spirituality and Personality, June

24-26; a Play and Pray Weekend, July 15-17; and Fatherhood: A Hero’s Journey, July 22-23. Spirituality and Personality: Discovering Your Spiritual Path, which will be offered again Sept. 30-Oct. 2, uses the Myers-Briggs Personality Indi-cator (MBTI) as a tool to help retreatants discov-er the kinds of spiritual exercises and prayer life that are best suited to each individual’s specific needs and preferences in spiritual growth and development. The retreat leader is the Rev. Dr. Perry T. Fuller, associate at Grace Episcopal Church, West Palm Beach. The cost is $285 per person, double oc-cupancy; $325 for single occupancy; and $175 for commuter. This includes meals from dinner on Friday through lunch on Sunday. A $100 deposit is due with the reservation. Brochures with all the details of the retreat can be downloaded at http://www.diosef.org/grape-vine/spirituality&personalityprogram.pdf. For additional information, contact Fuller by email, pamper60@aol.com or by telephone, 561-638-8962. The Play and Pray Weekend is described as “summer camp for adults”, featuring arts and crafts, games and movies, along with free time for massage, prayer, sleep and labyrinth walk-ing, and “an opportunity to find the Divine in the midst of your play”. The cost is $175/person, double occupancy; $225/person, single occupancy; and $325/cou-ple. Fatherhood: A Hero’s Journey is a relaxing re-treat for fathers, based on the theme of father-hood stories from scripture, literature and our own mythology. Topics will include time man-agement, roles of fathers, values and the impor-tance of faith. The cost is $140/person, double oc-cupancy or $160 for a single room. For additional information and registration for Play and Pray or Fatherhood: A Hero’s Journey, call 561-496-4130.

Two Cursillo weekends planned for October

Two Cursillo weekends are scheduled for October of this year—a women’s weekend Oct. 6-9 and a men’s weekend for Oct. 13-

16. Both will be held at the Duncan Center. The Spanish word “cursillo” means a short course, and the Cursillo weekend was designed as a “short course in Christianity”, an experience of renewal and the presence of Christ within a loving Christian community. The diocesan Cursillo community and the Dun-can Center are also planning a Renewal Weekend, Sept. 9-11. The Cursillo movement in our diocese is in the process of developing a new website, www.sefl-cursillo.org, and will also begin to distribute the newsletter “Counting on You” , as well as other information, online. To subscribe, send an email to: SEFLCursilloInfo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. For information on the fall weekends, contact Pam Anderson, 954-802-2207 or Pamapama213@aol.com.

Almost 300 Episcopal churchwomen, cler-gy and visitors attended the thirty-sixth diocesan Annual Meeting of the Episcopal

Churchwomen at the Marriott Hutchison Island on May 13 and 14. Forty-one parishes were rep-resented. Keynoter for the meeting was the Rev. Sandye Wilson, rector of St. Andrew’s and Holy Communion in South Orange, NJ, and past president of the Union of Black Episcopalians. “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” she challenged the women and their guests. Focusing on the meet-ing’s theme of social jus-tice, she continued, “The disciples moved from being disciples to being apostles (those who are sent)…There is no one else to go...we are the ones who speak for those who have no voice. We wel-come them to our table in His name...that’s what social justice is about.” She used the acronym SPAT as an outline for “being convicted of being Christians”: S--Show up, stand up, speak up; P--Pay attention to things and trends; A—Act, at some cost to ourselves--

sacrificial living; T--Tell the truth always, to your-self and then to everybody else. “You may question who you are, but never WHOSE you are. The tools that you need are in-side you,” she concluded.

In the business meet-ing, new diocesan ECW officers and deanery di-rectors were installed for three year terms: Presi-dent Cynthia Williams; First Vice-president/Pres-ident Elect Lillie Clarke; United Thank Offering Coordinator Polly Bobb; Church Periodical Club Director Gracia Jean Gordon; and Social Jus-tice/Triennial Delegate Judith Celestin-Lynch. Andrea Borne Hinson was installed as North Palm Beach Deanery Di-rector; Gayle O’Barr for

Broward Deanery; and Rose Brown for North Dade. The corporate missionary gift, given annually to one ministry within the diocese and one out-side, provided $1,700 each for Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Inc., (see box, next page) and New Hope Children’s Home, Inc., in Jamaica. Catherine Brown Scholarships were awarded

Annual Meeting: Churchwomen elect, learn, give,hear challenge to “be apostles”

By Mary Lou Ricker

See ECW next page

Donovan Marks/Washington National CathedralDuring his installation service as ninth dean of Washington National Cathedral, the Rev. Dr. Samuel T. Lloyd III receives the Dean’s Cross from the Rev. Dr. Nathan D. Baxter, eighth dean of the Cathedral.

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There we were, on a beautiful Sunday in April in Washington, D.C., in a twentieth-century Gothic cathedral, with the majestic

High Altar in front of us and the sunlight danc-ing through the 10,500 pieces of stained glass that make up the creation rose window high on the western façade behind us. Incense wafted through the air as the lanky young thurifur swung the smoking pot in impressive figure-eights that caused those seated near the center aisle to recoil in a reflex of self-preservation. Carillon and chorus echoed through the 10-story arches, and everywhere were the cathedral’s famed purple-robed vergers, who shepherd heads of state or visiting acolytes with equal aplomb. This ceremony was, as the speaker noted, an outstanding example “of what we Anglicans do so well” in pomp and ceremony. It was worthy of the attendance of the Deans of Canterbury Cathedral and of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, who represented their great churches on this day when the Rev. Dr. Samuel Thames Lloyd III was installed as the Ninth Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Washington Na-tional Cathedral). Numerous bishops, a Supreme Court Justice, the former dean and others well schooled in somber ritual were in attendance. Video and au-dio from the service, as well as a press release and the service program can be found at www.cathedral.org. Several South Floridians were present: Den-nis Fruit, now Development Director at Miami’s Vizcaya museum and formerly Executive Direc-tor for External Relations of the National Cathe-dral, with Brian Foss, formerly of NCCJ. It was Dennis who recruited me and, so many others, to the service of the Cathedral and its mission of expressing God’s love to all people. Another Flo-ridian was Porter Goss, first mayor of the City of Sanibel, later a Congressman and now director of the Central Intelligence Agency. No doubt there were other Floridians whom I missed in the mas-sive nave. (My husband, who served on a Navy destroyer, never fails to note that this cathedral is large enough to park his old ship in it.)

Installation of dean at National Cathedral: Pompand a message of healing

By Joanna Wragg

I hope there will be many more of us here two years from now, when we return to celebrate

Florida Day on June 17, 2007. At the last Florida Day here, our own Bishop Leo Frade celebrated the Holy Eucharist on a soggy September Sunday in 2003. At the next state gathering, acolytes from our churches will process, with their parish ban-ners, and our state will provide the choruses and preachers and lectors as well. Now is the time to begin planning for that trip, to ensure that every local church is represented on the day when Na-tional Cathedral prays for and celebrates Florida. On this day we heard the Old Testament read-ing from a rabbi, and a selection from the Qu’ran by a Muslim chaplain, along with words from the bishops and deans in welcoming Samuel Lloyd to this, the Nation’s Pulpit. Dean Lloyd offered from that pulpit a message for us all, the message of a faith, as he described it, “solid at the core, but soft around the edges,” a faith that can bring healing to our divided and fractious world. It was a message worthy of this great “National House of Prayer for All People.”

Joanna Wragg, a member of St. Christopher’s-by-the-Sea, Key Biscayne, serve on the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral Association.

The Net receives two Polly Bond Awards

At the Episcopal Communicators’ confer-ence held Apr. 27-30 in Salt Lake City, Utah, The Net was once again among the

publications honored in the organization’s an-nual Polly Bond Awards. The newspaper received Awards of Merit (sec-ond place) for General Excellence, based upon the first three issues published in 2004, as well as for coverage of the August and September hur-ricanes in the October/November issue. The awards honored the work of both the cur-rent layout and design editor, Patti Meyer, and the former designer, Dan Clifford. The judges’ comments included: “The Net has excellent use of color photogra-phy…It is very attractive to readers…The stories are timely and informative…Writing is strong and punchy, really grabs the reader…A very profes-sional package!” This year’s awards bring to 23 the number re-ceived by diocesan publications in the past six years.

to Shatoria Madrid, Church of the Transfigura-tion, Miami Gardens ($1,185); Davine Scarlett, St. Margaret’s, Miami Lakes ($750); and Scott Peters-en, St. Benedict’s, Plantation ($400). Madrid and Scarlett are college students; Petersen is a semi-narian at Virginia Theological Seminary. Chosen Diocesan Most Honored Woman for 2004-2005 was North Palm Beach Deanery Di-rector Carolyn Schmiedl. Other most honored women for their deaneries were: Patti Daniell (South Palm Beach), Fay Walker (Broward), Glo-ria Clausell (North Dade), and Helen Carr (South Dade). There was no nominee from the Keys this year. Special recognition was given to Church of the Atonement for the largest number attending (19) and to St. Paul’s, Key West, for its four del-egates who came the greatest distance. A box of “Miracle-Gro” was presented to Broward Dean-ery Director Eilene Wallace for having active ECW chapters in every parish in the deanery. Four workshops were offered. “Social Justice” was led by the Rev. Sandye Wilson and “Spiritual-

Forgotten Soldiers supports troops and their families Founded in October 2003, Forgot-

ten Soldiers Outreach, Inc., is a non-

profit organization, based in Boynton

Beach, which provides care packages to

military personnel stationed overseas.

In thanking the ECW for its support

through the Corporate Missionary Gift, Cathy

Koshofer, a member of Chapel of St. Andrew,

Boca Raton, explained the purpose of the or-

ganization:

“Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Inc. is not

about our personal views about the war nor

is it about politics. It is about the United

States Armed Forces servicemen and women,

many of whom are not much more than 18

years old. It is our mission to ease the pain

of separation of service personnel from their

loved ones, to give them encouragement, and

to help those families who can not afford to

ship their own packages by sending basic

needed items…that our government does

not provide.”

FSO has already sent more than 3,000

packages to individuals, as well as to squads,

platoons, battalions and hospitals. Each pack-

age costs $19 to fill and ship, and contains

such items as foot and body powder, soap,

bug repellent, international phone cards and

non-perishable snacks.

For information on how to help, or to reg-

ister the name of a serviceman or woman to

receive a package, go to www.forgottensol-

diers.org, email info@forgottensoldiers.org

or call 561-369-2933.

ity” by the Rev. William “Chip” Stokes. Dr. Gay F. Outler, North Dade Deanery Director, Marilyn Hall, United Thank Offering Coordinator, and Marjorie Hartmeyer, Church Periodical Club Di-rector, joined forces to present “Grant Writing” “Fund Raising”, always a popular topic, was led by Sandra Powell, assisted by Susan Stokes. The Rev. Wilson was also the preacher at the closing Eucharist, at which the Gospel was read in three languages: in English by Deacon Valerie Vernon, in Creole by Fr. Leonel Charles and in Spanish by Bishop Leo Frade. At Bishop Frade’s suggestion, a special offer-ing was taken up for the “Building to Serve” cam-paign at the Duncan Conference Center, where the new Schofield Chapel will be dedicated on June 19.

Mary Lou Ricker is a communications officer for the diocesan ECW.

•ECWcontinued from page 4

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On April 19 and 20, 15 clergy from parishes that have been or are part of the Nehemiah Proj-ect gathered at the Duncan Center for a retreat focused on the theme, “Developing and Enhanc-ing Leadership Abilities in the Parish Setting”. Bishop David Richards, retired director of the Office of Pastoral Development of the Episcopal Church, and Archdeacon for Deployment Mary Gray-Reeves began the program with a workshop on “Developing a Personal Ministry Plan”. The other workshops were: “Leadership Quali-ties to Break the 125-250 Barrier”, led by Archdea-con for Congregational Ministry Bryan Hobbs; “Management Skills”, led by Richard Miller, re-tired public administrator and retired CEO of the Sphinx Group consulting firm; and “Dealing with Conflict”, led by Dr. Lorna Bell-Shaw, president of Speaking Well, Inc., and professor at Lynn Uni-versity, and Christina Drouin, founder and direc-tor of the Center for Strategic Planning. Participants said they found the retreat ener-gizing and helpful for both spiritual and practical aspects of ministry. What follows are comments from three of those clergy: “I found the ‘Personal Ministry Plan’ Workshop helpful, in that we as clergy persons sometimes forget to take the time to be still and see where and what the Lord is leading us to do. As our ministries change we must change with them. During the last two years my ministry has certainly changed, so the ‘Leadership Qualities’ section touched home with me. The team min-istry concept has caught fire at Transfiguration and new leaders are emerging and empowering others. All of the information in this section will help us in our quest to “bring them in”. All clergypersons will at some time have to deal with conflict. The article by Norris Smith, ‘Ministers As Conflict Managers’ [handed out at

On May 17, members of the diocesan Assessment Appeals and Property and Loan Committees joined representa-

tives of the Nehemiah Project and the diocese’s two archdeacons at the Duncan Center for a day-long meeting on church growth. This was the first joint meeting of Nehemiah Steering Committee members with these two committees, whose ministries involve hearing directly from parish representatives about their financial and property needs and making recom-mendations to the Executive Board on funding for congregational development. The May meeting at the Duncan Center was a retreat from the usual activities of the committees in order to consider jointly the larger questions of empowering congregational growth, steward-ship of diocesan resources, the role of leadership for mission in the diocese and in congregations, how to pursue a common strategy, and develop-ment of criteria for funding church growth. The leader for the all-day retreat was Tino Diaz from Todos los Santos, Miami, a member of the diocesan Property and Loan Committee. Diaz serves professionally as a consultant to organi-zations that are seeking resolution to complex problems in a context of dialogue leading to ac-tion.

Nehemiah clergy retreat focuses on development of leadership skillsthe retreat], outlines very positive steps to use when conflict arises. Sessions such as these at the leadership retreat are relevant, informative and most of all, use-ful.” –The Rev. Barbara Baptiste-Williams, rector

Church of the Transfiguration, Miami GardensNehemiah 2004

“As a first year clergy participant in the Ne-hemiah Project, I found the retreat provided a wonderful opportunity to learn from others who have been participating in the project for a year or more. In addition, I have a notebook full of in-formation on leadership qualities, management skills and dealing with conflict. One of the most helpful portions of the retreat was the presentation (and small book) on the sub-ject of Appreciative Inquiry. With appreciative in-quiry, one builds on what works. The focus is not on problem solving, but on moving from good to better and building on success. This seems to me to be a most effective way of affirming and moti-vating people.” –The Rev. Nancy McCarthy, priest-in-charge St. Mary’s, Deerfield Beach Nehemiah 2005

“Twenty-four hours did and will make a tre-mendous difference! After being together for this brief, but intense period, April 19-20, with the participants at First Nehemiah Clergy Leader-ship Retreat, I walked away rejoicing! The Spirit of God was present. To begin this ‘mountain top’ experience, Bishop Richards and Archdeacon Gray-Reeves guided us to the critical need of, and skills to develop, a Clergy Ministry Plan… Just in case I thought it would be all sweet-

ness, watch out for conflict. Dr. Lorna Bell-Shaw and Christina Drouin made a deeply insightful presentation on this topic. Change or transfor-mation to ‘a more excellent way’ does and will generate conflict, for the tendency is to hold on to ‘the way we have always done it’. So, then, we need to understand the skills of how to better manage and still grow in healthy ways. Our life was rooted in prayer and great con-versation, while sharing a deep desire to go forth and share the skill sets with others, especially the leaders in our respective congregations.”

–The Rev. Horace Ward, rector Holy Family, Miami Gardens Nehemiah 2003

Diocesan committees, Nehemiah team considerchurch growth, funding issues

By The Rev. Richard Hamlin

The immediate concern of the two committees was how best to encourage congregations in tran-sition that are seeking to grow in their mission. At the same time, the committees are also involved with congregations that are currently declining and requesting diocesan support. Diaz led the group through a process of con-sidering basic questions and assumptions within the committees. Through the discussions the group identified a list of over 100 issues that had arisen. These included: how to measure growth; special needs and missions of the Church in our communities; funding source for planting new churches; leadership patterns in healthy congre-gations; how to utilize the diocesan resources and funds to empower development and growth rather than enabling decline; and clergy deploy-ment. At the end of the retreat the participants agreed to continue the dialogue, searching for common policies and actions on behalf of the diocese to implement the diocesan vision statement. The group’s next meeting is scheduled for June 20 at the Chapel of St. Andrew, Boca Raton.

Fr. Rick Hamlin, rector of St. Andrew’s, Mi-ami, serves as chair of the diocesan Property and Loan Committee.

Six transitional deaconsordained Apr. 17

In a joyous service on Apr. 17 at 3 p.m. in St. Gregory’s, Boca Raton, Bishop Leo Frade or-dained to the transitional diaconate six gradu-

ating seminarians. The new deacons are: Kathleen Gannon, a graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary; Rob-ert Goolsby and Brent Owens, both graduates of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest (ETSS); James Silcox, from the School of Theology at the University of the South (Se-wanee); Daniel Tantimonaco, from ETSS; and Nancy Wynan, from General Theological Semi-nary. The deacon of the mass for the service was the Rev. Robert “Bo” Shires, who was ordained to the priesthood the following week, on Apr. 23, at St. Mark the Evangelist, Ft. Lauderdale, where he is now assisting. In a sermon that evoked laughter while making serious points about evangelism, Frade charged the new deacons to learn from “aliens from outer space” about being focused on mission and truly welcoming to all people. “Aliens and their abductees have vision,” he said, “a clear vision of who they are, where they have been and where they are going…We need to have that kind of vision, and that passion for telling the story of how the love of Jesus Christ is transforming our lives.” (The bishop’s column, on p. 10, is an adaptation of this sermon.) G a n n o n , who was the recipient of the 2005 Vir-ginia Semi-nary Chair, presented to a member of the graduat-ing class who has exhibited a strong com-mitment to the commu-nity life and mission of the Seminary, has begun her ministry as associate at St. Paul’s, Del-ray Beach. Owens has been called as associate at St. Barnabas in the Desert, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Silcox is serving as curate at St. Paul’s, Augusta, Ga. The other three ordinands have not yet been assigned to a ministry.

Practicing laughter—At the COPE conference, parish administrators got some practice in laughing. Left to right are Charles Humphries, St. Stephen’s, Coconut Grove (Miami); Barbara Becker, St. James-in-the-Hills, Hollywood; Michelle Spells, St. Matthew’s, Delray Beach; Gerard Klingenberg, St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields, Pompano Beach; JoAnn Maddaford, St. Christopher’s, West Palm Beach; Pat O’Reilly, Trinity Cathedral, Miami; and Marisela Fernandez, St. Christopher’s, West Palm Beach.

Fr. Leonel Charles and Père Max Accime

At the Haiti Connection conference, (l-r) North Dade Dean Fritz Bazin and Haitian Commission Chair Fr. Frantz Casseus take time between sessions to enjoy conversation with Fr. Charles Chérismé, a Haitian priest now serving in the Diocese of Massachusetts, and Canon Wilner Milien of Puerto Rico.

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COPE conference offers laughter, learning, contemplation, communication

Haitian priest brings update from Gonaives

After the devastation of last fall’s hurri-canes, Fr. Leonel Charles, rector of St. Christopher’s, Ft. Lauderdale, went to

Gonaives, Haiti, to assess the needs and bring funds from the Broward Deanery to help. (His account of his mission was published in the December 2004 issue of The Net.) At the Haiti Connection conference, Charles’ colleague, Père Max Accime, a priest who serves in Gonaives, provided an update on the situa-tion. Most of the members of his congregation who lost their homes in the floods are living with ex-tended families, he said, but many are completely without furniture or household goods and are sleeping on the floor. Electricity is now back online, but much of the water is still contaminated and must be boiled. Although the school operated by Accime lost three months last fall, classes are now back in session, but there is little money to pay the teach-ers. The $8,000 given by the Broward Deanery is greatly appreciated, he says. One house was com-pletely repaired, and the balance of the money is still being used to fund smaller repairs and pur-chase household goods. The Broward Deanery will continue to send $40-$50 a month to four families in Gonaives through October of this year. For more information on how to help in Go-naives, contact Fr. Charles at leonelcharles@aol.com.

Haiti Connection Conference brings missiongroups to Miami Beach

By Mary W. Cox, editor

There are two kinds of people, wellness consultant and clown

Gail Choate told parish ad-ministrators at the COPE conference May 20 at the Duncan Center: “those who have stress, and those who give stress”. One of the purposes of the annual event is to provide a time away from the stress of the office for administrators, secretar-ies and other parish lay staff and volunteers. With Choate’s encouragement, participants quickly trad-ed their work worries for tossing an imaginary ball, running across the room making ridiculous noises, blowing soap bubbles, donning red clown noses and doubling over in peals of laughter.

Continuing the focus on wellness, Duncan Cen-ter Director Fr. Steve Fre-geau explained the use of the labyrinth as a tool for contemplation, prayer and spiritual growth. Ve-neta Lorraine-Poirier, the Center’s new program coordinator, spoke on spiritual direction, saying that a spiritual director “listens for where God is moving in a person’s life” and helps in the journey toward “the person God created you to be”. In a lively conversation with Bishop Leo Frade, the group discussed the need for more informa-tion to be made available

on parish administration and software programs, as well as better ways for parish administrators to

communicate with each other. In response to this request, the diocesan Elec-tronic Communications Committee is in the pro-cess of setting up a listserve for the group, and an email newsletter for parish administrators is also under consideration. On the second day of the conference, financial planner A. Dale George gave the group informa-tion on preparing a personal financial plan and Jason Mastrian led a yoga class specifically tai-lored for beginners. The conference chaplain, the Rev. Donna Hall, celebrated the closing Eucharist on Saturday af-ternoon. Despite the enthusiasm of the 22 participants, there was agreement that an annual overnight conference is no longer a practical or cost-effec-tive way to provide most parish lay staff members with information, refreshment and an opportu-nity to connect with colleagues. Instead, plan-ning will begin this summer for several regional weekday gatherings for parish administrators throughout the year.

Representatives of a wide range of mission groups in partnership with the Diocese of Haiti met May 1-3 at the Biscaya Hotel in

Miami Beach. At the opening service of Evensong, celebrated in French at Trinity Cathedral on the evening of May 1, the Rt. Rev. Jean Zaché Duracin, bishop of Haiti, greeted the congregation in French and English. He joked about “forcing so many people to speak French”, but added, “We are one in Christ, so we understand each other.” “God is the God of unity,” he said. “He has called us here to Miami to do his work.” The following morning nearly 200 people crowded into the restaurant at the Biscaya Hotel to hear reports from the ministries represented. Bishop Leo Frade welcomed the group to the diocese, telling them that the room where they were meeting “used to be an International House of Pancakes, but today it is an international House of the Lord!” The Episcopal Church needs to be a mission-ary church, he said, and shouldn’t be concerned about not having enough resources or being too small. “If you think small doesn’t matter,” he add-ed, “you’ve never been in bed with a mosquito!” He thanked Bishop Duracin for “his faithful-

ness and for being our friend.” In his introduction to the work of the confer-ence, Duracin again spoke of unity—“Differences do not exist in the Body of Christ”—and said that the church in Haiti has always “preached a holis-tic Gospel, a gospel of the integrity of people”. The church has “always worked for the whole-ness of people because the people of Haiti have always been a broken people.” Schools and clinics, he said, are a way to “preach the Gospel not only in word, but in deed.” Canon Wilner Milien of the Diocese of Puer-to Rico gave a presentation on the movement to have Bishop James Theodore Holly, the first bishop of Haiti, added to the Episcopal Church’s calendar of saints. Bishop Holly celebrations have been held in the Diocese of Southeast Florida for the past two years. Throughout the rest of the conference, each of the ministries represented had an opportunity to give an update on its work, with time for ques-tions and sharing thoughts on common challeng-es. The conference was also an opportunity for those working in ministries based in this country to spend time with the Haitian clergy involved in the same ministries, as well as for Haitian clergy in

southeast Florida to connect with friends and colleagues from Haiti. For the past four years, the conference has been held in Port-au-Prince, but due to the continu-ing violence in and around Haiti’s capital, this year’s meeting was moved to Miami Beach. For more information on the Haiti Connection and the work of these minis-tries, go to www.haiticonnection.org.

THE NET • PAGE 8www.diosef.org

All Saints’, Jensen Beach, has called Law-rence W. Key as director of music. Key is a PhD candidate in Music Theory at Michigan State Uni-versity and was principal flutist of the Michigan State University Symphony. His wife Bonnie is a pastor in the American Baptist Church. All Saints’ will host a “Swingin’ to the Oldies” dance June 18. On Mothers’ Day, the Men’s Club at St. Luke’s, Port Salerno, served a breakfast buffet after the service. Each woman attending was given a rose. The Men’s Club at Church of the Advent, Palm City, also hosted a Mother’s Day breakfast. The men will be guests of honor at a Fathers’ Day breakfast on June 19. At Advent a new adult fellowship group for busy working people is called “I’m not retired yet”. The group held its second social event June 3. Bethesda-by-the-Sea, Palm Beach, has called Fr. Andrew “Drew” Van Culin from the Diocese of Colorado as Associate for Christian Education. His first Sunday at Bethesda will be July 10. One of the ways the youth at Good Shepherd, Tequesta, raised funds for their summer mission trip was the sale of “Prescriptions for Comfort”. The prescriptions buy special pillows for chil-dren undergoing radiation and chemotherapy, so the fund-raiser was a double blessing. Good Shepherd will sponsor a concert by the French Boys’ Choir, July 23 at 4 p.m. The boys will also sing at the service on Sunday, July 24. The French choir is also performing at St. Mary’s, Stuart, at 7 p.m. on July 22. Fifty volunteers from St. Mary’s continue to be part of the Martin County American Red Cross hurricane disaster mobile feeding kitchen, which provides food to the Red Cross emergency response vehicles. The Parish Life Center at St. Mary’s will also serve as a secondary shelter and/or administrative area after a disaster, as it did last year. On Sunday evening, May 1, St. Andrew’s, Lake Worth, hosted a performance by writer/ac-tor Akin Babtunde and the Core Ensemble, a trio of piano, cello and percussion. Called “Harvest of Voices”, the performance was based on in-

terviews with more than 60 individuals in Lake Worth and celebrated the community’s diversity. The evening included a performance by St. An-drew’s choir of “St. Andrew’s Hymn of Praise”, a work composed for the church by organist/choir director Norman Conaway. June 12 was Children’s Sunday at St. Mary’s, Deerfield Beach. Young people read the lessons, and attendance awards were presented. On June 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., St. John’s, Hollywood, will launch its new parish cookbook with a “Recipe Tasting”. LifeLine Screening, which provides non-inva-sive screening for arterial abnormalities that in-crease the risk of stroke, will offer screenings at St. John’s on Friday, Jul. 8. There are fees for the tests, and pre-registration is required. Call 1-800-324-1851 for information or to register for the screenings. Ines Vigues is the new parish secretary at St. Nicholas, Pompano Beach. The youth group at St. Mary Magdalene, Cor-al Springs, held a baby shower on May 22, col-lecting such items as crib sheets, pacifiers, bottle brushes and baby clothes for mothers served by the “His Caring Place” ministry. All Saints, Ft. Lauderdale, has held a men’s clothing drive during June, ending on Fathers’ Day, June 19. Jeans, shirts, athletic shoes, flip-flops and underwear will be given to the clothing closet at St. Laurence Chapel. On June 14, All Saints held a Ministry Night, a time for the chairs of all parish ministries to coordinate their plans for 2005-2006 events in order to avoid time and space—and human re-sources—conflicts. On June 24, at 7:30 p.m., Trinity Cathedral, Miami, will hold a wine tasting, with proceeds to benefit the “Feed My Sheep” outreach program. Call the cathedral office, 305-374-3372, for tick-ets; no tickets will be sold at the door. Fr. John R. Johnson, Jr., was installed as rector of All Souls’, Miami Beach on May 10 at 7:30 p.m. Bishop Leo Frade was the celebrant, and Fr. Charles Osbourne, a close friend of the new rector, preached. Fr. Richard Maholm, who was the parish’s supply priest during the transition,

was gospeler for the service. The assistant mayor of Miami Beach, Luis Garcia, presented “Father Johnny” with a certificate proclaiming May 10 as “Father John R. Johnson Installation Day” in the City of Miami Beach. At the 10 a.m. service on June 19 at St. Ste-phen’s, Coconut Grove (Miami), the choir will sing the Mass, using a setting by 16th century Spanish composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. The parish newsletter explains that this is an offering of the music as it was intended to be used, as a setting for the words of the liturgy and a comple-ment to worship. Fr. Ray Reid, who retires the end of this month as rector of St. Matthew the Apostle, Miami, was given a festive send-off June 12 with a din-ner and program for parishioners and friends at Signature Gardens. Seminarian Matthew Cowden, who will begin his final year at Virginia Theological Seminary in the fall, was guest preacher on June 5 in his home parish, Chapel of the Venerable Bede, Coral Gables. Summer Sunday School at Venerable Bede will have a circus theme. Palmer Trinity School Chaplain Adrian Parry is on sabbatical from June 2005 to January 2006. He will be traveling in Asia, but for much of the time he will be based in Bangkok, Thailand, and hopes to continue the ministry he found himself doing last winter among victims of the tsunami. Thanks to donations from parishioners and friends, St. James the Fisherman, Islamorada, is going into this hurricane season with new ac-cordion storm shutters. The old shutters fit so badly that the parish had to leave them up from August through November last year, fearing that if they were removed, no one could put them back. St. James’ parish administrator, Annette Dix-on, is moving away; the new administrator, be-ginning in July, will be Michelle Lane. The Sunday School at St. Francis-in-the-Keys, Big Pine Key, held an elegant tea party on May 14. The price of admission was $10, with proceeds going toward a special Sunday School project—to help build a school in the Sudan.

Linda Schlepp-Gray/The NetUnexpected ornaments—Archdeacon Bryan Hobbs is surprised to discover that his front lawn has suddenly acquired a flock of plastic flamingos, compliments of an anonymous benefactor. (He has his suspicions.) The “flocking” is an unusual service provided by the youth of St. Joseph’s, Boynton Beach, as a technique for raising funds for their summer pilgrimage to Scotland and England: A donor pays to have the yard of a friend (perhaps soon to be a former friend) “flocked”--and then the recipient of the flamingos must pay to have the flock removed.

Children’s Sunday—“Angel in the Sky”, by Garrett Vincent, 5, and “Kindness”, by Evi Seely, 10, were among the artworks by Sunday School students at Good Shepherd, Tequesta, that decorated the cover of the worship bulletin on Trinity Sunday, May 22. Children in grades preK-5 led the service that day; the children’s choir sang, and children were readers, ushers and greeters, led the Prayers of the People and carried the oblations. On June 5, the service was led by members of the youth group.

JUNE/JULY 2005

Parishes Progressin

THE NET • PAGE 9www.diosef.org

JUNE/JULY 2005

Marcia Sweeting-Somersall/The NetScholarship winners—Dekariss Barnett and Willie Anderson, Jr., were winners of the $1,000 scholarships given by St. Peter’s, Key West, in memory of Canon John H. Reece, Jr., former rector of St. Peter’s and first priest of color to serve as a dean in our diocese. The scholarship awards were announced at the parish’s Reece Memorial Banquet on Apr. 23.

Cheryl Faulstich/The NetRemembering sacrifice--Myles Gill, Sgt.1st class, U.S. Army Airborne, retired, presents the flag to Fr. Matt Faulstich at a Memorial Day observance on Sunday, May 29, at St. John’s, Hollywood. The service that morning began with presentation of the flags of each branch of the military, while the hymns of Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Army were played. Names of the parish’s deceased veterans were read, the flag was presented to the rector and “Taps”was played. Then there was a moment of silence before the mass began.

Allison Worth/The NetBirthday gift—Principal Valerie Wideman of St. John’s School, Homestead, receives a donation of $300 from students Lexie Worth, 5, and her sister Kelsey, 7, to be sent to Episcopal Relief and Development to aid tsunami victims. Both girls, who are also members of St. John’s Church, celebrated their birthdays this year by requesting donations for tsunami relief instead of gifts. The girls’ mother, Allison Worth, the Girl Scout leader at St. John’s, says, “We need to teach our children just how lucky they are”. The Scout troop has collected and shipped school and hygiene supplies to children in Afghanistan.

Jack Stanton/The NetEn Español—The Rev. Cruz Cardona hopes the newly installed sign on the fence outside Trinity Cathedral, Miami, will attract more neighbors and visitors to the growing Saturday evening Spanish service.

Parishes Progressin

Points of

ViewOfficial publication of the

Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida

Episcopal Communicators’Award of Excellence,“General Excellence”

for the year 2000

The Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, Bishop

The Rt. Rev. James OttleyAssistant Bishop

The Rt. Rev. Calvin O. Schofield, Jr.S.T.D., Retired Bishop

Kathryn BlantonConvener of Communications Ministry

Mary W. Cox Editor

Patricia MeyerBig Max’s Studio

Layout and Design Editor

John T. CoxProofreader

Letters to the Editor The Net welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must include the name, address, phone number, and if available, email address, of the writer. Parish affiliation is also requested, when applicable. The Net reserves the right to refuse publication, and to edit letters for length, spell-ing and grammar.

News & Information The Net invites news of parish ministries and activities, as well as commentary on church-related issues and events. Whenever possible, all material should be submitted electronically or on a disk or CD. Documents sent as attach-ments or on disk should be in Word, or in a for-mat that can be opened in Word. Printed mate-rial should be an original document or a clean photocopy that can be scanned — no faxes. Please include with all material the name, address, phone number and if available, email address, of the contributor. Parish affiliation is also requested, when applicable. The Net re-serves the right to refuse publication and to edit all contributions. The Net reserves the right to refuse publica-tion and to edit all contributions. Photographs should be high-resolution digi-tal files or clear prints of film photographs, preferably on glossy paper. Photographs sized for a website are generally too small for print. Do not send prints made from digital photo-graphs. All material–letters, articles or pho-tos –should be submitted electronically to: episcorat@aol.com, or by mail to: Mary W. Cox, Diocese of Southeast Florida, 525 NE 15 St., Mi-ami, FL 33132-1411.

Net deadline The next deadline for The Net is July 10. If you have an announcement or calendar item for events in June or July please get the information to The Net by July 10. Mail to Mary W. Cox, DoSEF, 525 NE 15th St., Mi-ami, FL 33132-1411, or EpiscoRat@aol.com.

THE NET (USPS 787-340) is published bi-monthly, six times a year, in February, April, June, August, October and December by the Diocese of Southeast Florida. Subscription, $5 annually. Periodicals postage paid at Mi-

ami, Fla.

POSTMASTER: Address changes to The Net,

525 N.E. 15th Street, Miami, FL 33132-1411.

THE NET • PAGE 10www.diosef.org JUNE/JULY 2005

Adapted from a sermon preached by Bishop Leo Frade at the ordination of six transitional dea-cons at St. Gregory’s, Boca Raton, on April 17.

I have been amazed to learn that about four mil-lion people in this coun-

try believe they have been ab-ducted by aliens from outer space. Only about 2.7 million people are members of the Episcopal Church. What is it the aliens are doing right that we Episcopalians are not do-ing? I decided to analyze alien techniques of evan-gelism. Obviously, I couldn’t interview the aliens themselves, so I did the next-best thing--research in sources like The X Files, Star Wars, Star Trek, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and My Favorite Martian. Here are some of the points I discovered. The aliens’ flyer saucers are visible. People see them in the sky, and landing in fields or even in the middle of the desert. We also need to be seen--not just as church buildings, but as people. We must be visible in our communities, in times of problems and con-flict, unemployment, divorce, illness and death, with youth and the elderly, when terrible things happen, and in times of joy, too. It is important for us not to hide; there is a world out there that needs to see us. The aliens are interested in human beings. They probe, analyze, take samples, take blood--they find out everything they can about us. When people come to church, we need to be interested in them. We cannot stop with asking their names. We must also probe--probe their hearts and souls, their needs, their gifts, their hopes and fears. We need to care who they are. We are their bridge to Christ. The aliens are accessible to all human be-ings. They come to us. They don’t just land some-where, put up a sign and stay in their space ships waiting for people to show up. Their flying sau-cers have open doors, but they also go out search-ing for people. You never hear the space aliens saying: “We do not need any new abductees. We already have enough.” They come with big enough ships to ac-commodate multitudes if necessary. We as Episcopalians are hard to find. Not only are many of our church buildings hard to find, but it’s also often hard for those who may be com-ing to our churches to find who we really are. It is about time for us to abandon our elitist attitude and go out searching for new members. Our rate of growth should begin to equal the growth of the population in southeast Florida. Let’s initiate the contact, let’s be sure they know where--and who--we are, let’s invite them in. We must be more open in the witness of our faith. In spaceships people are encouraged to come as they are. No one needs special clothes. They abduct people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, language, characteristics or socioeconomic backgrounds. In the Celtic church, evangelists said to the people they hoped to convert, “You can belong before you believe.” Let us be that kind of accept-ing church. Space aliens are in the business of transform-ing people.

What we can learn from “space alien” evangelism Have you noticed that people don’t stop be-lieving after they return from the spaceship? If they are challenged later on by others, they con-tinue to believe, no matter what anyone else may say. Something powerful happens when people en-ter one of those flying saucers: People are marked and changed forever. The aliens make sure that what happens to a person who comes to them will unite the newcomers with them at all times. When a new person comes to one of our churches, can we make certain that their experi-ence with us will make such a difference in their lives? You see, aliens don’t have to preach their mes-sage, because others--those whose lives have been transformed--will get their message across for them. Have we been transformed, so that we can make each of our churches a place where others can be transformed? Aliens and their abductees have vision–a clear vision of who they are, where they have been and where they are going. Those who have been ab-ducted know that something has happened to them and they want the world to know about their transforming experience. We need to have that kind of vision, and that passion for telling the story of how the love of Jesus Christ is transforming our lives. Space aliens are mission oriented. They get where they are going, because they know that they came to do a job. We must remember that the aliens didn’t ven-ture across the Milky Way arguing about who should be in or out of the crew, or who was going to pilot their ship. They didn’t form an AAC: American Alien Council, or even an AMIA: Aliens Messing inAmerica. When they are on the ship they work together to make the mission successful and fulfill their roles. They succeed because they put their big alien egos to the side and are committed to work as a team. They know that everyone is needed and no one should be excluded. They know they have a mission. They know they have been sent from the uttermost part of the universe to make contact with earth, so they don’t waste their energies on diversionary excur-sions to other planets. They know that their pri-mary mission is difficult enough without being sidetracked by every intriguing or dangerous blip that emerges on their radar screen. They’re focused on their goal of reaching earth, and they don’t quit and begin to do other things. Aliens have a clear vision: They are Pur-pose-Driven Aliens! We, too, have a mission that comes from the ut-termost part of the universe, from the very heart of God. We, too, have been sent to earth with a purpose. Let us make our churches as visible, as inter-ested, as accessible, as transforming and as focused on vision and mission as the aliens in their flying saucers. We can speculate about whether those aliens really exist, but we can be sure that our Lord is real, and that the mission he has given us, to love and welcome all people in his Name, is our most important job in the uni-verse.

+Leo Frade

Points of

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Partners in reconciliation–a believing Christian looks at the HolocaustBy Thomas G. O’Brien III

The following is excerpted from a sermon de-livered by Tom O’Brien, a member of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, on April 29, 2005 on the observance of Yom Hashoah at Temple Beth Torah in Wel-lington, Fla. O’Brien recently received an award from the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews for his work to advance the mission of the fellowship.

As I reflect on the Holocaust, my over-whelming reaction to this unspeakable of-fense against humanity is shame. Shame

that the Shoah occurred in a nominally Christian country; shame that Christianity and most Christians took only limited actions to stop this carnage and reduce its impact; shame that the predominant theology of Christianity towards Judaism was so wrongheaded from the Second Century until recently; shame that when this wrongheaded theology was combined with po-litical power in the Fourth Century, Christendom placed Jews in a position where, in the words of St. Augustine, they would survive but not thrive; shame that Jews were isolated, marginalized, without a homeland, placed in ghettos, subjected to Inquisitions and forced conversions – all as a negative example for rejecting the Messiahship and Divinity of Jesus of Nazareth. Sixteen centuries of anti-Semitic actions and attitudes were an essential pre-requisite to the madness of “the Final Solution.” As a Christian, if I share in the legacy of the good that Christian-ity has done and the promise of what it can do, I must also acknowledge my share of the evil that Christians as a group have done. Moreover, I must humbly recognize that if I had been a Chris-tian in Germany from 1933 to 1945, I cannot ar-rogantly assert that I would have risked my life for others. I pray that I would have done all that I could to help, but none of us knows for sure what we will do until we are presented with real life situations. The “wrongheaded theology” of Christianity towards Judaism grew out of the religious up-heaval of the First Century. Before the cataclys-mic destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, there were at least six distinct Jewish groups.…Only the Pharisees and Jesus Followers (who were not called “Christians” until the 80’s) sur-vived the destruction of the Temple. Over time, they evolved into Rabbinic Judaism and Christi-anity.

In the years just after 70 CE, the Pharisees and the Jesus Followers each presented themselves as the only true successor to Historic Judaism… The written polemic remained after the split became permanent in 90 CE. Later readers of these writ-ings (particularly the Gospels) forgot (or never knew) the family feud context in which the words were originally written. They therefore misun-derstood and misused the so-called anti-Jewish portions of Christian Scripture… When Christianity became the Religion of the Roman Empire in 380, supersessionism (the the-ology that Christianity superseded Judaism and the Covenant between God and the Jews was ab-rogated) became the dominant Christian theolo-gy towards Judaism. It was a theological building block of institutionalized anti-Semitism that was, in turn, a pre-condition to the Holocaust. The Second Vatican Council in the early ‘60s changed this theology for Roman Catholics and for many other Christians. Christian theologians began to see that attacks on Judaism were attacks on the foundations of both Judaism and Christi-anity. They were attempts to uproot the very tree of which Christianity and Modern Rabbinic Juda-ism are both branches. For many Christians and Jews, seeing ourselves as branches of a tree that has a common trunk may be a new image. For Christians, it means giving up the idea that Christianity superseded Judaism. It means recognizing that the Covenant between the God of Israel and the Jews is now – and always was – a means to salvation and full-ness of humanity for faithful Jews. Accordingly, Christians should stop proselytizing Jews. It makes no sense theologically. For Jews, seeing both Christianity and Judaism as branches of the shared tree of Historic Judaism does not detract from the Jews’ status as God’s Chosen People…There is mutuality between Ju-daism and Christianity, and Jews are asked to re-ciprocally acknowledge that Christians also have a valid covenantal relationship with the God of Israel that is – for Christians – a way to salvation and wholeness. These mutual recognitions are an important step toward the important goal of reconciliation. The Holocaust was evil, and good never comes from evil as such. But good can come from the recognition of evil in human history and this rec-ognition can lead to a multi-step process of rec-

onciliation. Reconciliation is not an easy process. The wrongdoer must acknowledge that evil has been done and that all the harmful consequences of the evil may not yet be known. The wrongdoer needs to re-pent of (literally, turn away from) the evil and its known and unknown harms, resolve not to do the evil again, and seek forgiveness from the person harmed. This begins the reconciliation process and re-creation of a right re-lationship. The person who was wronged also faces moral is-sues and risks in the recon-ciliation process. The forgiver runs the risk that all the harm-

ful consequences are not yet known. And, in spite of our hopes, ex-perience teaches that even sincere resolve is not a guarantee that the penitent will not backslide. But we also believe that reconcili-ation and restored relationships are the best way to create a shared orientation for the good of all. Christians and Jews can begin the process of reconciliation through sustained Interfaith Dia-logues, learning more about their own and the other’s faith traditions and practices, sharing worship and rituals, inviting small groups from other congregations for worship and dialogue, and by praying in each other’s sacred spaces on a reciprocal basis. Christians and Jews have much to share. We worship the God of Israel as the one true God. Our God is the God of Compassionate Love and a personal God who enters covenantal relation-ships with us. Our Scriptures testify again and again to the forgiveness of a God who seeks free-dom, wholeness, justice and equity for us and for all persons. Together we are called to reject the false gods – whether they are called Baal, or money, or power, or accomplishment, or any-thing else that takes us away from the one true God. We worship a God of Mystery whom we do not try to control or manipulate – a God whose will is found in the Torah and in the Covenant that the prophet Jeremiah tells us is within us, written on our hearts. [Jer. 31:33] Christians and Jews are called to repair the world, and can sense the reconciling power of common ministry to others. Our faith traditions are not competitive; they inform, complement, and deepen each other…We are reconciled when we realize that Judaism and Christianity are two expressions of a single over-arching Covenant of Salvation for all of us. We share belief in a Messi-ah and believe that at some point, the fullness of the Kingdom of God will be among us. We shall then perceive the coming (or for Christians, the Second Coming) of the Messiah in terms so dra-matic that, as Isaiah says, the wolf and the lamb shall live and feed together. [Isa. 11:6, 65:25] The recognition of the evil of the Holocaust – not the evil itself – presents a profound oppor-tunity for reconciliation between Judaism and Christianity that has not existed for almost 2,000 years. Christians must understand their history and theology that led to such sordid treatment of Jews. Only when Christians acknowledge the enormous failure of Christianity’s treatment of the Jews for the last 16 centuries, can we then ask our Jewish brothers and sisters to call upon their generosity of spirit, their largeness of heart, to be partners in a process of reconciliation and to forgive their Christian brothers and sisters who themselves (and whose forebears) treated Jewish people and their forebears so wrongly. Christians and Jews are brothers and sisters. Religiously, we were both conceived in Historic Judaism in the turbulent years before the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE. Our separate religious traditions were born in 70, and we were conten-tious sibling adolescents in the years before the end of the First Century. We have been apart too long. It is time to reconcile.

Luis Rodriguez/The NetTwo young acolytes march in the Acolyte Festival procession carrying the Pentecost streamers they made in a workshop earlier in the day.

Terrence Taylor/The NetCelebration in Key West—Recognizing that it would be too far for them to travel to West Palm Beach for the diocesan Acolyte Festival, acolytes from the Keys Deanery held their own gathering on Apr. 2 at St. Peter’s, Key West, with Bishop Leo Frade (seated, center) as celebrant at the Eucharist. On the front row with the bishop and the acolytes are Keys clergy: on the left, Dean Michael Hartney, rector of St. Columba, Marathon, and Fr. Hyvenson Joseph, rector of St. Peter’s; and on the right, Fr. David Wilt, rector of St. Paul’s, Key West, and Fr. Chris Todd, rector of St. Francis in the Keys, Big Pine Key.

Luis Rodriguez/The NetAt the Acolyte Festival, acolyte Vivian Sterling from St. Philip’s, Pompano Beach, practices being bishop for a moment. Enjoying the fun (right) are keynote speaker the Rev. Carol Wade, priest associate for liturgy at Washington National Cathedral, and retired Bishop Onell Soto, currently serving as interim at St. James in the Hills, Hollywood.

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More than 400 acolytes participated in the annual Diocesan Acolyte Festival on May 14 at Grace Church, West Palm

Beach. After registering, the participants gathered in the church for an opening greeting and a presen-tation by the Reverend Carol L. Wade, priest as-sociate for liturgy at Washington National Cathe-dral. Then they broke into groups and attended one of six workshops, which varied from fun arts and crafts with a Pentecost theme to the preparing of the sacristy. After the first workshops everyone took a break to enjoy pizza and refreshments for lunch, and then it was on to the second round of workshops, which gave everyone a chance to participate in a different activity. Then the acolytes prepared for the afternoon service that takes place at the end of all acolyte festivals. The only problem was that everything was put on hold while they awaited the arrival of Bishop Leo Frade to join the procession. The Bishop was on his way from the ECW annual meeting in Hutchison Island, going as fast as pos-sible, we’re sure. In the meantime, Canon Terrence Taylor was gathering readers for the reading of the word–the passage telling the story of Pentecost--in a num-ber of different languages. Finally, as acolytes waited and tensions rose, the bishop arrived and the service began. According to Canon Taylor, about 500 people were present for the Eucharist, “including proud parents” of acolytes who were recognized for outstanding service in acolyte ministry in their parishes. (See box.)

David Pringle, 17, is an acolyte at Trinity Ca-thedral, Miami, and also serves as secretary to the diocesan Youth Commission.

Acolytes honored for outstanding service

Josh Adams, St. Mary Magdalene, Coral Springs; Walter Anderson, Incarnation, Miami; Shereen Bryan, Grace Church, West Palm Beach; Antonio Belk, St. Patrick’s, West Palm Beach; Keanon Britton, Church of the Ascension, Miami; Jeremy Todd Daniel, St. Mary’s, Deerfield Beach; Phillip Davis, Holy Sacrament, Pembroke Pines; Jennifer Demesmin, Sainte Croix de Jesus, Boynton Beach; Douglas T. Dozier, Christ Church, Miami; Shawn Fleming, St. Paul’s, Delray Beach; Drexel Forbes, Jr., St. Matthew’s, Delray Beach, Dylisha Harmon, St. Andrew’s, Hollywood; Dara Hart, All Saints’, Jensen Beach; Jeremy Hearne, Atonement, Lauderdale Lakes; Alexandrew Hintzen, St. Christopher’s, West Palm Beach; William Holmes, Trinity Cathedral, Miami; Torin Kelly, St. Luke’s, Port Salerno; Bonnie Koltz, St. Joseph’s, Boynton Beach; Justin Kotlowski, St. Faith’s, Miami; Paul McBarnette, St. Kevin’s, Miami; Roger Martinez, Todos Los Santos, Miami; Graciela Mendoza, St. Columba, Marathon; Kaly Mobley, St. Peter’s, Key West; Christopher Newbold, St. Ann’s, Hallandale Beach; Jessica Palmer, Holy Family, Miami; Sean Matthew Palmer, All Souls’, Miami Beach; Antonio Polanco, St. James, Hollywood; Jose Vargas, Holy Redeemer, Lake Worth; Matthew Williams, St. Agnes, Miami; Tanika Williamson, St. Bernard de Clairvaux, North Miami Beach; Emilie Wink, St. Martin’s, Pompano Beach; Elaine Zapata, Holy Comforter, Miami

Acolytes, learn, worship, celebrate their ministry at annual diocesan festivalBy David Pringle

Keys Acolyte Festival

James Sands/The NetAt the Christ Church First Memorial Golf Tournament at the Biltmore Country Club, Percy Anderson (left), whose father, Thomas E. Anderson, caddied at the Biltmore and was one of the men honored by the tournament, makes a foursome with Wally Mucci, Tom Rembert and Roosevelt Cox.

Johnson

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The Rev. Canon John W. Davis, retired priest

The Reverend Canon John W. Davis died Sun-day, June 5 in Vero Beach, Fl. Born Oct. 16, 1920, in New York City, he served in various ministries in the Diocese of Long Is-land until his retirement in 1986. He was made an honorary canon of the Cathedral of the Incar-nation, Garden City, NY, in 1963. After his retirement he served as a winter assis-tant at St. Gregory’s, Boca Raton, and for several years worked to organize a retired clergy group in this diocese.

Willette Schad, parish leader

Willette Schad, a longtime parish leader at Holy Comforter, Miami, died Apr. 13, five days short of her 90th birthday, in her apartment at Holy Com-forter Senior Housing, where she had lived since 1998. Born Apr. 18, 1915, in Baltimore, Md., Schad came to Miami in 1949, where she worked for the City of Miami, then taught third grade for several years and later worked in the administrative of-

Kay Johnson is new head of school at St. Joseph’s

Saint Joseph’s Episcopal School’s Board of Trustees recently ap-

pointed Kay Johnson as Head of School. Johnson joins SJS from The Riverside School, an arts and academics elementary and middle school in Vermont, where she was responsible for all management, curricu-lum and personnel issues as its Head of School for the past five years. Her professional experience includes creat-ing performance-based evaluation standards for teachers, using a multi-level approach that in-cludes feedback from their peers, division heads and the Head. She also plans to be in the class-room to see first-hand how teachers and students are inspired and how that inspiration can be cul-tivated. Johnson was selected by an executive search committee consisting of members of the SJS Board, Walker and members of the SJS staff and faculty. A Florida native, who began her teaching career in Jacksonville, Johnson was an English teacher for 10 years at Bend Senior High School in Oregon, was an adjunct faculty member at Central Oregon Community College and Lewis and Clark College Graduate School and was Aca-demic Dean at The King George School in Sutton, Vermont for two years. A long-time Episcopalian, she is moving to South Florida from Lyndonville, Vermont with her husband, Norm. Johnson comes to Saint Joseph’s Episcopal School (SJS) as interim Head Laura C. Walker ends her yearlong leadership. Departing her interim role which began in June 2004, Walker is the former Head of Palmer Trinity School in Miami and is the President of the Board of the National Association of Episco-pal Schools (NAES), the organization that sup-ports, serves and advocates the work and minis-try of the nation’s 1,000 Episcopal schools.

Christ Church golf tournament honors past leadersBy Mary W. Cox, editor

On May 27, Christ Church, Coconut Grove (Miami) held a golf tournament at the Biltmore Country Club in Coral

Gables. Like similar tournaments held by a number of other congregations, the event was intended as a fund-raiser. However, unlike most other fund-raising golf tournaments, this one was also a me-morial; Christ Church was honoring the memory of 56 men who faithfully served the church and the community during the 104 years of the par-ish’s history. In the parish these men served as acolytes, ushers, vestry members, Sunday School super-intendents, musicians, givers and collectors of “dues” and leaders of outreach ministries in the community. They kept the church buildings in good repair and cared for the landscaping of the grounds. Many were also community leaders--volunteer, appointed and elected. But these sons of the Bahamian Anglican founders of the parish would not have been al-lowed to play golf on the Biltmore course. In the days of segregation, the only black men on the course were caddies, and appropriately, some of the men honored by the tournament did work as caddies at the Biltmore. Over 50 tee hole markers, each a memorial to one of the men being remembered, were dis-played around the course, and then brought back to be displayed in the church garden during the following week. Players included University of Miami President Donna Shalala, State Representative Wilbert T. Holloway, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez and groups from the Miami-Dade Police, Fire, Transit and Public Waste De-partments. Funds raised will go toward the installation of storm-resistant windows–and later, stained glass--in the church as a permanent memorial to the 56 men. “They were our fathers, brothers, uncles, cous-ins, nephews, in-laws, heroes, mentors and role models,” says a tribute in the program booklet. “We proudly honor their memory and reflect on their love, dedication and contributions; they have left an enduring legacy.”

Obituariesfices of the Head Start program in Miami-Dade County. She continued to work for the county un-til her retirement at age 72. At Holy Comforter, she served on the vestry and was the volunteer parish secretary for several years. She was also a member of the board of di-rectors of Holy Comforter Senior Housing. She is survived by her brother, Theodore Mac-Neeve Schad of Arlington, Va., a nephew and three nieces.

David Willing, cathedral volunteer

David Willing, a retired attorney who was a longtime member of Trinity Cathedral, died Me-morial Day weekend at his home in Coral Ga-bles. Willing had served on both the vestry of the Ca-thedral and the Cathedral Chapter and was also a lay reader. He was known to many in the diocese through his regular volunteer work in the Cathe-dral Bookstore. An avid historian and raconteur, he was a source of fascinating information about the history of Miami and of the Cathedral.

St. Nicholas celebrates new beginningsBy Deacon Valerie Vernon

Trinity Sunday, May 22, was a day of rejoic-ing and festivities at St. Nicholas, Pompano Beach, as the parish celebrated several new

beginnings. Bishop Leo Frade was present to confirm Alex Lembeck, Janise Brinson and Mrs. Ilona Tarjan. He also laid hands on Halstead Hopkins and several other parishioners as they reaffirmed their baptismal vows—and on the rector, Fr. Tim Thomas, who would celebrate both his birthday and the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the diaconate on May 25. At the end of the service, all processed to the newly renovated parish hall where Bishop Frade led a service of dedication and blessing. Knocking on the doors with his crozier, the bishop pronounced, “Let the doors be opened.” As Junior Warden Will Askew proudly opened the doors, there were many with tears in their eyes and all with joy in their hearts. The day they had looked forward to for the past three years had come. After all the stops and starts, hurdles and headaches, disappointments and delays, the parish hall renovations were finally completed. The parish hall was dedicated in memory of Earl and Alma Brach, parishioners whose bequest provided funding for the renovations. The celebration continued with a feast provid-ed by a combined effort of all the parishioners and a cross-shaped cake as big as a card table. The day of joyful thanksgiving and praise con-tinued at 5:30 p.m., when Fr. Sebastien Guillaume led the first Creole/English service at St. Nicholas. With the support of the rector and the congrega-tion, Fr. Guillaume is beginning a new ministry to the Haitian community in Pompano Beach and intends to establish a Haitian congregation, “La Nouvelle Jerusalem de Dieu” at St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas is alive and well, and with God’s help, will continue to grow. Deacon Valerie Vernon serves as adeacon at St. Nicholas.

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In Canon XV, section 1, of the Canons of the Diocese of Southeast Florida, each congrega-tion is required to submit “an accurate state-

ment of affairs of the congregation”--the Parochial Report--by Jan. 31. Canon II, section 2, sets a deadline of Feb. 1 for submitting certification of delegates to Con-vention. Canon XX, section 2, requires that an audit report of parish finances be submitted an-nually by Sept. 1.

Parishes are late to submit required documents, assessment payments The Key Personnel List, though not a report mandated by canon, is also a document required to keep diocesan records up to date and to facili-tate communication with lay leaders. This list is due Feb. 15 of each year. Both the Parochial Report and the Key Person-nel list can be submitted electronically on the di-ocesan website. The first chart below is a record of parish as-sessment payments received as of May 24, 2005.

The second shows the status of each parish’s documents as of June 9. Rectors and wardens are urged to contact the Diocesan Office if parish re-cords do not agree with the information shown here, or if there are any other questions. Note that if a parish’s audit report is marked “inc”, it means that only partial documentation was sent. To be considered complete, the audit report must include a Balance Sheet and state-ment of revenues and expenses for the period au-dited. A statement from an audit committee alone without the financial data for the period audited being included does not satisfy the canonical re-quirement. The complete Constitution and Canons of the Diocese can be found online at http://www.di-osef.org/canons.pdf

Essie Duffus/The NetBishop Leo Frade (second from right) and Canon for Youth Ministry Terrence Taylor (right) joined an impromptu choir that included South Dade Dean Donald Sullivan (center) and Grace Church members Rudolph Motta and Hector Walcott (left) at the Apr. 30 “Lift Every Voice” workshop led by Dr. Horace Boyer (seated at piano).

Cheryl Faulstich/The NetOn the clergy and spouse tour of Little Havana, Dean Don Sullivan, Fr. Matt Faulstich, Archdeacon Bryan Hobbs, Diana Frade, Bishop Leo Frade and Bishop James Ottley watch an intense match in Domino Park

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“These songs were not made up in an edifice like Grace.” The songs that Horace Clarence Boyer, gen-eral editor of the Lift Every Voice and Sing hym-nal, was talking about were not the usual hymns and chants sung on Sunday in Grace Episcopal Church, West Palm Beach, or in many of the other Episcopal church-es represented at the Apr. 30 dioc-esan seminar, held at Grace. Boyer was there to introduce a hymnal–and possibly a tradition–unfamiliar to many churches in the diocese. Lift Every Voice and Sing, an Af-rican American hymnal compiled by Boyer and others more than a dozen years ago for the Episcopal Church, includes music that may be more familiar in Baptist and Meth-odist churches. “The Anglican tradition is so strong and we have been accus-tomed to music that did not re-flect the African Diaspora,” Boyer explained in an interview. The idea, according to Boyer, is to in-corporate two musically rich styles together in a way that keeps the beauty of both intact. In the case of Lift Every Voice, the styles intro-duced include Negro spirituals and gospel. If the reaction of the more than 300 persons from thirteen congregations that participated in the seminar is any indication, the hymnal may have found some new homes. From the familiar but now gospel-tinged “There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit” to a semi-choreographed “Soon And Very Soon,” every piece received the full musical at-tention of the seminar participants. Some went to the front of the church to show their musical talents, and even Bishop Leo Frade joined with several bass singers to perform “Just A Little Walk With Jesus.” Boyer gave all of his enthusiasm to

every song, and required the same for all the singers. “You don’t meet Dr. Boyer,” Bishop Frade ex-plained during his introduction. “You experience Dr. Boyer.” In between selections, Boyer also mixed Af-

rican-American history with the musical history behind the songs in the book. For each song, he gave listeners the history behind each type of music, its composer and the atmosphere of the United States when the song was created. He told how a group of people, slaves in an unfamiliar land with no formal education, learned and sang songs that passed down through oral tradition. “It’s been a wonderful experience,” said Mar-line Wepf of St. Benedict’s Church in Plantation. “It’s brought the music alive.” Vandary Chin, a member of Grace, hopes that

Boyer will not hesitate to visit again. “It was ex-cellent, very good,” she said. “We were so blessed to get him here. He knows what he’s doing.” Boyer hopes that the hymnal will open the door for the Episcopal Church, and more specifi-cally its musicians, to sample from many different

cultures that reflect its diverse body. “Our musicians have been taught only one kind and one style of music,” he explained. “The next generation of musi-cians will be taught differently. They’ll bring gospel, Spanish, and Native American music.” He also mentioned that a change in the music might in-fluence youth participation. “We can do two things; we can either let them be young or kill them. If we’re going to keep them, we have to offer them something.” He added that right now, gospel is a ma-jor influence on youth, as per-formers like Kirk Franklin and gospel group Mary Mary have proven by breaking into main-stream music television chan-nels like Black Entertainment Television (BET). The next day, May 1, Boyer

introduced the hymnals to the entire Grace con-gregation, performing several pieces during com-munion. While there was no shouting or clapping involved, the acolytes, all children and teenagers, made a point to open the Lift Every Voice And Sing books and follow along--without anyone asking them. Angel Wilson, a 2004 graduate of Howard University, is a lifelong member of Grace Church and currently serves as the youth representative on the parish’s vestry.

Singers “Lift Every Voice” at Boyer’s seminar on African-American hymnalBy Angel Wilson

theDiocese

On Apr. 15-16 more than 40 clergy and spouses gathered in Miami for the annual Clergy and Spouse

Retreat. Not a retreat in the traditional sense, the event was designed as “down time” for cler-gy and their spouses to relax and to get to know one another in a venue of fellowship and fun. The event began on Friday evening with informal fellowship at the Grand, the con-dominium where both Bishops Frade and Ottley live, before dinner at a Spanish res-taurant, Casa Juancho, in Little Havana, where a Spanish student troubadour group entertained the diners. On Saturday morning, the participants gathered for a bus tour of Little Havana led by Bishop Frade. The first stop was the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, an ecu-menical place of pilgrimage for immigrants seeking asylum. Then it was on to the heart of historic Little Havana, Calle Ocho—SW 8 Street—for visits to Domino Park, the Bay of Pigs Monument, a cigar rolling fac-

Clergy and spouses enjoy relaxation, fun, Latin traditions in Miamitory and of course, for shopping at Little Havana to Go. The tour ended with fabulous Cuban cuisine at the famous Versailles Restaurant. In addition to enjoying the Latin flavor of Miami, retreat participants also had a variety of other options for fun and re-laxation--golfing, cruising Bis-cayne Bay on the Island Queen or visiting South Beach.

Tom O’Brien/The NetDeacon Mary Beth Wells (left) poses with the 2005 graduates of the Stephen Ministry course at the Diocesan School: (l-r) Lauren Losson, Anita Thorstad, Lorna Goodison, Anne Harris and Charles Humphries.

Ellen Stone St. John/The NetVolunteers from St. Mark’s, Palm Beach Gardens, regularly prepare and serve meals at St. George’s Center, one of the feeding programs that has received a grant from the Smith Fund. Left to right are Jane Vieth, George Vieth, Jane Church, John Branney, Ignatio Magana and Dale George.

JUNE/JULY 2005THE NET • PAGE 16

www.diosef.org

Committed to

Mission

Has anyone seen this help-wanted clas-sified ad? “CHRISTIAN CAREGIVER NEEDED--Lonely senior, slightly handi-

capped, angry w/her children, needs someone to listen with nonjudgmental ears to her story. Please call quick!” Not such a stretch of the imagination, is it? Those of us in the third year at the Diocesan School for Christian Studies took a re-quired course that prepared us for such a call. It was called “Stephen Ministry”, and by com-pleting this training, we joined hundreds of thousands of Ro-man Catholics, Lutherans, Epis-copalians and others who are Stephen Ministers in their own faith traditions. While not as well known as EFM or Cursillo, it is well es-tablished and becoming part of more and more of our parishes. Training is done by a “Ste-phen Leader”, who has “two partners—Jesus and His Spir-it”. The course at the Diocesan School is led by Deacon Mary Beth Wells, who is also the school’s director. The two semesters weave through spiritual disciplines, recognizing feelings, the art of listening, assertiveness, establishing boundaries, crisis theory and practice, confidentiality, mental health resourcing, grief, depression and suicide issues. We are matched up and assigned to visit with those who need companionship and a good lis-tener in their homes, or wherever care is needed. Working through a Stephen Leader in his or her own congregation, each student takes this learn-ing out to the community.

Stephen Ministry course trains laypersons as “compassionate caregivers” By Charles Humphries

The intent of the course is not to churning out an army of Ms. or Mr. Fixits, but rather to provide properly trained compassionate caregivers, who will draw on their own skills and talents, as well as their training.

“Recently, I spent quite a bit of time visiting my husband in a rehab/nursing home. I see a real need to minister not only to sick and elderly peo-ple, but also the caregiver and family,” says Anita Thorstad, a candidate for the vocational diacon-ate and a graduate of this year’s Stephen Ministry course. “Using reflective listening as taught in the course, I feel I can understand and relate with

empathy to the care receiver, whether that be the patient or the caregiver.” Another student, Lorna Goodison, says the course “demonstrated for me what it means to be a distinctively Christian caregiver”.

“…The Stephen Minister’s course shows us how to care, knowing that Jesus is the real caregiver and that my skills in listening, reflect-ing and interpreting facts, feelings and spiritual concerns are utilized just so that He can lead the way in making both the care receiver and the caregiver whole in Him.” This ministry is not just for those who feel the call to study for ordination; it is also available for the layperson who wants to contribute to the faith community his or her known--and to-be-discovered- -gifts. For more informa-tion about this minis-

try and other subjects offered at the school, con-tact Deacon Mary Beth Wells, 561-276-4541 or mbtwells@aol.com, or visit the Diocesan School webpages at http://www.diosef.org/dscs/index.html. Information for the fall semester will be posted in mid-summer.

Charles Humphries is a candidate for the vo-cational diaconate from St. Stephen’s, Coconut Grove (Miami).

“Rise in us, make us into your bread that we may share your gifts with the hungry world.”

Daily, throughout the Diocese of Southeast Florida, people come to be fed. They are the home-

less, working poor, elderly and children. Through the Blair and Agnes Smith Fund of the Southeast Florida Episcopal Foundation, fifteen feeding programs received funding during 2004 to begin, continue or expand their efforts in their communities. According to the United States Gov-ernment, poverty was defined in 1999 as: less than $8,667 per year for an indi-vidual; less than $7,900 a year for a per-son over 65 years; and $17,029 a year for a family of four. Government assistance is obviously limited, and many families find parish-based feeding programs to be es-sential to their daily lives. Feeding ministries are delivered in a myriad of ways. In south Miami-Dade County, St. Faith’s

Smith Fund grants help support 15 parish programs that feed the hungryBy Ellen Stone St. John

provides a food pantry and is part of Farm Share, a community cooperative program. In downtown Miami, Trinity Cathedral serves breakfast three

times a week, and is expanding the program to five days with additional funding from the Smith Fund. Farther north, St. George’s, Riviera Beach, provides daily meals to children and the home-less in their surrounding communities. St. John’s, Belle Glade, through the Desmond Fleu-ry Foundation, is expanding its soup kitchen in the Glades area. St. Mary’s provides evening meals to the disadvantaged in the Stuart area. Dale George of St. Mark’s, Palm Beach Gar-dens, who coordinates the feeding ministry at St. George’s, Riviera Beach, several nights a week with a group from his parish, says, “This almost completely volunteer effort is sometimes the only meal an individual receives each day. It is an important mission of the church and must be continued.” If your parish is interested in starting a feed-ing program, or if you would like to help with ongoing programs, contact the Southeast Flori-da Episcopal Foundation at 561-799-6424.

Ellen Stone St. John is grants director for the Southeast Florida Episcopal Foundation.