Diocesan News
Healthy Church Initiative is way forward for Upper SC
By the Rev. Canon Michael A. Bullock
It has been rightly said that transitions are the only time for real, systemic change. Taking this truth to heart, Bishop Henderson marks his own transition as our diocesan bishop by taking concrete steps to complete his episcopacy in a manner that will present the healthiest diocesan Church possible to his successor. The bishop has called on Upper South Carolinians to focus on four goals, three ministry priorities and a fourth “measuring stick,” as a faithful way to celebrate his leadership among us and as a reliable pathway into a healthy future.
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Our goals: Christian formation; Health (congregational development & HCI); Mission (assertive evangelism); Outreach (MDGs) |
Christian formation, congregational development, and mission (a.k.a., strategies for assertive evangelism) are the three priorities that the bishop has named for us, and the measure of how we progress in these is our work toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight goals agreed to in 2000 by 189 heads of state and government, including the United States, to address extreme global poverty in the developing world. At the heart of the priority for congregational development stands our diocesan Healthy Church Initiative.
Begun more than a year ago through a generous gift to the bishop, the Healthy Church Initiative (HCI) brought church consultant Tony Watkins to the diocese. Since that time, Watkins has continued to meet with our congregations and communities to help them analyze what it would take to reach their most significant goals as healthy, faithful Christian congregations. In those cases where capital funds are called for to realize these mission goals, he provides professional fund-raising guidance as part of the bishop’s program. To date, more than 44 of the diocese’s 65 congregations have availed themselves of Watkins’s expertise, and at least two of our congregations are in the process of building to realize their mission dreams.
The Healthy Church Initiative is not primarily about raising funds, but rather about establishing a disciplined process of strategic planning in each congregation, to the end that each local community in the diocese has a reliable map that concretely and publicly defines their mission and ministry. Through these strategic maps, each of our congregations can focus their vocational dreams and energies in a manner that truly changes lives.
In its essence, HCI seeks to establish fruitful partnerships among us for ministry and for mission. As such, the core of our movement toward congregational development through HCI includes three defining parts: Plan, Covenants, and Reviews, all of which call us to the business of the Church, which is resurrection, expressed in communion. HCI endeavors to put this business in the best possible position to succeed and to make sure that our diocesan vision—that we are one body, with one mission: changing lives— continues to be true.
This is the task to which the Bishop has called every congregation and
community in the diocese. Maturely formed Christians create healthy
congregations, which in turn reach out in faithful and dynamic mission.
Stay tuned for more on HCI
and our bishop's other "goals for a seamless transition."
Upper SC seminarians Taylor and Roberts receive national honor
Robert Taylor and George Roberts, seminarians from our diocese, participated in the annual Preaching Excellence Program held this week at Villanova University. Taylor and Roberts were selected by the deans and faculty members as the most promising and proficient future preachers for the Church. The Foundation recruits a teaching staff for the week-long program composed of professors of preaching and accomplished parish priests to provide the leadership for each conference. This year our presiding bishop, The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, will be in attendance. In addition, renowned experts in the field of homiletics are invited to lecture to the conference community. These guest lectures have included James Forbes, William Sloane Coffin, Robert Bellah, William Willamon, Walter Bruggemann, Barbara Brown Taylor, Daniel Matthews, Edmond Browning, Robert Capon, and Thomas Long.
For the past twenty years, students from eleven Episcopal seminaries, as well as seminarians from non-Episcopalian seminaries have joined with professors of homiletics and other committed parish priests to spend a concentrated week of working on their preaching. It is estimated that one in ten active Episcopal clergy have received the gift of this program. It is considered a gift because the program costs $1500 per student and each student is asked to pay only a $100 registration fee. The rest, including travel to the conference, is covered by grants made to the Episcopal Preaching Foundation.
Check out the Episcopal Preaching Foundation here.
Gravatt receives "Readers' Choice"award—2nd year in a row!
We are pleased to announce that for the second consecutive year, Camp Gravatt
has received the Palmetto Parent Readers' Choice Award. This award is voted on by parents in the Midlands, and they know what we know—Camp Gravatt
is the best camp around!
Palmetto Parent is the "family magazine of the Midlands.” Formerly called Midlands Play Day, this bimonthly magazine is a local resource guide for Columbia area families, with an exclusive calendar of family friendly local events and activities, vacations, and entertainment. Also included are feature articles on education, health, safety, family relationships, advice, recipes, craft projects, science projects, book, movie and music reviews, and more. It provides all the information a midlands parent needs in one easy to find, easy to read magazine, available free at many midlands businesses, libraries, and other locations.
Updates from St. Christopher's, Spartanburg
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New life at St. Christopher's (Photo: Mark Olencki) |
Read about these developments at St. Christopher's here.
And click here for updates, including The Living Church story on Pentecost at St. Christopher's and Canon Bullock's recent letter to the congregation outlining the "guided visioning process" that will take place this summer and which "will quickly culminate in this community fashioning a renewed purpose statement and identifying in the most concrete of terms new priorities for ministry, mission, and common life." "Re-equipped with this refocused identity and purpose," Canon Bullock wrote, "St. Christopher's will not only be in a dynamic position to move ahead in fruitful ways toward renewed parish status; St. Christopher’s will also be in an exciting position to invite others to join in on this new life." Read it all here.
Family Days held at Still Hopes, May 3, 4
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Margaret Payne, left, and family members |
The Roland Britten family. |
Gettis Wood and grandchildren |
On Saturday, May 3, over 300 people gathered for Family Day for the Lowry assisted living center, the Jane Bruce Guignard and Sanders Guignard health care centers,
and the Rosalie W. Bomar memory support center.
Then, on Sunday, May 4, nearly 600 gathered for
a day devoted to apartment and cottage residents and their loved ones. Food was provided for the weekend by Shealy's BBQ of Leesville. Music was provided by the Southern Rose
Band Organ and the New Century Salon Orchestra. Games and activities were also available for children. Thanks to all those who came out to
enjoy the day with their loved ones at Still Hopes.
The 86th Diocesan Convention
Business - Celebration - Leadership
October 17 - 18, 2008
Draft agenda now available for
download!
Be on the lookout for the convention poster in your
congregation, featuring info on the leadership training day. The poster looks like this.
The Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and the adjacent Hilton Hotel will serve as our site for the two days of Mission and Ministry.
Friday, October 17th will be focused on the business of the Diocese. Elections, the Statement of Mission (SOM), possible resolutions and changes to the Constitution and Canons will be the order of the day. In the evening there will be a grand celebration, complete with the Bishop's Awards recognizing Upper South Carolinians who have made extraordinary contributions to the life and ministry of our diocese.
who should attend? |
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On Saturday, October 18th, the Bishop invites all those in various leadership areas of our congregations to come and be energized, empowered, and focused to take on the his "four goals for a seamless transition". This will be a time to come together for worship, to share stories of mission and ministry, and learn how each one of our congregations can move forward. Weaving the Story we all share and the stories of our faith communities will be the Rt. Rev. Charles F. Duvall . Throughout the day he will inspire and challenge us to enter into the story, so that in our leaving we will share it with others.
Make plans NOW to attend these exciting events! Hotel rooms are going fast! October 17-18 is also weekend of the South Carolina–LSU football game, at home in Columbia. Three hotels have blocked rooms for Diocesan Convention: Hampton Inn, Rodeway Inn, and Comfort Suites. Although there is no diocesan block of rooms, reservations may also be made at the Hilton Hotel. Full info on making reservations can be downloaded here. Please pay close attention to release and cancellation dates when making your reservations.Keep your eyes on the Millennium Development Goals
GIVE IT 4
GOOD—Using your "economic
stimulus check" to work toward the
Millennium
Development Goals.
Learn all about this initiative at the
Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation Web site.
And then surf on over to
millenniumcongregation.org, whose mission is "to
develop a network of congregations supporting the end of
extreme poverty through Millennium Villages as we promote
justice, compassion, and reconciliation."
Read more about the Millennium Congregation Campaign.
We CAN make extreme
global poverty history by 2015!