Diocesan News
Healthy Church Initiative participants pledge $18.5 million
Since Bishop Henderson launched the
Healthy Church Initiative in spring 2006, 47 Upper SC congregations have come on board and some 14 churches have identified
capital projects, totaling $18.5 million.
Healthy Church training is available free of charge to Upper SC congregations, thanks to a generous gift to the diocese to be used at Bishop Henderson's discretion. Leading the initiative in the diocese is Healthy Church creator and congregational development consultant Tony Watkins, who begins his work with congregations by guiding them through an assessment which helps determine their unique core values and paves the way for the development of a plan for mission effectiveness. If a congregational plan requires funding, Watkins assists with fund-raising efforts. Congregations that do raise money to meet their goals they set are then asked to consider tithing the money raised to support Upper SC's Healthy Church Foundation, which will serve as a storehouse of mission funds as well as a depository for planned gifts and bequests.
At the 2006 Diocesan Convention, Bishop Henderson declared: "By the opening gavel of the 85th Convention, I expect every congregation in Upper South Carolina to have participated in a Healthy Church Consultation. Just as personal prayer will change your life, a decision on the part of your congregation to accept this gift will significantly increase the congregation’s effectiveness in mission."
Not on board yet? Contact Canon to the Ordinary the Rev. Mark Clevenger. And don't miss St. Matthew's Healthy Church success story in the "Church" section of this newsletter!
Your own MDG sticker coming right up!
It’s time to show the world that the
Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), a diocesan priority and a
priority of the Episcopal Church, are close to our hearts! And
so is Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation (E4GR,
www.e4gr.org), the organization resourcing the movement of
spiritual transformation emerging around the MDGs in the
Episcopal Church. To that end, all Upper SC households will be
receiving an original MDG sticker and a special request that the
sticker be displayed on your car. The stickers will be coming
your way in October—special delivery by your congregational
delegation to Diocesan Convention.
The sticker is the brain child of the Rev. Mary Moore Roberson, associate rector at St. John’s, Columbia. Roberson commissioned the sticker and underwrote printing costs. St. John’s members Brandon Templeton and Gordon Schell donated the materials and created the design respectively. The best thank you to these three will be that sticker on your window!
NEW on the diocesan Web site
Two new resource-full new pages, one (including a new blog) highlighting the Millennium Development Goals and the other bringing us up to date on provincial and national concerns. in the Episcopal Church. Check 'em out and let us know what else you'd like to see!
Diocesan School for Ministry to offer additional courses beginning in the fall
New for fall 2007!
In response to requests from students, the Diocesan School for Ministry will be offering courses in addition to the usual two-year, twelve-course
core curriculum, beginning this fall.
Additional courses will be offered at one central site, at All Saints church in Clinton, on Saturdays that do not conflict with the core curriculum class meeting dates.
Additional courses for the fall session are "Modern Theology from 1800 to the present: Making our Way from the Reformation to Post-Modernism," taught by the Rev. Dr. Philip Whitehead and "Religions of the World," taught by the Rev. Clyde Ireland. These classes will meet on September 15, 29; October 13; November 10; and December 1 and 8. For winter term 2008 offerings will be "The Challenge of Culture in Understanding the Bible, or Don't Let Hermeneutics Throw You," taught by Dr. Whitehead, and "Homiletics (Hands-On)," taught by the Rev. Dr. Charles Foss (January 12, 26; February 9, 23; March 8, 29). Spring 2008 classes are still under construction.
Visit the School for Ministry Web page for curricula and registration information. Questions may be directed to the Rev. Bob Chiles, chair of the School for Ministry Committee, 803.736.0866, office; 803.665.5352, cell; FRChiles@aol.com.
Celebration of new ministry—
All invited!
|
ECW District Meetings scheduled for fall
Time to mark your calendar for those fall ECW District Meetings!
September 8 |
Eastern District |
Advent, Spartanburg |
September 16 |
Central District |
Good Shepherd, Columbia |
October 7 (Sun.) |
Northwest District |
St. Philip's, Greenville |
October 13 |
Western District |
St. Bartholomew's, N. Augusta |
Community of Hope program offers lay pastoral care training in Upper SC
In the mid 1990s, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston, Texas, began a program to train pastoral care workers for churches and institutions. Called the Community of Hope, this program is based upon Benedictine spirituality. Over a period of 14 Saturdays, candidates become part of a circle of prayer, concern, and worship as they receive training in various aspects of pastoral care. This Christian community continues after their commissioning as lay chaplains. In this “Circle of Hope” they share in complete confidentiality events from ministry in their own congregations in order to improve their abilities as caregivers, as well as to continue in regular worship together.
On April 22, 2007 Bishop Henderson commissioned the first Community of Hope class for our diocese in a service at St. John’s in Columbia. Planning is under way for the 2007-2008 class to begin in September 2007. Classes will be held at three different locations: in Columbia, Greenville, and Rock Hill.
For information
and application materials contact:
Columbia Group: Margaret Jennings Todd,
maggiejenn@aol.com;
Greenville Group: The Rev. Kathryn Tiede Hottinger, 864.271.8773 ex.155 or Peggy
Parham, 864.242.5403,
mkparham@charter.net;
Rock Hill Group: Jim Welsh,
jimwelsh_2000@yahoo.com),
Gene and Sarah Meyer, Meyere@asme.org.
Follow this
link to learn more.