a publication of the episcopal diocese of rochester, ny

A PUBLICATION OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER, NY

MARCH 2011A PUBLICATION OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER, NY2Youth acting at the Special Needs Service at ChristChurch Pittsford7 Worship Service for Families with Special Needsby The Rev. Winifred Collin, Paul Frolick, Jane Moore, Nina Ornt,and Tracey Taylor14 Sea of Blueby The Rev. Deborah BrownAn Update on the diocesan youth programs15 UTO & Commission on Ministry16 Some Thoughts on Our Visionby Canon Peter PetersA reflection on the diocesan brand and vision17 Communications Update18 90 Years of Ordained Ministryby Christopher HillHonoring the service of individuals in our diocese19 What Happened to the Mission Grant ApplicationThe Rev. Canon Julie A. CicoraFind out the changes to the mission grant process20 Tales out of School #9by Patti BlaineA look inside the School #9 MissionRegular features2 From our Bishop8 District HighlightsEditorJim ErnstArt DirectorKatherine WarnerContributing WritersThe Rev. Winifred CollinPaul FrolickJane MooreNina Ornt,Tracey TayloThe Rev. Dr. Denise YarbroughThe Rev. Gordon V. WebsterNathan L. JaschikThe Rev. Rolfi ElivoThe Rev. Deborah BrownSusan WoodhouseChristopher HillPatti BlainePrintingEastridge Quik PrintProofreaderMs. Kate LorahTidings is published periodically throughout theyear by the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester,New York. The Diocese is located at 935 EastAve., Rochester, NY 14607. Our phone numberis: 585 473-2977Address all inquiries regarding Tidings to—Phone: 585 241 4587. Email: jim@rochesterepiscopaldiocese.com.Mail: 935 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14607.Fax: 585 473 5414. Please allow six weeksfor changes.To learn more about theEpiscopal Church and theDiocese of Rochester please visit us atwww.episcopalrochester.orgPostmaster: Send changes of address to:Tidings. 935 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14607The paper this magazine isprinted on contains 10% postconsumer wasteWhen you’re finished reading this,please share it with a friend. And,remember to recycle! Thank you.

From our bishopThe Rt. Rev. Bishop Prince G. Singh, Ph.D.8th Bishop of RochesterHow do I see things as I sit with my family on this thirdanniversary of my election as your bishop? I continue tosee a call to this office with all the joys and challengesof leading our beloved Church with faithful saints ata time like this. My hair has grayed some since 2008.I have grown in my prayer life, made some tough decisions,become a little more pensive, and continue tobe cautiously optimistic about our future as a Church.Images of uprising in Egypt are streaming on TV asI reflect. Our world seems to push and pull at theseams of its varied domestic identities seeking a newand more wholesome normal. I see a diocese that isresilient, faithful and in various stages of willingnessto discern and redevelop a new normal for the 21st century.Over the past two years, I have had the privilegeof feeling the exuberance of possibilities in almost everycongregational context. As a diocese, we are intentionallytrying to do the necessary groundwork to faithfullylive into making God’s mission our mission of transformationcustomized relevantly to every unique context.This groundwork would include helping form/bring newleaders, reorienting seasoned leaders, and empoweringall the Baptized while creating strategies that are eclecticand nimble as they are measurable and engaging.With clarity in pursuing a passionate spirituality thatis tempered by radical hospitality and thoughtful engagement,we have a way to foster greater progress inour efforts to share our joy, redevelop congregations andcommunicate our vision, mission and transformationwith each other and more importantly with a curiousand changing world. Our diocese has really good peoplewith many gifts of faith. It is true that every congregationin its location has something unique to offer thosewho call it their spiritual home. Every congregation hasits own set of challenges especially as it relates to beingvibrant in this changing world. We have been engagingevery congregation about the need for greater accountabilitywithin and collaboration with one another, andwithin the districts, while building a team to serve youeffectively from D-House.After two and a half years serving as your bishop, I ama lot more optimistic about having the diocesan staffwho can deliver the kind of help needed to actualize andsustain the emerging possibilities in our congregationalcontexts in the 21st century. Transitions do take a littletime with new players coming onboard to manage aninterface between older systems while embracing technologicalmodes of doing things more efficiently. We arenot quite there yet, but we are certainly moving quicklyin that direction. I acknowledge that getting our communicationbuilding blocks has taken longer than weexpected in our transition from the wrap around newspaper“Living Water,” but we are poised to have these inplace, up and running much more smoothly in the comingmonths. I have invited Canon Peter Peters to continueserving in his current capacity for another year,and he has graciously agreed. I have made the call toour next Chief Financial Missioner for the Diocese. Mr.Todd Rubiano has said yes to my invitation to serve onour Diocesan Executive staff. You will hear more aboutthis gifted man who wants to serve God with his bestabilities at this time in his life. We express our grati-continued on next page3

tude to Sherry Ralston (Chair), Lyn Omphroy, Bob VanNeil, Chris Luedde, Karen Hanson, and Julie Cicora,for serving on the Search Committee and bringing thisto fruition. Well done saints!Two things are happening or should be happening in allour congregational contexts. The first is the care, nurture,challenge and formation of those faithful memberswho make up our current congregations. This group ofthe faithful is crucial to the future of our Church in thatthey are the encouragers or theleaven to help raise the newdough of what is emerging. Thesecond is a clear focus on sharingthe joy of Christ with those whodo not yet consider themselvesmembers of our congregations.This invitation is happeningin pockets where some leadersin existing congregations areintentionally seeking ways tomake our worship, our teaching,our fellowship, our part inGod’s mission, our fun-raisingand fund-raising events more and more relevant to ourcommunities around us. They pay attention to followup! They are adding new liturgies to reach new seekersand making disciples for Christ. I find that this is havingthe best results in contexts where there is little orno internal conflict, little or no secret-keeping, less of asurvival mentality, and more of a single-minded joyfulway to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ leading tointentional formation of those who will follow Christ forthe rest of their lives!In some instances, however, I find that the existingfaithful band of members is not able to midwife whatis emerging because they are too tired, but they areoffering prayers for what will be. Healthy clergy andhealthy lay leadership are an important common factor,too. When I say healthy, I am thinking of leaderswho can self-differentiate between their personal,familial, and congregational stuff and lead with theireyes on empowering both the good old faithful and thenewer faithful.We aregetting clearerabout our wayforwardAnother important factor is size and financial resourcesof congregations. In ascending order from small tolarge, our Diocese has: twenty-seven type-one, thirteentype-two, five type-three, and two each of type-four,five, and six congregations. The second redevelopmentactivity has greater potential to succeed when there isa baseline of critical mass of the faithful and other resources.This obviously leaves smaller congregations ina place of extreme vulnerability. Companion relationsbetween larger and smaller congregations could infusenew ways to grow mutually as a diocese. Most importantly,we need some benchmarked plans with a circleof accountability and encouragement.We are getting clearer about our way forward withsome of our smaller congregations where the numbershave been steadily declining over the decades. In a fewof these contexts, lay and clergy leaders have taken ahard look and have decided not to fund the sustenanceof worship and ministry at full-time or even their nearestmemory of part-time clergy anymore. My office isworking with the Deans inthese contexts to support thesefaithful saints as they discerntheir way forward. Whereverthis is happening, the beautyis that we now have a way todiscern and bring in new leadershipwith passion and skill tostart up new ministries that arecreatively missional as well asopen to bringing in new followersof Christ. A wonderful wayto honor and direct the blessingof those good old faithful memberswho have dreamed dreams is to allow a new setof leaders to midwife their dreams and realize theirprayers. Through the messiness of changes and transitionsaround us, we are invited to take heart in the factthat we are coworkers in God’s mission articulated inIsaiah’s vision, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now itsprings up; do you not perceive it? I am making a wayin the desert and streams in the wasteland.”Three years ago, I promised to roll up my sleeves andget to work. Well here we are, toiling hard, praying fervently,laughing and dancing with the new and the old,the joyful and the depressed, weak and strong, healthyand sick, but working away toward God’s fresh, new,vibrant, and emerging future. Let us not be afraid. Letus hang tight like our forebears in faith did. Like Maryand Joseph who presented Jesus at the temple let us,with renewed wisdom, present the teachings of Jesusin our Churches and intentionally take the gospel messageoutside our red doors.Have a Holy Lent and a Blessed Easter!Prince4

Worship Services forFamilies with Special NeedsChrist Church, Pittsfordby The Rev. WinifredCollin, Paul Frolick, JaneMoore, Nina Ornt, andTracey TaylorJust over a year ago, longtimeChrist Church parishionerJane Moore cameto see the rector, WinifredCollin. Jane shared someof the struggles her familyhas with their young special-needsson. Her familyhad been unable to attendchurch together, because itworked better to have oneparent stay home with him.Jane relayed that thesestruggles are shared bymany families with childrenwith special needs, needsranging from attention deficitdisorder and autism toa variety of other physicaland behavioral issues whichmake church attendancedifficult. Another parishioner,Nina Ornt, a certifiedspecial-needs teacher whoseson has cerebral palsy andis confined to a wheelchair, had been working withWinifred for some time, trying to develop ways thechurch might serve these families. Winifred broughttogether a small group to plan a worship service forspecial-needs families, including Jane, Nina, parishionerTracey Taylor, whose occupational therapy practicefocuses on children with special-needs, and staffmember Paul Frolick. They developed a short service,with easy-to-remember responses, fun and familiarmusic sung with instruments like shaker eggs andjingle bells, and the Christmas story told in pageantform, with members of the youth choir dressed up asshepherds, angels, and the holy family.In preparation for the service, Jane Moore prepared avideo social story to share with families to help themprepare for the new experience. The video showed thechurch and some of the people involved in leading theservice, and helped lower the anxiety of some of thechildren who attended. Nina Ornt developed a seriescontinued on next page5

of Picture Exchange Communication System cards(or PECS), which help children with delayed speechdevelopment communicate and stay engaged withthe service. Tracey Taylor set up a sensory room forchildren who needed a break from the service, andprovided insight and feedback on how best to communicatewith the children.The first special-needs service was held on the afternoonof the Sunday before Christmas 2009, and wasattended by about twenty-five families, most with noprevious connection with Christ Church. Everyoneinvolved, staff, volunteers, and participants alike,agreed it was a high point of their Christmas season.The service lasted about half an hour, and at momentswas loud and boisterous, and at others quietand peaceful. After the service, a reception featuredsnacks appropriate for a variety of dietary needs, anda visit from Santa Claus. Many families told us howgrateful they were for the service, which for some ofthem was the first time they had been able to attendchurch together as a family.Since the first service, we have held four more throughthe year, each built around a theme and a story. PaulFrolick developed the scripts, using simple and engaginglanguage, and involving captivating visuals.At Easter, we had a service about new life, with astory about a giant caterpillar’s transformation intoa beautiful butterfly. In the summer, we broughtthe creation story to life with star machines, a large,sparkling sun, a wavy sea with fish and other creatures,and all sorts of animals and birds. This fall,we learned about generosity and friendship throughthe story of Zacchaeus, and at Christmas we repeatedthe Christmas pageant. All of the stories are flexible,can be done with six to ten or many more people (ouryouth choir members have really enjoyed being ableto help out with them), and we built the props fromreadily available materials. We’d be happy to sharethe scripts and materials with other churches. In fact,we found that they worked great for our congregationon Sunday mornings as Sunday School presentationsas well.The services have been a gift not only to the familieswho attend, but to the many folks who work on them.Jane Moore, Nina Ornt, and Tracey Taylor have providedtheir expertise and input, as well as workingto get the word out in the special-needs community,and helping out at the services. Many of our parishionershave helped with ushering and the receptions.Everyone at Christ Church is pleased to be able tooffer these services to special-needs families in ourcommunity, and we’d be happy to meet with otherchurches who are interested in our experiences andfinding out what we’ve learned.DistrictS OUTHEASTThe Church Tower atSaint James, Watkins GlenSaint James’ Churchin Watkins Glen wasconstructed in 1853.Shortly thereafter atower and bell wereadded to the front of thebuilding. Much of thelake-adjacent propertyin the Village of WatkinsGlen is fill, and forms abuffer with the QueenCatharine Marsh onthe south end of SenecaLake. And therein liesthe problem.Over the decades thetower has settled, causingconsiderable crackingin its brick constructed walls. Constructed usingbuilding techniques of the era the tower is interconnectedwith wood beams to support the bell’s weight. Acentury and a half of New York weather has weakenedthose beams’ connection with the brick walls and moisturehas eroded much of the brick’s strength. Manyloose and crumbling bricks from the top courses of thetower have been removed recently by parish volunteersand a screen netting installed. Many other areas ofthe building suffer from the same weather conditions:eaves, roof flashings, brick mortar, gutters, buttresssupports, stone window sills, and corner spires and arein need of repair as well.During the summer Bearsch Compeau KnudsonArchitects and Engineers of Binghamton performed6

Highlightsa complete survey of the Tower and Church building.Their report was presented to the Vestry in lateNovember and January.The Vestry is considering the report and a staged planfor repair and restoration. The costs for the tower alonewill exceed $125,000 and will necessitate a capital fundcampaign and other financing.A fund-raising dinner was held in October to cover thecost of the survey. It was a great success. ParishionerGeorge Mahler III, now a chef with Marriott Hotels in theVirgin Islands, returned to prepare a gourmet dinner.Parishioners, local residents, and nearby Episcopaliansall enjoyed the wonderful evening of shrimp cocktail,salad, lobster bisque, filet mignon and lobster, and achocolate dessert. To accommodate the food preparation,a tent was erected adjacent to the kitchen door.The lobsters were flown in fresh from Maine. The parishhall was set as a posh restaurant and table servicewas provided by a corps of young persons organized toperfection.MONROE COUNTYJust Back fromGuatemalaSome thoughts and reflections having just returned fromGuatemala with my amazing traveling companions.Arrived at Guatemala City airport Saturday afternoonwhere we were warmly greeted by Jennifer Arnold andother wonderful and talented students from ArcadiaUniversity. All of us then spent a three hour van rideup to Zacapa, where we were stationed for much of theweek. On Sunday, we started our time together by celebratingcommunion, what a fitting way to embark on ourmission. Later that morning we traveled to the Hearts inMotion Headquarters in Zacapa to prepare lunches andbags of milk to take to the city dump.It’s hard to describe the scene at the city dump, whichone person called “hell.” Many people liver there, nowhere else for them to go, we distributed food, milk,and clothing to those desperately in need. Truly heartbreakingwas the extent and depth of the poverty thatwe found in this place. Thanking God and everyonewho so generously provided the clothing for us, theycontinued on next page7

ROCHESTERFaith Shared — To Give and Receive — To Teach and to LearnThe Rev. Dr. Denise Yarbrough, The Church of the AscensionThe Rev. Gordon V. Webster, Lake Avenue Baptist ChurchNathan L. Jaschik, The Interfaith Alliance of RochesterOn Sunday, January 30, an extraordinary event tookplace at two Rochester churches. As part of the traditionalreadings on a typical Sunday, a member of theJewish faith included a lesson from the Prophets and amember of the Muslim faith included a lesson from theQur’an. And both received a lesson from the Gospels.What’s going on here? No Qur’an burnings, no vilificationsof other beliefs. Afraid not. No inflammatorypictures or shouts; no TV cameras rolling to see whocan get the most outrageous quote. All that’s going onis a demonstration of what America is all about – theability of persons of all faiths and creeds to speak toGod in a fashion that goes beyond mere tolerance. Itwill be a service that welcomes the “other” – not for thepurpose of conversion, but for the purpose of sharing– of learning from what another faith has to say andletting others take away the important lessons of yourown faith.We will be thus affirming the religious truth that whatis helpful to us as Christians, as Jews, as Muslims, willalso be found in the writings, practices, and beliefs ofpersons who do not share our specific faith. What we allshare, though, is our belief that we worship the sameGod and that, indeed, others may have insights andwisdom about that God from which we can benefit.The two churches, the Episcopal Church of theAscension and the Lake Avenue Baptist Church, havestepped forward to participate in the Faith Shared projectof the Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First.From this simple act, it is hoped that other opportunitiesfor shared service and learning will emerge. TheInterfaith Alliance of Rochester, the local affiliate of thenational organization, and the Interfaith Forum, a majorinterfaith umbrella in the Rochester area, recruitedthe participating churches.The recruiting was not hard. Both the Rev. Dr. DeniseYarbrough, Priest-in-Charge of Ascension and the Rev.Gordon V. Webster, Pastor of Lake Avenue, have beeninvolved in interfaith affairs for decades and are wellaware of the benefits that such a program can bringto the community. Following on the heels of MartinLuther King Jr. Day, it builds on the spirit of strengthin our diversity. Lake Avenue Baptist boasts a congregationwhich includes about 66 percent of its membersfrom Burmese refugees, 4 percent from the Republic ofCongo (not the Democratic Republic), and the balancemade up of English-speaking Euro-Americans, African-Americans, and Latin-Americans.9

N ORTH EASTSeeds of Rural Ministry beginning to grow in LyonsBy Rolfi Elivo, RMM Outreach CoordinatorWith snow on the ground and a chill in the air most inWestern New York are not thinking about farms or ruralworkers. Yet even in the midst of winter there arefarm workers pruning trees, making repairs and gettingfarms and machinery ready for another growing season.Rural & Migrant Ministry (RMM) in Western New Yorkis also busy at this time of year continuing to build theprogram and infrastructure for the Liturgia WorkerEducation Center in Lyons, NY. This endeavor is inresponse to Bishop Singh’scall for creative and effectiverural ministry at the 2009 diocesanconvention. NortheastPartners in Episcopal Ministryand Grace Church, Lyonsentered into partnership withRMM to create the educationcenter in the former rectoryat Lyons in 2010. Beginninglast summer RMM’s OutreachCoordinator Rolfi Elivo hasbeen busy making contacts inthe labor camps from Sodus toGeneva.The successful 2010 SummerLeadership Day Camp formiddle school children providedexperiential learningand leadership training. Thisinitial experience has givenuseful ideas for changes andimprovements of the 2011Leadership Camp. This summer’scamp will be greatly assistedby the proceeds from the recent Benefit Concerthonoring the Rev. Don Hill’s fortieth anniversary ofordination.In August 2010 a Sunday Fiesta for the workersbrought together farm workers from various camps foran afternoon of music, fellowship, food and fun. And itwas an opportunity to meet and make connections withother workers and allies.The Liturgia Center has begun the Music for JusticeProgram which provides music instruction for farmworkers. These lessons provide something of value tothe workers as well as an opportunity for them to networkand make new connection with other workers andthe community. Rolfi Elivo is organizing the instructionand leading the Farm Worker Music Team whichplayed at the October Blessing of the Harvest at theFarmers Market in Lyons and at the Benefit Concertin January.Currently in process at Liturgia is the work of finishingthe second floor of the center so it can be an attractiveresidence for interns and for workers whileattending events. RMM isalso networking with othercommunity groups to find theway and the resources to beable to offer survival Englishinstruction for workers whoare not familiar with Englishto help them have basic skillsfor working and living in thearea. Liturgia will be seekingvolunteers in the Spring andSummer to provide this basicinstruction to area workers.Another program in the planningstages is a weekly dinnerat the Lyons Center withworkers being provided dinnerby churches and individuals,as a way to help peoplefrom the local community toget to know workers and puta human face on them. Thedinner program would alsogive the workers more connectionsand provide occasionalspeakers and programs on topics of vital interestto their health and quality of life.In the future other educational, health and legal resourceswill be put into place to provide those who growand harvest our food services they need to provide a lifeand a living for themselves and their families.The seeds are planted, the program is growing and wepray God will being in the bountiful harvest.The Rev. Rolfi Elivo is the Outreach Coordinator forRural and Migrant Ministry in Western New York11

UTO 2010 Ingathering Update100% — are we there yet? I get asked that questionabout our UTO Ingathering participation. Each year forthe past several, I have made a report to convention ondiocesan progress toward that goal. This year followingconvention, working with Cathy Shoemaker, it becameclear that the response to the question is definitely…ALMOST! We are very, very close … perhaps 2011 willbe the year.Many parishes present their UTO offering at theannual convention ingathering while others send intheir ingathering funds at different times during theyear. When Cathy and I looked at 2010, it became clearthat of the 49 parishes active in our diocese, 46 of those49 plus St. John’s Chapel at HWS contributed a totalof $14,036.26 in ingathering funds to UTO during thecalendar year. In other words, we are three parishes shyof 100%. It is interesting to note that $9,561.67 of thattotal was presented at convention. It is also interestingto note that the Diocese of Rochester has benefitedfrom the worldwide UTO grant process six times in thepast seven years. Most recently (2010), St. Stephen’sRochester received $39,980 to upgrade their parishkitchen. We have just submitted a 2011 grant requeston behalf of another of our parish-connected ministriesand hope to be successful once again. Each penny thatis contributed to UTO is used to deserving ministriesworldwide thorough the grant process. Can you thinkof a better way to celebrate our daily blessings???While it is still the diocesan goal to answer the “arewe there yet” question with a loud “YES”, it is veryrewarding to know that daily thankfulness is abundantin our lives. Please continue to celebrate our manyblessings by keeping UTO active in your life, yourparish and our diocese. If I can be of any assistance inthat work, please let me know.Susan Woodhouse, Diocesan Coordinator forUTOsusan@rochesterepiscopaldiocese.comCommission on MinistryThe Commission on Ministry (COM) is in the process ofreconstituting itself so that it can better serve as one ofthe primary canonical charges, vision: “assist the Bishopin the determination of present and future opportunitiesand needs for the ministry of all baptized persons.”(Canon 2:2 b) This means that greater attention to theministry of the laity will become a regular part of theCOM’s agenda. This is in keeping with Council’s chargeto “grow the diocese” by empowering more and more ofour members to become committed to their own gifts ofministry and the opportunities that lay before them tobe “Christ’s reconciling presence in the world.”In this respect a new planning team has been created.This team is made up of representatives from eachof the districts of our diocese and at its first meetingadopted the following statement of purpose: To createa process in our diocese that will empower all of ourbaptized members to celebrate all of life as ministryand to provide resources to assist each person to morefully engage in the Mission of God. In addition threedecisions were made: 1. To plan an event in Octoberthat will both celebrate and invite people to begin theprocess of discerning their gifts of ministry; 2. To extendan invitation to a keynote speaker; 3. To next meeton March 19. At this next meeting we will begin theprocess of issuing a call for workshops that will not onlybe offered in October, but will also provide vehicles forongoing discernment and transformation.The Planning team consists of one Clergy and one Laymember from each of the Districts in our Diocese. TheRt. Rev. Prince G. Singh also made three appointmentsto the Commission on Ministry and they are:Dr. Nan Crystal Arens - St. Peter’s, Geneva; Elizabeth(Liz) Porter St. Michael’s, Geneseo; The Rev. ChristopherStreeter, Christ Church, Pittsford.13

Some Thoughts on Our VisionIn a culture that over the past few years has expressedfear of focusing too much on identity we Episcopaliansin the Diocese of Rochester have the audacity to speakof ourselves as those who prize passionate spirituality,radical hospitality, and thoughtful engagement!So let me say briefly how I understand this callof Council to speak of our identity—or, as some wouldsay, our brand.I do not have to tell you how nervous we are of the wordpassion. We have seen too many passionate people divideus and overwhelm us with their dogmatic dictums.They are people whose convictions as to the rightness oftheir cause suspends all rational dialogue and force usto submit to a “my way alone” as the answer to all of ourproblems. This is not the Episcopal way.Instinctively we know that such views are dangerousfor the intolerance that they breed. The larger part ofour society has come to value a kind of tolerance of themultiple identities each of us brings to the public square.So long as a person is not doing any harm to themselvesor to others we can live with multiple differences aboutfundamental beliefs and engage one another in our questfor the common good.So what do we mean that we now embrace a passionatespirituality? Originally the word “passion” had to dowith suffering, hence “the passion of Christ” referring toChrist’s willing suffering on the cross. By the 18th centurythe word conveyed the idea of deep and substantivefeelings that one held, either on a particular subject ortoward another person. In modern parlance the wordconveys the idea of deeply felt commitment. So what weare saying is that we Episcopalians have a deeply feltcommitment to our way of spirituality. In a world of shallowcommitments we want to affirm the place of deeplyfelt commitment; we want to say that we should not beembarrassed to let in be known that we enjoy and delightin our common life as members of the Episcopal Church.But we do so in a manner that is qualified by radical hospitalityand thoughtful engagement. These two qualifierson our passion are essential hallmarks of how we planto participate in the mission of God, the misseo dei. It isthis sending of God that gives to each of us the marchingorders for our various ministries. But we are not beingsent out as zealots whose sole purpose is to do somethingto the other; we come to the other as a gift.First we will practice radical hospitality and this meansthat we will welcome the stranger, the other, withouthaving any plan to do anything to that person but to providefor him/her the experience of being accepted in thebeloved community. It means we do not view the otherprimarily as a potential church member, but as a personwith whom God is inviting us to extend the arms of awelcome embrace. The focus is always on the other, noton our own needs.Second, when we do engage the other we are ready to doso with a thoughtful engagement. By this we mean thatwe will not resort to thoughtless sound byte exchanges,but engage one another in serious discourse as we seekto discern the will of God for our place in time. We willnot be afraid of the tough questions, nor will we be afraidof the effort we have to make to build good and trustworthytruth telling among ourselves and to the worldaround us. But nor will we speak as if we have a corneron truth, but as those who believe that truth is more of aprocess of discovery than the enunciation of declaratorypropositions.So then Rochester Episcopalians let us be even morepassionate about the ground upon which we stand—thatGod has declared God’s love for us in Christ, a love we reenactat each and every Eucharist; let us engage in radicalhospitality to each other and especially toward thestrangers in our midst, whether they live at the edges ofour society or in mansions; and let us practice thoughtfulengagement by speaking truthfully to one another in thehope that we will all catch a glimpse of the truth thatGod is seeking to disclose to us.14

CommunicationsUpdateThese two quotations came to mind as I thoughtabout the future of communications in the Dioceseof Rochester. We are in a period of transition in theDiocese which includes Diocesan communications. Weare moving ahead at great speed with careful precisionand concentrated thought. There have been andwill be speed bumps along this road but we grow andimprove with every experience. You are now holdingin your hands the second issue of “Tidings”. In addition,we have published three editions of the DiocesanE-Newsletter, our local news coverage has increased inthe past year, and we are continually moving forwardin the process of developing a new Diocesan website,which meets the needs of the Diocese.If you take a look at France’s quote, we can see what heis saying is happening in our Diocese. We are continuingto act and move forward, but at the same time weare always dreaming of what we can achieve aroundthat next bend. We are also planning many new initiativesand programs in the Diocese, the whole timebelieving in their success. We are accomplishing greatthings, and we will continue to accomplish them.We have been in the process of doing a needs analysison our Diocesan web presence, and we have moved on tothe next stage. We have put together a focus group thatconsists of Lay and Clergy members from all over theDiocese, which will meet to discuss their thoughts andneeds of a Diocesan site. Then we will pick one of theweb designers who we have met with to begin productionon our new site. We are taking all of these lengthy“To accomplish great things,we must not only act, but alsodream, not only plan,but also believe.”— Anatole France (French Writer, 1900)“There are no failures –just experiences and yourreactions to them.—Tom Krause (Motivational Speaker, 1934)steps to make sure that this new site meets the needsof our communications initiatives but also is useful andhelpful to our community. We are hoping to have thesite launched by the middle of the year. Even thoughwe are switching off of the Digital Faith platform forour Diocesan site, we are going to continue to provideeach parish with the opportunity to host a free site onDigital Faith.We are now sending out our E-mail communicationsthrough Constant Contact, which gives us reports thatlet us know when e-mails bounce or can’t be delivereddue to your inbox being full. This way we can make surethat you don’t miss out on an important e-mail due totechnical difficulties. Later this year, we will be launchinga monthly webinar series, an on-line version of“Tidings” which will be updated in between the printedissues, as well as improving our presence on our Blogsand social media sites.If you have not received any of these communicationsor are interested in receiving ones that you don’t currentlyreceive, please visit our homepage and fill outthe form located under the “Connect with Us” tab entitled“Update your Information.”15

90 Years of Ordained Ministryby Christopher HillIn January 90 years of ordained ministry was celebratedin two different ways and at two different venues.The first celebrated the Rev. Philip Schaefer’s50 years as a priest in a Eucharist and receptionheld on January 22 at the Church of St. Luke &St. Simon Cyrene. The preacher for the occasionwas the Rev. Susan Kohlmeier. Assembled for the celebrationwere friends, family members, parishionersfrom various congregations Schaefer has served, andmany colleagues in ministry. Bishop Singh witnessedSchaefer’s renewal of ordinations vows. A lunch receptionfollowed the service.On January 29th a very different kind of celebrationoccurred at the Church of the Epiphany inGates. The Rev. Donald Hill celebrated the 40thanniversary of his ordination as a priest by sponsoringa benefit concert. Two summer programs forat-risk youth, Freedom Kids Camp (sponsored by St.Luke & St. Simon Cyrene and by St. Stephen’s ChurchRochester) and the Leadership Summer Day CampProgram (at Rural & Migrant Ministry’s LiturgiaCenter in Lyons) will share the funds raised by theconcert. Performing at the concert were Hammers NPicks, John Monststream (bagpipes), Mitzie Collins& Striking Strings, the Farm Workers Music Team,Nancy Woodworth-Hill (organ) and there were “greetings”brought to the honoree from comedienne PhylContestable as “Reverend Mother.”More than two hundred people attended the benefitconcert and over $5,100 was donated to support thesetwo important summer programs for youth-at-risk.Christopher Hill is currently a graduate student inCommunication & Sports Administration in Buffalo,NY and previously attended Trinity Church, Greece.16

What Happened to the Mission Grant Applicationby The Rev. Canon Julie A. CicoraEvery January the Diocesan staff has sent out theMission Grant Application form with the administrativepackets. In order to receive money for mission, theprocess is as follows:■ The grant application goes to the parishes for completionin January;■ The parish submits the application to DiocesanHouse staff;■ The staff reviews the applications and reproducesthem for the district lay and clerical delegates.■ The delegates review and rate the applications;■ The delegates come together in a group to discussapplications and determine the amount of money toallocate to each application;■ Recommendations for the allocations go to DiocesanCouncil as part of the budget process. This usuallyoccurs in June. Council approves the budget for submissionto convention;■ The Budget is sent to all the delegates to conventionto review before the vote at convention;■ Once the budget is approved at convention (normallyaround the beginning of November) the grantallocations are finalized..■ Usually the money is not immediately available untilafter January 1st the following year.It takes a year to fund a mission grant application.A sub group of Diocesan Council has decided to lookat the mission grant application process with severalgoals in mind.Goals■ Simplify the application process and provide help infilling out the applications■ Reduce the time frame from application to funding■ Help the mission find any additional resources (otherthan financial resources) that could help makethe mission successful.We hope to have our process in place soon. Fundingwill continue to be available for January 2012. We willbe certain to make sure everyone is aware when thenew application process has been approved.Why not read a book for Lent?Get Over Yourself: God’s Here! By Kate Moorehead s aforty-day journey of repentance. Her meditations arenot about focusing more attention upon ourselves;rather it is a process whereby we shift our attention toGod. $14.00A New Kind of Christianity. By Brian McLaren asks tenquestions that are transforming the faith. Topsellerjust released in paperback. $14.99The Good Bookstore A ministry of the Diocese935 Easts Ave. Rochester, NY 14607 | 585-473-8634or 800-716-8634 | GoodBook935@aol.com17

Tales out ofSchool # 9by Patti BlaineAt School #9 there is a support group for the fathersand other adults, particularly men, in the families ofthe school’s students. The purpose of the group is toencourage these adults to be good role models andto participate actively in their children’s education.Last year the facilitator of that group invited a few ofthe male tutors in the Adopt-a-Classroom Programto attend meetings and provide insight and supportwhere appropriate. My husband, Bruce, attendeda couple of the meetings and at one, he met Bob*whose story follows.Bob has a limited skill set, and works in the serviceindustry for minimum wage. He has twochildren, each with a different mother. He has legalcustody of both and is trying to be a good fatherfor them despite the fractured nature of hisfamily and his life circumstances. His youngest, adaughter, attends the elementary school where wetutor. His son is about 17 or 18 years old and haschronic asthma.Poverty is a pernicious disease.It cripples more than just theeconomics of a family.18

A while ago, Bob’s son was staying with his motherand his asthma flared up badly. He ended up in anemergency room. Neither Bob nor his son’s motherhad health insurance, and their son’s medical carewas not covered by any government-funded plan.Suddenly Bob was responsible for a few thousanddollars in medical bills. And he couldn’t hope to payfor them. So he didn’t.Now the state is involved and Bob’s wages are garnishedto collect on the debt he owes. On a goodweek, Bob earns about $220 before taxes. Thosewages are garnished so deeply he cannot afford tolive on the pennies of his paycheck that are leftover,nor can he afford to provide basic care, let alonea stable home life for his young daughter. So hechanges jobs. He works for two to three months untilthe debt collectors find him again, and his after-garnishmenttake-home pay leaves him with too little tolive on again. And then he changes jobs again.Bob spoke up at the meeting and told his story becausehe very much wants to provide a stable homelife for his young daughter in particular, and he isdeeply frustrated that he cannot. He is not working toensure that her future is better than his, because heis not able to look that far ahead. He is too caught upin how very uncertain life is for him and his childrenright now. If he could afford to stay at one job longenough, Bob could build on his skill set, and increasehis earning power. An untimely hospitalization, however,has robbed him of that opportunity and he doesnot know how to go forward, for himself or for hischildren.I listened a week or so ago, to a father out for breakfastwith his two young children one Sunday morning.The oldest was about 4 years old, and she wasasking her father how to spell “mommy.” He encouragedher to use the sound of the word to figure outwhat letter starts it, what letters are in the middle,and what letter is at the end, and she did. When shesaid “Mommy sounds like Molly,” he helped her determinewhat letter changes are necessary to makethe L sound. All while waiting for cheese omelettes.Chances are if you are a parent, you have encouragedyour children’s curiosity about letter soundsand word spellings in a similar fashion.*Name has been changed for this account.Poverty is a pernicious disease. It cripples more thanjust the economics of a family. Like fine sand in a windstorm, it gets into every crack and crevice of a family’slife, affecting even their ability to believe that educationcan improve their lives. The children in impoverishedneighborhoods for the most part do not receivethe educational support at home that children of lesseconomically oppressed parents provide.School #9 is a pre-Kindergarten through 6th gradeschool. With a Hispanic population of 60 percent, it isthe largest bilingual elementary school in the RochesterCity School District. 38 percent of the remainder of thestudents are African-American, 2 percent are white.97 percent live below the poverty line. According to2008/2009 NYS Department of Education statistics,the percentage of 3rd grade students meeting learningstandards or higher in ELA is 41 percent; in 4th grade,37 percent.The Adopt-a-Classroom program is primarily a literacyintervention program for the students at School #9. Wecannot hope to eradicate the poverty that impedes thestudents’ learning, but we hope to teach as many aswe are able that they have value, and that educationcan improve their lives. It is a Sisyphean task, and yetit is deeply rewarding. Thank you for your continuedsupport of the St. Paul’s Adopt-a-Classroom program atSchool #9. To learn how you can do more, please contactme: 585-354-1703 or pattiblaine@gmail.com.Patti Blaine, City School Outreach CoordinatorSt. Paul’s Episcopal Church19

The Episcopal Diocese of Rochester935 East AvenueRochester, NY 14607-2216NON PROFIT ORGUS POSTAGEPAIDROCHESTER, NYPERMIT NO. 123Take a lookWhen you’re finished reading this, please share it with a friend. And, remember to recycle! Thank you.