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The
Episcopal
Diocese of Louisiana
EDoLA News for June 2017
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Announcements from the Bishop's Office
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Reflections from Community Mission Appeal Grant Recipients
The Community Mission Appeal - or CMA - is dedicated to taking our diocese's mission beyond the physical walls of our churches. One hundred percent of the gifts received through CMA will go directly to churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana in the form of grants to support the development and continuing strength of mission work.
On the CMA blog, we are sharing reflections from our 2016 CMA grant recipients. Read the recent stories below and check back on the
CMA Blog as more stories are added.
St. George's Dragon Cafe: A Place for Food, Fellowship, Dignity, and Love
Jericho Road: A Commitment to Collaboration
St. Augustine's, Metairie: Loving to Read
St. Matthew's, Houma: God's Cooking Pot
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Church Administration Resource Day
Parish administrators, clergy, finance committee members, vestry members, and church treasurers are invited to a resource day on Tuesday, July 11 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm in the conference room of the diocesan office, 1623 Seventh St, New Orleans. If you are interested in coming, please bring any questions you may have regarding accounting, the assessment, the parochial report, internal controls, finances, pension, insurance or anything else you may need assistance with.
If you have any particular questions before the event, please reach out to Chris Speed, Diocesan Administrator, at
[email protected].
Come and go as you wish between the hours of 11 am and 1:00 pm. Lunch will not be provided.
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Safe Church Minister Training
The Diocese will be hosting three training sessions pertaining to our Safeguarding policy. Your congregation's Safe Church Minister is required to be at one of these gatherings. However, clergy, heads of school, administrators and others who may be involved in your Safeguarding program are also welcome and encouraged to attend.
These meetings will be held on Tuesday, June 27 at 6:00 pm at St. Augustine's, 3412 Harring Road, Metairie; Wednesday, July 12 at 11:00 am at Chapel of the Holy Comforter, 2200 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans; and on Wednesday, July 12 at 6:00 pm at St. James, 205 N Fourth Street, Baton Rouge (in the third floor atrium).
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Planning For Your Future and Legacy Resource Day
Join us on August 17 at St. James, Baton Rouge, or August 24 at St. Martin's, Metairie for "Planning for Your Future and Legacy."
Topics include: Advanced Funeral Plans; Advanced Funeral Service Planning and Church Traditions; Living Wills, Powers of Attorney; Financial Preparations for the Final Years; Remembering the Church in your Will; Medicare; Self-Care; Caring for the Elderly
Sponsored by: The Congregational Consultants for Stewardship
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34th Annual Weekend for Men and Women in Recovery
The Addictions Recovery Ministry of the Diocese of Louisiana announces its annual weekend for men and women who are or who wish to be in recovery. The weekend will take place at the Solomon Episcopal Conference Center (SECC) in Loranger, LA, August 4-6.
Our facilitator is Bro. Kevin Kriso, OFM. Bro.Kevin has facilitated weekend retreats for people
in 12-Step Recovery for over 25 years. He first became acquainted with 12-Step Recovery himself in 1986. He holds degrees in theology and counseling psychology and presently lives in an active contemplative Franciscan community in Western NY state and works mainly with college students.
Recovery is the road from restless, irritable, and discontent to trust God, clean house, and
help others. This weekend, we will come together to reflect, pray, discuss, and achieve a greater balance with ourselves & God.
Registration and more information: http://www.solomoncenter.org/Events-and-Registrations
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Save the Date:
August 25-27 Happening #79. Registration will open soon.
September 16 Caffeinated Church Conference. A workshop for all those (paid and volunteer) involved with or interested in church communications and technology. Registration will open in August.
October 6-8 Senior High Rally. Registration will open in September.
November 3-4 Diocesan Convention
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Download the latest Churchwork
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News from Around the Diocese
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Follow the news & reflections from around the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana by
clicking here.
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Clergy Transitions
The Rev. Jane-Allison Wiggin-Nettles was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests on June 28 at Christ Church, Covington. She is serving as the chaplain at Christ Episcopal School in Covington.
View more photographs from the service here.
The Rev. Andrew R. Thayer
has accepted a call to serve as the rector of Trinity Church, New Orleans. He is currently serving as the rector of Church of the Ascension, Montgomery, Alabama. His first Sunday at Trinity will be August 6.
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2017 ECW Honored Women and Honored Person
During the 130th ECW Annual Gathering, four women were named as a 2017 Honored Woman and one bishop was named an Honored Person for their service and ministry to the Church. The women receiving the award this year were Mary Hughes of Trinity Church, Morgan City; Val Jeanne Phillips of St. Augustine's, Baton Rouge; Beulah Rodrigue of St. Matthew's, Houma; and Joy Roques of St. Augustine's, Metairie. The Rt. Rev. James B. Brown, the IX Bishop of Louisiana, was given the second ever Honored Person award for his "ongoing presence among us as a visiting bishop, supply priest, fellow communicant, and friend."
Read the full article here
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Integrity New Orleans Walks in the New Orleans Pride Parade
On June 10, 2017, Integrity New Orleans along with clergy and parishioners from around the diocese walked in the New Orleans Pride Parade to demonstrate God's love and exclaim that all are welcome in the Episcopal Church.
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Eucharistic Visitors in a Hospital Setting
by Deacon Alyce Jefferson
Bringing communion to Episcopal patients at Ochsner, East Jefferson and Touro on Sundays is a meaningful ministry of presence, healing and hope. The consecrated bread and wine we bring are tangible reminders of God's love and presence being with those who cannot be at a service.
We go on behalf of our diocese and work under the pastoral care department of each facility. In addition to leading a brief service of communion under special circumstances from our Book of Common Prayer, we offer a listening ear and a compassionate heart, and we lift up prayers for the patient, their family and the hospital staff.
We are looking to train volunteers from local churches around our diocese to visit Episcopalians in Ochsner, East Jefferson or Touro on a specific Sunday of the month. A Eucharistic Visitor's license is required from our diocese. If you are interested in participating in this ministry and do not have a license, a training can be scheduled for you. Orientation and medical clearance are also required by each facility.
Please contact Deacon Alyce Jefferson at
[email protected] with any questions and to start the process of serving in this hospital ministry.
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Heading to LSU, UNO, SUNO, Tulane, or Loyola? College campus ministries are there for students.
Chapel of the Holy Comforter, New Orleans
Campus Ministry to SUNO and UNO
by the Rev. John Craft, Chaplain
In college on the lakefront in New Orleans? The chapel of the Holy Comforter provides ministry to the students at SUNO And UNO as well as Dillard and Delgado.
We have become the gathering place for students from all over the world. Every Thursday during classes, we serve lunch. In addition to New Orleanians, a good number of international students from Africa meet to eat. You can hear four or five languages all at the same table.
Many of the students join our Sunday morning congregation for what is certainly the most diverse worshipping body in the diocese.
Join us every Thursday from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at the Chapel, 2220 Lakeshore Drive. Please feel free to contact us at 504-283-4593. You can also call me on my cell phone at 504-920-1223.
Chapel of the Holy Spirit, New Orleans
Campus Ministry to Tulane and Loyola
by the Rev. Watson Lamb, Chaplain
If you're heading to Tulane or Loyola, you are invited to come and join us at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit! All are welcome! No exceptions! Our ministry is to equip and strengthen young adults to grow in Christ as they grow academically. Every Sunday we have two services at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM with a lunch for students in between. We incorporate the students into every aspect of chapel life and hope to employ some campus ministry interns this coming year. You can find out more about our ministry at
www.holyspiritnola.org or by contacting our chaplain, Fr. Watson Lamb at
[email protected]
or 504-533-4916 (cell). Please let us know any students you know who are heading to Tulane and Loyola!
St. Alban's Chapel, Baton Rouge
Campus Ministry to LSU
by the Rev. Drew Rollins, Chaplain
There are many opportunities for students heading to Louisiana State University to find a church home right at the heart of the campus. St. Alban's Chapel is blessed with absolutely the best location of any of the several churches on this campus. We are the first Episcopal Chapel in the United States to be build on the campus of a state university. Following a long-standing tradition, our sanctuary remains open 24/7 for any student to find a convenient place of refuge, prayer, and quiet. Every Sunday evening following our 6:00 service of Holy Eucharist, our congregation hosts a dinner for students. We employ students as Sunday School teachers, as campus ministry interns, and as the core members of our exceptional Sunday morning choir. For many years, we have hosted a weekly "Lunch with C. S. Lewis" gathering that now draws from 150 - 200 students every Wednesday from across campus. More information may be found on our web site:
www.stalban.org or by contacting our chaplain, the Rev. Drew Rollins, at
[email protected]
or 225-933-0241 (cell). Please point our way any students you know who are heading to LSU! Geaux Tigers!
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Church people, how long could you go without ever giving a dime?
by Jason Akers, Congregational Consultant for Stewardship
A well-known Twitter user (whose subject matter focuses on sports but often bleeds into pop culture) surprised me when he posted this tweet earlier this week:
Church people, how long could you go without ever giving a dime? Is that something they
eventually talk to you about?
Perhaps not so surprising was that most of the replies basically said the same thing: My church only talks about money one Sunday each fall, so you can just skip that day.
While the replies certainly were not isolated to Episcopalians, they point to a disturbing development in church culture as a whole. We live in a world in which we share - without hesitation - the intimate moments of our daily lives, from our meals to our work promotions to our kids' accomplishments, but we treat money and giving as strictly private matters. We can change that by taking a fresh approach to stewardship in our congregations.
The fresh approach to Stewardship requires effort, but it begins with recognizing what stewardship is ... and what it isn't:
- Stewardship is a year-round approach.
- Stewardship is not a pledge drive.
- Stewardship is a community approach to giving.
- Stewardship is not an effort led by one person or a small group.
- Stewardship is encouraging parishioners to embrace God's generosity in all that they do.
- Stewardship is not focused on giving only to the church.
- Stewardship is helping parishioners realize the relationship between God and money.
- Stewardship is not an obligatory or heavy-handed approach.
Congregations that embrace Stewardship often see both financial and spiritual growth. The Diocese has a team of Stewardship Congregational Development Consultants ready to help you grow.
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Addiction is a Complex Disease
by the Rev. Seamus Doyle, Addiction Recovery Ministry of the Diocese of Louisiana
Is addiction really a disease? Don't people know better? Is it not a question of willpower? Shouldn't those going to drug court or treatment be punished to get it through their head to stop?
Education and treatment rather than punishment are what works. Alcoholics Anonymous works best for most. And, yes, there are those whose addiction will cause their death. "Willpower" works temporarily; many individuals have "given up alcohol (cigarettes, chocolate...) for Lent."
The U.S. has a two hundred year history of going in circles about addiction as a disease, a moral issue, criminal behavior, etc. Since the late 1920's, with longitudinal studies and increased knowledge of the brain, scientists are much more confident we are dealing with a disease that has rewired parts of the brain to diminish the ability of the addicted to altering this behavior.
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) defines addiction as "a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors."
The behavior can be described as "willful," "bad," etc. Those in recovery testify to shame, guilt and sometimes shock at learning about their behavior while under the influence - they were in a blackout (dangerous behavior that ends in injury or calamity, uncharacteristically hurtful language, and of course, driving under the influence).
Punishment is counterproductive. All good people do "bad" things at one time or other. The behavior of an addict is best understood in terms of an alteration in brain functioning. Treatment is about helping an individual change his/her thinking and behavior while holding them responsible and accountable (even if they were drunk/high).
[More about the disease in the next article. Check out our web page
Recovery Ministries; Google "World Health Organization" on addiction.]
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One goal of the Congregational Consultants for Communication & Technology is to inspire all Episcopalians to share the Good News of the Kingdom of God through social media. When posting, use one or more of the hashtags:
#jesusmovement,
#EDoLA,
#Episcopal, and your church name.
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Going on a mission trip? Are you attending another church on vacation? How are you taking time to serve and inspire others this summer?
Post, tweet, Instagram your summer activities. We would love to be inspired by you!
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[Photograph by the Rev. William Miller] Nawilili Nelson (AKA: "Wili"), best friend of Father Bill Miller, led chapel on June 15 for the Christ Episcopal Enrichment Program (CEEP) at Christ Church, Covington. CEEP is a four-week summer educational enrichment program for at-risk children in grades 3-6. Wili's lesson this day was to share the qualities of a true Friend: Faithful, Forgiving, and Forever.
Wili and Father Bill are currently on a 5,000-mile road trip they are calling the "Last Howlelujah Tour." They will stop at churches, bookstores, and breweries along the way to tell dog stories and raise money for animal charities. Wili was diagnosed with cancer last fall and this trip is on his "barket list." You can learn more about the tour at
www.fatherbill.net or on Facebook by
clicking here. Learn more about the remarkable story of Wili in a recent article in the
New Orleans Advocate.
Read "Road trip Priest and His Ill Dog Set Off to Fulfill Barket List."
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The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana | 1623 Seventh St, New Orleans, LA 70115
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