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From the Bishop
‘Crossroads’ offers us the opportunity to do a new thing
Dear Friends,
I love the Episcopal Church. I believe we make a substantial contribution to the Christian enterprise, and I am proud of what we represent.
But I also know the Episcopal Church in Kansas faces exceptional challenges, and I know, as you know, that we cannot continue to do the same old things in the same old ways and expect to remain a vibrant force for Christ in the world.
We soon will be undertaking an exciting, new initiative that I believe will positively impact every member of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas.
This initiative has been named “Crossroads: Securing the Path to Tomorrow” because I, along with the leadership of the diocese, believe we are at an important crossroads regarding the mission strategy of our diocese.
Early challenge: find clergy
In the early days of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, Bishops Thomas Vail and Elisha Thomas faced a critical problem — how to get enough clergy to come to Kansas and stay long enough to be effective ministers.
They soon realized the best way to accomplish this goal was to offer high quality, affordable, local education right here in Kansas.
In fact, it is a quote from Bishop Thomas in 1892 that inspired our campaign theme: “I have come to the conclusion that there is but one path left open to me. I must educate my own missionaries.”
This is exactly what we will do with an expanded Kansas School for Ministry.
We plan to secure our future by raising an endowment for faculty and programs for the Kansas School for Ministry and by building an adequate space for the school to offer classes for the training of lay leaders, deacons and priests.
This facility also will provide a place where vestries, youth groups and other organizations from around the diocese can gather to spend the night while they plan and learn and dream.
Skilled leaders needed
The Council of Trustees and I understand first-hand the challenges faced by our churches. Nearly half our congregations are led by part-time or non-stipendiary clergy, and most of our congregations use non-stipendiary clergy to assist them in their mission.
The cost of a residential seminary education, both in dollars and time spent away from families, is beyond the reach of many who would make excellent candidates for ordained ministry.
Additionally, every congregation in our diocese is in need of well-trained lay leaders — skilled youth ministers, effective educators for children and adults, passionate stewardship chairs, inspired liturgical leaders, compassionate pastoral care providers.
In order to achieve this objective, we will need to raise more than $4 million to ensure our parishes have the leadership needed to do the work we have been given to do.
We act together
These needs can’t be met by any one congregation acting alone. But we don’t have to act alone. As Episcopalians, we act together.
We all are called to be missionaries to a world that doesn’t always understand the Good News of Jesus. It’s a world that often favors power over humility, greed over giving and vengeance over forgiveness. It’s a world desperate to know the reconciling love of God.
An expanded KSM will provide every member of the diocese the tools to be the kind of missionaries our society needs.
More information on this opportunity will be available in the coming months, and you’ll be offered the chance to make a contribution to this crucial effort over and above what you already give to the church.
I realize this is an ambitious goal, but Kansans have never shied away from meeting challenges head-on. I believe it would be better to try and fail in this effort than never to have tried to do what we believe God is calling us to do.
I invite you to consider prayerfully how you can help make this dream a reality, as together we seek to know Christ and to make Christ known.
Faithfully,
+Dean