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For more news
More news of what's happening in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas is available from two diocesan publications.
You can read the latest issue of The Harvest, our bimonthly newspaper, by clicking HERE. You can read the latest issue of DioLog, our biweekly electronic newsletter, by clicking HERE.
A message from Bishop Dean E. Wolfe about diocesan staff restructuring
May 10, 2012
This week I made one of the more difficult decisions I’ve had to make since becoming your bishop. After extensive conversations with the treasurer of the diocese, the Finance Committee, the Executive Committee and the Council of Trustees, I have restructured our diocesan staff and reduced two staff positions.
Char DeWitt, our Director of Development and Stewardship, and the Reverend Susan Terry, one of our Campus Missioners, will conclude their service to the diocese on May 15. They each have performed outstanding work during their time on the diocesan staff, and we will greatly miss their gifts and talents. We have sought to be generous in this transition, and we will do all we can to assist them as they discern their next steps in the coming weeks. I ask your prayers for Char and Susan during this challenging time.
Christians believe that in every difficult moment there remains an opportunity. The whole church is in the midst of examining how it will accomplish its mission with fewer full-time professional staff. The work Char and Susan undertook must continue, but in very different ways. We’ll look to development consultants to help us with the next phase of our capital campaign, and as bishop I’ll be even more involved in seeking gifts to support the Kansas School for Ministry. The Reverend Michael Bell will remain as Campus Missioner and will assist us in further refining our campus ministry model so that we can continue to connect parishes to the campuses in their communities. This work will be done in conjunction with the campus interns at the Canterbury houses at KU and K-State. We do not intend to lose the hard-won progress we have made in these ministries.
In recent years we have relied more heavily on endowment income to help make up shortfalls coming from declining parish revenue and the loss of a significant individual gift to the diocese. It became clear we could not continue to spend more than we were receiving from parish apportionments and normal endowment income. A diocese, like a parish, invests most of its money in staff salaries and benefits, and while we could have made modest cuts to a variety of program areas, it would not have reached the level of savings needed. After exploring a variety of options, including an increase in parish apportionments, it became clear we needed to restructure our ministry.
Let me be clear – this was not a reduction of positions which were superfluous to our work. In order to continue to accomplish the goals we have established, we will need to rely more and more upon empowering and equipping lay leaders for ministry. We also will need to pursue pioneering partnerships with other dioceses and denominations. We cannot do more with less, but we can conduct our ministries with greater clarity, creativity and collaboration.
Let us celebrate what these two employees have brought to the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. They deserve our heartfelt appreciation and sincere thanks for their faithful devotion to Christ and the Episcopal Church.
Char helped us raise an unprecedented $3.3 million in the Crossroads campaign for the Kansas School for Ministry, and she has helped many generous people in the diocese remember the Episcopal Church in their will. She is a person of deep faith, and she has consistently welded stewardship to its spiritual roots, reminding us that our giving is an expression of thanksgiving for everything God has given us.
Susan was instrumental in developing the model for campus ministry other dioceses are now studying, with its innovative peer ministry program and the establishment of an Episcopal presence on university and community college campuses throughout the diocese. She has been a faithful and wise counselor to many college students and an effective force for congregational development, especially in many of our smaller parishes.
The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas has faced many challenges in the past, and they have all turned out to be opportunities to pursue our mission – to know Christ and to make Christ known – in new and more faithful ways. This moment is no different. Together we will continue to implement our mission to bring Christ to a world desperate to know of God’s love and grace.
Renovations start at Bethany Place Conference Center
Bishop Dean Wolfe took a ceremonial first swing of the ax to a wall at the Bethany Place Conference Center April 14 to mark the beginning of renovation work made possible by the Crossroads campaign.
The renovations will provide sleeping space for 20 people, up from the 12 beds currently available. Two additional bathrooms will be added, for a total of five-and-a-half baths, and all the interior spaces will be refurbished and upgraded.
The conference center is the home of the Kansas School for Ministry (more information >>HERE), and the renovations will provide more sleeping space in a more comfortable environment for KSM students.
The work is expected to be completed by early October, in time for a walk-through during Diocesan Convention, at a cost of about $400,000. It’s the first project to begin using proceeds from the $3.3 million donated to Crossroads.
Bishop Wolfe issues letter on same-gender blessings; materials also available
Bishop Dean Wolfe on March 15 sent an email letter to clergy in charge of congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas urging them to share information and resources regarding proposed trial liturgies for same-gender blessings. These proposals will come before General Convention when it meets July 5-12 in Indianapolis for possible adoption.
In his message, the bishop said that last fall he convened a Bishop’s Advisory Group Regarding Same-Gender Blessings, which has produced a variety of materials, including a theological statement, a proposed curriculum for a parish discussion on the topic, and a lengthy list of resources. Diocesan Canon Theologian the Rev. Andrew Grosso also produced a statement.
The bishop's letter is available >>HERE
All these materials, along with a PDF of the proposals from the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, can be accessed through the diocesan website on a special page devoted to the topic of same-gender blessings >>HERE
Online donations now accepted via website
A new online donation system now is in place for people who want to make secure, electronic contributions to the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. It is accessible through the diocesan website, www.episcopal-ks.org, by clicking the “Donate Now” button on the left side.
That opens a page operated in partnership with Network for Good, a respected firm that manages secure, online donations for more than 6,000 non-profit organizations.
Donors then can select the amount and frequency of their gift, the fund to which it should go, and the number of the credit or debit card they wish to use for the transaction. Donor contact information also is needed.
Once a donation is made, donors receive a confirmation thank-you email generated by Network for Good, confirming the gift.
Currently, donors can select from these places where they want a donation to go:
- Crossroads Campaign, including making payments on a pledge;
- Diocesan endowment;
- Campus ministries;
- Bishop’s Discretionary Fund;
- Kansas to Kenya Missionary Fund; and
- Youth camp scholarships.
Network for Good is a 10-year-old company that has received the “charity seal” of approval from the non-profit arm of the Better Business Bureau that evaluates charities.
The diocese pays a fee for this service, which includes 3 percent of every gift made through the site. Donors have the option of adding 3 percent more to their gift, which reduces the cost of the online service to the diocese and provides an additional tax-deductible contribution for them.