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	Sonya, Ian and Philip Hubbard

Hubbard to launch new parish in southern Johnson County

By Melodie Woerman
Editor, The Harvest

Philip Hubbard soon will tackle a responsibility few new seminary graduates dare undertake. He’s going to start a brand new church.

Hubbard, 46, has been named by Bishop Dean Wolfe to start a new Episcopal congregation in southern Johnson County, a suburb of Kansas City. That fast-growing area doesn’t have an Episcopal church, and Bishop Wolfe has made starting one there a high priority for the Diocese of Kansas.

The bishop said he was excited to have Hubbard begin this new work. “Philip brings faithfulness, enthusiasm and a strong work ethic to this crucial ministry,” he said. “This is one of the boldest endeavors we have embarked upon since I became bishop, and I believe we have the right person for the job.”

Hubbard said his status as a new seminary graduate might make him an unusual candidate for this position, but he sees it differently. He said a dozen years in the corporate world, combined with two seminary degrees — one in theology and another in Christian education — make him ready. But besides that, he has what no amount of experience can provide. He feels called by God to this work.

“I want to follow the longing God has planted in my heart,” he said. “I want to plant this church.”

Hubbard acknowledged that hiring him to start a parish might seem like a risky proposition. But while he feels fully prepared for the task ahead, “sometimes we have to take risks if we want great rewards.”

‘An exciting moment’

Bishop Wolfe said Hubbard’s hiring was a “great day” for the diocese. “This is an enormously exciting moment,” he said. “It’s something we’ve really worked and labored to achieve. I could not be more pleased that this long-awaited mission is getting underway.”

The bishop, Canon to the Ordinary Mary Siegmund and the diocesan Congregational Devel-opment Committee worked for nearly two years to find the right person to undertake this new church start-up. They interviewed several people but picked Hubbard for his qualifications and his passion for the task.

Committee chair the Very Rev. Steve Lipscomb, dean of Grace Cathedral, Topeka, said Hubbard has something no other applicant for the job offered — an understanding of the area. “He has lived and worked in Johnson County,” he said. “That’s a big plus.” Hubbard was confirmed at St. Francis, Stilwell, and went to seminary from St. Thomas, Overland Park.

Combine that with Hubbard’s passion and enthusiasm, and Lipscomb said the committee knew he was the best person for this important task.

“Philip has the three things any successful church planter needs — energy, a love for the church and for Jesus, and a real love for people,” Lipscomb said.

Creating a new blueprint

It’s been nearly 20 years since a new congregation was started in the diocese, and Bishop Wolfe said a blueprint for this one doesn’t really exist. “We get to build this the way we want it,” he said. “The potential is quite wonderful.”

Hubbard will concentrate on reaching the “unchurched,” people who don’t have a church home. He said, “The world needs Jesus Christ. Lots of people have that already, but so many don’t. That’s who we are going after.”

While plans still are in flux, Hubbard said he expects to start by creating a congregation first, with a church building to come later. That will take him off the beaten path to reach people. “In the early stages,” he said, “I want to get out there into nontraditional places, like coffee shops and Kiwanis meetings, with the message, ‘You are invited.””

One of his tasks will be to work with real estate experts and local community leaders to find the best location for the eventual church building.

St. Margaret’s, Lawrence, the last church started in the Diocese of Kansas, began in 1989.

Reaching the hungry

When Hubbard begins, he will be tapping into the fastest-growing area in the state. He thinks the Episcopal Church in particular has much to offer residents. “There’s a hunger in people for God,” he said, “even if they don’t label it that. People are exploring lots of spiritualities. They want a personal relationship. That’s what the Episcopal Church offers.”

Episcopal worship, with a liturgical emphasis that understands God as mystery, should be very attractive to unchurched people who call themselves spiritual. “Unaffiliated doesn’t in every case mean unbelievers,” he said. “It means they have no faith community to believe in and connect to.”

Bishop Wolfe said area Episcopalians shouldn’t view this new parish as any sort of competition to their own congregations. “There are enough unchurched people in Johnson County that we don’t have to worry about that,” he said.

Lipscomb noted that excitement about starting a new church actually can help other parishes. “If there’s an Episcopal church in an area that’s growing, other parishes in the area grow, too.”

Hubbard and his wife, Sonya, plan to move back to Kansas soon after they both graduate in May. He will complete three years at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif., and she will earn a master’s in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.

They have a five-year-old son, Ian.