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St. Philip's, Topeka, closes its doors

There were some tears, lots of hugs and a promise to stay in touch. For the people of St. Philip’s, Topeka, it was time to say good-bye, as the church closed its doors for the last time on Nov. 19 and ended 45 years of ministry as an Episcopal church in southeast Topeka.

The final morning service drew some former members who took the opportunity to reminisce and visit with old friends.

In her final sermon as vicar of the parish, the Rev. Kay Dagg urged parishioners to remain steadfast in the face of the unknown.

“Now you set your face toward a new parish, with a newness and a sameness,” she said.

“Trust that we are all still one in Christ, even to the end of the age. We are always one body in him. We must deal with our separation. It is real. God is with us all along the way, and God always knows what to do next,” she said.

Bishop Dean Wolfe was present for an afternoon reception. He told members that the Episcopal Church needs their faithfulness and talents, and urged them to find a new church home in one of the area parishes.

Members and visitors poured over scrapbooks filled with decades of photographs showing parish activities.

The decision to close the parish was made this summer when finances made it impossible to continue. The death of some prominent members, along with rising costs, prompted the vestry to make the difficult but realistic decision that the parish couldn’t continue operations.

The property and its contents now belong to the diocese, and plans call for bids to be accepted for its purchase. In the meantime, the chairs from the worship area have been loaned to St. David’s for use in their temporary parish hall worship space.

Sedan hires youth minister to serve the entire town

Epiphany, Sedan, has begun a unique program designed to help not just children in the parish but children throughout the town. The parish has hired a part-time minister for children and youth whose job is to serve all the youngsters in Sedan, a town of 1,200 in southeast Kansas.

Cynthia Leniton began work this fall as Director of Youth and Children’s Ministry. A member of Epiphany, she has experience as a teacher and is herself the mother of two elementary-aged children.

Part of a large bequest received earlier this year provides the funding for this position for up to three years, according to the parish’s rector, the Rev. Barbara Bloxsom. Vestry discussions on how to spend it sparked the idea of someone to head up ministry with young people.

Transforming young lives

“We want to transform the lives of all the children of Sedan,” Bloxsom said, noting that the small community didn’t have many activities to offer to children and youth. “Cynthia will work with all the churches, encouraging children to go to their own church but to gather together for joint activities.”

Bloxsom said the parish called on Chad Senuta, diocesan youth missioner, for help in crafting a job description. Senuta said he was delighted to help the parish establish this important position. “One of my greatest passions is to see parishes begin intentional youth programs where one may not have existed before,” he said.

Leniton said she hit the ground running with Halloween activities and now has two programs for elementary children — Wednesday night practices for a communitywide Christmas program and Saturday morning gatherings that teach the story of Jesus’ birth.

After the first of the year will come new offerings designed to appeal more to junior and senior high youth.

Leniton also writes a column for the weekly town newspaper, the SedanTimes-Star. “The column is used to keep the community informed of activities and also to share some religious perspective on daily life,” she said.

She is building on an existing ecumenical emphasis on children in Sedan. The annual summer Vacation Bible School this year drew nearly 100 children, Leniton said, supported by six churches in town, including Epiphany.

“This has provided a good starting ground for our outreach ministry to work from,” she said.

Senuta said that Leniton is a good fit for this critical ministry. “I think Cynthia’s ministry with youth and children will have a tremendous impact on the church and the community,” he said. “She is faithful, energetic, creative, and cares deeply about sharing God’s love with young people in Sedan. I couldn’t be more excited for the entire parish.”

Bloxsom said funding this new position isn’t about getting more numbers into the Episcopal Church but about changing lives in the name of Jesus Christ.

“We have the chance to do some good ministry in this town,” she said.