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Archdeacon Charles Pearce

Charles Pearce named archdeacon

Bishop Dean Wolfe has appointed Deacon R. Charles Pearce as one of two archdeacons for the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. Pearce currently serves at St. Paul’s, Manhattan.

He will join Archdeacon Monte Giddings of St. Michael’s, Mission, in serving as liaisons to the bishop for deacons of the diocese and as deacons to the bishop on parish visitations, when needed.

Bishop Wolfe said, “I am very pleased Deacon Charles Pearce is willing to serve as archdeacon for the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. We have a tradition of extraordinary archdeacons serving this diocese, and he will be a worthy successor to this tradition.

“Charles is an exemplary deacon, educator and servant leader, and he will bring exceptional gifts to the role of archdeacon. I believe he and Archdeacon Monte Giddings will become a dynamic team, and I look forward to working with these two deeply faithful men to build up the diaconate in this diocese.”

It is planned that Giddings will oversee diaconal responsibilities in the eastern half of the diocese, and Pearce in the western half.

Pearce was ordained a deacon in 2000 and is as a professor of mass communications at Kansas State University in Manhattan.

He has been a member of the Kansas School of Ministry oversight committee, the diocesan Communications Committee and the Ecclesiastical Court. He serves as an on-call chaplain for Manhattan’s Mercy Regional Medical Center, and is on the board of the Flint Hills Community Clinic. He has been a volunteer chaplain for the Riley County Police Department and also is certified as a grief and bereavement facilitator.

Pearce and his wife, Ann, have two daughters, Elspeth and Kira, who both have been active in the diocesan youth program.

Davidson promoted to colonel

The Rev. Don Davidson (center) receives from his wife, Marci, the eagle insignia marking his promotion to the rank of colonel in the Kansas Army National Guard during a ceremony June 29 in Topeka. Watching at left is Major Gen. Tod M. Bunting, Adjutant General of Kansas.

Davidson, who serves as rector of St. David’s, Topeka, has been with the Guard for 23 years and since January has been command chaplain for the Kansas National Guard (Army and Air Force). This makes him the only full colonel chaplain in the Kansas Guard.

New lectionary goes into use Dec. 2 

By the Rev. Barbara Bloxsom

You may be aware that Scripture lessons read in each Sunday Eucharist are designated in a lectionary that is arranged in a three-year cycle, with an Old Testament, epistle and gospel lesson and a psalm appointed for each Sunday. The table of lectionary readings is located on pages 889-921 of The Book of Common Prayer.

However, the 2006 General Convention of the Episcopal Church adopted the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) as the official lectionary for Sundays and Holy Days beginning with the First Sunday of Advent 2007, thus replacing the current lectionary on Dec. 2.

The Episcopal Church first adopted the RCL for trial use at the 1994 General Convention, and each subsequent convention reauthorized its trial use.

To help congregations prepare for its use in December, here are some frequently asked questions about the Revised Common Lectionary:

Why was it developed?
Following the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church developed a three-year scripture lectionary and introduced it in 1969. Other churches, including the Episcopal Church, began to adopt its use. However, each church produced its own variations, which hampered ecumenical efforts to publish preaching and study resources.

An ecumenical group was formed in the mid-1960s to develop agreed upon English-language
liturgical texts. This committee of scholars produced the Common Lectionary in 1983. After trial use, critiques and revisions, the Revised Common Lectionary was published in 1992.

Is it like the current lectionary?
It follows the same three-year pattern. Few changes have been made to the appointed gospel readings, however, there is more variation in the selections from the Old Testament and the epistles.

The major difference between our current lectionary and the RCL occurs in the Old Testament readings during the Sundays after Pentecost. In the Prayer Book lectionary, the Old Testament reading generally relates to the gospel lesson theme. The RCL includes this as one option, but it also introduces an alternative, which is a semi-continuous series of Old Testament readings.

Congregations may choose whether to use the semi-continuous Old Testament readings or the readings that are related to the gospel. However, the choice should be made on a yearly basis.

Like the Prayer Book lectionary, the RCL calls for semi-continuous reading of the epistles but with differences in the chapters and verses selected.

Where can I find the RCL readings?
Prayer Books published after Advent 2007 will have the new lectionary printed in them. The RCL table of lessons is readily available on the Internet, including the web pages of the Episcopal Church Office for Liturgy and Music. Printed bulletin inserts are available with the RCL scripture readings.

The Revised Common Lectionary becomes the official lectionary of the Episcopal Church on
Dec. 2, the First Sunday of Advent 2007. With the permission of their diocesan bishop, congregations may continue to use the current lectionary until the First Sunday of Advent 2010.

Barbara Bloxsom is co-chair of the Liturgy, Arts and Music Committee of the diocese. She also is rector of Epiphany, Sedan.