Feb. 27, 2013
Reminder – parochial report deadline is this Saturday
Clergy and senior wardens are reminded that the deadline for the annual parochial report to be filed with the diocesan office is this Saturday, March 1.
All parishes should have received the parochial report packet mailed in January. It included:
· parochial report;
· supplement page;
· clergy continuing education report form;
· lay delegate report form; and
· directory update form.
The diocesan office also requests a copy of each church’s most recent parish directory.
The report itself may be filed online, but the signature page still must be returned in hard-copy form to the diocesan office, along with the other forms that were sent.
The link to file the report online, along with worksheets to help with completing the report, is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/parochial-report.
If you have any questions about the parochial report or accompanying materials, contact diocesan Comptroller Jay Currie at , (785) 235-9255 or (800) 473-3563.
IRS ‘responsible party’ form is due by March 1
From diocesan Comptroller Jay Currie:
We have just learned from the Internal Revenue Service of a new form that churches very likely will need to complete before March 1.
If your church has an Employer Identification Number (EIN), the IRS wants to be sure it knows who the “responsible party” is for finances in the organization. According to the agency’s definition, that most usually will be the church’s treasurer.
This information must be provided on Form 8822-B, which you can download as an editable PDF at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8822b.pdf.
Based on information provided by Kurt Barnes, treasurer for the Episcopal Church, churches with an EIN should be certain to do the following in completing its form:
· Check the box at the top indicating they are a tax-exempt organization.
· Include the full, legal name of the church in section 4a.
· If your church has not changed its address in many years, in section 5, “Old Mailing Address,” write “Address unchanged since (year you first occupied this address).”
· Under section 6, “New mailing address,” write the current address.
· In section 8a:
o If your treasurer remains the same as prior years, write “Unchanged since (year the person started serving).
o If you have a new treasurer this year, write the old treasurer’s name.
· In section 8b, write the name of your current treasurer. Put that person’s Social Security Number in section 9b.
· Have the person sign and date it, listing an optional daytime phone number, as indicated.
Forms should be postmarked no later than March 1, and mailed to:
Treasury
Internal Revenue Service Center
Ogden, UT 84201-0023
If you have any question, contact Currie at or by phone at (800) 473-3563 or (785) 235-9255.
Episcopal Social Services hosts ‘A Night on the Red Carpet”
The diocese’s social service agency in Wichita, Episcopal Social Services, will host a fundraising event with an Oscars theme on Sunday, March 2 at Abode venue, 1330 East Douglas in Wichita.
The cost is $80 person or $900 for a table of 10. Dress is black tie optional.
The evening is a viewing party for the 86th annual Academy Awards, featuring live and silent auctions to help support the agency’s programs.
Tickets are available by phone at (316) 269-4160 or online at http://www.esswichita.org/calendar/red-carpet.html.
Lenten materials now are available
A variety of devotional materials are available for order for use during Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday, March 5:
40 Days of Lent: Lent is Not Rocket Science: An Exploration of God, Creation and the Cosmos by W. Nicholas Knisely. Astronomer, physicist and Episcopal Bishop W. Nicholas Knisely explores the intersection of faith and science, creation and the cosmos. Published jointly by Forward Movement and Morehouse. http://www.forwardmovement.org/Products/2146/lent-is-not-rocket-science.aspx
Episcopal Relief & Development’s Lenten meditations booklet includes 46 reflections focused on creating economic opportunities and strengthening communities, with a particular focus on empowering women. PDF booklets and other Lenten resources are posted on Episcopal Relief & Development’s website at www.episcopalrelief.org/lent, and individuals wishing to receive daily email devotionals can sign up online.
The Society of St. John the Evangelist offers daily videos that can be emailed to subscribers’ inbox, all with the theme “Love Life.” An accompanying workbook can be downloaded free as a PDF or can be purchased in booklet form from Forward Movement. More information is on the SSJE website, http://ssje.org/ssje/lovelife/.
Lent Madness returns this year, offering a daily look at the lives of saints in what is referred to as a “saintly smack-down.” The bracket-style learning opportunity is based on college basketball’s March Madness. There’s a variety of information provided for each saint, and the winner is awarded the coveted golden halo. http://www.lentmadness.org/
Sunday, March 2 is World Mission Sunday
World Mission Sunday is March 2 in The Episcopal Church.
Traditionally celebrated on the last Sunday after Epiphany, the purpose of World Mission Sunday is to focus on the global impact of the Baptismal Covenant’s call to raise awareness of the many ways in which the Episcopal Church participates in God’s mission around the world.
Episcopal Church missionaries are serving in many countries, including Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Ghana, Japan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Tanzania.
Resources and more information about World Mission Sunday is online at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/world-mission-sunday.
A bulletin insert to help mark the day can be downloaded at http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/stw/2014/02/18/bulletin-insert-last-sunday-after-epiphany-a/.
March 9 has been designated Episcopal Relief Development Sunday
Congregations across the Episcopal Church will mark March 9 as Episcopal Relief Development Sunday.
Lent was officially designated at the 2009 General Convention as a time to encourage dioceses, congregations and individuals to remember and support the life-saving work of Episcopal Relief & Development. Although the first Sunday in Lent is the official day of observance, congregations may commemorate the agency’s work on any Sunday during the Lenten season.
This year ER-D has made economic empowerment, especially for women, its Lenten theme.
Resources to assist in planning an ER-D Sunday are on the agency’s website at http://www.episcopalrelief.org/church-in-action/church-campaigns/plan-an-episcopal-relief-and-development-sunday.
A bulletin insert is available at http://www.episcopalrelief.org/uploaded/church/ERD_2014%20Full%20Page%20Insert_ENG%20(1).pdf.
St. John’s, Wichita announces Lenten series speakers
For a 43rd year, St. John’s, Wichita, will host a Lenten Luncheon and Speaker Series on Wednesdays during Lent. Each week will feature Noonday Prayers with a speaker, followed by a lunch (suggested minimum donation of $5). The speaker will engage in an informal question-and-answer time after the lunch.
Speakers will be:
· March 12: The Rev. Earl Mahan, rector of St. John’s
· March19: Sister Miriam Elizabeth (the Rev. Faith Bledsoe), Order of St. Helena
· March 26: The Rev. Mark Stevenson, Domestic Poverty Missioner for the Episcopal Church
· April 2: The Rev. Dixie Junk, priest in charge, St. Paul’s, Kansas City
· April 9: The Rev. J. Ted Blakley, curate, St. John’s, Wichita.
Youth news
> New Beginnings is set for March 28-30 at Good Shepherd in Wichita. For students in grades 6-8 of the current school year, with high school youth serving on staff. New Beginnings is a weekend retreat focusing on the two greatest commandments: loving God with all our heart, mind and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. The registration deadline is Monday, March 17, and staff day for high school students and adults is Saturday, March 8, 1:30-3:30 p.m., at St. Andrew’s, Emporia. More information and links to the new online registration and payment via PayPal is at http://edokyouth.wordpress.com/new-beginnings/.
> Recharge: a retreat for youth workers, to feature Love & Logic workshop. April 25-26 at Upton Hall in Topeka. Recharge is an overnight retreat designed for anyone who works or volunteers with youth. This year’s featured speaker will be Sue Crew, a trained Love & Logic facilitator and the Director of Christian Formation at St. Michael and All Angels, Mission. There also will be time for resource sharing and fellowship with other youth workers. More information and a link to the online registration form and payment via PayPal is available at http://edokyouth.wordpress.com/recharge/
> Episcopal Summer MegaCamp Registrations now available, online with payment accepted via PayPal. Camp is June 1-7 at Camp Wood YMCA, near Elmdale, southwest of Emporia. The volunteer Episcopal staff provides solid Christian education, featuring worship, music, small group discussions and prayer. Camp Wood features a variety of activities, including horseback riding, archery, climbing tower, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, water slide, mud slide, arts and crafts, and sports. Camp is open to those currently in grades 3-12, and their friends. Cost is $410 for the week; register by May 9. For registration forms and more information see http://edokyouth.wordpress.com/camp/
> Staff needed for Episcopal Summer MegaCamp Sign-ups for camp staff have been going well, but we still are looking for a couple of positions:
· Nurse, Physician's Assistant or Doctor: We are looking for one more people to be present during the week of camp to ensure that all students receive the appropriate medications at the correct times, and to tend to sick or injured campers. If you know of someone who would be good with youth, contact Youth Missioner Karen Schlabach at .
· Female Elementary Counselors: adults 18 and older who will stay in a cabin, with another counselor, with youth in grades 3-5.
To sign up to be a counselor or nurse, fill out the online form, https://www.formstack.com/forms/?1654214-NsEx2GG10p.
For more information, see the Camp Staff web page: http://edokyouth.wordpress.com/campstaff/
Upcoming classes offered at the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry
The Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, the joint school operated by the Dioceses of Kansas, West Missouri, Nebraska and Western Kansas, offers a variety of classes in the coming months.
If you are interested in attending any of these for personal enrichment, contact the dean, the Very Rev. Andrew Grosso, at or (913) 367-3171.
March 8-9: BIBL 200: New Testament Survey (Dr. Jim Lewis); HIST 100: Church History Survey (The Rev. Dr. George Wiley); THEO 400: Doctrine of Salvation (Dr. Bill Stancil)
April 5-6: BIBL 210: Gospel Traditions (Dr. David May); THEO 100: Church Dogmatics Survey (The Rev. Ben Varnum); THEO 500: Ecclesiology (Dr. Don Compier)
May 10-11: ETHC 100: Christian Ethics Survey (The Rev. Andrew O’Connor); BIBL 220: Pauline Epistles (The Rev. Dr. Richard McCandless); MINI 600: Parish Administration (The Rev. Gar Demo)
Task Force on Study of Marriage wants your videos
The Episcopal Church Task Force on the Study of Marriage is looking for videos from Episcopalians that describe a relationship that exhibits the image of God.
Videos do to need to be professionally produced and may be recorded on a smartphone or flip-style video camera.
Submitters are asked, in their video, to state their first name and then tell a one minute story about their relationship or one they know well in which they have seen the image of God.
The videos should be sent to
These videos will be used as part of upcoming presentations and reports to the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies.
Vocational discernment conference planned for young adults of color
Young adults of color are invited to examine their gifts and explore opportunities at a June Episcopal Church retreat, “Why Serve 2014: We are all called by God, but what does that mean for you?”
Sponsored by Diversity and Ethnic Ministries of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, the event will take place June 5-8 at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif.
This conference of fellowship, training, discernment and self-care is designed for young adults aged 18-30 in the Asian, Black, Indigenous and Latino communities of the Episcopal Church, as well as churches in communion with the Episcopal Church.
The Rev. Winfred Vergara, Asiamerica Minister for the Episcopal Church, said the conference is designed for all those exploring a vocation, “whether you are feeling called to be a clergy person, a vestry member, a nurse, a father, or a cook; whether you’re in school, working, or just in-between; whether you’re a regular church-goer, a used-to goer, or a seeker.”
The cost is $70, which includes meals, lodging and conference fees. The cost of travel to the event is extra.
The deadline to register is May 5.
Conference information and registration details are online at https://www.formstack.com/forms/DFMS-why_serve_2014a
For more information please contact Angeline Cabanban at (212) 716-6186 or .
Good Friday Offering will help the church in the Middle East
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has written to all congregations asking them to consider assistance for Jerusalem and the Middle East through the annual Good Friday Offering.
She noted that Christians in the Middle East are a growing minority of the population, and they live amid “social and political pressures and the cycles of violence which continue in Syria, Israel/Palestine and Egypt.” But through it all, they exhibit “great hope and expectation that peace and prosperity are possible.”
Since 1922, Episcopalians have supported the ministries of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East through the Good Friday Offering.
Funds are distributed to the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, which includes the Dioceses of Jerusalem, and Cyprus and the Gulf, all members of the Anglican Communion.
Information and resources for the Good Friday Offering are available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/good-friday-offering
Stewardship conference to explore “Walking the Way”
The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) has announced that its annual conference will take place June 6-7 at Emory University in Atlanta.
With the theme “Walking the Way, conference information notes that,” Following Jesus is a lifelong journey.Stewardship is a path of discipleship.” It asks, “Are you ready to take the next step in stewardship?Are you looking for ways to help your congregation and diocese discover the joyful path of generosity and giving?Join guides and meet companions who will walk along side in following the Way.”
The event includes keynote speakers Sister Joan Chittester, OSB, Bishop Robert Wright of Atlanta and The Rev. Charles La Fond of St. John’s Cathedral in Denver. There also will be a choice of 16 workshops.