|
|
Western Kansas diocese elects
Michael Pierce Milliken as bishop |
The Rev. Michael Pierce Milliken was elected Aug. 21 as the fifth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas, pending the required consents from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction and standing committees of the Episcopal Church. Milliken, 63, rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Hutchinson, Kansas, since 1998, was elected on the second ballot from a field of three nominees during a special electing convention at St. Michael's Church in Hays, Kansas. He received 33 votes in the lay order and 22 in the clergy order. A simple majority of votes in each order was needed to elect.
Pending a successful consent process, Milliken also will continue as Grace's rector while serving as diocesan bishop, according to the Rev. Laird McGregor, vicar of |
|
St. Anne's Church in McPherson and a member of the diocesan Standing Committee. Though the exact details of that arrangement have yet to be worked out, such a division of time, duties and salary between the diocese and a local parish or mission has been seen as a likely outcome since the bishop search process began last spring, McGregor explained.
Following the election, Milliken said juggling the duties of bishop and rector would be a challenge. One of his first priorities as bishop is to build community among congregations of the geographically large diocese. "We don't have a lot of people. We have to create a community atmosphere among these places, so everyone will know everyone else," he said. Milliken would succeed the Rt. Rev. James M. Adams, the fourth bishop of the diocese, who resigned earlier this year to become vicar of Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church in Lecanto in the Diocese of Central Florida.
During more than 35 years of ordained ministry Milliken has served in a variety of local church and community capacities, including as a parish priest in Kentucky and Kansas as well as a lecturer in theology. Well known in the Kansas diocese, his other commitments include serving as the vice chairman of New Beginnings, Inc., a community homeless ministry in Hutchinson. He also is the vice president of the board of directors for St. Francis Community Services, the largest private provider of children's services in Kansas. His current diocesan responsibilities include serving as acting president of the diocesan council and chair of stewardship. His provincial involvements include serving as a member of the Province VII council and as chair of the commission on ministry network.
He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky in 1970 and a Master of Divinity degree from the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Kentucky, in 1973. He also holds a Master of Art degree in theology from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was a lecturer in theology from 1992-1993. He was ordained to the diaconate May 26, 1973, and to the priesthood Nov. 30, 1973. From 1973-1977, Milliken served as vicar of St. Matthew's Church in the Diocese of Lexington, in Kentucky. In 1977, he became rector of Grace Church in Florence, Kentucky, where he served for 21 years before moving to his current parish in Hutchinson.
A lecturer in the Old and New Testaments at Hutchinson Community College, in Kansas, he also has served for many years as a director and chaplain for summer youth camps. He also has been a spiritual director for a number of Cursillo weekends as well as retreat leader for several men's and women's groups. Milliken was previously a candidate for bishop, in 1994, when the Rt. Rev. Vernon Strickland was elected third bishop of Western Kansas, according to McGregor.
Milliken was born March 13, 1947 in Lexington, Kentucky. He and Kathleen Smith married Aug. 2, 1969. They have one son who is a National Park Service Ranger in Alaska. The consecration has been tentatively set for Saturday, Feb. 19, at Christ Cathedral in Salina, with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori serving as chief consecrator and celebrant. -- The Rev. Pat McCaughan, national correspondent for the Episcopal News Service |
Episcopal Relief & Development Supporting Gulf Coast
Communities after Oil Spill |
 |
Episcopal Relief & Development is working closely with Episcopal Community Services of Louisiana (ECSLA) and their partner Bayou Grace Community Services to reach affected coastal communities in Louisiana’s five-bayou parish of Terrebonne. More  |
|
|
Outreach Conference Looks at How Classes View Poverty |
The Bishops’ Outreach Conference, October 8-9, 2010, will feature Ruby Payne, one of the country’s leading experts on poverty and the mindsets of different economic classes. Payne’s work has profoundly influenced many organizations working with people who are entrenched in poverty. Her presentation will provide a new lens through which you can view yourself and the people you are trying to help and help you with specific strategies for overcoming poverty’s obstacles.
“More times than I like to recall, class differences alone have been cause for unintentional discord, misunderstanding and conflict between volunteers and the people they’re trying to help,” said Tracey Barnett, executive director of Cathedral Health and Outreach Ministries. Barnett said Payne’s materials have provided insight into how the basic socioeconomic classes (poverty / middle / wealth) view the world.
“In our ministry every new staff member, board member and volunteer is asked to read Dr. Ruby K. Payne’s A Framework for Understanding Poverty,” said Clark Moore, executive director, Ubi Caritas Health Ministries, Beaumont. “The insights from her book enable us to understand and Outreach Conference Looks at How Classes View Poverty meet the needs of those people we serve with compassion, caring and understanding. This understanding is such a key in preventing ministry burnout among frontline workers,” Moore added.
“Every Church has a Gift,“ the theme of this year’s conference, features Payne in a half day workshop on her newest book, Bridges Out of Poverty. Special panels and discussions on transformational ministry that is currently taking place in the Diocese of Texas will also be offered. Experts include: James Flodine, scoutmaster at the Yellowstone Academy, Houston; Ada Norman, a member of Christ the King, Alief, who will speak about “Summer Outreach for Children = Summer Fun;” Carolyn Smith, from All Saints’, Austin, will speak about the church’s ministry, Loaves and Fishes, and Kathy Kasparek, from Trinity, Marble Falls, will outline changes Trinity made to weigh their projects against the social justice framework introduced by Robert Lupton at the 2009 conference.
Cost for the conference is $75 for double occupancy, $150 for single. Day registrations may be made for $40 per day. Make reservations at www.campallen.org.
-- Carol Barnwell, Texas Episcopalian
|
Episcopalians from historic parish are worshipping together again |
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is overjoyed to announce that Episcopalians from St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Fort Worth are worshipping each Sunday at 5 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive So., Fort Worth. Until this arrangement was made with Trinity, they had been dispersed among various Episcopal parishes for several months because St. Andrew’s historic building at 917 Lamar in downtown Fort Worth is currently occupied by people who have left The Episcopal Church.
Each Sunday the Rt. Rev. C. Wallis Ohl is leading Evening Prayer from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer for the St. Andrew’s congregation. A service of Holy Communion will be held once a month. Other clergy of the diocese will officiate when Bishop Ohl is away.
"We are happy that these Episcopalians from St. Andrews are able to worship together once again," said Bishop Ohl.
Bishop Ohl said he authorized the use of the 1928 Prayer Book because “this is a community that needs to build from where they are. They are our sisters and brothers and we rejoice with them at their reunion in worship.”
The services will continue each Sunday at 5 p.m. at Trinity with one exception. On May 16, the St. Andrew's congregation will join the rest of the diocese at a diocesan Eucharist and picnic at All Saints Episcopal School. The May 16th liturgy will begin at 5 p.m. and the picnic will follow.
St. Andrew’s was the first Episcopal parish in the city of Fort Worth. It became a parish in 1878 and included many Fort Worth founding families in its membership. The building on Lamar was consecrated December 31, 1939. It is the “mother church” of many of the present parishes in the diocese. In November 2008, the former bishop and other leaders of the diocese and of some congregations left the Episcopal Church.
Since then, they have continued to occupy Episcopal Church property, including St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. In February 2009, the diocese was reorganized under the leadership of the Rt. Rev. Bishop Edwin F. [Ted] Gulick, Jr., who was elected provisional bishop of the diocese. He was succeeded by Bishop Ohl in November 2009.
On April 14, 2009, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, the Corporation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and the Episcopal Church filed suit in the 141st District Court of Tarrant County, Texas in part to recover property and assets of the Episcopal Church. That litigation is ongoing. The property of St. Andrew’s is part of that litigation.
- from The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth |
|
|
