Copyright © 2006 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee

Ginger England , a member of Christ, South Pittsburg, sorts 2,000 pounds of food collected by postal carriers during the annual U.S. Postal Service's "Stamp out Hunger" food drive May 13. Ginger and her husband, the Rev. Gary England, co-manage the Marion County Food Bank, which is an ecumenical ministry of Marion churches. Volunteers are needed, she says: "Call me or Gary at (423)942-8799 if you can spare two hours per month on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon."

By Emily McDonald
South East Area ETE Correspondent

Bishops' wives took center stage along with the bishops during the traditional "conversation" as part of the statewide Episcopal Church Women's spring conference May 12-13 at DuBose Conference Center in Monteagle.

Forty to 50 women attended from each of Tennessee's three dioceses.

Jeannie Johnson and Annie vonRosenberg, wives of the Rt. Rev. Don Johnson of the Diocese of West Tennessee and the Rt. Rev. Charles vonRosenberg of the Diocese of East Tennessee, respectively, participated in the conversation that provided a glimpse of the personal lives of the men who lead the two dioceses. The Rt. Rev. Bertram Herlong, bishop of the Diocese of Tennessee, was unable to attend.

Lynn Ragland of St. George, Brentwood, served as emcee and began by asking the bishops to introduce their wives. "This is my bride, Annie." Bishop vonRosenberg said. "We met on a blind date 32 years ago."

Like the vonRosenbergs, Bishop Johnson said he and his wife met while he was in seminary. "She was supposed to have a date with someone else," he said.

In response to a question about their passions, Annie vonRosenberg said her secular passion is painting in watercolor and her religious passion making prayer beads, while Jeannie Johnson said her passions are gardening and Education for Ministry. "My goal is to have every church in the diocese have EfM before we leave," she said.

The Rev. Nancy Roth, conference keynote speaker and musician, was included in the conversation. When asked what led to her ministry as chaplain to the House of Bishops, she said she felt called to be a resource person rather than a parish priest, and her work with CREDO sparked an interest in clergy and family wellness. Roth said she met with Phoebe Griswold, wife of Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, and "the next thing I knew, I was chaplain to the House of Bishops."

Exploring a question about being called, Bishop Johnson said his call to the priesthood was not a surprise but part of a life-long formation process. And becoming a bishop was "a continuation and extension of a ministry that God had been preparing me for all along."

Bishop vonRosenberg said he has told his current Commission on Ministry that he wouldn't have gotten through its discernment process "because I had a lot more questions than answers." He feels having questions is an important part of the process and "an important part of my own vocation."

Panelists were asked what they enjoyed most about their roles.

"I really enjoy being out of the office and being with people," Bishop vonRosenberg said.

Jeannie Johnson said she values forming friendships with "people in the parishes and in the pews," something she found hard to do as a priest's wife. However, "I have to tell you, a bishop takes a lot of care and maintenance. When he became bishop, I became his altar guild."

Bishop Johnson said he valued the support system provided by his class of bishops, and "I still find it incredible that people are willing to pay me to study the Bible and to preach."

The opening service for the conference was held at Christ Church in Tracy City and was followed by a reception in the parish hall. Bishop Johnson celebrated and Bishop vonRosenberg preached.

The conference theme was "Come, Holy Spirit." and during one of her sessions Roth said a professor once assigned her to write a book report on meditating on a hymn, and she realized "I was not just looking at music. I realized texts are often overlooked, but they come from a vast sweep of church history." She discussed six history-laden hymns and then accompanied a group singing of them.

During two later sessions, Roth demonstrated what she termed "theology of the body" or "kinetic theology." Roth had conference participants off their chairs for a prayer exercise that expressed the Trinity through movement. Attendees participated in a dance to the Shaker hymn, "Simple Gifts," expressed the Lord's Prayer in a circle and divided into groups to express the 23rd Psalm. "Reflection on scripture is almost like Bible study with the body," Roth said.

etdiocese.net/ecw

Plan to join the Episcopal Church Women from across the diocese for their annual fall meeting, scheduled Sept. 16 at St. James, Knoxville.

Please follow this link for more information and to register.

This year when the ERD diocesan coordinators gathered for their annual meeting, they heard again and again "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Those thank-yous are for each of you who have so generously supported the work of ERD in the past year. Cash donations from individuals and parishes in the Diocese of East Tennessee alone totaled more than $275,000 in 2005. Certainly much more was given through goods and service donations and the many mission trips made to the Gulf Coast after hurricane Katrina.

Lutheran Episcopal Services of Mississippi will mark the anniversary of Katrina with a fund-raising event, "Let's Eat Shrimp Mississippi." The funds raised will assist in ongoing rebuilding efforts, particularly for the decimated shrimp industry, and to support Camp Coast Care, which houses volunteers helping in coastal recovery.

LESM hopes parishes across the church will hold satellite events and offers planning packets to help your church or organization stage a fund-raiser in your own community. To request a packet, send an e-mail to cpenick@lesm.org. Planning packets for satellite events include a timeline, suggested menu and recipes, sources for ordering shrimp, marketing ideas and templates and information about LESM and Camp Coast Care.

The Rev. Lou Tucker Parsons, diocesan ERD coordinator: Louisatp@aol.com or at Grace, Chattanooga: 423-698-2433.

By Emily McDonald
South East Area ETE Correspondent

The Hosanna Community in Hixson focused on its past, present and future during a 10th anniversary celebration held June 3 at its Faith House.

Hosanna is a residential facility that fosters independence for adults who have disabilities. It receives support from the Episcopal Commission of Southeast Tennessee and the Diocese of East Tennessee.

Hosanna resident Connor Roberts gave the opening prayer, and resident Susan Evans read the scripture using Braille.

Bishop Charles vonRosenberg told the gathering of 40 to 50 people that anniversaries were very much on his mind as he and his wife, Annie, had celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary the previous day. Anniversaries are a time "to remember the past, celebrate the present and anticipate the future in an atmosphere of thanksgiving," he said.

Molly Miles, a co-founder and board member of Hosanna and a communicant at St. Timothy, Signal Mountain, said the idea for Hosanna came from Catherine Brown, a member of Christ, South Pittsburg. Brown's son, Bill, had cerebral palsy, but she and her husband, although both were ill, didn't want to put Bill in a nursing home.

Brown visited a facility in Florida and was told "we can't take Bill. Go home and build your own (facility)." Brown gathered together a group that included Miles; Tommy Perkins, then executive director of Family and Children's Services; and several others. They contacted the Rev. David Crippen, who had experience working with facilities for the disabled.

"We met and prayed about it for a year," Miles said. The late Bishop Robert Tharp "felt it was the right thing to do. He gave us his blessing and money to go and look at places."

Crippen, who is now rector at St. Joseph's on the Mountain in Mentone, Ala., became executive director, and the first house, Faith House, was built in 1996. The second, Hope House, opened in 2002.

Although founded primarily by Episcopalians, Miles said, the board today is ecumenical. Last year a Council of Churches was formed with representatives from a number of churches, and that has increased the volunteer pool to more than 100.

Today both houses are full. Together they have 16 residents, who this year began doing community service. They prepare a meal once a month for the Interfaith Hospitality Network.

The future for Hosanna includes a move, said Ben Holt, executive director. A developer wanted the Hosanna property for a development and has agreed to build two houses for Hosanna not far from the present location. "We hope we will be in our new home by Christmas," he said.

Hosanna Community: www.hosannacommunity.org/www

The ninth annual inter-parish picnic drew parishioners from St. Alban, Hixson; St. Matthew, Dayton; and St. Thaddaeus, Chattanooga on May 21. The Rev. Ed Scott, deacon at St. Alban, preached at the eucharist that launched the event. The Rev. David Bateman, rector of St. Thaddaeus, celebrated, and he was assisted by the Rev. Hugh Jones, rector at St. Alban, and the Rev. Kuulei Green, assistant at St. Alban. Jones also acted as master of ceremonies.

Following the service, approximately 100 participants enjoyed a potluck lunch and entertainment by the Jericho Brass. "An unexpected bonus was approximately 1½ inches of rain that fell during the service, accompanied by copious amounts of thunder and lightning," commented Jim Shearouse, a parishioner at St. Alban.

Maria Whittington, Nick Boles and the Rev. Joseph Pinner show the 'St. Andy' dolls made by church women and blessed for distribution to local children who have experienced abuse or neglect.

On Sunday, May 14, the Rev. Joseph Pinner blessed the first "St. Andy" dolls made by the women of St. Andrew, Harriman, for use at the Child Advocacy Center of the Ninth Judicial District.

Parishioner Lynne Spires had seen a display of simple cloth dolls at the diocesan convention made for children who live in areas ravaged by war. When Edith Wilcox, an assistant district attorney, told St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Women about the Child Advocacy Center for abused and neglected children, the group decided to make the dolls for these children in their community.

865-882-1272 or standrew@korrnet.org

The Rev. Rob Henley breaks ground for the Charles Neal Fuller Columbarium and Ciotti Memorial Garden at St Joseph the Carpenter, Sevierville, as Fuller's daughters Crystal Yates and Holly Young look on.

On May 7, St. Joseph the Carpenter, Sevierville, broke ground for the Charles Neal Fuller Columbarium and Ciotti Memorial Garden. The cube-like columbarium structure is being fabricated in Minnesota and will contain 84 companion niches. It will be surrounded by a four-foot privacy border that will include walkways and a bench for rest and reflection. Japanese maples, laurel, rose bushes and other plants will help to create a peaceful space. Doyle Jones, columbarium architect, expects the project to be completed in October.

St. Joseph: 865-453-0943 or worship@stjosephsepiscopalchurch.org

Mark your calendars now to head for the Cumberland Plateau on the third Saturday of next May. Based on the several hundred people who gathered then at this western-most outpost of the Diocese of East Tennessee, it was the place to be for music, crafts, fellowship and strawberries in every form.

On May 20, Strawberry Festival crowds gathered beneath large tents - in rain and shine - to sample scrumptious desserts while listening to mini-concerts of organ, dulcimer and recorder/flutes. They examined and purchased South American arts and crafts, to the benefit of families in Peru and Argentina. They strolled the grounds, toured our lovely little sanctuary and parish hall with hostess Jann Komarnitzky - and then ate some more homemade strawberry shortcake.

If this sounds to you like a great way to spend a spring Saturday, we hope to see you there next year, on the third Saturday in May.

St. Raphael, Crossville: 931-484-2407, straphaels@hotmail.com

The Loaves and Fishes freezer at St. Thomas, Knoxville, is an outreach ministry that provides nutritious meals for hungry people who appear at the church's door.

"The main idea has been to reserve a portion of what you make for your own family and put it in the freezer," said church member Ronda Redden Reitz. "If each of us share a little, there will be enough to go around."

On one day in the spring, parishioners loaded more than 150 meals into the freezer. The men's group smoked beef, chicken and pork, and other members assembled macaroni and cheese, green beans, cornbread, meatloaf and casseroles. Some members prepared complete turkey dinners at home and brought them in.

"Our food pantries do a great job, but sometimes people need food when the nearest pantry is closed," said the Rev. Kay Thomas, rector. "Just as Jesus took a small amount of food and fed great numbers, we take our small contributions and jointly feed many people."

The church also celebrates a parishioner's achievement: Nominated on the basis of his outstanding scholastic merit, civic involvement and leadership potential, parishioner Will Ezzell, son of Pat and Tim Ezzell and a student at Thackston School, has been accepted into the People to People World Leadership Forum. He will join a select group of students in Washington, D.C., in March of next year to study the characteristics of American leadership by participating in discussions, exercises and touring national monuments and institutions.

St. Thomas, Knoxville: 865-688-2741

"Grace and Flavor from the Smokies," a cookbook of 300 recipes from several Trinity, Gatlinburg, generations of members, has sold so well the church has ordered another printing. The cookbook includes recipes from chefs at local restaurants, helpful cooking hints and information about the church's history.

It was launched May 27 at "A Taste of Trinity," an event by Trinity's women's group to celebrate the church's heritage. Activities included church and garden tours, music and homemade appetizers and desserts from recipes in the cookbook.

Funds raised from sales of the cookbook benefit area senior citizens, grade school children in need and the church's youth ministries. A limited number of cookbooks are available for a $10 donation plus $2.50 shipping and handling for 1 to 2 books. For more information, call the church office at 865-436-4721 on Tuesdays or Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Trinity, Gatlinburg: 865-436-4721 or trinitye@bellsouth.net