Copyright © 2006 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee

photo by Larry Epperson

Travelers from the South East Area of the diocese observe festivities marking the 80th anniversary of the Diocese of Leicester, England, as Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams presides over a Diocesan Day eucharist at Abbey Park.

On May 28, a group of 21 pilgrims ages 14 through 84 from St. Luke, Cleveland; St. Francis, Ooltewah; and St. Paul, Chattanooga, hugged and kissed loved ones good-bye to board a bus bound for the Atlanta airport and then a plane for London.

St. Luke's rector, the Rev. Joel Huffstetler and his wife, Debbie, organized and led the 14-day Anglican heritage tour. Our guide was Iain Frater, a longtime friend of the Huffstetlers who lives in France.

Upon arrival at Gatwick airport, London, we boarded our coach and traveled first to Salisbury and its cathedral. We toured cathedrals, abbeys, churches and chapels: Winchester, York Minster, Wells, Coventry, Canterbury, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's, London, Romsey, Sherborne, Bath and Kings College, Cambridge.

Outside Canterbury we visited St. Martin's Church, the oldest parish church of continuous use in England on the spot where St. Augustine founded his abbey. Unexpectedly, the rector welcomed us and gave a brief history of the church.

Each worship space we visited had its own style of architecture, stained glass, art objects, crypts and galleries, creating an atmosphere that touched all of one's senses. Each place communicated a rich sense of English history that honored the traditions of the past while celebrating the present. It was not unusual to see high altars vested in contemporary fabrics and designs or bold abstract banners hanging in naves above ancient clay tiled floors. Elaborate brocade tapestries hung near bulletin boards full of photos, brochures and letters announcing current news and events of the living church. How could one not be inspired, uplifted and renewed?

A choral evensong ended most tours, and although the liturgy became familiar, each experience was made unique by the music and the choirs. Sometimes the choristers were adult, or mixed ages, or all young boys in ruffled white collars standing on their kneelers so they could read their music and see the choirmaster.

The centerpiece of the tour was our visit to the Diocese of Leicester. We arrived at Abbey Park on a sunny Saturday afternoon in time to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the diocese at a large outdoor eucharist presided over by the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, and attended by members of the diocesan churches and many church and city dignitaries. A massive release of multi-colored balloons concluded the celebration in a parallel to God's people being sent forth.

Joan Harper, a longtime member of St. Luke's and formerly of Manchester, England, corresponds with her cousin, Eddie Bestwick, in Stoney Stanton, and St. Luke's and St. Michael's have developed a companion relationship. Joan and Eddie met us at Coventry Cathedral for the coach ride to Leicester and then on to Stoney Stanton. Eddie had made arrangements for us to stay overnight in the homes of St. Michael's parishioners. We felt an instant bond with them when we met at the local pub for a traditional English meal of steak and ale pie. God surely inspired the arrangements, matching our interests and personalities to those of our host families.

The following morning was Pentecost, and it was a blessing and privilege to worship together in the 800-year-old parish church of St. Michael's. The Rev. David Shaw, rector, delivered the sermon, and he asked Fr. Joel to celebrate. The Spirit was electrifying in that place. Fr. David, who also serves three other parishes in the area, mentioned leaving his sermon on his office desk several miles away, then he preached enthusiastically about breaking down barriers between ourselves. After the dismissal, the organist began to play the "Star-Spangled Banner."

During a reception of tea and cakes we saw on a small bulletin board the cover of St. Luke's parish profile, other photos and one of our Sunday bulletins - a tangible sign of our ties. We now know the people of St. Michael's, names with faces and families like ours, and we will keep them fondly in our memories. We have their photos to share and display on our bulletin board, and on Sunday mornings when we pray for St. Michael's, Stoney Stanton, smiles cross our faces.

By Patricia Tanzer Askew

photos by Patricia Tanzer Askew

Myron Porter of St. Paul AME Zion shows St. Andrew, Maryville, Vacation Bible School participant Brooke how to make a luminary.

Why did the Episcopalian cross the road? Well, in the case of the parishioners of St. Andrew, Maryville, it was to get to St. Paul AME Zion Church for the opening and closing each day of Vacation Bible School. Twice each evening a line of children, youth and teachers grabbed onto a long rope, traffic was stopped and across the street they went.

A VBS committee at St. Andrew's met in February and decided to ask St. Paul's if they would be interested in partnering this year for the annual summer event. They were quite willing to try it, and all future planning meetings included members of both parishes. Committees were established that were staffed with members of both congregations, all decisions were jointly made and expenses were divided.

VBS had been handled somewhat differently in each church, so this venture required some compromise on both sides. St. Paul's, for instance, always had an adult VBS class, whose participants not only had a classroom component, but crafts as well - a new idea for the folks at St. Andrew's. New to St. Paul's was the idea that the youth of both churches help the younger classes and function on committees, rather than have their own class. Such differences, however, allowed both churches to explore new ways of doing Vacation Bible School.

On Friday night, the event culminated with a pot-luck dinner at St. Andrew's. The Rev. Martha Sterne from St. Andrew's and the Rev. Willa Estelle from St. Paul's were each presented with a large poster adorned with pictures of the week's activities and surrounded by joined paper hands of many colors forming a circle of unity.

In addition to all the wonderful learning and sharing opportunities VBS usually provides, the two churches also had the chance to put aside any racial, denominational and cultural differences. Having done that, they could together proclaim the gospel of Jesus the Christ.

Above, Vacation Bible School is good with buddies Thomas of St. Paul AME Zion and Matthew of St. Andrew, Maryville.

By Bill Chapman
St. Timothy, Signal Mountain

The dedication of the ECSET house on Saturday, July 14, marks the end of a 12-week journey for Episcopal volunteers.

From foundation to finish, volunteers from the 18 churches that make up the Episcopal Commission of South East Tennessee contributed their time, talent and treasure to make the house a reality.

"Helping to build a house is a great faith-building experience," said one volunteer. "You feel that you are making a difference in someone's life."

The dedication ceremony also celebrates the new homeownership of Jerri Booker and her daughter, Kevisha. During the dedication, Jonathan Shatz, Family Services Director for Habitat for Humanity presented a new Bible to the family. With tears in her eyes, Jerri thanked everyone for making her dream come true.

ECSET board member Tom Williams says that though the house is completed, funds still are needed to cover the costs of its construction. Tax-deductible donations may be made to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga, 1201 E. Main St., Chattanooga, TN 37408. Please indicate "ECSET House" on your check.

By Scot Williams and Nancy Wells

St. James' Day was celebrated with the dedication of an antiphonal division of pipes for the organ at St. James, Knoxville.

A generous gift from an anonymous donor enabled organ builder Reggie Hulsey and cabinetmaker Scot Williams to combine their talents and create the division of 303 pipes in four ranks. The pipes were hand made in Holland; 38 are highly burnished façade pipes.

Design of the casework complements the sanctuary's Gothic architecture. The cabinetry is of red oak raised-panel construction with details of mahogany and Madagascar rosewood veneer. A laminated triquetra symbol is affixed to the back of the case, with gold-leafed scallop shells over the arched pipe shades.

"This antiphonal division, located in the narthex, helps 'move' the sound around the sanctuary and is a welcome addition for accompanying hymns and congregational singing," remarked Nancy Wells, church organist and choirmaster. "The organ now speaks from the narthex as well as the transept."

Nationally renowned organ builder Burton K. Tidwell consulted on the project and was responsible for scaling and tonal finishing.

By Brent Sigmon

St. Stephen, Oak Ridge, parishioner Nancy Carow's photo art appeared in worship celebrations during the recent General Convention as part of Visual Preludes 2006, a series of projected multimedia meditations created by Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts to complement each day's worship theme.

Nancy's creation called "Arch Iris" was included in two Preludes, Spiritual Sight on June 14 and Wisdom of God on June 20. Two more, "Taize Altar II" and "The Gifts," were shown as part of the Bread of Life exhibition during Holy Communion, when the festival eucharist drew 5,000 to 8,000 worshipers to the Columbus, Ohio, convention center on June 17.

Images used in the Preludes are displayed on the ECVA Web site at www.ecva.org.

By Bill Chapman

Choral camp: Five choristers and three adults represented St. Timothy, Signal Mountain, at the Charlotte Course of the Royal School of Church Music in America July 3-9. The choir campculminated in two glorious liturgies: Holy Eucharist on Sunday morning at St. John's Church and Solemn Evensong in the afternoon at Myers Park Baptist Church. For both services, the choir of 122 singers - including 74 boys and girls and about 30 teens mastered demanding music in the best of English cathedral traditions.

St. Timothy pilgrims from left, Robyn, Josh Edwards (an adult advisor), Jacob, Joey, Taylor and Kate trek across a cow crossing in Galicia, Spain, during their 75-mile walk along the El Camino Santiago.

Youth pilgrimage: A group of St. Timothy youth this summer walked one of the oldest pilgrimage routes in the world: El Camino de Santiago, in Spain, which marks the burial site of St. James.

Over the past thousand years pilgrims have walked there because they hoped to be healed or forgiven. In a year when St. James' feast day fell on a Sunday, pilgrims once were promised remission of all their sins if they reached Santiago without succumbing to illness, fatigue or other dangers. At the height of the pilgrimage's popularity in the Middle Ages, it was rumored that as many as a million pilgrims walked the road every year, and nowadays, tens of thousands of pilgrims continue to walk the ancient roads.

Five youth and two adult advisors started walking in Sarria, a hilly town about 75 miles from Santiago. They camped and slept in pilgrim hostels for five days and nights, carrying what they needed. They saw medieval architecture, enjoyed the hospitality of strangers and met pilgrims from Italy, Hungary, British Columbia and other places. On the sixth morning they arrived in Santiago to participate in the daily pilgrim mass and traditional pilgrim rituals.

Then they traveled by bus to Finis Terre on the Spanish coast, whose name means "the end of the world." They also explored Madrid's most impressive sights - the Prado Museum, the Museo de Arte Reina Sofia and the Royal Palace.

At left, St. Timothy, Signal Mountain, youth and advisors pose outside the cathedral in Santiago, Spain, after completing a 75-mile walking pilgrimage along the El Camino de Santiago. from left are From left are Jacob, Joey, Kate, Taylor, Robyn, Rebecca and adult advisor Josh Edwards.

By the Rev. Jill Fisher

On July 24, all 70 of the young participants in the Most Valuable Person Summer Camp at Church of the First Born came to Thankful Memorial Church. Each child selected a backpack and filled it with school supplies, all of which were donated by area churches and coordinated by Thankful and Christ churches.

For six weeks this summer, 15 third- and fifth-graders from the program had met at Thankful Memorial Church for reading. The children were registered in a reading project sponsored by the Chattanooga Library, and they were required to read at least 10 books. They read many more! A book was read to the group, and a craft project meshed with its theme. Then each child picked another book to read to an adult.

St. Elmo Reading Center at Thankful took the readers on a book shopping spree at Northgate Mall, where each child chose $15 of books at the Book Gallery. And at the final MVP meeting, the top reader was awarded a $25 check.

This year's director was Missy Keith, a teacher at St. Peter's School. She was assisted by Lisa Lawrence of Americorps and volunteers from Thankful and from Christ Church.

School supplies and backpacks also were donated to the Alton Park Partners' "Arts 'n Action" program, Piney Woods and the South Chattanooga Recreation Center.