Summary Report, "Come to the Feast"
Young Adult Ministry Training Event

May 22-25, 1998
Grace Kwan, William Kwan, Vivian Lam

You may remember that the Province assisted Grace Kwan, William Kwan and Vivian Lam in attending the "Come to the Feast" Young Adult Ministry Training Event. With many thanks, they have forwarded the attached report.

Background & Introduction
"Come to the Feast" was an ecumenical young adult ministry training event held in Atlanta, GA on May 22-25, 1998. It was a gathering of young adult leaders, and lay and clergy of all ages who work with young adults and/or are involved with young adult ministry. The following is a summary of some of the highlights of the event, followed by an update of Episcopal Asian American young adult ministry, most notably the national conference slated for the year 2000.

Worship
"Come to the Feast" opened and closed with two powerful corporate worship sessions: tangible demonstrations of the conference's visions of unity and fellowship among the diverse people of God. Highlights of the opening worship session included a liturgy incorporating various different denominational contributions, and (for a personal touch) each table being asked to contribute, as part of the worship, a completion of the phrase, "Jesus is in this place." Some words that came up were, "alive," "powerful," and "present," and they rang so true throughout the conference!

The highlight of the closing worship was when the conference participants took turns anointing one another with oil, as a symbol of our common baptism, and our common mission of ministry to others. This was a fitting ending to the event, in which the focus of worship and everything else throughout was on what unites us -- Christ -- as opposed to what makes us different in our
denominational practices, beliefs, and backgrounds.

Bible Study
Bible Studies were led by Dr. Minka Sprague, an Episcopal deacon who holds a Doctorate in Theology from General Theological Seminary and who is currently a Professor of New Testament and Biblical Languages at New York Theological Seminary.

She led us through energetic walks through the Bible, making good use of her historical and background knowledge, and her highly descriptive manner of speaking. Our main criticism was that we would have liked the sessions to be more interactive, as they resembled lectures more than Bible studies in the usual sense, i.e. small group discussions. But primarily because they were so different from what we were used to, it opened our minds and expanded our horizons. Through her insights into passages such as the creation story of Genesis, she urged us towards a reconsideration of our worldviews, and our role as God's children and how we fit together as the body of Christ.

Workshops
We attended a number of two-hour workshops during the conference which gave us an opportunity to learn from leaders from the various denominations present, discuss issues of importance to our young adult ministries, and bring back practical suggestions to implement in our own churches. The following are summaries of what was presented, along with quotes from us.

"Faith Development & Spiritual Nurture of Self'
Led by Dr. Ann Clay Adams, an ordained Presbyterian minister who is currently on staff at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, this workshop was an overview of the basics of growing in our spiritual lives. It provided some background knowledge and advice to help deepen our understanding of the sacramental quality of life through Christian reflection and practice.

"This workshop gave me some confidence that I am not the only one searching for some sort of spiritualistic "enlightenment" ' It reaffirmed what I've learnd in the past, of how spirituality comes — through prayer and the Word--and that although that's not the answer, that it's a start." (William)

"Five Models of Dynamic Ministry with Youn-q Adults"
This workshop was led by David T. Gortner, a recent graduate of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and an aspirant to the Episcopal priesthood. Five models of young adult ministry were presented, namely, 1)"the market"--a place to find desired goods, 2)"the hearth"--a place of comfort and safety, 3)"the fanfare"--a celebration in festive style, 4)"the system"--a "how-to" guide for living, and 5)"the tribe"--a group to travel through life together. Then methods of approaching the development of ministry were examined, and the five typical phases in the
development of young adult ministry were identified and described-- incubation, initiation, consolidation, expansion, and establishment. All in all, the workshop provided specific strategies for planning, leadership development, and ongoing assessment of young adult ministries.

"Before I attended the workshop I only knew of one type of ministry. David Gortner showed me the various types and thoroughly explained each type. He helped me put the pieces of the puzzle together to make a clear picture, better equipping me to serve young adults." (Grace)

"Interfaith Conversations"
Rev. Roula Alkhouri, a program intern in both the Interfaith Relations, and Global Education &
International Leadership Development Offices of the Presbyterian Church led this workshop. Through role-play activities and open discussion, we explored our own experiences of encountering others of different faith traditions, and ways in which to promote mutual communication and understanding.

"It made me aware of how arrogant and stubborn we often are in our "Christian-ness, " and how we often are not loving to other people because we see them only as projects who need to be converted. It also made me think about how being loving, sensitive, and open to someone else's religion doesn't mean that I have to water down or reject my own beliefs. " (Vivian)

"Ministry with the Post Modern Generation"
This workshop, led by Dr. Craig Kennet Miller, Director of Evangelism and New Congregation Establishment for the United Methodist Church, was an exploration of "Generation X" and its unique beliefs, hopes, and fears for the future.

"It was useful in redefining terms that might have lost their meaning though time. [On a side note,] it showed the group as a whole that Episcopalians as a group do have things to say, and that we speak out when we have things on our minds -- we Episcopalians who attended the workshop carried the discussions and kept the dialogue going. " (William)

"Tools for Starting a Young Adult Ministry"
Led by Thom Chu, Director of the Ministries with Young People Cluster at the Church Center, this workshop, based on "Parallel Development: A Pathway for Exploring the Future of the Church" by Arlin J. Rothauge, was a presentation of concrete and theoretical ways to begin ministry with young adults. It allowed for the participants to share their own experiences in young adult ministry, and hear what has and hasn't worked in the various denominations and how they compare.

"Often there is great resistance to change, especially if it would alter something one deems good or favorable. However, change is sometimes inevitable. Times change, environments change, the constituents of the church change. Any ministry will die off if it remains stagnant The Parallel Development Model is the direction that all churches should take in working towards the hope of
having a vivacious future." (Grace)

"Transforming the Church for the New Millennium"
The leader for this workshop was Rev. Rodger Nishioka, the Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the Congregational Ministries Division of the Presbyterian Church. It was a highly interactive workshop that was designed as a working model for "leaders of leaders" to bring back to their home congregations and ministries. We explored the struggle of discerning what needs to change vs. what traditions need to be valued and retained, and identified strategies
to effect change.

"Sometimes change is tough, but often it's necessary. This workshop really inspired me to take a good look at what could stand for some improving in my own church, and the Church as a whole. Young adults really do have unique needs that often aren't being met by the Church, and therefore it needs to be flexible and willing to try at least a little transformation. " (Vivian)

Speakers
The keynote speaker for the conference was Ambassador Andrew Young, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Among countless other honors, he served as Ambassador to the United Nations under Jimmy Carter, served as an aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement, and is currently President Elect of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States. In his address, he encouraged us to put our faith in God's provision for our lives and our ministries, by sharing with us times in his own life in which things happened "because of something that [he] wanted that didn't work out, and [instead] opened up to what God wanted." He also urged us to live out our faith, and to embrace the power of "transforming sacraments in the midst of the human condition." For instance, a smile or an encouraging note can make all the difference in the world in making God relevant to those around us.

The speaker during closing worship was Professor Minerva Carcaho. She is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, who currently serves as Director of the Mexican American Program at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Her sermon
was inspirational, as she gave testimony to the works of the Holy Spirit in her own life. In particular, she spoke of the tragedy of losing a second child to a miscarriage -- one of those times in life when one can do "nothing but yearn for the presence of Jesus." Her honesty and vulnerability in sharing her experiences was touching and it was just what was needed to send us out into the "real world" and feel encouraged and not alone. As Carcaho reminded us, "the journey of faith is lived out in community. We help each other to see Jesus."

Denominational Time
The Episcopal Church had the second greatest number of participants in the conference. Denominational time was a good chance to meet other Episcopalians, and to develop friendships and networking connections. It gave us the feeling of solidarity with and support from others who share common interests in young adult ministry in the Episcopal church.

There was also the opportunity to enact change within the Episcopal Church. We brainstormed ideas for Thom Chu, Director of the Ministries with Young People Cluster at the Church Center, and hopefully something that will move the Young Adult Movement forward can come out of it. We also received information on future young adult ministry events, and were informed about resources available within the Episcopal church.

Chat Rooms
Chat rooms were open forums for discussion on any topic of interest to conference participants, and were a good way to gather people concerned about the same issues. The Young Adult Ministry chat room gave us the chance to hear the joys and frustrations of other young adult
ministry leaders. It was a relaxed atmosphere where brothers and sisters of different denominations were open to sharing their problems and their successes, and were
eager to help and support one another through listening and giving feedback.

Asian American Luncheon
We met Asian Americans from other denominations at the Asian American Luncheon held on the third day of the conference. Pacific Asian American Council of Christian Educators (PAACCE) has a vision of beginning interdenominational dialogue among Asian American Christians, and of holding an ecumenical Asian American young adult conference in the near future. The conference planning team was formed at the luncheon, and representatives from the Episcopal Church are Michelle Miyatake-Hozaki (Diocese of Los Angeles) and Mark Watan (Diocese of California). The luncheon provided good opportunities to build bridges and network with others who are concerned with issues in society and the Church that are unique to the Asian American community.

Informal Goings-on
The dance and open mic were ways to share and celebrate God's blessings and gifts that He's given us. This "organized fun" was a great way to connect with people and to see other sides of them. People had fun and enjoyed themselves, and it was nice to have the informal setting to balance the intensity of the conference.

Several Asian American Episcopalians gathered in the morning for prayer to connect with God and with each other before each day's events. It helped to ground us, to strengthen the bond between us, and to remind us what our faith was all about--putting our trust in God and leaving it to Him to work in our lives.

And last but not least were the late night talks. There is so little time normally to just sit, talk, and wrestle with issues of faith and life, which is the foundation that good friendships so often are based on. And God truly blessed us with friendships that were formed, renewed, and strengthened at "Come to the Feast"!

Conference 2000
On September 26, 1998, the East Coast members of the Episcopal Asiamerica Ministry (EAM) Young Adult Ministry Team (Grace, William, Vivian, Rev. Allen Shin, and Pamela Tang [whom we invited to join us]) met to discuss and brainstorm for an Asian American young adult conference in the year 2000. We discussed what we felt was lacking from events that we have gone to in the past, what we need but weren't getting, and ways in which this could be changed. One of the biggest subjects that was discussed was that we have mostly been going to youth and young adult events, rather than young adult events. These "YAYA" events do not give us a chance to grow much, as we often end up spending most of the time taking care of the needs of the youth, and neglecting our own. One of the objectives of the conference is therefore that we be primarily learning, and not teaching. For instance, we intend to invite guests to give all of the workshops, instead of leading most of them ourselves, as has been customary in the past.

We brainstormed what the needs of Asian American young adults were, what the conference could do to meet at least some of those needs, and mapped out some tentative logistics and potential themes. These ideas will be communicated to the rest of the EAM Young Adult Ministry Team, and the national team as a whole will be meeting in the beginning of 1999 to begin planning together as a group.

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The Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief

Joyce Hogg

The Presiding Bishop's Fund was an incredibly busy during 1998. We normally distribute a little over $300,000 in Emergency Funding. The Presiding Bishop's Fund Board meets twice a year and authorizes grants at each meeting. Once again dioceses in Province II received money. St. Paul's Community Development Corporation in the Diocese of Newark received $5,000 for their Emergency Men's Shelter. Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen in the Diocese of New York received $10,000. Interfaith Action in the Diocese of Rochester received $8,000 for Operation Strength to Strength.

The outpouring of love, prayers and support for the people of Central America in the wake of Hurricane Mitch has been amazing. Our staff has been inundated with gifts ranging from $10 from a child in Rhode Island to $100,000 from an affluent parish in the Midwest. The need is awesome and our capacity to meet those needs must increase. Ann Vest, Interim Director of the Fund and Phoebe Griswold, wife of our Presiding Bishop, recently returned from a trip visit to Honduras and Nicaragua. They were appalled at the conditions and impressed with the courage and faith of those they met. Mrs. Griswold told me she was particularly impressed by two things, that the Episcopal Church was in the midst of the work to help the people in their suffering. She was pleased by the speed by which the Presiding Bishop's Fund was able to respond to Bishop Frade in Honduras and Bishop Downs in Nicaragua Bishop Frade reported that the Emergency Grant from the Presiding Bishop's Fund was the first money he received from immediately after the disaster struck.

The work of the Presiding Bishop's Fund is made possible by people like you, who give from the heart so that we can respond to disasters, assist in the continuing task of rehabilitation and reach out to others with development grants. Please do all that you can so that we can be ready to respond in 1999.

For more information on the Fund, please visit our web site at http://www.pbfwr.org

Contact: Joyce Hogg
800-334-7626, extension 6027
e-mail: jhogg@dfms.org

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PECUSA v. PECUSA, INC.

NEWARK, NJ - The Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong. Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark and the Rt. Rev. Joe Morris Doss, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, today announced that the civil action commenced last January on behalf of their two dioceses against the Rt. Rev. Willliam C. Wantland, Episcopal Bishop of Eau Clare, Wisconsin, and a Wisconsin corporation formed by Bishop Wantland called "The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Inc." or "PECUSA", has been successfully concluded.

In September 1997 Bishop Wantland registered his corporation to do business in New Jersey thereby prompting the filing of this federal trademark action under the Lanham Act. The suit, which was filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark by Michael F. Rehill, Esq., Chancellor of the Diocese of Newark, and Richard D. Catenacci, Esq., of the firm of Connell, Foley & Geiser, Chancellor of the Diocese of New Jersey, alleged "trademark infringement" and "unfair competition" against the defendants for unlawfully attempting to appropriate the name "The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America" and to use that name in the State of New Jersey. The plaintiff bishops and dioceses claimed the exclusive right to the use of the name in New Jersey as constituent members of The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, otherwise known as The Episcopal Church.

The suit was concluded when the defendants executed a Stipulation and Consent Order pursuant to which they agreed "to cease using the name The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Inc., or The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America or The Episcopal Church or the acronym PECUSA or PECUSA, Inc. or any other name which includes the words PROTESTANT and EPISCOPAL together or PECUSA in the state of New Jersey, and to immediately amend its registration in New Jersey to reflect a name change". That Consent Order was today [Jan.5, 1999] by United States District Judge Maryanne Trump Barry.

Under the terms of the Consent Order, the defendant The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Inc. "shall immediately cease and desist from any and all use of the name TheProtestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Inc. or The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America or The Episcopal Church or the acronym PECUSA, INC. or PECUSA or any other use of the words PROTESTANT and EPISCOPAL together in the State of New Jersey, and shall not hereafter use any promotional and informational materials or brochures bearing the words The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America or The Episcopal Church or the acronym PECUSA, INC. or PECUSA or any other use of the words PROTESTANT and EPISCOPAL together in the State of New Jersey." As part of the "settlement", plaintiff dioceses waived all claims for damages against Bishop Wantland and his Wisconsin corporation.

While expressing regret at the necessity of bringing this action to protect the integrity if the Church's name in New Jersey, Bishops Doss and Spong expressed pleasure that Bishop Wantland had finally agreed to cease using the names in New Jersey, and urged that Bishop Wantland immediately enter into a similar agreement with the national office of The Episcopal Church to cease using the names throughout the United States in order to avoid the necessity of further litigation to protect the exclusive rights of The Episcopal Church to the use of its names and trademarks.

Contact: Michael F. Rehill, Chancellor of the Diocese of Newark (201-666-8001) or
Richard D.Catenacci, Chancellor of the Diocese of New Jersey (973-535-0500).

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The Fourth Annual International Stewardship Conference

Bruce Rockwell
Assistant to the Bishop for Stewardship and Planned Giving
Diocese of Rochester

The Fourth Annual International Stewardship Conference will be held on April 16 to 18, 1999 at the Four Points Hotel on the Genesee River in downtown Rochester, New York. The Dioceses of Western New York, Rochester, Central New York, and Albany have sponsored three hugely successful stewardship conferences in 1996, 1997 and 1998 in partnership with the Office of Stewardship of the Episcopal Church and with The Episcopal Network for Stewardship.

The conference in 1996 was held in March in Syracuse, New York and drew 211 people from 18 dioceses in the U.S. and 4 Canadian dioceses. The conference in 1997 was held in April in Buffalo, New York and drew 273 people from 15 dioceses in the U.S. and 7 Canadian dioceses. This year's conference was back in Syracuse and drew 235 people from 19 dioceses in the U.S. and 4 Canadian dioceses. The evaluations from all this year's conference encouraged the conference planning team to offer yet another conference so the people who had attended could return with others from their parishes
.
The conferences continue to bring about personal conversion (or enhance personal conversion); they provide the "nuts and bolts" some come for, and they assist in our ongoing formation. Some find the conference to be an opportunity for personal renewal. It remains clear the conference feeds people's hearts and souls while also feeding their minds and giving them useful information they can use to develop a more theologically based, more sound stewardship education and development program back in the parish.

One of the highlights of the 1999 conference is the return of Bishop Burrill of the Diocese of Rochester. He was the keynote speaker at the very first conference. People still rave about how moving his presentation was. He returns in 1999 not only to serve as keynote speaker at the banquet but also to lead a plenary entitled "Why is IT always about money?" in which he will talk about why our attitudes about money are critical to our relationship with God. In addition, he will lead a Track II workshop for Clergy Only.

Another highlight for the 1999 conference is the addition of a Planned Giving Track. Charlie Gearing will lead the Planned Giving Track. Charlie is a deacon from the Diocese of Atlanta who has held Development and Planned Giving positions both for Georgia Tech and for the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. He is one of the Episcopal Church Foundation's most requested regional consultants and presenters. He will show people how they can develop an on-going, sustainable planned giving program in the parish. This track is open to folks who have attended a prior conference, but it is also open to newcomers. Charlie will be assisted by Bob Rasmussen, an area planned giving representative for the Episcopal Church Foundation. This track is being underwritten by the Episcopal Church Foundation.

One of the things that has been particularly important is that parishes send a team of people. The parish will benefit far more if they send two or more people to the conference, hopefully including the rector. The registration costs for the conference encourage parishes to send teams since additional registrants from the same parish benefit from a lower registration fee.

Brochures for the 1999 conference will be available in November. For a copy of the brochure or for more information, contact your diocesan office or call the Diocese of Rochester (716) 473-2977 and request a copy.
The deadline for early registrations (with a lower registration fee) is February 15, 1999. The final registration deadline is March 15, 1999. No registrations will be accepted after that date.

Contact: Stewardship Conference
Episcopal Diocese of Rochester
935 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607-2297
Telephone: 716-473-2977
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