Resources

Companions Study Guide Available for Parish Mission Discussions
In 2003, the Standing Commission on World Mission (SCWM) presented its vision statement, Companions in Transformation: The Episcopal Church's World Mission in a New Century, to the 74th General Convention. In Resolution A150, the General Convention called on the Church—parishes, diocese, voluntary mission agencies, seminaries, mission networks, and Episcopal Church Center agencies—to study the vision statement and provide input to the work of the Standing Commission toward making specific program and budget proposals to the 2006 General Convention. It requested that a study group in each diocese be designated to make a critical study of the vision statement and forward recommendations to SCWM.

A Companions study guide is available to assist parish and diocesan study groups reflect upon and more richly comprehend the scope and means of the mission that is first and foremost God's own. It is meant to invigorate the missionary vocation that is ours in baptism and to open our eyes to see the ways in which we may participate with God in the extraordinary re-creation of the world through our Lord Jesus Christ. The study guide may be used in one session or spread out over five weeks. Companions in Transformation is available through www.episcopalparishservices.org .

The St. Francis Prayer Book
By Jon M. Sweeney
Paraclete Press, 2004
157 pages, $13.95
Book Review by the Rev. Dr. Clair McPherson (from the Episcopal New Yorker)

Last year, the ENY reviewed a splendid new edition of Paul Sabatier's 19th-century classic Life of St. Francis, The Road to Assisi . This work was more than a welcome reissue of a classic, however. Its notes and introduction were brand new and insightful, and marked the debut in Franciscan work of a fine theological writer, Jon Sweeney.

Now this gifted writer-editor has written The St. Francis Prayer Book, a handy and handsome volume that incorporates prayers and practices of St. Francis into a Daily Office format. It is, in a way, a companion volume to the Sabatier-Sweeney biography.

The centerpiece of the work is a model week of daily morning and evening prayers modeled on St. Francis' known practice — and, more importantly, inspired by Francis' vision. You will find a deep, personal focus on the person of Jesus; for example, Francis made Jesus his template, with stunning, startling results. You will find gentle, incarnational prayers; Francis embodied Christian embodiment. And you will find considerable use of silence; Francis allowed plenty of patient time for God to talk to him.

Sweeney also provides a clear, helpful introduction, lots of traditional Franciscan prayers (including the famous prayer “attributed to Francis” that scholars think he didn't write; as Sweeney explains, it's really only about a century old. But it's Franciscan nonetheless. Scholars don't get the tradition of prayer, where copyright and plagiarism are foreign ideas. Your prayer is my prayer, and who cares anyway, if it works?)

But Sweeney also adds two intriguing appendices: one on the “Use of Devotional Books in Francis' Day” and one on “Memorization and Prayer in the Middle Ages.” The former will interest ENY readers as an important window into the circumstances from which our own Book of Common Prayer developed. The latter should be must reading for anyone seriously interested in spirituality. Memorization is far more than a Victorian schoolmaster's disciplinary ploy, though that's what many think. It is actually a vital tool for spiritual growth. Read Sweeney's remarks, then go read three pages from any of the Gospels and ask yourself this: how much Scripture did Jesus have by heart?

Experienced spiritual explorers will find plenty of helpful suggestions here. Even those deeply involved in the Office already will find it easy to give their practice a Franciscan spin by using Sweeney's materials. But perhaps most importantly, this work should be required reading for all beginners. It will make a superb introduction to the daily practice of personal prayer. Who better than St. Francis as a guide for a daily walk with God?

Introducing the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
By Jennifer Hammond-King (from the Episcopal New Yorker)

Each Sunday at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie , our youngest members, with their parents and teachers, gather to celebrate the Good Shepherd. Since 2001, we have offered the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd as our Christian formation program for children ages 3 to 6. This past year saw the addition of the Level Two Catechesis program for children in grades two through five.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Christian formation program with roots in the Roman Catholic Church in Italy . Its founders, Sophia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi, were students of Italy 's most famous educator of young children, Maria Montessori. These deeply spiritual women pursued a lifelong goal of serving the religious needs of young children. Drawing on their work with Montessori, they developed a physical environment for children, which they called the “atrium.” The atrium was the place in the early Church where the catechumens were prepared. The atrium is a place of preparation for involvement in the larger worshipping community.

When the children and their catechist gather in the atrium, the central image for their work together is Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The program has a strong theological foundation, with reverence for the Bible and the liturgy. It is also based on respect for the religious potential of the child, with great sensitivity toward developmentally appropriate pedagogical practices. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd invites children to enter into a covenant relationship with God. And it invites teachers and adult participants to renew and strengthen their own covenant with the Savior.

In the atrium, we sing and play, work and learn together about Jesus' life and teaching. We explore the essential elements of our life together as Christians, including the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ, the parables, the sacrament of Baptism and the components of the Episcopal liturgy.

All of our teaching is done by demonstrating, modeling and the using materials children can hold, explore and work with. As adults, we may meditate and reflect on Scripture through repeated reading and prayer. Within the atrium, the child has the same experience by working with dioramas and models under the guidance of the catechist.

We organize our classroom space to reflect the liturgical seasons of the Church year. There is an area that contains our models of the Good Shepherd and his sheep. There is a section for learning about the geography of the Land of Israel and the location of important cities in the story of Jesus' life. Our Advent/Christmas area contains beautiful diorama boxes that allow children to act out the story of the Annunciation and the birth of Jesus. Our beautiful prayer corner reflects the current liturgical color and celebrates the gift of light (with candles) and the gift of the word (with our Bible and prayer cards).

There is a “practical life” area, where children practice pouring, preparing the chalice, arranging flowers and polishing brass. There is a small altar with accompanying equipment for the Eucharist (chalice, paten, candles, etc.) so that children may become familiar with these objects and their uses.

In the corner dedicated to Lent and Easter, we have models of the Cenacle (Upper Room) and the Walls of Jerusalem, as well as beautiful artwork depicting the Resurrection.

Finally, we celebrate the special sacrament of Baptism with our own small font, where children may practice “baptizing” their baby dolls and enjoy the lighting of the Pascal candle.

The implementation of the Catechesis program at Christ Church required an extensive commitment of time and love to develop the materials and train the teachers. The two trained catechists, Cynthia Lee and I, attended a year-long training program consisting of 90 classroom hours, offered through the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The course instructor, Sister Lucy Sabatini, OSA, was our spiritual guide and mentor in developing our program.

With the guidance of Christ Church 's Rector, the Rev. Michael Phillips, as well as through dialogue with other Episcopal churches that are using the Catechesis program, we have been able to make adaptations that reflect the liturgy and teachings of the Episcopal Church and our own local conventions of worship.

One of the most important components of the program is the physical materials through which children experience the weekly lessons. Many of our materials, including dioramas, a miniature altar and a baptismal font were lovingly constructed by Christ Church parishioners. Small vestments, altar cloths and hangings were sewn in an array of liturgical colors by our talented members. It is the support of the whole church community that has made it possible for us to develop and expand the Good Shepherd program. We are proud to be able to offer our Catechesis program to children and families within our parish. The program has also given us a solid offering in our work to grow parish membership.

Churches in the Diocese that are interested in beginning a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program or finding out more about our program should contact the Christ Church Office at 845-452-8220. We are very interested in developing a support network of Episcopal catechists and programs within our region.

Stewardship Materials
(from the Diocese of New York web site < http://www.dioceseny.org/>)

*Give to Live : by Douglas Lawson. A comprehensive year-round program of presentations, discussions, study, and commitment all sizes and types of churches. It includes written materials and videotapes, and Lawson's book Give to Live. Abingdon Press 800-672-1789. If you want a year-round program, this is for you.

*Consecration Sunday . This commitment program requires six weeks to complete, plus organization, and a guest leader. Abingdon Press 800-672-1789. Good prpogram if you want an indirect approach.

*We Are Family is "a consultant in a box" according to the Rev. Deborah Tammearu. It develops an album telling the story of your church and photographs showing the congregational family today. It can be changed year after year. Stewardship Resources (800-234-5844), which also offers the Pony Express and Claim the Vision.

*A Manual for Stewardship Development Programs by The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) is one of the better stewardship guides available today. It provides useful information to create a customized year-round program. It can used with either the Personal Note or the Festive Meal commitment programs manuals by TENS. The manual and commitment programs have worked well in many churches and would be worth your time to consider for 1998. Optional resource kits of theme stationery, thank you notes, camera ready pledge cards, invitations, and more also available. Morehouse: 800-877-0012. TENS also has a great newsletter. Call 800-699-2669.

*A Plan for Stewardship Development and Education Throughout the Year . This is the Diocesan manual developed by David Gordon. It is a year-round program of information, planning, fellowship, and commitment of time, talent and treasure. The materials can be also be used with other programs such as Consecration Sunday. Manuals can be obtained from the diocese at 212-316-7427.

*Discipleship Resources is a catalogue of materials by the Methodist Church . It includes Revolutionizing Christian Stewardship for the 21st Century. DR also offers a subscription service for ($32 per year) 800-672-1789. The diocese has copies of all these materials. Call 212/316-7427 to learn more.

*An excellent book you should read before selecting stewardship materials is: Plain Talk About Churches and Money (Alban Institute).

Nearer to the Heart of God ($17.95) by Bernard Bangley is a comprehensive, inspiring guide to the richness of Christian devotion. It introduces ancient, medieval and modern Christian mystics with daily excerpts from classic works by such authors as Brother Lawrence, Teresa of Avila, Augustine, Francis de Sales, Julian of Norwich, and Thomas Cranmer. Each reading beautifully expresses the heart of the Christian way, with all its challenges and possibilities.

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