Conversion of Life in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana

By Marie Gambetta

Interview with Jan Merkt, Senior Trainer

Jan Merkt, a senior dCDI trainer and a member of St. Matthews, Kenosha in the Diocese of Milwaukee came on board 5 years ago to help launch Northern Indiana’s CDI program.  Now that the program is considered “launched,” Jan will no longer be training with Northern Indiana and will focus primarily on dCDI in her own diocese.  As a bittersweet “exit interview” I had the privilege of talking with Jan to find out how she perceives EDNIN has changed over the past five years.

Much has changed in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana since the beginning of her tenure here, Jan contends.  In the beginning we were a group of people coming together to begin a new program (CDI) to build healthy congregations that Bishop Little and Canon Silla were excited about.  As each cadre of participants made its way through the program, it became so much more than that.  It became a conversion of life of individuals and parishes.  As groups took ownership of the program and their part in it, they transformed the program and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, it transformed them and their congregations.

Jan commented that she was thrilled by the changes that were taking hold in congregations in our diocese.  As each cadre went through the program, she began to witness a common culture that was emerging in parishes and, collectively, as a diocese.  She heard examples of CDI tools and techniques being used by vestries, in stewardship campaigns, by newcomers and old timers alike who were embracing the culture and communicating in a common language.  Something very fundamental was shifting in the diocese.

This was confirmed by the number of CDI graduates who returned to go through the program again, this time joined by more colleagues from their parish.  She has seen CDI attendance grow to its current all-time high census.  In fact, she reminded me, this year’s group has participants who belong to neighboring dioceses.  Something is happening here, she insists.

One of the biggest conversions of life Jan has witnessed within Northern Indiana is a result of the Faith Sharing element of dCDI weekends.  This is the brainchild of Bishop Little who believes that we as Christians should be ready, willing, and able to share with anyone who asks why we believe that Jesus is Lord.  This began two years ago at a dCDI weekend when two participants were asked to share their faith story with one another while the rest of the group “eavesdropped.”  After sharing their stories, which were deeply moving, participants paired with one another and shared their own faith stories. 

Jan is adamant that the power of Faith Sharing is at the heart of the conversion of life that she has witnessed in Northern Indiana and that she has experienced in her own life.  As a cradle Episcopalian, Jan is well aware that talking about our faith doesn’t necessarily come easily at first.  It can take us out of our comfort zone.  Seeing people take that risk demonstrates the love and trust that they have for one another.  In fact, by sharing their faith with one another, it increases that love and trust.  She testifies that it is not only powerful to hear, but powerful to participate in.  In fact, she mentioned to me that Faith Sharing is something that is now being incorporated into the dCDI weekends in the Diocese of Milwaukee.

Jan pointed out that another area in which she has observed conversion of life in the Diocese of Northern Indiana is the number of participants who have begun the discernment process to be raised up into ministry.  She said that in her experience, the number of people entering discernment after participating in CDI is extraordinarily high.

Although so many transformations have occurred during her tenure at EDNIN, the one thing that has not changed is the commitment to the program by Bishop Little and Canon Silla.  She said that in creating change and in changing culture, leaders are the primary shapers of that change.  She credits Bishop Little and Canon Silla for never deviating from their message.  They never waivered, she maintains, from the Core Values and the Acts for Congregational Transformation which are at the heart of dCDI.  She said that this was evident in the congregations who came through the program.

Jan insists that the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana is special.  Its culture is unique and the Holy Spirit is definitely alive and working here through dCDI.  She claims she came here to teach and she left with quite an education.

Conversion at St. John the Evangelist, Elkhart

By Linda Buskirk

St. John the Evangelist is a voice calling out, and the people of Elkhart are hearing it.  The Episcopal community of St. John has a rich history, dating back to 1873.  In more recent times, when other historic Elkhart churches headed out to the suburbs, St. John’s stayed downtown. 

That was a very deliberate decision, made by the people of the parish after obedient listening to each other and to the community beyond.

The decision to stay, made in 2012, was courageous because it meant reinvesting significant dollars in a leaking roof and repairing the damage it caused.  A capital campaign in Elkhart County, which led the state in unemployment after the 2008 economic downturn, might seem impossible to outsiders.  But the people of St. John journeyed on, unified in their belief that the parish is called to do ministry in the downtown location. 

This consensus grew from a parish wide listening project that continued beyond the decision to stay.  Leadership wanted input and ideas about what needed to be done, besides replace the roof, to keep parish ministries strong and relevant to those they served. 

The Vestry conducted a parish-wide survey that resulted in a list of projects that went beyond repair to make the church structure more welcoming and accessible yet secure.  Upgrading the kitchen to commercial grade and expanding space for the food pantry were deemed essential in order to grow St. John’s feeding ministry to its financially struggling neighbors. 

A task force of parishioners stepped forward to coordinate a capital campaign fundraising effort.  Transparent communication and a pay-as-we-go construction policy assured parishioners that they knew what was happening and that debt would be avoided. 

The campaign kicked off in May of 2012 with a target of raising $350,000 in pledges to be paid over three to five years.  By the end of the summer, $412,000 in gifts and pledges were secured!   Work soon began on the roof, followed by electrical and other system upgrades.  Soon this year, renovations to the kitchen will begin. 

Father Dan Repp, Rector of St. John’s, explains that in Benedictine fashion, being faithful to the stability of location and conducting obedient listening have allowed a conversion of life experience for the parish.  Here are some examples:

Parishioners have come together with their own elbow grease to paint rooms, rip up smelly carpet and refurnish space that had been rendered unusable due to water damage. 

More parishioners are volunteering for the food pantry.  They are finding new ways to reach outward into the community with ice cream socials and cookouts for the neighborhood.   Meanwhile, more recipients of these ministries are now attending services – one large family recently joined the church as members. 

New events and worship experiences are occurring – including a service featuring blue grass music.

A “Vision Ministry” was started during the listening process and continues today to help articulate the ways St. John’s ministry strengths, resources and location could impact lives in the name of Christ in the future.

In our Diocesan Congregational Development Institute, we learn that the Benedictine “Conversion of Life” concept is evidenced in a congregation when its members find God on their journey together to new places and when they are open to transformation.   The people of St. John the Evangelist Elkhart have found God on their journey in the same place they’ve always been!  They became open to transformation after they listened to God’s call and found ways to capitalize on their strengths, reinvigorate their ministries and transform lives. 

If you’d like to learn more about their journey, please give Father Dan Repp a call (574-295-1725).

Listening Campaign at Saint Michael and All Angels

By Linda Buskirk

It started as a project for the DCDI team members from Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in South Bend:  a Listening Campaign.  One of the exercises for DCDI participants is to conduct interviews of a few people in their parish, and to report on what they learned by listening.  But the Saint Michael’s team wanted to take that to a whole new level.

It took four of five meetings, but eventually, the Vestry committed to interviewing the entire congregation.  Names were assigned for one-on-one discussions based on four revealing questions:

1)      What brought you to Saint Michael’s?

2)      What keeps you at Saint Michael’s?

3)      What are the greatest strengths of our parish?

4)      What do you see as the greatest challenges facing our parish?

Rector Matthew Cowden explains that the interviews were NOT all about the data.

“The point was not just to find out information, but to build a relationship between the interviewer and interviewee.  It took awhile for Vestry to understand the value of such an enormous undertaking.  Then one Vestry member – a banker – simply stated that the Listening Campaign was exactly what his bank does to enhance customer satisfaction.  When he said, ‘it’s about building relationships,’ the rest of the Vestry got on board,” Father Cowden recalls.

It was not easy – the exercise took six months to complete – but Vestry stuck with it and the goal of reaching 100% of the adults at Saint Michael’s was reached. 

Father Cowden says the outcomes were valuable.  First, out of the process grew a deeper appreciation for the talents and skills in the congregation, many of which were not previously known by leadership or anyone else.

Second, deeper relationships were forged between church members, and new friendship began.

Finally, Saint Michael’s leadership believes there was a direct correlation to the improvement seen in the following year’s Stewardship campaign.  More people pledged and many increased their pledge. There was the sense that it was an “easier ask” because of deeper relationships.

Father Cowden says he believes the people of Saint Michael’s haves always valued relationships and listening, but that the Listening Campaign made that richer. 

“A culture of greater transparency exists.  As people have learned about each other, they understand each other better.  There is a greater understanding of the overall issues and well as who’s in charge of what,” the rector explains.

The leadership of Saint Michael’s are reaping the joyful benefits of listening in obedience.

Infusing Prayer

By: The Rev. Susan B. Haynes

" ‘We believe that the divine presence is everywhere and that in every place the eyes of the Lord are watching' (Proverbs 15:3, 19.1 -- Rule of St. Benedict). This sense of the constant presence of God is something which St. Benedict is anxious that we should never forget. God's gaze is fixed on us, our thoughts and actions lie totally open to his view, we are always seen everywhere in God's sight (Rule of St. Benedict -- 7.10-13.) Our awareness of God's presence must be the ever immediate reality which underpins everything else. How amazingly uncomplicated St. Benedict makes the way to God. It is totally demanding but it is not out of reach." (Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict, Esther de Waal)

While traveling back and forth to South Carolina over the holidays, I read the book cited above. The author underscores St. Benedict's exhortation that praying can never be set apart from the rest of life, because prayer is life itself. Monks did not take a vow of prayer, be-cause it was assumed that their whole life would be undergirded, infused with constant prayer. Prayer was understood to be the Opus Dei, the work of God, and nothing was to be preferred to it. Love, of course, was most important; but prayer, particularly praying the Divine Office, was thought to be the most excellent witness to the community's love of Christ. Human love asks for time and attention in order to be cultivated, and as humans we come to love someone as we come to know that person. The same is true in our relationship with God. Love of Him calls for time and attention to Him, and we come to love Him as we come to know Him in prayer.

The beginning of prayer is a dialogue...we begin by entering a dialogue with God. Our first task in this dialogue is to be silent. In this silence, we are watching, waiting and listening. And then we respond, both corporately and personally. Our times of prayer should also be rich with Scripture...prayerful reading of Scripture. The fruit of our prayer should be the realization that God is present everywhere, constantly keeping us in His sight, constantly moving in our lives and attentive to us.

God desires conversation with us...and prayer is the beginning. St. Paul's has a strong tradition of prayer, its walls having received the voices of countless thousands of Christians over the last two centuries.  In January, we held an Adult Education Series about prayer led by Bishop Francis Gray.  He helped us reflect about prayer, sharing some of his own experiences and sharing suggestions for strengthening our prayer lives.

A Third Kind of Worship

By: Linda Buskirk

Like most Episcopal churches, Sunday morning services at St. Andrew in Kokomo begin with Rite I at 7:30 AM, and Rite II at 9:00 AM.  And then, a small band sets up in the back of the sanctuary and, at 11:11 AM, Rite III begins.

St. Andrew created its 11:11 service as an entry point into the traditional church, one that is more informal to seekers who unfamiliar and perhaps uncomfortable with a traditional service and formal liturgy.

In October, I was among the attendees of the Diocesan Convention who had the opportunity to experience what the 11:11 service is like.  It is a celebration!  Annie Lightsey, Gabe Doucette and Damon Ashburn led the workshop.  They explained that 11:11 provides younger worshippers opportunities to exercise their gifts and interests in music, art, technology and belonging.  They can be creative in their expression and their worship.

Before you say, as I whispered under my breath when the band started and the screen came down, “This will never happen in my church,” consider that with its 11:11 service, the family of St. Andrew is growing, in part because of new communicants who found the church through the 11:11 service.  They participate in the outreach ministries of the parish, many try the traditional services, they add to the depth and diversity of community, some are baptized, confirmed and pledge, and they have found a place to love and learn about Jesus Christ.

Including this alternative worship experience on Sunday morning sends a message that it is a priority ministry.  It has allowed the culture and community of the 11:11 to affect the overall culture of the parish.  Through the past twelve years of the evolving 11:11 service, the St. Andrew family “has developed a mutual appreciation for all three services.” 

Annie explained that the people drawn to the non-traditional service have commented that they appreciate that it occurs in a very traditional setting.  They enjoy worshiping with all their senses - seeing the rich beauty of the church building, hearing the bells and smelling the smells.  That’s common ground for worshipping Episcopalians! 

The leaders at St. Andrew Kokomo say that the 11:11 service is a work in progress.  While it may be a bit much for many parishes to offer such a service, they do encourage us to consider alternatives to the way we’ve always done things (gasp!).  One suggestion:  explore alternative offerings of the daily offices that include opportunity for common prayer, study and community.  Think of gatherings between five and twenty-five people.