Posted October 6th 2009
Election News: The Nomination Committee had their first meeting by conference call on September 30th.
Navy Chaplain Steve Pike has asked Bishop Packard to pin on his Captain's rank in early February. Steve is now studying at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
Bishop Packard met with the Lutheran endorser for Federal Chaplaincies, The Rev. Darell Morton, and his Administrative Assistant, Ms. Terry Fulton Viscardo, over lunch in Washington to strategize how we could support each other's chaplains. Afterwards, the Bishop had a tour of their offices on Connecticut Avenue.
Our new DC office continues to come on line. A part time secretary for 2009 was interviewed and special furniture was obtained for that position for our suite at 110 Maryland Avenue. A new and larger mailbox has now been assigned to us and while on the subject...we are short on coffee mugs and will be putting out a call for chaplains to send us one from their current duty station!
Bishop Packard attended his 35th reunion at Virginia Seminary and greeted Chaplains Mike Pumphrey and Ted Edwards while there.
We note the retirement of Army Chaplain (COL) Bob Eldridge and his wife Lee from his Deputy Commandant's position at the Chaplain's School, Fort Jackson. In retirement Bob will be associated with the Lutheran seminary there which is starting a 3 credit course on military chaplaincy as well as serving as an associate at local Episcopal Church.
Posted September 25th 2009
Election News: Nominations are being received by the election consultant Fr. Conrad Selnick. The process closes on October 16th. The first meeting (by conference call) of the Nomination Committee will be September 30th.
We are interviewing secretaries for the DC office and have hopes of having her/him in place soon.
Field Coordinator Babs Meairs is participating in the Diocese of San Diego’s “Operation Showers of Appreciation” which provides layettes for military families where the pregnant mother is either on active duty or married to someone on active duty.
Bishop Packard presented a chaplain's cap to newly consecrated Bishop of Long Island, Larry Provenzano after his ordination on September 19th (and in front of a fire truck). Then Chaplain Provenzano has a well-known firefighter background and much appreciated from 9/11 days.
23 September 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
The economic downturn has affected all of us during these hard times and no less the Body of Christ.
As a prudent move over the summer our General Convention considerably reduced the Church Center's operating costs. Moreover--and with considerable pain--over forty employees lost their jobs; those who remained have assumed additional work.
The Presiding Bishop has asked us to live into these "days of leanness and see them as a blessing." What can we do differently and more efficiently? How can we capture the quality of what we once did while doing less? No doubt you are asking these questions of your own personal budget.
Here in this episcopacy we have made such an assessment of our annual calendar and accompanying birthday cycle cards. A worthy enterprise but quite expensive considering both can be entirely posted on our website, www.episcochap.org.
Therefore, starting in January, 2010 everything you have heretofore received in the mail will be on-line and downloadable. It is my hope that if you don't have regular access to a computer this advance notice will assist you in connecting with someone who does.
I know the disruption such a change will cause but I am counting on your understanding as we meet the challenges of the future together.
Faithfully,
Bishop George Packard
Posted September 14th 2009
January 2010 Conference: Planning has begun for this combined farewell to the departing bishop and annual training conference. “Where We've Been, Next Steps” will be a 31/2 day event held in Washington, D.C. and will include persons who have highlighted the last ten years.
Washington Office: The furniture has been delivered and the unpacking has begun. Bp. Packard and Gerry Blackburn consulted further with Rick Lamb about the telephone/data portal equipment to be installed.
Election News: “Search for the Sixth”, the narrative profile composed by the Discernment Committee that met in Anaheim, has been posted on the election website along with the Nomination forms. Planning for the first meeting (by conference call) in late September of the Nomination Committee has begun.
Posted September 11th 2009
September 11th Leonidas Polk Memorial, Louisiana -- Prayers are out going to the families of the Victims of the 9/11 Tragedy, our soldiers, friends at the Pentagon, Twin Towers, and the airplane passengers.
"Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of comfort: Deal graciously, we pray, with all who mourn; that, casting all their care on you they may know the consolation of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Prayer Book for THE ARMED SERVICES.
--Joe McKee
Posted August 2009
Episcopal News Service] The Office of the Bishop Suffragan for Federal Ministries is relocating to Washington, D.C. from the Episcopal Church Center in New York.
Federal Ministries operates chaplaincies in three areas: military, veterans' administration and federal prisons.
"D.C. is the crossroads of the federal world; [the move] puts us in a much better position to address issues that come up in those three worlds, as well as see our chaplains more often. Most of them get stationed in the D.C. area periodically, or attend meetings there," said the Rev. Gerald J. Blackburn, director for federal chaplaincies and executive officer to the bishop suffragan.
The move to the Federal Ministries' office is more than two years in the making, Blackburn added.
Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies George E. Packard travelled to Washington, D.C., August 6 to coordinate the move to the United Methodist Center on Capital Hill, the same building from which the Office of Government Relations operates, Blackburn said.
In an email to staff, Packard said: "I have always wanted to relocate the office because of the easier access to the federal populations we serve, and frankly, it saves money since our people are either assigned or visit here regularly. Also, most other denominational headquarters for federal work are sited nearby."
In May, Packard, the fifth suffragan bishop for chaplaincies, announced he would retire May 31, 2010. Blackburn also plans to retire in 2010, he said.
The office is scheduled to officially open in September. Terry Foster, office coordinator, and Meghan Ritchie, communications specialist, will continue to work in the church center, supporting other ministries.
-- Lynette Wilson is staff writer, Episcopal Life Media.
Posted July 22, 2009
- Bishop Packard is working to support three Convention resolutions on the wars in SW Asia as well as respond to the Episcopal Peace Fellowship’s initiative on preemptive strikes. We are hopeful about a novel amendment we propose to allow military personnel to elect which war to fight in rather declaring conscientious objection.
- Babs Meairs met with Jason Sierra and Mike Schut at the Seattle Regional Office and discussed common concerns: recruitment of chaplains among young adults, ministry to military families, and involvement with current healthcare resolutions.
- Bishop Packard is teenager sitting for daughter Clara while Brook is the musical coordinator at the Lifelong Christian Formation conference at Kanuga.
- Another conference call was held to support a military congregation after a chaplain has left. This time it was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Participants in the call, Bishop P., Fr. Gerry, supply priest, reps from the congregation, and the offpost congregation linking itself in mission with this eucharistic community.
- Fr. Gerry Blackburn finalized the DC office search and signing of the rental contract in order to relocate later this summer to the United Methodist Center building on Capitol Hill – the same building which houses TEC’s Office of Gov’t Relations.
- Election News: The Special Committee of Bishops will meet with the Discernment Committee on 07 July during their two-day conference in Anaheim.
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