Folks at St. Thomas':
The Bishop has asked that Canterbury Chaplains submit monthly reports. I previously shared my August report with Mthr Dawnell and Ed Ryland, your senior warden. However, I am happy to share it with everyone. Here it is:
Monthly Report
August 2014
The Chaplain met with returning students who were in Monroe
beginning the second week of August to begin making plans for the upcoming
academic year. First group meeting was scheduled the last week of the month,
but one member could not attend due to work conflict. We chose a regular
meeting time of Thursday evening at 6 p.m. in the Student Center on campus that
will enable all current members to attend most of the time.
Study materials: The group will read Timothy Keller’s Encounters with Jesus: Unexpected Answers to
Life’s Biggest Questions and study the Bible stories it is based on.
Officers & Delegate: The group ratified the continuation
of Garrett Boyte as president and also approved his appointment as delegate to
Diocesan Convention. Garrett and Ivania Vallejo agreed to be oblationers at the
convention Eucharist.
The group has many ideas and things it wants to do this
year, as follows:
Have an outdoor Holy Eucharist on campus to raise the
profile of the group. Other campus ministries have done outdoor worship
services. We will invite all of the other ministries on campus, plus the
Grambling and Tech Canterburies.
Get together for a social activity with the GSU and LaTech
Canterburies. The middle of the semester is better than near the end when
everyone is getting ready for exams.
Have a retreat at Camp Hardtner for all Canterburies in the
Diocese, to include some time with the Bishop. This will have to be in the
spring to give us time to work on it.
Build the size of the group, both via inviting friends, but
also through advertising. Ideas: Yard signs to put about campus, ads in
Hawkeye.
Go on a field/mission trip in December right after the end
of the semester. We’d like to do something that connects with the new Hispanic
ministry at St. Alban’s since Ivania is involved there as well. Best idea so
far: Go to New Orleans to connect with the Hispanic ministry at St. Anna’s
Episcopal; worship with them, talk with people about what they are doing and
how, and arrange for a work project to complete while we are there.
August Statistics:
Individual contacts (meetings & phone calls), Chaplain
with students & other chaplains - ~6
Group meetings – 1
Participants – Faculty advisor/chaplain – 1; students – 3
Blog posts – 2
Expenditures:
Chaplain stipend (3/4 month) - $225
Food for meeting - $13.45
Study Materials (film & books) - $111.91
Respectfully submitted,
Archdeacon Bette J.
Kauffman, Ph.D.
Canterbury Chaplain
