This week’s news bring accounts of a parishioner in Hilton Head finding a fire truck for the people of the Dominican Republic, a Cathedral and its artwork, a bishop blessing the shrimpers, parish nursing and yet another congregation supporting ministry to the homeless.
The award for the most unusual story goes to the people of All Saints on Hilton Head:
“What began as a casual discussion between a parishioner of All Saints Episcopal Church on Hilton Head Island and the Rev. Julio C. Holguin, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic, has resulted in plans for the donation of an emergency response vehicle to the developing nation.
[…]The truck has 12,500 miles on its odometer. Its tank carries 750 gallons of water and can be replenished from any nearby pond or other water source. It is also equipped with flood lights, making it ideal for rescue work. It still needs to be outfitted with new hoses, nozzles, fittings and a new ladder, and then shipped overseas. The remaining expenses are estimated to cost about $6,000. An anonymous donor has offered to cover half of this amount, providing that the balance is collected by March 15.”
From here. Looks like they still need some financial support. Any takers? The article details how to help.
A year and half of restoration work has returned a 19th century painting, which is a copy of Bartolomé Murillo’s The Holy Family, to St. Matthew’s Episcopal Cathedral in Dallas. “It’s like an old friend coming back to us,” said the Rev. Kevin Martin, dean of the cathedral.
The restoration involved a more than a little work:
The five paintings [in total], which have not been appraised, were restored in a four-year, $35,000 project funded by donations and a grant from the Episcopal Foundation of Dallas. “We’re not a real wealthy church, and the parishioners gave a lot,” Brown said.
Stashka Star of Dallas, who restored The Holy Family, said the painting had blisters, tears and a deep, long horizontal crack. At some point, a painter, untrained in restoration work, had glued the canvas to a Masonite board, among other damaging techniques. “Art conservators have to know how to restore,” said Star, who has a master’s in art conservation and restoration from Nicholas Copernicus University in Poland. “I’m not an artist. I’m a doctor.”
From here.
Bishop Dabney Smith of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida blessed the shrimp fleet of San Carlos Island continuing a yearly tradition. Full story here, with a nice action shot of the bishop in his episcopal cassock.
Parish nursing is becoming more and more important as people in congregations are aging and many are losing their health insurance. A trained set of eyes can catch a problem before it becomes a crisis.
This report on the work of parish nurses in the St. Louis area mentions how this plays out at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alton:
Registered nurse Judy Roth referred Allen to a doctor in 2006 when she noticed his heart irregularities. Allen needed two stents placed in his heart.
“She’s my lifeguard,” Allen said Tuesday during a routine visit to Roth’s office hours at St. Paul’s. “She doesn’t just check your blood pressure and walk off. She calls me at home. It’s because she’s there that people at least have that kind of medical intervention.”
And finally, students from Kenyon College (and others) gathered supplies for the homeless ministry housed at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Parish house in Mount Vernon Ohio.
“The shelter has done fairly well this year,” said Sally Parson, planning committee member and volunteer. “And it has been through a lot of changes. We’ve got a new restroom facility on the same floor as the shelter in the parish house, and we didn’t have a shower facility in the building. Through a donation through Harcourt Parish, we were able to put in a bathroom, complete with a shower facility and such.”
Kenyon College donated beds, Connell’s Home Furnishings donated mattresses and new pillows, and countless donations have come in from organizations and community members around the county. Through these donations, men seeking sanctuary have been able to experience a small piece of home.
Full story here.