Deacon Ted Hallenbeck receives 2013 Steere House Legacy Award and is named Autumn’s Promise Honoree

On Friday evening, October 4^th, at 7:00, The Rev. Dcn. Ted Hallenbeck will be honored to receive the Steere House Legacy Award.  For the last 17 years, Ted has served on the Board of Directors of Steere House, a 120 bed skilled Nursing care facility on the campus of Rhode Island Hospital. The last 7 years he has also been treasurer, as they have worked through an assortment of difficult issues, until his retirement this year.

 

Ted has served as a trustee for South Providence Neighborhood Ministries and became a board member in 1998, and a year later he became a board member of Ocean State Assisted Living, a joint effort between Steere House and Scandinavian Home.  Steere House has awarded Ted Hallenbeck the 2013 Legacy Award and named him the Autumn’s Promise Honoree.

 

Ted has been a deacon in the Diocese of Rhode Island since 1985.  He came to Rhode Island in 1957, working in college and university administration.  He helped to create the Community College of Rhode Island and helped to improve and upgrade both URI and RI College.  He was involved in the building of the Bristol campus of Roger Williams College.  After that, he helped to create the nationwide University Without Walls, which is an alternative higher education program.

 

After working in organizational development and fundraising with churches, nursing homes and agencies, he began to feel a call to serve as a deacon.  He has worked on various diocesan groups, including Diocesan Council and its Executive Committee, Commission on Finance, Program and Budget Committee, Episcopal Charities Board and the 2015 Task Force for Strategic Needs and Planning.  Ted says of his time and work in these areas, “This is a very healthy and exciting time as together with a new Bishop we figure out how to work together effectively and tackle an assortment of issues, some new, some old.  And it looks like 2013 and 2014 will be a busy time!”  He is pictured here, with other deacons at the Diakonia of the Americas and the Caribbean (DOTAC) conference in Trinidad.  Ted has served for 17 years on the Executive Committee and 8 years as Treasurer of DOTAC.

 

Ted serves The Fund for the Diaconate as its President, and works especially on Grant Coordination with the Ven. Bill Jones.  The Fund focuses on improving the ways we assist and support deacons.

 

Ted says of their work through the Fund, “Recent experience has shown us that we can be of assistance that is not necessarily financial. We need to broaden our support pattern and linkages to involving others in assisting deacons.”

 

Ted has also served as Executive Director of the North American Association for the Diaconate from 1989 to 2004.  Today, he is a retired deacon at Saint Luke’s Church, East Greenwich, and helps as needed.

 

Pictured here with Dutton Moorehouse, past editor of Diakonia, at the 2006 TEC General Convention in Coilumbus, Ohio.

 

 

Ted’s wife, Pat taught New Testament in the RI School for Deacons for many years.

 

Ted ended our time together by musing a bit about the future.  “Arriving at age 86 and encountering an assortment of limiting health related concerns, means that I cannot do what the younger folks do, or I once did.  I limit my commitments and activities, now primarily focused on Diocese of Rhode Island groups, which I am delighted to serve and will continue to do so as long as I am able and useful.”

An Interview with The Rt. Rev. Nicholas Knisely, Bishop of the Diocese of Rhode Island

It has been a year since Rhode Island elected its current bishop, Nicholas Knisely.  In that time, he has spent much effort, working with the newly appointed Archdeacon, The Ven. Jan Grinnell, to evaluate the current status of and the future prospects for the Diaconate in Rhode Island.  We caught up with him recently, to ask him some questions regarding his thoughts on the diaconate.  His remarks are below.

 

BMS:  Bishop Knisely, can you tell me a little bit about your experience with the Diaconate in your years as a priest?

Bishop Knisely:  I've been particularly blessed to work with 6 extraordinary deacons during the

time I served as a parochial priest. In fact, every parish I served as the Rector eventually either had a deacon assigned, or lifted up someone to that ministry.  In every case, I valued the shared ministry we had. In Pittsburgh, the deacon I worked with helped with the pastoral care of the parish. In Bethlehem, the deacon ran our daily Soup Kitchen. In Phoenix, the deacons ranged from the Archdeacon, who was the administrator of our school for deacons and the diocesan liturgist, a deacon who ran a Community Health ministry, a deacon who was a fierce voice of social change and a deacon who focused on pastoral care and animal rights advocacy.

 

BMS:  What have you found most helpful and/ or meaningful about deacons in the Episcopal church?

Bishop Knisely:  I've said in other places that I believe the deacon's voice is the distilled prophetic voice of the church. I believe the deacon's ministry is lived out on the fringes of the church and the world and as such is a sign of what God expects of every Christian.

 

BMS:  What are your expectations of deacons in the Diocese of Rhode Island?

Bishop Knisely:  I hope that they will continue to live as a community along with their fellow ordained communities of presbyters and bishops, working to serve the Gospel here in the state. I hope that they will continue to listen and look for the working of the Holy Spirit in the world and be insistent in calling our attention to that action.

 

BMS:  What do you envision the Diaconate here in Rhode Island to look like in 10 years?

Bishop Knisely:  In ten years, I hope that most parishes that want to have a deacon serving as part of ordained leadership will have one. I hope that we will see the diaconate reenergized by new voices, young voices and people who are not at present a part of the Episcopal Church.

Meet Our Archdeacon, The Ven. Janice Grinnell

Jan first sensed a call to ordained ministry as a child in her parent’s church in Pennsylvania.  This was a protestant church which actually had a few women ministers. She did not pursue this call until years later when she became a recovering alcoholic, and discovered a God of unconditional love for all people.  She was passionate about helping others understand this unconditional love, and found her call to help those suffering from addiction and mental illness.  Jan completed the RI School for Deacons in 1990, and was ordained a Deacon on March 16,1991 by Bishop George Hunt.

Jan has served liturgically at St. Michael’s, Bristol; Trinity Church in Newport; St. Paul’s, Wickford; and currently at St. Augustine’s at the University of Rhode Island.  Over the years, her ministry has evolved as she has continued to strive to discern God’s call to her in the world beyond the physical walls of the church.  In 1998, she became interested in Parish Interim Ministry and was trained in the Appreciative Inquiry model for this work in our diocese.  She and The Rev. David Dobbins have formed the first Priest/Deacon Interim team in Rhode Island and have served together in this role in each of her parish assignments.  One of Jan’s passions is to help individuals and organizations discover, define, and articulate the ‘passionate purpose’ that God has called them to pursue. This has been successful in each parish in which they have served.

Currently, Jan and David are engaged in campus ministry for the University of Rhode Island (URI) with the parishioners of St. Augustine’s, Kingston.  Together, they have created a “Feed a Friend” program to engage students with parishioners through home cooked meals.  They also joined the others in the Diocese in outreach efforts to take the church into the world.  They participated in “Ashes to Go” on Ash Wednesday, and as a result of this success, offered “Hot Cross Buns To Go” on Maundy Thursday along with an invitation to join St. Augustine’s during Holy Week and Easter.  This was followed by combining Smartie Candies and a prayer for final exams and creating “Smarties to Go.”  Another amazing discovery was uncovering campus hunger at URI in the student community.  This has led to establishing a Food Pantry in collaboration with the Johhnycake Center in Wakefield, and the Feinstein Foundation and the University Administration.  The food pantry will be open twice a month to distribute food to those in need.

Jan’s secular employment over the years has focused on IT consulting.  She has worked for several large companies, and now owns her own certified Woman Owned Enterprise (WBE).  She provides software consulting services to state government agencies throughout the country for system testing, training, and project management.  She has people working in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Pennsylvania.  She has also begun to bring Appreciative Inquiry consulting to several large corporations.

In January, 2013, Bishop Knisely appointed Jan to serve as Archdeacon of our Diocese.  Jan’s enthusiasm for building the diaconate in our diocese has been well received by the current deacons.  One of her focal points has been to try to identify opportunities to share with others the bishop’s vision of revitalizing the Diaconate in Rhode Island. 

Jan says of her years in active ministry, “I have been blessed to be able to serve God through the ministry of the Diaconate.  I began with the vision of sharing God’s unconditional love with those who would listen.  For me, the result has been that those I have ministered to have held up a mirror to reflect this concept back to me through their love and support for me and my family.  I am thrilled to be part of this diocese at this time.  We embrace God’s call for his whole church to reach out to those who still need to hear, understand, and accept this love; and ultimately, experience the joy of living in God’s kingdom right here in Rhode Island!”

A Remembrance of The Rev. Deacon Susan J. North

The Rev. Dn. Susan J. (Gardner) North, 59, passed into the next chapter of life on Monday June 3, 2013.  She was an ordained Episcopal Deacon of the Diocese of Rhode Island since 1991, and was serving at Trinity Church, North Scituate at the time of her death.

In her own words, she has described her journey of service through the Diaconate:

            “My call to the diaconate kind of surprised me, as I was very much going about doing other things.  It was quickly affirmed by my family, friends, and parish, however, and it was not long before I was enrolled in the School for Deacons in September of 1986.  During the time of preparing for ordination, I began dating my husband, Chris, got married, and had a baby.  Between September of 1986 (when my ordination track began), and March of 1991 (my ordination), my life couldn’t have changed more.  I began “ministry” by believing my call to be with the dying and their families.  I spent some years in Hospice Chaplaincy, and it was wonderful.  Over the years, however, my experience has led to an equal or even greater passion for being with those living in poverty.  I worked for Children’s Friend and Service for four years, doing home visiting, and I have worked for the Providence School Dept., in South Providence, for seven years.  It doesn’t matter.  Deacons are called to serve the helpless, particularly, the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.  That’s a wide umbrella.”

The Ven. Jan Grinnell, Archdeacon for the Diocese of Rhode Island, had this to say about Sue:

"I was blessed to be able to attend Deacon's school with Sue, and eventually be ordained on the same day.  She was completely devoted to her ministry to those who were less fortunate than many of us.   She is missed by all of us who were blessed to know her.  It is so fitting that her last sermon has become a source of inspiration for all of us who serve as deacons.  She continues to bless and inspire me, and will for the remainder of my ministry.”

Sue was passionate about her role as a deacon and gave a sermon earlier this year at Trinity Church.  Here are some brief segments from that sermon:

            “You’re always a deacon.  By the way, they think that ordination may not end with this life.  Just so you know.”

            “As for expectations, what do you have the right to expect of me?

·        You have the right to expect to see that I am aware that I am always a deacon.  As I make decisions and conduct my life, you should be able to trace an awareness of who I am and the vows that I’ve taken in my actions and in my thought processes.  Just like I did in my job decision, I should know and seek counsel from others who know, how being a deacon affects the end result of those processes.

·        You have the right to expect that I will keep a spiritual discipline, including daily Bible study or reflection and prayer and that this discipline is evident in my perspective, knowledge, and outlook in various aspects of my life.

·        You have the right to expect that I will look for Christ in all people.  Even in those that others might consider the least desirable?  No, ESPECIALLY in those that others might consider the least desirable.

·        You have the right to expect that I will support equity and justice for others, and take delight in their achieving it, even when it means that I will lose something by their gain.

·        You have the right to expect that, even though I will fail in all of the above from time to time, I will always be willing to engage in the struggle, and, when you are willing, to join with you in your struggles with the same issues, that we might work them out together.

·        Finally, most importantly, you have the right to expect that the Gospel is my guide, my hope, my strength, and will, in the end, be my final word.”
  

 

Many of Sue’s friends and work colleagues commented that she was a kind, caring woman, who showed great compassion to many students, a true professional, always offereing questions and comments that showed she knew what she was talking about and truly cared about her kids at school. Sue was a great co-worker, a very warm, personable lady and a dedicated teacher.

The community of Deacons sends its fondest regards and deepest sympathies to Sue’s family, especially her husband Chris, her mother, Alice Phyllis Gardner and her sons, Jonathan J. North and his wife, Sarah and Joshua J. North.  We also extend our sympathy and support to her parish.  She will be greatly missed.

Welcome!

My name is Barbara Mays-Stock, and I am one of the deacons of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island.  Starting today, you will find regular articles on the deacons and also interesting and useful information about the Diaconate in Rhode Island.  We hope that you will enjoy learning about what deacons are, what they do and maybe even realize that God has put a spark into you, asking you to consider the Diaconate as your calling to serve God, the world and the church!

NEXT TIME:  A tribute to one of our deacons, Sue North, who has recently entered the next chapter of life.  She was, and is, an inspiration to us in the many things that she said and did.  Be sure to watch for our next posting!

 

Welcome to the Ocean State and our blog!

Welcome!

This is the new blog for the Deacons of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. Check back often to learn more about our Deacons and their ministry in this state.