In this Issue:

Diocese of Lexington reaches out to Survivors of Katrina

St. Raphael's first ever J2A Pilgrims Rock Ireland

Part of the Heart of Our Mission: Announcements

Solo Flight ritual: the art of loving

EYE: Can You Catch The Spirit Off The Beaten Path?

Hurricane Katrina News and Notes

Commentaries

From the Bishop: Matthew Goes to College

Reflection: Finding a home in the storm

X-ercizing: Community, solidarity, and humanity

Diocesan Calendar

Past Issues

Solo Flight ritual: the art of loving

Hendersonville, NC – The wooded chapel reverberated with the voices of single adults from 22 dioceses: “O God our Maker, I come before you as you created me, a singular man/woman, whole and unique. I offer you my individual life to use as you deem best…” The vows to stretch the ‘art of loving’ in a broken world were taken during the context of the annual “Liturgy of Healing and Wholeness and Blessing of Singularity” at the 15th annual Solo Flight at Kanuga Conference Labor Day weekend. The intergenerational conference drew always single, divorced and widowed men and women who ranged in age from 23 to post-80, and made the journey to North Carolina from as far away as New Hampshire, Connecticut, Syracuse, Los Angeles and Dallas. “I’ve been saving for a couple of years to come here,” said one, adding that the conference has become a kind of “Promised Land” for single adults across the country, who find little of substance in their congregations regarding the faith life for single people.

The Rev. Zelda Kennedy, Associate for Pastoral Care at All Saints, Pasadena, was keynoter for the conference. She set the tone for the “Art of Loving” theme with an explication of the Samaritan woman, and closed the conference with a summary on Monday morning. In addition, she presented a workshop on grief and life transitions entitled “There is no living in love without sorrow.” The Rev. Dr. David Perkins, Diocese of Virginia, presented a plenary entitled “The Dark Side of Love”, and Dr. Kay Collier McLaughlin, Diocese of Lexington, the conference coordinator, presented on “Love is Bigger than we Think.” The Rev. Dr. Jan Dunnavant of Lexington served as Chaplain; the Rev. Bruce Stewart of Virginia was musician.

The annual conference includes workshops on foundations of ministry with single adults in the Episcopal tradition, as well as a full component of workshops on issues which pertain to the single life, Common Ground Communities in which the participants reflect on the plenaries, an evening CABARET! or fellowship time, and daily worship. A number of bishops and rectors responded to the annual invitation from Solo Flight to send teams of individuals to experience the conference as a learning laboratory on how to work with single adults. Parishes in Florida and California will serve as pioneer groups utilizing the Solo Flight curriculum entitled “Re-writing My Story,” while others plan to encourage leadership training for the ministry in their dioceses under the auspices of Solo Flight. Participants plan to encourage their deputies to General Convention to seek funding for the work of ministry with single adults — the fastest growing segment of the population in the United States.

Willard Deal and LaurenJill Shires of the Diocese of North Carolina were announced as the Artists-in-Residence for the 2006 Labor Day Conference at Kanuga. Deal creates crosses from wood and stained glass; Shires is a flutist. Solo Flight created the artistin-residence program to celebrate creative solitude, and assist single adults in learning about the journey from loneliness to solitude through the work and experiences of various visual and performing artists who are featured at the conference each year.

Advocate Online Staff:

© 2005 The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington

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