In this Issue:

Sauls Nominated for Presiding Bishop

St. Martha's and Martha's Place: A commitment to service

Internationally known author and teacher Newell to be in Lexington

A conversation with the Bishop on his nomination for Presiding Bishop

Commentaries:

Reflection: Miss Della and the Palm Crosses

X-ercizing: Undone

From the Bishop: Anticipation of Easter

Diocesan Calendar

Past Issues

St. Martha's and Martha's Place: A Commitment to Service

By Kay Collier-McLaughlin

“This is Bonnie,” said the voice that answered the cell phone. The Vicar of St. Martha’s at Martha’s Place might have been standing in the middle of a basketball crowd at Rupp Arena. Over the background din, she explained that she was in the midst of taking a picture of a pyramid — the human kind — at St. Martha’s first “Outburst” Spring Break Camp for children in the Trent Blvd. neighborhood in Lexington. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day of spring break week, the children are enjoying crafts, indoor and outdoor activities and a healthy lunch, provided by God’s Pantry with the help of Moveable Feast. The volunteer teachers are busy, transitioning from the outdoor session to an indoor craft project.

“The flexibility of this space is really wonderful, both for worship and this kind of event,” says Jones. “On Sunday after worship, we all moved the chairs back and set up tables for meals. On Monday, the weather turned cold and windy, and we had to move all of our outdoor sessions inside. It was a simple matter to clear the tables and have a big open space for whatever we needed to do.”ig open space for whatever we needed to do.”

A year and a half ago, the Rev. Bonnie Quantrell Jones was entering a time of discernment as to where God was calling her as her years as Associate at St. Peter’s, Paris, came to a close with the retirement of the rector. She had been to see Bishop Stacy Sauls, and spoken of her interest in inner city ministry, and a sense that God was calling her to be in a parish. The two had agreed to pray about what God might be calling her to do. During the latter part of 2005, the Diocese of Lexington mobilized volunteers to prepare the diocesan-owned campus on Trent Blvd. to receive refugees from Hurricane Katrina. Although the expected families never arrived in Central Kentucky, the people of the Diocese became acutely aware that there are people with pressing needs in their own communities, as well as along the Gulf Coast and across the world. The process of discernment led the Bishop and Jones to a matching of gifts and talents and God’s call.

Jones brings a unique background in working with and for the homeless, people in recovery and peace and justice issues, and serving on the boards of numerous Lexington- Fayette County agencies through the years, as well as her bi-vocational work as CEO of Quantrell Cadillac-Volvo, and as a priest. In January, the process of discernment seemed to lead both Bishop and Priest to the same conclusion. Bishop Sauls’ vision for outreach and a worshipping community from the Trent campus could be well-served by this one person. All Saints, the young-adult led mission which had been worshipping at the Trent location since its inception, could be re-located to the Saint Laurence Chapel at Mission House, near downtown Lexington, where many young adults are making their homes. “It was like a light bulb went off,” says Jones. “It is the perfect fit for my talents and where my heart is. God was saying ‘yes, you can do both.’”

Says Bishop Sauls, “What has happened with this property is a good example of what can happen when a congregation sees itself as part of a diocese and can go beyond parochial interests. From the time the Trent property was acquired, the intent was for it to be utilized for mission opportunities. We are now able to act on that — and the potential is enormous. We have a priest here who has a huge heart for mission, a congregation forming whose reason for being is mission and resources and facilities ready to be put to use. All of the ingredients are now coming together. This is a real example of how God works for good in difficult circumstances that we might have wished to avoid.”

St. Martha’s held its first service on Feb. 19, with 89 worshippers present. “It was two Sundays prior to Lent,” says the vicar. “I didn’t want to begin in Lent, or to wait until after Easter.” For three weeks, Jones, her husband Billy Gatton, son Brentley, and numerous friends worked long hours to prepare for the opening of St. Martha’s at Martha’s Place. The name was also one of those “light bulb moments.” “Martha of Bethany was all about service,” says Jones.

She pauses to discuss some misinterpretations of the well-known story of Martha and Mary. While some read that Jesus lauded Mary and was critical of Martha, Jones launches into a short teaching on a balance of prayer and service in the Christian life, and the fact that the Martha-Mary story goes with the story of the Good Samaritan, and the Great Commandment, and cannot be separated. “I have always been accused of being Martha,” she grins, “so this really fits. I think the name Martha’s Place really is a warm, friendly name for a community of service.”

As Director of Martha’s Place, she is currently talking with numerous community agencies about possibilities for shared ministry from the Trent campus.

• The Hope Center is interested in transitional housing for women in Stage Two recovery.

• Habitat for Humanity is in need of transitional housing for those who have qualified for a Habitat home and are waiting for their property.

• A church in Frankfort which sponsors Haitian students in local community colleges is looking for living places in Lexington.

• The Health Department wants another Public Health Facility for Preventative Health Care.

• A University of Kentucky physician is interested in relocating his free clinic for the working poor.

• The Gainesway Empowerment Center, which sponsors many after school programs, is out of space at its current facility, and is hoping to relocate.

There are other agencies and concerns, and issues of zoning, parking and all that goes with public service. Jones’ voice is filled with both energy and passion as she sidesteps the topic into the needs of the “working poor.” “This is a major issue here, and all over the country. While there are jobs in this booming economy, many are service jobs, minimum wage and barely above. It takes a second job to even support a family. This entire group of people are knocked out of some available benefi ts by the fact that they are working — but they still can’t make it. They need help in so many things. We want to find ways to help them now, and to empower them to get past the need for that help.”

Martha’s Place, Jones points out, is an agency of the Diocese of Lexington. St. Martha’s at Martha’s Place is a mission of the Diocese. One of its core values is service. The Vicar sees St. Martha’s as having a “unique slot” in the Diocese, through its mission in connection with Martha’s Place, its facility and its worship. “It’s not about stealing sheep,” she says firmly. “There are more than enough people who are not attending any church, and are looking for something that fills their particular need.” Some who have already come are drawn to St. Martha’s because of its blend of contemporary Christian music (“we use everything from the 1982 Hymnal to Lift Every Voice and Sing; Wonder, Love and Praise and now Voices Found, plus the music of Michael

Talbot and a variety of other contemporary Christian artists”), its casual style of dress and relaxing, happy atmosphere, and its mission to serve the neighborhood around it. “The spring break camp is a beginning -- just a beginning. Hospitality is a major focus for us, so that people feel welcome and not alone when they come for the first time. Printing everything in the bulletin is a part of that.”

Leslie LeBlanc, a long-time classroom teacher, is volunteering for Camp Outburst during this spring break. She looks up from the project she is readying and smiles. “God has given me a ministry here. He has called me to work with these children. I am blessed.”

Flo Morguelan came from a Baptist background. She says: “I am drawn to St. Martha’s because of (its) reaching out to others, and Bonnie’s gift of loving people nonjudgmentally and shooting from the heart. The Holy Spirit speaks right through that, and it rubs off on others. The preaching is Bible-based, not just out of her head. I feel very welcomed and loved here.”

Advocate Online Staff:

© 2005 The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington

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