Fall 2015
THE BRIDGE
The magazine of St. John's Parish Church, Johns Island
NORTHERN UGANDA:
Our Mission, God's Heart
Elizabeth Bumpas Q&A
Salvation? On Maybank??
The Feeding of the Multitude
This edition of The Bridge is offered in honor and memory of Tom Gopsill,
Member of St. John’s Parish 2007-2015,
Vestry Member 2010-2012,
Editor of The Bridge 2008-2015.
SALVATION? ON MAYBANK??
by Nancy Scales
"Have you been saved?" It's a question not heard so often in liturgical traditions like ours.
And it's not the same question as "Have you joined the church?" Also, when you hear of people
"giving their lives to Christ," those doing so are usually younger people. Far less often do we
hear of the elderly making such a life-changing decision. But it does happen. Read on.
It's Thursday afternoon. I've been with the Bible Babes, and
to lunch with some of them, usually at Sunrise Bistro. But now
I've turned the car around and pulled into the parking lot at
Harvest Health, the nursing home next to St. John's Parish. For
the next 2-3 hours I'll visit nine or ten men and women, all of
whom are there long term.
magazines, told about my grandchildren, and shared cat
stories. A firm believer in the power of human touch, I hold
hands and give hugs. But most importantly, I give them my
time and attention. This is largely a Medicaid facility, and there
are some who have nothing in their tiny half a room – no TV,
no radio, no books, no pictures. They sit or lie there all day
How did I get into doing this? Years ago I was a Candy Striper doing… nothing.
at the VA hospital in Salisbury, MD, taking veterans around in
“What are you afraid of?”
those heavy wooden wheelchairs they used back then. And
“An eternity in pain.”
during my 20 years in Bamberg, SC, I visited a few elderly
people in the nursing home there. So when I moved to James And so we come to Randy. Randy who is yet to tell me he's
Island and began attending St. John's, it was natural to go to having a good day. When I first started visiting, he was
Harvest Health (then called Island Oaks) and ask if they had monosyllabic, always in pain, and believing death was
residents who didn’t receive any visitors. The staff gave me a around the corner. When leaving for the day, I'd say, "See you
list, and with my background I was also given several "hard" next week!" and hear back, "I doubt it." One day I came in, sat
down and, after the usual gloomy beginning, said, "Randy,
cases who need more time than staff can provide.
what are you afraid of?" Turns out, he feared "spending
So what do I do? Mainly, I listen. These people are old and
eternity in pain." We talked more, and out of the blue, I asked
lonely but they have lives to share. There's Jack* who had a
him if he'd like to repeat a prayer after me: the Sinner's Prayer,
bad accident and cannot move any part of his body, nor
a prayer of repentance asking God for forgiveness. When we
speak – I drop in and make small talk, and I've met his family
finished, I assured him that by accepting Jesus as his Savior,
(down from Wisconsin!). Once I came in to find him strapped
he would not spend eternity in pain, but in glory.
into a chair and awake. "One day," I told him, "you'll talk to me."
He smiled and mouthed the words, "One day, soon." That day So what's the point in my telling all this? Certainly not to toot
my own horn. This is where Christ has called me to be – where
is still coming.
He's been preparing me to be for some time: Where has He
Then there's Melba, who also had an accident and hasn't
been preparing you to be? To every person I visit I believe I
moved anything but her head for the last decade. Each week
am bringing Christ, and you can do the same. Maybe God has
I read her a chapter of The Purpose Driven Life, which we then
a project just for you, or perhaps it will be at Harvest Health
discuss (her mind is excellent). Sometimes I peel an orange
with me – yes, it's a hassle getting the TB test and background
and feed it to her section by section.
check they require, but it's worth it when that person's eyes
Another is Wilma, who has a reputation for belligerence. She light up because you've come back and will keep coming
glowers at me but never spoke nor moved until recently when back. And who knows, perhaps someone else will see their
I put my hand next to hers on the bed: Slowly, she lifted her eternity transformed from pain into glory.
hand and laid it in mine. Breakthrough!
Nancy Scales: [email protected]
I've written letters, learned family members, handed out
*All names and some details have been changed to protect anonymity.
NORTHERN
UGANDA
OUR VISION AND GOD'S HEART
By any measurement, St. John's relationship with the Diocese of Northern Uganda has been a fruitful
one. Having sent five mission teams, we now help fund a theological college, two orphanages, the
building of parish churches and a guesthouse, scholarships for the children of clergy, and one fulltime missionary, the Rev. Elizabeth Bumpas. But is the primary purpose of our relationship
financial? If so, why do we send people, and not just money? What is the point of missions?
A long line of people walking to church in Gulu, Uganda. In an area without much car ownership, people will routinely walk several miles to worship.
Meemee Williams, part of the 2015 Uganda team, had never
considered herself a candidate for missionary work. “The
church would ask for volunteers, and I’d think, ‘But I can’t
build anything!’ That’s what I thought missions was: go and
build something. I didn't realize that missions is not about
doing but about going. But I had to go to Uganda to discover
that."
This was the birth of Christianity in Uganda, a foundation so
strong that when the country went through its darkest hour
under the brutal Idi Amin, the Church held firm. Martyrs
abounded – even the Archbishop, Janani Luwum, was
assassinated – but God's people did not give up. The
richness of the Ugandan faith is therefore one of deep trust
in God in spite of circumstances, not because of them.
“Any time you step out in faith,
your heart will be changed.”
These are the brothers and sisters with whom our teams
have connected, blessed, and learned from. Meemee
describes how, in holding hands, sharing jokes, and
praying with the local believers, she suddenly understood
what it really means to 'be the Church'. Leila Baldwin
expands on this idea. "Making Biblical Anglicans for a
Global Age," she says, "means standing alongside other
churches, all across the world, and living as a community –
being community, encouraging one another, supporting
one another."
Northern Uganda is a poor region, still recovering from a
long war. Between 1988 and 2008, the land was devastated
– Bill Anderson describes how the team saw many walls still
carrying the bullet-holes – and the Church was left as one of
the few institutions still functioning. The Diocese of Northern
Uganda has therefore developed a holistic mission,
including education, healthcare, and evangelism, even
while it can't afford to pay its priests – many of them make
This is what St. John's has been doing with the Diocese of
their clergy collars from Clorox bottles, as a $20 collar is
Northern Uganda for the past six years, but it was by going
beyond them.
and being that the team saw what it really meant. "We weren't
But while often living in financial destitution, the Ugandan teaching as 'teachers'," says Leila, "just as regular people
Church is rich in ways western Christians rarely experience. who love Jesus. It's not hard to be a missionary. We were
The Gospel first came to Uganda in 1876 and, after its first there to be normal church people and to play our parts."
Anglican bishop was martyred, thirty Ugandan converts
One motif that recurs thoughout the team's reflections is the
were burned alive for their faith. Famously, these men
effect that going to Uganda had on them as individuals. "Any
walked to their death singing hymns and praying for
time you step out in faith, your heart will be changed,"
forgiveness for their enemies.
explains Leila.
continued on p. 7
REV. ELIZABETH BUMPAS Q&A
Elizabeth Bumpas is from Charleston, and is a missionary to the Diocese of Northern Uganda.
Where are you right now?
I’m in Gulu, Uganda, sitting in my bedroom, a tiny 8x12 space
in the guesthouse of Dr. Katie Rhodes, an American surgeon
who does medical missions in Uganda and South Sudan.
There is one window and it looks out over the garden of the
compound. Right now we are growing peanuts, passion fruit
and a few other things. During the day I keep the screens
open so that air can flow through the house, but I have to close
them at dusk or mosquitoes and all sorts of flying insects will
make themselves at home with me. The floor is concrete but
I have a grass mat to try and keep my feet clean when I don’t
have my flip flops on. I do most of my work sitting on my bed.
What was the life journey that brought you to Uganda?
The road that led me to Uganda has been a long one, and
would take more space than I have here to describe. But
several years ago I began praying a prayer every single
morning from a very honest and sincere place in my heart:
Elizabeth being ordained as a Deacon by Bishop Johnson Gakumba
Lord, I lay down my life as a morning sacrifice for you,
choosing to die to self, I ask you to pour your mighty
nice and comfy. I know I can leave Uganda any time I want
resurrection power through me, that Jesus may be
to,and it's nights like last night that tempt me the most. It’s
revealed, changing me and redeeming the world.
pretty miserable sometimes.
I was ready to go wherever He led and do whatever He said.
I also feel so disappointed when someone I have trusted is
I had reached a point in my life when I knew I would not have
exposed for stealing. I never expected to find corruption in the
a family of my own, and there was nothing to tie me down. I
Church, but it has happened a few times. Bishop Johnson has
wanted to make myself completely available to Him. The
helped me to see that it is a heart issue, and not an issue of
longer I prayed this daily prayer, the more I was filled with
poverty, and that the Christian community here is fragile
expectation – and some trepidation – not sure of what might
because mature believers are few: it's easy to get people to
happen! Eventually, through St. John's Parish, I became
respond to an altar call, but walking out their faith in every area
connected with the Diocese of Northern Uganda; I was part
of life is a much bigger challenge. And that is part of my task.
of the team that visited in the fall of 2013. It was during this time
that I knew God was calling me. I was afraid but every day What message do you have for the people of St. John’s?
when I prayed that prayer, I knew in my gut what I was being Keep listening to the Lord and allowing Him to lead you
forward into Kingdom missions! I am a result of your
called to do. Go! I moved here a year and a half ago.
obedience: the Lord used St. John’s as the door through
What are the highs and lows of your life in Uganda?
which to call me to Uganda, and you are helping to multiply
The highs usually come on the days when I’m teaching in the
ministry by supporting the theological college here. This
theological college. I can feel God’s presence with me so
alone is enormous! To have a steady source of income every
strongly and I can hear Him speaking through me. I also love
month helps us to meet the basic expenses of running the
being at celebrations when the people are worshipping and
college. This money will insure the continued growth of the
dancing to the Lord. I feel His pleasure in the praises of His
college and sends more Ugandan workers into the field. This
people. I also love the days when I’m with my Ugandan friends
is a critical time for the Church in Uganda – we must equip the
and I feel just how much the Lord has helped me to
Church, and you are making that happen! And your mission
understand and connect with the culture. This is a gift.
trips are so encouraging for the Diocese. Bishop Johnson
The low days come in several ways. This may be too much said to me recently that St. John's is the most consistent giver
information, but I want to be honest... I’ve vomited and had and supporter to the Diocese, and without you all, His job
diarrhea more times in the last 15 months than in the last 15 would be much more difficult. You are having a considerable
years! Bacterial bugs are so easy to pick up here and they can impact, whether you can see it or not. I give thanks for you all!
be totally debilitating. Just last night I broke out in a cold sweat
and started vomiting. As I hung my head over the toilet, I could Rev. Elizabeth can be contacted through her website:
easily picture myself back home in my own American bed, www.elizabethbumpas.com
FEEDING OF THE MULTITUDE
The Sea Islands' Annual Thanksgiving Miracle
Sometimes we fail to see the miracles taking place around us: the miracle of birth, of forgiveness, of
creation itself – we miss the sacred thing before our eyes. When thirty churches and huge numbers
of volunteers come together to provide a Thanksgiving feast for the whole Sea Islands area, what we
are seeing is a miracle. Good ideas come and go, but God ideas take root and bear fruit, and that is
what the Feeding of the Multitude has done over the past eight years. It is an annual miracle!
In 1621, having brought in their first successful harvest, the
settlers of the new Plymouth Colony declared a sacred feast
to give thanks for God's provision. Having put aside their labor
to celebrate, the fifty-three surviving Pilgrims were joined by
around ninety Native American tribesmen, who brought five
deer as a gift and joined the thanksgiving.
Edward Winslow, chronicler of the Colony, recorded that,
"Although it be not always so plentiful... yet by the
goodness of God, we are so far from want".
So it is for us in the Lowcountry. For many, things are 'not
always so plentiful', and the cost of a traditional Thanksgiving
celebration seems too far to stretch. But in the midst of
hardship, God is present and providing.
The original vision for the Feeding of the Multitude (FTM) was
birthed on the Eastside of Downtown Charleston. Brother
Dallas Wilson, vicar of St. John's Chapel and priest to an oftenOne of the army of FTM miracle-workers loads up to serve dessert.
impoverished community, decided to declare a public
Thanksgiving feast for the whole neighborhood, and trusted
that God would provide.
Two thousand people came, and every one of them went
home satisfied. That spark lit a fire in 2007 that has been
burning ever since, and the Eastside FTM will be feeding,
clothing, praying for, and in all ways blessing its community
once more this year.
A member of the
cultural dance
group from Holy
Spirit Catholic
Church performs
for the Multitude!
Inspired by the Eastside feast, the Feeding of the Multitude
was brought to the Sea Islands in 2008, and it is here that the
second feature of the Pilgrims' feast – unity and cooperation
between different ethnic groups – has borne most fruit. Under
the leadership of such people as Pastor Mary Stoney of LRP
Ministries, Claudia Boyce of St. John's Parish, and the Sea
Island Alliance of Ministries, FTM has become a focal point for
community cohesion and inter-church collaboration.
The day itself requires over four hundred volunteers, and
around thirty churches work together to make the miracle
happen, representing the full range of ethnicities,
denominations, and theologies of the Church. In the words of
Salvadora Sanchez, of Iglesia Maranatha on Maybank
Highway, "God wants us to work together as one – and
everyone has a great time doing it!"
"We all come together as a community," says Claudia Boyce.
"While the main objective of course is to serve people and give
them a wonderful meal, it has been so great for community
relations. It's a real love feast. We are Spirit-led and Spirit-fed."
"It's been one wonderful thing after another," says Pastor
Mary Stoney, adding, "We want to let people know we're
here for them." Fr. Greg Snyder agrees: "We don't want this
to be the one day out of 365 to say, 'We love ya!' and then
the other 364 leaving people to fend for themselves." While
huge community feasts can't happen every day, the
intention is that the knock-on effects of FTM will go far
beyond what happens Thanksgiving week.
relationships, while carrying the spiritual burden of prayer
and reconciliation and hope.
Likewise, the formation of Next Steps of Johns Island (also
hosted by St. John's Parish, and established this year)
would not have been possible without the support and
cooperation of a range of FTM-linked ministries. As a result,
the most vulnerable people on the Sea Islands now have
trained support freely available from Christians who love
This has become particularly clear this year, a year in which them and will help them with whatever Next Steps they need
the Church in the Charleston area became a role-model to take. People's lives are being changed. What started as
worldwide. In the face of race-motivated terrorism and hate- a meal is becoming a movement.
mongering, our brothers and sisters across the region have
"Thanksgiving is a family time," reflects Fr. Greg, "and
been part of an astonishing response of forgiveness, prayer,
oftentimes we only think of our own little families. But the first
and love. And in the midst of such simple heroism, the
Thanksgiving was many families coming together, thanking
groundwork and spiritual impact of these annual love feasts
God for the abundance. That's what we're trying to do here."
should not be discounted.
In 1621, the Pilgrims and Natives of Plymouth Colony sat
When, following the shootings at Emanuel AME, Pastor
down together for a feast of cross-cultural unity, and GodMary Stoney called local believers together to pray, it was
centred thanksgiving. In 2015, on November 21, the people
clear that the relationships that had been formed through
of the Sea Islands will gather at St. John's Parish to do the
years of FTM collaboration were now coming to the fore:
same, and the eighth annual miracle will take place. By the
playing a key role in community cohesion and ecumenical
goodness of God, we are so far from want.
Onstage entertainment provides the backdrop as the Walton Hall parking lot is transformed into a feasting hall.
NORTHERN UGANDA, cntd.
This was especially so for Jason Yandle, who had envisioned
his role as that of team photographer, but instead ended up
speaking to crowds of people and coming back astonished
at their sacrificial generosity.
"A few years back I lost a lot of my work," says Jason. "I didn't
make a lot, and I didn't give a lot. But over there, even though
these people are so so poor and have so little, they were
talking about stewardship, about giving. It made me think,
'Man, we are so selfish.'"
"I've started giving what I can – making Biblical Anglicans for
a Global Age starts here. We need to give. We need to give
to missions. We need to give till it hurts."
These are passionate words from a passionate team, who
received that passion by going. By being. It seems that a big
part of making Biblical Anglicans for a Global Age is first
becoming Biblical Anglicans for a Global Age ourselves.
Perhaps that is why we send teams on mission.
!
ST. JOHN’S PARISH CHURCH, JOHNS ISLAND, SC
Making Biblical Anglicans for a Global Age
SUNDAY SERVICES:
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10:30 AM
10:30 AM
St. John's Parish Church
PO Box 125
Johns Island, SC
29455
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