This is The Scoop, a communication sent about every two weeks from the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida. Feel free to share this information. Send items to share to Jim DeLa, director of communications.

The Scoop for April 1, 2009:

Coming Up:

Convocations Continue: Here are the remaining dates and locations for this spring’s deanery convocations. All meetings begin at 7 p.m.:

-- March 31, St. Petersburg/Clearwater deaneries, at St. John’s Clearwater.
-- April 2, Venice/Manasota deaneries, at St. Boniface, Sarasota.
-- May 1, Naples Deanery, at St. Monica’s, Naples.

Rescue and Restore Coalition is meeting April 7, from 10 a.m. to noon at Church of the Redeemer, 222 South Palm Ave., in Sarasota. This meeting will be an introduction to the community on the issue of human trafficking. We will also explore how the community can come together in the fight against human trafficking. Please RSVP to Giselle Rodriguez at (727) 446-4177, ext. 115.

Diocesan Confirmations: The annual diocesanwide confirmation service is set for Saturday, April 18, beginning at 11 a.m. at St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral, 140 N 4th St., in St. Petersburg.

Churches planning on participating in this service are asked to do two important things. First, send the list of your candidates by e-mail to Jan Nothum (jnothum@episcopalswfl.org) in order to receive certificates; and send the same list to Pam League (pam@spcathedral.com) no later than April 10 so their names can be included in the program.

And FYI, come early to find parking. There’s a parade scheduled two blocks from the cathedral at about the same time.

What are parishes doing in tough economic times? The Bradenton Herald recently reported that Christ Episcopal Church is trying to cut costs by eliminating the Sunday bulletin, which costs more than $6,000 in printing costs each year, and pulling financial resources from international missions to help folks close to home.

Any other congregations finding unusual or innovative ways to cut operating costs or maximize outreach? Pass them along to jdela@episcopalswfl.org to share in future issues of The Scoop.

Mark your calendars:

Community Yard Sale: Saturday, April 4, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Giles Episcopal Church, 8271 52nd Street N. in Pinellas Park. Breakfast, lunch and baked goods will be available. Tables are available for rent from $10 to $15. Call (727) 544-6856 or (727) 709-3113 for details.

Community Prayer Breakfast. April 4, from 8-10:30 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 401 Fifth Street North in St. Petersburg. Hosted by the cathedral chapter of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew. Bishop Dabney Smith will be the keynote speaker. Cost is $5 at the door. Contact Frank Turner at (727) 527-3104 or Vance Wegner at (727) 525-5516 for more information.

A College For Presbyters gathering is set for Thursday, April 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at DaySpring Episcopal Conference Center. Bishop Dabney T. Smith will welcome Bishop Dorsey Henderson Jr., of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina. The discussion will center on the proposed revisions to the disciplinary canons (Title IV) to be presented at the 2009 General Convention in Anaheim, Calif., in July. For reservations, please e-mail csalyers@episcopalswfl.org.

A Community of Deacons retreat is set for May 2 at DaySpring Conference Center near Ellenton. To register, contact Michelle Mercurio at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274 or by e-mail at mmercurio@episcopalswfl.org.

Youth Leaders, Unite: Bishop Dabney Smith invites all youth leaders or potential leaders to a gathering at St Mary’s Episcopal Church, 4311 W. San Miguel St., in Tampa on May 3, from 4:30-7 p.m. for a Eucharist and conversation about ministry with young people, followed by dinner. Please RSVP to Michelle Mercurio at (941) 556-0315, ext. 274 or by e-mail at mmercurio@episcopalswfl.org.

New Beginnings: Applications are still being accepted for the Nov. 13-15 weekend retreat for middle schoolers in grades 6-8. Learn more at www.episcopalswfl.org/youth_ministry.

News from elsewhere:

House of Bishops weighs in on financial crisis: Members of the House of Bishops concluded their six-day retreat at Kanuga Conference Center on March 18 by unanimously approving a pastoral letter about the hope the church offers despite "a culture of scarcity" and a deepening crisis "both economic and environmental." The bishops' pastoral letter called the church to repentance for failure to address the sorry state of national and international economic and environmental crises. A copy of the pastoral letter is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_106036_ENG_HTM.htm.

Tech Tip:

Tracking pastoral contacts: Iona-Hope Church in Fort Myers tells us of a free online service available for clergy and churches wanting a better way to track pastoral visitations. www.MyChurchGroup.com’s Pastoral Contact Record allows clergy and lay pastoral visitors to keep track of contact information for people in your congregation. You can see at a glance who contacted the person, when the contact occurred, what kind of contact was made and any related comments. There’s a contact history for record keeping and an archive after a contact no longer needs to be on the current list. It is entirely web based, so there is no software to buy. Passwords are encrypted and backups are regularly performed for you.

People notes:

Please pray for the repose of the soul of the Rev. Ron Nevin, who died Feb. 28 in Delaware. After retiring after serving Church of the Ascension in Claymont, Del., he and his wife Sadie moved to Southwest Florida where they were active in the diocese, serving St. Edmund's, Arcadia, and St. Mary's, Bonita Springs.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of the Rev. Charles (Chip) Sanford, who died March 17 in Laramie, Wyo., after an extended illness. He was a retired priest who lived in St. Petersburg for many years. He had been living with his son in Wyoming since December 2008.

The Rev. William Dopp, rector of St. Martin’s, Hudson, has announced his retirement due to health reasons, effective May 1.

Diocesan Director of Communications Jim DeLa recently received seven Polly Bond Awards for Excellence in Church Communication at the 2009 conference of Episcopal Communicators, held at Camp Allen, Texas. He won the top award for news writing (for print) for a story about the diocese’s involvement in fighting human trafficking. He also received three awards for photography seen in The Southern Cross, two awards for audio slideshows produced in 2008 for the Web, and was one of five writers honored for collaborative work in producing a bishop’s consecration primer.