Bishop Burgess attended the Recognition & Investiture of The Right Reverend Matthew Gunter (center) as 12^th Bishop of Wisconsin.  Bishops attending to Bishop Gunter were (right to left): Bishop Brian K. Burgess, Springfield; Bishop Jay Lambert, Eau Claire (res); Bishop Steven Miller, Milwaukee (res); Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe who stood as preacher.

The service of Holy Eucharist was offered to the glory of God on Saturday, October 5^th during their 177^th Annual Convention within the Holiday Inn Stevens Point Convention Center.

posted 10/08/24

On Saturday, September 28^th, Bishop Brian and Denise Burgess traveled to Calvary United Methodist Church in Normal under the invitation to attend the Celebration Service of the Assignment of Bishop David Alan Bard & Bishop Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai to the Illinois Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church.  This is a shared ministry of oversight as each bishop will remain as the pastoral and administrative head of their respective Conference and share oversight of the Illinois Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church (UMC), roughly covering the same geographical area as the Episcopal Diocese of Springfield.

Bishop Bard has served as the resident bishop of the Michigan Conference of the UMC since September 1, 2016 and Bishop Bingham-Tsai has been the resident bishop of the Iowa Annual Conference of the UMC since January of 2023.  Their shared oversight of the Great Rivers Conference will be simultaneous while incorporating in person opportunities to be with congregations and virtual meetings from their original jurisdictions.  The administrative office of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference is located on South Second Street, just North of Toronto Road in South Springfield.

Pictured (L to R): Pastor Jacqui King, Director of Ministerial Excellence; Bishop Burgess; Denise Burgess; Kristin Franklin, Administrative Assistant; Curtis Franklin, Coordinator of Mission and Outreach as well as Associate Coordinator of Camping & Youth Ministry.  Pastor Jacqui, Kristin and Curtis comprise part of the administrative staff located in Springfield who work in support of their bishops.

The Illinois Great Rivers Conference is comprised of all or part of 87 counties in downstate Illinois. The episcopal area known as the Illinois Area was formed in 1960 as the former Central Illinois and Southern Illinois conferences shared a bishop which was located in Springfield. Prior to 1960, the presiding bishop lived in Chicago and presided over the entire state. In 1996, the former Central Illinois and Southern Illinois Conferences voted to merge and formed the Illinois Great Rivers Conference.

posted 9/30/24

Bishop Burgess is pleased to announce that The Reverend Fr. David Wells has accepted his invitation to serve as the Diocese of Springfield’s Canon to the Ordinary. In response to Canon Evan’s impending retirement, a detailed position profile was posted and interviews were conducted to call forward the very best candidate for our Diocese in interest of supporting the work, priorities, and vision of Bishop Burgess.

Father David Wells possesses tremendous administrative experience, having served a successful 43-year career in law enforcement at both the state and county levels. He has served honorably at the executive administration level of the Illinois State Police, retiring as state Executive Inspector General. A graduate of Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin with a Master in Pastoral Ministry (MPM) degree and a Master in Ministry (MMin) degree, Fr. Wells has also earned academic degrees from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois (MS in Criminal Justice Administration) and Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois (BS in Business Management). Ordained deacon in 2015 and priest in 2016, Fr. Wells is recognized throughout central and southern Illinois as one who serves generously with a servant’s heart.

In support of Chancellor Kevin Babb’s full recovery from a recent medical emergency, Bishop Burgess has invited Mr. Gareth S. Aden, Esq. to serve as Vice Chancellor of this Diocese until the end of this calendar year. This appointment was introduced to the Standing Committee during their regular September meeting, resulting in their unanimous approval. Mr. Aden holds an appreciation for Chancellor Babb that is shared throughout our Diocese and the wider Episcopal Church.

Mr. Aden is a partner with Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin PLLC (GSRM) law firm in Nashville, Tennessee. He earned both his undergraduate (B.A.) and graduate degree (J.D.) from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He has served clients from a broad range of industries, including railroad and transportation, insurance, real-estate and construction, among many others. A dedicated churchman, Gareth has served as Chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee and board member for the DuBose Conference Center in Monteagle, Tennessee. Largely a relationship via phone and electronic means (in absentia), Mr. Aden will be available to Bishop Burgess for canonical advice. Mrs. Mary Kostel, Esq., Chancellor to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, has been a resource to Bishop Burgess during this period of Kevin’s hospitalization and she highly recommends Mr. Aden as a most capable resource.

Please continue to pray fervently for Chancellor Kevin Babb as he undergoes a well-planned and intentional recovery process. In addition, please offer prayers of thanksgiving for the many relationships we share with those who bring glory to God by the manner in which they serve the Church. Specifically, that we may never be destitute of such gifts.

posted 9/20/24

The Diocesan Center redefined the hardscaping around its frontage monument sign this month. Toppling over in sections, the sign that identifies the location of the Diocesan Center appeared disheveled and unkempt. To save money, the natural limestone was repositioned using a glue to hold the stacked design rather than a mortar, which would have required a complete teardown and rebuild.

Michael of Land Design Landscapers was the designer who performed the repair over a late Tuesday afternoon and an early Wednesday morning in hopes of avoiding our August heat wave.

Thank you for your faithful stewardship. The expectation that you hold for maintaining our historic properties and sacred spaces communicates a deep and lasting love for the Church.

posted 8/29/24

On Monday, Canon Kamenya returned after a day-long clergy conference to give the Burgess’ a quick tour of the Anglican Cathedral and the Market Place. He is a dedicated priest who has been ordained for 25 years. Living near the airport, he gets calls from many bishops to act as their ambassador. He is married and has three grown children, all university-educated. The Burgess’ then treated Canon and Mrs. Kamenya to dinner as the opportunity to thank them and to hear more about the vocational journey that both families share. On Tuesday, the Burgess’ took the hotel shuttle back to Dar es Salaam Airport to board the three-hour Air Tanzania flight to Tabora with a thirty-minute layover in Mpanda. Bishop Elias Chakupewa has been in direct WhatsApp communication and shares how he is looking forward to greeting Bishop Brian and Denise Burgess when they arrive on Tuesday afternoon.

Please keep this time of travel and Companion Diocese relationship ensconced within your daily prayer. Bishop Burgess will send additional updates as time and wireless communications allow.

posted 6/11/24

We then traveled to St. John’s parish where we met their rector and toured their after-school youth center as well as a weekend academy of over 260 students. They teach skills such as computer literacy and sewing. The students are fed and are also taught Christian ethics and doctrine. Although organized, the facilities are rudimentary as one room contained 1990s-era IBM computer hard drives with monitors. The children are taught on these computers to become proficient in skills they will need as they take their place in a technologically advanced world. St. John’s is building a new church to meet the needs of this dynamic parish. The progress continues as the funds appear. The foundation has been poured and the exterior walls have been raised. Sheets of corrugated metal roofing are now being put into place. The Nave is the length of the Nave of our own cathedral in Springfield. This is quite a commanding presence in a community that is heavily Muslim. To summarize, I have never seen so much being accomplished on behalf of the mission of the Church so joyfully with so little.

Lunch was served at the cathedral, and we had the opportunity to speak with the coordinator of the Mother’s Union in Tabora. She wanted to know about the reach and influence of women in the Episcopal Church when it comes to advancing the church and advocating for children and women. We then toured The Tabora Zoo. It was primarily an outside, unfenced area where we saw an orphan elephant, monkeys, gazelles, zebras, and warthogs grazing on their own. The more beautiful but aggressive animals were in large contained areas (Lion-Simba, Lioness-Fiona, and a leopard). 

The good people of the Anglican Diocese of Tabora have been most welcoming and patient with us. Tomorrow we are meeting Bishop Elias at 8:30 AM in order to travel to Kahama. We are going to bed each night tired but extremely fulfilled. Please keep Denise and me in your intercessory prayer and this wonderful Diocese in your prayer of thanksgiving.

Mungu akubariki (God bless you)

+BKB

posted 6/12/24

We then checked into our hotel for the next two evenings, changed our clothes, and left with Bishop Chakupewa, “Momma” Asofku, the priests and drivers in our caravan to inspect the home being built for Bishop Elias ahead of his retirement. Since there is neither state nor church pension in Tanzania, the faithful are directed by Church Canons to provide a retirement home for their bishop. It is a beautiful home about halfway completed with high ceilings, large open windows, three bedrooms/bathrooms, and a spacious kitchen. There is a guest house and a house helper’s quarters behind their home being constructed simultaneously. The Diocese of Springfield is donating to the construction of their home in recognition of the relationship we have shared for almost a decade. Denise and I presented a sharing cross for their home where the cutout cross leaves a silhouette, and each family will keep one part for our homes. These serve as reminders of the relationship we share as dioceses and families and to pray for one another’s family, diocese, and our people.

We then headed back into town where we ate dinner together in an open-air restaurant before returning to our hotel for rest and preparing for Friday.

A note about the Toyota Land Cruiser that Bishop Elias is chauffeured in. It was a gift given to the Diocese of Tabora seven years ago by the parish of St. John the Baptist in Mount Carmel. The 4-wheel, drive, all-terrain vehicle has over 147,000 miles on it and it is being maintained meticulously by Bishop Elias’ driver and mechanic, Joe. Having been here and now having traveled hundreds of miles with Bishop Elias, I can assure you that this is not a luxury item, it is most necessary. The roads here are terrible and Joe is a master at avoiding very large pot-holes, ravines, and insane detours which at times require our cutting through the off-road paths to make it safely to our intended destination. Bishop Elias has expressed his gratitude to us several times and publicly in several meetings.

Thank you all for your faithful stewardship and your constant intercessory prayer. This is a Diocese that is constantly singing and dancing in the face of adversity and need which brings forward mightily and in an incarnate way, the reign of Christ. Amen!

+BKB

posted 6/13/24

All of our meals were served at the same restaurant in Kahama. The juice drink made to order by mixing pineapple and watermelon juice with a bit of sugar was the most refreshing. The young man who works the juice bar behind the scenes at the restaurant attends St. Paul’s parish. He made it a point to introduce himself to me so that I would know it was he who made our juices for our meals. Later that afternoon, we went back to the hotel, changed our clothes, and were taken to the street market for shopping. During dinner, Bishop Elias thanked me for preaching, but said, it was too short. I preached for over 20 minutes with an interpreter stretching that out to over 30 minutes.

A note about our interpreter. His name is Fr. Bartholomew (Fr. Bart) and he serves as principal of the Bible College in Tabora. He studied at the University of the South in Sewanee for two years (MA in Sacred Theology) before coming to the Diocese of Tabora from another Tanzanian diocese. He is most joyful and a great deal of fun to work with. He knows many of the professors and administrators that I knew when I attended seminary at Sewanee. We had a great deal to share and to celebrate.

Upon procession to the courtyard, a group picture was taken of all assembled clergy and then lunch was served. The Synod was called to order within Canon Nashon Nkugwe Hall, the secretary declared a quorum and the three houses were seated separately by orders (lay, clerical, and bishop). Canonically, each church of the Diocese is allowed three delegates (one priest, one layman, and one laywoman). The priests sit opposite of the lay delegates. When the Synod was adjourned for the evening, many remained for dinner, committee meetings, fellowship, and Bible study. We were taken back to our hotel by Bishop Elias and “Mama” Lucy (title of respect for a bishop’s wife).

This morning we reported to the assembly hall to convene the Synod with a Morning Prayer service. This Diocese sings and chants a cappella effortlessly. Their harmonies are brilliant. Prayers of the people are sung saturating every inch of the space and go on to ensure all intercessions are accounted for. After a few reports, we broke for breakfast (fresh cake donuts, and tea or coffee). Bishop Elias gave his Synod report and then the floor was opened for delegates of the other two houses to make comment on his report, which they did for over an hour showing support of his vision for the Diocese and pointing out some discrepancies that were noted. Bishop Elias and Mama Lucy took me and Denise off campus at this point while they continued the discussion. We went to the Tabora Market to purchase Tabora honey (the best in the world), check on tomorrow’s flight at the Air Tanzania office, meet the Moravian Bishop, and visit a Roman Catholic book store. We returned to Synod and took our seats as delegates were still discussing the strategic plan. We heard from Dr. Njerango, a consultant, on the Diocesan strategic plan. He is a celebrated churchman and consultant from the capital city, Dodoma.