The Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost was spent with the saints of St. Mary’s in Robinson.  This historic schoolhouse at the threshold to the entire community is beautifully appointed for all sacred usages. St. Mary’s made a tremendous statement of hospitality by placing welcome bags on each table during our 147th Annual Synod of this Diocese, containing candies from the Hershey chocolate plant just up the highway. Excitement is in the air as the community prepares to welcome hundreds of families from the plant’s expansion of beginning to manufacture Payday peanut caramel bars. In addition, this being oil country, the Marathon Petroleum refinery also anticipates calling additional families as operations increase ahead of the priority of our nation’s energy independence.

The leadership here is strong, committed, and thankful as they look toward engaging needed capital improvements that will increase their visibility along their community’s major Thoroughfare (State Highway 33). St. Mary’s Church must be experienced to be truly appreciated. Like the prayers of Hannah (I Samuel 1:4-20), petitions are being offered up.  Specifically, that God will bring them into a future so strong that it bends human history closer to the salvation of God. When in the southern Wabash Valley area of our Diocese, please make it a point to worship before the altar of St. Mary’s in Robinson. Their faithful and stable presence completes us.

posted 11/19/2024

October 22nd through 24th was spent on the campus of Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Nashotah, WI. Many from our Diocese hold positions of leadership, including The Rev. Canon R. Brien Koehler, SSC as Chairman of the Corporation Board; The Rev. Fr. Fred Robinson as Chair of the Board of Visitors, joined by his wife, Linda Robinson; The Rev. Fr. Ben Hankinson as Director of Community Life and Operations; The Rt. Rev. Daniel Martins as past-president of the Corporation; Zachary Buscher as a first-year student of theology, joined by his wife, Bethany Buscher and their daughter, Martha; and Bishop Burgess as a newly elected Director of the Corporation, joined by his wife, Denise Burgess.

Joined by many friends of our Diocese, the week culminated in the offering of a Solemn Eucharist commemorating Raphael, Archangel, with the installation of Lauren Linn Whitnah, PhD as the XXII Dean of the Seminary. Dean Whitnah is a medieval historian with credentials from the University of Notre Dame, the University of Oxford, and Gordon College. Her expertise is in the sacred places in the High Middle Ages and the study of devotion to the saints. Pictured first is Bishop Burgess with Dean Lauren Whitnah, followed by a photo of the Board of Directors (left to right, first row: Mr. Jim Sweeney, Mr. Keith Ackerman, the Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman, the Rev. Canon Brien Koehler, Mrs. Beth Morphis, the Rev. Charlie Holt, the Rt. Rev. Chip Edgar, the Rev. Dr. Michael Cover. Middle row: The Rev. Fred Robinson, Mrs. Jody Maxwell, the Rev. Tara Jernigan, Dr. Lauren Whitnah, Mrs. Gayle Heatherington, Mr. Rich Baker, the Rt. Rev. Brian Burgess. Back row: The Rev. Doran Stambaugh, Mr. Andrew Bradford, the Rt. Rev. Derek Jones, the Rev. John Jordan, the Rev. John McCard, Mr. Myron Steeves).

Nashotah House Seminary is one of only a few seminaries of the Episcopal Church that still offers a full-time residential program in preparing priests, deacons, and lay-leaders for vocations in the Church. Our association with Nashotah House goes back many episcopacies with a notable number of our clergy having been educated, trained, and formed in the ways of the Church there.

The Sunday after All Saints’ Day was observed with great solemnity before the altar of Trinity Church in Mount Vernon. Asaph Christopher Asplin, the son of Father Parker and Mrs. Laura Asplin, was present by his godparents for the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Their future as a parish has come upon them. Having dedicated resources to the proper refurbishing of the principal doors to the church and sprucing up their landscaping, the saints of this parish now have their eyes turned toward transforming a room of the parish hall being used for storage into a state-of-the-art classroom for the Christian education of their children and youth.

posted 11/04/24

The Major Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles was observed with great solemnity before the altar of St. George’s in Belleville. Organ, Choir, acolytes, lectors, and a very proud congregation came together to lend their voices to common prayer and for the seating of The Very Reverend Mark W. Ohlemeier as rector of their parish church. Originally from the Diocese of Kansas, Dean Ohlemeier has served as this parish’s priest-in-charge since early 2021. St. George’s is recognized throughout our Diocese and the community of Belleville as a church that is active in mission, at the forefront of ecumenical relationships, and faithful in the worship of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

After three weeks of orientations, training, and introductions to campus and classes, Nashotah House Theological Seminary welcomed eight new juniors into the fold during their Matriculation service on Thursday, September 19th. These young men have been sent from near and far in order to receive the golden standard of Anglo-Catholic formation offered at Nashotah House, where they spend their weeks debating theology at the table in the refectory and offering up their voices in song and liturgy in St. Mary’s Chapel. Included among them was the Diocese of Springfield’s very own Zachary Buscher. Hailing from his sending parish of Trinity, Lincoln and the former communications coordinator for the diocesan office, Zach began his discernment process in the winter of 2024 and, by the grace of God, will graduate from the seminary in the spring of 2027. Join us in prayer today for Zach and for his fellow matriculants, asking God that they all may grow in wisdom and humility in their studies at seminary.

posted 10/24/24

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.

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.