Brotherhood of St. Andrew National Council Meeting Report

By Dick Hooper, Province IV President

President Robert Dennis, Lost Boy Seminarian from Sudan, brothers, guest, with Dick Hooper (in white shirt) on visit to Trinity Seminary

Dick Hooper, Province IV President  and Christ Church parishioner, read Albert Kennington’s Litany for the Gulf in the Time of Crisis in place of  the traditional Prayers of the People for the opening Eucharist for the National Council Meeting held in Pittsburgh,  PA July 7-11.  Additional prayers for our Gulf Coast were held privately and in the services throughout the meeting.  This meeting, held near the national office in Ambridge PA, saw the council members approve a historic expanded budget for evangelism which will support new ministries and revitalize older ones appropriate to its 127 year history as one of the evangelical arms of the Episcopal Church.

The council approved $6000 deficit to support orphans in Uganda and fund chapter initiatives in Nigeria, Uganda, Haiti, and the Caribbean.  Moreover, Brother Warring Webb became the Provincial President for the Caribbean and Senior Vice President Julian Korti was appointed the Brotherhood’s Head of International Missions.  Franklin Malone, Vice President for the Junior Brotherhood and Family Life Ministries reported initiatives in developing Junior Brotherhood Chapters and Barry Rought, Vice President for National Missions reported new initiatives to the Boy Scouts, and Father Jeff Krantz, National Missioner, and Robert Dennis, National President of the Brotherhood, reported a development program for Men’s Ministry Specialists.  The council agreed to support all these ministries by working corporately and individually to expand Brotherhood Membership in order to fund these efforts.

There were two inspiring guest speakers at the meeting, Dr. Paul Hill of Vibrant Faith Ministries and Father Bill Nesbit, Rector St. Charles Parish of St. Charles IL, both of whom spoke on how to attract younger members to the organization.  Young seminarians of Trinity Seminary, including a Lost Boy of Sudan, cordially greeted the Brothers on their trip to Ambridge to visit the national office, tour the Trinity Campus and celebrate Eucharist at the Trinity Chapel.  Bishop James Rodgers, emeritus Dean of Trinity, was the celebrant and also guest speaker for the Saturday evening President’s Reception.