COMMUNITY MISSION APPEAL GRANT RECIPIENTS 2021
November 9, 2021

Greetings,  

I’m John Pitzer, one of the co-chairs of The Community Mission Appeal, also known as CMA. CMA is a way for the Diocese to help certain ministries that are in need of financial help and support.  Formerly known as the Bishops Annual Mission Appeal, the name was changed a few years ago to reflect the importance of building up our diocesan community.  Since it was established in 2015, CMA has awarded over $90,000 to wonderful ministries making an impact in our community. This money is raised solely from churches and individuals in the diocese, so thank you for your support, and for making a difference.

The grants being awarded this year total $25,000 and I am happy to tell you of the following recipients.

Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiave is an organization doing work in Central City with regards to housing and community projects and began as a response to the needs after Hurricane Katrina. Jericho Road is a ministry of Christ Cathedral, and they will receive a grant of $2,500

Sanctuary Farms, is a community garden working and helping the local community and is a ministry of St. Phillip’s. Sanctuary Farms  will receive a grant of  $5,000

Christ Episcopal Enrichment Program, also known as the CEEP, is a summer camp sponsored by Christ Church Covington. CEEP will receive a grant of $5,000

The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana Office of Hispanic Ministry will receive a grant of $5,000

St. Anna’s Food Pantry and Homeless Outreach Program offering short-term emergency assistance is sponsored by St. Anna’s. This homeless outreach program will receive a grant of $7,500

On behalf of Les Mutt my co-chair from St. Margaret’s BR, and Donna Hurley at St. Mark’s on the west bank, I would again like to thank everyone for their support both financially and with your prayers.

You belong. You are children of God. No exceptions.

Bishop Duckworth’s sermon called us to remember the UpStairs Lounge fire in the French Quarter, a violent act of deadly arson that killed 32 gay men in nineteen minutes. In the aftermath, no church in the city would bury the dead. The exception was St. George’s Episcopal Church. Its rector, the Rev. Bill Richardson, did what he knew Jesus called him to do — he buried those men. He did so not without cost: he faced active condemnation from the larger community, but also from within his own congregation and from within our own diocese.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of two pivotal resolutions from the 1976 General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Resolution 1976-A069 and Resolution 1976-A071 declared that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church,” and that LGBTQ+ persons “are entitled to equal protection of the laws with all other citizens.” While we can celebrate many clear advancements for the full inclusion of our LGBTQ+ community in church and community life, the work is ongoing.

It has not always been a straight path. The church is human, and humans stumble. But consider how far we have traveled: from a church being rebuked for praying over the dead, to bishops wearing rainbow stoles given as gifts by LGBTQ+ Episcopalians at ordination. From closed communion tables to fully open sacramental life. From whispered exclusion to the joyful, public, Spirit-filled worship we offer tonight.

In our own Diocese of Louisiana, the transformation has been remarkable. Inclusive Louisiana, our network of LGBTQ+ Episcopalians and their allies, has been a light in this region for years — marching in Pride parades, offering pastoral care, and equipping congregations to proclaim God’s all-inclusive love. And here at St. Anna’s, you have led the way: becoming the first congregation in this diocese to celebrate same-sex marriage.

Bishop Duckworth’s conclusion made plain that actively creating a joyfully inclusive church is what we are called to do:

Not someday. Not when things are more comfortable. Not when the political climate improves. Today. The work of liberation is always a present-tense call.”

To speak that truth in this moment is not a partisan act. It is an act of Christian faithfulness. It is what prophets do. It is what the Church, at its best, has always done — even when it cost us something.

We serve a God who said: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” That includes everyone. Everyone is a child of God.

The Rt. Rev. Shannon Rogers Duckworth

Bishop Duckworth offered the Prayer for Travelers from the Book of Common Prayer for Deacon Luigi, who is relocating to Chicago. His contributions to Inclusive Louisiana, St. Anna’s, the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, and the broader community have been immeasurable. We are grateful for all he has given us, and we trust that though he leaves us physically, what he has created here will continue to grow.

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