The Clergy and Family Nurture and Support (CAFNAS) Committee designed
and implemented the first annual Bishop's House Party for East Tennessee
in June of 2000. Attended by 69 adults and 19 youth, our inaugural house
party was held on the campus of The University of the South, Sewanee,
Tennessee. According to Bishop vonRosenberg, "The small size of
our diocese affords the wonderful possibility that our clergy, clergy
spouses, and clergy children can actually know and be known by one another."
The house party is designed to be one important way to actualize strong
bonds of collegiality and friendship among clergy families. The second
annual Bishop's House Party is now being planned for June 3-5, 2001,
and again will be held at The University of the South. The CAFNAS Committee
hopes to research and survey our clergy and clergy families in the coming
months to collect some statistical data in order to increase our knowledge
about this group we are called to nurture and support. We look forward
to sharing some of this information in the coming months. The CAFNAS
Committee includes The Rev. Al Minor, Annie vonRosenberg, Janet Morgan,
The Rev. Rob Gieselmann, The Rev. Matthew Dutton-Gillett, The Rev. Martha
Sterne, The Rev. John Bonner, and Kay Purser.
Submitted by the Rev. David C. Dearman, CAFNAS Committee
Chair