Rural Churchmen Look to Future
Diocesan Press Service. May 21, 1974 [74153]
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A good mixture of serious input, sharing, and relaxation characterized the annual meeting of the Rural Workers Fellowship (RWF), April 30 through May 2.
The meeting was held in the stimulating ecumenical atmosphere of the Roman Catholic Franciscan Renewal Center at Scottsdale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The Town and Country Committee of the Diocese of Arizona, known as the "Cow and Cactus Commission," organized the meeting, under the chairmanship of the Rev. Robert B. Greene. The Rt. Rev. Joseph Harte, Bishop of Arizona and veteran member of RWF, welcomed the members.
The Rev. Derek Salter of Keremeos, British Columbia, was elected President. The Rev. B. Shepard Crim of Burns, Oregon, is Vice President; the Rev. James S. Butler of Clinton, Mississippi, is Secretary; and the Rev. Robert E. Sharp of Kansas City is Treasurer. RWF has several hundred members in the U.S.A. and Canada and it publishes the monthly journal Crossroads.
The Rural Work Award of RWF, which is given in recognition of effective and long standing work in the Town and Country Field, was conferred on four persons: the Rt. Rev. Charles B. Persell, Suffragan Bishop of Albany; the Rev. Roland Palmer, S.S.J.E., of Toronto; the Rev. Louis L. Perkins of Cove, Oregon; and Mrs. Dorothy S. Goudie of Roanridge, Kansas City, Missouri.
Participants in the meeting devoted part of their time to exercises in counselling and inter-personal communications, and part of their time to hearing a report by the Rev. ii. Boone Porter of Roanridge on the national New Directions Program for Churches in Small Communities. Members of the Fellowship expressed their strong interest and support for the program.