I completed my June 2006 visit with the Church Army folks in Pennsylvania, where Church Army's "Common Grounds Café" is a light in the darkness and symbol for hope in downtown Aliquippa, the blighted 'ground zero' for the devastation wrought by the closure of the steel mills in the U.S. Every person who walks through the Café door is a ministry opportunity, and the rooms over the café would soon be readied for use as classrooms for life skills training, in cooperation with other social services in the area. But God had more for me in Pennsylvania that I had not anticipated.
.
. Early in my visit, I began attendingtwo house churches led by Fr. Alan Morris, a priest of the CEEC (Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches).
He taught fervently on the need for discipleship.
He said, "The Great Commission--'Go and make disciples'--is not optional, unless God has given you special dispensation to do otherwise."
On June 24 I attended two ordinations. The first was of three Trinity seminary graduates being ordained by Archbishop Russell McLanahan of the CEEC, in which I was crucifer and read the Psalm.
.
. All of these photos are from thesecond ordination, of seminary student Michael Baba Yemba of Sudan.
Michael Baba Yemba was ordained by Bishop Ezekiel Kondo of the Sudan.
.
.
.
.
.Bishop Ezekiel Kondo was assisted by Archbishop Russell McClanahan of the CEEC,
Bishop John Rodgers of the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA),
.
.
.and by Bishop Mouneer Anis of Egypt (seen here standing with Archbishop McClanahan),
and by Bishops Robert Duncan and Henry Scriven of Pittsburgh.
.
Here is the newly ordained Michael Baba Yemba standing pensively as Archbishop McClanahan talks with Bishop Kondo .
. At the reception following this service there was an animated and hopeful conversation about future possibilities in the Anglican Communion. .
. The conversation was sparked and led by Bp. Scriven, assistant to Bp. Duncan, moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, working to "contend for the faith once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).
Next post in the Great Leap series: on to Branson, Missouri.
. 
. 
. Somebody help me here: What city am I driving through?
. This is 
. This summer the town of Aliquippa was struck by an unusual flash flood that ruined the downstairs coffee shop. Church Army Aliquippa is currently picking up the pieces and starting over again.
. .
. Overnight at Grandview Point; these are the morning photos. .
. So now I was ready to head into Indian country: complete with car, theological library, kitchen, bedroom, office, and bicycle. .
. Here is my side trip to Monument Valley, an awesome accolade to the Almighty. This national park is managed by the Navajo Nation. .
. 
. .
. This Navajo-run campground above Monument Valley brought me many blessings, including a view of this sunset scene, my first shower in several days, and two nails in my tires.
. I flagged down a passing group of Japanese tourists starting down the trail to snap my picture leaning on my walking stick.
. And a view of the South Rim from my campsite in Indian Gardens: .
. From the same site, here's the view looking toward the North Rim: .
. And again from the same site, here's a doe and her two fawns resting 15 feet from the edge of my campsite. They watched with aplomb and mild interest as I set up my backpacker's tent. .
. With my camp all set up, I headed out the trail to Plateau Point. This is the view looking back toward Indian Gardens, the area of green trees at center. .
. The Plateau trail was graced by colorful and flowering cacti. .
. Reaching the Point, I was astounded to encounter two California Condors about 20 feet from the trail, watching me with the same mild interest and aplomb as the deer. I suppose that if I had fallen over the cliff, it would have aroused their interest, and perhaps even their appetites. .
. The park rangers say that cave evidence shows that California condors lived in the Grand canyon for thousands of years. Released into the wild, these condors quickly found the same caves where their ancestors had lived. 
. Journal Entry: 
. Here's a brief review of the days leading up to the Great Leap: 
. The view from the South Rim humbles the soul. What hath God Wrought? Waves of joy washed over me, and I felt like bursting out laughing--or crying. 
. Here's a view of the South Rim, where I landed one of the coveted overnight hiking permits for the following day, Thursday. 
. Beyond Indian Gardens you can see the trail which leads to Plateau Point, at the edge of the Inner Gorge of the Grand Canyon. From this point there are sheer cliffs plunging 800 feet straight down to the Colorado River. Three quite astounding and unexpected creatures waited for me there. Again I slept in the car, this time in the parking lot of the South Rim. 
. With the extra time off, I lead a team from 
. This is the Annunciation campus, in the morning setting up the distribution center. The trailer with the cross is the "doublewide" where services and meetings were held; the trailer to its right held a temporary medical clinic; and the building above it is a former rectory. All this land was under 8 feet of water.
. Here is the 81-year-old Fr. Cam (in the yellow hardhat) helping to muck out this house, which also had 8 feet of water in it. Fr. Cam and I drove his mini-pickup from California to Louisiana and back for this trip, 200-mile shifts, non-stop except for meals.
. This is the GKK dining tent. At the time they were also operating a relief supplies distribution center. GKK was housing and feeding dozens of church mission groups who came to the Gulf Coast to muck out, clean up, and rebuild.
. Here we talked of many things, indeed, of cabbages and kings. James helped confirm for me my call to the order of deacons. Was this to be my new job site? I still did not know, but I was itchy as a frog on a lilypad in a thunderstorm. But first I had to go back to California for Graduation.
