The death of Saint Paul’s College

From The Pittsburgh Courier-

Saint Paul’s College, a historically Black college founded in 1888 in partnership with the Episcopal Church, announced last week that it’s shutting down and working to help current students transfer to other institutions.

The school, located in Lawrenceville, Va., announced that it was closing after a deal that would have allowed Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C. to acquire the struggling college collapsed under the weight of Saint Paul’s debt.

Already mired in debt, Saint Paul’s College terminated its sports programs in 2011 to cut costs. When the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, a regional group that certifies degree-granting institutions, rescinded the schools accreditation last summer, administrators went to court to get it back.

Now, both the accreditation and the school are gone.

In a press release, Oliver Spencer, chairman of Saint Paul’s College Board of Trustees, wrote: “The time deadlines associated with our accreditation issues with SACSCOC and the termination of the proposed merger require our Board to take this action in the best interests of our students.”
According to news reports, approximately 200 students were enrolled at the school; 51 students graduated from in the spring.

More here-

http://www.newpittsburghcourieronline.com/index.php/featured-news/national/14132-the-death-of-saint-paul-s-college

Gay Anglican Clergy Will Have to Convince Archbishops They Are Not Sexually Active

From Christian Post-

The law change approved by the Church of England at the turn of the year that allows gay clergy to be considered for consecration will be put to a test by a legal briefing sent out to General Synod members that says priests in civil partnerships will have to prove to archbishops that they are not in a sexually active relationship.

"To be admitted to Holy Orders a person must be 'of virtuous conversation and good repute and such as to be a wholesome example and pattern to the flock of Christ,' the Legal Office document sent in June reads. "Once in Holy Orders a cleric must be diligent to frame and fashion his life and that of his family according to the doctrine of Christ and to make himself and them, as much as in him lies, wholesome examples and patterns to the flock of Christ."

The legal briefing reminds Church of England members that a clergy's sexual orientation is "irrelevant to their suitability for episcopal office" and that it should not be taken into account when considering nominations for the position.
Read more at

http://global.christianpost.com/news/gay-anglican-clergy-will-have-to-convince-archbishops-they-are-not-sexually-active-98144/#wauw0MKlF5AfQGxL.99

Church, food bank and nonprofit work together to feed children

From San Antonio-

Children streamed out of the van, talking and laughing as they went to get their lunch.

Regardless of their race, gender, native language, country of origin or religion, all of them came together at St. Francis Episcopal Church on Bluemel Road to enjoy a free meal during the summer when most schools are closed.

The church, in partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank and Eagles Flight Corp., is offering lunch on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays during the rest of June and part of July for children 18 and under.

The program is a continuation of the free and reduced-priced school lunches for low-income students during the regular school year, said Pam Espurvoa-Allen, who started the program and is a co-founder of Eagles Flight. The children who participate in the program, whether they're the children of refugee families or Americans, all qualified for the school lunch programs.

The children of refugee families are particularly at risk since their parents do not speak English, and they are trying to assimilate into American culture, she said.

More here-

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Church-food-bank-and-nonprofit-work-together-to-4606313.php

Anne Hodges-Copple ordained as North Carolina’s bishop suffragan

From ENS-

The Diocese of North Carolina, on the morning of June 15, ordained the Rev. Anne Elliott Hodges-Copple as its sixth bishop suffragan. Hodges-Copple becomes the first female bishop in the Episcopal Church’s Province IV.

More than 1,400 people attended or participated in the service, held in the historic Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University in Durham. Hodges-Copple, formerly the rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Durham, was elected Jan. 25 out of a field of five candidates during the diocese’s annual convention.

As bishop suffragan, Hodges-Copple will assist North Carolina Bishop Michael Curry in leading the diocese into what he has termed “21st-century Galilee,” or the diverse modern world in which we live.

Hodges-Copple ministry will focus especially on higher education, young adults, Spanish-speaking communities, the ordination process for the diaconate, companion diocese relationships with Costa Rica and Botswana, ecumenical and interfaith work, and pastoral care of retired clergy and their spouses.

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/06/17/anne-hodges-copple-ordained-as-north-carolinas-bishop-suffragan/

Walter Kasper’s Theology

From The Living Church-

Most Anglicans associate Cardinal Walter Kasper with his work as a Christian ecumenist. Kasper was a key player in the dialogue leading up to the momentous Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (1999) between the World Lutheran Federation and the Vatican. Between 2001 and 2010, as president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and chairman of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, Cardinal Kasper worked tirelessly as an interpreter of the Second Vatican Council to the broader world. While duly recognizing these accomplishments, a recent conference, “The Theology of Walter Kasper: A Celebration of his Life and Work,” hosted April 25-27 by the University of Notre Dame’s theology department on the occasion of Kasper’s 80th birthday, aimed to provide a more comprehensive picture of the cardinal’s lifetime achievements.

In her opening remarks, conference organizer Kristin Colberg (St. John’s, Collegeville) noted that, by his own admission, Kasper’s theological work has proceeded from a single question: How do we translate Christian tradition in the modern context and the modern context through the Christian tradition? In setting these questions at the forefront of his inquiry, Kasper clearly stands in line with the theological concerns of the Second Vatican Council. But Colberg was quick to point out that Kasper’s quest for relevance never led him to reduce the Church to another social-transformative institution. Rather, the Church achieves its relevance solely by insisting on and preserving its distinctive identity. As such, at the heart of Kasper’s translational theology is what Colberg calls the “identity-relevance dilemma.”

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/walter-kasper-theology

Former Bishop of Waikato meets the Pope - and runs out of Marmite

From New Zealand-

Since moving to Rome as the Anglican Communion's ambassador to the Catholic Church, former Bishop of Waikato, David Moxon, has met the Pope and run out of Marmite.

Luckily, while he won't get to see Pope Francis again until December 21, it's likely his stocks of Marmite should be replenished by then.

Archbishop Moxon joined Justin Welby who, as the Archbishop of Canterbury is the Anglican Communion's most senior churchman, in the meeting in Rome on Friday (Italian time).

"It was a very memorable day, a very moving day," Archbishop Moxon told the Waikato Times via Skype. "I will never forget it."

It was the first time all three had met, since they had all been appointed in recent months.

"He was like a sort of favourite uncle," the Archbishop said of the new Pope. "Very loving very humble . . . he gave his own chair up for the Archbishop of Canterbury to sit down."

The meeting, Archbishop Moxon said, was "pretty positive" as "the ground was fairly well prepared" by those who had come before all three. "We have been dealing with a closer relationship for the last 30 years."

More here-

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/8804095/Former-Bishop-of-Waikato-meets-the-Pope-and-runs-out-of-Marmite

True-life murders add spice to Gatsby legend

From The Independent-

Churchwell shows that the Hall-Mills case, in which a 34-year-old mother-of-two and her married lover, an Episcopal minister, were found shot through the head in a field outside New Brunswick, was a murder whose lurid coverage exploded into print at the very moment Fitzgerald began his protracted struggle with the novel. This crime, she argues, shadows and informs the novel and suggests a hinterland to its composition that is far darker, and stranger, than previously acknowledged.

Well, maybe. Part of literature's enduring grip is that it's always a bit of a mystery. The problem with forging a cast-iron relationship between life and art is that it can become absurdly reductive. Eleanor Mills was indeed married to "a pale, nervous little man", a possible model for Wilson the mechanic in Gatsby, but Fitzgerald drew on so much personal material, "plagiarising his existence" as one friend said, that it's hard to isolate a single source.

Fitzgerald himself contributes to the confusion as the author of countless contradictory zingers: "Parties are a form of suicide," he said, but he was an Olympic party animal. Churchwell is good on the role of parties in the making of Gatsby. "Gate-crash" is a Twenties term, and so are more than 100 synonyms for "drunk", ranging from "squiffy" to "stinko".

More here-

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books-arts/truelife-murders-add-spice-to-gatsby-legend-29347972.html

Lessons from the Anglican saga

From Zimbabwe-

For the first time in five years legitimate Anglicans have been allowed to pay homage to one of Africa’s first Christian martyrs, Bernard Mizeki, at the shrine erected at the place where he was murdered in 1896. Thousands of colourfully dressed pilgrims from all over the country and many more from abroad are, as we read this, gathered — as they have been since Friday — at the shrine outside the farming city of Marondera.

Evil had personified itself in Nolbert Kunonga, who with the political backing of those in power — and their courts — had desecrated the church, reducing parishes into brothels, chasing away the infirm from hospitals and children from crèches. Great schools that had formed the ribcage of our education system were reduced to mere upper-tops (makeshift schools), while mission hospitals were looted of money and equipment leaving them shells of their former selves.

Orgies of rape were reported from across the country. Many faithful Anglicans were made to vacate premises they occupied in fulfilment of their calling of ministering the gospel.

More here-

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/2013/06/16/lessons-from-the-anglican-saga/

Churches celebrate 200 years together on New Haven Green

From Connecticut

Homemade chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and sugar cookies baked in the sun on the sidewalk of Temple Street Saturday morning.

The free sweets were part of an outreach to the community from three congregations celebrating 200 years of existence on the Green — United, Center and Trinity Episcopal churches.

“Instead of trying to do something very inward facing and having just sort of a solemn service inside the churches, we wanted to be outside and engage with the people of New Haven,” said the Rev. Luk de Volder, of Trinity Episcopal.

Before the cookie sharing began, the three churches joined in a procession beginning at United and ending at Trinity Episcopal. De Volder, the Rev. Sandra L. Olsen, Center, and the Rev. John MacIver Gage, United, briefly spoke about the significance of the day before offering a prayer in front of each building. The Rev. Vicki M. Davis, Trinity Episcopal, was also in attendance.

A small band filled the air with music as a few dozen worshipers moved from one building to the next, singing, dancing and basking in the sun.


More here-


http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2013/06/15/news/new_haven/doc51bd118d37582947021138.txt

Court Reaffirms Ruling in Favor of Diocese & Episcopal Church

From Falls Church-

The Supreme Court of Virginia today denied a petition for rehearing from a congregation that had left the Episcopal Church. The Falls Church CANA had filed for reconsideration of the court’s April 18 decision in favor of the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church.

The CANA congregation submitted a petition on May 17 after the court had affirmed the right of Episcopalians to worship in their church home at The Falls Church Episcopal. Today’s action by the Supreme Court sends the case to the Fairfax County Circuit Court for final resolution of issues related to personal property.

“The decision by the Supreme Court is about much more than litigation,” said the Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston, bishop of Virginia. “This decision is an occasion for all those, on both sides, to focus fully on positive ministries ahead.”

The Rev. John Ohmer, rector of The Falls Church Episcopal, said that he and his congregation are “relieved by this decision and looking forward to turning a new page.”

“The decision today is an affirming one,” added the Rev. Deacon Edward W. Jones, secretary of the Diocese. “We are looking to the future with gratefulness and optimism.”

More here-

http://fcnp.com/2013/06/14/court-reaffirms-ruling-in-favor-of-diocese-episcopal-church/

Archbishops to ask clergy: 'Are you having gay sex?'

From The Telegraph-

A legal briefing sent to members of the General Synod reveals that under a new policy any priest in a civil partnership will have to convince an archbishop that they are not sexually active before their name can go forward.

It was drawn up in light of a u-turn by the church last year which lifted a blanket ban on anyone in a civil partnership becoming a bishop.

The House of Bishops voted in December to allow priests in same-sex unions to be considered as long as they claim not to be sexually active.

The decision was met with criticism from both liberals and traditionalists alike and triggered open calls from some clergy for their gay counterparts simply to lie.

Gay rights campaigners derided the new policy questioning how the Church of England planned to “police” it.

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10121364/Archbishops-to-ask-clergy-Are-you-having-gay-sex.html

South Africans pray for Nelson Mandela

From South Africa-

South African bishops held a prayer vigil on Friday outside the Pretoria hospital where former President Nelson Mandela is being treated. There was no update on his condition.
South Africans gathered to pray for Nelson Mandela Friday, as the South African freedom hero market almost one week in hospital.

Mandela, 94, was admitted to a hospital in Pretoria last Saturday (08.06.2013) to receive treatment for a recurring lung infection.

On Friday (14.06.2013), a dozen South African bishops held a prayer vigil outside the hospital. "Thank you (God) for the speedy recovery of Nelson Mandela", AFP news agency quoted Bishop Abraham Sibiya of the Christ Centred Church Episcopal Soshanguve.

The clerics, sporting flowing purple robes and white collars stood hand-in-hand to say prayers for Mandela.

Bishop Sibiya told AFP that church leaders had come out in response to a call by South African President Jacob Zuma to pray for "Madiba," as he is fondly known in the country.

More here-

http://www.dw.de/south-africans-pray-for-nelson-mandela/a-16884279

What Is the Vatican Saying to Gays?

From Malcolm Boyd (Huffington)

As a gay man and an Episcopal priest, I'm frankly extremely confused by the Vatican right now when it comes to the entire gay question.

Am I loved by anybody there?

By whom?

What's going on in the sacred halls when it comes to gay identity, gay rights, gay existence -- maybe the whole question of who I am as a gay person?

I knew something strange was going on when Pope Benedict "retired" or vanished. He had never been a civil rights leader for gay people. Not at all. Yet he was a spiritual leader for millions of people. Did he have, in the recesses of his mind, any kind of "solution" to the "gay question"?

But then, rather suddenly, strange things started happening in the Vatican. The pope's valet seems to have taken, and published, certain documents that were highly controversial. (What was going on here?) The guy was found guilty of something, and could have gone to jail, but the pope "forgave" him. End of story? I don't think so. Then the pope vanished from the scene. The huge Vatican operation came to a kind of halt. Benedict was given the equivalent of an award dinner -- and vanished.

More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-malcolm-boyd/what-is-the-vatican-saying-to-gays_b_3442277.html

Archbishop of Canterbury, Pope Francis speak of unity

From The Press Herald-

The neophyte holders of two of Christendom's most venerable posts met for the first time Friday and spoke of fostering unity and understanding between their sometimes rival branches of the faith.

Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby exchanged warm words at the Vatican even as they acknowledged that relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion had historically been, as the pontiff put it, "not without pain."

The Anglican Communion has its origins in the split from Rome by Henry VIII of England, who sought to divorce the first of his six wives but was refused permission by the pope.

Francis, a lifelong cleric, and Welby, a former oil executive, were installed as heads of their respective churches in March, within two days of each other. Both men have said that they neither wanted nor sought their current jobs, which were thrust on them by others.

Together they are the spiritual leaders of nearly 1.2 billion Christians, 1.1 billion of whom are Catholics. The Anglicans include members of the Church of England and the Episcopal Church in the United States.

Although the two denominations have made a push in recent years for greater dialogue and common cause, tensions bubbled over again in 2009 when then-Pope Benedict XVI offered theologically conservative Anglican priests and congregations a path, in effect, to defect to Rome.

More here-

http://www.pressherald.com/life/religionandvalues/archbishop-of-canterbury-pope-francis-speak-of-unity_2013-06-15.html

Tax and malnutrition should top G8 agenda, say clerics

From The Church Times-

TACKLING tax secrecy and avoidance should be top of the agenda for the G8 group of the world's wealthiest countries, when it meets in Northern Ireland next week, the Archbishop of Canterbury and his predecessor, Lord Williams of Oystermouth, have said.

The G8 leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United States, and the UK, are scheduled to meet at Lough Erne, in Northern Ireland, on Monday and Tuesday. The UK took on the one-year presidency of the group in January.

In a video message delivered to a rally in Hyde Park last Saturday, organised by the "Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign" ( News, 25 January), Archbishop Welby said: "The G8 is the centre of financial resource and power in all kinds of ways. . . One of the biggest issues we face is around how aid is used. The issues of tax transparency are increasingly at the top of the agenda, and are really, really important. . .

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2013/14-june/news/uk/tax-and-malnutrition-should-top-g8-agenda,-say-clerics

'Banks Should Be Less About Self-Regard, More About Common Good,' Says Worldwide Anglican Leader

From Christian Post-

Banks should be less about "inward-looking self-regard" and more about the common good, the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.
The Most Reverend Justin Welby was speaking on the subject of "Good Banks" in an address to around 1,500 people at St Paul's Cathedral in London on Wednesday night.

He said there was no such thing as a perfect bank but suggested there could be good banks that learn from their mistakes.

"There will never be such a thing as perfectly good banks because in the end no human being is of themselves perfectly good," he said.

"But we can have potentially good banks, banks that live with a culture that is self-correcting and self-learning, a culture that is more like a body than a system.

Read more at

http://www.christianpost.com/news/banks-should-be-less-about-self-regard-more-about-common-good-says-worldwide-anglican-leader-97938/#Myprpab2ReBeFec8.99

New website for Anglican Communion News Service

From ENS-

The news service of the Anglican Communion has today launched its first ever purpose-built news website AnglicanNews.org.

The site comes almost 20 years after the electronic news service was first launched. Since then subscribers around the world have received thousands of news articles via e-mail.

“This site brings the Anglican Communion’s ability to share its stories of life and mission to a whole new level,” said Jan Butter, director for communication at the Anglican Communion Office.

“Until now we’ve been restricted to sending news stories to people’s e-mail inboxes. Anglicans and Episcopalians around the world can visit the new site for, not just news, but also comment, feature stories, podcasts, videos and photos. We hope that the diverse content helps to reflect the richness and variety found across our Anglican Communion.”

Butter added, “Existing subscribers will still receive email alerts, but just one a day summarizing the newest content on the site.”

In a comment piece written exclusively for the new website, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby highlighted the importance of effective, grace-filled communication between Anglicans, saying it was part of the gift of the Anglican Communion.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/06/13/new-website-for-anglican-communion-news-service/

Westminster’s vicar seeks to boost U.S. ties

From The Washington Times-

If you think the average church pastor has a tough job, consider the responsibilities of the Very Rev. John R. Hall, dean of Westminster Abbey. Unlike the average Church of England vicar, who answers to a bishop, the Abbey (“Founded 960,” its website boasts) is under the direct charge of the British monarch.

Yes, Mr. Hall answers to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

While the average church might consider itself fortunate to get a few dozen visitors a year, Westminster Abbey logs approximately 1 million visitors annually, not a surprise given its pivotal role in British history: Since 1066, every monarch has been crowned in the Abbey.

The 64-year-old Mr. Hall, a 38-year veteran of Church of England service, was in Washington last month to strengthen ties with the National Cathedral and to cultivate more friends for Westminster Abbey on this side of the Atlantic.

Of the National Cathedral, whose Episcopal Church is a “province” of the Anglican Communion, Mr. Hall said it “feels so like our establishment — I mean, [it’s] the nearest thing in the United States to our establishment — that it seems right developing a closer relationship with them.” The Very Rev. Gary R. Hall (no relation), dean of the National Cathedral, recently spent time in England and with the Westminster Abbey leadership, John Hall said.

More here-

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/13/kellner-westminsters-vicar-seeks-to-boost-us-ties/

Anglican parish bids farewell to Red Church

From San Joaquin-

With some prayers and tears, the Anglican parishioners at St. James’ Church in Sonora formally moved out of the building on Wednesday.

The congregation at the historic Red Church gathered for a final noontime service before handing over the building to the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. It was the final act of closure following years of legal wrangling over who owns the oft-photographed building at Highway 49 and Snell Street, as well as another in Turlock.

During the service, church members and leaders said prayers, sang hymns and shared stories of experiences at the church, built in 1859. After the service, they left and reconvened for a celebratory service at St. Michaels and All Angels Anglican Church on Highway 108, which will now serve as their home church.

“This is a day that is bittersweet,” Bishop Eric Menees, of the Fresno-based Anglican Diocese, said.

Some dabbed away tears during the service, recalling memories of the church, its longtime priest, the late Rev. Wolfgang Krismanits, and his wife, LaDonn.

Menees, who led the service, recalled his first time in the Red Church shortly after becoming bishop at the diocese. He recalled entering the church with Krismanits and being “so taken” by the space.

“I walked in here, I … It was just like, the Lord is here,” he told the congregation.


More here-


http://www.uniondemocrat.com/News/Local-News/Anglican-parish-bids-farewell-to-Red-Church

Durham priest called to Episcopal diocese leadership

From North Carolina-

The mitre will be given by retired Bishop Robert C. Johnson Jr., who served as rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Durham before becoming bishop in 1994. Hodges-Copple was his assistant at St. Luke’s beginning in the mid-1980s.

“It will be a wonderful moment because I met Bob when I was 26,” she said, and Hodges-Copple preached at Johnson’s consecration as bishop. After her first time working at St. Luke’s, Hodges-Copple went to work at Duke University as a chaplain, then came back to St. Luke’s as rector until being elected bishop suffragan.

he Rev. Anne E. Hodges-Copple has just a few days left before she is consecrated as bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, a jurisdiction that includes the state’s two largest cities. The ceremony will be held Saturday at Duke Chapel. She will receive more vestments than a layperson can name, including the mitre (a bishop’s hat) and crosier (the shepherd’s staff).

More here-

http://www.heraldsun.com/lifestyles/x265260812/Durham-priest-called-to-Episcopal-diocese-leadership

Chicago's Episcopal leaders endorse reunifying with Quincy diocese

From The Chicago Tribune-

Leaders of Chicago's Episcopal diocese agreed over the weekend to reunite with a much smaller western Illinois counterpart, a move that church officials hope will provide stability in a denomination tested by years of schism and doctrinal disputes.

Local Episcopal leaders expect the alignment of the Diocese of Chicago and the Diocese of Quincy to be complete by autumn. Bishops and standing committees from a majority of the more than 100 dioceses across the world must sign off before the move becomes official, but church officials don't expect that to be a barrier.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-06-10/news/ct-met-chicago-quincy-episcopal-reunion-20130610_1_quincy-diocese-episcopal-church-episcopal-diocese

On Friday, the Pope will meet Archbishop Welby. So, why do we continue talking to the Anglicans after they have so wilfully made unity impossible?

From Catholic Herald (UK)-

Hot on the heels of my disobliging remarks last about Archbishop Justin Welby’s Uriah Heep-like cringing to the government even as he told them in the Lords how disastrous their gay marriage legislation was going to be, comes the announcement that this Friday, Archbishop Welby is to meet the Pope.

The real question is why? Why are we still going through the ecumenical motions with the Anglicans, for all the world as though they had (or had some possibility of gaining) the same kind of ecclesial reality as the Orthodox? Why does the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) still meet, as though Anglican ordinations to their episcopate of openly gay men living with their partners, and also of women to their priesthood and episcopate, despite the warnings of successive popes of the fact that these steps would erect insuperable barriers to unity with the Catholic Church, why do we still carry on with the farce of behaving as though these insuperable barriers just did not exist at all?
More here-

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2013/06/11/on-friday-the-pope-will-meet-archbishop-welby-so-why-do-we-continue-talking-to-the-anglicans-after-they-have-so-wilfully-made-unity-impossible/

Hodges-Copple to be consecrated as new bishop Saturday

From North Carolina-

The countdown is on for the consecration of a new Episcopal bishop Saturday. As in the past, the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina has opted to hold this colorful and significant event in the nearest thing to a Gothic cathedral North Carolina has to offer: the chapel at Duke University.

Episcopalians from across the diocese are expected to fill the 1,700-seat chapel for the 10 a.m. service. A total of up to 286 persons in that congregation will be from St. Luke’s Episcopal in Durham.

For the St. Luke’s congregation, Saturday is a personal celebration as they see their former rector, the Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple, consecrated as Bishop Suffragan. She has been associated with St. Luke’s for 28 years, 20 of them as its rector.

Her election in January was not the first time the Episcopal Diocese has looked to St. Luke’s for leadership. Back in 1994, the Rt. Rev. Robert Johnson, then rector at the church, was tapped for service as the 10th Bishop of North Carolina. Now retired, Bishop Johnson continues to live in Durham and is bishop-in-residence and rector emeritus at St. Luke’s.

More here-

http://www.thedurhamnews.com/2013/06/11/215840/hodges-copple-to-be-consecrated.html

San Joaquin diocese celebrates return of Turlock church property

From ENS-

With the rap of his crosier on the church door and a trumpet fanfare, San Joaquin Bishop Chet Talton on June 9 formally ushered in the future of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Turlock. “We’re moving forward with mission, ministry and the work of reconciliation,” he said.

The standing-room-only gathering of about 150 sang “All are Welcome,’ a theme reflected throughout the homecoming festival celebration of the church, the first to be returned to the diocese after negotiated settlements with former members who left the Episcopal Church in 2007.

“We can now turn all of our resources to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and engaging in Christ’s mission in the world,” Talton said.

“At the heart of that mission is reconciliation. All are welcome. All means all, including those who differed with our churches and left; they are welcome. At center in our celebration of return is that we can devote ourselves wholly to mission and ministry.”

Vera Sahlstrom, who turned 94 a day earlier, said she couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present.

“I spent 30 years on the altar guild here and 30 years in the choir. I’ve got so many memories here. It’s good to be home,” she said.

Her grandson, Paul Voorhees echoed the sentiment: “I was born and raised in this church. It’s good to be home, it’s happiness.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/06/11/san-joaquin-diocese-celebrates-return-of-turlock-church-property/

New pastor leading All Saints' Episcopal Church

From Georgia-

The Rev. Scott Petersen said laughter drew him to All Saints' Episcopal Church.

“The laughter of the leadership is what attracted me,” said Petersen, who has been serving the 60-plus-year-old Warner Robins congregation since February.

“With the vestry, the elder board, with all the people I interviewed with there was a lot of laughter,” he said. “I took that as a good sign that All Saints’’ had a group of people that would be fun to work and do ministry with.”

Petersen said as a new rector it’s a priority to get to know the people of All Saints’ and let them get to know him. But he said this discovery period extends beyond getting to know one another. He said it’s a time when the church is rediscovering its purpose as well as a time to help others outside the church discover All Saints’.

Read more here:

http://www.macon.com/2013/06/12/2512535/new-pastor-leading-all-saints.html#storylink=cpy

Battle between SC Episcopalians back state court

From South Carolina-

U.S. District Judge C. Weston Houck has ruled that the legal fight over names and property between two factions of South Carolina Episcopalians is a matter for state court.

Houck, who heard arguments last week and issued an order on Monday, ruled the First Amendment is not a main point of contention and that hearing the case in federal court would disrupt the balance between state and federal courts.

The conservative Diocese of South Carolina last year separated from the more liberal national Episcopal Church over a variety of theological issues including the authority of Scripture and the ordination of gays. The breakaway churches then sued in state court to protect the use of the diocesan name and a half billion dollars' worth of property.

Read more here:

http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/06/11/2537026/battle-between-sc-episcopalians.html#storylink=cpyv

With home in Trenton, new Episcopal bishop-elect ready to lead

From New Jersey-

Over breakfast at the Sunrise Luncheonette on South Warren Street, during which he ordered eggs — over easy — in Creole because that was his waiter’s primary language, the new Episcopal bishop-elect of New Jersey discussed his pressing search for a new home.

That search continued last week as the Rev. William “Chip” Stokes and his wife Susan headed off to neighborhoods in the Cadwalader, Berkeley Square and Glen Afton sections. They were seeing three or four rental houses in just a couple of hours. They plan to pick one this week.

Beginning this summer, Stokes, who will head a diocese that stretches from Elizabeth to Cape May and encompasses two-thirds of the state, will be living in the city of Trenton.
He will be the first diocesan bishop in 40 years to do so.

“There was some hope in the diocese that the next bishop would live in Trenton, and we’re very comfortable with that,” Stokes said.

“I think I was chosen in part because of my commitment to urban ministries. I grew up in New York City. I’ve been blessed to do a lot of work with diverse communities.

“The diversity of this diocese is one of its great strengths and beauties. It’s also clear that the city of Trenton is struggling, and part of the calling of Gospel is to live amid the struggling.

“And we think,” he added, as his wife nodded enthusiastically, “that this is a beautiful city.”

More here-

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/06/with_home_in_trenton_new_episc.html

Federal judge remands Episcopal Church case back to state court

From South Carolina-

A federal judge on Monday ruled that a lawsuit filed in January by the now independent Diocese of South Carolina should remain where it is — in state court.

The Episcopal Church, which filed its own suit in federal court against Bishop Mark Lawrence, had argued that the state case should also be decided by the federal court since the case had broad First Amendment implications concerning church governance and autonomy. But U.S. District Court Judge C. Weston Houck disagreed.

“If this Court determined that a case may be removed based on federal question jurisdiction whenever a defendant attributed a federal constitutional issue not alleged or advanced in a well-pleaded complaint, federal question jurisdiction could potentially be expanded to all cases containing tacit First Amendment issues,” Houck stated in his decision.

Lawyers for The Episcopal Church reluctantly submitted to the decision.

“We are obviously disappointed with the result, but we are confident in our legal position going forward,” said Thomas Tisdale Jr., chancellor of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina.

The state suit, filed by leaders of more than 30 parishes who disassociated with The Episcopal Church over theological and administrative disagreements, seeks control of the name, seal and properties of the diocese.

A separate federal suit before Houck, filed by the church, argues that Lawrence has misused his title and authority, that the diocese can have but one bishop, and that bishop is the Rt. Rev. Charles vonRosenberg, elected this spring.

More here-

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130610/PC16/130619904/1009/federal-judge-remands-episcopal-church-case-back-to-state-court&source=RSS

Council members expand support to South Carolina, San Joaquin

From ENS-

The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council agreed June 10 to increase the church’s aid to continuing Episcopalians in South Carolina and in the Diocese of San Joaquin, while also adding money to the budget of the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of a Presiding Bishop
.
Council also heard various reports on progress towards new initiatives that will be funded in each of the Anglican Communion’s Five Marks of Mission, according to goals General Convention set out in the 2013-2015 budget.

And council continued the process it has developed for formulating the 2016-2018 budget, which it must propose to the next meeting of General Convention in 2015.

Aid to continuing Episcopalians

Answering a request from the Episcopal Church in South Carolina, council agreed to expand a promised line of credit by $300,000, which will make available a total of $550,000 through the end of 2013.

Episcopalians in South Carolina have been reorganizing their common life since late in 2012 after Bishop Mark Lawrence and a majority of clergy and lay leadership said that the diocese had left the Episcopal Church.

In the case of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, council agreed to provide additional line of credit of $785,000 to be accessed through the end of 2014 to support the continuing diocese.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/06/10/executive-council-members-expand-support-to-south-carolina-san-joaquin/

2000 South Sudanese Christians confirmed in just eight days

From ACNS-

More than 2000 people in the three archdeaconries of Tonj east area in Wau Diocese of South Sudan were confirmed by the bishop during his recent trip around the diocese.

The Rt Revd Moses Deng Bol told ACNS that the confirmations were done over eight days during a tour of his diocese that covers two out of the ten states of South Sudan and measures over 13,000 square kilometres.

“These are very serious Christians and most of the them are adults who have became Christians for the first time in their lives,” he said. “So they’re not just children of Christian parents.”

The bishop disagreed with some religious educators who believe that by withholding confirmation until later stage, young people are kept involved in the life of the church for a longer period of time.
He equated such teaching to holding young people captive in order for them to receive grace from God. “How do we justify this? This attitude surely has a negative impact on young people and their experience of God and church,” he said. “Is this the God we want them to know? One who withholds grace until we’ve jumped through all the hoops that our church tells us we have to jump through?”
Bishop Deng said that children cannot be expected to have a positive memory or experience of the church or God later in their lives “if we keep dangling the sacrament over their heads like a carrot”.
Bishop Deng said, for the newly confirmed, it was crucial for them to have “a very intensive discipleship to really understand what being a follower of Christ means in their daily lives.”

More here-

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2013/6/10/2000-South-Sudanese-Christians-confirmed-in-just-eight-days