More than food grows in Erie cathedral garden

From Erie-

The rabbits have been a little rough on the garden at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul, especially among the pepper plants.

Still, the tomato, melon, corn, bean, carrot and other plants are doing well. The three blueberry bushes have berries that will soon be ready for eating. Five bags of lettuce and bunches of scallions have already been given out at the church's food pantry.

But even more has sprouted as a result of the three plots of land in downtown Erie. The garden also has brought together people from inside and outside of the congregation and is serving as a source for inspiration and education, organizers said.

"It's a place to gather and get to know each other and learn," said the Rev. Evan Clendenin, curate at St. Paul.

What started as one small plot in 2011 has been expanded to three, and, today, the first of six free garden-related classes will be offered at the cathedral.

Clendenin said the garden has become a place for people in the congregation and in the community to gather, get to know one another and exchange their knowledge. He said participants talk about their own gardening experience and share wisdom they've gained from others.

"They give it as a gift," he said.


More Here-


http://www.goerie.com/article/20120623/LIFESTYLES03/306239971/More-than-food-grows-in-Erie-cathedral-garden

Southern Baptists Agree Same-Sex Marriage Not a Civil Rights Issue

From Christian Post-


Messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in America, went on record Wednesday to oppose any attempt by gay rights activists to frame same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue.


On the last day of their annual meeting, Southern Baptist messengers overwhelmingly adopted a resolution that denounces "the effort to legalize 'same-sex marriage' as a civil rights issue since homosexuality does not qualify as a class meriting special protections, like race and gender."

The resolution, titled "'Same-Sex Marriage' and Civil Rights Rhetoric," was a direct response to President Obama's personal affirmation of gay marriage and recent federal lawsuits against the Defense of Marriage Act, according to the Resolutions Committee spokesperson.

More here-

http://global.christianpost.com/news/southern-baptists-agree-same-sex-marriage-not-a-civil-rights-issue-77000/

General Synod all set to vote (or adjourn) in July

From The Church Times-


FOR many people in the country, the great countdown was to the Olympic Games, the Secretary Gen­eral to the General Synod, William Fittall, said at a press briefing last Friday. For many in the Church, however, an important countdown was to the final vote on women bishops at the General Synod, when it meets in York from 6 to 10 July.

“It is the first time in 20 years when the Church of England has to face so significant a two-thirds vote. Some will go away rejoicing, while others will be disappointed.”
The Church had long been trying to work out a position where there were not just winners and losers, Mr Fittall said, but a way forward that could deliver good news to as many people as possible.

That crucial issue, timed to take up the whole morning of Monday 9 July, will dominate the mind of the Synod, but there are other significant items on the agenda: world mission, Fresh Expressions and church growth, Palestine and Israel, and the ex­pression of faith in public life, as well as routine budgetary and financial matters, and legislative technicalities.

On Friday afternoon, however, the component parts of the General Synod, the House of Laity, and the Upper and Lower Houses (bishops and clergy respectively) of the Convocations of the Prov­inces of Canterbury and York must meet separately to agree by simple majorities that the Synod will take a final vote on the Article 8 business of the women-bishops Measure.

Should the House of Laity, or any two Houses of the Convocations, vote No, the whole process stops there, and the issue will no longer be on the Synod’s agenda. It was un­likely that that would happen, Mr Fittall said, but it could. (If one House of Con­vocation rejects the legis­la­tion, the Synod could be invited to refer it back for further con­sideration by the two Convocations alone.)

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=130269

Rt. Rev Stanley Ntagali Is New COU Archbishop

From Uganda-

The Rt. Rev. Stanley Ntagali is the new archbishop of the Church of Uganda. He takes over from outgoing Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi in December.

The House of Bishops, comprising leaders of the 34 dioceses in the country, elected the new Archbishop this morning after a week-long retreat at Lweza Conference Centre.

Ntagali becomes the eighth person to assume the seat in the history of the Church of Uganda.

Previous archbishops of the Church of Uganda are Leslie Brown, who was the first archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Boga-Zaire.

Others were Erica Sabiti, Janani Luwum, Silvanus Wani, Yona Okoth, Livingstone Mpalanyi-Nkoyoyo and Henry Luke Orombi.

Henry Luke Orombi, Stanley Ntagali and Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo after the elections. Photo by Arthur Kintu

The communications director for the Church of Uganda, the Rev. Can. Dr. Alison Barfoot, said outgoing Archbishop Orombi will begin a farewell tour to all the 34 dioceses in the Church of Uganda.

She said the new archbishop will also serve as the Diocesan Bishop of Kampala diocese as well as archbishop of the entire Church of Uganda.

The new archbishop will be consecrated on December 16 at St. Paul's Cathedral in Namirembe. Other contenders to the position were Steven Kazimba Mugalu Mbowa (Mukono diocese), Stanley Ntagali (Masindi-Kitala diocese), Joel Obetia (Madi and West Nile diocese) and Nathan Kyamanywa.

More here-

Anglicans searching far and wide to find replacement for Archbishop of Canterbury

From "Rome Reports"


This past March, the head of the Anglican Church, Rowan Williams, said that he would be stepping down as the Archbishop of Canterbury to take a position with Cambridge University.

After his announcement, a search immediately began for the next person to lead the world's 80 million followers of the Church of England.

Father Jonathan Boardman is the archdeacon of Rome's All Saints Church. In the search for a new Anglican Primate, he says that having transparency may be a good thing for the Church.

Fr. Jonathan Boardman
Chaplain, All Saints Church

“Absolutely bizarrely, but some people have said and rather too politically correctly, the position was advertised, but in this age when people want to see that access is open, one might say you can defend it in that way.”

The Primate is elected by a council called the Crown Nominations' Commission, or the CNC. It has 16 members that come from the Church, government, and civil society.

The council will select two names, one with a 'preferred' status to be rubber stamped by Prime Minister David Cameron on behalf of the Queen.

The Anglican community is very divided with many groups being split on how the Church should approach many social issues. The CNC will have to take this into consideration when voting for the Archbishop of Canterbury.

More here-

http://www.romereports.com/palio/anglicans-searching-far-and-wide-to-find-replacement-for-archbishop-of-canterbury-english-7128.html#.T-WlNu0z7jQ

New Anglican Archbishop to Be Announced

From Uganda-

The new archbishop of the Church of Uganda will be announced Friday morning to replace the retiring Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi.


The House of Bishops comprising of leaders of the 34 dioceses in the country, are concluding a week-long retreat at Lweza Conference Centre where they elected the new Archbishop.


The new archbishop to be announced will become the 8th person to assume the seat in the history of the Church of Uganda.


Potential candidates to replace Orombi are four Bishops from different dioceses. The new archbishop will be consecrated on December 16 at St. Paul's Cathedral, Namirembe.


They include Dr. Steven Kazimba Mugalu Mbowa (Mityana diocese), Rev Stanley Ntagali (Masindi-Kitala diocese), Rev Joel Obetia (Madi and West Nile diocese) and the Rt. Rev, Nathan Kyamanywa.


Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi called for the election of the next Archbishop at a regularly scheduled meeting of the House of Bishops on Saturday, January 7, in Mbarara.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201206220484.html

Martha Alexander to stand for election as House of Deputies president

From ENS-

Martha Bedell Alexander, a trustee of the Church Pension Fund and a North Carolina state legislator, had announced that she will stand for election as president of the House of Deputies.

“I see it as a wonderful opportunity to serve God and His Church — and to make a difference,” Alexander, 72, said in a June 20 press release from the Diocese of North Carolina.

Saying the idea of her standing for election originated through conversations with others, Alexander added, “I gave the possibility of the nomination a lot of prayerful, thoughtful and careful consideration.”

Alexander is serving her tenth two-year term as a Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. She was first elected in 1992 and is standing for re-election on Nov. 6.
The election will take place during the 77th meeting of General Convention July 5-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Alexander is the second candidate to announce her intention to stand for election. The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, who just completed a six-year term on the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, announced her plans on June 5.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/06/21/martha-alexander-to-stand-for-election-as-house-of-deputies-president/

Presiding bishop proposes alternative 2013-2015 budget

From ENS-

In a somewhat unusual step, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on June 21 proposed an alternative budget for consideration by the upcoming meeting of the Episcopal Church’s General Convention.

The proposal is “more clearly based on missional strategy than the current draft proposed budget” approved in January by the church’s Executive Council, Jefferts Schori said in an eight-page message that accompanied the proposed budget.

She said that “the heart” of the Episcopal Church is mission “in partnership with anyone who shares that passion” and her proposed budget “is intended to help us reorient ourselves to that passion.”
“The strategic and spiritual principle of this budget proposal is that the church is most truly itself, the Body of Christ, when it lives and breathes mission,” she said.

When asked by Episcopal News Service, the Rev. Canon Gregory Straub, General Convention secretary and the church’s executive officer, said that to his knowledge this was the first time a presiding bishop had proposed a budget after Executive Council had sent its draft budget to the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/06/21/presiding-bishop-proposes-alternative-2013-2015-budget/

Christianity followers continue to fall: 2011 Census

From Australia-

More Australians than ever say they have no religious affiliation.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the census figures today.

They show there are now more people who don't have a religion than people who say they're Anglican.

Catholicism is still the most common religion in Australia, but the 'no religion' group is rapidly catching up.

The fastest growing religion is Hinduism.

Will Ockenden reports.

WILL OCKENDEN: It seems the promise of heaven is no longer enough to keep Australians interested in following a religion.

AARON WALKER: What we see with the 20011 census data is that 'no religion' is up as a response; it's taken over Anglicans to become the second highest response to the religion question on the census.

Aaron Walker is from the from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

AARON WALKER: All the figures we collect in the census are very important; so religion will go towards giving support for planning on things like community groups, government; things like that. 


More here-


http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3530625.htm

Episcopal Diocese Wooing Breakaway Groton Church Back Into The Fold

From Connecticut


Following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision this week not to hear the case of a conservative Episocopal parish in Groton that split from the larger church, Connecticut's Episcopal bishop said Wednesday that the diocese is trying to reconcile with the breakaway congregation.

The high court said Monday that it would not hear arguments about whether the Bishop Seabury Church in Groton should have to return property to the Episcopal diocese, which it left in 2007. The state Supreme Court ruled last year that the 136-year-old parish had to return the property — the 6.5-acre church site, the sanctuary and its contents.


Bishop Seabury Church was one of six parishes in Connecticut that split from the Episcopal Church of the United States after it ordained an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire in 2003 and elected a woman as presiding bishop in 2006.

More here-

http://www.courant.com/community/groton/hc-groton-episcopal-church-0621-20120620,0,3082343.story

U.S. Supreme Court won't take up Bishop Seabury case

From Connecticut-

The members of the Bishop Seabury Anglican Church might have to choose between their church building and their pastor, the Rev. Ronald S. Gauss said Tuesday, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal Monday to review their case.

The high court declined to review the 2010 Connecticut Supreme Court ruling that the pastor and parishioners of the Bishop Seabury Church on North Road could not assume ownership of the building and land after they split from the Episcopal Church and its Connecticut diocese.

Gauss, the pastor, and his supporters have exhausted their appeals. They are bound by earlier court orders to relinquish the premises, although they were allowed to stay during the appeal process.
"This ruling brings the litigation over the property to its final conclusion," Karin Hamilton, a spokesperson for the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut said Tuesday in a press release. "The judgment entered in favor of the Diocese and the Episcopal Church is now fully enforceable."

The legal battle started in 2007 when Gauss led his parish away from diocesan supervision over several disagreements, including the Episcopal Church's ordination in 2003 of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire, and the election of a woman as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. in 2006.

More here-

http://www.theday.com/article/20120619/NWS01/120619644/1018

Southern Baptists elect 1st African-American president, the Rev. Fred Luter Jr. of New Orleans

From The Washington Post-


At the end of the day Wednesday, the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention will pass to an African-American pastor for the first time.

The nation’s largest Protestant denomination voted Tuesday to elect the Rev. Fred Luter Jr. to lead them, an important step for a denomination that was formed on the wrong side of slavery before the Civil War and had a reputation for supporting segregation and racism during much of the last century.


In a news conference after the vote, Luter said he doesn’t think his election is some kind of token gesture.

“If we stop appointing African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics to leadership positions after this, we’ve failed,” he said. “... I promise you I’m going to do all that I can to make sure this is not just a one-and-done deal.”

Faced with declining membership, the SBC has been making efforts to appeal to a more diverse group of believers.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/southern-baptists-elect-1st-african-american-president-the-rev-fred-luter-jr/2012/06/20/gJQArEPkpV_story.html

The Blessing of the Bees

From The New York Times-

On Tuesday morning, witnesses to a ceremony at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine were encouraged to wear long sleeves, long pants and socks. The subjects of this holy event were about 15,000 honeybees that live on the church’s campus in Morningside Heights.

This year’s unusually busy swarm season in New York City has attracted some unwanted attention to the hardworking insect, but Tuesday’s event provided it with some good publicity.

Moments before the Rev. Mark S. Sisk, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, began the brief ceremony, puffs of pine smoke wafted through the air to sedate the bees.

The bishop opened his red leather Bible and recited a prayer he had written for the occasion:

As we gather to bless these bees, your own well-blest creatures, may the intensity of their self-offering lives awaken in us a reminder of the fruitfulness that such self-offering promises to yield in our own human community. May their vulnerability remind us both of our duty to them and of the vulnerability that touches all things. May the sweetness of their honey remind us of the sweetness of your love for them, for us, for all people, and of the bending infinity of Creation itself.

More here-

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/the-blessing-of-the-bees/

Episcopal clergy convicted after N.Y. “Occupy” demonstration

From The Washington Post-

A retired Episcopal bishop and a Harlem priest were among seven people convicted Monday (June 18) on charges of trespassing on property owned by one of the Episcopal Church’s wealthiest parishes at the height of the Occupy protests.

Bishop George Packard, who oversaw the military and federal ministries before he retired, and the Rev. Earl Kooperkamp of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Harlem, were sentenced to four days of community service. They had faced up to 90 days in prison on the most serious charge, Packard’s lawyer, Gideon Oliver, told Episcopal News Service.


An eighth defendant, Mark Adams, was sentenced to 45 days on charges of trespassing, attempted criminal mischief and attempted possession of burglar’s tools, reportedly for trying to use bolt-cutters to slice through the fence surrounding a parcel of land owned by Trinity Church, off Wall Street in downtown Manhattan.

Trinity’s rector, the Rev. James Cooper, said the landmark church supported many of the Occupy movement’s goals and would continue to welcome protestors to its facilities in the Wall Street neighborhood, but said in a statement that it did “not support the seizure of private property.”
More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/episcopal-clergy-convicted-after-ny-occupy-demonstration/2012/06/19/gJQAxOWcoV_story.html

Anglican Bishop ready for new challenges in Calgary

From Canada-

Right Rev. Gregory Kerr-Wilson has been elected the ninth bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Calgary.

Kerr-Wilson, currently the bishop of Qu’Appelle, a diocese that covers southern Saskatchewan, was voted the new bishop by members of the clergy and laity from each of Calgary’s Anglican congregations on Saturday.

“I’m looking forward to being there, being with the people and getting on with the work,” he told the Herald on Monday.

Kerr-Wilson, who will be starting in September, brings a wealth of experience to his new post.

After earning a bachelor of applied science in bio-resource engineering from the University of British Columbia, Kerr-Wilson attended seminary for two years in Wisconsin in 1986.

From 1991 to 1998, he ran the parish in Brampton, Ont., and then spent almost eight years at All Saints’ Cathedral in Edmonton. In 2006, he was elected bishop of the Qu’Appelle diocese.
Read more:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Anglican+Bishop+ready+challenges+Calgary/6803020/story.html#ixzz1yEfCJbK2

Anglican Bishops to elect new Archbishop

From Uganda-

Church of Uganda Bishops are converging at Lweza conference center in Lweza along Entebbe road for a week long retreat to elect a new Archbishop.

The New Archbishop will replace the outgoing Archbishop Church of Uganda the Right Rev. Henry Luke Orombi .

 The Bishops started arriving at Lweza conference center last evening and are expected to start off their retreat today morning.

The retreat will be attended mainly by members of the House of Bishops which include Bishops from different dioceses.

Some of the Bishops expected to attend the retreat include, Dr. Steven Kazimba Mugalu Mbowa (Mitiyana diocese), Rev Stanley Ntagali (Masindi – Kitala diocese), Rev Joel Obetia (Madi and West Nile diocese) and the RT Rev, Henry Luke Orombi Archbishop church of Uganda.

“This is an annual retreat for the Bishops. We expect the elections to take place on Thursday and then the new Archbishop will be announced on Friday,” The Spokesperson  church of  the province  of Uganda Alison Bar foot told New Vision online.

The House of Bishops will elect a new archbishop among the four Bishops from different dioceses with a tentative consecration set for mid-December.

More here-

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/632106-anglican-bishops-to-elect-new-archbishop.html

The Comeback of the Christ Episcopal Church in Albertville

From Alabama- (with video)

On Sunday, the consecration of the new Christ Episcopal Church celebrated the two-year journey that began with the Albertville tornado of April 25, 2010. Their church was hit hard by a tree and was torn down shortly after.  Since that time, a new church has been in the making.

Members of Christ Church have been worshiping in the new church since Easter Sunday earlier this year.  Church members spoke with WHNT News 19 about the consecration and how thankful they are to be in their new church home.

More here-

http://whnt.com/2012/06/18/the-comeback-of-the-christ-episcopal-church-in-albertville/

LOS ANGELES: Nun cultivates ‘Good Seeds’ at juvenile jail

From ENS-

Feeling beloved is a tough sell for “Serena,” 15, and the other students in the “Good Seed” classes taught by Episcopal nun Sr. Greta Ronningen at a California juvenile jail.

Their schoolwork says so.

Like Serena, whose series of colored pencil self-portraits depict “parts” of herself and also illuminate her inner battles:

A huge sun;

A small white spot showing “God” inside a well of darkness, all of which is nearly swallowed up by bright red anger.

Another, of a demon she called “Rebelision,” is a derivative of rebellion and confusion, with question marks for eyes, jagged teeth in a mouth opened in rage, scary enough to evoke tears.

Enabling Serena and the other girls to connect with themselves, with one another and with God through art therapy, meditation, journaling, prayer and counseling are aims of Ronningen’s program, also called the “Peace Project.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/06/18/los-angeles-nun-cultivates-good-seeds-at-juvenile-jail/

125-year-old chapel rolls through Jacksonville Beach

From Florida-

It was a slow ride on Third Street at the Beaches Sunday, almost a parade, really. Cyclists pedaled along and people gathered on the sidewalk to watch the church roll by.

The 125-year-old former Episcopal chapel was making one more move. This was from Beaches Chapel School in Neptune Beach, where it's sat for 42 years, to Pablo Historical Park on Beach Boulevard.

There it will join the rest of the Beaches Museum, available for church services, weddings and chamber music.

But first, it had to make the 2-mile journey out onto Third Street and then south to Pablo Avenue. That was the job of LaRue House Movers, who jacked the church up, slid a trailer under it and slowly drove away from the school while workers scurried underneath, placing sheets of plywood to keep the tires from sinking into the dirt.


More here-


http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2012-06-18/125-year-old-chapel-rolls-through-jacksonville-beach#.T-BVyO0z7jQ

Bishop, Vietnam war hero, convicted of trespassing in Occupy Wall St. protest

From The New York Daily News-

Retired Episcopal Bishop George E. Packard, who won both the Bronze and Silver Stars for his service in Vietnam, was convicted Monday of trespassing on Trinity Church property during an Occupy Wall Street protest last December.

Packard, dressed in purple vestments, was the first of hundreds of protesters to use a makeshift staircase to climb over an eight-foot fence into Duarte Square on Dec. 17, 2011.

The bishop and eight others were convicted and sentenced to four days of community service and a $200 fine.

Packard, who also served as a chaplain in the Iraq War, said he felt no ill will against Judge Matthew Sciarrino Jr., who presided over the bench trial.

He saved his ire for the church, which he said should have dropped the charges.

"Trinity Church has chose to hop back and forth between being the aggrieved and trespassed party on the one hand and the sympathetic ear and support for those who deserve a message of mercy and forgiveness on the other," he said.

Read more:

 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/bishop-vietnam-war-hero-convicted-trespassing-occupy-wall-st-protest-article-1.1098181#ixzz1yEYhvFkw

Also the Times-

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/nyregion/8-occupy-protesters-convicted-of-trespassing-on-trinity-church-property.html

A unified Church? Pope gives hope to Anglo-Catholics

From Australia-

In his first message on becoming Pope, Benedict XVI said the impelling duty of the successor of Peter was “to work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ’s followers”.

“Concrete gestures that enter hearts and stir consciences” were essential in “inspiring in everyone that inner conversion that is the prerequisite for all ecumenical progress.”

The Pope’s Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus, which allows members of the Anglican communion to be collectively welcomed into the Catholic Church in full communion, is a concrete gesture to pursue this goal.

The expansion of the new Catholic Church structure occured last week through the launch of an ordinariate for Anglicans in Australia, receiving them into full communion with the Catholic Church while allowing them to keep some of their customs.

More here-

http://theconversation.edu.au/a-unified-church-pope-gives-hope-to-anglo-catholics-7711

125-year-old chapel rolls through Jacksonville Beach

From Florida-

It was a slow ride on Third Street at the Beaches Sunday, almost a parade, really. Cyclists pedaled along and people gathered on the sidewalk to watch the church roll by.

The 125-year-old former Episcopal chapel was making one more move. This was from Beaches Chapel School in Neptune Beach, where it’s sat for 42 years, to Pablo Historical Park on Beach Boulevard.

There it will join the rest of the Beaches Museum, available for church services, weddings and chamber music.

Check out more photos from the move here

But first, it had to make the 2-mile journey out onto Third Street and then south to Pablo Avenue. That was the job of LaRue House Movers, who jacked the church up, slid a trailer under it and slowly drove away from the school while workers scurried underneath, placing sheets of plywood to keep the tires from sinking into the dirt.

“They’ve got a lot more faith in that steel than I do,” said Rob Taylor, who was one of dozens of people gathered to watch.

“It’s a different kind of work,” said Van Naster, who was one of those moving the plywood around. “After the first couple of times, you get used to it.”

And then he added this bit of advice: “You just have to keep your eyes and ears open and stay out of the way of the wheels.”

Once the truck, trailer and church got to the pavement and turned down Third Street, it was a bit quicker (from crawling speed to walking) but still interrupted as an electrical crew moved traffic signals out of the way. But all along the route, people gathered to watch and take photos.


More here-

http://m.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-06-18/story/125-year-old-chapel-rolls-through-jacksonville-beach

Parishioners at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Lansing celebrate Picnic in the Park

From Michigan-

One word best describes what has kept St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in South Lansing alive for nearly 150 years: tradition.

Parishioners celebrated that unique and rich tradition with the parish’s 9th annual Sunday Service and Picnic in the Park, Sunday at Lansing’s Hawk Island Park.

Roughly 100 individuals from all over the capitol region gathered under a pavilion to worship and then carry-out one of the oldest traditions the church has.

“This event is always so special because it brings us back to the simplicity of what we are trying to do,” Rev. Gordon Weller said. “We all can learn from one another. This is a opportunity to socialize outside of our normal church environment.”

Weller led the congregation before the gathering shared a lunch of hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad and much more.

Debby Pierce, head of parish life at St. Paul’s said of all the events she coordinates throughout the year, the annual service and picnic in the park is by far the one she looks forward to the most.
“This is always a lot of fun,” Pierce said. “People really look forward to this for some reason. We’ve even considered doing it more than once a year, but we want to keep it as special as possible.”

More here-

http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2012/06/parishioners_at_st_pauls_episc.html

Eastwood and Moral Theology

From The Living Church-

If the flinty gaze and violent oeuvre of Clint Eastwood have long been your guilty pleasure, rejoice. Sara Anson Vaux has redeemed your little secret. Dirty Harry, it turns out, had an ethical vision. That .44 Magnum was just a trope, a means by which Eastwood could remind us of the wages of sin and the bloody consequences of lex talionis.

As Vaux says in her preface: “Seen along a forty-year continuum, Eastwood’s movies reveal stages in an unfolding moral ontology — a sense of being in the world.” Eastwood, it seems, is interested in the narrative exploration of “justice, confession, war and peace.” So it is time for all of his closeted fans — you know who you are — to come out and enter into conversation with this irascible, iconic and gifted filmmaker.

Of course Eastwood’s oeuvre is more than Dirty Harry or the avenging angel characters of his many westerns. His work consists of an astonishing number and variety of films: J. Edgar, Invictus, Gran Torino, Letters from Iwo Jima, Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, The Bridges of Madison County, and a host of other projects many of us have never seen. Whatever your view of Eastwood, he is more, much more, than you might suppose. He has directed 31 films to date. His filmography, as listed on IMDb, includes 605 entries, an amazing body of work. Eastwood has been as prolific as he has been influential. And as Vaux makes clear, his artistic and moral vision has constantly evolved, while the themes that interest him have remained remarkably consistent.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/eastwood-and-moral-theology

A church fit only for bigots and hypocrites

From The Guardian-

I realised that beards and soft words do not a liberal make when the Archbishop of Canterbury toured the Sudan in 2006. His visit coincided with the first genocide of the 21st century: the massacres in Darfur. The forces of the Arab-supremacist government in Khartoum were fighting a war to the knife with black Africans that left hundreds of thousands dead. The slaughter might not have been happening as far as Rowan Williams was concerned. He was the regime's guest and refused to bear witness to the suffering or criticise its perpetrators.

I thought at the time that among the reasons why I could not believe in God was the shabbiness of his representatives on Earth. The archbishop's officials explained that he did not wish to be undiplomatic, but I did not wholly believe them either. Williams seemed just the type to believe that crimes against humanity were colour-coded. One should denounce atrocities committed by the west, of course, but stay silent when the criminals had black or brown skins for fear of being thought a cultural imperialist or neocolonialist.

Now that Williams and his fellow bishops are so angry at the possibility of civil gay marriage they are talking of disestablishing the church, we should acknowledge that Williams has always been prepared to accommodate reactionary forces abroad to further reactionary ends at home.

More here-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/17/nick-cohen-rowan-williams-hypocrisy