Episcopal Diocese of Michigan answers call to 'feed the hungry'

From Michigan-

Michigan food banks will get a $200,000 infusion from the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan to help them provide food to those affected by the coronavirus.

The donation stemmed from the driving need and "high demand at local food pantries and soup kitchens," as well as the fact that Michigan is a place where many cases emerged, Episcopalian officials said Wednesday.

"With more than a million unemployed in our state, people from all areas of life: rural communities, suburbs and cities are finding it difficult to feed their families," said the Rt. Rev. Bonnie A. Perry, who was recently consecrated as the 11th bishop.

"Hunger is real and hunger is debilitating," said Perry. "As people of faith, we want to answer Jesus’ call to 'feed the hungry.' In the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, we care about our communities and we act when we see a need. That’s how we live out our faith."

More here-

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/05/27/episcopal-diocese-donates-michigan-food-banks/5271439002/

Detroit pastors keep the faith after getting coronavirus

From Michigan-

His views are echoed by three Episcopal bishops in Michigan who wrote an open letter last week titled: “We believe in Jesus, science and staying home.”

“As the Episcopal Bishops of the State of Michigan and as a people of faith, we follow the commandment Jesus gave us – to ‘love our neighbors as ourselves,’ “ wrote the Rt. Rev. Bonnie Perry, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, the Rt. Rev. Whayne Hougland, Bishop of the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern & Western Michigan, and the Rt. Rev. Rayford Ray, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan. “Loving our neighbors these days in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic means setting limits: quarantining, refraining from traveling, physical distancing when in public, and closing down places of gathering where transmission is likely. This is how we love our neighbors – by working to slow the spread of this extremely contagious, life-threatening virus.”

The letter noted that they have shut down all the Episcopal churches in Michigan, saying they support Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-home order. They also said “this pandemic has exposed injustices already present in our society: racism, hunger, health care, a living wage, housing insecurity and access to education.”

More here-

https://www.grandhaventribune.com/lifestyles/faith/detroit-pastors-keep-the-faith-after-getting-coronavirus/article_f6721572-b73c-5bab-8229-ce841f4a7333.html

Detroit pastors keep the faith after getting the coronavirus

From Michigan-

Flowers also urged Detroiters to follow social distancing and not congregate outside the home for church or other gatherings. 

His views are echoed by three Episcopal bishops in Michigan who wrote an open letter last week titled: "We believe in Jesus, science and staying home."

"As the Episcopal Bishops of the State of Michigan and as a people of faith, we follow the commandment Jesus gave us — to 'love our neighbors as ourselves,' "  wrote the Rt. Rev. Bonnie Perry, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, the Rt. Rev. Whayne Hougland, Bishop of the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern & Western Michigan, and the Rt. Rev. Rayford Ray, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan. "Loving our neighbors these days in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic means setting limits: quarantining, refraining from traveling, physical distancing when in public, and closing down places of gathering where transmission is likely. This is how we love our neighbors — by working to slow the spread of this extremely contagious, life-threatening virus."

More here-

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2020/05/02/detroit-pastors-coronavirus-diagnosis/3050791001/

Kalamazoo church handing out thousands of diapers weekly

From Michigan-

Saint Luke's Episcopal Church in Kalamazoo has held diaper distributions from 9:30 a.m. to noon every Tuesday.

Every week the church switches the location of the distribution between the church and Douglas Community Association. On Tuesday, April 21, 2020, the church held a distribution in their parking lot. 

Saint Luke's Diaper Bank Logistics Coordinator Evan Asher and another worker waited until cars pulled into the parking lot to delivered the diapers families needed for the week. Asher said they were distributing diapers before the COVID-19 pandemic, but recently increased their distributions.
"Now there's a lot that folks can't get right now, but we're carving out a niche and thankfully people have been very thankful and receptive of that," he said.

Asher estimated the church could hand out somewhere between 3,000 to 4,000 diapers on a weekly basis.

More here-

https://wwmt.com/news/local/kalamazoo-church-handing-out-thousands-of-diapers-weekly

Metro Detroit Episcopal churches create $100K matching fund for food banks

From Michigan-

Three Episcopal churches in Metro Detroit have come together to create a $100,000 matching fund with proceeds going to food bank distributors throughout the region.

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan in Detroit, All Saints' Episcopal Church in Pontiac and Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills have partnered to create the dollar-for-dollar matching fund to support local food banks "experiencing unprecedented demands that are rapidly outstripping their supplies," the diocese said in a release.

“This is a time when we, people of faith, are called to embody our beliefs by giving away a portion of what we have, we are called to love one another as God has loved us,” said Bonnie Perry, the newly consecrated 11th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan.

More here-

 https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/04/20/metro-detroit-episcopal-churches-create-matching-fund-for-food-banks/5166792002/

Episcopal Diocese of Michigan consecrates its first lesbian bishop

From Christian Post-

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan has consecrated its first openly lesbian bishop, in a move that the liberal mainline regional body is confident will not lead to further large-scale departures from the denomination.

The Rev. Bonnie A. Perry was consecrated as the eleventh bishop of the diocese at a ceremony held Saturday at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.

Perry had been elected bishop in June of last year on the fifth ballot of the Special Electing Convention held at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit. She got the votes of 64 clergy and 118 laity, which surpassed the minimum requirement of 55 clergy and 94 laity, according to Anna Stania, director of Communications for the diocese.

Stania also told The Christian Post that Perry did not experience any opposition to her candidacy because of her sexual orientation or that she is married to someone of the same-sex.

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/episcopal-diocese-of-michigan-consecrates-its-first-lesbian-bishop.html

Episcopal Diocese of Michigan ordains its first female and openly lesbian bishop

From Michigan-

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan on Saturday ordained and consecrated Dr. Bonnie Perry as its first female and openly lesbian bishop at a ceremony in Dearborn.

Perry said the ceremony was "one of the most intense experiences" of her life, as she was surrounded by clergy and community members who came to welcome her into the diocese.

She said she wants to help all communities and people feel at home.

"For me, it's about full inclusion for all people -- straight, gay, bi, trans, gender fluid -- this is about everyone, all are welcome," Perry said. "Every time you exclude someone you exclude the possibility of change and transformation."

Perry received 64 clergy votes and 118 lay votes to be elected bishop; she needed a minimum of 55 clergy votes and 94 lay votes. All the candidates up for the position of bishop were women, according to the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. The diocese was formed in 1836.

More here-

https://www.abc57.com/news/episcopal-diocese-of-michigan-ordains-its-first-female-and-openly-lesbian-bishop 

and here-

https://theunionjournal.com/metro-detroit-episcopal-church-elects-first-lesbian-bishop/

Episcopal Diocese of Michigan prepares to consecrate first woman, lesbian bishop

From Michigan-

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan will get a new leader this weekend, and it will be a historic event on two fronts.

The Reverend Bonnie Perry will be consecrated as bishop at a ceremony in Dearborn on Saturday. She will become the first woman and first openly-LGBTQ person to lead the diocese, which covers 77 Episcopal congregations in southeast Michigan.

Perry has been an ordained Episcopal priest and deacon since 1990. She comes to Michigan from Chicago, where she has led the All Saints’ congregation for 27 years. She was elected bishop of the Michigan diocese in June 2019.

“This was the diocese that I wanted to come to,” Perry said on Friday at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit, where she will be based. “There is a justice, social justice legacy here that I wanted to build on. I loved the interplay between suburbs and urban, and wealth and despair. All of that seemed completely compelling to me.”

More here-

https://www.michiganradio.org/post/episcopal-diocese-michigan-prepares-consecrate-first-woman-lesbian-bishop 

and here-

https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/652650

Pro-Gay Episcopalian Service Moved Off Catholic Parish After Backlash

From The Church Militant-

A parish in the diocese of Lansing, Michigan was originally going to be the venue for a Protestant service honoring a pro-LGBT Episcopalian bishop's retirement, but after pushback was was moved off diocesan property.

The Episcopalian bishop, Wendell Gibbs, an active proponent of same-sex "marriage," is retiring from his role as head of the denomination's Michigan diocese. A service and reception honoring his two decades of leadership were originally scheduled to take place on Nov. 9 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Brighton.

But the celebration was later rescheduled for the Episcopalian St. Paul Cathedral in Detroit.
The reasons for the venue change are unclear. But it is known that it comes amid complaints from some Anglicans as well as Catholics.

Conservative-minded Anglicans took exception to Gibbs' retirement taking place at a Catholic parish, owing to Gibbs' open support of same-sex "marriage." A petition opposing the event's venue was filed with Bp. Earl Boyea of the Catholic diocese of Lansing — the diocese in which St. Mary Magdalen is located.

More here-

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/catholic-parish-to-host-episcopalian-service

First woman and first LGBT to lead Episcopal Diocese of Michigan

From Detroit-

When she was 16, Bonnie Perry attended a Catholic youth retreat that changed her life. 

"During that retreat I had a profound experience of being loved for who I was, as I was, in the person of Jesus Christ," recalled Perry, who was raised Catholic. "My life has never been the same. ...The reality that Jesus loves me, and you, all of us completely and utterly, that is what fuels my passion for life and for the Gospel and for our church."

But when she felt called to the priesthood while a student at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, she realized she would have to leave since the Catholic Church doesn't allow female pastors. As someone who identified as a lesbian, she said she would feel especially marginalized in the Catholic Church. 

And so she became an Episcopalian pastor and later a rector at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Chicago where she has served for the past 26 years.

More here-

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/06/08/lgbt-episcopal-church-michigan/1360225001/

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan Elects First Openly Gay Female Priest as 11th Bishop

From Michigan-

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan announced last week the election of The Rev. Dr. Bonnie A. Perry, rector of All Saints’, Chicago, as its 11th bishop diocesan.

Perry is the first woman and first openly gay priest to be elected bishop since the diocese was formed in 1836. This also marked the first time in the history of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan that the slate of candidates was comprised entirely of women.

Perry was elected on the fifth ballot of the Special Electing Convention held today in Detroit. She received 64 clergy votes and 118 lay votes. A minimum of 55 clergy votes and 94 lay votes were necessary for election on that ballot.

The other nominees were:

– The Rev. Dr. Grace Burton-Edwards, Rector, St. Thomas, Columbus, Georgia

– The Rev. Canon Paula Clark, Canon to The Ordinary & Canon for Clergy Development, Multicultural Ministries and Justice, Diocese of Washington

– The Rev. Canon Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, Canon to The Ordinary, Diocese of Colorado

More here-

 https://pridesource.com/article/the-episcopal-diocese-of-michigan-elects-first-openly-gay-female-priest-as-11th-bishop/

Rev. Bonnie Perry elected bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan

From Chicago-

When the Rev. Bonnie Perry first started working at All Saints Episcopal Church in Ravenswood, she remembers the pews being filled with no more than 30 parishioners during a Sunday service. Now, Perry estimates more than 300 people come to a service.

The secret? Building an active community inside and outside church walls, she said.

“We’re fun, we’re vital, we’re relevant,” Perry said. “We worry about what’s important. When the world is having a hard time, this is a place you can cry. When you’re angry, it’s a place people can express our outrage.”

But after 26 years in Chicago, Perry, who serves as the rector of All Saints, is planning her departure after being elected bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. She is the first woman and first openly gay priest to be elected bishop in Michigan.

More here-

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-bonnie-perry-bishop-michigan-20190602-story.html?fbclid=IwAR2nDXQ1o97ZikDEEPE3IuG7-lFqOQUyA5lD3XIwpdw8iBWWDLSbXNP-eew 

and here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2019/06/03/diocese-of-michigan-elects-bonnie-a-perry-as-11th-bishop/

Bishop Curry speaks at Aberdeen affordable-housing rally

From Michigan-

The Rev. Michael Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church who gained international fame with his sermon at the royal wedding last month, joined about 100 participants in a tour of downtown Aberdeen and vigil at City Hall Saturday afternoon that sought to highlight homelessness in the city and push for 2,000 new affordable housing units. The event was organized by “Harbor Rising,” a new group that includes representatives from Chaplains on the Harbor, Democracy Rising, Blind Justice and Harbor Roots, all of which have advocated for the homeless.

“A movement starts small and keeps on growing,” Bishop Curry told the crowd outside City Hall. He cited the biblical parable of the tiny mustard seed that eventually grows into a tree, and proclaimed, “This is a mustard seed movement!”

He encouraged people to expand the push for local housing solutions and urged them to embrace the notion that, “We are a family that doesn’t let anybody go without a home.”

More here-

http://www.thedailyworld.com/news/bishop-curry-speaks-at-aberdeen-affordable-housing-rally/

St. Cyprian Episcopal Church robbed for the third time within span of a month

From Detroit-

An Episcopal church on Detroit’s west side has been robbed three times within the span of a month.

Rector Donald Lutas says his congregation cannot afford to replace everything that’s been stolen, and he is angry with Detroit police, saying parishioners are doing all they can to keep the church safe.

Lutas came to church early to prepare for Sunday service and the first thing he noticed was shattered glass.

"This is a house of worship, for crying out loud. If this has no reverence or there’s no sense of security here, where can one get security?" said Lutas.

Lutas says the St. Cyprian Episcopal Church on Detroit’s west side has been robbed three times. Once last month and twice in just the past week.

More here-

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/st-cyprian-episcopal-church-robbed-for-the-third-time-within-a-month

Easter 'surprise' greets members at St. Paul's Episcopal Church

From Lansing-

Members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church had an Easter surprise waiting for them when they walked into the century-old building on Sunday morning.

They expected to see the reception hall set up for Sunday service, as it had been over the past year while work continued on the elegant worship space rendered unsafe by a wind storm.

Instead, the Rev. Karen Lewis ushered them into the stained glass-adorned sanctuary that had been off limits since March 8, 2017.

"It was quite the surprise; very few people were aware," said Joseph Lehning, a member of the church's facilities task force. "They came in and saw the hall set up for a reception. Just seeing the reaction of people when they came in (was gratifying). You could see it on their faces – the jubilation, the surprise."

The church received an occupancy permit for the renovated sanctuary on Thursday, nearly 13 months after the wall of the church facing West Ottawa Street began pulling away from the rest of the building amid strong winds.

More here-

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2018/04/01/easter-st-pauls-episcopal-church-lansing/476769002/

An Announcement from Bishop Gibbs

From Michigan-

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

Dear Sisters and Brothers of The Diocese of Michigan:

In September of 1999, one of the questions asked of me during the “walk-about” was: “you’re young; you could be a bishop a long time! If you were elected, how long would you be our bishop?” My response was, “as long as I believe God is calling me to be here. I have always been committed to following where God calls me.”

On February 5th of this year, I will begin my 19th year as a bishop in God’s holy Church. I have served as your Bishop Diocesan since November 1, 2000. After much prayerful discernment, I have heard God’s call to move into retirement. Therefore, in consultation with The Standing Committee of the Diocese and in conversation with the Diocesan Staff, I am calling for the election of the 11th Bishop of Michigan. It is my intention to resign effective December 31, 2019; and, in conversation with the Office of the Presiding Bishop, the ordination and consecration of the next Bishop of Michigan is expected to occur in February 2020.

More here-

http://www.edomi.org/an-announcement-from-bishop-gibbs/

East Lansing Church Declares Itself A "Sanctuary Church"

From Michigan-

Members of All Saints Episcopal Church in East Lansing plan to house up to two people whose U.S. citizenship in question.

Rector Kit Carlson said her church voted to become a sanctuary church on Tuesday night. The residents could move in by late summer when the church will complete facilities to accommodate them.

"We don’t draw lines between human beings," said Carlson during a news conference on Thursday. "We don’t draw lines because of their immigration status."

Carlson said the community group Action of Greater Lansing and the American Civil Liberties Union will screen potential residents. She said people with felony offenses on their record will not stay at the church.

More here-

http://wkar.org/post/east-lansing-church-declares-itself-sanctuary-church#stream/0

Repairs underway to church wall damaged by strong winds

From Lansing-

The intimate Parish Hall inside St. Paul’s Episcopal Church filled quickly as parishioners arrived for the 10 a.m. service.

There were welcoming smiles, greetings and catching up and soon there was not an empty seat.

There were no signs of the near disaster the more than 100-year-old church faced a week and a half ago.

The church exterior told a different story.

Temporary braces now support an exterior wall of the church that was damaged in the March 8 wind storm that knocked out power to more than a million utility customers across the state.

The upper part of the wall pulled away from the rest of the structure during the storm and could be seen swaying in the wind.

The worship space remains off-limits. For now, Sunday services are being held in the parish hall.

More here-

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2017/03/19/repairs-underway-church-wall-damaged-strong-winds/99323912/

Downtown church wall in danger of collapse, officials say

From Michigan-

A section of West Ottawa Street in downtown Lansing is closed because a wall of a century-old church could collapse from strong winds.

Structural engineers were brought in to examine an exterior wall at St. Paul's Episcopal Church after the Rev. Karen Lewis, rector of the church, noticed the wall separating from the ceiling. West Ottawa is closed just west of Capitol Avenue as a precaution.

Lewis said she noticed the problem about 11:30 a.m. Engineers said they believe the wall eventually will collapse, she said. The worship space is closed.

"I saw a lot of insulation on the floor, and if you stood in a certain place, you could see the wall literally moving away from the ceiling," she said. "The worship space is closed until further notice. If that wall collapsed, I have no idea – and no one knows – what else is going to go, how it will impact the roof or the boiler system, which is as old as the church," Lewis said.

More here-

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2017/03/08/downtown-church-wall-danger-collapse-officials-say/98911270/

Pastor posts photos of shooting victims in sanctuary

From Michigan-

Death is draped on the walls of St. Thomas Episcopal Church.

From the front door of the sanctuary, around the back wall and up across the pulpit are photographs of dead people. Each week the Rev. Brian Coleman tapes photos of those who have died in mass shootings to the sanctuary walls. He said the church will continue to do so through the end of the year. To the pastor, it’s a form of accountability as the national debate on gun violence heightens.

“I’m sure there are people in the congregation who wish I hadn’t started this,” Coleman said. “Sometimes when I put new pictures up, I hear people in the congregation saying ‘Oh my, more dead people.’”

At first, not all of the church members agreed it was the right thing to do. But after more mass shootings and listening to Coleman preach about why he felt it was an important issue, more have started to agree with his methods, he said.

More here-

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/story/news/2016/07/18/pastor-posts-photos-shooting-victims-sanctuary/86990054/