United Methodist Church Elects First Openly Gay Bishop, In Defiance Of Church Rules

From NPR-

Representatives of the United Methodist Church have elected their first openly gay bishop, in defiance of church prohibitions on homosexuality.

Rev. Karen Oliveto, senior pastor of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, was elected bishop of the church's Western Division at a conference Friday night in Scottsdale, Arizona.

"I think at this moment I have a glimpse of the realm of God," 58-year-old Oliveto said after her election, according to a news story from the church. "Today we took a step closer to embody beloved community and while we may be moving there, we are not there yet. We are moving on to perfection."

More here-

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/16/486300173/united-methodist-church-elects-first-openly-gay-bishop-in-defiance-of-church-rul

Catching smiles: Arizona church embracing role as ‘Pokemon Go’ stop

From Arizona-

An Arizona church that found itself dropped in the center of all the “Pokemon Go” hubbub is welcoming players with open arms and Wi-Fi.

Father Tim True, the rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Yuma, had no idea about the craze until he talked to his teenage daughter about it.

“She started to explain the game to me,” he said. “She said that she was going outside and having a lot of fun with it. I thought, ‘Well. that’s interesting.’

“I thought ‘OK, some other game on her device. OK, that was fun.’ I wasn’t paying much attention to it.”

But True started to pay attention after he found out the church was a Pokestop, which is an essential place for players to stop and recharge to continue the game. He said, rather than get surly about being selected, he decided to have fun with it and embrace the players.
More here-

http://ktar.com/story/1172001/catching-smiles-arizona-church-embracing-role-as-pokemon-go-stop/

Also Miami-

http://www.miamiok.com/news/20160713/gotta-catch-em-all-pokmon-go-frenzy

New rector at St. Philip's in Tucson brings fresh perspective

From Arizona-

In college, the Rev. Robert Hendrickson III would have called his relationship with religion complicated.

He was no longer the boy his grandmother says rode his bike to church with a water bottle, intent on baptizing his stuffed animals with stolen holy water. And he was not yet the man poised to become the new rector of St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church in August.

Hendrickson’s mother and sister died when he was a child. Although he had previously imagined a future in ministry, the loss made him angry at God. He even considered himself an atheist for a time.

But his wife, Karrie Cummings Hendrickson, grew up Methodist and pressed her husband to attend church. He did “to preserve domestic tranquility.”

More here-

http://tucson.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/new-rector-at-st-philip-s-in-tucson-brings-fresh/article_c279da21-2c10-5454-88ca-589ffd8d256c.html

Church services moved following fire

From Phoenix-

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/Clip/10432919/church-services-moved-following-fire#.U90a9HKEmpo.twitter

Priest killed, another one injured in attack at Catholic church in Phoenix

I'm in Phoenix for Executive Council and this story is headlining-

A priest was killed and another critically wounded in an attack at a Catholic church in Phoenix, police said early Thursday.

The Rev. Kenneth Walker was fatally shot, and the Rev. Joseph Terra is hospitalized in critical condition, police and church officials said. It was not clear what type of weapon was used to attack Terra, Sgt. Steve Martos of the Phoenix Police Department said.

A 911 call came in about 9 p.m. Wednesday (12 a.m. ET Thursday) from the Mater Misericordiae, or Mother of Mercy, Mission Catholic Church, Martos said.

The church celebrates Mass in the traditional Latin.

The emergency call to police was for a burglary and was made by one of the victims, Martos said.

More here-

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/12/justice/arizona-church-shooting/

Group of Arizona clergy backs marriage equality

From Arizona-

Clergy members from several Valley churches and church groups say marriage equality is a basic tenet of their beliefs, contradicting the vocal opposition to same-sex marriage by numerous religious groups.

They met Tuesday in Phoenix to illustrate that numerous religious leaders support marriage equality, as opposed to vocal opposition from the Roman Catholic Church and others.

The gathering, put together by Why Marriage Matters Arizona, a group attempting to promote marriage equality in the state, took place at the office of the United Church of Christ, the first Christian denomination to permit gay clergy and marriages in states where it is allowed.

More here-

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/05/28/group-arizona-clergy-backs-marriage-equality/9678085/

Dinner as donations: Church raising funds to build homes for needy

From Arizona-

Including herself, Maria has 10 people, many of whom are children, living in her small home made of plywood and wood pallets just across the border in San Luis Rio Colorado, Son.

Also on the property, her family has a cement washboard and trough to wash and rinse laundry and a clothes line made of barbed wire, as well as an outhouse with a sunken in floor and a rickety door that often doesn’t stay closed.

To support the family, her husband works to sell plastic bottles and cans that he collects in a basket on his bicycle as he rides around the community.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, I don’t know that we have poverty like that in Canada and the U.S.,” said Rossie Smart, a winter visitor to the Yuma area for the last seven years.

Her husband Les explained that he and his wife, along with members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, have teamed up with Casitas de Cristo, a non-profit Christian ministry in Yuma through Trinity United Methodist Church, that partners with a church in Mexico to build homes for families in need in San Luis. They are currently working to build a home for Maria and her family that is expected to be finished on Saturday, Feb. 8.


More here-


http://www.yumasun.com/features/dinner-as-donations-church-raising-funds-to-build-homes-for/article_47b5bb0c-82f6-11e3-add9-0019bb30f31a.html

Az bishop: Include family reunification in immigration reform

From Arizona-

The Episcopal bishop for Arizona joined several religious and union leaders Wednesday urging that family-unification policies be included in any comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

Bishop Kirk Smith said that the family is the “chief social unit in society” and protecting and keeping immigrant families together should be paramount as federal lawmakers consider reform.

“This is one thing that we do all agree on, and that is support of the family, because we consider that to be an imperative that’s given to us by our religion and by our God,” Smith said on a conference call with the other officials.

It came as federal lawmakers continue to work on a comprehensive immigration reform bill that is expected to include calls for border security as well as a possible route to citizenship for those immigrants who are in the country illegally.

Members of the Senate’s so-called Gang of Eight – which includes Arizona Republican Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake – have said they should have a bill ready next week.

More here-

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/040313_immigrant_families/az-bishop-include-family-reunification-immigration-reform/

Bishop plans visit to border April 14

From Arizona-

The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church will visit the U.S.-Mexico border to give an address on border and immigration issues and to participate in the seventh “God Has No Borders” Naco Border Procession in April.

Katharine Jefferts Schori is a nationally recognized leader on pressing social issues of the day. She recently gave an interview to the Huffington Post regarding the acceptance of gay marriage, according to a press release from Rev. Seth Polley, director of Episcopal Border Ministries.

The event will start at Turquoise Valley Golf Course and Country Club in Naco, Arizona, at 9:30 a.m. on April 14. The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona and Episcopal Border Ministries will host “Breakfast with the Bishop.” The bishop will make an address on border and immigration issues, respond to questions, and then participate in the border procession.

Participants will walk along the border wall toward the Naco Port of Entry, carrying crosses for the 210 migrants who have died in Cochise County in the past years. The procession continues into Naco, Sonora, Mexico, with a rededication of the Centro de Esperanza, formerly the Naco Migrant Resource Center.

More here-

http://www.svherald.com/content/news/2012/04/02/256970

Building's shell to be resurrected as church

From Arizona-

A Northeast Valley Episcopal church plans to resurrect the shell of an unfinished office building in north Scottsdale and transform it into a house of worship.

If all goes well, the Episcopal Church of the Nativity will hold services by Christmas in its new church at 22405 N. Miller Road, which is southeast of the former Rawhide theme park.

A monument to the recession, the foundation and walls of the 24,500-square-foot two-story building have been an eyesore in the Sonoran Hills neighborhood.

"It will be a wonderful home for the Christmas celebration," the Rev. Susan Snook said. "We're excited about being part of that neighborhood."

The Episcopal Church of the Nativity, like other commercial and residential buyers, has found a silver lining in the real-estate collapse of four years ago with far more affordable prices for property in Scottsdale.

The church paid $700,000 for the unfinished building, Snook said.

A developer started construction on the office building in 2007, but it came to a halt after the foundation and walls were erected, and the property went into foreclosure.

Read more:

http://www.azcentral.com/business/realestate/articles/2012/03/30/20120330buildings-shell-resurrected-church.html#ixzz1qhO9e6n6

Miracles are happening at St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic in Nogales

From Arizona-

I was holding it together fairly well at St. Andrew's Children's Clinic on Thursday until I saw the walker next to the wall.

It looked just like any walker you'd find in Green Valley, only this one was built for a 3 year old.

That's when it hit me hard and I had to take a minute to get my head back in the game.

St. Andrew's monthly clinic in Nogales gives birth to lots of stories worthy of tears. But on clinic day, there's just no time to get caught up in it all.

There's work to be done, and lots of it.

St. Andrew's has been around in one form or another for about 40 years. In 1973, a group of Mexican women across the border in Nogales were desperate to find help for their disabled children. Their efforts, which eventually shifted north to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Arizona, have served thousands of northern Mexico's neediest children.

Every month, about 250 kids with everything from spina bifida to blindness, cerebral palsy and prosthetic limbs, come to the free clinic for help.

They share at least three realities: They come from dirt-poor families; they have severe disabilities; and they live in a nation that either can't or won't help them.

More here-

http://www.nogalesinternational.com/opinion/guest_opinion/miracles-are-happening-at-st-andrew-s-children-s-clinic/article_00627490-51a0-11e1-9cd7-0019bb2963f4.html

St. Philip's Church to explore US-Mexican border issues

From Arizona-

With border issues at the forefront of the news, many people's response is to seek opportunities for learning, reflection and dialogue about the complex topic.

To that end, Border and Immigration Ministries at St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church this fall will offer two forums, a film screening, a retreat and a field trip to the border.

• "St. Philip's Border and Immigration Ministry Asks 'Why?' " will be presented at 10:15 a.m. Sunday in the West Gallery at the church, 4440 N. Campbell Ave.

The forum will be led by Margi Ault-Duell from BorderLinks, a bi-national educational group focusing on issues of immigration, community formation, development and social justice in the borderlands between Mexico, the United States and beyond.

The forum will explore the root economic and social factors that motivate countless numbers to leave home and face the often grim realities of migration to the United States.

Read more

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/foothills/article_0a9c6c79-194b-5aac-80ef-11aec10cf6d4.html#ixzz1Yg6IkVGW

Presbyterians praise new policy to disregard sexual orientation

From Arizona-

Hallelujahs are sounding loudly from at least two local churches as members celebrate a long-sought change in the Presbyterian Church to fully include everyone regardless of their sexual or gender orientation.

St. Mark's Presbyterian Church has worked to remove obstacles for openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ordination for more than two decades, and it officially joined the national movement, called More Light Presbyterians, in 2006.

Last month, the change came nationwide.

"It's been been a long wait, and St. Mark's is celebrating," said the Rev. Gusti Newquist. "Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are part of God's good creation, and when God calls them to serve as ministers, we should welcome them gratefully. God calls people to serve in the church and church policy should not be a barrier to answering God's call."

The executive director of More Light Presbyterians will visit St. Mark's at 7 p.m. on Sunday for a public celebration.

More here-

http://azstarnet.com/lifestyles/article_50efedf5-d721-5024-b402-4c068d3e172b.html

Sudanese refugees find faith in the future

From CNN Arizona-

In the mid-morning Arizona sun a group of Sudanese immigrants begin to trickle into a small church yard.

Dressed in their finest, young women lead their children, while men meet and mingle on the steps of the church.

As they gather outside, songs of jubilation fill the air as the youth choir begins to practice inside.
This is St. Paul the Apostle Sudanese Episcopal Church, thought to be the first Sudanese church in the United States.

Displaced from their country during its civil war, millions of Sudanese refugees struggled to survive. But for many of the displaced it was their faith that kept them going as they tried to rebuild their lives.

"I feel that I want to serve the community," said the Reverend Anderia Arok, who has led the church since 2008.

More here-

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/24/Sudan.refugees.church/

The Bible Is No Prop

From Arizona-

The most important object on my desk on the House floor is my grandmother's Bible. It was given to her when she was 11 by her mother, a few months before she lost her mother to the 1918 outbreak of Spanish Influenza.

In the pages between the Old and New Testament are handwritten records of my family's births, marriages and deaths. My grandmother recorded her own mother's death in those pages, and the ink is smeared from her tears as she wrote that devastating event.

In the years to follow, my grandmother Evelyn moved all over the country to stay with relatives in Kansas, New Jersey, Colorado, Ohio, and finally, California. Her Bible always stayed by her side. Her life was hard, but I will always remember her eternally hopeful and positive outlook on life. My visits with her as a kid are some of my most treasured memories -- I loved the stories from her life she shared with me.

Every day when I look at that Bible, I gain energy from the memory of her strength.

More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-farley/the-bible-is-no-prop_b_827624.html

St. Luke's hosts 30th "Don't Spend Christmas Alone" dinner

From Arizona-

St. Luke's Episcopal Church will play host to its 30th "Don't Spend Christmas Alone" community dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Christmas Day.

The free event will provide a full Christmas dinner and fellowship for anyone who may be alone on this day. St. Luke's members will also visit and deliver meals to homebound individuals so that they can be a part of this community celebration.

Members of other church organizations, social service agencies and individuals will help St. Luke's members in cooking and serving these meals. Fire personnel from the Prescott Fire Department will help deliver meals to the homebound in Prescott, as they have done in the past.

St. Luke's Episcopal Church is located at 2000 Shepherd's Lane off Ruger Road just north of the Prescott Airport. The church will provide shuttle transportation to those who need it. Shuttles will leave from Albertson's in Prescott from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In the long history of this tradition, thousands of people who would have otherwise spent Christmas alone have enjoyed a warm, home-cooked meal on seasonally decorated banquet tables, surrounded by new and old friends. Some were new to the community, others could not be with family members for various reasons, some were homeless and others simply felt alone.

More here-

http://prescottdailycourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=88760

Churches try to prepare for the secession of southern Sudan

From Arizona-

With the Sudan referendum just a few weeks away, church and government groups are working hard to make sure Sudanese refugees in the US are allowed to vote while living outside their homeland and to assure the voting doesn’t lead to catastrophe.

In the US, more than 50 people of all ages, races, and nationalities attended the summit in Phoenix hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona this week. At least 15 dioceses were represented. Attending were the Rev. Angela Ifill, Episcopal Church black ministries officer; the Rev. Anderia Arok, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Sudanese Church in Phoenix; Judith Conley of the Union of Black Episcopalians; Bishop Samuel Peni of Nzara, Sudan; and the Rev. Canon Petero Sabune, the Episcopal Church's Africa partnerships officer.Bishop Peni told ENS:

I think we in the last few days have discussed many things. We have deliberated over so many concerns, so many challenges," said Peni. "We have looked at where there have been gaps. Those gaps have been identified and we have put them forward and we will put them to the Episcopal Church to see how these gaps can be filled in. To make the community that lives here welcomed fully and that they can serve God here as well as at home.

More here-

http://www.examiner.com/episcopal-in-national/churches-try-to-prepare-for-the-secession-of-southern-sudan

House of Bishops Daily Account for Thursday, Sept. 16

From ELO-

The following Daily Account, issued by the Episcopal Church's Office of Public Affairs, offers an overview of the first day of conversations and activities of the House of Bishops, which is meeting Sept. 16-21 in Phoenix, Arizona. The sessions are closed to the media and the general public.

The House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church is meeting in Phoenix, AZ (Diocese of AZ) from September 16 to September 21. The following is an account of the activities for Thursday, September 16, 2010.

The House of Bishops (HOB) opened today’s session with a welcome from the host, Diocese of Arizona Bishop Kirk Smith. He thanked the bishops who participated in the border visit earlier in the week, which he called "a transformative experience for many of us." He also believed that the border trip was "one of the greatest public witnesses that this House (of Bishops) has made on a public issue." He informed the HOB that if they receive comments about attending a meeting in Arizona, "There really is no boycott and no boycott has been endorsed by any religious bodies or Hispanic groups in this state." Laura Smith pointed to a large blue water tank with a dark blue flag on display in the back of the room. She said these are water stations used in the desert for humanitarian reasons for migrants. The tanks are filled and maintained by Samaritans; the diocese will make a donation in HOB's name to the organization to help to maintain this service, No Mas Muertes.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori welcomed the HOB, introduced new bishops and visitors: ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson; Bishop James Jones of Liverpool (England); Bishop Coadjutor of Cuba Griselda Delgado del Carpio.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_124602_ENG_HTM.htm

Female Catholic priests, again

From Get Religion-

Is there something about non-Roman Catholic churches ordaining women that makes all journalism skills fly out the window? I’m pretty sure there is some ridiculously high correlation between ordinations of women who are not Roman Catholic and poorly written stories about said ordinations. Here’s yet another example, this one from the Arizona Republic: “Catholic church ordains woman as priest.”

At some point in the week, the paper added the word “independent” to the headline. Unfortunately, they didn’t fix the story, which uses the word “Catholic” some two dozen times, as well. Here’s how it begins:

A woman was ordained as a Catholic priest in the Valley on Saturday in the kind of ceremony the Vatican recently condemned as one of the church’s most serious crimes.

More here-

http://www.getreligion.org/?p=42488

Faith Leaders Protest Arizona Immigration Law

From The Christian Post-

Some religious leaders from Arizona and elsewhere are coordinating nationwide protests against the state’s new immigration law, which takes effect Thursday.

Beginning with a prayer vigil at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix early Thursday morning, faith leaders are organizing prayers and rallies into the weekend to denounce SB1070 and call on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

“People are living in fear, afraid to go to work and church, or to leave their home at all,” said the Rev. Trina Zelle, director of the Arizona Interfaith Alliance for Worker Justice and a Presbyterian minister, to reporters on Wednesday.

“SB1070 is dehumanizing and violates our human rights,” said Zelle, who helped lead Thursday morning’s Phoenix prayer vigil. “I believe it grieves God.”

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB1070, the toughest law against illegal immigrants in the nation, in April.

The most controversial part of the law is allowing police officers to stop and interrogate people suspected of being illegal immigrants. Opponents of the law argue the policy would promote racial profiling and open the door to human rights violations.

More here-

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100729/faith-leaders-to-oppose-arizona-immigration-law/