A "Pissing" Section in the Pool

From Olympia-

“A Pissing Section in the Pool.” That is what he said. I don’t even remember what news program and what epidemiologist, as I am in the Zoom/News blur of pandemic life, but I very much remember his answer. The reporter asked the epidemiologist, “with no federal coordinated response, and some governors defying guidelines for reopening, do you think this uncoordinated approach will work?” The epidemiologist just looked back at the camera and said, “does a pissing section in the pool work?”

And like a Damascus road experience I was suddenly able to see in a way I had not before. You may be wondering where I am going with this, and those of you that hound me about “staying out of politics” or “staying in my lane” which usually is translated really to, staying out of YOUR politics, or out of YOUR lane, I am going to look at this theologically, the Church, my lane.

More here-

http://www.bishoprickel.com/blog/a-pissing-section-in-the-pool?fbclid=IwAR20zMrmc1Ge72kVwwpxjdNw52HkoSUXFl5XpO5X-Vza7hCJ0VxHCfGyOlQ#

Longtime Kittitas County pastor who died of COVID-19 complications was a friend to many with a ‘wicked sense of humor’

From Seattle-

Grace Episcopal Church’s Rev. Andrea Bowman was many things to many people.

The longtime Kittitas County resident was an educator, a school board member, a woman of God, a friend and colleague and much, much more. If she could have hand-picked a time to leave this world, Palm Sunday certainly would have been a special day, commemorating Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem where people put palm fronds down in front of his path.

The Rev. Bowman, 73, became the first Kittitas County resident to die from complications related to the virus that causes COVID-19. She died at 4:15 p.m. April 5, Palm Sunday, at the University of Washington ICU unit in Seattle.

Her time of death will be forever overshadowed by memories of the life she lived, longtime friend and former colleague Dr. Linda Beath said in a telephone interview from Tucson, Arizona.

More here-

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/obituaries/longtime-kittitas-county-pastor-who-died-of-covid-19-complications-was-a-friend-to-many-with-a-wicked-sense-of-humor/

A live-streamed Lent: Seattle cathedrals empty on Sunday morning due to COVID-19 guidelines

From Seatttle-

The shutdowns of worship were directed by Etienne and Episcopal Bishop Greg Rickel, in accordance with Gov. Jay Inslee's limit of 250 persons at public gatherings. "While I cannot disclose details we do, in fact, now have several of our churches affected directly with some of the people in quarantine," Rickel wrote.

Such services as the 10 a.m. Sunday mass at St. James draw a heavy turnout of elderly worshippers, who are especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Other places of worship in the Puget Sound area are likewise live streaming, Temple de Hirsch with its Shabbat services, Seattle's First United Methodist Church with its Sunday morning worship. The Cedar Park Church in Bothell is doing online worship. Likewise, Seattle First Baptist Church is having online worship only, and Sunday printed a sermon by Rev. Dr. Tim Phillips, along with Psalm 95 ("We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care").

More here-

https://www.seattlepi.com/coronavirus/article/A-live-streamed-Lent-Seattle-cathedrals-empty-15132901.php

Hate graffiti hits Seattle's St. Mark's Cathedral over Martin Luther King holiday

From Seattle-

Hate graffiti was scrawled on the outside of three Puget Sound-area Episcopal churches, including St. Mark's Cathedral on Capitol Hill, last week on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The scrawled messages at St. Mark's included "Marxist Idiots," "Wake Up" and "Communism is the sworn enemy of Christianity."

The cathedral has erected a giant banner over the defamatory message. It reads "LOVE WINS."
"What we were teaching obviously struck a nerve with those who do not like the message that Martin Luther King professed and that the Gospel teaches," said Episcopal Bishop Greg Rickel over the phone from the Holy Land where he is leading a pilgrimage. "We must be gathering attention and doing so worries them."

More here-

https://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Hate-graffiti-hits-St-Mark-s-Cathedral-over-M-L-15011574.php

Seattle church offers sanctuary to man facing deportation

From Seattle-

A Seattle church is providing sanctuary to a construction company owner who came to the U.S. from Mexico illegally years ago.

Jaime Rubio Sulficio had been ordered to leave the country by March 28 but on Friday took sanctuary at Seattle’s St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral.

The move is intended to take advantage of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidelines to avoid arrests at sensitive locations such as places of worship while he works with lawyers to seek a legal remedy to his immigration status.

Rubio Sulficio said the decision was not easy, and he and his wife Keiko Maruyama agonized for months over the move. His wife and his 6-year-old son are both U.S. citizens, and the family wanted to remain together.

“Thinking of him growing up without me around breaks my heart,” Rubio Sulficio said.

More here-

https://www.columbian.com/news/2019/mar/30/seattle-church-offers-sanctuary-to-man-facing-deportation/

Episcopal Church to victims of clergy abuse: Come forward

From Olympia-

The Episcopal Church, lifting a statute of limitations on reporting sexual abuse by clerics, has created a three-year window when any allegation of misconduct at any time can be brought forward to church authorities.

"In short, you do not have to wonder if the allegation comes from long ago," the Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel, Episcopal Bishop of Olympia, has written in a pastoral letter to be read in parishes and missions across Western Washington.

The General Convention of the church, meeting in Austin, Texas, last summer, passed a resolution amending church canons (laws) and suspending the statute of limitations on reporting misconduct. It created a three-year period, starting Jan. 1, 2019 and lasting through Dec. 31, 2021.

More here-

https://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Episcopal-Church-to-victims-of-clergy-abuse-13527177.php

Pastoral Letter from Bishop Rickel on Suspension of Statute of Limitations for Clergy Sexual Misconduct

From Olympia-

Pastoral Letter from Bishop Rickel

To all the good people of the Diocese of Olympia,

This past summer, at our General Convention in Austin, Texas, the Episcopal Church took some historic and much needed steps in addressing past abuses by clergy toward lay persons and toward other clergy in the church.   For far too long there has been too much silence, and often misdirection, when persons in our church were brave enough to bring such allegations forward.   I am writing this letter, and asking that it be read in every congregation,on Sunday January 6th and/or January 11th,  in order to make you aware of the implementation of one specific resolution from General Convention, namely, D034, which called for the lifting of the statutes of limitations as spelled out in Title IV.19.4 of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church specifically as it relates to sexual misconduct of clergy. That three year period of suspension begins on January 1, 2019 and will run until December 31, 2021.

More here-

https://bishoprickel.wordpress.com/2019/01/01/pastoral-letter-from-bishop-rickel-on-suspension-of-statue-of-limitations-for-clergy-sexual-misconduct/?fbclid=IwAR3tsvePN8QpHpyEa7PLMUfBEGE-Y1NBKvzkO_WrhVsScMq6yC2hPP1FIc8

Hundreds march in Seattle to protest separation of immigrant families

From Seattle-

Religious leaders Thursday evening said they were tired of having their faith used to justify the separation of migrant families at the southern U.S. border.

Hundreds of people showed up to march from Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral to St. James Cathedral in Seattle to advocate for the families caught up in  President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which has separated more than 2,000 children from their parents. Trump signed an executive order Wednesday reversing the family-separation policy, but the administration has not made clear how and whether the children currently detained would be reunited with their families.

“There’s no recourse for how they’re going to be returned to their families,” said Rabbi Daniel Weiner, of Temple De Hirsch Sinai.

Those attending the interfaith event packed Saint Mark’s cathedral with signs denouncing the Trump administration.

More here-

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/hundreds-pray-and-march-in-seattle-to-protest-separation-of-immigrant-families/

Bishop Curry at St. Luke’s in Vancouver: ‘Love is the cure’

From Olympia-

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church nearly packed both Sunday morning services for a visit from the Most Rev. Michael Curry, who sermonized on the power of love, keeping with a theme from his sermon at the royal wedding in May, where many first discovered his ebullient style.

Curry is the presiding bishop an primate, the elected chief pastor and senior most bishop, of the Episcopal Church of the United States.

Millions outside the church first heard Curry in May, as he presided at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and shared a powerful sermon at Windsor Castle in England.

Curry’s last visit to the Vancouver church was in 2007, said St. Luke’s Rev. Jaime Case. At the time, Curry was the bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina, and the church rented out the hangar at Pearson Field.

More here-

https://www.columbian.com/news/2018/jun/17/bishop-curry-love-is-the-cure/

Hymnathons: Episcopal choirs perform marathon-style training events to raise funds

From Seattle-

Fiona Campbell prepared for last weekend’s test of endurance by eating a good breakfast, hydrating and keeping a big water bottle by her side.

The Jan. 27 event wasn’t a 26.2-mile race, a running marathon. It was a hymnathon — a test of singing stamina like no other.

“It’s going to be a looooooong time,” said Campbell, 20, the week before the fundraising event. Campbell’s been a chorister at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, since she was 10. To raise money for the Evensong Choir to sing at historical cathedrals in England this summer, choir members sang the first verses of 720 hymns for almost nine hours straight. They had a 15-minute morning break, a one-hour lunch break and a 15-minute afternoon break.

Working through the Hymnal 1982, they started with hymn No. 1 at 8 a.m. They also devoted two hours to singing all the verses of the special dedication hymns chosen by donors who gave an extra amount for the honor. To fit it all in, they had two timekeepers to help singers average about 30 seconds a hymn, with the goal to cross the finish line by 6 p.m.

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/01/29/hymnathons-episcopal-choirs-perform-marathon-style-training-events-to-raise-funds/

Bishop Rickel Responds to Las Vegas Shooting

From Diocese of Olympia-

Dear Ones,

Like you I awoke Monday morning to the horrifying news of the senseless slaughter of innocent citizens in Las Vegas by a lone gunman, tremendously over armed with firepower that, in my mind,  should not be allowed in the hands of anyone but our military and our police force. On that same morning I was scheduled to leave for a week of fellowship and bonding with several of our clergy in the mountains, and out of all TV or internet connections. I have to admit that part was a blessing. I have returned to find both, the debate I have come to expect, but also some of the same excuses and lack of courage on the part of our public officials. This tragedy is yet another stark reminder of the brokenness and violence that plagues our nation. I, like you, grieve yet again this tragic loss of life. My prayers go out to the hundreds of victims and their families and my heart breaks for those who have lost friends, family, and loved ones.

With shootings like this happening far too frequently, it’s easy to become numb and find ourselves paralyzed by inaction. However, we mustn’t give into the despair that tells us change is hopeless, futile, or vain. We must remain engaged with this issue of gun violence and demand that our government take action so that mass shootings like the one in Las Vegas never happen again. And we should not wait, as seems to be our human flaw so often, until such violence comes to our home, our family, our lives. That it has happened to any person in the human family should be reason, and in fact as a Christian, to call and demand our attention and action.

More here-

https://ecww.org/bishop-rickel-responds-las-vegas-shooting/

House of Bishops, Alaska, Day 1 and 2

From The Bishop of Olympia-

I arrived in Fairbanks on an Alaska flight from Seattle filled with bishops and other support staff headed for our meeting in Alaska.  We were all warmly welcomed in Fairbanks by Bishop Mark Lattime and by members of the diocese.  The first night was mostly about getting settled in and resting.  That was easier for me this time considering Alaska is basically in our neighborhood and this is most often not the case.

Thursday we met with several of the elders of the Athabascan people and heard presentations about culture in Alaska.  The Presiding Bishop was gifted with a beaver skin miter and then the visiting elder reminded him, and us, that it is customary to dance after receiving a gift.  Our PB did not miss a beat!

More here-

https://bishoprickel.wordpress.com/2017/09/23/house-of-bishops-alaska-day-1-and-2/

Ex-altar boy files sex suit against Portland church

From Oregon-

 A former altar boy at a Portland church has filed a $3.1 million lawsuit against the church contending he was repeatedly sexually abused by a choir director in the early 1960s.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the Portland man now in his late 60s contends in the lawsuit that the abuse took place at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church.

The lawsuit filed Thursday accuses former choir director Jay Shisler of sexually abusing the man when he was a boy of 11 and 12 years old. Shisler died in 2001 at age 60.

More here-

http://nbc4i.com/2017/07/23/ex-altar-boy-files-sex-suit-against-portland-church/

Churches vow to shelter immigrants

From Seattle-

Puget Sound-area faith leaders, gathered at St. Mark's Cathedral, delivered a May Day message of defiance to the Trump administration and a bid to put the ice on ICE raids targeting undocumented immigrants.

In a re-launching of the Sanctuary Movement, congregations pledged to serve as "places of respite and refuge on a short-term basis in the case of local raids, sweeps or communal fear of harassment or hate violence."

"We will welcome the outside, the stranger, the undocumented immigrant, the documented immigrant," said Father Antonio Illas of St. Matthew/San Mateo Episcopal Church in Auburn.

More here-

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Churches-in-May-Day-pledge-of-respite-and-11112559.php?cmpid=fb-desktop

Episcopal diocese joins federal lawsuit against Trump travel ban

From Washington State-

President Donald Trump is not a man of the pews but has attended Christmas Eve eucharist at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida, the setting in which Trump took Melania as his third bride.

On the other side of the country, Episcopalians are suing him.

The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia has joined with the ACLU and two unnamed University of Washington students to file a lawsuit challenging Trump's executive order temporarily banning refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim nations.

The diocese argues that the work of its Refugee Resettlement Office (RRO) "has been completely disrupted" by the Trump executive order.

"Not only have families in transit or on the verge of transit been placed in additional crisis and stress, but the chaos surrounding the implementation of the executive order has also required the RRO to expend additional, unplanned-for resources."

More here-

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Episcopal-Diocese-joins-lawsuit-against-Trump-10918608.php

St. Mark's Cathedral: 'We will name racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia as sins'

From Seattle-


Saint Mark's Cathedral is ringing in the new year with a ringing defense of diversity in American life, with a definition of "religious liberty" worlds apart from right-wing evangelists calling for the freedom of believers to discriminate.

The governing vestry of Seattle's Episcopal cathedral adopted a "Statement of Commitment and Action" just before Christmas, laying on the line its definition of what it means to "live the words of Jesus".  And it bluntly identifies what is sin:

"We will reject White Nationalism," says the statement.  "We will name racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia as sins. We believe all people are made in God's image, and we affirm diversity as a gift, blessing and opportunity for our nation."

The statement goes further, saying St. Mark's will put its values on the line in the era of Donald Trump.

More here-

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/St-Mark-s-Cathedral-to-name-racism-10825090.php

'I was hungry and you gave me food'

From Anglican Journal-

Take a priest who was a Wisconsin dairy farm boy, instill in him a longing for the fields, place him in one of the most fertile valleys in the Northwest, surround him with Episcopalians and others called to serve their communities, and the yield is more than a million servings of winter squash.

The farmer-priest is the Rev. Jim Eichner, also the rector of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Redmond, Washington, a wealthy nexus for technology companies, including Microsoft. The farm is the Food Bank Farm, sponsored by Holy Cross. Food Lifeline, based in nearby Seattle, is the recipient and distributes the produce to its 275 members that run feeding programs.

Eichner and the parish began the farm in 2011 with 12 volunteers, on land in the Snohomish River Valley at Chinook Farms. The 132-acre community-supported swath of land on which niche farmers lease growing ground is owned by Eric Fritch, senior warden at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Snohomish. Eichner and the volunteers took out 3,750 pounds of food from their plot that first year.
More here-

http://www.anglicanjournal.com/articles/-i-was-hungry-and-you-gave-me-food

For 27 years, these Seattle women have served food and ‘unconditional love’ to the needy

From Seattle-

Every Friday, Nancy Rogers opens the battered, former cream-puff box with the hole cut out of the lid, sits at a plastic-covered table at the back of the room and reads the prayer requests that have been slipped inside by the homeless people who come for breakfast five days a week.

“They’re for housing,” she said of the requests. “They’re for jobs. They’re for a relative who is sick. They’re for getting along with each other.”

Rogers and her colleagues at the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church feeding program bow their heads and pray for all those things and more.

Then they get up and start lunch for the more than 100 people who will come in off the streets of Ballard and beyond — the sixth and last meal of the week made by this army of older women who have never stopped being mothers.

More here-

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/for-27-years-these-seattle-women-have-served-food-and-unconditional-love-to-the-needy/

Churches’ declining numbers inspire creative approach

From Olympia-

Conversations about Christlike love overlap with sounds of scraping silverware and a waitress asking “Who’s number 45?” “Who ordered the burrito?”

Members of First Presbyterian Church in Vancouver gather every other Thursday for “theopub,” a time of informal fellowship and book discussion. It’s not a Bible study group, at least not directly. On a recent Thursday, its members were discussing “Searching for Sunday” by Rachel Held Evans, and her story of leaving the church like many of her millennial peers and returning years later.

“We get to eat, drink beer and talk theology. You can’t beat that,” said Gary Cotton, who’s been going to First Presbyterian for three years.

Theopubs aren’t new. St. Anne’s Episcopal Church has theopubs at Amnesia Brewing in Washougal on the third Thursday of every month. For First Presbyterian Rev. Josh Rowley, it’s a chance to get the church out of its building and into the community — and possibly attract new members.

More here-

http://www.columbian.com/news/2016/feb/21/clark-county-churches-creative-approach-declining-numbers/

Arrests in church thefts

From Washington State-

The first time the thieves broke into St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Marysville they mainly grabbed expensive musical equipment.

The congregation was told not to expect to see their property again. It would be difficult to track down. The equipment likely was going to be sold to make some quick cash, a means to pay for a drug addiction.

The parishioners looked on the bright side. No one was hurt, the equipment could be replaced and the thieves had left behind the more meaningful items used in worship.

Three days later church members filed in for Sunday services. The thieves had been back.

More here-

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140915/NEWS01/140919398