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From Ohio-
Ohio House Bill 36 is being considered by the Ohio Senate, after passing the House in June with a vote of 61-29.
he "Pastor Protection Act" would prevent any ordained or licensed
religious official from facing any civil or criminal lawsuits if they
decline to perform a marriage that goes against their "sincerely held
religious beliefs."
But this is something Father Cuff, of All Saints' Episcopal Church, doesn't believe is necessary.
The decision to marry a couple or not is already protected by the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
He's doesn't think many couples would
want to get married in a church that isn't willing to perform their
marriage in the first place.
"The courthouse is three blocks away," Cuff said.
He believes that the creators of the bill are afraid that lawsuits could happen.
"I'm guessing there has to be some measure of fear behind it," he said.
But says he isn't worried.
More here-
https://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Local-priest-reacts-to-Ohio-Pastor-protection-act--501591451.html
From Ohio-
Downtown Dayton has a brand new twisty path.
Reconciliation Labyrinth is now open at Christ Episcopal Church, 20 W. First St., Tom Schaefer, the project’s director, told this news organization.
The church considers it a public space.
“It is not hidden in the bowels of the church,” he said. “It is out for there for anyone to use.”
The church exceeded its $30,000 goal for the project by about $10,000.
The money will be used for landscaping, printed material, maintenance and other needs.
More here-
https://www.mydaytondailynews.com/lifestyles/not-hidden-labyrinth-now-open-downtown-dayton/z5gDmZBqm6TCcS9XUVaqmJ/
From Southern
Ohio-
The Rev. R. Derrick Fetz, a 2000 graduate of Urbana High School, will
serve as the next dean of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Buffalo,
New York (www.spcbuffalo.org), beginning in September. The Vestry, the
top leadership body at the local level, unanimously elected Fetz after a
series of interviews with prospective candidates conducted by an
interview team.
After being asked to consider the opportunity, Fetz was drawn to the
position because of the Cathedral’s commitment to making a difference in
the daily lives of those who call Buffalo home, including the homeless
and marginalized, its implementation of a variety of worship styles, its
diversity among parishioners, its success in partnering with and
attracting Millennials, its focus on inclusion and social justice, and
its appreciation for choral music.
The cathedral in many Episcopal dioceses is the mother church and
spiritual center of the diocese, holding many worship services and other
events on behalf of the diocese. As a result, a dean of a cathedral
works closely with the diocese’s bishop and her/his staff to plan and
implement a variety of festivities, including major holiday services,
ordinations, festivals and lectures. In addition, the dean oversees the
day-to-day life of the Cathedral, its staff, and its programs.
More here-
https://www.urbanacitizen.com/news/64033/urbana-native-elected-dean-of-buffalo-cathedral
From Newark-
Trinity Episcopal Church parishioners experienced a combination of sadness, relief and anticipation at Sunday's final service in the sanctuary before demolition of the 125-year-old church.
Demolition of the crumbling downtown building on the corner of East Main and First streets began in mid-December but will take several months because every stone will be sold for salvage.
Chuck Morello, senior warden at the church, said the demolition work ends five years of making every effort to save the structure. It will be at least April before demolition is completed, and probably three years before another building takes its place.
"It's sad to see it go," Morello said. "There were a lot of tears at the service Sunday. I think we have parishioners everywhere from sad to relieved. It's been a long slog. We've been five years at this.
More here-
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/2018/01/17/trinity-episcopal-church-demolition-underway-downtown/1040059001/
From Southern Ohio-
The Diocese of Southern Ohio, in partnership with other community faith leaders, and a host of death row exonerees, is urgently encouraging Governor Kasich to reconsider the reinstatement of this punishment given the state’s questionable history of wrongful convictions and botched executions.
“While certain crimes can be difficult to forgive, we must remember that we are all children of God,” Bishop Thomas Breidenthal said. “As Christians, we should respect human life as precious, and not sanction death via our very human, and sometimes flawed, criminal justice system.”
Those looking to learn more or get involved with the movement are encouraged to contact their respective congress person or senator and ask them to halt this process, or by signing the petition via the link below:More here-
http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/diocese-of-southern-ohio-objects-to-reinstatement-of-death-penalty-60731/
From Columbus-
The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio also takes Holy Communion, but it allows members to consume gluten-free wafers, said Canon Lynn Carter-Edmands.
“We’re taking this sacrament seriously in the Episcopal church,” Carter-Edmands said. “The sacrament is meant to be life giving and not a burden and not a health hazard.”
One to two percent of people worldwide have celiac disease and up to 10 percent more might have a heightened sensitivity to gluten, said Dr. Marty Meyer, a gastroenterologist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.
Celiac disease is characterized by damage to the small intestine from ingesting gluten, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. The only treatment is a gluten-free diet.
“It doesn’t take a whole lot of gluten to incite the intestinal damage,” Meyer said. “I would tell someone to potentially just see how they feel after taking in a Communion wafer. ... See if over time that’s leading to an issue.”
More here-
http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170714/gluten-in-holy-communion-wafers-causes-problems-for-some
From Southern Ohio-
The Trump Administration said the immigration ban was needed to fight terrorism.
"We live in a world where somehow Islam is defined by ISIS and their likes," Nooh said. "We are trying to reclaim our narrative from the people who tainted our faith."
The first travel ban led to widespread protests and demonstrations across the country, including Columbus.
Rev. Dan Clark with the group Faith in Public Life has planned a prayer rally at Trinity Episcopal Church in Downtown Columbus Tuesday afternoon. He said he's opposed to the ban for the same reasons he was against the first one.
More here-
http://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/local-religious-groups-joining-together-to-oppose-travel-ban-fight-islamophobia
From Cincinnati-
Noel Julnes-Dehner is the writer, producer and director of the documentary, called "Coming Home From the Streets." It looks at the dark world of prostitution in the Queen City.
She said Cincinnatians are surprised prostitution is in the area.
“Women can get off the streets and it takes a lot of support, many relapses but they want off and they can get off,” Julnes-Dehner said.
This is the third documentary Julnes-Dehner has created. This one took a year to organize and six months to shoot and edit.
“My films are human-interest stories,” she said.
More here-
http://www.wlwt.com/news/cincinnati-woman-takes-up-human-trafficking-issue-in-documentary/36688158
From Ohio-
It has been a long journey for members of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Newark, one whose first steps were taken with trepidation but now, with faith, have become confident strides toward a goal.
It was about two years ago when the congregation learned that the massive, nearly 125-year-old timbers supporting the expansive slate roof above the sanctuary were rotting from water damage.
Fear that the beams would crumble under the weight of the roof meant the congregation might have to abandon its beautiful place of worship, a nave bathed in light from some of the most beautiful stained-glass windows in Licking County.
Faced with a monumental decision of abandoning the church or taking on a repair estimated at more than $1 million, the church members, after some debate, chose restoration.
More here-
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/04/27/flock-rescues-church.html
From Ohio-
In her 12 years as an ordained minister, the Rev. Sarah Reed has concentrated on a core message, one that she preaches 50 different ways a year.
She said that message — about God’s love and inclusiveness — won’t change when she takes the pulpit next weekend to participate in Sermon Sunday sponsored by Why Marriage Matters Ohio.
Reed will preach at the Downtown First Congregational Church United Church of Christ, joining more than 200 other clergy members around the state who are expected to speak to congregations in support of same-sex marriage.More here-
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/04/11/ohio-ministers-sermons-to-support-gay-marriage.html
From Cincinnati-
A horrible tragedy that changed the lives of a Hartwell family in June 2013 has mobilized a community that helped a mother pick up the pieces for herself and her three young children.
Ornuma Ao‘s husband, Richard Evans, was shot and killed on a summer during a robbery at his restaurant, Cosmic Pizza. His death left her alone, in a foreign country, with no friends or family.
A neighbor who happened to drive past, as Evans fell to the ground, stopped and called 911, then offered comfort to Ao (pronounced “O”) and her children, Jimmy, Zoey and Ashton.
That outreach continues today, and Ao’s circle of friends has expanded beyond her neighborhood, to Wyoming, where members of Ascension and Holy Trinity Church, St. James of the Valley and Wyoming Presbyterian Church have filled every need, and the family had many.
More here-
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/community-news/2014/12/30/strangers-become-key-familys-survival/21058247/
From Ohio-
A church’s plans to build a nine-story residential apartment on Woodruff Avenue were halted after Ohio State promised nearly $13 million in exchange for scrapping the project.
OSU is paying St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, located at 30 W. Woodruff Ave. across from Ramseyer Hall, more than $12.8 million to withdraw the church’s proposed project, according to an agreement released by the university in June. Other items in the agreement grant the university right of first refusal if the church, which has been at its current location for more than 80 years, decides to sell its property and permit the university to weigh in on any of the church’s future projects, OSU spokesman Gary Lewis said.
The proposed project, which was originally being called the Lofts at St. Stephen’s, would have housed somewhere between 250 to 280 students, according to Rev. George Glazier, rector of St. Stephen’s.
“We were ready to break ground on building and the university did not want us to do that,” Glazier said, who added the housing was meant to “pull students closer in to this area.”
The church will receive a one-time payment of $7.5 million from the university with the remaining $3 million to be payable in 25 years at an interest rate of 5 percent, which is nearly $213,000 a year, according to the agreement.
In addition to the money, the church will get 100 parking spots inside Arps Garage on Sunday mornings, which will ease parking difficulties for churchgoers, Glazier said.
Lewis said the church’s project was not consistent with the university’s plans for the North Residential District.
“The university felt that the previously proposed high-density housing project would be a potential functional and aesthetic detriment to an important gateway into the campus and the North Residential District, which is now moving forward in support of our Second-year Transformational Experience Program,” Lewis said in an email.
More here-
http://www.thelantern.com/campus/ohio-state-pays-church-not-to-build-housing-1.3051305#.UhXu0hY0bUE
From Southern Ohio-
A Westerville congregation that lost about two-thirds of its members in 2007 after a rift within the Episcopal Church is selling its building and worshipping in a temporary space as it tries to redefine itself as “a church without walls,” its presiding priest said this week.
A “For Sale” is posted in front of the 23,995-square-foot St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church at 233 S. State St., where congregants held their final service on July 7. Their first service in borrowed space at a respite-care center drew about 100 people the following week, said the Rev. Joseph Kovitch, who oversees the congregation.
“It’s a powerful story of a community of people who hold deeply to their faith, to their beliefs, but also to a desire to be diverse,” Kovitch said. “What we are is really the new beginning, the new opportunity to become what we want to become. “
The church had more than 500 members when it split. The group that left with the Rev. Ron Baird formed St. Andrew’s Anglican Church and began worshipping in Lewis Center in 2008. Dozens of congregations across the country experienced similar divisions following the Episcopal Church’s 2003 consecration of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, as a bishop in New Hampshire.
More here-
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/faith_and_values/2013/08/02/st--matthews-episcopal-must-sell-church-after-split.html
From Southern Ohio-
It’s been 384 days since the parishioners of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Granville have been displaced from their historic church.
That’s equivalent to 9,216 hours, or 552,960 minutes. Any way you look at it, it’s been a long time.
But there is an end in sight: The church will reopen its doors Aug. 4 for the first time since a devastating summer 2012 storm. The Sunday service has been appropriately titled, “Coming Home.”
The ceiling of the church was damaged by the straight line winds that rolled through Central Ohio during the derecho June 29, 2012. The original trusses that support the ceiling cracked, causing it to drop 3 feet.
Steel posts immediately were installed to keep the ceiling from completely caving in. The damage was so severe the church had to be closed, leaving the Rev. Stephen Applegate and his parish without a home.
“I think it was tough for everyone not to be able to go in, especially because this is a very historic building in the heart of Granville,” said Peggy Corrigan, communication specialist for the church. “We’re very proud of our church, and we hated to see it damaged.”
More here-
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20130719/LIFESTYLE/307190003/Almost-home-St-Luke-s-Episcopal-parishioners-eagerly-await-return-historic-church?nclick_check=1
From Ohio-
Dear Editor,
Every day more than 1.5 million Ohioans, nearly 14 percent of our population, wake up without health insurance coverage. As a result, many of them go without treatment until their condition becomes more severe and more costly to address. Often when they do seek treatment, it is in the most expensive way possible: through emergency rooms and hospitals. The cost of caring for the uninsured falls to everyone. Those with health coverage pay more in treatment costs, and we all pay more in taxes to support local and state public health programs. This budget cycle the Governor and legislature have an opportunity to control health care costs for the benefit of all Ohioans by expanding our Medicaid program, as provided for in the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). To do so is consistent with Gov. Kasich’s efforts over the last two years to transform Medicaid in Ohio — reducing costs and improving the program’s efficiency. As Christian leaders, we hear the call of Jesus to reach out to the poor and those on the margins of society. We believe that Medicaid Expansion will help stabilize health care to the poor and marginalized among us. We are leaders of a faith community that believes all are equal in the sight of God.
More here-
http://www.mydailytribune.com/view/full_story/21523654/article-Episcopal-church-officials-speak-on-health-care
From Ohio-
