How Ebola Took A Toll On One American Church

From NPR- (with audio link)

On a typical Sunday, the pews in Trinity Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. are almost full. But a few months ago, the large stone church with stained glass windows in northwest Washington, D.C. began looking rather empty. Roughly a quarter of the congregation — 50 people — had stopped showing up.

At first, Rev. John Harmon, the head of the church, wasn't sure what was going on. Then he started getting phone calls from parishioners. "Some folks called to say, I'm not coming to church because I don't know who's traveling [to West Africa]," Harmon says.

More here-

http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2015/01/02/374582083/how-ebola-took-a-toll-on-one-american-church?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=world

'Super-astute' Welby faces big challenges ahead

From The BBC-

At an orphanage just outside Freetown in Sierra Leone, the Archbishop of Canterbury looks totally at ease as he not only watches, smiling, but takes part as the children sing to greet him.

Most of them have lost parents to Ebola. Some, though, have survived the virus, but cannot return to their homes because other villagers still fear they might infect others.

It is a brief trip, but there is just enough time for Archbishop Justin Welby to offer a heartfelt prayer to the congregation at St George's Cathedral in Freetown where his visit is warmly welcomed as a sign that the suffering of the people of Sierra Leone - and the over 2,000 who have died of Ebola there - is not forgotten.

More here-

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30502143

Ebola attacks what makes us human, says Archbishop of Canterbury

From Anglican News (with video)-

In a video recorded for a World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation on the Ebola response being held today in Geneva, the Archbishop also stressed the “absolutely crucial” contribution of churches and other faith communities in responding to the crisis.

The WCC meeting brings together representatives of Christian health, development and aid organizations and UN agencies to learn from each other and seek ways of collaboration to escalate their efforts.

In the video Archbishop Justin spoke of the "deep sorrow" he encountered on a visit to West Africa last month, where he met with the Chief of Staff of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) in Accra, Ghana.

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2014/11/ebola-attacks-what-makes-us-human,-says-archbishop-of-canterbury.aspx

Presiding Bishop calls for prayer for Liberia, West Africa

From ENS-

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has urged Episcopalians to observe the Second Sunday in Advent, December 7, as a day of prayer for those in the Diocese of Liberia and the entire Anglican Church of the Province of West Africa, areas heavily affected by the current Ebola pandemic.

“The Diocese of Liberia was founded by Episcopalians in 1836, and was a diocese of The Episcopal Church until the early 1980s, when it joined the Province of West Africa,” noted Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori. “Today we continue in a covenant relationship of mutual support and fellowship.”
She continued, “Liberia is at the epicenter of the recent Ebola outbreak, and Episcopalians have turned Cuttington University (Suakoku) into a center for response in rural northern Liberia.  

The Anglican Province of West Africa includes all three nations (Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone) where the pandemic continues to develop.  The suffering and death is enormous, the economy is devastated, schools are closed, yet the caring and compassionate response continues.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/11/20/presiding-bishop-calls-for-prayer-for-liberia-west-africa/

Ghanaians must support measures to fight Ebola - Archbishop of Canterbury

From Ghana-

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Portal Welby, has encouraged Ghanaians not to be scared of the Ebola disease but rather face the reality of its existence and support the measures being taken to seal it.

Most Rev. Welby said there was no medically demonstrated magic treatment for the disease, and thus urged Ghanaians to watch out for the signs or symptoms for early treatment.

He made this known during an interview with the Daily Graphic at the residence of the British High Commissioner, Mr Jon Benjamin, in Accra during a three-day visit from the United Kingdom to the country.

More here-

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=333743

Ebola victims feel ‘forsaken’ says Liberian bishop

From The Church Times-

SUFFERERS from of the Ebola virus in West Africa believe that "God has forsaken them", a Liberian Roman Catholic bishop, the Rt Revd Anthony Fallah Borwah, has said.

Bishop Borwah was prevented from attending Pope Francis's recent synod on the family because of the travel ban on countries affected by the virus.

He urged his fellow bishops, and the Church, to remember that it was the poor who are their priority, and said that whole families were being "decimated".

Speaking to the US Catholic News Service, he said: "We are losing our humanity in the face of Ebola. . . This disease makes impossible ordinary human kindnesses, such as putting your arm around someone who is crying."

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/24-october/news/world/ebola-victims-feel-‘forsaken’-says-liberian-bishop

Ebola In Church: A Reverend's Quarantine Spreads The Word

From NPR-

Night clubs have shut their doors. Soccer leagues have been suspended. And a strict curfew is keeping the streets empty at night.

But there's one place in Monrovia where people continue to gather despite the threat of Ebola: Sunday church service.

Since Ebola broke out in Liberia's capital city, more people have started coming to Sunday service at Trinity Cathedral, says the Very Rev. Herman Browne. And like many priests across Monrovia, Browne has been spreading the word about Ebola prevention through his sermons.

More here-

http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/10/20/357399593/ebola-in-church-a-reverends-quarantine-spreads-the-word

Bishops call for Ebola focus to be on overseas care

From The Church Times-

THE scale of the suffering in West Africa should be in the forefront of people's minds when considering the Ebola virus, not the fear of a small outbreak in the UK, two C of E bishops have said.

Their words came as the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that the number of dead had reached 4447. Anthony Banbury, Senior United Nations System Coordinator for Ebola, told a special session of the UN Security Council on Tuesday that, unless more concerted action was taken against the disease, the world would "face an entirely unprecedented situation for which we do not have a plan".

The Government this week introduced a much criticised system for screening passengers returning to the UK from West Africa, at a cost of £9 million.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/17-october/news/world/bishops-call-for-ebola-focus-to-be-on-overseas-care

Local churches monitoring Ebola situation

From Philadelphia-

Catholics consider the bread and wine to be turned into the body and blood of Christ during Mass. While some parishes allow communicants to sip from the chalice, parishioners at Mount Carmel who want to receive Holy communion in the form of wine as well as bread take it by intinction, where the bread is dipped into the wine.

“We don’t do it from the cup, we feel there is too much possibility of the communication of disease,” Hagan said.

Bishop Clifton Daniel of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania issued this statement about the Ebola situation: “The Episcopal Church is committed to the well-being of all people. The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania does not perceive an immediate threat to our community at this time. Because of this we will continue to celebrate the Eucharist and worship as we normally do and invite people to join us. We continue to pray for those affected by the outbreak of Ebola and lift them up in our hearts and prayers.

More here-

http://www.theintell.com/news/local/churches-monitoring-ebola-situation/article_3d05fcab-3b18-590e-873e-82c0ed5f6c98.html

Anglican Church provides land for Ebola fight

From Sierra Leon-

Ola During Children’s Hospital in the East End of Freetown can now boast of a well-spacious Ebola Isolation Unit outside its hospital premise, following the gratis provision of a portion of land measuring 0.5 acres within Bishop’s Court at Fourah Bah Road, east of Freetown.

The Anglican Church provided the land for the construction of a temporary Holding Unit in the period of Ebola crisis, after which, from a Memorandum of Understanding signed, should be demolished and handed back to the church’s authority.

More here-

http://awoko.org/2014/10/13/sierra-leone-news-anglican-church-provides-land-for-ebola-fight/

West Africa clergy issue Ebola challenge to global Anglicans

From ENS-

Clergy in West Africa have challenged Anglicans worldwide to “live as their brothers’ keepers” and act to address the Ebola crisis.

The priests of the Anglican Diocese of Kumasi, Ghana, issued their challenge after a workshop entitled Church and Community Response to Ebola in which they learned more about the disease and how to prevent its spread.

In a statement issued after the workshop Message to the International Community, they said, “We challenge the international community to live as their brothers’ keepers*. We encourage Anglican Churches or Christian Churches the world over to express their solidarity by observing one Sunday as Ebola Sunday to pray and mobilize resources for the affected areas in the sub-region or West Africa.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/10/08/west-africa-clergy-issue-ebola-challenge-to-global-anglicans/

Liberia: Ebola Not God's Punishment - Lutheran Bishop

From All Africa-

The Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL) D. Jensen Seyenkulo, has disagreed with those Liberians who hold the view that the deadly Ebola virus outbreak in the country is a punishment from God. Bishop Seyenkulo said, he disagrees with those, who in the wake of the deadly Ebola outbreak, have characterized God in ways that are contradicting the Biblical revelation of God through Jesus Christ.

The Lutheran Bishop said the God that Christians serve, is not a God that kills because of sin. The incarnation is a clear manifestation of God's gracious character. Speaking recently in Monrovia, he said, sickness and death are part of the normal course of life since mankind fell through Adam and Eve, and there is no scriptural basis proving that people who fear and love God will not suffer.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201409121087.html

From AllAfrica-

In an effort to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the county, the Episcopal Church of Liberia in conjunction with the Episcopal Relief Development Organization in New York, United States of America on Wednesday, August 27, 2014 handed over some preventive materials to the C. H. Rennie Hospital in Margibi County for the use in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus in the county.

The donation included twenty-six Ebola buckets, 20 bags of rice, five cartons of Argo oil, PPE, among others.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201409012859.html

Medics still at risk from Ebola virus

From The Church Times-

THE floating Christian hospital organisation Mercy Ships has halted its latest visit to West Africa, as a result of the Ebola-virus outbreak that is affecting the region.

So far, 1552 people are reported to have been killed by the virus, which began in Guinea but has spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria. Another outbreak was reported last weekend in the Congo. On Thursday, the World Health Organisation warned that the number of cases could rise to 20,000 (3069 cases have been reported to date).

The MV Africa Mercy is now docked at the Canary Islands because it is not equipped for an infectious epidemic.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/29-august/news/world/medics-still-at-risk-from-ebola-virus

Liberia’s Cuttington University, diocese at epicenter of Ebola crisis

From ENS-

Liberia’s Cuttington University, located near one of the epicenters of West Africa’s Ebola outbreak, is reaching out to its surrounding communities while worrying about the epidemic’s impact on the now-closed school’s future, and mourning the loss of graduates and friends.

Meanwhile, throughout Liberia and Sierra Leone, Episcopal Relief & Development is in regular contact with local church partners who “are leveraging their widespread presence and trusted reputation to alleviate suffering and contain the Ebola outbreak” that has killed at least 1,427 people in West Africa since March 2014, according to an Aug. 27 press release.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/08/28/liberias-cuttington-university-diocese-at-epicenter-of-ebola-outbreak/

From Liberia (From the "Face Palm" Department)

The men of God, meanstream Episcopalians and non-denominational evangelicals alike, unanimously endorsed the following resolution:

That God is angry with Liberia, and that Ebola is a plague. Liberians have to pray and seek God's forgiveness over the corruption and immoral acts (such as homosexualism, etc.) that continue to penetrate our society. As Christians, we must repent and seek God's forgiveness.

 That a three-day indoor fast and prayer across the nation be observed, commencing next Wednesday, August 6th, and concluding Friday, August 8th.

That an inter-denominational committee be constituted to present said resolution to government.
That if government is in agreement, the Republic of Liberia be locked up for three days of fast and prayer. All movement should be restricted during those three days. People should stay at home for three days of silence, fasting and prayer.

More here-

http://www.liberianobserver.com/news-religion/god-angry-liberia