Review: 'God Loves Uganda' examines evangelical anti-gay campaign in Africa

From Nebraska-

“God Loves Uganda” is a documentary about the effort to ban homosexuality in Uganda, a campaign driven by American evangelicals who see the African country as the place where they can impose their religious cultural values on an entire nation.

This isn’t the first time that the assault on gays in Uganda, where a parliamentary bill would make being gay punishable by death, has been brought to the screen. “Call Me Kuchu,” which shares some of the same primary subjects as “God Loves Uganda,” earlier documented the struggle of gays and lesbians against the bill and the efforts to shame and banish them.

With “God Loves Uganda,” director Roger Ross Williams looks at the U.S. conservative Christian efforts to evangelize Uganda and bring their solutions to the American culture war to the African nation.

At the center of those efforts is the International House of Prayer, which is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. Preaching throughout the world, IHOP sends young missionaries to many places. But as its elder Lou Engle enthusiastically states, “Africa is the firepot” for evangelism.

More here-

http://journalstar.com/entertainment/movies/review-god-loves-uganda-examines-evangelical-anti-gay-campaign-in/article_f02b0f52-d716-5199-aa4f-cf583c40535e.html

Wanted — a church building to put on a flatbed, haul to Omaha's tri-faith campus

From Nebraska-

A bishop is looking for a church?

That wouldn't seem to be a problem. This particular bishop, after all, oversees 53 of them.

But Bishop J. Scott Barker of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska isn't looking for one he could visit. Instead, he'd like to physically acquire a “prairie church,” put it on a flatbed truck and, God willing, move it to Omaha.

“We're turning to the hope that there's a congregation out there with a church that's been cared for but needs a new lease on life,” Barker said. “Let us come in, scoop it up and spirit it away.”

If the spirit is behind the idea and logistics work out, he hopes that a church could be moved to the site of Omaha's unique tri-faith campus — the only place where Jewish, Islamic and Christian congregations are intentionally planning to build houses of worship in the same place.

More here-

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130123/NEWS/701239906/1685

Omaha's St. Barnabas parish weighs order to surrender its church

From Nebraska-

An Omaha congregation that left the Episcopal Church over issues of doctrine and homosexuality now faces a tough decision about its midtown church: Should congregants stay or should they go?

A judge ruled last week that the people of St. Barnabas Church must surrender the 97-year-old church building, with all its artwork and other trappings, plus its rectory and other property to the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska.

The ruling by Douglas County District Court Judge Joseph Troia came more than three years after the diocese sued St. Barnabas' priest and leaders for the church and rectory at 129 N. 40th St. It is one of many such property disputes around the nation between the Episcopal Church and disaffected congregations.

The judge's order gives the St. Barnabas congregation, which is moving toward joining the Roman Catholic Church, until late October to hand over the keys. But the diocese's lawyer, D.C. “Woody” Bradford, said it won't push to enforce that deadline.

People on both sides said they hope for negotiations that could lead to the congregation's staying in its current home, though not as an Episcopal church. St. Barnabas leaders also are considering an appeal.

More here-

http://www.omaha.com/article/20121009/NEWS/710099939/1707

Temple breaks ground at tri-faith campus

From Omaha-

What's special about the project, organizers said, is that it's part of a plan to build a tri-faith campus that will include the synagogue, a mosque, an Episcopal church and a center for all faiths.

The American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture and the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska will join Temple Israel on the campus. The groups heard the others were looking to build and decided to work together.

The mosque, the church and the tri-faith center each will be on about four acres. The remaining nine acres are green space, including the humorously named Hell Creek.

It's expected that the project, when completed, will draw wide attention to Omaha.
"It's amazing that it's going to be right here in Omaha," Sherman said. "We don't know of any other place in the world where this has come together."

Rabbi Aryeh Azriel said the tri-faith center will be a place where all religions can come "to study, to learn and to celebrate. It's going to be a home."

The synagogue is scheduled for completion in August 2013. The mosque, church and center will come later.

More here-

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120416/NEWS01/704169949

Land buys a big Tri-Faith leap

From Omaha-

Omaha Jewish, Muslim and Christian organizations have purchased land for neighboring houses of worship, and at least one, Temple Israel, plans to begin construction in the spring of 2012, leaders of the Tri-Faith Initiative said Tuesday.

Construction also is expected to begin next year on a planned fourth building, called a Tri-Faith Center, with social, educational and conference facilities that all the groups could use.

A synagogue for Temple Israel, a mosque and study center for the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture, a church for the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska and the Tri-Faith Center would be built near 132nd and Pacific Streets, as part of a development on the site of the former Ironwood Country Club.

Leaders announced Tuesday that each entity had purchased land for its building. They consider that a major leap toward a dream, five years in the making, of a shared campus for Jews, Muslims and Christians.

"This is probably the first time that Jews and Christians and Muslims have collaborated to intentionally co-locate houses of worship in the same common neighborhood," said Bob Freeman, chairman of the Tri-Faith Initiative Board of Directors.

More here-

http://www.omaha.com/article/20111214/NEWS01/712149898/0

A church, a shul and a mosque try a faithful experiment

From Omaha via Cleveland-

Deep in America’s heartland, a Reform synagogue, a nondenominational mosque and an Episcopalian church are all putting down roots on a 37-acre tract of land that once belonged to a Jewish country club. A body of water called Hell Creek runs through the development, over which the faith groups plan to build “Heaven’s Bridge.”

Fantastical as it sounds, this interfaith campus is currently in the works in Omaha, Neb. Slated for completion in 2014, the Tri-Faith Initiative is an experiment in religious coexistence in a city better known as a hub of corn-fed conservatism.

“The only other place where such a thing exists is Jerusalem,” said Dr. Syed Mohiuddin, chairman of the Creighton University School of Medicine. Mohiuddin’s organization, the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture, is building a mosque on the campus. “Jerusalem is so important to these three faiths. We are sort of reproducing that model.”

If the experiment works, the city of Omaha — with a metropolitan-area population of about 900,000, including 5,500 Jews, 6,000 Muslims and 4,500 Episcopalians — will become a beacon of cooperation in a world of interreligious strife. But before that can happen, the three groups still need to navigate fears, stereotypes and bureaucratic hang-ups.

More here-

http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2011/08/12/news/nation_and_world/doc4e4446bc49c39216387214.txt

Rector of Christ Church to become bishop of Nebraska Episcopal Diocese

From New Jersey-

The Rev. Scott Barker, rector of Christ Church in the Village of Warwick, has been named as the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska.

Pending approval by the national Episcopal Church, Barker’s consecration is scheduled for Oct. 8 at the Embassy Suites Omaha-LaVista/Hotel Conference Center in Omaha.

“It’s a daunting change,” said Barker who will be leaving a position as rector of a church with a typical Sunday congregation of 175 for a diocese where he will oversee 51 far-flung churches.

“Nebraska is a huge state,” he said, “and one of my churches will be a nine-hour drive from my office in Omaha.”

One advantage Barker enjoys, however, is that he was born and raised in Nebraska.

More here-

http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2011/06/17/warwick_advertiser/news/2.txt

Episcopal diocese taps Omaha native

From Omaha-

A New Yorker would return to some deep Omaha roots if he ends up the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska.
The Rev. J. Scott Barker was elected Saturday during a special diocesan council at St. Mark's Pro-Cathedral in Hastings, Neb.

Barker is among the sixth generation of the Barker family in Omaha. The prominent family at one time owned thousands of acres of prime Omaha real estate. One of those locations became the site of the Barker Building on the southwest corner of 15th and Farnam Streets.

Another step is required before Barker can be ordained as bishop. Under church canons, a majority of bishops exercising jurisdiction and diocesan standing committees must consent to the bishop-elect's ordination within 120 days of receiving notice of the election, said Don Rabbe, a spokesman for the Nebraska diocese.

If Barker receives the consent, he will succeed the Rt. Rev. Joe G. Burnett. Burnett resigned as bishop of Nebraska to take a position as assistant bishop in the Diocese of Delaware.
Barker, 47, has been rector of Christ Church in Warwick, N.Y., since 2002. He was elected on the second ballot from among three nominees, Rabbe said.

More here-

http://www.omaha.com/article/20110606/NEWS01/706069916

Nebraska diocese elects J. Scott Barker as bishop

From Nebraska-

The Rev. J. Scott Barker was elected on June 4 as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, pending the required consents from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction and standing committees of the Episcopal Church.

Barker, 47, rector of Christ Church, Warwick, New York, was elected on the second ballot out of a field of three nominees. He received 78 votes of 111 cast in the lay order and 49 of 74 cast in the clergy order. An election on that ballot required 57 in the lay order and 38 in the clergy order.

The election was held during a special diocesan council meeting held at St. Mark's Pro-Cathedral in Hastings, Nebraska.

Pending a successful consent process, Barker will succeed Bishop Joe G. Burnett, who resigned as bishop of Nebraska and has taken a position as bishop assistant in the Diocese of Delaware.

Under the canons (III.11.4) of the Episcopal Church, a majority of bishops exercising jurisdiction and diocesan standing committees must consent to the bishop-elect's ordination as bishop within 120 days of receiving notice of the election.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_128577_ENG_HTM.htm

Nebraska Episcopal bishop to be selected at event in Hastings

From Nebraska-

St. Mark’s Episcopal Pro Cathedral will host the election of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska’s 11th bishop since the dioceses was established in 1838 at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The private event will include a panel of 261 registered delegates and clergy representing each of the state’s 64 Episcopal churches. Candidates include the Rev. J. Scott Barker of New York, the Rev. Margaret Holt Sammons of Chicago, and the Rev. Sarah J. Shofstall of Maine.

The elected candidate will replace the Rev. Bishop Joe Burnett, who vacated the position in March to seek an Auxiliary Bishop position in Maryland. To date, there has never been a women elected to the position.

The Rev. Catherine Scott, priest-in-charge at St. Mark’s and diocesan standing committee member, said Thursday that both she and her husband, Robert, a retired pastor, will vote in the election. Pastors and deacons both active and retired may vote in the election, along with lay delegates.

Selection is decided by a simple majority vote, provided at least 2/3 of all clergy entitled to vote and all lay delegates entitled to vote are present. Though Burnett’s election in 2003 was decided on the first ballot, the process can take several votes to accomplish, Scott said.

More here-

http://www.hastingstribune.com/news0603bishop.php

Nebraska Nominates Three for Bishop

From The Living Church-

The Diocese of Nebraska has announced three nominees in the search for its 11th bishop. The nominees are:

The Rev. J. Scott Barker, 47, rector, Christ Church, Warwick, N.Y.

The Rev. Margaret Duncan Holt Sammons, 62, co-rector, St. Michael’s in the Hills Church, Toledo, Ohio.

The Rev. Canon Sarah J. Shofstall, 59, canon to the ordinary, Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

The diocese will accept nominees by petition until March 31. Its current bishop, the Rt. Rev. Joe Godwin Burnett, will resign the same day. He has accepted a call to serve as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Maryland, effective April 1.

An electing convention is scheduled for June 4 at Saint Mark’s Pro-Cathedral, Hastings.

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2011/3/15/nebraska-nominates-three-for-bishop

Former Episcopal bishop dies

From Omaha-

The Rt. Rev. James D. Warner, retired bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, has died.

Warner, who was 85, died Thursday. He retired from Trinity Cathedral in Omaha in 1990.
Funeral services are pending.

The native of Sheridan, Wyo., came to Nebraska from Oshkosh, Wis., to be the state’s eighth Episocpal bishop.

He was consecrated Nebraska bishop on Nov. 30, 1976, in a service at St. Cecilia Catholic Cathedral because Trinity was too small to handle the crowd.

In 1983, Warner made another ecumenical move. On March 13, local Lutherans and Episcopalians shared Holy Communion at Trinity for the first time.

“It’s a brand new experience for us and it’s an exciting one,” Warner said at the time. “The Episcopal Church embraces this opportunity with enthusiasm but with caution.”

The service came about because of an agreement among the governing bodies of the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church in America, the American Lutheran Church and the Association of Evangelical Lutherans.

Warner graduated from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Illinois and spent 10 years in Wichita, Kan., in addition to serving parishes in Marinette and Mosinee, Wis., before becoming rector in Oshkosh.


http://www.omaha.com/article/20090910/NEWS01/709119996

Neb. diocese suing breakaway parish over property

Here's an update on the dispute in Omaha-

A rift in the U.S. Episcopal Church fueled by theological differences on such topics as homosexuality is playing out in Nebraska, in a district court.

The Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska is suing leaders of a breakaway Omaha parish, asking the Douglas County District Court to declare the diocese the rightful owner of the parish's buildings and property. It argues that the parish exists to carry out the mission of the diocese and national church and when that stops, it is obligated to surrender the property's ownership.

But St. Barnabas Parish leaders argue the diocese has no right to the property and the court doesn't have the authority to interpret ecclesiastical matters. They've asked that the lawsuit be thrown out.

A hearing is set for Wednesday.

http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9702298&nav=1kgl

Church is focus of court fight

Another property dispute, this time in Nebraska. This parish is still opposed to women's ordination and is using the Tridentine liturgy from the middle ages.

When a parish breaks up with its church authority, who gets the house of worship?

That's a fight taking place in courthouses coast to coast and now in Nebraska as part of the Episcopal Church's schism over issues of scriptural interpretation and homosexuality.

The Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska is suing the rector and lay leaders of a breakaway parish, St. Barnabas. Diocesan officials want the Rev. Robert Scheiblhofer and company to leave the historic church at 129 N. 40th St. and the rectory next door, now that the parish has rejected the authority of the Episcopal Church. The diocese contends it is the rightful owner of the property under church rules and state law.

Scheiblhofer and other parish leaders say they aren't going anywhere. They contend that the property has always belonged to the parish, that it still does and that the diocese has no claim to it.

The diocese has asked the Douglas County District Court to resolve the dispute. An attorney for Scheiblhofer and St. Barnabas' vestry, or governing body, is seeking to have the suit thrown out. The first hearing in the case is set for Wednesday.

(snip)

Scheiblhofer said St. Barnabas historically has had differences with Nebraska Diocese officials. The parish was founded in 1869 as part of the Oxford Movement, a strain of Anglicanism that identified more than most with the faith's roots with the Roman Catholic Church.

To this day, St. Barnabas uses the Tridentine Mass, a dramatically scripted liturgy that dates to the Middle Ages. It's the same liturgy used by an organization of Roman Catholic priests who have a seminary in Denton, Neb., who are trying to bring back the Latin Mass.

St. Barnabas conducts its services in English. It also has a weekly Spanish Mass.

Scheiblhofer said the ordination of women and Robinson's ordination were products of what he considered errant theology going back decades.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10542367

Good Stuff in TEC: Nebraska/Sudan

From Episcopal Life Online. (Got to love the hat!)

The call took Deacon Robin McNutt on four plane rides and a two-hour walk this time. It took her to a village of war-ravaged Dinka tribal people in Maar, South Sudan, away from the amenities and luxuries of Western life. This call came in the form of one Sudanese refugee.

"The way God calls you is … anytime," said the Rev. Daniel Deng Kuot. He met McNutt in 2002 at the Church of the Resurrection in Omaha, Nebraska, several thousand miles from his home in Lith Payam, Sudan. McNutt worked with Kuot as program administrator for the outreach program in the Omaha Sudanese community, and they became close friends.

"This time opened Robin to the outside world," he said. "She asked about my faith, and I explained stories of life back home and in the States. She felt she could go as far as Sudan to spread the word of God."

http://www.episcopal-life.org/81799_102445_ENG_HTM.htm

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