Young people appear less interested in organized worship

From Nevada-

Call them the None of the Above Generation … religiously speaking.

Not godless, per se. Perhaps even God-fearing. Just not eager to wear a label other than that of secular individualist.

Such is the trend among Millennials — described most often as those born after 1980 — if polls during the past few years are on target.

In 2012, a Pew Research Center study found that young adults are less religious than any other age group, with nearly a third declining to affiliate with any organized religion. They’re also less devout than previous generations were at the same point in their lives.

In April, the American Bible Society sounded an alarm when it released its annual “State of the Bible” survey. Among the findings, percentagewise, about Millennials compared with adults overall: They are less likely to consider the Bible sacred literature (64 percent versus 79 percent); to “believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to lead a meaningful life” (35 percent versus 50 percent); or even read the Bible (26 percent versus 39 percent).

More here-

https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/religion/young-people-appear-less-interested-organized-worship

Friends in the Desert Foundation hosts meals for those in need

From Las Vegas-

On a winter afternoon, people are lining up 30 minutes early anticipating the doors to open at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church so they can enjoy a hot meal.

Patrons include some who are homeless and others who are just down on their luck.

No matter who they are and where they come from, the Friends in the Desert Foundation is there to serve them.

"People might say the economy is recovering," said Muriel Dufendach, secretary and facilities manager for the group. "You couldn't tell by this program."

Doors open at 4:30 p.m., and food is served at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 43 W. Pacific Ave. The group serves at 11:30 a.m. Saturdays and gives people a sack lunch to take with them since they don't operate Sunday.

More here-

http://www.lvrj.com/view/friends-in-the-desert-foundation-hosts-meals-for-those-in-need-187841251.html?ref=251

Episcopal head answers critics on abusive priest

From USA Today-

The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church on Thursday defended her decision to allow a former Roman Catholic monk to become an Episcopal priest even after he admitted to sexual misconduct with a minor.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori has been under increasing pressure to answer charges that she did not properly investigate the Rev. Bede Parry's past when she was bishop of Nevada in 2004.

Jefferts Schori said she knew of only one incident when Parry, now 69, sought ordination as an Episcopal priest. She also said that Parry passed a background check and a psychological evaluation before he was ordained.

After ordination, she said, Parry was supervised by another priest and not permitted to work alone with children.

"I made the decision to receive him," Jefferts Schori said in a statement, "believing that he demonstrated repentance and amendment of life and that his current state did not represent a bar to his reception."

In 2006, Jefferts Schori was elected presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, the first woman in the 400-year history of Anglicanism to lead one of its provinces.

More here-

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-11-18/episcopal-abuse/51297760/1

Episcopal head Jefferts Schori answers critics on abusive priest

From The Washington Post-

The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church on Thursday (Nov. 17) defended her decision to allow a former Roman Catholic monk to become an Episcopal priest even after he admitted to sexual misconduct with a minor.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori has been under increasing pressure to answer charges that she did not properly investigate the Rev. Bede Parry’s past when she was bishop of Nevada in 2004.

Jefferts Schori said she knew of only one incident when Parry, now 69, sought ordination as an Episcopal priest. She also said that Parry passed a background check and a psychological evaluation before he was ordained.

After ordination, she said, Parry was supervised by another priest and not permitted to work alone with children.

“I made the decision to receive him,” Jefferts Schori said in a statement, “believing that he demonstrated repentance and amendment of life and that his current state did not represent a bar to his reception.”

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/episcopal-head-jefferts-schori-answers-critics-on-abusive-priest/2011/11/17/gIQA0onWVN_story.html

Also here- ENS with statement link.

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_130523_ENG_HTM.htm

Mass pays tribute to time period of Shakespeare

From Las Vegas-

Queen Elizabeth I made an appearance in the 21st century at a special mass Sunday sponsored by St. Jude's Episcopal Church.

For 478 years old, her highness, portrayed by Barbara Costa of Las Vegas, was quite lively and animated during the worship service, transcribed from John Booty's "The Book of Common Prayer 1559: The Elizabethan Prayer Book" from the Church of England.

"It's always a delight to come back to what I think of as my church," Costa said in royal character. "I shall see you all again next year."

The form of mass from the time of Elizabeth I is a tradition for Cedar City's Episcopal church to celebrate the time of Shakespeare during the Utah Shakespeare Festival. As such, actors from the festival participated in the service complete with the administration of communion.

More here-

http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20110815/FAITH/108150328

Conception Abbey named in second lawsuit

From Nevada-

A second lawsuit was filed last week in Nodaway County Circuit Court alleging that a former monk there, who was also an ordained priest, abused a teenage boy in the early 1980s.

The alleged victim, identified only as John Doe 48, claims in the suit that he was abused by Fr. Bede Parry, a choir director at the abbey and seminary college east of Maryville, and that the abuse consisted of being coerced into various sex acts between 1982 and 1984. Illegal activity described in the lawsuit included oral sex in addition to fondling and kissing.

Parry, 69, is not named as a defendant in the suit, which claims the abbey sought to cover up the assaults, and that Parry's superior knew about the incidents but failed to take appropriate action by removing the monk from his post.

According to the suit, which was filed by attorney Rebecca Randles, the victim was in his mid-teens at the time of the attacks and was taking piano lessons with Parry serving as his instructor. An additional incident involving John Doe 48 is also alleged to have occurred during a summer choir camp hosted by the abbey.

In all, the lawsuit claims that Parry had illegal sexual contact with the youth, said to be in his mid-teens, on at least six occasions over a about a year and a half.

More here-

http://www.maryvilledailyforum.com/highlight/x1259741111/Conception-Abbey-named-in-second-lawsuit

Former Montez property in escrow

From Nevada-

The Mill Street property that was once home to Lola Montez, and now houses the Grass Valley/Nevada County Chamber of Commerce, in downtown Grass Valley is now in escrow to be sold to a neighboring church.

Emmanuel Episcopal Church, which is located at 235 S. Church St. and shares a parking area with the chamber, has agreed to purchase the 248 Mill St. property, according Rev. Seth Kellermann.

“Basically, Emmanuel Episcopal is in a real period of growth and expansion right now,” Kellermann said. “We just felt it would be in our best interest for us to purchase it.”

Kellermann and representatives of the Pioneer Association of Nevada County Trust, which owns the property, would not reveal the sale price but did confirm a price has been agreed upon and the property is now in escrow.

The sale price will be available once the escrow has closed, said David Scinto of the Pioneer Association, who said the Grass Valley Downtown Association had also made a bid on the property.

The church has no immediate plans to make use of the property, Kellermann said, and does plan to continue to lease the building in the “near term.”

More here-

http://www.theunion.com/article/20110716/NEWS/110719832/1053&parentprofile=1053

Offending priest handled “by the book” by Episcopal Church leader

From Reuters-

The Episcopal Church’s diocese of Nevada sought to calm an uproar over a former Benedictine monk who admitted sexual indiscretions with a parishioner before he was ordained an Episcopal priest by Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who is now leader of the 2.3 million member U.S. church.

“It looks to me like she handled the situation by the book,” Bishop Dan Edwards said of Jefferts Schori’s actions regarding Fr. Bede Parry, a church organist and former Episcopal priest.

Jefferts Schori became the 450-year-old church’s first female leader when she was appointed presiding bishop in 2006.

Parry, 69, is a defendant in a Missouri lawsuit filed last month over his admitted sexual relationship with a male parishioner at a summer camp run by a Roman Catholic monastery. He has since resigned from the priesthood and from All Saints Episcopal Church in Las Vegas, Edwards said.

More here-

http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2011/07/07/offending-priest-handled-by-the-book-by-episcopal-church-leader/

Episcopal Church defends top bishop's record in abuse case

From The Christian Century-

The Episcopal Church is rejecting charges that its top leader, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, mishandled the ordination of a former priest who is now accused of sexual abuse.

Jefferts Schori has remained silent on the matter, which surfaced after an alleged victim filed suit last month against a Benedictine monastery in Missouri where the priest, the Rev. Bede Parry, once lived.

Parry, a former Catholic monk, was ordained as an Episcopal priest in Nevada in 2004, when Jefferts Schori was the local bishop before her 2006 election as presiding bishop.

Her successor in Nevada, Bishop Dan Edwards, said Tuesday (July 5) that a thorough review of church records shows that Jefferts Schori "handled the situation perfectly appropriately."

"The spin on this, that Bishop Katharine failed to follow the rules to protect children, is highly ironic," said Edwards, who noted that the Diocese of Nevada has wrestled with problems of clergy misconduct. "She has done more to clean up this diocese than anybody."

While the Roman Catholic Church has weathered years of allegations from victims and lawyers of mishandling abuse cases, the issue has not similarly roiled the 2.4 million-member Episcopal Church, or Jefferts Schori's leadership.

More here-

http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2011-07/episcopal-church-defends-top-bishops-record-abuse-case

Las Vegas priest resigns amid sexual abuse lawsuit

From Las Vegas-

A Las Vegas Episcopal priest resigned from his duties at his church Thursday after his name surfaced in a lawsuit alleging a Missouri monastery covered up sexual abuse by him.

The lawsuit, filed in Missouri by a former choir boy, alleged the Roman Catholic monastery, Conception Abbey, kept secret the boy's 1987 sexual assault by Bede Parry, then a Catholic priest who directed the choir.

Parry, 69, who was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, had been serving as the organist and choir director at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Las Vegas since 2000.

He said he told the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada of his resignation as the Missouri lawsuit became public Thursday morning.

Bishop Dan Edwards, who heads the Nevada diocese, confirmed the resignation and said that because Parry remains a priest, the diocese is investigating internally to determine whether any further action needs to be taken against him.

More here-

http://www.lvrj.com/news/lawsuit-against-missouri-monastery-involves-las-vegas-episcopal-priest-124432963.html?ref=963

Reno Church Holds Last Public Service

From Reno-

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Reno is suffering the fate of the economy and a shrinking congregation.

The last public service in the church on Seventh Street in northwest Reno was held Sunday afternoon.

Bishop Dan Edwards urged parishioners, to look forward.

But it will be tough for some. For more than 17 years, Ace Frazee says she's tended to the church's needs -- shoveling snow, gardening, painting.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reports officials say the church will probably be sold.

The church which seats about 100 will close for good after a private service Sunday. The day is also the 45th anniversary of its opening in 1965.

More here-

http://www.ktvn.com/Global/story.asp?S=13504713

Last congregation of Episcopal church

From Nevada-

Because of economic hard times and an aging, dwindling congregation, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, in old northwest Reno, will hold its final public service on Nov. 14 and close its doors, church officials said.

The church, originally located adjacent to the University of Nevada, Reno campus, has served the community in its current building for 45 years.

"It's been the university's church all those years, but participation has waned," said Deacon Jim McGrew, who is executive assistant to the Nevada's Episcopal bishop, the Rt. Rev. Dan Edwards. "As I understand it, the church has 31 regular, contributing members, and that became unacceptable because we just could not keep it open that way.

"It's too bad because it's a very nice church, and we'll probably sell the building," McGrew said.

The church opened on West Seventh Street Nov. 21, 1965, and will hold a private service Nov. 21. The church moved to West Seventh Street from the university district because of Interstate 80 freeway construction, McGrew said.

The closure of St. Stephen's reflects a nationwide trend of churches grappling with declining memberships and revenue.

More here-

http://www.rgj.com/article/20101017/NEWS/10170355/1321/NEWS/Last-congregation-of-Episcopal-church

Pastoral Letter To Nevada Episcopalians

From the Diocese of Nevada-

But none of this, or the many other important and constructive things we did at Convention, will capture the headlines. The journalists are exclusively interested in our actions dealing with the inclusion of partnered gay and lesbian couples in the life of the Church. We passed two such resolutions. I voted for both of them. Some of you may think we went too far. Others may think we did not go far enough. That is perfectly ok. As Episcopalians, we are free to hold different beliefs about issues of doctrine. I am not trying to convince you that we were right. But I do want you to know and to understand what we did and what we did not do.

Some people want to interpret the resolutions one way; some, another. There is some ambiguity that is open to interpretation. We are after all Anglicans and that’s how Anglicans talk. But there are reasonable limits on fair interpretation. I want to tell you how I see these resolutions. You may want them to be a great step forward. I do not want you to be disappointed if they do not live up to raised expectations. You may think they are the worst thing we’ve done ever. I do not want you to be more distressed than necessary. These are definitely resolutions intended to affirm and include gay and lesbian persons, but I do not believe they are as great a change as they appear in the newspapers, let alone the blogs. So let me tell you about these two resolutions.

The resolution pertaining to ordination begins with an extensive statement of our commitment to the Anglican Communion. That takes up at least half the resolution. It then says two more things: First, it acknowledges that God has in the past called partnered gay and lesbian persons into all of the orders of ministry, and that they have served us faithfully. Second, it acknowledges that God may call such persons in the future and we do our discernment of calls in accordance with the canons of our church.

How does this change things? With regard to the ministries of laity, priests, and deacons, not at all. The possible change would be about bishops. But just how much of a change is there for potential bishops? Less than the newspapers suggest. In 2006, the General Convention asked those involved in calling bishops to use “restraint” in consecrating bishops whose “manner of life” might be contrary to the values of other parts of the Anglican Communion. I am paraphrasing. “Manner of life” was understood to mean partnered gay bishops. The consecration of such persons was not banned. The 2006 Resolution was a call for restraint as part of the discernment.

Resolutions to repeal that restraint policy were considered and rejected before ever reaching the floor of Convention. The new resolution does not explicitly repeal the call for restraint. It merely says that we do our discernment process in accordance with our own canons, as we have always done. Gay and lesbian people were not excluded from the discernment process, even for the episcopacy, even after 2006. Some journalists have portrayed the situation as if gay and lesbian persons were excluded from the discernment process before and now the gates have been thrown open. For better or worse, the shift in this resolution is not so dramatic.

The second resolution on same sex relationships also says two things: The first part is purely pastoral. Every resolution of the Episcopal Church mentioning homosexual persons since the early 1980’s has called upon the clergy to offer them pastoral care. The duty to afford pastoral care to gay and lesbian persons has been affirmed by the Lambeth Conference, the Windsor Report, and the Primates of the 39 Anglican Provinces. Every one of our clergy has taken vows to extend such care to “all” our people. So the principle is well established.

This Resolution notes that there has been a recent wave of law making and law changing concerning these relationships –some laws allowing gay marriage, some laws allowing civil unions, and other laws banning such unions. This new legal situation presents new pastoral challenges to which we must respond. The resolution says bishops “may” – not “must” but “may” – offer a “pastorally generous response.” What that means depends on the situation, the context, and the judgment of the bishop. The New York Times says it means blessing civil unions. But I never heard any bishop, liberal or conservative, define it that way. It could mean a special ritual or a prayer or a phone call. It’s up to the bishop. Pastoral generosity is not defined.

The second part of the resolution deals with developing theological and liturgical resources for same sex unions. There was no decision to authorize gay marriage or bless same sex unions. We worked with the language of the Resolution the best we could to make it clear that there is not a decision on that hard question. This Resolution requests the Liturgy and Music Commission to compile and develop theological and liturgical resources so that if and when we consider that issue in the future, we will have some examples to look at.

More here-

http://bishopdansblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/pastoral-letter-to-nevada-episcopalians.html

MONEY IN, MONEY OUT: Testing Faith

From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

You don't have to be an economist to tell which way the financial winds are blowing.

You could just as well be a minister, rabbi or imam, all of whom are waiting to see how a roiling economy might affect both their flocks and their ability to minister to them.

Local clergy already have noticed spillover effects from the economic uncertainty. For example, several say they've seen an increase in requests for assistance -- food pantry distributions and help with rent payments -- from congregants.

The Rev. Eldwin Lovelady, rector of All Saints Episcopal Church, says members of his church -- which includes Filipino and Hispanic communities -- now are being asked to pledge contributions for the coming year.

http://www.lvrj.com/living/34543409.html