Photo of the day

From The Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries in Seoul.

Santa Claus Hopes Voters Will Elect Him to Office in North Pole

From the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Department-

After no one filed for candidacy in this year's City Council race in North Pole, Alaska, Santa Claus decided he would seize the day and run himself. Sixty-eight-year-old Claus is one of the biggest evangelists for North Pole, having once run for its Chamber of Commerce.

He is not a North Pole native — he previously lived in Nevada, where he decided to legally change his name after debating the idea on the way to the post office in 2005. The heavily bearded man with a twinkle in his eye and rosy cheeks was walking and praying, he told the Alaska Dispatch News in 2013, when a man yelled, "I love you, Santa.” After that he was sure a name change was a good idea.

The Anglican monk formerly known as Tom O'Connor then decided it would do wonders for his brand if he moved to North Pole, which he did three years ago after running two write-in presidential campaigns and finding out that the name "Santa Claus" can sometimes lead to issues at the airport. (It isn't clear whether security thought the name was suspicious or if they were confused about why Santa was flying commercial instead of on his private sleigh.)

More here

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/10/santa-claus-runs-for-office-at-north-pole.html#

Parliament of the World's Religions brings interfaith movement to Utah

From Utah-

On his recent visit to Utah, Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid walked briskly through the Salt Palace Convention Center, taking mental notes of the preparations for the upcoming Parliament of the World's Religions.

In less than two weeks, some 10,000 devotees of 50 faith traditions from 80 countries are expected to fill the halls of the convention facility for the largest interfaith event in the world.

Previous host cities for the event have included Chicago; Cape Town, South Africa; Barcelona; and Melbourne, Australia. This year, the fifth parliament since its first appearance more than 120 years ago in 1893 will be held in the city that is headquarters to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

More here-

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865638139/Parliament-of-the-Worlds-Religions-brings-interfaith-movement-to-Utah.html?pg=all

On the mend: Archbishop of Canterbury calls meeting with disgruntled provinces

From Mississippi-

Earlier this month, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby called for a gathering of the Anglican Communion in what is expected to be an attempt at healing.

The Anglican Communion has been troubled following the 2003 induction of the first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, by the Episcopal Church of the United States. In response to Robinson’s election, the church’s more conservative bishops created a subset within the communion in 2008, the Global Anglican Future Conference, holding their own meetings and creating their own jurisdictions.

“As of now, the GAFCON primates have said that if the Anglican Church of Canada and the U.S. is at the table for the January meeting, they will not attend,” said the Rev. Paul Stephens, rector at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Tupelo, “And that’s unfortunate.”

More here-

http://djournal.com/lifestyle/on-the-mend-archbishop-of-canterbury-calls-meeting-with-disgruntled-provinces/

Vatican Cricket Club to face Muslim XI, Anglican Church XI in series of matches

From Cricket Country-

The Vatican‘s increasingly high-profile cricket club has set the date for a highly symbolic first match against an all-Muslim team from Britain, organisers said Thursday. In a series of matches this month, the St Peter’s cricket club, made up of mostly South Asian Rome-based seminarians and priests, will also take on a team from Pope Francis’s home town of Buenos Aires and get a chance of revenge against a Church of England XI. But it is the meeting with Mount Cricket Club from Batley, Yorkshire, on October 17 that is likely to attract the most attention, with the Church hoping it will make a small contribution to global inter-faith understanding.

More here-

http://www.cricketcountry.com/news/vatican-cricket-club-to-face-muslim-xi-anglican-church-xi-in-series-of-matches-335525

The Difference Between Kim Davis and a Conscientious Objector (Gene Robinson)

Gene Robinson in Time-

The inmates at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility apparently were not the only law breakers Pope Francis met with during his brief visit to the U.S. The Vatican has now confirmed that the pope met privately with Kim Davis, the county clerk in Rowan County, Ky., who notoriously went to jail rather than issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in her jurisdiction.

Davis broke the law and appears to be neither repentant for what she did nor sorry for the decision she made, which landed her in jail for five days. Rather, she seems proud of her act of civil disobedience, vows that she would do it again, and sincerely seems to believe she is taking one on the chin for Jesus. She has become a celebrity among those conservative Christians who condemn homosexuality and the recent Supreme Court ruling declaring marriage equality a constitutional right.

More here-

http://time.com/4057446/pope-francis-kim-davis-conscientious-objection/

Episcopal Relief & Development and Church of Liberia expand SGBV prevention

From Anglican News-

 Episcopal Relief & Development and the humanitarian arm of the Episcopal Church of Liberia (ECL-RD) have expanded their gender-based violence prevention and response program through a $680,000 grant from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women.

The initiative is equipping and mobilizing faith leaders, networks and communities to prevent violence against women and girls and to increase survivors’ access to services. Launched in collaboration with Liberia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and their national campaign, Episcopal Relief & Development and ECL-RD are implementing this three-year program in Grand Cape Mount and Rivercess Counties. 

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2015/10/episcopal-relief-development-and-church-of-liberia-expand-sgbv-prevention.aspx

Duncan Gray Jr., 53 years after the Ole Miss riot

From The Christian Century-

I recently had the honor of sitting down with a fourth-generation Mississippian who knows a thing or two about racial injustice because he’s spent his life fighting it: Duncan M. Gray Jr., bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi from 1974 to 1993.

We didn’t talk about the controversy over whether the Mississippi state flag, with its Confederate emblem, should continue to be flown over the state and local buildings. I think I know what he would say about that.

What we did talk about was what motivated him, as a Christian, to promote integration in perhaps the most aggressively segregationist state in the nation—at great risk to himself, his family, and his life as an Episcopal priest. We also talked about forgiveness. And love.

“It wasn’t easy,” Gray said, speaking of—and understating—the challenges he and others faced as civil rights activists in Mississippi in the 1960s. “They were rough times.”

More here-

http://www.christiancentury.org/blogs/archive/2015-09/sept-2930-ole-miss-anniversary

Kenyan Church Welcomes LGBT Members

From VOA-

In early September, the Anglican Church of Kenya revoked a priest’s license and suspended four others for alleged homosexual activity. It sent a message that there is no room for homosexuality at churches in Kenya.

But there is one place where members of the LGBT community - that is lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people - are welcome for Sunday worship.

Lilian, for whom this is not her regular church, sits in the back. The 28-year-old is lesbian.

“For a long time, I had not attended normal church because I felt like the likes of me are not accepted," she said. "Many people don’t know that I am gay. If they knew, they would look at me differently. But I choose to go where I am accepted, where I do not have to hide my identity.”
 
More here-

http://www.voanews.com/content/kenya-church-welcomes-lgbt-members/2986257.html

Calico Threads Thrift Store begins 3rd year of outreach

From New Jersey-

Memories of the destruction and loss caused by Superstorm Sandy three years ago remain embedded in the lives of many. And, the good will and outreach that sprang forth since the storm continues at Holy Trinity Church in South River where the Calico Threads thrift shop steadfastly meets the needs of those in crisis each day.

When the store first opened its doors at 54 Ferry St., large donations of clothing were offered to help ease the devastation from the storm. The church had lost electrical power when they began aiding the storm victims whose homes were flooded in South River.

According to Sandra Rahn, chairwoman of Calico Threads, parishioners delivered food and cleaning supplies with 80 to 90 meals delivered each night.

More here-

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/outreach/caring-communities/2015/09/30/calico-threads-south-river/32445047/

Church temporarily closes due to structural issues, impending storm

From Rhode Island-

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church closed Wednesday, along with surrounding streets, due to fears that the church’s steeple could collapse.

Engineers warned Rev. Tim Rich of St. Luke’s that wind gusts stronger than 30 mph could bring down the structure.

“Two of our weight bearing steel beams had been compromised over decades and decades of water absorption,” said Rich.

The problem was discovered in August after the steeple was struck by lightning. At the time, structural engineers were brought in to inspect the building, and discovered the corroding beams.

More here-

http://www.turnto10.com/story/30156817/church-temporarily-closes-due-to-structural-issues-impending-storm

Episcopal Asiamericans begin meeting in Seoul, South Korea

From ENS-

The Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries, with sponsorship and support from the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, will hold its International Consultation on Sept. 30–Oct. 5 in Seoul, South Korea with the theme “Celebrating our Partnerships; Uniting our Mission.”

The venue selected is the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Nicholas in downtown Seoul.

According to the Rev. Bayani Rico, president of the EAM Council, the choice for a Korean venue is in response to the invitation from the Most Rev. Paul Kim, primate and archbishop of the Anglican Church in Korea to join in celebration of its 125th foundation anniversary.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2015/09/29/episcopal-asiamericans-to-meet-in-korea/

The Pope and Kim Davis: Seven Points to Keep in Mind

From America Media-

What are we to make of the story that Pope Francis met Kim Davis at the Vatican Embassy during his stay in Washington? The story was first reported by Robert Moynihan at Inside the Vatican; subsequently, ABC News interviewed Ms. Davis.

Confirming the meeting, but offering no further details, the Vatican spokesperson, Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., said “I do not deny that the meeting took place, but I have no other comments to add.”

A few things to bear in mind:

http://papalvisit.americamedia.org/2015/09/30/the-pope-and-kim-davis-seven-points-to-keep-in-mind/#.VgwvHh2D-dk.facebook

Phyllis Tickle, Who Energized a Market for Books on Religion, Dies at 81

From The New York Times-

Phyllis Tickle, who helped energize the religion publishing market in the 1990s, wrote dozens of books on spirituality and gave voice to a movement that believes Christianity is entering an epochal new phase, died on Sept. 22 at her farm in Lucy, Tenn., north of Memphis. She was 81.

The cause was lung cancer, her daughter Rebecca Tickle said.

Ms. Tickle was the founding religion editor at Publishers Weekly, the leading journal in the book trade, serving from 1991 to 1994. In that post she identified and covered a rapidly emerging market for religious-themed books and helped publishers tap into its profitability.

More here-

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/30/books/phyllis-tickle-who-energized-a-market-for-books-on-religion-dies-at-81.html?_r=0

Questions raised over justice’s impartiality in Episcopal lawsuit

From South Carolina-

When the ongoing lawsuit over The Episcopal Church’s local breakup saga landed before the state Supreme Court last week, several justices peppered questions at an attorney representing parishes that broke away from the national church.

Among those who spoke most was Justice Kaye G. Hearn.

Since the hearing, her relationship with The Episcopal Church and one of its parishes where she worships is raising questions about whether she should have recused herself from the case.

More here-

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150928/PC16/150929475

and here-

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article36946977.html

S.C. Supreme Court hears arguments in Episcopal Church breakup saga

From South Carolina-

After almost three years of court wrangling, millions in legal fees, a three-week trial, 1,300 exhibits and an unrequited settlement offer, the local Episcopal Church schism landed before the state’s highest court Wednesday.

Attorneys and onlookers packed the Columbia courtroom to hear oral arguments in a legal saga that began when most parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina and Bishop Mark Lawrence decided to leave the national church in 2012 after years of locking horns.

In spirited exchanges, several justices questioned the breakaway group’s attorney, Alan Runyan, and took issue with the trial judge’s refusal to allow evidence examining whether The Episcopal Church is a hierarchical religious body that could forbid a bishop or an entire diocese from leaving without its permission.

More here-

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150923/PC16/150929726

and here-

http://www.scnow.com/news/local/article_e2d699e6-62c2-11e5-8ad9-1bffa10e4a0c.html

Retreat

We'll be off line and on retreat for the next week.

Legal issues in Episcopal split going to S.C. Supreme Court

From South Carolina-

South Carolina's highest court this week hears arguments in the legal fight stemming from the acrimonious split in the Episcopal Church in eastern South Carolina.

The conservative Diocese of South Carolina, dating to 1785 and one of the original dioceses that joined to form the Episcopal Church, left the national church in 2012 amid differences over theological issues, including the authority of Scripture and the ordination of gays.

The diocese then sued to protect its identity, the symbols it uses such as the diocesan seal and $500 million in church property.

Parishes in the region that didn't leave the national church are in a diocese now known as The Episcopal Church in South Carolina.

Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein, who presided at a three-week trial in Dorchester County in 2014, ruled earlier this year in favor of the diocese that left in a decision that said the diocese owns its name, symbols and property.

More here-

http://thetandd.com/ap/state/legal-issues-in-episcopal-split-going-to-s-c-supreme/article_b68ddb82-3a34-596d-a300-ae990d6f16d4.html

My Father, the Priest

From The New York Times-

WHEN anyone asks what my father does, I say he’s a retired teacher. He did, after all, teach high school science and Latin, so I’m not lying. I’m just not telling the whole story: My father, married to my mother for 45 years, is a Catholic priest. Not a former priest, but a member of the clergy in good standing in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn. Especially on a date, that’s a conversation stopper.

More here-


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/opinion/sunday/my-father-the-priest.html?_r=0

Public schools should teach religion

From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-

The day Jesus entered my fourth-grade classroom, my childhood forever changed.

It was 1974, and my family had just moved from western New York state to rural Ohio. I was the new kid, and all I wanted was to fit in. But one afternoon that first week, a woman hired by local churches walked into my public-school classroom and my regular teacher left. She stuck figures of Jesus Christ and his disciples on a flannel board, told us how Jesus could solve people’s problems and, a little while later, asked us all to sing the hymn, “Jesus Loves Me.”

Here’s the thing: I’m Jewish.

More here-

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2015/09/20/Public-schools-should-teach-religion/stories/201509200028

Bible should be at the center of Anglican meeting, global group says

From The Washington Post-

Restoring the Bible to the heart of the Anglican Communion should be the goal of a meeting called this week by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on how Anglicans should move forward, said the head of the Global Anglican Future Conference.

Welby’s meeting of Anglican leaders is planned for mid-January 2016 in Canterbury, England. It is being viewed as an attempt to heal the 80 million-member communion, which remains deeply wounded by disputes over homosexuality and women’s ordination in the global church.

GAFCON’s chairman, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, the primate of Kenya, said the meeting was a recognition of the deep concerns of the faithful Anglican Church leaders in the world. GAFCON, started in 2008 in Jerusalem, says its aim is to restore the integrity of the Anglican faith and order.

More here-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/bible-should-be-at-the-center-of-anglican-meeting-global-group-says/2015/09/18/a360fc3e-5e49-11e5-8475-781cc9851652_story.html

Bishop Sean Rowe: God loves all unconditionally

From Erie-

How many times have we found ourselves engaged in arguments only to realize that whatever hot button issue we were arguing about wasn't really the issue at all?

Time and again we turn against one another for superficial reasons that are symptoms of deeper issues that remain unaddressed. This is true in secular politics, and it is true in our faith communities as well.

We're gearing up for what promises to be a long and painful political season. Already, candidates are using the poor for target practice in our ongoing cultural and ideological wars. Some aspirants to political power are even talking about massive deportations of people who live in grinding poverty and do work that many American citizens simply refuse to engage. The goal is to get "them" out.


More here-


http://www.goerie.com/bishop-sean-rowe-god-loves-all-unconditionally

130 years of faithful service at Yakima's oldest church

From Yakima-

No one is quite sure when the tower bell stopped ringing.

But they did solve the mystery of why the sermon from the First Baptist Church across the street suddenly blared over their public address system one Sunday (sound wave interference).

They’re also certain of the year when incensed church leaders protested “vulgar vaudeville” at the Capitol Theatre (it was 1919).

And they know very well how much tradition is immersed in St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. At 130 years, it’s the oldest church building in Yakima.

“There’s a lot of history here,” says Ann Davidson, senior warden of the church.

On Sept. 29, 1885, the parish of St. Michael’s was founded here, four years before Washington became a state. A committee of five townspeople then put their dreams into action, as well as into rock and mortar. After the Northern Pacific Railway donated two lots at the southeast corner of Yakima and Naches avenues, church members arranged to have basalt hauled by horse and wagon from near Gleed, ordered cathedral glass from Cincinnati and began the task of building a house of worship.

More here-

http://www.yakimaherald.com/lifestyle/faith/years-of-faithful-service-at-yakima-s-oldest-church/article_bc5bfa80-5e5e-11e5-a788-57662a36fa55.html

Rector of Episcopal church reflects on rebuilding

From The Washington Post-

When the Rev. John Ohmer was named rector of the Falls Church Episcopal in September 2012, he faced the challenge of rebuilding a historic church that had lost most of its membership in a split with conservatives, primarily over the issue of ordaining openly gay clergy.

In late 2006 and early 2007, more than 90 percent of the 2,200 members of the church — which dates to Colonial times — voted to leave the Episcopal church and form the Falls Church Anglican.

After the split, the Episcopal congregation met at a nearby Presbyterian church for nearly five years, until a legal dispute with the Falls Church Anglican over ownership of the property was resolved. A 2012 decision by the Virginia Supreme Court allowed the Episcopal congregation to return to the historic property.

More here-


https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/rector-of-episcopal-church-reflects-on-rebuilding/2015/09/15/ce3c1e26-5bb9-11e5-9757-e49273f05f65_story.html

Obama’s Game: Manipulate Culture Warriors by Exploiting a Pope

From Aleteia-

“Doesn’t Obama know any good Catholics?”

On social media that question has been repeating with the regularity of an exhaled mantra, and if one takes the bait and clicks on the provided link, one reads Thomas D. Williams’ piece on the interesting collection of Catholic dissenters who will enjoy personal introductions to Pope Francis, via the American President. “In a stunning show of political indecorum,” wrote Williams, “Obama has invited a series of individuals who publicly flout Catholic teaching, including a pro-abortion religious sister, a transgender woman and the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, along with at least two Catholic gay activists.”
More here-

http://aleteia.org/2015/09/18/obamas-game-manipulate-culture-warriors-by-exploiting-a-pope/

Dissolving the Anglican communion would simply be a recognition of reality

From The Guardian-

One good way to understand Justin Welby is to think of him as the most Marxist archbishop of Canterbury we’ve had for decades. This isn’t because of his economics, nor his view of religion, but because he has completely internalised Marx’s apophthegm that freedom is the recognition of necessity. Only by giving up the make-believe can anything real be made to happen.

The Anglican communion has been a fantasy for at least 30 years. The term suggests there are Anglican churches outside of England grouped into a spiritually and politically significant whole with agreed beliefs and some kind of chain of command, but there isn’t. The idea proposition is theologically mysterious and ontologically nonsensical.

More here-

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/17/dissolving-anglican-community-archbishop-canterbury-anglicanism

Vatican Disputes White House Guest List for Papal Visit

From The Wall Street Journal-

On the eve of Pope Francis’s arrival in the U.S., the Vatican has taken offense at the Obama administration’s decision to invite to the pope’s welcome ceremony transgender activists, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop and an activist nun who leads a group criticized by the Vatican for its silence on abortion and euthanasia.

According to a senior Vatican official, the Holy See worries that any photos of the pope with these guests at the White House welcoming ceremony next Wednesday could be interpreted as an endorsement of their activities.

The tension exemplifies concerns among conservative Catholics, including many bishops, that the White House will use the pope’s visit to play down its differences with church leaders on such contentious issues as same-sex marriage and the contraception mandate in the health care law.

More here-

http://www.wsj.com/articles/vatican-disputes-white-house-guest-list-for-papal-visit-1442533549

Meeting of Anglican Leaders Could Lead to a Looser Federation

From The New York Times (and others-links below)

Sharply divided over issues including same-sex marriage, Anglican leaders from around the world were called on Wednesday to a meeting, planned for next year, that could lead to the transformation of the fractious global church into a much looser grouping.

In a statement, the Most Rev. Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury and the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, invited 37 primates to meet in Britain next January to “discuss key issues face to face, including a review of the structures of the Anglican Communion.”

 Among those invited was the leader of the Anglican Church in North America, a conservative alliance that broke away after the decisions by the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada to ordain openly gay people. The Anglican Church in North America is recognized by conservative provinces in the Communion, but regarded by others as an illegitimate splinter group.

More here-

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/world/europe/meeting-of-anglican-leaders-could-lead-to-a-looser-federation.html?_r=0

US News and World Report-

http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/09/16/archbishop-of-canterbury-calls-anglican-leaders-to-meeting

The Telegraph-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11869056/Archbishop-of-Canterburys-last-throw-of-the-dice-to-save-Anglican-church-from-split.html

The Guardian-

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/16/archbishop-of-canterbury-urges-breakup-of-divided-anglican-communion

The Atlantic-

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/09/the-end-of-the-worldwide-anglican-communion/405736/

What Real Estate Battles Say About Church

From Huffington-

What makes a church, a church? Is it the buildings? The programs? The members? These questions come to mind with recent real estate transactions involving (formerly) sacred ground.

The Los Angeles real estate battle over a former convent involving pop star Katy Perry has attracted great attention, but it's not the only controversial sale of church property in Southern California.

In Newport Beach, the L.A. Episcopal diocese has apparently decided that townhomes should replace a local church. In May, unbeknownst to its ministers or parishioners, Bishop J. Jon Bruno announced that the diocese had sold St. James the Great Church for $15 million to a local developer who has plans to build pricey townhomes on the site.

More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-flory/what-real-estate-battles_b_8147374.html

Can the Anglican Communion stay together? The Archbishop of Canterbury calls for talks

From The Washington Post-

The world’s third-largest Christian denomination appears to be in serious reflection about how — and whether — to stay unified amid divisions about human sexuality and other issues.

The leader of the Anglican Communion, the third-largest Christian group in the world, with some 85 million members, on Wednesday called a gathering of leaders from his fractured denomination to discuss sexuality, religious violence and other topics.

The Communion of national churches, which includes the Episcopal Church in the United States, have been affiliated for centuries.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced Wednesday that he had summoned Anglican leaders to a special meeting that will be held in January, including a review of the structure of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

More here-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/09/17/can-the-anglican-communion-stay-together-the-archbishop-of-canterbury-calls-for-meeting/