Archbishop of Canterbury response to US Episcopal Church Resolution on Marriage

From Anglican News-

The Archbishop of Canterbury today expressed deep concern about the stress for the Anglican Communion following the US Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops’ resolution to change the definition of marriage in the canons so that any reference to marriage as between a man and a woman is removed.

While recognising the prerogative of The Episcopal Church to address issues appropriate to its own context, Archbishop Justin Welby said that its decision will cause distress for some and have ramifications for the Anglican Communion as a whole, as well as for its ecumenical and interfaith relationships.

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2015/06/archbishop-of-canterbury-response-to-us-episcopal-church-resolution-on-marriage.aspx

National Cathedral to remove Confederate images

From CNN-

The nationwide backlash against Confederate symbols continued as the National Cathedral became the most recent institution to announce its intent to remove imagery related to the secessionist states.

The Confederate flag is featured prominently in pictures apparently posted by Dylann Roof in online writings laced with racial hatred. Roof has been charged with murdering nine people at a Bible study in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17.

In his sermon on Sunday, the Very Rev. Gary Hall, dean of the National Cathedral, announced that he would call on the venerable church's governing body to remove two stained-glass windows put in place to honor "the lives and legacies of Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee."

More here-

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/29/living/national-cathedral-confederate-images/

US Episcopal Church makes history by electing 1st black presiding bishop

From Christian Today-

Following the horrific Charleston church shooting that claimed the lives of nine church members from the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church recently, the US Episcopal Church made history on Saturday as it elected its first black presiding bishop at its general conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bishop Michael Curry, 62, of North Carolina reportedly won in a landslide vote to replace outgoing Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who was the first female to lead their denomination. Curry was one of the four bishops being considered for the position and he won with 121 votes, while his closest competitor only got 21 votes.

More here-

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/us.episcopal.church.makes.history.by.electing.1st.black.presiding.bishop/57452.htm

The Incredible True Story Behind ‘Amazing Grace’

From Time-

When President Obama turned to the soaring lyrics of Amazing Grace to comfort the grieving families in Charleston, South Carolina this week, he was turning to a song that is almost as much of a staple of the U.S. Presidency as Hail to the Chief. Yet, as there is so often when race is the topic, the back story behind the hymn that is suddenly everywhere is not so simple.

Amazing Grace was written by an Englishman who in the early part of his life was an outspoken atheist, libertine, and slave trader. John Newton was born in London in 1725, the son of a Puritan mother and a stern ship commander father who took him to sea when he was 11 (“I am persuaded that he loved me but he seemed not willing that I should know it,” he later wrote).

More here-

http://time.com/3939193/amazing-grace-history-john-newton/

Anglican Church blasts greedy presidential aspirants

From Tanzania-

A section of clerics of the Anglican Church in the country yesterday blasted greedy presidential aspirants, politicians and followers of the church, sounding out a strong warning that the church would never support those disobeying public order and legitimate election rules.

Speaking at the commemoration to mark 50 years anniversary of the Dar es Salaam Diocese of the Anglican Church in Tanzania, Bishop Valentino Mokiwa urged Tanzanians to respect and follow election rules and regulations.

He told journalists yesterday that members of the church and the public as well should be ambassadors of peace and they should convey this message to all, so that nothing unbecoming should happen at the polls.

He said that the church will not support those who plan to violate the forthcoming General Elections and the congregation must pray to ensure that every election procedures carried out as planned.

More here-

http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=81725

Funding requests exceed $120 million triennial budget

From ENS-

 Members of The Episcopal Church’s Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance (PB&F) heard a strong call June 26 for reducing the amount of money it asks from dioceses and regional mission areas, knowing that they face an approximately $12 million gap between the funding already included in Executive Council’s draft 2016-2018 triennium budget and additional funding resolutions that have come to convention.

Council’s balanced $120 million budget was passed in January after the church’s committees, commissions, agencies and boards filed their reports to convention containing funding resolutions. Some of those requests have been amended here at convention. Plus, many new resolutions filed since council passed its budget also ask for money to be included in the 2016-2018 budget. They are the ones that account for the $12 million gap.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2015/06/27/funding-requests-exceed-120-million-triennial-budget/

Michael Curry Elected PB Round-up

New YorkTimes-

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/us/episcopal-church-elects-its-first-black-presiding-bishop.html?_r=0

Reuters-

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/27/us-usa-episcopal-bishop-idUSKBN0P70UL20150627

Huffington-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/27/episcopal-church-michael-curry-black_n_7679264.html

ABC-

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/episcopal-church-elects-black-presiding-bishop-32075597

Fox-

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/06/27/us-episcopal-church-elects-1st-african-american-presiding-bishop-curry-north/

Winston Salem--

http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/episcopal-church-elects-former-winston-salem-rector-first-black-presiding/article_d996acb3-dc6f-5759-9c8f-fbd1cf5e8269.html

Desert News-

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865631557/North-Carolina-bishop-elected-as-presiding-bishop-and-primate-of-Episcopal-Church.html

Washington Post-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/episcopal-church-elects-michael-curry-first-black-presiding-bishop/2015/06/27/0e5fdc20-1d23-11e5-bed8-1093ee58dad0_story.html

Charlotte Observer-

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/religion/article25672120.html

Buffalo News-

http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/buffalo-native-elected-to-head-episcopal-church-20150627

ENS

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2015/06/27/episcopalians-react-to-historic-election-of-michael-curry-as-presiding-bishop/

Reflecting on outgoing Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s tenure as Episcopal Church brings in new leader

From The Washington Post-

This opinion piece is by Diana Butler Bass, an independent scholar and expert on U.S. religion. She is the author of eight books, including “Christianity After Religion.”

In 2006, the Episcopal Church elected Katharine Jefferts Schori to serve a nine-year term as the denomination’s presiding bishop, the head of the church, an ecclesiastical position equivalent to the Church of England’s archbishop of Canterbury. The election was historic – she was the first woman elevated to the position, and the only w

And now her term is coming to an end. On Saturday, the Episcopal Church elected a new presiding bishop, Michael Curry of North Carolina. Curry will be the first African American to lead the church, one of the oldest and most historic Christian bodies in the United States.
oman among the senior bishops of the global Anglican Communion.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/06/27/reflecting-on-outgoing-presiding-bishop-katharine-jefferts-schoris-tenure-as-episcopal-church-brings-in-new-leader/