Some time off.

Three Rivers Episcopal is taking a vacation. We'll be back the weekend of April 9th.

Charismatic movement gains as Church of England sputters

From RNS-

Church closings are nothing new in this country.

In the past six years, 168 Church of England churches have closed, along with 500 Methodist and 100 Roman Catholic churches.

“Christianity in Britain has seen a relentless decline for over 100 years,” says Linda Woodhead, a sociologist at Lancaster University.

Visitors to Britain are often shocked when they see the state of some of this nation’s once-proud church buildings.

But for every Anglican church that has closed over the past six years, more than three Pentecostal or charismatic churches have taken their place, according to an analysis by The Times of London.

These Pentecostal and charismatic churches are drawing young, black, Asian and mixed-race people.

More here-

http://www.religionnews.com/2016/03/29/charismatic-movement-gains-church-england-sputters/

Inn keeper feeds his soul with side role as priest

From The Globe and Mail-

One day, during the busy summer season, Ian Powell was summoned to the front desk where a very surly customer was complaining that he didn’t get a room with a view in the Arthur Erickson-designed wing of Victoria’s Inn at Laurel Point.

When Mr. Powell, managing director of the posh Inn, appeared wearing a clerical collar, the guest switched from sinner to saint. Mr. Powell is not only a hotel manager, he’s also an Anglican priest.

“I earn my daily bread by being a hotelier. I feed my soul by being a priest,” says Mr. Powell, 60, who since 2006 has been the Inn’s manager and who has served at Victoria’s Christ Church Cathedral since 2009.

More here-

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/inn-keeper-feeds-his-soul-with-side-role-as-priest/article29420623/

Brazil and Cuba to be represented at General Synod 2016

From Canada-

Representatives from two of the Anglican Church of Canada’s global partners—the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil and the Episcopal Church of Cuba—will be in attendance when General Synod meets this July.

Archbishop Francisco de Assis da Silva, primate of Brazil, and Bishop Griselda Delgado del Carpio will be representing the churches of Brazil and Cuba, respectively.

Da Silva’s visit comes at a time when the Canadian and Brazilian churches are moving toward re-establishing a formal relationship after a six-year lapse, Andrea Mann, the church’s director of global relations, told Council of General Synod (CoGS) March 11.

Until 2010, Mann said, the two churches had enjoyed a long relationship that included regular meetings and visits, grants and scholarships from the Canadian church, mentoring and other programs. Canadian Anglicans volunteered in Brazilian missions. But in 2010, General Synod, in consultation with the Brazilian church, withdrew from its formal partnership. Instead the Canadian church decided to focus on partnering with one province in each of the Communion’s six global regions. Within the Latin American/Caribbean region, the Episcopal Church of Cuba became the Canadian church’s strategic partner, she said.

- See more at:

http://www.anglicanjournal.com/articles/brazil-and-cuba-to-be-represented-at-general-synod-2016#sthash.TLISjJNa.dpuf

60 years ago, 3 black teens tried to enroll in Mansfield High — ‘never’ was the reply Mansfield school superintendent told first black applicants ‘never’

From Ft. Worth-

Floyd Moody doesn’t dwell on being denied enrollment. He tried to ignore the hostility and threats.

“I kind of shut things out at that point,” Floyd Moody said “All I heard at that point was, ‘You’re not going,’ so I’m ready to start at I.M. Terrell when school starts. That’s it.”

In front of the school, a mob roughed up Episcopal priest C.W. Clark from St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Fort Worth, who had to be pulled to safety by a Texas Ranger, according to Star-Telegram archives.

“Everything was lovely when we left, but that evening, man, everybody in the city had heard,” Floyd Moody said. “The word had gotten out that three black students were trying to enroll in Mansfield High School.”

Read more here:

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/arlington/article68837362.html#storylink=cpy

Donate Stolen Wealth To Church And Be Exposed – Anglican Bishop Warns Looters

From Nigeria-

The leadership of St. Peter Cathedral Church, Ake, Abeokuta on Sunday cautioned corrupt public office holders not to donate part of their looted funds to the church, else a report would be made to security agencies.

The Diocesan Bishop of Egba, Emmanuel Adekunle, said this in his sermon at the Ogun State Police Command 2016 Thanksgiving Service held at the Cathedral Church in the town.

The cleric pointed out that it has become the trend for treasury looters to donate to churches from their ill-gotten wealth; lamenting that, even when churches are aware, they praise the looters.
He said, “‎Don’t steal where you are working and bring to church as donation or tithe, we shall not accept such gestures, whether as donations or tithes.

“If we discovered such we shall expose the donor. If you do this you will be ridiculed.”
More here-

https://www.informationng.com/2016/03/donate-stolen-wealth-to-church-and-be-exposed-anglican-bishop-warns-looters.html

‘That’s irresponsible’: Hong Kong’s top Anglican rejects calls to give up Christian seats on body electing city’s chief executive

From Hong Kong-

Protestants must not give up their 10 seats on the body that could decide Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s re-election if he runs next year, the archbishop of the Hong Kong Anglican Church has said, rejecting a call to boycott the influential committee.

In a rare interview, his second since taking over the helm at the church in 2007, the Most Reverend Paul Kwong told the Post that, contrary to accusations, he was not a government yes-man. He claimed he had, behind closed doors, urged officials to communicate with different sectors and explain their policies more clearly and frequently.

Kwong declined to say if he supported Leung’s re-election, but he said he believed the chief executive “loves Hong Kong”.

More here-

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1931390/thats-irresponsible-hong-kongs-top-anglican-rejects-calls

Councilman, pastor spend night sleeping on street ahead of Easter Sunday

From Austin-

A San Antonio city councilman spent part of Good Friday sleeping on the street after a pastor invited him to live among the homeless for a night.

"In a way, you could say Jesus was homeless," said Gavin Rogers, pastor of Christ Episcopal Church. "It's hard for us to imagine that, but in a way, his at least three years in ministry, he had no place to lay his head."

District 4 Councilman Ray Saldaña visited Haven for Hope and slept on the sidewalk in front of a church Thursday evening into Friday morning. Lewis Williams, who's been homeless off and on for eight years, helped him with the essentials.

More here-

http://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/councilman-pastor-spend-night-sleeping-on-street-ahead-of-easter-sunday

Alleluia!