'It was a significant miscalculation' | DC faith leaders frustrated over President Trump's June 1 photo op at St. John's Church

 From D.C.-

Two weeks after President Donald Trump posed for a photo op in front of St. John's Church, Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde invited other interfaith leaders to hold a joint prayer vigil at the church Sunday. 

Bishop Budde felt the way the President went about the picture was a "crime."

“The crime was the dispersal of a peaceful crowd, with all of the symbolism of the American government and military," she said.

Previous WUSA9 reporting shows that law enforcement deployed flash bangs and gas, similar to -- if not -- tear gas, to clear out protesters before President Trump posed in front of the church.

More here-


https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/protests/crime-dispersal-peaceful-crowd-interfaith-leaders-call-action/65-e5906915-3097-4115-8fa1-edb8fbf6e626

Presiding Bishop announces retirement of John E. Colón as Director of Human Resources

From The Episcopal Church-

Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael Curry has announced the retirement of John E. Colón as Director of Human Resources at the Episcopal Church, a position he has held since 1989.

“John has served the church as a member of the staff of four Presiding Bishops,” Presiding Bishop Curry said.  “What a tenure of service and witness! We will miss his kind, faithful and delightful presence, but we thank God that we have served with him.  As was said when John Glenn was about to orbit the earth, we say now, ‘Godspeed’ John Colón.”

“It has been a privilege and an honor to have served at the churchwide offices for more than 28 years under four Presiding Bishops and with current and former colleagues,” Colón said. “Be assured that as The Jesus Movement continues to revive us in this Church, I will be there walking alongside you in prayer, action and thanksgiving.”
More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/posts/publicaffairs/presiding-bishop-announces-retirement-john-e-colón-director-human-resources

Church Center Seeks CEO

From The Living Church-

The Episcopal Church is accepting applications for the position of chief operating officer, a member of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s staff.

The CEO oversees a broad portfolio, including the day-to-day management of human resources, information technology, buildings and facilities, and real-estate acquisitions. The CEO serves as a senior member of the presiding bishop’s leadership team.

Information about the position, details for applying and process overview are available on the church’s website. Applicants should provide a résumé and a cover letter that includes at least three professional references. Materials should be submitted by email.
More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/church-center-seeks-ceo

Gender bias may be part of Episcopal Church firings, ex-staffer says

From RNS-

When the Rev. Bob Honeychurch learned that the Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop was calling for staff culture reform after firing two senior administrators for misconduct, he had a hunch what some of those cultural issues might be.

From 2008 to 2012, Honeychurch served on the national church staff, where he heard accounts of gender bias on multiple occasions. Women were excluded from important decision-making, Honeychurch said, even when they held high offices and had relevant skills and experience to offer. Respecting female colleagues as equals wasn’t the norm.

More here-

http://gazette.com/gender-bias-may-be-part-of-episcopal-church-firings-ex-staffer-says/article/1574193

House of Bishops Day 3 (Fall 2013)

From Dan Martins-

We began with the Eucharist for St Matthew's Day at 9am. The Bishop of Atlanta presided and Fr Simon Bautistia, one of the HOB chaplains, preached. I really do hate it that I find worshiping at meetings of the House of Bishops more alienating than uplifting. As a good Catholic, of course, I realize that it's not about how I feel. Indeed, if it were about how I feel, I would probably just silently absent myself. But it's not, so I go. Part of the alienation, no doubt, is my responsibility, and I need to own that. But I also need to name my irritation: It's just too laborious. Today the celebrant switched from English to Spanish and back several time--just during the Eucharistic Prayer! Prayer Book rubrics and texts are widely ignored or altered. Our musician, Dent Davidson, has talent oozing out of his pores; he is really good at what he does. But the music is a steady diet of the exotic with occasional smatterings of the familiar as a condiment. I would dearly love to see the proportions reversed: liturgies anchored in the center of the tradition, following Prayer Book texts and rubrics, seasoned judiciously with the exotic. I suppose others would then feel malnourished. What to do?

More here-

http://www.cariocaconfessions.blogspot.com/2013/09/house-of-bishops-ay-3-fall-2013.html

The Revd Mark Stevenson named Episcopal Church Domestic Poverty Missioner

From Anglican News-

Bishop Stacy Sauls, Chief Operating Officer of The Episcopal Church, has announced the appointment of the Rev. Canon Mark Stevenson as Domestic Poverty Missioner on the staff of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS).

In this position, Stevenson will be responsible for work related to Anglican Mark of Mission 4, The transformation of unjust structures of society, which the 77th General Convention designated as a budget priority and structured with a focus on the alleviation of poverty in the United States.

In addition to the newly created work of Mission Mark 4, Stevenson will be responsible for several of the DFMS’s longstanding domestic-poverty engagements, including support for the Jubilee Ministry program and liaison with networks of Episcopalians working to address poverty in their communities.

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2013/08/the-rev-mark-stevenson-named-episcopal-church-domestic-poverty-missioner.aspx

Mark Stevenson to Fight Poverty

From The Living Church-

The Living Church Foundation extends joyous congratulations to the Rev. Canon Mark Stevenson, a member of the foundation’s board.

Adapted from the Office of Public Affairs

The Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls, chief operating officer of the Episcopal Church, has announced the appointment of the Rev. Canon Mark Stevenson as domestic poverty missioner on the staff of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS).

In this position, Stevenson will be responsible for work related to Anglican Mark of Mission 4 — transformation of unjust structures of society — which the 77th General Convention designated as a budget priority and structured with a focus on the alleviation of poverty in the United States. Stevenson will begin his new work September 16 and will be based in Dallas.

In addition to the newly created work of Mission Mark 4, Stevenson will be responsible for several of the church’s longstanding domestic-poverty engagements, including support for the Jubilee Ministry program and liaison with networks of Episcopalians working to address poverty in their communities.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/mark-stevenson-fight-poverty

Council considers proposal to stay at church center to further mission

From ENS-

The church’s denominational offices would remain at the Episcopal Church Center in New York if the Executive Council accepts a recommendation it received Feb. 26 from a group of Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society executives.

Of four main scenarios analyzed, “God’s mission of reconciliation is best furthered” by remaining at 815 Second Ave. in Manhattan and consolidating DFMS operations at the church center to free up even more space to rent to outside tenants than the 3.5 floors that are currently leased out, a report to council says. This choice would be “in the organization’s best interests financially, both in terms of budget effect and for long-term investment purposes,” according to the report.

The DFMS, the church’s corporate entity, currently rents 2.5 floors to the Ad Council and one floor to Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations. The church center has nine floors of office space.
The study began in February 2012, five months before General Convention met, when council’s Finances for Mission committee asked DFMS management to study the possible relocation of the church center.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/02/26/council-considers-proposal-to-stay-at-church-center-to-further-mission/

Executive Council gets glimpse of work done at church center

From ENS (What I'm doing)

The members of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council got a crash course on the work of the church-wide staff Oct. 16 during a visit to the Episcopal Church Center in New York.

During the morning, the council split into five groups and toured the building, meeting with members of the mission staff who work both in the New York location and across the church. They also heard from the mission support staff, including the Office of Communication, treasurer’s office, and human resources.

The visit to the church center was significant, in part, because General Convention said in July (via Resolution D016) that “it was the will of this Convention to move the church center headquarters away from the church center building.” That statement came after the House of Bishops rejected a call by the House of Deputies to sell the building at 815 Second Ave.

A comprehensive study of real estate owned by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church is being conducted by the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield and funded by Diocese of Los Angeles Bishop Jon Bruno. The study involves both the Episcopal Church Center at 815 Second Ave. in New York and a city block in Austin, Texas, that was purchased with the intent of constructing a new building for the Archives of the Episcopal Church. The study is also meant to explore the cost of relocating the church center and its impact on the staff.

more here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/10/16/executive-council-gets-glimpse-of-work-done-at-church-center/

Transitions for Episcopal Church, DFMS staff

From ENS-

The Episcopal Church and the church-wide Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) staff are undergoing transitions to re-orient not only the work of the church-wide staff but also where that work will be conducted.

The transitions are primarily, but not completely, a result of actions approved at General Convention 2012 in July. Many are budget-based and most are intended to be responsive to the priorities established at General Convention.

“The decisions on the re-orientation and transitions were made by senior management, particularly in affected departments, working as a team,” noted Chief Operating Officer Bishop Stacy Sauls. “The overriding concern has been to make decisions that serve the church as a whole as it engages God’s mission at the most local levels.”

Sauls emphasized that the predominant focus is on a redesign. “We have been reviewing and talking about seriously redesigning what we, as a staff, do and how we do it in order to meet the needs of the church in different circumstances than what our current structures were designed to address,” he said. “The whole church is being called to restructure for mission. We as the DFMS staff must engage this work faithfully.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/08/15/transitions-for-episcopal-church-dfms-staff/

General Seminary partners with Church Center on social media

From ENS-

The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church is working with the Office of Communication of the church’s denominational headquarters on a new education program called Digital Formation.

The goal is to help clergy and lay leaders throughout the Episcopal Church appreciate the importance of understanding the use and effects of social media in the church as well as its theological foundations and implications, according to a seminary press release.

The program begins with a series of webinars, each centering on a different topic related to social media. The first hour-long webinar starts at 1:00 pm EST on Feb. 17. Interested persons may register here. The program includes 45 minutes of content and a 15 minute question-and-answer session.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/02/10/general-seminary-partners-with-church-center-on-social-media/

Episcopal Church chief operating officer announces staff appointments

From ENS-

Bishop Stacy Sauls, Episcopal Church chief operating officer, said July 19 that he has created a new position at the Church Center and reconfigured part of the center's mission staff.
Sauls named Canon Sam McDonald, who served as his canon to the ordinary in the Diocese of Lexington, to be deputy chief operating officer and director of mission, according to a press release from the church's Office of Public Affairs.

In addition, Antoinette "Toni" Daniels has been named associate director of mission for administration and the Rev. Margaret Rose has been named associate director of mission for program.

The changes are effective Sept. 1, according to the release.

"These appointments are intended to help all of us work most creatively as we seek to better serve the church," Sauls said. "I look forward to working closely with Sam, Toni and Margaret as we focus on the mission work for the Episcopal Church."

McDonald will oversee the church's mission programs and manage the work of the Episcopal Church Center's mission funding, human resources, information technology and building service departments, the release said. Prior to serving in Lexington, he worked with youth in churches in the Diocese of Ohio and has been a General Convention Deputy since 2003.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80263_129095_ENG_HTM.htm

New COO: ‘It’s a Leadership Task

From The Living Church-

For the Rt. Rev. Stacy F. Sauls, Bishop of Lexington, joining the staff of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori means leaving his diocese at a time he describes as especially rewarding. Sauls will become the Episcopal Church’s chief operating officer September 1.

“After ten years, I’m beginning to get the hang of this bishop thing,” Sauls, 55, said when addressing his diocesan convention in February.

The new job also means working for a friend who began her episcopal ministry in Nevada soon after Sauls became a bishop.

“We’re contemporaries in the House of Bishops,” he said in an interview with The Living Church. “We first came to know each other in February 2001. I was a brand-new bishop, and she was about to become a bishop.”

The idea of his becoming COO “began with some colleagues at the House of Bishops meeting who approached me and said they thought I would be good at this,” he said.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2011/6/14/new-coo-its-a-leadership-task

Elizabeth Lowell named Episcopal Church project manager for fundraising

From ENS-

Elizabeth Moulton Lowell has been named project manager for fundraising in the Office of Mission Funding of the Episcopal Church. Her position was announced June 7 by Linda Watt, chief operating officer for the Episcopal Church.

Lowell will focus on the Episcopal Church Archives Project, cultivating major prospects, and participating in the churchwide preparation for General Convention 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. In this role, Lowell will provide expert advice to and work alongside the staff of the Mission Funding Office including team leader, the Rev. Carol Hoidra, according to a press release.

"As a 'cradle Episcopalian,' I am delighted by the opportunity to serve the church I hold so dear with my fundraising skills and experience," Lowell said.

As a partner in Raybin Associates, Inc., Lowell consulted with a variety of non-profit organizations in New York, New England and nationally, focusing largely on libraries, educational institutions and church-related organizations. Episcopal organizations and churches which she has assisted include Saint Mary the Virgin and Heavenly Rest in New York City; El Hogar Ministries in the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras; Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and the Diocese of New Westminster in Vancouver, Canada. Lowell also has been working in partnership with others on the Episcopal Church Archives Project.

More here

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80263_128611_ENG_HTM.htm

Liturgical Labor Dispute: Episcopal Church Irks Unions

From "Human Events"-

In early February, a 100-strong group of labor activists angrily gathered in front of the Manhattan headquarters of a prominent national organization to protest. The offense they protested was a recent contract change at the headquarters, from a unionized housekeeping services crew to a non-union one, and the effective dismissal of long-serving personnel.

But the organization which had earned the ire of organized labor wasn’t a business, it was the chronically liberal Episcopal Church.

More amazingly, the director of the Communist Party USA’s religious outreach, himself a prospective Episcopal priest, is trying to negotiate a labor-friendly accommodation with the Episcopal Church.

Long the supporters of union-friendly policies, Episcopalians have a record that should please even the most hardened union bosses. Once known as “the Republican Party at Prayer,” the 2.1 million-member denomination’s leadership long ago completed a political U-turn that now situates it on the Democratic Party’s far-left flank.

More here-

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=36324

Crew of 9 at Episcopal Church Center abruptly fired; now they need a miracle

From The New York Daily News-

They worked for years cleaning and maintaining the Episcopal Church Center in midtown Manhattan. But after they were fired on Dec. 30, nine hard-working people are in desperate need of divine intervention.

"We came to work on Dec. 30 as every day, hoping to leave a little earlier to celebrate the new year," said Bronx native Héctor Miranda, a father of three. "But when we got to the building we were told that we no longer worked there. Just like that. They picked the date well to fire us."

Now, without the means to support his family, Miranda has no idea how he will pay the rent.

"Even worse," he said, "without health coverage I don't know how I am going to pay for my wife's treatment. She is a diabetic, you know."

The workers lost their jobs - which paid standard wages and benefits - when the church canceled the contract with Paris Maintenance, a union cleaning contractor, and replaced it with the nonunion Benjamin Enterprises.

The workers belong to SEIU Local 32BJ, which is helping them organize demonstrations outside the church to protest what the union calls "the unlawful termination" of the porters - and to demand that they be offered jobs by the new contractor.

"We have called Benjamin Enterprises and asked to keep our jobs, but we haven't received any response," the workers said in a letter addressed to presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, and to Bonnie Anderson, president of the church's house of deputies.

Read more:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2010/02/07/2010-02-07_abruptly_fired_church_crew_needs_miracle.html#ixzz0equEss0E

Search for Advocacy Director Put on Hold

From The Living Church-

The Episcopal Church’s Office of Public Affairs said yesterday it has suspended temporarily the search for a director for advocacy, citing the need to examine organizational change as a result of the budget approved at General Convention. The Rev. Canon Brian Grieves, director of the church's advocacy center, will retire in October.

"With the effects of the 2010-2012 budget just beginning to be felt, and with organizational changes that these cuts will require being studied, we believe it is best to temporarily halt the process," said Linda Watt, chief operating officer for The Episcopal Church. "Please note that this is a temporary suspension of the search process. The director of advocacy position has not been eliminated and the search will resume following a decision on the parameters of the position."

Ms. Watt added that the staff at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City "is being reconfigured as a result of the budget approved by General Convention, and we recognize that there are new factors to be considered in selecting a candidate for this very important and visible ministry."

In other announcements, Maureen Shea will retire Aug. 28 as director of the church's Office of Government Relations in Washington, D.C. Alex Baumgarten, OGR international policy analyst, will serve as interim director and Mary Getz, OGR's grassroots coordinator, will oversee administrative work at the Washington office.

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/8/12/search-for-advocacy-director-put-on-hold