Easy English Bible is completed

From Church Times-

A BIBLE that uses just 1200 different English words to tell the story from Genesis to Revelation has been released online for the first time - it is the culmination of 20 years' work by a group of volunteers.

The EasyEnglish Bible, which includes a set of Bible commentaries, is available, free of charge, online. It has been designed for use by readers learning English as a second language, those with literacy problems or learning disabilities, and multi-lingual communities.

The task required a new subset of English, which follows forms of grammar to help express complex ideas in simpler words. The rules followed included the use of one topic per paragraph, and no passive verbs, split infinitives, idioms, or ambiguous pronouns.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2015/3-april/news/uk/easy-english-bible-is-completed

Poverty and class: the latest themes to enter the US banned-books debate

From The Guardian-

Late last month, for the 32nd year in a row, Banned Books Week was marked across the US. Spearheaded by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom, the annual salute to the freedom to read has become a fixture. It aims to counterbalance perennial challenges to the content of books and efforts to get them banned, usually from schools and libraries.

The ALA collects information on which books are objected to and reports on prominent recurring themes that tend to generate moral or ideological indignation. Subjects such as religion, race, gender, sexuality and allegations of sexually explicit content or offensive language frequently top the list.

More here-

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/21/us-adds-poverty-to-dangerous-reading-lists

Episcopal women already planning Back to School Literacy Fair for August

From Central Gulf Coast-

The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Gulf Breeze will sponsor a Back to School Literacy Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at church Parish Hall.

The event is being spearheaded by Dottie Kilpatrick, Vice President of ECW, and everyone in the south Santa Rosa and Pensacola Beach area is invited to come and bring the children. Many children are needed to make this event a success; the first 100 schoolage children will receive a bag of school supplies. There is no charge for this event.

“This is a unique event for the church women, and we feel it is St. Francis’ gift to the communities,” ECW President Sarah Lee Menzer said.

The group recognizes that there are many children who love to read and need no encouragement to pick up a book, but there are numerous others who for various reasons avoid reading whenever possible. They would like to foster a love of reading in all children.

more here-

http://www.gulfbreezenews.com/news/2010-06-24/Community/Episcopal_women_already_planning_Back_to_School_Li.html

Good Stuff In TEC: Texas

Episcopal mission honors Dr. Seuss legacy

For more than 70 years, Dr. Seuss's whimsical stories have fascinated children around the world.

El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission in South Austin celebrated "Dr. Seuss Week" to give young children the chance to experience American literature.

Rev. Ed Gomez of El Buen Samaritano said honoring Dr. Seuss is an effort to help young children acclimate to the United States.

"We want to teach them about what are the American popular literature that's going to be part of their upbringing and culture, so that these children – children of immigrants – come and acclimate to the U.S. will be able to successfully deal with and understand the different aspects of literature," he said.

Some local lawmakers read "Green Eggs and Ham" and "The Cat and the Hat" to the children at the mission.

In addition, the 2 to 4-year-olds got a special breakfast, a chance to try their very own green eggs and ham.

http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=234136

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