Bishop meets students, hears gas disaster stories

From Massachusetts-

The Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, brought a message of hope and love of God and neighbor to Lawrence.

He began his visit at Esperanza Academy, which holds classes in the parish hall of the adjacent Grace Episcopal Church. The middle-schoolers gave him a welcome fit for a rock star.

After meeting with the students and answering numerous questions, he headed next door to Grace Episcopal Church, where he listened to local residents' experiences of the Sept. 13 gas disaster. Many of those who spoke called for environmental justice and Curry clearly supported their pleas.

The Rev. Joel Almono, rector of the church, said the fires and explosions of the disaster destroyed 140 homes. Thousands of residents were displaced, he noted.

Yet the crisis brought the faith community together and clergy members of many denominations helped to bring pressure on Columbia Gas to fix the failed energy system, he pointed out.

More here-

https://www.eagletribune.com/news/merrimack_valley/bishop-meets-students-hears-gas-disaster-stories/article_cbd4363d-7f48-529b-9386-39d97594a61f.html

Anglican Communion members head to Hong Kong for consultative council meeting

From ENS-

The members of the Anglican Consultative Council are arriving here for the start of an eight-day meeting that will examine the communion’s mission and ministry, and during which some of its internal differences might surface.

The three Episcopal Church members of the ACC say they hope the April 28-May 5 meeting will bind the communion closer together in its mission across the world.

Rosalie Ballentine from the Diocese of the Virgin Islands told Episcopal News Service that she hopes the meeting will focus on the “continuing effort to build relationships, to build the communion, and to deal with those things that are important to the people of the world.”

Those issues include relief and development work, women, families, domestic violence, human trafficking, poverty and hunger, climate change, and indigenous people, according to the draft agenda. Members will also consider more church-related topics such as faith and order work, liturgical consultations, ecumenical and interreligious relationships, theological education and prayer initiatives.

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2019/04/26/anglican-communion-members-head-to-hong-kong-for-consultative-council-meeting/

Anglican Consultative Council: ‘Give us more say in running Anglican Communion’

From The Church Times-

MEMBERS of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) who are travelling to Hong Kong for its 17th meeting, which begins on Sunday, believe that they should have more say in the running of the Anglican Communion.

A Church Times questionnaire to a selection of ACC members elicited a mixed response. For example, on the question how well known the ACC was in their province, answers ranged from “Not very well known” (the majority) to “Well known”.

There was greatest agreement in answer to the question: “Should the ACC have more say in the running of the Communion?” Almost all those who responded agreed. Two respondents, Dr Heather Payne (Church in Wales) and the Very Revd Hosam Naoum (Jerusalem and the Middle East), spoke of achieving a good balance with the Primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Two dissenting voices came from Africa. Canon Anthony Eiwuley (Kenya) said: “I believe that most of the decisions taken at its meeting are enough. The policies are made for the ACC to administer.” And Peter Gachuhi (Kenya) said that the ACC’s “visibility and mandate needs to be understood first before one can cede any rights or powers to it”.

More here-

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/26-april/news/world/anglican-consultative-council-give-us-more-say-in-running-anglican-communion

Al Roker shares son Nick's journey growing up with special needs

From Today-

Nick has become particularly involved with St. James Episcopal Church in Manhattan, where he is the principal cross bearer as part of the worship team.

Al also watched as St. James became another important place for Nick to carve out an identity.

"On Sundays when I was feeling really down about Nick — wondering where our son would find his place in this world — I found it a comfort to note that some of the acolytes also had special needs,'' he wrote. "One performed his duties in a wheelchair; another had Down syndrome. Nick watched and wanted to join them. And the folks who oversaw the acolytes were happy to have him."

More here-

https://www.today.com/parents/al-roker-shares-son-nick-s-journey-growing-special-needs-t152861

'Censors of religious speech' – will prayer become a mockery?

From WND-

 Throughout the years, the United States Senate has honored the historic separation of Church and State, but not the separation of God and State. … The first Senate, meeting in New York City on APRIL 25, 1789, elected the Right Reverend Samuel Provost, the Episcopal Bishop of New York, as its first Chaplain. … During the past two hundred and seven years, all sessions of the Senate have been opened with prayer, strongly affirming the Senate’s faith in God as Sovereign Lord of our Nation.”

This was a continuation of the practice of the Continental Congress during the Revolution, as Ben Franklin remarked in 1787: “In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection.”

On April 9, 1789, only nine days after the first Constitutional Congress convened with a quorum, the House of Representatives and the Senate approved having chaplains open every session with prayer, paying them a salary of $500 each.

On April 15, 1789, a Committee of Congress, composed of Richard Henry Lee, Oliver Ellsworth, Caleb Strong, William Maclay, and Richard Bassett recommended: “That two chaplains, of different denominations, be appointed … the Senate to appoint one, and … the House of Representatives … shall … appoint the other … Chaplains shall commence their services in the Houses that appoint them.”

Read more at 

https://www.wnd.com/2019/04/censors-of-religious-speech-will-prayer-become-a-mockery/#K9MvVLHDreLHQihO.99

Church urged to vet funders as part of graft fight

 From Kenya-

The church has been challenged to rethink its strategy while mobilising for resources to ensure illegally acquired resources don’t get their way to the pulpit.
 
The Head of Anglican Church in Kenya, Jackson ole Sapit says to fight corruption, the church must desist from hyping those giving the money and instead encourage people including politicians to do it silently.

He said the matter has so far attracted “mixed reactions as some church leaders say they can’t identify clean and dirty money. Let us learn as a church to worship God with our resources quietly. Let us not hide behind this thing called harambees and guest of honours.”

There have been concerns that some politicians have been spending millions of questionable cash in places of worship while using it to woo supporters.

He was speaking during a multi-sectoral initiative against corruption press briefing Tuesday where he challenged Kenyans to support the renewed war on graft.

“The pulpit should only be for the worship leaders,” he said.

More here-

https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2019/04/church-urged-to-vet-funders-as-part-of-graft-fight/

Pastor plants ‘seeds of hope’ for radio listeners

From Western New York-

Through “Seeds of Hope,” a segment aired on WECK Radio, the Rev. Robert Harvey is able to deliver a message that is both thought-provoking and uplifting for listeners.

Rev. Harvey, who has been with Calvary Episcopal Church in Williamsville since September 2017, started the “Seeds of Hope” segment in March with WECK Radio.

“I wanted to put a message of hopefulness and inspiration out on the airways mostly in a time when we seem to have so much terrible news happening all around us,” he said.

WECK 1230AM, 102.9FM and 100.5FM are local Buffalo radio stations owned and operated by longtime Buffalo broadcaster and marketing executive Buddy Shula. The radio station plays music from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

The “Seeds of Hope” segment runs seven days a week on the radio station, with new segments airing each Monday through Saturday.

More here-

https://www.amherstbee.com/articles/pastor-plants-seeds-of-hope-for-radio-listeners/

Over $67,000 raised for Rachel Held Evans; Christian writer still in medically-induced coma

From Christian Post-

Over $67,000 has been raised in just under 24 hours to support progressive Christian writer Rachel Held Evans, who’s been in a medically induced coma since last week due to complications with an infection.

Evans, a 37-year-old blogger and bestselling author, announced on April 14 that she was in the hospital to treat infection and the flu. However, she began later in the week experiencing symptoms that caused her to have constant seizures and was admitted to an intensive care unit.  

On Monday, feminist writer and friend Sarah Bessey and other colleagues launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding page to help support the Evans family, noting that the medical costs for Evans’ stay are “mounting.”

According to the page organizers, a “long road ahead” is anticipated at this time.

“We want to help with those [medical costs] as well as all the accumulating expenses that even decent medical insurance won't cover,” the GoFundMe page reads. “So many of us would love to do something tangible, like cook a meal or assist with child care, pay for gas to the hospital or clean their house. This is a way for us to gather around the Evanses, making that happen together from many locations around the world.”

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/over-67000-raised-for-rachel-held-evans-christian-writer-still-in-medically-induced-coma.html 

and here-

https://wordandway.org/2019/04/23/supporters-of-hospitalized-christian-author-pool-funds-to-cover-medical-costs/

Grave robber arrested after trying to make SOUP from 100-year-old skeleton

From Newfoundland-

Archdeacon Sam Rose, executive officer of the Anglican Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, said that he had been advised that the remains had been taken from a mausoleum-style tomb, with a heavy concrete slab on top of the grave that would need to have been have been removed during the theft.

He says the parish has been shocked by the violation of a sacred resting place.

"Certainly it was something that you could not dream of or imagine," Archdeacon Rose said in an interview.

"When someone buries their loved one in a graveyard, there's the assumption this will be their final resting place as we say in the liturgy, so when this happens in such a shocking violation of that sacred act, it was (shocking) for me, personally."

More here-

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/773812/grave-robber-eating-remains-cannibal-soup-boiling-bones-newfoundland

25 years on - first women priested in Lichfield Diocese

From Lichfield-

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the first women being ordained as priests in Lichfield Cathedral.

The change in canon law in 1994, enabled women who at that time were only permitted to be deacons (clergy who cannot preside a Communion, or giving blessings and absolution) to be ordained as priests. Soon after, 51 female deacons were ordained as priests in Lichfield Cathedral in two services - on 23 and 24 April.

To mark these two dates, we have brought together two groups, to hear their experiences and discuss how their ministry has impacted the whole Church of England: today, a video from St Matthew's Wolverhampton with Revd Gayle Greenway, the current curate, talking to Chaplain to the Queen, Preb Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who was curate there between 1991 and 1995 and priested on 23 April 1994:

More here-

https://www.lichfield.anglican.org/news/2019/04/23/25th-anniversary-first-women-priested-lichfield-cathedral/

Post-colonial guilt stops UK helping Christians who are being persecuted around the world, bishop says

From The Daily Mail-

A feeling of 'post-colonial guilt' and the idea that following Jesus is 'an expression of white western privilege' has hampered the UK in helping persecuted Christians, a bishop says.

The Right Rev Philip Mounstephen, the Bishop of Truro, said Britain had 'something of a blind spot to the persecution of Christians', adding there was a 'real reluctance to see a religious component' in some parts of the world suffering with violence. 

In an interview with The Times, before the Easter Sunday Sri Lanka bombings, the bishop, 59, said: 'There is a lot of post-colonial guilt around a residual sense that the Christian faith is an expression of white western privilege. 

'Whereas actually the Christian faith is overwhelmingly a phenomenon of the . . . global poor and people who, by their very socio-economic status, are vulnerable.'

More here-

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6946433/Post-colonial-guilt-stops-UK-helping-persecuted-Christians-world-says-bishop.html

We’ll take money from politicians, ACK Bishop says

From Kenya-

An Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) bishop has slammed leaders who have been castigating churches for accepting donations from politicians said to be proceeds of corruption during fundraisers, saying that they will continue receiving the money until the courts declare such leaders corrupt.

Bishop Timothy Gichere of the ACK Mt Kenya Central diocese said no one should label or condemn others as corrupt as one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

He added that the church cannot distinguish between “clean” money and money gotten from corruption scandals.

DON'T CONDEMN

The bishop urged those condemning the church to stop it and allow the investigating agencies to do their work without undue political interference.

“When leaders come to church and contribute money with clean hearts, we can’t decline because we are not in a position to know if the money is gotten from corruption and we are not there to rebuke and label people as corrupt because that is the obligation of the courts.

More here-

https://www.nation.co.ke/counties/muranga/ACK-Bishop-we-wont-reject-politicians-money/1183310-5082406-1mcstw/index.html

Unique chance for Sri Lanka to find forgiveness and reconciliation

From Eternity-

A Sri Lankan born Anglican minister has urged Christians in Sri Lanka to uphold the mercy and forgiveness of the gospel in response to the horrendous Easter bomb attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka which claimed the lives of almost 300 people, including two Australians.

Prashanth Colombage, assistant minister at St James Anglican Church in Croydon, in Sydney’s inner west, says the challenge for the Christian community in Sri Lanka is to “heed the gospel and respond with mercy.”

He was responding to comments by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, to find the attackers behind the blasts and “punish them mercilessly.”

“It was an unguarded comment and I completely understand it – he’s walked into his churches and found people dead on the floor so I wouldn’t want to judge him too harshly; but I think that’s the challenge and that’s the unique opportunity that the gospel offers Sri Lanka because one of the real struggles they have as a country is they have no culture of reconciliation or forgiveness,” Colombage told Eternity.

More here-

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/world/unique-chance-for-sri-lanka-to-find-forgiveness-and-reconciliation/

United Methodists could split over LGBT debate, as have other denominations

From Columbus-

The Episcopal Church, an American branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, consecrated its first openly gay bishop in 2003. It passed a resolution in 2009 that “God’s call is open to all,” eradicating discriminatory barriers to the election of bishops. And in 2015, the church decided as a denomination to perform same-sex marriages.

Individuals, churches and entire dioceses left and formed new American denominations. They joined the worldwide Anglican church, which doesn’t support same-sex marriage or ordination of openly gay preachers.

“The Methodist Church is not going through something new ... The Methodist Church is going through what the Episcopal Church went through 15 years ago,” said the Rev. Paul Williams, rector at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Pickerington. “They’re following a path many have gone through, and they’ll be OK.”

More here-

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190422/united-methodists-could-split-over-lgbt-debate-as-have-other-denominations 

also here-

https://lbpost.com/news/that-which-i-knew-is-dead-methodists-on-the-brink-of-schism-over-lgbt-inclusion/

Olean pastors try to modernize Easter Sunday message

From Western New York-

Pastors also acknowledged that doing so is all the more important in an era of declining church attendance and Americans who are less religious than they used to be.

The percentage of American adults who identify as Christians dropped nearly 8 percent from 2007 to 2014 — from 78 percent to 71 percent, according to surveys by Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank. In that same time, according to the surveys, the percentage of American adults who are not religiously affiliated increased from 16 percent to 23 percent.

Such trends are often attributed to millennials. A 2018 Pew Research Center poll found that while 60 percent of adults 40 and over say religion is important to them, only 43 percent of people under 40 say the same.

“Hopefully the preaching could serve to activate people who’ve gotten away from the church and to attract people who haven’t been in the church,” said the Rev. Anthony Salim, pastor of St. Joseph Maronite Church. “Invite people back, and interest and attract people to be part of the community of the church.”

More here-

http://www.oleantimesherald.com/olean/olean-pastors-try-to-modernize-easter-sunday-message/article_0c35cea0-4097-5896-978e-b755165e5eca.html

He is Risen! A Blessed Easter to All!

Fellow Christian writers start Twitter prayer chain as Rachel Held Evans is hospitalized

From RNS-

Rachel Held Evans, a popular progressive Christian writer and speaker with an active social media presence, is no stranger to using hashtags.

On Friday (April 19), the hashtag #PrayForRHE appeared on Twitter, forming a prayer chain for Evans as news spread she has been hospitalized.

Within hours, the hashtag was trending in the United States, signaling that it was one of the most read and commented-on topics in the country.

Later in the evening, her husband Dan Evans posted an update on her website, letting readers know the writer is in a medically-induced coma and thanking them for their support and sympathy.

Sarah Bessey and Jeff Chu, both co-curators with Evans of the Evolving Faith Conference, had asked their Twitter followers to join them in an hour of prayer for Evans Friday afternoon.

More here-

https://religionnews.com/2019/04/19/fellow-christian-writers-start-twitter-prayer-chain-as-rachel-held-evans-is-hospitalized/

Here's why Bishop-elect Phoebe Roaf's visit in Mason was a full-circle moment

From West Tennessee-

Sunday was the feast day honoring the legacies of Edward Thomas Demby and Henry Beard Delany, but someone else was in the spotlight on April 14.

Supply priest Father Peter Kuria sat in a chair on the epistle side of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mason while bishop-elect Phoebe Roaf delivered her sermon.

Over Kuria’s right shoulder was an open doorway, a calendar illustrated by the Rev. Jay Sidebotham featuring a white priest and an all-white congregation hung in full view. The church’s promotional materials don’t always represent congregations like St. Paul’s.

More here-

http://www.covingtonleader.com/news/here-s-why-bishop-elect-phoebe-roaf-s-visit-in/article_bf5cc39c-6240-11e9-af5d-e75045c23774.html

Justin Welby: Men in #MeToo scandals need to express genuine repentance

From Christian Today-

Justin Welby has said the #MeToo movement must lead to genuine repentance from those revealed to have exploited and abused women.

Speaking to Elizabeth Oldfield, director of the Theos thinktank, in a new edition of The Sacred Podcast, the  Archbishop of Canterbury said: "Sin has consequences. Wrong has consequences. Injustice has consequences. And people must face those consequences.

"We don't have 'cheap grace' – there is a cost, there is a genuine need for repentance and a journey of repentance and redemption, both for groups and individuals.

"If you take #MeToo as an example, we cannot put the issues that have quite rightly been raised behind us until we have concepts and understandings of social behaviour, particularly between men and women, that mean it is utterly accepted that the kind of behaviour that has been exposed is simply wrong, and that there are consequences to indulging in that kind of behaviour. Cause and effect have to be discovered before you can find redemption."

More here-

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/justin-welby-men-in-metoo-scandals-need-to-express-genuine-repentance/132246.htm

Franklin Graham Weighs in on Pete Buttigieg’s Sexuality and Faith

From Christian Broadcast Network-

Graham, who adheres to a traditional reading of the Bible that argues the practice of homosexuality to be objectively sinful, warned in a post on Facebook that true followers of Jesus must have a faith in God’s word “that transforms our lives.”

Citing one example of scripture, Old Testament passage Leviticus 20:13: “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination,” Franklin added “That’s what God says and that settles it for me. I stand with the Word of God. I care enough about people to tell them the truth and to warn them about the judgment to come for all sin.”

Responding to a number of protestors who recently, in a rather unpleasant manner, implored Buttigieg to turn away from his homosexuality, the Mayor of South Bend simply responded that, “the condition of my soul is in the hands of God …”

That, Graham said, is absolutely the case—for all of us. “Mayor Buttigieg is absolutely right—His soul is in the hands of God, so is everyone’s,” Graham wrote, noting that, as Christians, we should be sure to follow the commands of the Bible and live in accordance with God’s will.

More here-

http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2019/april/franklin-graham-weighs-in-on-pete-buttigieg-rsquo-s-sexuality-and-faith

Episcopal priest walking across U.S. in '6 Million Steps for Kids' journey treks through Tennessee

From Tennessee-

The Rev. Peter Munson trekked through East Tennessee Thursday as part of his walk across the United States to raise money for children's nonprofit organizations. 

Rev. Munson, originally from Arvada, Colo. began his "6 Million Steps for Kids" journey last month in Charleston, S.C. and his destination is San Francisco, Calif. He reportedly quit his job to pursue this life-long dream of walking across country, in order to raise money for charitable nonprofits that help children. 

On Thursday, April 18, 2019, East Tennessee became part of his walk as he made his way along the Chapman Highway. He spoke with WATE 6 On Your Side about his "6 Million Steps for Kids" project. 

More here-

https://www.wate.com/news/local-news/episcopal-priest-walking-across-us-in-6-million-steps-for-kids-journey-treks-through-tennessee/1937094055https://www.wate.com/news/local-news/episcopal-priest-walking-across-us-in-6-million-steps-for-kids-journey-treks-through-tennessee/1937094055

Presiding bishop of Episcopal Church to visit Lawrence April 26

From Massachusetts-

The Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, will visit Lawrence next Friday.

Curry, the leader of about 2.1 million Episcopalians in the United States, is expected to be at Esperanza Academy at 1:30 p.m.  He will spend time with the students and learn more about the  education that the academy offers to middle school girls from Lawrence.

Located at 198 Garden St., Esperanza Academy is led by Head of School Jadihel Taveras. The academy's classes are held in the parish house of Grace Episcopal Church, which is just around the corner at 35 Jackson St.

Curry was elected presiding bishop by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in July 2015. Last May, his message about God's unconditional love went global and viral when he preached at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

More here-

https://www.eagletribune.com/news/merrimack_valley/presiding-bishop-of-episcopal-church-to-visit-lawrence-april/article_08c71273-c9a0-5eb8-b3a6-25f082c1beba.html

Archbishops Justin Welby and Vincent Nicholls submit recommendations to foreign office about persecuted Christians

From Premier-

The heads of the Catholic Church and Anglican Church in England have made a submission to the inquiry into Christian persecution worldwide. 

Bishop Philip Mounstephen is currently conducting a review into the experiences of Christians in dangerous situations, commissioned by the Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Most Reverend Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Cardinal Vincent Nicholls, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, said in a letter which accompanied their submission: "Christians form an important part of the social fabric in almost every country of the world. Yet in many places, our Christian sisters and brothers face persecution of an intensity and extent unprecedented in many centuries.

More here-

https://www.premier.org.uk/News/World/Archbishops-Justin-Welby-and-Vincent-Nicholls-submit-recommendations-to-foreign-office-about-persecuted-Christians

Passover and Easter — a divine double-feature

From the Boston Globe-

The Episcopal Church isn’t in the news very often. Even an annual spate of headlines — like the current one — seems excessive. Bishop Michael Curry stole the show at last year’s royal wedding with a charismatic sermon celebrating love. And this year, just in time for Holy Week, there’s been a flurry of attention thanks to a presidential hopeful, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind. 

Mayor Pete, who left the Catholic church of his upbringing to marry his husband, is crafting a candidacy aimed at the Christian left, where there’s a wide-open lane. His status as a devout Episcopalian came up on the campaign trail when he wielded it to cut a contrast between his faith and the anti-LGBT policies of Vice President Mike Pence, another cradle Catholic, whose turn to evangelicalism shaped his politics. 

Co-opting Episcopalianism’s political pedigree is a sensible play. Inclusion has been central to the church’s “brand” since the 1970s, when it started ordaining women and declared that gay men and lesbians have “full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church.” The ordination of LGBT clergy came next — followed, in 2003, by the controversial election of an openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, in New Hampshire. Conservative parishes who protested in the months leading up to his consecration would later split from the Episcopal Church altogether. In the colonial Connecticut town where I grew up, some families left our church for Catholic or evangelical alternatives. 


More here-

https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2019/04/18/passover-and-easter-divine-double-feature/Ha2fDftKZqOc3fmgiRvmjK/story.html

Philadelphia's historic Christ Church tests its fire sprinkler system ahead of renovations

From Philadelphia-

Should a fire ever spark on the roof of the historic Christ Church in Philadelphia's Old City, it is prepared to mimic the Old Testament's account of Noah's Ark, when "all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened."

The building is equipped with an "open headed deluge" sprinkler system, which when triggered creates an artificial rainstorm on the outside of the building.

The wooden steeple, built in 1754, has about 30 sprinkler heads installed on its surface. In the event of a fire, a dedicated water pump in the basement ramps up, sending potentially thousands of gallons of water up 200 feet, shooting out each nozzle at about 100 psi.

"Deluge" is no understatement. Water rains down hard and fast.  Similar sprinkler systems are often used on industrial buildings.

"You see it a lot in chemical [buildings], like Ashland Chemical on Columbus Avenue," said Mike McGovern, of Oliver Fire Protection, which installed this system. "Things where they want full protection right away."

More here-

https://www.witf.org/news/2019/04/philadelphias-historic-christ-church-tests-its-fire-sprinkler-system-ahead-of-renovations.php

Lionel Richie reveals he once 'seriously' considered 'being an Episcopal priest'

From Fox-

Lionel Richie’s life could have turned out much differently had he stayed on his initial path.

The 69-year-old star told People that before music, he had plans to be a man of the cloth.

“I left my mom and dad’s house to go to Tuskegee University, and I met my Commodore friends there,” Richie said. “At the time I was seriously considering being an Episcopal priest.”

Richie didn’t say if he began studying or how far into the idea he got. However, he says things soon changed.

“[But] the first time I played with the Commodores, a group of girls screamed,” he recalled. “Up until that moment no one, no girl, had ever screamed at me. I didn’t play basketball, football, baseball. I played on the tennis team, and no girl ever screamed at the tennis court. It was right after those girls screamed, I remembered saying to myself, ‘I don’t think I’m gonna be priest material.’”

More here-

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/lionel-richie-once-considered-being-an-episcopal-priest

Why Calculating Easter’s Date Is So Complicated

From Refinery 29 (Fascinating read)-

Unlike Christmas, which falls on the same date every year, Easter is what’s called a “moveable feast." That means that Easter falls on a different date from year to year, moving throughout the calendar. In 2019, Easter falls on April 21 — a full three weeks later than Easter in 2018, which fell on April 1. The way that Easter moves throughout the calendar has a surprising factor: the moon.

 

To understand way, we have to go back to the roots of Easter. The Bible doesn’t spell out the exact date that Easter occurs on, but it does say that Jesus was crucified during the Jewish holiday of Passover. According to the Catholic magazine America: The Jesuit Review, in the year 325, the Council of Nicaea decided to celebrate Easter “at the very time of Jesus’ Passion," the Christian term for the final days of Jesus' life before his death and resurrection. The Jewish calendar is calculated based on lunar months, so to link Easter with Passover, the Council of Nicaea decided that Easter would be observed “on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox.” Basically, because the moon affects when Passover falls, the moon also affects when Easter falls.

 

But this year, the vernal equinox fell on March 20, which was also a full moon. So, according to that calculation, Easter should have been held on the first Sunday after March 20, which was March 24. However, that wasn't the case — and we have to go into some more Church history to understand why.

 

More here-

 

 https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/04/229954/how-is-easter-date-determined-full-moon-2019

Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion Diocese of Mbamili, Anambra State, has read the riot act to priests and members of the laity who may involved in homosexuality, saying anyone caught in the act will be shown the way out of the diocese.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/anglican-communion-warns-priests-laity-against-homosexuality-2/

Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion Diocese of Mbamili, Anambra State, has read the riot act to priests and members of the laity who may involved in homosexuality, saying anyone caught in the act will be shown the way out of the diocese.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/anglican-communion-warns-priests-laity-against-homosexuality-2/

Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion Diocese of Mbamili, Anambra State, has read the riot act to priests and members of the laity who may involved in homosexuality, saying anyone caught in the act will be shown the way out of the diocese.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/anglican-communion-warns-priests-laity-against-homosexuality-2/

As Paris Reels From Notre Dame Fire, NYC Sees It's Own Iconic Cathedral Reopen

From NY1-

The fire at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris brought back painful memories for the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

It was in 2001 when a fire damaged the Diocese’s own iconic Cathedral, Saint John the Divine. The 127-year-old building, one of the largest churches in the world, is known for its long center aisle, massive columns and stained glass windows.

“Seeing the Notre Dame on fire I said, ‘You know, that could have been us, that could have been us again and how lucky we were,’” said Lorraine Simmons, a sub-deacon at St. John the Divine.

The fire at St. John the Divine has some parallels to the fire at Notre Dame. It started in the wooden trusses in the ceiling, destroyed the gift shop and damaged the cathedral’s center aisle and chapels.

“We literally thought we were going to lose the cathedral, you can see the flames and the firemen and everything that was going on,” said Harry Johnson, a member of the cathedral.

More here-

https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2019/04/16/as-paris-reels-from-notre-dame-fire--nyc-sees-it-s-own-iconic-cathedral-reopen

Tom Wright Calls for Theologians and Biblical Exegetes to Work Together

From Kermit Zarley-

Bible scholar and former Anglican Bishop N. T. (Tom) Wright is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at St. Mary’s College at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. That can’t be all bad since St. Andrews is the birthplace of golf. However, some crusty ole Dutchmen will argue with that one. Tom is generally recognized by his peers and religious publishers as being at the top of his craft for decades now.

Tom Wright is also a friend of mine. One time we were planning to play golf together, but it didn’t work out.

In this month’s issue of Christianity Today–the premier Christian magazine in the U.S.–Tom Wright calls for Christian theologians, Christian philosophers, and biblical exegetes to work together more closely. Indeed, I’m told that for a long time the academy has recognized somewhat of a disjunct between these disciplines. As Tom explains, “Christian theologians and [Christian] philosophers regularly claim that their thinking is grounded in Scripture. But they seldom pay the text the kind of close attention expected in contemporary biblical studies. . . . Theologians’ engagement with Scripture often lapses into proof-texting with little regard for the authors’ thought-worlds and original intentions.”

More here-

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/kermitzarleyblog/2019/04/tom-wright-calls-theologians-biblical-exegetes-work-together/

Renewed Call to Reveal Location of Remains of Genocide Victims

From Rwanda-

Twenty-five years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi that claimed the lives of over a million people, Rwandans have been called upon to volunteer information on the location of remains of the victims who did not get decent burial.

The call was made yesterday as hundreds of mourners gathered at Ruhanga Genocide Memorial site to pay their respects to victims who were buried there.

The commemoration event was also an occasion to offer a decent burial to remains of 65 victims at the site.

Ruhanga Genocide Memorial is located at the former Ruhanga Episcopal Anglican Church (EAR Ruhanga) and has a mass grave inside the former church.

This is the only Anglican Church parish in the country which was converted into a Genocide memorial site.

In the wake of the Genocide, thousands of Tutsi flocked to the church as they desperately sought to hide from their tormentors.

More here-

https://allafrica.com/stories/201904160080.html