Conservative Anglicans Criticize Church Of England Opening The Door For Marijuana Investments

From England-

Holy smokes! The Church of England is considering investing in the burgeoning cannabis industry. 

The church’s investment arm, the Church Commissioners for England, will reportedly relax its rules against investment in medicinal marijuana companies, according to the Financial Times. The Church Commissioners manage a £8.2 billion portfolio, which funds the ministry of the Church of England.

Despite the recent decision, you shouldn’t expect to see your local prelates lighting up any time soon. 

Believers in ethical investment, the Church Commissioners do not invest in so-called “sin stocks” — shares of companies for which immoral products make up at least 10% of revenue. Apparently still a “sin,” recreational marijuana falls under this category, as does tobacco, gambling and pornography. The Church Commissioners have given the green light only to investment in the medicinal cannabis industry. 

More here-

https://dailycaller.com/2019/06/13/church-of-england-marijuana-investment/

US Episcopal Church builds on tie with South Sudan

From The Church Times-

AN EPISCOPALIAN from the United States has been appointed as a bishop in South Sudan to foster links between the two Episcopal Churches.

He is Canon Patrick Augustine, who has left his post of Rector of Christ Episcopal Church, La Crosse, in Wisconsin, and is now an assistant bishop in the diocese of Bor, in South Sudan.

But Bishop Augustine, who is 69, plans to divide his time equally between the US and Bor diocese, ministering in particular to the South Sudanese diaspora in the US, and trying to strengthen the relationship between the Episcopal Churches in the US and South Sudan.

The appointment was made by the Archbishop of Jonglei and Bishop of Bor, the Most Revd Ruben Akurdid Ngong. He has known Bishop Augustine for many decades; the Pakistani-born US cleric has spent years travelling to and from South Sudan.

Part of Bishop Augustine’s remit will be to try to heal divisions over the US Episcopal Church’s affirmation of same-sex marriage.

More here-

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/14-june/news/world/us-episcopal-church-builds-on-tie-with-south-sudan

Episcopal diocese welcomes first female bishop

From San Diego-

The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego welcomed its first female bishop on Thursday.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer and other interfaith leaders led a ceremony at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral to congratulate Rev. Canon Susan Brown Snook on her new role.

"It gives you a lot of hope," one church member told FOX 5.

Clergy members and congregants elected Snook in February. She will be ordained on Saturday and will oversee 15,000 church members at 43 congregations.

"Women are 50 percent or more of the population and I believe it’s really important for the leadership of the church and of society to reflect the world around us," Snook told FOX 5. "We need to honor the diversity of our world. And we need to call forward the gifts and talents of every person.”

More here-

https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/06/13/episcopal-diocese-celebrates-first-female-bishop/ 

also here-

https://timesofsandiego.com/life/2019/06/13/episcopal-diocese-of-san-diego-welcomes-its-first-female-bishop/

A summary of Executive Council resolutions

From ENS-

Linthicum Heights, Maryland] During its June 10-13 meeting here The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council adopted multiple resolutions that are summarized below.

Committee on Finance

* Establish Trust Fund 1197, Protestant Episcopal Bishop of San Joaquin for the benefit of Saint Paul’s, Bakersfield, for the Diocese of San Joaquin, California (FIN030).

* Establish Trust Fund 1198, Hunt Bequest-Kitchen STPAAS for St. Peter & All Saints Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri (FIN031).

* Establish Trust Fund 1199, Hunt Bequest-Canterbury STPAAS for St. Peter & All Saints Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri (FIN032).

* Establish Trust Fund 1200, Hunt Bequest-Food STPAAS for St. Peter & All Saints Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri (FIN033).

* Establish Trust Fund 1201, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, for St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico (FIN034).

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2019/06/13/a-summary-of-executive-council-resolutions-11/

The mindfulness conspiracy

From The Guardian-

Mindfulness has gone mainstream, with celebrity endorsement from Oprah Winfrey and Goldie Hawn. Meditation coaches, monks and neuroscientists went to Davos to impart the finer points to CEOs attending the World Economic Forum. The founders of the mindfulness movement have grown evangelical. Prophesying that its hybrid of science and meditative discipline “has the potential to ignite a universal or global renaissance”, the inventor of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Jon Kabat-Zinn, has bigger ambitions than conquering stress. Mindfulness, he proclaims, “may actually be the only promise the species and the planet have for making it through the next couple of hundred years”.

So, what exactly is this magic panacea? In 2014, Time magazine put a youthful blonde woman on its cover, blissing out above the words: “The Mindful Revolution.” The accompanying feature described a signature scene from the standardised course teaching MBSR: eating a raisin very slowly. “The ability to focus for a few minutes on a single raisin isn’t silly if the skills it requires are the keys to surviving and succeeding in the 21st century,” the author explained.

More here-

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jun/14/the-mindfulness-conspiracy-capitalist-spirituality?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=fb_us&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR06QA_83pb3AZ8cWLRt2a6Zx4315yPZ-EZDHPp3KUg8vwis5nt6B1UrSvc#Echobox=1560504184

Tallahassee church holds service to remember Pulse nightclub victims

From Florida-

People from all over are remembering the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting three years ago. 

There were 49 people killed at Pulse Nightclub that night in Orlando. Wednesday night, each of their names will be read aloud. 

One local church joined hundreds of others across the country in ringing their bells 49 times in remembrance. 

"It is the church's way of acknowledging the lives that were lost senselessly too soon. It is our way of saying that we understand and that we are praying for you as a faith community," said Kathleen Walker, Associate Rector for Pastoral Care and Parish Life at St. John's Episcopal Church. 

More here-

https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/tallahassee-church-holds-service-to-remember-pulse-nightclub-victims

Episcopal Church of SC files complaint against insurance company

From South Carolina-

The Episcopal Church of South Carolina filed a complaint in federal court against its insurance company.
 

Court documents show the insurance company, Church Insurance Company of Vermont, wrongfully made secret payments to churches that sued the Episcopal Church, helping to fund their litigation against the diocese.

The complaint specifically names St. Philip's in downtown Charleston and seeks actual and punitive damages from the insurance company.

According to the complaint, the church discovered that the company paid insurance proceeds to at least one of the disaffiliated parishes, St. Philip’s Church in downtown Charleston. This discovery came through an annual report published online by St. Philip’s that said “After spending for TEC legal fees, Loan Amortization, and Capital Expenditures, St. Philip’s incurred a net cash deficit of $79,045. However, roughly half of the TEC Legal Fees were eligible for partial reimbursement from the Church Insurance Co. of Vermont, totaling some $111,749.”

 More here-

https://www.counton2.com/news/south-carolina-news/episcopal-church-of-sc-files-complaint-against-insurance-company/2071182297

The painstaking process of repairing a damaged cathedral

From PBS-

The Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., sustained major damage during a rare 2011 earthquake. Nearly eight years later, reconstruction is still underway at the country's second-largest church. Jeffrey Brown visited the landmark to learn more about the long and painstaking repair effort, including how it has been funded and what steps have been taken to avoid future disaster.

Read the Full Transcript

• John Yang:
  Washington National Cathedral has received $22 million in donations to open the Cathedral College of Faith and Culture. It focuses on topics ranging from ethics in politics to liturgical art to training clergy.
  The emphasis on culture, as well as religion, is also seen in the work to repairing damage caused by a 2011 earthquake.
  Jeffrey Brown visited to see what lessons there may be for the reconstruction teams at Notre Dame in Paris and what lesson those at America's second largest church may glean from the Paris rebuilding as well.
  This story is part of our ongoing coverage of arts and culture, Canvas.
  
  More here-  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-painstaking-process-of-repairing-a-damaged-cathedral?fbclid=IwAR30QKU_MHv7OfamrxqVNDUI6fCUTVKlY34klUs8yCM_igMy_4cDCeL1zNc

Pair with guns cause scare at church

From North Carolina-

Greenville police surrounded a church and took two people into custody on Tuesday after an armed man with a ballistic vest showed up there thinking he was to meet a possible scammer.

The man entered a building on the campus of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, 107 Louis St., after 11 a.m. and spoke to the pastor, John Porter-Acee, according to Greenville Police Department Chief Mark Holtzman.

He told Porter-Acee he had a gun and the vest, that a woman outside had a gun, and that they were waiting to meet someone, Holtzman said.

Detectives later determined that the two were the targets of scammers and "felt compelled to meet an unknown person at the church," according to an afternoon news release.

The man feared for his safety due to the circumstances, and he and his friend armed themselves as a precaution, the release said. No one was injured and the two never threatened anyone.

More here-

http://www.reflector.com/Crime-and-Rescue/2019/06/11/Police-detain-armed-man-at-church.html 

and here-

https://www.witn.com/content/news/Armed-man-wearing-ballistic-vest-detained-at-Greenville-church-511132781.html

Mt. Lebanon Episcopal church looks to the heavens for its electricity

From Pittsburgh-

St. Paul Episcopal Church in Mt. Lebanon is the first church in the area to “go solar.” The church’s array of 51 rooftop solar panels were dedicated and blessed with holy water at a recent “moving off the grid” ceremony.

The Right Rev. Dorsey W. M. McConnell, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, and the Rev. Noah H. Evans, rector at St. Paul, dedicated the solar panels at the June 8 event.

The panels were activated at the end of March. For the first full month of use, the church saw a 70% reduction in the amount of purchased electricity. The church, which is a three-story building that is in use seven days a week, previously had a monthly electric bill of $1,000 to $1,300.

Some months, the panels could even make more electricity than the church uses, and generating rebates from the church’s electricity provider, Duquesne Light. So far, the church has received about $400 in reimbursements.

More here-

https://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/2019/06/11/St-Paul-Episcopal-Church-Mt-Lebanon-solar-energy/stories/201906130009

Council is ‘leading from the future as it emerges,’ mutual ministry review shows

From ENS-

The Executive Council is starting to lead The Episcopal Church toward the future using what is currently happening in the church and in the world, according to a recently completed mutual ministry review.

General Convention in 2015 called (via Resolution A004) for a cross section of council members to do such reviews on a regular basis. The reviews are not meant to be performance evaluations. Instead, they are designed for groups to reflect on their ministry together. A group of 12 council members, including the officers and the six people who formed a transitional executive committee of council between the 2015-2018 triennium and the current 2019-2021 triennium participated in the reviews in late 2016 and 2018.

The reviews are aimed at “looking at the present from the standpoint of the future,” said Matthew Sheep, who teaches management, organizational behavior and leadership at Illinois State University. Sheep, who facilitated both reviews, told the council during the opening session of its June 10-13 meeting here that the participants in the most recent review, which began in November 2018, are open to considering a number of “possible futures.”

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2019/06/10/council-is-leading-from-the-future-as-it-emerges-mutual-ministry-review-shows/?fbclid=IwAR3l-H5T1ZZPr-OJ4y-O-tUNl5vO4ggf95p85cZUBV0SF5Bkvge-mH4J-fs

No more political speeches in church, ACK bishop says

From Kenya-

The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Diocese of Murang’a South has banned politicians from addressing congregants following the disruption of church service on Sunday last week when Kiambu Woman Rep Gathoni Wa Muchomba was booed by people said to be supporters of Kandara MP Alice Wahome.

Bishop Julius Karanu, who is in charge of the diocese, told the Nation that the parish priest of the ACK Mairungi Church has also been summoned to explain the incident that led to the church being unruly, promising to take action should it be found that he could have averted the “embarrassing scenario”.

DECORUM

Bishop Karanu condemned the incident, saying that the political class should observe decorum while in church, adding that since the priests cannot know what the politicians will say, they will now not be allowed to speak inside the church and will instead address the faithful after service away from the church.

More here-

https://www.nation.co.ke/counties/muranga/Muranga-bishop-bans-politicians-speeches/1183310-5152764-14kepvp/index.html

From black water bathhouse to a church, a place for healing in Alden

From Buffalo-

The way Margaret Rose sees it, the building that is home to St. Aidan's Episcopal Church in Alden serves the same purpose today that it has always served.

“It’s been a site of healing for 100 years,” said Rose, the church's warden and worship leader. “There may have been a doorway blocked off, a floor covered, but basically it looks very much the way it used to look.”

But looks can be deceiving. The building that is now a house of worship got its start in life as a much different kind of house: a bathhouse. It was built at a time black water transformed the rural village into a giant health spa, with three bathhouses operating and attracting visitors by the trainload who bathed in a mineral-rich elixir that was known as black water.

Alden will celebrate its bathhouse legacy Saturday when the Alden Historical Society continues to mark its sesquicentennial with a Black Water Day bus tour. The tour from 2 to 4 p.m. will trace the story of the 20th century bathhouse phenomenon.

More here-

https://buffalonews.com/2019/06/10/from-black-water-bathhouse-to-an-episcopal-church-a-place-for-healing-in-alden/

Forgiveness at Mother Emanuel

From First Things-

I’ve got something to say.” 

That is what a black minister heard God say to him moments before the minister unexpectedly spoke to Dylann Roof, the 21-year-old white supremacist who had murdered the pastor's wife two days prior. At the conclusion of a midweek Bible study, Roof had opened fire as those gathered in the basement of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, bowed their heads in prayer. Nine were killed. 

The murders happened on June 17, 2015, and shocked the nation.  But what happened on June 19 may have been even more shocking. At a court hearing, with Roof appearing via closed circuit television feed from jail, the judge asked the bereaved families if they had anything to say to the accused. That minister would be among a string of those who looked at Roof and uttered the unfathomable “F” word: forgive.  

Those decisions to publicly forgive may have set Charleston, South Carolina, on a different path than places like Ferguson, Missouri, or Baltimore, Maryland, where racial tensions led to angry protests and riots in 2014 and 2015. That does not mean nothing changed. Within a month of the shooting, the Confederate battle flag—a symbol Roof had adored—was removed from the state capitol grounds. Walmart and Amazon stopped selling items bearing the flag. Thousands marched in a peaceful display of solidarity.

More here-

https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/06/forgiveness-at-mother-emanuel

From royal wedding to Delaware church, Michael Curry spreads message of love

From Delaware--

In an unannounced guest sermon Sunday morning, the Most Rev. Michael Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, told the congregation of St. George’s Chapel that unconditional love has the power to heal the world’s divisions.  

Curry became a household name last May when he delivered a sermon about the healing power of love at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding at another St. George's Chapel, that one at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom. He also spoke at former President George H.W. Bush's funeral last year.

This time, Curry added to his message, saying the world needs people dedicated to loving their neighbors and serving God to save society from dysfunction.

“This is not about building a bigger church,” Curry said. “This is about making a better world.”

More here-

https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2019/06/09/bishop-prince-harry-megan-markles-wedding-inspires-delaware-church/1401959001/

Portland church searching for person who dropped off wedding album at yard sale

From Maine-

Someone dropped their wedding album off at a Portland church, perhaps by mistake, and now church members are trying to find its rightful owners.

The mystery couple’s wedding day was likely 60 or 70 years ago.

Their wedding album was found three days ago in a box of books someone donated to the Trinity Episcopal Church yard sale in Portland.

"It could have come from someone's basement and they didn't realize it was in there,” parishioner Celia Brown said. “Could have come from someone's attic."

More here-

https://wgme.com/news/local/portland-church-searching-for-person-who-dropped-off-wedding-album-at-yard-sale

First woman and first LGBT to lead Episcopal Diocese of Michigan

From Detroit-

When she was 16, Bonnie Perry attended a Catholic youth retreat that changed her life. 

"During that retreat I had a profound experience of being loved for who I was, as I was, in the person of Jesus Christ," recalled Perry, who was raised Catholic. "My life has never been the same. ...The reality that Jesus loves me, and you, all of us completely and utterly, that is what fuels my passion for life and for the Gospel and for our church."

But when she felt called to the priesthood while a student at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, she realized she would have to leave since the Catholic Church doesn't allow female pastors. As someone who identified as a lesbian, she said she would feel especially marginalized in the Catholic Church. 

And so she became an Episcopalian pastor and later a rector at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Chicago where she has served for the past 26 years.

More here-

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/06/08/lgbt-episcopal-church-michigan/1360225001/

OPINION: The Anglican Communion must act against the Church of Nigeria’s homophobia

From Thomson Reuters-

Same-sex sexual activity is still criminal in 70 countries around the world. The majority of these are in Africa. Of course, the elimination of criminalisation is not a real measure of tolerance: homosexuality is not illegal in Egypt or Russia, but both countries harass gay people relentlessly.

But Africa is the epicentre of intolerance. And African churches are among the most extreme supporters of anti-LGBT+ actions.

In May, the BBC reported on the expulsion of four clergy from the diocese of Isiala Ngwa of the Anglican Communion within the Church of Nigeria. Bishop Temple Nwaogu said that one canon and three other clergy had been dismissed and their licences revoked after a diocesan board found them guilty of unspecified homosexual practices.

More worryingly still, the report said that the Church of Nigeria would be seeking “special status” in its witch-hunt against LGBT+ people. In fact, Nigeria has some of the most far-reaching and punitive laws in the world against gay and transgender people already.

More here-

http://news.trust.org//item/20190606081111-h7rey/?source=gep

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan Elects First Openly Gay Female Priest as 11th Bishop

From Michigan-

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan announced last week the election of The Rev. Dr. Bonnie A. Perry, rector of All Saints’, Chicago, as its 11th bishop diocesan.

Perry is the first woman and first openly gay priest to be elected bishop since the diocese was formed in 1836. This also marked the first time in the history of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan that the slate of candidates was comprised entirely of women.

Perry was elected on the fifth ballot of the Special Electing Convention held today in Detroit. She received 64 clergy votes and 118 lay votes. A minimum of 55 clergy votes and 94 lay votes were necessary for election on that ballot.

The other nominees were:

– The Rev. Dr. Grace Burton-Edwards, Rector, St. Thomas, Columbus, Georgia

– The Rev. Canon Paula Clark, Canon to The Ordinary & Canon for Clergy Development, Multicultural Ministries and Justice, Diocese of Washington

– The Rev. Canon Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, Canon to The Ordinary, Diocese of Colorado

More here-

 https://pridesource.com/article/the-episcopal-diocese-of-michigan-elects-first-openly-gay-female-priest-as-11th-bishop/

Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, church goes solar

From Pittsburgh-

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Lebanon will celebrate its “moving off the grid” when it formally inaugurates its newly installed solar panels during a blessing ceremony to take place on Saturday, June 8 at 3:30 p.m.

Bishop Dorsey McConnell of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will officiate the service from the roof of the church.

St. Paul’s is the first church in southwestern Pennsylvania to install its own solar panels on-site, while others have switched to solar power through cooperatives or third-party electric providers, according to Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light, a State College-based organization that helps communities of faith respond to climate change.

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/mt-lebanon-pennsylvania-church-goes-solar/?fbclid=IwAR02BfH518_JKJhZbpTTUci8YLJ9VLP4_3VYOUFtySY5lQ7E3MbwknNPi_k

New partnership agreement for Welsh and Finnish churches

From Wales-

A FORMAL link has been agreed between the Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in Wales and the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Helsinki in Finland. 

The Partnership was signed by the Bishops of both dioceses during the visit of a Finnish delegation to North Wales this week 

It will see spiritual, imaginative, sustainable, enriching and joyful links developed between the two Christian communities. 

Sixteen people from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland have been in North Wales meeting counterparts in the Diocese of St Asaph and discussing partnership opportunities. 

More here-

https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/17684921.new-partnership-agreement-for-welsh-and-finnish-churches/

Praying for presidents? That's normal. Praying for Donald Trump? That fires up Twitter

From Get Religion-

Is it controversial to pray for the president of the United States?

Not really. Anyone who knows anything about religious life in America knows that, week after week, people in a wide variety of religious congregations pray for the president (and the nation’s leaders in general) in a wide variety of ways. Sometimes these prayers are short, inserted in a longer litany of concerns (as in the Orthodox Christian parish I attend) and sometimes they are longer and more specific.

Here is a special-use prayer drawn from the world of liturgical mainline Protestantism (The Book of Common Prayer used in the Episcopal Church): 

More here-

https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2019/6/4/praying-for-the-president-thats-normal-praying-for-donald-trump-that-sets-twitter-on-fire

Pope calls on all Catholics to join Anglican prayer campaign

From La Croix-

Pope Francis has urged all Catholics to join a global prayer campaign that begins at the end of this month called "Thy Kingdom Come."

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby met with Pope Francis on April 11 at the Vatican and used his smartphone to record a video message from the head of the Catholic Church.

The pope said all Christians seek to embrace the Holy Spirit.

In the video, he prayed this would "expand out hearts and the heart of the Church, from within, so that we could make decisions in obedience and with farsightedness and peace."

https://international.la-croix.com/news/pope-calls-on-all-catholics-to-join-anglican-prayer-campaign/10200?fbclid=IwAR3EkjZVTPPHdcFtlDg6IH0Mvh8qnQr1uPsHPZQ3DzVKQd0lZq2c0nKMsMc#

A different calling? Episcopal Diocese to market Trinity House for leasing or redevelopment

From Pittsburgh-

It has served as a spiritual hub for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh and a set for “The Dark Knight Rises” movie. Now the Trinity House, a 20,000-square-foot building in the heart of Downtown, is being marketed for leasing or potential redevelopment.

Diocese officials have hired the Colliers International real estate firm to find a potential tenant or a development partner for the early 20th century building at 325 Oliver Ave. adjacent to Trinity Cathedral.

The historic Gothic-style cathedral itself, completed in 1872, is not affected by the decision.
Trinity House currently houses offices for the cathedral and diocesan staff, meeting space, and social services.

Colliers will pursue two separate paths for the building — finding a tenant or tenants to lease the property or a developer interested in partnering with the diocese to redevelop it.

It plans to issue a request for proposals within the next couple of weeks to judge interest from developers in retrofitting the building or perhaps even demolishing it and starting anew.

Also to be investigated is whether air rights — the right to develop above a property — can be used to expand the four-story building.

More here-

https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2019/06/03/Trinity-Cathedral-Trinity-House-Episcopal-Diocese-Downtown/stories/201906040067

Disciplinary action against former Anglican Bishop Philip Newell halted

From Tasmania-

The Anglican Church in Tasmania has been ordered by the Supreme Court to stop its proceedings against the Bishop.

In its 2017 report, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse highlighted failures of the church in Tasmania and criticised Bishop Newell, who allowed a now-convicted paedophile to stay in the church.

The commission referred to evidence he had been made aware in 1987 that now-convicted paedophile Louis Daniels had sexually abused three boys.

He allowed Daniels to stay in the church, and promoted him to a high-ranking position two years later on the basis he "amend his life".

The church instituted disciplinary proceedings after the commission's criticisms but last year, shortly before the Diocesan Tribunal was to begin hearing the case, Bishop Newell applied to the Supreme Court for a stay of proceedings based on ill-health.

More here-

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-04/former-bishop-philip-newell-wins-court-case/11178160 

and here-

https://au.news.yahoo.com/tas-bishop-child-abuse-probe-halted-065743786--spt.html 

and here-

https://www.examiner.com.au/story/6200085/tribunal-looking-at-bishops-response-to-abuse-claims-axed/?cs=12

Trump proclaims June National Caribbean-American Heritage Month

From Jamaica-

Singling out Barbadian Joseph Sandiford Atwell, Trump said Sandiford Atwell, “through his dedication to his faith, exemplified the unyielding spirit of Caribbean Americans.”

Born in Barbados in 1831, Atwell moved to the United States in 1863 and attended the Philadelphia Divinity School, Trump noted.

Following the Civil War, he said Sandiford Atwell “went to spread God’s message of hope and love to the emancipated slaves in the South.

“Due to the strength of his ministry, he became the first black Episcopal deacon ordained in the Diocese of Kentucky and went on to become the first black Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Virginia,” Trump said.

More here-

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/caribbean/20190603/trump-proclaims-june-national-caribbean-american-heritage-month

Rev. Bonnie Perry elected bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan

From Chicago-

When the Rev. Bonnie Perry first started working at All Saints Episcopal Church in Ravenswood, she remembers the pews being filled with no more than 30 parishioners during a Sunday service. Now, Perry estimates more than 300 people come to a service.

The secret? Building an active community inside and outside church walls, she said.

“We’re fun, we’re vital, we’re relevant,” Perry said. “We worry about what’s important. When the world is having a hard time, this is a place you can cry. When you’re angry, it’s a place people can express our outrage.”

But after 26 years in Chicago, Perry, who serves as the rector of All Saints, is planning her departure after being elected bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. She is the first woman and first openly gay priest to be elected bishop in Michigan.

More here-

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-bonnie-perry-bishop-michigan-20190602-story.html?fbclid=IwAR2nDXQ1o97ZikDEEPE3IuG7-lFqOQUyA5lD3XIwpdw8iBWWDLSbXNP-eew 

and here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2019/06/03/diocese-of-michigan-elects-bonnie-a-perry-as-11th-bishop/

Oklahoma Episcopal bishop speaks up about LGBTQ issue at Anglican gathering

From Oklahoma-

The worldwide Anglican Communion continues to grapple with the inclusion of gays and lesbians in the church, with mixed results.

The most recent example of the faith group's wrestling with the issue stemmed from a proposal that Oklahoma's Episcopal bishop made at a recent leadership gathering.

In the end, the Rt. Rev. Ed Konieczny's proposed resolution and an ensuing debate resulted in the Anglican Communion's symbolic leader apologizing for snubbing the spouses of gay and lesbian bishops. A promise also was made to develop a format for churches in the Anglican Communion to hear the voices of gays and lesbians and others who bear the brunt of discrimination.

Konieczny, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma, called it a win for the unity of the Anglican Communion and his desire to see that the human dignity of all people is respected in the church.

More here-

https://oklahoman.com/article/5632700/oklahoma-episcopal-bishop-speaks-up-about-lgbtq-issue-at-anglican-gathering

Dover’s St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church to offer Open Baptism

 From Massachusetts-

On Sunday, June 9, at 10 a.m., St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, 18 Springdale Ave., Dover, will hold its first-ever open baptism. The open baptism service is available for anyone who desires to be baptized or have a child baptized regardless of their relationship with the Episcopal Church or any church, for that matter.

Holy Baptism is a rite of welcome into the Christian Church where the baptized are reminded of God’s love for them. Anyone who has never been baptized is welcome to participate.

Rev. Sean Leonard, St. Dunstan’s rector, said, “We are glad to offer this service to our friends and neighbors in Dover. Baptism is a wonderful moment in a person’s life where all are reminded of God’s deep love for them.”

More here-

https://www.enterprisenews.com/news/20190602/dovers-st-dunstans-episcopal-church-to-offer-open-baptism

Frank Allan led church through challenging times

From Atlanta-


In the late 1960s, while rector at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Macon, the Rev. Frank Allan, who’d later become the eighth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, stood squarely at a crossroads. St. Paul’s already had a smattering of black members. But during a sermon one Sunday, Allan told his congregation that further integration and shifts were imminent and critical.

He was interrupted in mid-sentence by a woman named Hazel Burns, who reportedly stood up and asked, “Are you saying that [as an all-white church) we’ve been wrong all these years?”

He abandoned his sermon and engaged Burns in a dialogue that other parishioners joined. Though she wasn’t present that day, Allan’s longtime friend and colleague, the Rev. Martha Sterne, said the congregation “discussed, argued, discussed some more and some even cried.”

More here-

https://www.ajc.com/news/local-obituaries/frank-allan-led-church-through-challenging-times/NvlPALGDpMYnFg6DySQQwL/