Philadelphia Episcopalians explore what happens when church is separated from Sunday

From RNS-

St. Stephen’s, an Episcopal church in Center City Philadelphia, isn’t open on Easter. There are no sermons on Sundays. It doesn’t have any members. And yet this castlelike Gothic Revival building on 10th Street is still a functioning, active church — just not in the ways you might expect.

Rather than opening on Sundays, the church operates on a four-day schedule, with midday services Monday through Thursday. And rather than focusing on growing the congregation, St. Stephen’s is fully invested in being present for the community, practicing a true open-door policy that makes it a place of support for anyone in need.

The church — an architectural landmark designed by William Strickland in 1823 — has long flourished in the active downtown neighborhood near Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. But the church hit a slump in the 1980s — not long after the Rev. Alfred W. Price, a particularly charismatic pastor, ended his nearly 30-year career in the pulpit. By 2016, fewer than a dozen worshippers might be found in the pews on a Sunday morning, and the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania made the difficult decision to shutter St Stephen’s.

More here-

https://religionnews.com/2019/06/20/philadelphia-episcopalians-explore-what-happens-when-church-is-separated-from-sunday/?fbclid=IwAR1N7RS6Ne5cHihLCwf7eDXY-IVPxRExfrzDLa0NjXMVFAGHkRgKrMW1vvo

Episcopal Bishop Says Whites ‘Need’ Reparations For Their ‘Soul,’ Tucker Wants To Start With $51 Million In Church Coffers

From Baltimore-

Fox News host Tucker Carlson challenged Episcopal Bishop of Maryland Eugene Taylor Sutton on the issue of slavery reparations during Wednesday night’s edition of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
Sutton appeared before the House Judiciary subcommittee earlier Wednesday and suggested that white people “need” reparations for their souls and to “be able to look” black people “in the eye.”

“I’m actually talking to my white brothers and sisters,” he said. “You need more than we do. You need this for your soul. You need this to be able to look black persons in the eye and say ‘I acknowledge the mistake and I want to be part of the solution to repair that damage.'”

“What does that do to your soul, to know that some of the benefit that you get from your white skin and background is not accrued to everybody?” he asked later during the hearing.

More here-

https://dailycaller.com/2019/06/19/eugene-taylor-sutton-tucker-carlson-reparations/ 

and here-

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/slavery-reparations-hearing-house-committee-lawmakers-debate-bill-today-2019-06-19/

and here-

https://www.bizpacreview.com/2019/06/19/boos-erupt-after-gop-lawmaker-calls-reparations-unconstitutional-meeting-called-back-to-order-766736

Why Pope Francis may open the door to married priests

From The Economist-

NOT FOR the first time, Pope Francis—or, to be more precise, his aides in the Vatican—have raised eyebrows. On June 17th, in a document that sets the agenda for a meeting in October to discuss the problems of the Amazon basin, they declared that the Catholic church should consider ordaining married men. The problems of Amazon communities range from the destruction of the natural environment to the persecution of its indigenous peoples. For the Catholic church, however, there is another pressing issue—it does not have anywhere near enough priests to minister to the existing Catholic population, let alone proselytise or fend off a growing challenge from Evangelical Christianity. Some Catholic figures talk of confronting a “Eucharist famine”.

The document asks the bishops who will attend the gathering, or synod, to discuss making priests of “elders, preferably indigenous, respected and accepted by their community, even if they have a constituted and stable family”. It also moots the idea of women taking part in what it calls “official ministry,” but quite what that could mean is unclear. The bishops would not be able to authorise the change, but they could recommend it to Francis who does have the power to enact it.

More here-

https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2019/06/18/why-pope-francis-may-open-the-door-to-married-priests 

and here-

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/vatican-may-allow-some-married-men-to-become-priests-1.3929497

Former Anglican dean of Newcastle Graeme Lawrence's sexual assault trial aborted, judge-alone trial begins

From Australia-

THE sexual assault trial of former Anglican Dean of Newcastle, Graeme Lawrence, began again on Wednesday in a judge-alone trial, a day after the proceedings were aborted and the jury discharged due to potentially prejudicial publicity. 

Mr Lawrence has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent and one of indecent assault in relation to an alleged assault on a 15-year-old boy in 1991. The prosecution case is that Mr Lawrence - then the second-most senior Anglican in the Newcastle diocese - had sexual intercourse with the 15-year-old in his house, known as the Deanery, next door to Christ Church Cathedral, on a night sometime between April 1 and December 31, 1991.

More here-

https://www.theherald.com.au/story/6225999/new-trial-for-former-dean/?cs=305 

also here-

https://www.portnews.com.au/story/6226879/jury-discharged-former-deans-sexual-assault-trial-starts-again/?cs=9397

First woman elected as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego

From San Diego (video)-

In February, delegates from the 43 congregations that comprise the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego elected the Rev. Canon Susan Brown Snook on the first ballot.

Bishop Susan said her vision for the Diocese of San Diego includes a focus on diversity, advocacy, service, evangelism, youth and young adults. In the first months of her episcopacy, she intends to listen to the people of the diocese in order to formulate a plan for how Episcopal churches can follow Jesus and serve their communities. She most recently served as the canon for church growth and development in the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma where she earned a reputation as a church growth expert.

More here-

https://www.kusi.com/first-woman-elected-as-bishop-of-the-episcopal-diocese-of-san-diego/?fbclid=IwAR3drS-JOqnEP6BTUzgDVj7JRH_YRe2UsSHrNOVPg2bfa0RIQsm0NHvqtFk

Liberty University cuts staff from divinity school as seminary enrollment drops

From Christian Post-

For example, Episcopal Divinity School of Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced in 2017 that they were merging with Union Theological Seminary after reporting a net loss of about $7.9 million in assets since 2015.

The Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, the first dean of "EDS at Union," said in a statement released in May 2017 that she was "excited for the challenge" and that "this isn't the typical bad news of a small seminary closing."

"This is the news that this place believed enough in its mission that it went out and found a way to carry that mission forward in a viable fashion, and found a way for the mission to grow," Douglas said at the time.

"EDS is going to continue. The EDS community has found the platform to do that, and they have found a partner in Union that shares their mission. I feel privileged to be a part of this next chapter in EDS' life."

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/liberty-university-cuts-staff-school-divinity-enrollment-drops.html

‘High Church’ Chronicles: Will Anglican Blessing of Medical Marijuana Open the Door to a Royal Strain?

From UK

Two historic Episcopal churches in Atlanta, which combined control more than 8 acres of prime Midtown land, are mulling the redevelopment of their land as its property value soars.

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/atlanta/news/construction-development/two-midtown-churches-latest-to-consider-redeveloping-its-land-99492?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

Now that the UK has the distinction of being the largest global exporter of cannabis for medicinal and scientific purposes, the Church of England appears to be blessing this bounty. As reported by The Times, “The Church Commissioners for England, who handle £8.2 billion of church assets, ban investment in companies that profit from recreational drugs but said for the first time that they would consider investing in companies that work with medicinal marijuana now that it is legal in the UK.” 

  

With the news that the Church of England has changed its investment policy in regard to medical cannabis, the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) speculates on its blog whether “the Queen, if not the Royal Family in general, [can] become one of the best ‘cannabis brands’ in the world,” as well as what implication this could have for the Church of England given the Queen (or King) of England is the titular head of the church.

More here-

https://rewire.news/religion-dispatches/2019/06/18/high-church-chronicles-will-anglican-blessing-of-medical-marijuana-open-the-door-to-a-royal-strain/

Leaders of All Saints Episcopal Church off West Peachtree Street and Saint Luke's Episcopal Church off Peachtree Street are evaluating potential redevelopments of sections of their church land into mixed-use projects with private developers. After acquiring the rest of its block, a string of aging retail spaces across from The Varsity sandwiched between West Peachtree and Spring streets in Midtown, in 2015, All Saints convened a committee of prominent parishioners to study what to do next, including the possibility of building housing or a mix of uses. “Developers are calling us more. But developers are looking for land that is able to be built in high density,” Emory University Candler School of Theology professor Lang Lowrey said. Lowrey is also an ordained Episcopal priest, a member of the All Saints committee and regularly consults with other Episcopal churches across the country on real estate issues.

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/atlanta/news/construction-development/two-midtown-churches-latest-to-consider-redeveloping-its-land-99492?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

Two historic Episcopal churches in Atlanta, which combined control more than 8 acres of prime Midtown land, are mulling the redevelopment of their land as its property value soars.

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/atlanta/news/construction-development/two-midtown-churches-latest-to-consider-redeveloping-its-land-99492?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

Two historic Episcopal churches in Atlanta, which combined control more than 8 acres of prime Midtown land, are mulling the redevelopment of their land as its property value soars.

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/atlanta/news/construction-development/two-midtown-churches-latest-to-consider-redeveloping-its-land-99492?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

Two historic Episcopal churches in Atlanta, which combined control more than 8 acres of prime Midtown land, are mulling the redevelopment of their land as its property value soars.

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/atlanta/news/construction-development/two-midtown-churches-latest-to-consider-redeveloping-its-land-99492?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

Female players to represent Anglican Church in big game against Vatican

From England-

The Archbishop of Canterbury's cricket team will be welcoming its first female players to join them in a match against the Vatican this summer.

 Thea Smith and Becky Heath-Taylor will be the first women to play for the Archbishop of Canterbury XI, in a match to encourage stronger relationships between church denominations.

 Ms Heath Taylor is currently in training for priesthood at Trinity College, Bristol and Ms Smith is due to be ordained the day before she heads to Rome for the match.

Ms Smith told Premier it was exciting to help represent positive change within the church.
She said: "The face of women’s sport is changing and the church has caught wind of that.

"And the face of our ecumenical church relationships are changing and improving.

More here-

https://www.premier.org.uk/News/UK/Female-players-to-represent-Anglican-Church-in-big-game-against-Vatican

Top UK Jewish Group Praises Anglican Church in Wales for Adopting International Antisemitism Definition

From Wales-

A leading UK Jewish group on Monday praised the Anglican Church in Wales for adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.

The Bishops of the Church in Wales said in a statement following the adoption of the definition, “We regard antisemitism as abhorrent and recognize that the Christian Church has need of repentance for the ways in which it has contributed in the past to anti-Jewish sentiment.”

Pointing out the definition’s inclusion of antisemitism directed against Israel, the bishops said, “We note that the IHRA definition itself does not preclude criticism of the State of Israel, and that legitimately holding the Israeli government to account is not antisemitic.”

“In making the decision we recognise the excellent relationships between faith communities in Wales,” the statement concluded.

More here-

https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/06/17/top-uk-jewish-group-praises-anglican-church-in-wales-for-adopting-international-antisemitism-definition/

Another congregation leaves Scottish Episcopal Church

From Premier-

A church in Glasgow has decided to leave the Scottish Episcopal Church following concerns that it has become too liberal.  

Members of St Silas Church took a vote after a process of consultation and prayer.

86 per cent were in favour of leaving the denomination.

The Scottish Episcopal Church recently changed the law to allow same sex marriages to take place in its buildings.

In a statement, St Silas said: "Recent decisions of the Scottish Episcopal Church have made clear to us that the denomination does not regard the Bible as the authoritative word of God. 

"With deep sadness, we have therefore decided that for reasons of integrity we can no longer continue as part of the Scottish Episcopal Church."

In response The Most Rev Mark Strange, Interim Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway said: "Following meetings and conversations with the people of St Silas they have now decided to separate from the Scottish Episcopal Church to fulfil their mission as they understand it to be.

More here-

https://www.premier.org.uk/News/UK/Another-congregation-leaves-Scottish-Episcopal-Church

Bishop Sutton to offer testimony on Capitol Hill Wednesday during hearing for H.R. 40

From Maryland-

On Wednesday morning June 19 (Juneteenth), Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton will testify in the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties during a hearing on bill H.R. 40, which calls for a commission to be set up to “To address the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to study and consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the institution of slavery, its subsequent de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.” (see full text of bill here) The bill has 57 co-sponsors and falls under the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution and Civil Justice.

More here-

https://marylandepiscopalian.org/2019/06/17/bishop-sutton-to-offer-testimony-on-capitol-hill-wednesday-during-hearing-for-h-r-40/?fbclid=IwAR32lIf8JIZm-1yVlBBHXONTQnSC4ltrFmwzJBqNBENLAM_wVmn3mbqWsw4

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/