Religious Questions: Why do we sit in pews?

From Chattanooga-

If you think pews are uncomfortable, just be thankful there is at least something to sit on. Until the Middle Ages, churchgoers had to stand for the service. This practice had a theological background, according to a history by St. Nicholas Church in Connecticut. Faith is intended to be an active practice and Christians are taught to stand in the presence of their master, rather than sit like an audience.

The few people who had seats brought their own, though the tradition of lengthy services was not common, according to an 1844 argument by John Coke Fowler about abolishing pews.

The feudal system of the time bled into the religious landscape. Wealthy people who paid for church buildings were given prominent places in the church to sit and passes those seats down to their children, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

More here-

https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/life/faith/story/2020/jan/10/why-do-we-sit-pews/512667/

Holy Smoke podcast: has the Church of England surrendered to ‘soft socialism’?

From Holy Smoke (with video)-

Just before Christmas, Dr Gavin Ashenden, a former Chaplain to the Queen, converted to Catholicism. But that’s not the main subject of my interview with him in the first Holy Smoke episode of 2020. In it, he deplores the Church of England’s surrender to secularism under Archbishop Justin Welby, who won’t enjoy his former colleague’s assessment of his talents.

Dr Ashenden may not be Anglican any more, but he does think that the Established Church has a historic mission – and that its ‘middle managers’ have betrayed it in favour of ‘soft socialism’. To which I reply that Pope Francis is busy hoisting the white flag, or perhaps a red one, on the other side of the Tiber. At which point our conversation takes an unexpected turn. Don’t miss it!

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2020/01/holy-smoke-podcast-has-the-church-of-england-surrendered-to-soft-socialism/

How American Anglicans Went Mainstream

From Philip Jenkins-

But what strikes me most forcefully is the absolutely normal and mainstream way in which people describe this affiliation. This is interesting for me because I have in a sense lived through this story over the past twenty years or so, and I am still used to the earlier idea of American Anglicanism as something new, breakaway, experimental, even radical…. whatever word you like. Back in 2005 (say) if you were talking with American Anglicans, they were very conscious of the novelty of their enterprise, and were keen to talk about the causes and issues motivating them. Today, there’s nothing of the sort. “I’m an Anglican” has exactly the same weight as declaring membership of any other established tradition – Lutheran, Baptist, Episcopalian, whatever. It’s just part of the religious landscape.

Equally fascinating for me is the lack of any obvious sense that things were ever different. If you are an Anglican younger than forty or so, there seems to be little sense of how recent or novel or daring that whole project is, or how and why that split came with the Episcopal church. Or even, dare I say, that such a split or breakaway ever occurred. I base that remark on anecdote and impression, rather than a sophisticated scientific survey, but I think it’s fair. As in other denominations, people don’t seem that interested in how that church or group got there, or indeed what was the passionate point of principle that led to the group being founded in the first place.

More here-

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2020/01/how-anglicans-went-mainstream/

Anglican Primates gather in Jordan for “very strategic meeting” ahead of Lambeth Conference

From ACNS-

The leaders of 36 of the Anglican Communion’s 40 member churches will gather in the Middle East next week for what has been described as “a very strategic meeting.” The chief pastors of the Communion – the senior archbishops, moderators and presiding bishops of the Anglican provinces – will meet from Monday 13 January to Wednesday 15 January in formal session. A preliminary meeting will be held on Sunday 12 January for new Primates, elected or appointed to their position since the previous Primates’ Meeting in October 2017.
 
On Thursday 16 January, the primates will take part in separate pilgrimages, beginning together at the site of Jesus’ baptism with a Eucharist and reaffirmation of baptism vows, before one group heads to Salt and Mount Nebo while another crosses to the west bank of the River Jordan for visits to Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, Suheil Dawani, is hosting the meeting in his diocese which includes Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

More here-

https://www.anglicannews.org/features/2020/01/anglican-primates-gather-in-jordan-for-very-strategic-meeting-ahead-of-lambeth-conference.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1wXPGsUNoGDGlpAdkhub58PW-Jecg_YkgKPfWBUCL_Nm4PIk5m1k32r8M

Program helping Lackawanna County inmates coming to Scranton church

From Scranton-

A church in Lackawanna County is looking at starting a re-entry program for inmates.
 
Its goal is to teach lessons useful for life after prison. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton is more than a place of worship. It’s also a place of healing.

“What we’re looking to do is offer a program that will give folks a chance to get back on their feet in society,” Reverend Rebecca Barnes of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church said.

Barnes is working to bring Cypress House Bakery to her church. Using the tools she has now, an industrial kitchen will be a temporary place for current and recently released inmates to make and sell sandwiches for take-out, while earning $15 an hour.

“Because of the level of incarceration in our county, there is a great need for programs when people come out of the prison system,” Barnes said.

More here-

https://www.pahomepage.com/top-stories/program-helping-lackawanna-county-inmates-coming-to-scranton-church/

Sandy Springs’ Highpoint Episcopal church to close; property’s future unclear

From Atlanta-

Highpoint Episcopal Community Church is closing after serving more than a half-century as a place of worship and a community center for Sandy Springs’ High Point neighborhood.

In the wake of failed, four-year effort to rebrand and resurrect the former Church of the Atonement amid a dwindling congregation, the church will hold its final Sunday service on Jan. 12. The future of the 7.5-acre property at 4945 High Point Road is said to be unclear beyond that.

Officials with the church and the Buckhead-based Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta did not immediately respond to comment requests about the closure, which was announced on the church website. But Duffy Hickey, a longtime parishioner whose wife Robin served in various leadership roles, said it came down to some simple calculations.

“We didn’t have enough fannies in the seats and enough money in the coffers,” said Hickey.

More here-

https://www.reporternewspapers.net/2020/01/07/sandy-springs-highpoint-episcopal-church-to-close-propertys-future-unclear/

After decades of fighting, United Methodists avoid a visit from Ghost of the Episcopal Future?

From Get Religion-

It’s the Methodist question I have heard the most from GetReligion readers (and even locals here in East Tennessee) over the weekend.

I will paraphrase: If the conservatives have been winning the big votes at United Methodist conferences for the past couple of decades, then why are news reports saying that the traditionalists have agreed to “leave the United Methodist Church”?

This is the response that popped into my head a few hours ago after round of news reports, Twitter and online buzz: Basically, I think conservative Methodists have been visited by the Ghost of the Episcopal Future. 

Methodist traditionalists are not interested in 50 years of hand-to-hand legal conflict with the entrenched United Methodist principalities and powers. Hold that thought. Meanwhile, I will admit that it’s hard to see the logic of this statement in any one news report. Let’s start with some math from the Associated Press:

More here-

https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2020/1/6/after-decades-of-fighting-united-methodists-avoid-a-visit-from-ghost-of-episcopalians-future

Settlement reached in St. Paul’s Darien, Connecticut, cases

From ENS-

On Dec. 10, 2019, the Episcopal Church in Connecticut settled three legal cases involving the former wardens and vestry members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Darien. The settlement will result in a withdrawal of all pending litigation, bringing to a close a period in which the former wardens and vestry members filed five different lawsuits against ECCT since 2005.

The most recent litigation began in late 2017 when the former wardens and vestry members refused to adhere to the constitution and canons of The Episcopal Church with respect to church governance and attempted to remove their duly chosen rector, the Rev. George I. Kovoor. When bishop diocesan of ECCT, the Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, chose to support Kovoor and enforce the canons of The Episcopal Church, the former wardens and vestry members sued to have their rector removed. 

Further, when the former wardens and vestry members refused to participate in church ordered reconciliation efforts, the ECCT Annual Convention unanimously changed the status of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church putting it directly under the supervision, direction and control of the bishop in October, 2018. This occasioned a second lawsuit by the former wardens and vestry members seeking control of the church and its property. Both of these lawsuits were heard in Stamford Superior Court in late 2018 and early 2019 and were dismissed by the court in the spring of 2019. The former wardens and vestry members had appealed these decisions.

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2020/01/06/settlement-reached-in-st-pauls-darien-connecticut-cases/

Candidates for the 10th Bishop of ECMN

From Minnesota-

The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota is pleased to announce a final slate of five candidates for the 10th Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. These candidates will stand for election on Saturday, January 25th, 2020.

Faithfully,

The Rev. Deborah Brown, President, ECMN Standing Committee

More here-

https://mnbishopsearch.org/final-slate/

United Methodist Church announces plan to split over same-sex marriage

From The Washington Post-

The United Methodist Church is expected to split into two denominations in an attempt to end a years-long, contentious fight over same-sex marriage, church leaders announced Friday. The historic schism would divide the nation’s third-largest religious denomination.

Leaders of the church said they had agreed to spin off a “traditionalist Methodist” denomination, which would continue to oppose same-sex marriage and to refuse ordination to LGBT clergy, while allowing the remaining portion of the United Methodist Church to permit same-sex marriage and LGBT clergy for the first time in its history.

The plan would need to be approved in May at the denomination’s worldwide conference.
The writers of the plan called the division “the best means to resolve our differences, allowing each part of the Church to remain true to its theological understanding, while recognizing the dignity, equality, integrity, and respect of every person.”

The United Methodist Church is the United States’s largest mainline Protestant denomination. The church has fought bitterly about LGBT inclusion for years, and leaders often feared the fight would lead to a schism.

More here-

 https://www.timestelegram.com/news/20200105/united-methodist-church-announces-plan-to-split-over-same-sex-marriage

Some churches get creative with downsizing issues

From Florida-

But one church is sitting on several billions of real estate – Trinity Wall Street.

The Episcopal church founded in 1696 in New York City was gifted in 1705 with 215 acres from Queen Anne. Once farmland in Lower Manhattan, it is now some of the highest-priced real estate in the country.

Most of the land was sold over the centuries, but the congregation is still one of the largest landowners in the city with 14 acres valued in 2015 at $3.5 billion. The holdings include 5.5 million square feet of commercial space in Hudson Square that in 2011 brought the church $158 million in revenue and $38 million in net income.

Though the value of the property has waxed and waned over the centuries, Trinity is credited with a recent revival of the Hudson Square area as a creative hub. That caught the eye of the Walt Disney Company, which has signed a 99-year lease with the church for its new headquarters. The deal is valued at $650 million.

More here-

https://www.postbulletin.com/life/lifestyles/some-churches-get-creative-with-downsizing-issues/article_8aa95502-2f5e-11ea-95df-17a3948558e6.html

St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church members feed the hungry in lay ministry

From South Carolina-

A thin man wearing hospital clothes sits at a small table inside St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church.

“I haven’t eaten in two days,” he said after answering questions from Jean Brown, an intake volunteer who fills out paperwork.

The man is one of about 20 people waiting in line at any given time on a Tuesday morning in the fall outside the Waters Avenue church across from Daffin Park.

The people can work, but most people receiving food have to make a tough choice: Pay bills or buy food, according to church food ministry director Judy Berube.

“We’re meeting that need they have so they can pay bills,” Berube said.

‘Content with anything’

Some people in line look polished, like they are dressed for church service. Others wear worn clothes, and around noon at least three people wait using walkers.

More here-

https://www.blufftontoday.com/news/20200106/st-michael-and-all-angels-episcopal-church-members-feed-hungry-in-lay-ministry

The Story of Rev. Reginald Grant Barrow

From Barbados-

As we commence the celebration of We Gathering 2020 – a year to rediscover who we Barbadians really are as a people, to recommit to our core values and to meaningfully deepen the connection between our island nation and its Diaspora – it behoves us to reflect on some of the significant contributions made by heroic “Diaspora Bajans” to the countries that they migrated to and how those contributions ultimately redounded to the benefit of their Barbadian homeland.

And since We Gathering 2020 is commencing in the parish of St Lucy in the month of the centenary of the birth of the Rt Excellent Errol Walton Barrow – a native of the parish of St Lucy – what better historical personality could there be to start with than the father of Errol Walton Barrow – Bishop Reginald Grant Barrow!

More here-

https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/01/03/the-story-of-rev-reginald-grant-barrow/

Trinity Wall Street Rector Abruptly Resigns

From The Living Church-

The rector of the richest Episcopal Church in the world abruptly resigned January 3, saying he and his wife want to “enjoy some sabbath rest to open our hearts to God’s call for the next chapter of our ministry together.”

The Rev. Dr. William Lupfer, rector of Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church for the past five years, announced his departure in a letter to the Trinity staff, which was obtained by TLC.

The church’s vicar, the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, will become priest-in-charge on Monday, January 6, while a search begins for the 19th rector of Trinity. The vestry announced that appointment in a separate letter, saying the move was made “with the full support of the Vestry” by the Rt. Rev. Andrew Dietsche, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

More here-

https://livingchurch.org/2020/01/03/trinity-wall-street-rector-abruptly-resigns/?fbclid=IwAR1-7L31hkkIbR1_f5lP4tiwScRlb3OoNLUmlx8uHLxp1PMPMd3Y81RePQM

United Methodist Church Announces Plan to Split Over Same-Sex Marriage

From The New York Times-

A group of leaders of the United Methodist Church, the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States, announced on Friday a plan that would formally split the church, citing “fundamental differences” over same-sex marriage after years of division.

The plan would sunder a denomination with 13 million members globally — roughly half of them in the United States — and create at least one new “traditionalist Methodist” denomination that would continue to ban same-sex marriage as well as the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy. 

It seems likely that the majority of the denomination’s churches in the United States would remain in the existing United Methodist Church, which would become a more liberal-leaning institution as conservative congregations worldwide depart. 

More here-

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/us/methodist-split-gay-marriage.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR2-JiztVNR4ehwXL0fOCCXKAQuq59YdBRqRg1vh1MYD9vJP7FmbHy31Uqg 

and here-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/01/03/united-methodist-church-is-expected-split-over-gay-marriage-disagreement-fracturing-nations-third-largest-denomination/?fbclid=IwAR0S4OCECj-VPz7hB5z8k0Ziwf_PcETnDr87V09Y0O6g-ZSlTDciv8cLq6A

Force For Change Rose Hudson-Wilkin On Becoming Britain’s First Black Female Bishop

From British Vogue-

On 23 April 1994, approximately a month after it became possible for women to do so, I was ordained as a priest in Lichfield Cathedral. I remember it clearly. It was a bittersweet day. We left the ceremony through the great west doors, and I can still see the image of the other women in attendance, those who had given a lifetime of ministry, but, because of their age, had now missed their own opportunity to join the priesthood. That day, I felt the same emotions that surround giving birth: you’ve gone to the hospital, made it through labour, and there you are in a room with a beautiful baby, overjoyed, and yet very aware that in the next room or cubicle there may be a woman who has lost hers.

Faith is who we are. It’s not a coat or a hat – something that we put on and take off depending on the weather. I was 14 years old and living in Montego Bay, Jamaica, when I first had a sense that I was being called to ministry. For me, the vocation was about leadership, pastorally caring for people and guiding in the liturgy. It was quite strange, given that no women were allowed to occupy such roles then, to feel called to something that didn’t exist.

More here-

https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/rose-hudson-wilkin-first-black-female-bishop-uk?fbclid=IwAR1RJtHXdr0mK-iqpw9splFU4UbK-5hdI8stOXBxjfwF3tRZwZ79JTYoB-o

The changing face of church

From Canada-

On October 2, 2019, the congregants and friends of St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Fruitvale, B.C., took a last look at the building that had served them well over the years. They fell in line behind Lynne McNaughton, bishop of the diocese of Kootenay; dressed in her cope and mitre, crosier in hand, McNaughton led the procession out of the church, and into a motorhome that was waiting outside.

“It was the symbolism that we were on the move, and had a home worshipping,” says the Rev. Elizabeth Lewis, St. John’s deacon. “There’s a lovely picture of her sitting in the driver’s seat,” she adds.

The October service was a deconsecration of the building that had housed the church until July of this year, after the United Church of Canada congregation that co-owned the building decided to close their church and wanted to sell the property, Lewis says. Without full ownership of the building, St. John’s had to sell.

More here-

https://www.anglicanjournal.com/the-changing-face-of-church/

Reparations and Religion: 50 years after ‘Black Manifesto’

From The Black Wall St. Times-

In recent months, Virginia Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary and Georgetown University have all announced plans to fund initiatives that would benefit the descendants of slaves, while Episcopal dioceses in New York and Long Island made million- and half-million-dollar commitments as reparations committees continued their work.

In May, the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland voted to study reparations and urge congregations to “examine how their endowed wealth is tied to the institution of slavery.

”Maryland’s African American bishop, Eugene Taylor Sutton, said tears came to his eyes when the measure passed at the diocese’s general convention with no dissenting votes, and he realized that the assembled delegates, representing a membership that is 90% white, “got it.”

More here-

https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2020/01/02/reparations-and-religion-50-years-after-black-manifesto/

Wood ministry provides warmth to families in need

From Virginia-

About three years ago, Warrenton Baptist Church joined with St. James’ Episcopal Church in an effort to better meet the needs of the community, Ward said. 

Volunteers now hold work sessions at the wood lot every Saturday, with Warrenton Baptist Church hosting on the first and third Saturdays and St. James’ hosting on the second and fourth Saturdays. 

On the workdays, volunteers saw, split and stack the wood. Trees sawn into 18-inch sections are delivered to the lot by professional arborists and others who support the wood ministry.

More here-

https://www.princewilliamtimes.com/news/wood-ministry-provides-warmth-to-families-in-need/article_5389026d-9169-5422-9fab-0ff557c6f5a8.html

2020 is here .... finally!

From Rochester-

2020. Wow.
 

There were so many strategic plans named 2020. Colleges, school boards, hospitals, businesses, even the village of Oswego, not to mention the Association for Strategic Planning, all have or had 2020 plans. I hope they went better than the one devised by The Episcopal Church just before the turn of the millennium.

To the credit of those Episcopal big thinkers, they reached for the stars: to double churchwide attendance by 2020. In fact, over the past 20 years the church shrank by 25%. In New York state, over the past four years alone, the Episcopal Church closed 3% of its congregations while overall average attendance is down 16% (Denominational research). Whoever’s job it is to go back and evaluate that 2020 strategic plan will have a lot of data to work with but very little affirmation when completed.

More here-

https://www.fltimes.com/opinion/cameron_miller/denim-spirit-is-here-finally/article_fd679ef8-44d7-50ea-ab71-27949b615724.html

Two Churches in Bluefield celebrate 100 years of friendship

From West Virginia-

On Christmas Day in 1919, the Christ Episcopal Church burnt down leaving congregation members without a place to worship. 

People of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Bluefield, WV, invited Christ Church members to share in their services for the following year and a half.

Bishop Reverend Robert F. Humphrey, of the Virginia Synod ELC, said he was grateful that he was able to be present for the anniversary. 

“It really is a remarkable celebration,” Rev. Humphrey said. “One absolutely worth noting and being present for.”

A whole century later, the two congregations shared yet another service, celebrating their long lasting friendship. 

Bishop Mike Klusmeyer of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia and Reverend Chad Slater said watching people come together on Dec. 29, 2019, was powerful. 

More here-

https://www.wvnstv.com/news/congregation-members-in-bluefield-celebrate-100-years-of-friendship/ 

and here-

https://wvva.com/2019/12/29/bluefield-churches-celebrate-century-of-friendship/

Christianity Today's Editorial May Be Watershed Moment for 2020

From Sojourners-

Yesterday, the website for Christianity Today, the flagship publication for mainstream evangelicalism founded by Billy Graham, crashed from the influx of traffic when CT published an editorial arguing that President Trump should be removed from office. The editorial said that whether that happens via the impeachment process going on in the House and Senate, or the voters in November 2020 is a fair question on which reasonable people can disagree, but that the personal and public immorality of President Trump, as revealed in the House of Representatives’ impeachment investigation, is so egregious that he must be removed as a matter of faith.

The editorial was penned by Mark Galli, who is retiring as CT’s editor-in-chief on Jan. 3. Galli himself doesn’t think his editorial will move the needle for the average evangelical Trump supporter. It’s fair to say that, unfortunately, Fox News is much more influential than Christianity Today to the views of most white evangelical Trump supporters. That said, Christianity Today does reach more than 2.5 million people each month, and the importance of this editorial is that we may look back on it as a watershed moment for the 2020 election, when the first significant cracks in the wall of Trump’s political support from white evangelicals really became visible. Over time those cracks may now grow, and it’s important to also remember that it would only take a relatively small number of white evangelicals switching who they plan to vote for or deciding not to vote at all to shift the balance in key states away from President Trump.

More here-

https://sojo.net/articles/christianity-todays-editorial-may-be-watershed-moment-2020?fbclid=IwAR1bwpl6qbxjumAZ3l-IiFDGkArr-_KSt1Ox3sJMFDOHA5QnXqE2kLHmx9w

Christmas celebration: Your ‘fall and die’ approach not biblical – Anglican Bishop blasts Olukoya

From Nigeria-

The last is yet to be heard of the controversial comment credited to the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, MFM, Pastor Daniel Olukoya, following his description of Christmas celebration as unbiblical.

The latest to react to the comment was the Bishop of the Diocese of Owo Anglican Communion, Rt Revd Stephen Fagbemi, who stated that Olukoya lacked in-depth knowledge of the bible.

According to Bishop Fagbemi, he emphasized that most of the doctrines being observed at MFM and other pentecostal churches do not have biblical backing, adding that “How many things he is doing today are directly traceable to or instructed in the Bible? Is it the fall and die approach to prayer or which one?”

His words, “I had wanted to respond to Dr. Olukoya of MFM on his display of theological and ecclesiastical ignorance until I read Fr Oluoma’s rejoinder, which I believe to be sound all round. Mine could be seen as an addendum to his well-crafted analysis and response.

More here-

https://dailypost.ng/2019/12/28/christmas-celebration-your-fall-and-die-approach-not-biblical-anglican-bishop-blasts-olukoya/

A silent worship revival at an Episcopal church for the deaf

From The AP-

The Lord’s Prayer ended with the bang of dozens of fists that landed on open palms after a circular motion and a thumbs up in a joint “Amen!” 

Not a voice could be heard inside the cavernous sanctuary of Holyrood Episcopal Church-Iglesia Santa Cruz in Manhattan. There was no need for words: From the altar, the deaf congregants led the hearing ones, who from the wooden pews repeated the silent movement of their hands. 

Music, sermons, prayers, even confessions make up much of the experience of a typical religious service. So, for the deaf, how does faith flourish in an environment that so revolves around sound?

More here-

https://www.heraldnet.com/life/a-silent-worship-revival-at-an-episcopal-church-for-the-deaf/

Why did Trump ditch his church in Palm Beach on Christmas Eve for evangelical service?

From USA Today-

On Christmas Eve, six days after a prominent evangelical magazine published a blistering editorial calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office, the president and first lady ditched services at the liberal church in Palm Beach where they were married and headed to a conservative Baptist-affiliated church in West Palm Beach.

Whether the president’s decision to change the venue and denomination of his long-standing Christmas Eve tradition was tied to the editorial is not known. A White House press officer referred questions to the Florida GOP press liaison, who referred questions back to the White House.

It was the second effort Trump has made to court evangelical voters since he arrived at Mar-a-Lago on Friday — the same day his re-election campaign announced that he would go to Miami on Jan. 3 to launch an “Evangelicals for Trump” coalition.

It is unlikely that the first-couple’s absence from Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach and a surprise appearance at Family Church Downtown gained or lost the president votes among either congregation. Officials at both churches could not be reached for comment on the holiday.

More here-

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/12/26/trump-christmas-evangelical-church-holiday/2748260001/

Pope and Anglican Archbishop Join in Urgent Appeal to South Sudan

From South Sudan-

An Christmas Day appeal for peace addressed to leaders in South Sudan has been issued by Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, leader of the Anglican Communion, joined by the Rev. John Chalmers, former moderator of the Church of Scotland.

"In this Christmas season and at the beginning of a new year, we wish to extend to you and to all the people of South Sudan our best wishes for your peace and prosperity, and to assure you of our spiritual closeness as you strive for a swift implementation of the Peace Agreements," the leaders said.

"We raise our prayers to Christ the Saviour for a renewed commitment to the path of reconciliation and fraternity, and we invoke abundant blessings upon each of you and upon the entire nation. May the Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, enlighten you and guide your steps in the way of goodness and truth, and bring to fulfilment our desire to visit your beloved country."

More here-

https://allafrica.com/stories/201912250199.html 

and here-

https://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article68757

and here-

https://www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2019/12/pope-religious-leaders-send-south-sudan-rivals-christmas-peace-appeal/

Epsicopalians and Christmas

From Earth and Altar-

Christmas is a time to have fun (note: Christmas is a time to have fun; I’ll be gravely disappointed if you’re having any fun before December 24th)! And luckily the folks over at Christianity Today have given us some suggestions for how to have that fun. Unfortunately, some of these suggestions just don’t quite work with the culture and lived realities of a lot of Episcopal Churches. But never fear! We’re here to tell you how, with just a little creativity, they can be modified to allow for a fun Christmastide, even for Episcopalians!

Get your friends together to string popcorn and cranberries while watching animated kids' classics like A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

For Episcopalians: Classic Christmas movies are fine I guess, but wouldn’t it be much more fun to get together and listen to recordings of NPR’s coverage of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, especially during the years when Rowan was still our Archbishop?

More here-

https://earthandaltarmag.com/posts/celebrating-christmas-with-earth-and-altar?fbclid=IwAR0tFXYdQhkxMpnjXKNSLpgOuIhwm1til1QnzdcTE-o1-miaq0gcfzvdFOg

The Generation Gap Over Church at Christmas

From The Wall Street Journal-

Christmas is a religious holiday and a family one, too, and that’s where things can get complicated.
All six members of the Schultz family used to go to Christmas Eve church services. Now only two—Valerie, the mom, and her oldest daughter, Morgan—attend.

“Our tradition from when the girls were little has gone right out the window,” says Ms. Schultz, 62, who lives in Lancaster, Calif. Her three other adult daughters no longer go to church. Neither does her husband, Randy.

It’s the same for many other families. A recent Pew Research Center study found that about half of baby boomers attend religious services at least once a month, while more than 40% of millennials seldom or never attend. “Millennials attend religious services at far lower rates than older people,” says Gregory Smith, who heads Pew’s domestic religion research team. “The generation gap we see in the ways Americans approach religion is both statistically and substantially significant.”

More here-

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-generation-gap-over-church-at-christmas-11577016000?emailToken=146c2727fcf6ff301026ed4d1f307ecawThuCOv2DFIF/CPYJRCgW43nyhxY90k/38eawONsn+Pkd/yMOehTIa/qRsELj93tOgjXKR9V2NPjaguP0q6PzGi+cjdNwxtni/7g7LJOqHo%3D&reflink=article_email_share

Episcopal Mission of Franklin enjoying a rebirth

From New Hampshire-

Standing in the sanctuary at the Episcopal Mission of Franklin, the Rev. Kate Harmon Siberine recounts how a few months ago the building had been closed -- doors locked, cold and empty.

But like the city it calls home, the church is enjoying a rebirth and has again become a place for people to gather, worship and foster a Christian community.

“This building has always been about feeding people -- body and spirit,” said Pastor Siberine.

Originally known as Saint Jude’s Episcopal Church, it experienced the same trajectory of decline as Franklin, following the closure of the paper and wool mills that were once the mainstay of the local economy.

A stained-glass window of Saint Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, has watched faithfully over the altar since the church was built in the nineteenth century, Harmon Siberine explained. And over her shoulder -- looking from the back window -- is the second saint of the local mission, Saint Tabitha.

More here-

https://www.unionleader.com/news/local/episcopal-mission-of-franklin-enjoying-a-rebirth/article_ff312f46-9d8d-5f5d-93c2-77522931da38.html

Slaves felt kinship with the shepherds, the first to hear the news of Christ’s birth

From Dallas-

The Christmas spirituals of the enslaved people of the American South are among their greatest creations. The unknown poets powerfully identified with the refugees and castaways of the Christmas narratives. They recognized their own plight in the journey of the Holy Family; they understood what it was like to be hated, scorned and mocked. Like them, Mary, Joseph and Jesus were powerless, hunted and hounded by the absolute rulers of the land, forced to hide in tents and stables and caves.

And the slaves felt a deep kinship with the shepherds, the lowest of the low in society, the untouchables, consigned to society’s distant edges. Both spent much of their lives outside, under the stars, keenly aware of the great cosmic mandala of light that swept across the horizon against the endless black skies during the never-ending nights.

That’s why “Rise Up Shepherds and Follow” is still so evocative today.

More here-

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2019/12/24/slaves-felt-kinship-with-the-shepherds-the-first-to-hear-the-news-of-christs-birth/