Blessed are the BlackBerrys: Grace given for gadgets

From Canada-

“God, give me signal strength,” one Halifax daily said of a rather unusual church service held in that Nova Scotia city still reeling from power outages caused by Hurricane Earl’s Saturday visit.

It’s being called “the blessing of the gadgets.” Parishioners at St. Timothy’s Anglican church near here received grace Sunday for the laptops, BlackBerrys, GPS units, and iPhones they held up.

“Lord God, we thank you for the many gifts and tools you give us, all those electronic gadgets that make our lives easier in so many ways,” said Rev. Lisa Vaughn.

The unusual blessing of electronic gadgets Sunday came after Vaughn heard about the old English tradition called Plough Monday during which farmers bring their farm equipment to church to receive a blessing for a good harvest.

“Most of us live with our cellphones and laptops and BlackBerrys and all that kind of stuff. I mean, those are just daily tools for us,” said the wired pastor, who says she has three laptops and three desktop PC;s at home and is about to buy a smart phone.

More here-

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/canada/2010/09/06/blessed-are-the-blackberrys-grace-for-gadgets/

Church's infighting hurts city

From Stockton CA-

There are times when an entire community has a vested interest in the outcome of an individual church's infighting. Such is the case with 160-year-old St. John's Episcopal Church in downtown Stockton.

The stately facility is more than a place of worship. It's an iconic part of the city's history.

The land for the church was given to the congregation by none other than Capt. Charles Weber himself. It doesn't get much more historic than the city's founder having a hand in the church's formation.

But now the ownership of the property and church itself are tied up in a legal fight over - predictably - a church schism caused by a dispute over the ordination of gays and women.

More than 50 congregations split from the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin in the 2007 in protest over the ordination of women and gays.

St. John's has aligned with the more conservative Anglican Church in North America. The diocese has filed suit in San Joaquin County Superior Court to reclaim the asset - as it has done up and down the Valley in similar situations.

What's unfortunate for Stockton as a whole is St. John's has become an essential part of the community fabric. Concerts are held there. Communitywide events have been held in the facility.

And it will be a negative if the beautiful facility is shuttered because these factions cannot work things out.

We urge them to do so - for the benefit of the diocese, the congregation and Stockton.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100907/A_OPINION01/9070304/-1/A_OPINION

Dog blessed: Roberta Beach returns the favor after a dog helped her through hard times

From Missouri-

As Roberta Beach recovered from a fourth cancer surgery, a friend came to live with her and changed her life. The friend, a beagle mix named Oliver, came home with Beach at the suggestion of her mother, who said she thought the dog might help her daughter's recovery.

Between 1985 and 1998, Beach intermittently fought squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, neck and jaw with radiation therapies and multiple surgeries. After one surgery, she was left unable to speak for a period of time and breathed through a tracheotomy tube for over two months. Beach said at one point, she had a free flap surgery which took bone from her leg to reconnect her jaw. "I can say my leg bone is connected to my head bone," she now says with a laugh.

(snip)

In April, her rescue became a division of Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary in Cape Girardeau County. Beach is the board secretary at Safe Harbor and also volunteers there weekly. An important aspect of Beach's life, and her work as a rescue director, is her faith, she said. Beach is also a licensed healing minister at a local Episcopal church. "An important part of who I am is prayer," she said.

Prayer and talk of creed at her church helped Beach develop her personal motto: "Dedicated to God, serving in prayer, healing and animal welfare." Several years ago, she said, she visited monasteries to see if she was suited to become a member, because she has felt since her teenage years that she would lead a solitary life. Instead, she decided to live with an emphasis on daily prayer. She said she prays for her patients and could not do her rescue without the assurance of prayer and a personal belief that "all will be well."

More here-

http://www.semissourian.com/story/1661950.html

In the lands of the living God

From Discover Magazine (The author of the book is the daughter of former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold)

On the face of it Eliza Griswold’s The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam is a book whose content is summed up accurately by the title. The author recounts her experiences in various African and Asian lands which straddle the tenth parallel north of the equator: Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

It is a story told through personal narrative, the author’s, and the numerous people who are themselves embedded in larger forces welling up from below and descending from above. One can accurately describe The Tenth Parallel as a travelogue. But it is also a time machine, as Griswold surveys worlds which are a clear simulacrum of those which we know only through works of history; empires of faith, the lands of God’s platoons.

As such, The Tenth Parallel is also a narrative which describes an alien world of ideas, outside of our conventional categories and classes. Many of the preconceptions and expectations which we bring to the table are “not even wrong” in the lands Griswold traverses, and what has been learned must sometimes be unlearned. This is not Newtonian Mechanics, where a cold and objective eye surveys the terrain and reports back positions and trajectories across space and time. An awareness of the author’s viewpoint is critical, while the viewpoint of her sources are plain. Finally, your own presuppositions and experiences as a reader shape the ultimate “take home” message which Eliza Griswold stitches together across her disparate sojourns.

More here-

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2010/09/in-the-lands-of-the-living-god/

Female Catholic priests, again

From Get Religion-

Is there something about non-Roman Catholic churches ordaining women that makes all journalism skills fly out the window? I’m pretty sure there is some ridiculously high correlation between ordinations of women who are not Roman Catholic and poorly written stories about said ordinations. Here’s yet another example, this one from the Arizona Republic: “Catholic church ordains woman as priest.”

At some point in the week, the paper added the word “independent” to the headline. Unfortunately, they didn’t fix the story, which uses the word “Catholic” some two dozen times, as well. Here’s how it begins:

A woman was ordained as a Catholic priest in the Valley on Saturday in the kind of ceremony the Vatican recently condemned as one of the church’s most serious crimes.

More here-

http://www.getreligion.org/?p=42488

Birmingham area churches help jobless find work, new hope

From Alabama-

When times are tough, many folks turn to the church for help and comfort. These days, many Birmingham area churches are providing something else -- help with job searches.

With the seven-county metro area in the grip of a punishing recession that sent its unemployment rate surging to a quarter-century high of 11 percent earlier this year, churches are stepping up efforts to help job seekers, establishing career ministries and hosting job fairs.

More than a dozen churches with career ministries are listed on the website of Career Assistance Network-Birmingham, founded last year by Gerriann Fagan, a human resources consultant; Gayle Lantz, a leadership consultant; and Lou Thibodeaux, archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama.

Many of those ministries have emerged over the last year, said Mike Coffey, who founded what is considered the pioneering career assistance ministry at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church 25 years ago.

More here-

http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2010/09/birmingham_area_churches_help.html

God no longer male, Scottish Episcopal Church rules

From The London Telegraph-

The new form of worship, which removes words such as "Lord, he, his, him" and "mankind" from services, has been written by the church in an attempt to acknowledge that God is "beyond human gender".

Episcopalian bishops have approved the introduction of more "inclusive" language, which deliberately removes references suggesting that God is of male gender.

Traditionalists have criticised the changes on the grounds that they smack of political correctness and because they believe they are not consistent with the teachings of the Bible. The alterations have been made to provide an alternative to the established 1982 Liturgy, which, like the Bible, refers to God as a man.

The new order of service, which can be used by priests if they have difficulties with a male God, has been produced by the church's Liturgy Committee in consultation with the Faith & Order Board of General Synod and the College of Bishops.

The controversial changes were discussed at the church's General Synod recently. The minutes of the synod reveal that female priests had asked why God was still referred to as a man.
The altered version of the 1982 Liturgy sees masculine pronouns removed when they refer to God and the new approach has even been extended to humans. For example, the word "mankind" has been taken out and replaced with "world".

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7982904/God-no-longer-male-Scottish-Episcopal-Church-rules.html

Episcopalians consecrate new Alaska bishop

From Alaska-

For nearly three years, the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska was without a bishop -- but on Saturday, many church members celebrated the long-awaited consecration of a new bishop to lead the diocese.

At the First United Methodist Church in Anchorage, hundreds of people gathered to witness a historical moment for the diocese, as The Rev. Mark Lattime was installed in his new post.

“It's a wonderful day for all our peoples of the diocese,” said The Rev. Michael Burke, dean of the Southcentral Alaska deanery.

Leading Lattime’s consecration was the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, The Most Rev. Katherine Schori, along with bishops from all over the country.

“I could almost feel all that energy, all that anxiety, all of that hope going right through my body in that big response they made when they said, ‘It is their will,’” Lattime said.

Alaskans have waited a long time for a new bishop, a post Lattime is the eighth person to fill.

“It's like having a parent gone or a grandparent gone -- the family is not complete,” said the diocese’s Marty Thomas.

While members of the church showed support with their presence, Lattime's family showed their support by helping him one at a time as he was vested.

More including video here-

http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-episcopalian-bishop-consecrated-090410,0,2746979.story

The Mockingbird parables: Christian lessons in Harper Lee's classic

From CNN via my daughter "Scout"

The social relevance of Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird and the subsequent film is profound. It has remained a beacon of hope for the marginalized, pointing the way toward our continued pursuit for equality.

The novel has been described simply as the story of one man’s stand for racial justice, but we cannot ignore the other valuable messages–including Christian ones-for today’s culture of distrust.

From Wall Street to Washington to Main Street, it seems our decisions are governed by what is financially, politically, and socially expedient. Oour faith is more of an afterthought than a guiding force.

The many lessons of Lee’s novel can lead us back to a restorative way of making choices by following these four principles:

1. Try understanding others. The theme is revealed in lawyer Atticus Finch’s memorable explanation to his daughter: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view–until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

More here-

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/03/the-mockingbird-parables-christian-lessons-in-harper-lees-classic/

50 years later, Mazeroski's home run is bigger than ever

Happy Birthday Maz! The man who shies from being the center of attention will find it impossible to have many private moments today. On the occasion of his 74th birthday, Bill Mazeroski will see himself immortalized in bronze with the public dedication and unveiling of his statue.

The thought of all the fuss makes him squirm as he did when he spoke at his Cooperstown induction and had a stage-load of Hall of Famers weeping with him. "I don't feel right talking about myself," he said in a recent interview. "I like to stay in the background. I like to sit back and watch everybody else do their thing."

While humility is a quaint hallmark of the former second baseman the masses know as Maz, this reluctant luminary from the most common of backgrounds sabotaged his avoidance of the spotlight by being uncommonly good at playing a game. His No. 9 has been retired, a street outside PNC Park bears his name and he is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10248/1085218-63.stm#ixzz0yeUhFHMU

Shooting death of Ligionier boy, 12 probed

This is a local family (although I don't know them) Please keep them in your prayers.

An 11-year old Ligonier Township boy who attended middle school for the first time last week was accidentally shot and killed Friday while visiting a friend's home.

Christopher Harr, a student at Ligonier Valley Middle School, would have turned 12 on Oct. 2.

According to authorities, the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

"It was determined through our initial investigation that several juveniles who were home alone at the time got possession of a .30-caliber carbine rifle," Ligonier Township police Chief Michael W. Matrunics said in a statement. "One juvenile accidentally shot another juvenile while playing with the rifle."

Christopher Harr's father, Daniel Harr, said the incident should serve as a warning to parents to keep their guns locked up and unloaded in the house.

Harr said his son "loved fishing, hunting, video games. He and I went fishing last week. We didn't catch anything."

More here-

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_698095.html

INTERVIEW - UK archbishop says pope not fishing for Anglicans

From Reuters-

The leader of the Catholics in England in Wales rejected accusations that Pope Benedict was fishing for converts and said "delicate and difficult" issues existed between his church and the Anglican Communion.

His comments come two weeks before Pope Benedict's four-day trip to England and Scotland, the first papal visit since John Paul II's pastoral visit in 1982 and the first-ever official papal visit to Britain.

Relations between the two churches have been tense since the pope offered disaffected Anglicans opposed to their church's ordination of women and homosexual bishops the chance to convert to Rome while keeping some of their traditions.

"There are delicate, difficult issues between our two churches at the moment," Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols, head of the 5.2 million Catholics in England and Wales, told Reuters.

More here-

http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-51266320100903

Church's 'Undie Sunday' a success

From CT-

At first, the idea of "Undie Sunday” unsettled some members of St. Mary's Episcopal Church. Tighty-whiteys and the Lord's house, after all, are not a natural fit.

"Some of the older people were saying, 'How can you talk about underwear in church?' But once they realized there was such a need, everyone got around it,” church member and collection organizer Lelia Druzdis said.

Billed as "a project we can get behind,” the collection of new briefs, boxers and panties took off, and laundry baskets in the church narthex quickly filled. By the end of July, St. Mary's members had collected about 1,200 pairs of underwear for homeless and needy men, women and children, Druzdis said. People also gave other items, including bras, and the Manchester BJ's Wholesale Club and Target store donated gift cards.

At the annual Cruisin' on Main event Aug. 1, the church — touting the theme "What's under the hood?” — made a high-profile handover to Manchester Area Conference of Churches Charities.

Read more:

http://newsok.com/connecticut-churchs-undie-sunday-event-a-success/article/3491512#ixzz0yZ4oLzuX

MARYLAND: Bishops issue call to welcome the 'other' in pastoral letter on immigration

From ELO-

The bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland have issued a pastoral letter addressing the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

The Sept. 2 letter, titled Welcoming the Stranger, is intended to be posted or read in Episcopal congregations in Maryland "to remind all of us of the biblical values and imperatives that should guide our treatment of newcomers and sojourners," the bishops say.

In a summary of the formal document, the bishops said, "In a world on the move, we need to learn to welcome the stranger, to embrace the 'other.' The moral principles of the Episcopal faith lead us to value every individual, to value family ties and seek to preserve families, and to cry out for justice for all people."

Maryland Bishop Eugene Sutton, in a Sept. 2 statement supporting the pastoral letter, said: "My brothers and sisters in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, Jesus is in our midst today. Jesus is working in our fields, cleaning our houses, emptying our bedpans and mowing our lawns. He's also excelling in schools, attending colleges and universities, doing groundbreaking research in laboratories, transplanting our hearts and kidneys, and paying our taxes. And by the way, he's sitting in our pews, and partaking of the Holy Eucharist with the whole community of faith. What should we do with this immigrant Jesus ... this stranger? Welcome him ... welcome him ... welcome him."

More here-

http://www.episcopal-life.org/81803_124327_ENG_HTM.htm

African bishops split over ‘ambushed’ agenda, but together on development

From The Church Times-

AFRICANS must take their destiny into their own hands and address their own problems, bishops of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) declared at the end of their week-long conference about effective leadership for sustainable development (News, 27 August).

The world must listen to the Churches’ unique voice, they say, in the first of two communiqués. One deals with the continent’s ills; the other, from the CAPA Primates, addresses the internal affairs of the Anglican Communion.

This second document, with its ringing endorsement of the conservative Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), provoked a strong reaction from the provinces of Central Africa and of Southern Africa, which said that the majority of the provinces at the conference were being “ambushed”.

The 400 bishops, meeting in Entebbe, Uganda, acknowledged in their communiqué that, while “the centre of gravity of Christianity today appears to be shifting” to Africa, “the Church’s relevance and impact on global mission and to social, economic and political trans formation of the continent remains a challenge.”

They said: “The Anglican Church in Africa must join the global movement that refuses to stay silent about the current socio-economic and political state of affairs. We should stop agonising over the de­plorable state of African under development and start organising towards a proactive, practical engagement with good governance and infra-structural development.”

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=99857

How Religious Diversity Enriches Our Lives

From Newsweek-

The atheist son of nonpracticing Jews, I’m about as far from a Christian as you can get this side of paganism. And yet I love churches.

When I was a child, it was a Roman Catholic church—St. Augustine’s, the massive jumble of stone and wrought iron that takes up half the city block adjacent to that of my parents’ house in Brooklyn—that anchored my sense of place. On the return leg of car trips, St. Augustine’s spire appearing on the horizon told me we were almost home. The fence provided an outfield wall for Wiffle-ball games, and the bells chiming on the hour reminded me to get out of bed (not that it did much good).

The summer after my freshman year of college, I was showing off my neighborhood to a friend from out of town when she asked whether I had ever been inside the church. I was ashamed to admit that I had not. “Ben!” she exclaimed, with genuine horror at my lack of curiosity toward such a beautiful building that I passed every day. Ever since then I have made a point of ducking in every few years. I have stumbled upon masses in Creole for Haitian-American parishioners, and services in Spanish. I have yet to actually witness one in English, although they do occur.

More here-

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/02/why-the-ground-zero-mosque-will-enrich-new-york.html

San Francisco CHEFS Program Helps Homeless Learn Job Skills In The Kitchen

From Huffington Press (California)

At a San Francisco nonprofit, the word 'chefs' stands for Conquering Homelessness through Employment in Food Service. The culinary program run by the Episcopal Community Services trains homeless and unemployed students so that they can find stable jobs at restaurants across the city.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports groups of 40 homeless people participate in the program at a time -- undergoing an intensive three month training session, before moving on to three month internships.

"I've always loved cooking," said [graduate Steven] McDaniel, "but I never wanted to do it for a job because I always kept it for myself. Once I went to prison, I realized I had to do work I loved."
A recent graduate of the program, McDaniel has now found stable employment making bread and serving brunch at a local restaurant. He is proud to show off his new dental insurance card -- a reminder of everything he accomplished through the CHEFS program.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/02/san-francisco-chefs-progr_n_703793.html

Ronnie castigates Anglican priest

From The Daily Mail- Zambia

CHIEF Government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha has castigated Anglican Priest Richard Luonde for allegedly issuing disparaging remarks against President Banda.

Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that President Banda has the interest of all Zambians at heart regardless of their standing in society.

Father Luonde was yesterday quoted as accusing President Banda of defending thieves and attacking donors.

The priest was quoted as saying posterity will judge President Banda harshly as it has allegedly become clear that he is more concerned about the welfare of former President Frederick Chiluba.

But Gen. Shikapwasha said Father Luonde’s statement is shocking to say the least as the church has always been known to be partners with Government.
He said it is surprising that a man of God can utter such a statement without substantiating his claims.
Gen. Shikapwasha said it is not true that President Banda is shielding Dr Chiluba.

More here-

http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/media/news/viewnews.cgi?category=8&id=1283417674

Blessed be the tweeters, for they shall overwhelm the earth

From National Post and Canada

A Nova Scotia Anglican church is offering its congregation a chance to have members’ cellphones, laptops and other mobile technology blessed.

On Sunday, parishioners at St. Timothy’s Anglican Church in Hatchet Lake, outside Halifax, are encouraged to bring in the devices they use to conduct business and to stay in touch with the world.

Rev. Lisa Vaughn admits, however, that the powers of the blessing may be limited.

“One never knows the power of the holy spirit, but don’t count on me to fix your computer problems,” she said. “That’s why I have a husband. We’re not just blessing inanimate objects and hoping the hard drive doesn’t crash, we’re also blessing the hands that use it.”

The church tries for a modern flair. Every Sunday night, the church has live rock music as well as slide shows and video presentations. It currently has a Facebook page and hopes to join the realm of Twitter in the near future, continuing its effort to stay relevant in a technology-heavy world, Rev. Vaughn said.

“People are really busy and Sunday mornings are tough … but that doesn’t mean people don’t want to stay connected [to the church], so we try in as many ways as possible to stay connected to them,” she said. “Yes, [gadgets] can be a distraction. Yes , they can cause difficulties in families, but I think they’re wonderful tools.”

Read more:

http://life.nationalpost.com/2010/09/02/blessed-be-the-tweeters-for-they-shall-overwhelm-the-earth/#ixzz0yO3IE0BC

Solar cookers to empower women of poverty and their communities

From Minnesota-

Do you want to learn about an important way to put love into action?

One way to start is by attending the fourth annual Millennium Development Goals dinner sponsored by Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, according to organizers.

Members of Holy Trinity Church chose to raise funds to purchase solar cookers for women of poverty with this year’s dinner. Last year the dinner raised money for the International Falls homeless shelter called Servants of Shelter.

The roast pork dinner with all the trimmings will be offered from 5-7 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Bob Walls Memorial Union Hall in downtown International Falls. Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased at City Drug, The Coffee Landing, The Coffee Lane, and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Call 283-8606 to reserve tickets before the dinner. To support the cause with a gift, send it to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 170, International Falls, MN 56649. Email to holytrinityif@frontiernet.net and our web page is www.ifhtec.org/.

All money collected from the dinner effort minus the cost of food will be sent to Episcopal Relief and Development — the national relief agency of the Episcopal Church of America. It provides relief and development funds to people of poverty globally and in the United States. ERD will determine where solar cookers are most needed.

More here-

http://www.ifallsdailyjournal.com/news/church-news/solar-cookers-empower-women-poverty-and-their-communities-109

Episcopals (sic) sue for Stockton Church

From The Modesto Bee-

The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin has filed its ninth and final lawsuit against self-incorporated parishes that turned their backs on the national church in 2007.

This one, filed Monday, is against St. John the Evangelist church in Stockton, which is insured for $7.5 million.

St. John was one of about 40 parishes in the San Joaquin Diocese that left the Episcopal Church over issues of scriptural interpretation, such as whether Jesus is the only way to God, and whether gays should be ordained as priests and bishops.

That move set up parallel dioceses — the original diocese, headquartered in Fresno under Bishop John-David Schofield, is under the oversight of the Anglican Church in North America. The Episcopal diocese, headquartered in Modesto under Bishop Jerry Lamb, filed a lawsuit in 2008 against the the Anglican diocese and its parishes. The additional lawsuits, filed this year, were necessary to claim the property of self-incorporated parishes.

Read more:

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/01/3000236/episcopals-sue-for-stockton-church.html#ixzz0yMxyB4tN

Central Valley’s church lawsuits spread to Stockton

From California-

The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin has filed a lawsuit against the former members of St. John the Evangelist, Stockton. It’s the ninth such lawsuit the diocese has filed against its former congregations that split from the national church to align with a more conservative Anglican order.

Like the others, the Stockton litigation seeks return of property to the Diocese and its congregations that is currently occupied by former members of the Episcopal Church who have sought to affiliate with a different denomination.

Similar cases are currently pending against the former members of St. Francis, Turlock; St. Michael’s, Ridgecrest; St. John’s, Porterville; St. James, Sonora; Redeemer & Hope, Delano; St. Columba, Fresno; St. Paul’s, Visalia; and St. Paul’s, Bakersfield.

CVBT has written more than 30 stories on this topic since 2006. To access them, just click on the “search” button that’s right above our masthead and type in “Episcopal” in the search box.

http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=16170

Africa Report: Kenya, Conflicts at Uganda Anglican Conference

From Life Site News-

The same day, 27th, was the closing day of a one-week conference in Entebbe, Uganda's old capital on the shoes of Lake Victoria, attended by 400 bishops of the Anglican Church throughout Africa, the Indian Ocean, Singapore and south-east Asia.

The Anglican primate, Rowan Williams, was present, which brought the issues of homosexuals, and women prelates, to the fore, ahead of a host of social problems ailing Africa. Archbishop Williams was under courteous and brotherly but persistent attack from the other delegates for his "gay" stand.

Uganda's Anglican head, Archbishop Luke Orombi, compared Williams's situation to the father of a house with stubborn kids (gays) who would not allow him to sit down peacefully and eat. "Homosexuality is evil, abnormal and unnatural, as per the Bible," he said, "It is a culturally unacceptable practice, and although there is a lot of pressure, we cannot turn our hands to support it."

The Nigerian Anglican archbishop said it was a matter which takes precedence - an alien culture or biblical teachings? The provincial head of the church in the Indian Ocean said they could not afford to keep lurching from one crisis to the next; action has been taken to irrevocably shatter the Anglican Communion -which will have financial implications for the church in developing countries; and its existing structures have been unable to address the need for discipline.

The provincial heads said they were under attack by an imposed interpretation of Scripture and a foreign culture that has hindered the growth of an authentic church which could respond to the people.


More here-

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/aug/10083108.html

Randall Giles, Episcopal missionary and ethnomusicologist, dies at 60

From ELO-

Randall Giles, composer, ethnomusicologist, and an Episcopal Church missionary in India, died Aug. 27 at a hospital in Pondicherry following a brief illness and a heart attack. He was 60.
Since July 2000, Giles had been serving as director of the Institute for Indian Christianity and the Arts, a center that he helped to found.

Based in Chennai, India, Giles "shared his love for music and liturgy in India and other parts of Asia" as a missionary of the Episcopal Church from the Diocese of Western Massachusetts for more than 10 years, explained the Rev. David Copley, mission personnel officer for the Episcopal Church.

Copley described Giles as "a faithful servant and a passionate musician [who] will be missed by all those whom he touched throughout his ministry."

Giles was involved in a project for the Episcopal Church's former department of Anglican and Global Relations to record music from various provinces of the Anglican Communion. Titled "Throughout All the World," the series explored little-known Anglican music from places such as south India and the Church of Melanesia (in the Solomon Islands).

More here-

http://www.episcopal-life.org/81831_124270_ENG_HTM.htm

Taylor Swift brings 'Mine' back to Maine

From Maine-

Taylor Swift rocked the Kennebunks for three days last week, filming scenes for a Country Music Television special, enjoying time out at local restaurants with her family and crew, and finally premiering the video for her new single Friday night at St. Ann's Episcopal Church on Ocean Avenue.

The premiere, which aired as a half-hour live special on CMT, was followed by a mini-concert for more than 800 fans who gathered to hear one of country music's biggest stars.

Among the concert-goers were York Police Chief Doug Bracy and his wife, Brenda, an administrator with the town's Parks and Recreation Department.

"It was awesome," Brenda Bracy said Tuesday of Swift's outdoor show. "It was quite an experience. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing ... I couldn't believe how many people were there."

Both Brenda and Doug said they are huge country music fans who were delighted to have the chance to see Swift on a summer's evening.

The couple was about 20 feet away from the star during the show, according to Doug, who was struck by Swift's poise and her graciousness toward the people of Maine.

"She hasn't lost her compass," he said. "She gave her all, in a sense, for her fans. It was just a perfect night."

More here-

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100901/NEWS/9010357/-1/NEWSMAP

New Episcopal bishop consecrated Saturday

From Alaska-

The new Episcopal bishop for Alaska, the Right Rev. Mark Lattime, will be consecrated at a 2 p.m. ceremony Saturday at the First United Methodist Church, 725 W. Ninth Ave. The public is invited.

Lattime will be the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Alaska, which includes 50 parishes and missions, according to the diocese.

He has been the rector of St. Michael's Church in Geneseo, N.Y., since 2000 and has served as chaplain at Canterbury Fellowship and as associate rector of R.E. Lee Memorial Church in Lexington, Va.

The Alaska diocese office is in Fairbanks and that's where Lattime will be based, the diocese said.

The chief consecrator on Saturday will be the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States.


Read more:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/08/31/1323034/new-episcopal-bishop-consecrated.html#ixzz0yHZxZqs8

Glorying in the Cross

From The Living Church-

By James M. Stanton

In an age when the significance and centrality of the individual seems to be taken for granted, preaching of the cross may seem to be not only counter-intuitive but also counter-productive. It is easy to pillory or caricature the biblical story as follows: God sets up impossible commandments; his human creation cannot fulfill these commandments; God’s divine honor is thereby insulted and his honor requires vindication; because God is infinite the insult is infinite; human beings are finite and cannot pay the debt of the insult; so God sends his “Son” to die a horrible death in order to pay the debt which he himself has imposed.

Many, apparently, are trying to remove the cross from the Christian story. We are instructed by the enlightened today that Jesus is no “savior” and that humanity is not in need of saving. A whole band of New Testament scholars even questions whether Jesus died on the cross at all, claiming that there is evidence of alternative views in the early Church that do not include his death as of any significance, and that offers versions of these other — sometimes called “lost” — gospels and their implications for Christian living.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2010/8/30/glorying-in-the-cross

An Open Letter to the People of the Episcopal Church, the People of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, Bishop Charles E. Bennison, ...

From Good Samaritan Paoli (PA)

August 30, 2010

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

With sadness and concern we learned of Bishop Bennison’s decision to return as Bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania. We mourn with any young or vulnerable person; we mourn the fear and anxiety in our own diocese; we mourn damage to the proclamation of the good news; we mourn for those whose faith is shaken and for those who may not arrive at faith. We mourn that his actions, past and current, and decisions in this case bring scandal to the Church and hinder the proclamation of the good news of Christ crucified and resurrected.


More here-

http://www.good-samaritan.org/documents/open_letter8302010.pdf

Anglican Bishops in Africa Issue Communiqué

From Christian Post-

Conservative bishops in Africa issued a communiqué on Sunday, expressing concern over "progressive developments" in the West and committing themselves to tackling the social ills of their continent.

The statement came at the conclusion of a weeklong conference in Uganda, where bishops from more than 400 dioceses met to discuss the crises they face within the church and outside the church.

The bishops agreed in their communiqué that "in order to keep the ethos and tradition of the Anglican Communion in a credible way, it is obligatory" of all provinces in the global Anglican Communion to continue to observe and honor the moratoria on the ordination of partnered homosexuals, the blessing of same-sex unions, and cross-border interventions.

As previously expressed, the conservative bishops said they were "very saddened" with the recent action of The Episcopal Church in the United States to consecrate a partnered lesbian in Los Angeles. The Rev. Mary Glasspool was the second openly homosexual bishop to be consecrated in the U.S. body despite calls for restraint by the wider Communion.

Two Anglican provinces were sympathetic to the hurt and anger felt by most of the bishops in Africa. But they urged against severing ties with The Episcopal Church.

More here-

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100830/anglican-bishops-in-africa-issue-communique/

African Anglican bishops in Uganda draw a line in the sand in their final conference statement

From ACNS

Four hundred bishops from Africa announced today that 'business as usual' was no longer an option for the Anglican Church there and that Africans should "take their destiny into their own hands".

On the sixth and final day of the All Africa Bishops Conference in Uganda, the bishops issued a communiqué filled with commitments contesting the status quo in areas including politics, poverty reduction, violence against women, theological education and conflict.

The five-page statement was a clear challenge from the Anglican bishops of Africa to the Church, the continent and the rest of the Anglican Communion, and it pulled few punches: "While we will always be prepared to listen to voices from other parts of the global Communion, it is pertinent that the rest of the world listens to the unique voice of the Church in Africa," wrote the bishops.

"The Anglican Church in Africa has continued to witness growth so that the centre of gravity of Christianity today appears to be shifting to the continent. Nonetheless, the Church's relevance and impact on global mission and to social, economic and political transformation of the continent remains a challenge."

It was to these last items that most of the document's 'commitment' statements referred. The Church, the bishops said, needs to address the causes and effects of poverty and injustice on the people of Africa.

"We must be actively involved in working with partners at all levels to ensure equal access to medical care, food security and the promoting of good health practices to prevent the major causes of death on the continent, with particular attention to primary health care for African families, especially mothers, children and the elderly.

More here-

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2010/8/29/ACNS4728