Clergy rally in Lowell for immigrants (VIDEO)

From The Boston Globe-

The clergy members stood shoulder to shoulder Tuesday at St. Anne's Episcopal Church with a promise to help undocumented immigrants.

The nearly 20 faith leaders were there to formally announce the formation of the Merrimack Valley Sanctuary Network, through which they plan to offer shelter, needed supplies, or services to undocumented immigrants who are threatened with deportation.

"We here believe that the current policies of the Department of Homeland Security and the practices of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, otherwise known as ICE, are cruel, destructive, and fail to live up to the ideals of America," Rev. Peter Lovett, senior minister at the United Church of Christ (UCC), read from a statement signed by the leaders of participating congregations.
Read more:

http://www.lowellsun.com/local/ci_30947628/clergy-rally-lowell-immigrants#ixzz4fM204aZO

Episcopal Church leaders come together to honor Bishop Marble

From Mississippi-

Chip Marble came home Monday.

In a small service at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Bovina officiated by the Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, presiding bishop for the Episcopal Church in the U.S., Bishop Alfred Clark “Chip” Marble’s ashes were buried by his parents and sister in the church cemetery as family and friends looked on.

Marble served as bishop of Mississippi, and after his retirement was assistant bishop to the bishop of North Carolina.

“He was my bishop, but he was also my mentor, and he could not have been more pastoral to me and my family,” said the Rt. Rev. Brian R. Seage, Episcopal bishop of Mississippi who assisted at the service. He said Marble was bishop when he was ordained a deacon and later as a priest.

“One of the things I’ll always remember, when my eldest child was born — and it was a real difficult pregnancy and she very premature — Bishop Marble drove down to Mobile, (Ala.) where she was born to make sure we were OK.”

More here-

http://www.vicksburgpost.com/2017/04/25/episcopal-church-leaders-come-together-to-honor-bishop-marble/

Your Church Does Not Need Volunteers

From Patheos-

I was writing my weekly note to the congregation  (a few days late, because I took Monday off and it’s all downhill from there). Usually in this note, I share a few words about the message for Sunday so that we can all be reflecting on the same topic throughout the week. It makes the sermon more of an ongoing conversation. I sometimes discuss something that’s going on in the life of the church, as well. But this week, it was more of a thank you note. Because when I think about how much work my church folks did over the last few weeks to get our place ready for Easter, it blows my mind. And as I look around the property, I can see the fruits of many hours of shared labor.

Sparkling windows and floors; finely manicured landscaping; dramatic paraments, hung with a complex pulley system by dedicated House Elves in the wee hours… And then I start thinking about the work of the worship team, the children’s ministry team and musicians; not to mention greeters, hand-shakers, bulletin-hander-outers, and coffee makers; and the youth group out there hiding eggs for the little ones; plus more behind the scenes workers I have not mentioned. Just thinking about it makes me overwhelmed with gratitude. It’s enough to make my mascara run. (I’m not crying, you are).

More here-

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/irreverin/2017/04/church-not-need-volunteers/

Long Path to a New Call

From The Living Church-

Tali Folkins writes for Anglican Journal:

The Rev. Jake Worley, an Alabama-born priest, has been elected bishop of the diocese of Caledonia.

Worley, rector of the Bulkley Valley Regional Parish, which includes three congregations in northern British Columbia, was elected on the eighth ballot of an episcopal election held in Prince Rupert Saturday, April 22, in what he described as a very Spirit-filled event.

“It was an amazing experience of the Holy Spirit,” he said. “He certainly came there and moved on our hearts. It was amazing. I don’t know what else to say besides we’re in many ways shocked, but also grateful, for his leading.”

Link here

Worley is a graduate of Trinity School for Ministry and was ordained in the Episcopal Church in 2005. He founded a church that became part of the Anglican Church in North America, served as an interim rector at St. Martin’s Anglican Church in Fort St. John, British Columbia, served a year as a priest in the Church of Ireland, and most recently became rector in Bulkley Valley.

More here-

http://livingchurch.org/long-path-new-call?platform=hootsuite

Indy's Episcopal church making history with new bishop

From Indianapolis-

The Indianapolis Episcopal Diocese has been a part of our state since 1849, but it has only had ten leaders, until now.

On Saturday, it will get number eleven - an energetic New York City native named Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows. While the church has ordained woman since he late 1970s, a female rising to the level of bishop is still relatively rare. Bishop Baskerville-Burrows will be one of only a handful of women to lead one of just over a hundred Episcopal dioceses in the United States.

The diocese is made up of 48 congregations, counting more than 10,000 members spread out over an area from Indianapolis south to the Ohio River. While Indiana might not always have the reputation as one of the most progressive cities in the country, the Episcopal Diocese here has been a leader in breaking new ground. The current bishop, Cate Waynick, has been the church's spiritual leader here for the last 20 years and the transition will mark the first time in the church's U.S. history that a woman will replace another woman as bishop.


More here-

http://www.wthr.com/article/indys-episcopal-church-making-history-with-new-bishop

Worcester Cathedral blessing for asparagus crop criticised as 'absurd' by Anglicans

From The Telegraph-

Asparagus is so venerated in Worcester that it has been blessed in a special ceremony in the city's cathedral.

But the thanksgiving service celebrating the local crop has been criticised by other Anglicans who have called it "absurd".

The bizarre Sunday evensong service was defended by the cathedral's Precentor, who said the vegetable was "a sign of the abundant provision and generosity of God". 

Christian groups told the Daily Telegraph that the ceremony, which also involved a man in costume as an asparagus spear, was inappropriate.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, chief executive of pressure group Christian Concern, said: "This is an absurd pantomime-type scene that makes a mockery of Christian worship."

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/25/worcester-cathedral-blessing-asparagus-crop-criticised-absurd/

GAFCON contemplates missionary bishop to support UK malcontents

From The Church Times-

THE consecration of a “missionary Bishop” for Anglicans who want alternative oversight in the Church of England is being considered by Primates meeting in Lagos this week, GAFCON UK confirmed on Monday.

In a response clarifying a report in the Mail on Sunday, GAFCON UK, a conservative Evangelical grouping, said that some of the language in the report was misleading. GAFCON Primates were not “plotting” to create such a bishop: “This implies subterfuge and deceit, and that foreign church leaders plan to impose a solution on British Anglican churches, which is not the case.”

Discussions were taking place “in response to requests from Anglicans in the UK”.

The statement, provided by the Executive Secretary of Anglican Mainstream, on behalf of GAFCON UK, explained: “The GAFCON Primates recognise the existence in England, Scotland and Wales of faithful Anglicans who are already distanced from their local structures because of revisionist teaching and practice in the Church of England leadership, and they are ready to provide assistance. One option is to consecrate a missionary Bishop to give oversight if necessary.

More here-

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2017/28-april/news/uk/gafcon-contemplates-missionary-bishop-to-support-uk-malcontents

also here-

http://www.christianpost.com/news/conservative-anglican-leaders-ready-for-nuclear-option-as-church-of-england-softens-on-homosexuality-181472/

Presiding Bishop announces covenant agreement for the Diocese of Haiti

From ENS-

With profound thanks to Almighty God and with deep gratitude for the prayers of so many throughout the church, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry announces a covenant into which he, Bishop Jean Zache Duracin of Haiti, Bishop Suffragan Ogé Beauvoir, and the Standing Committee have entered.

The covenant “seeks to address and resolve many of the issues of conflict that have been burdening the Diocese,” brings an end to the pause on fundraising by the Episcopal Church and opens new possibilities for a united future as the diocese prepares to elect its next bishop diocesan in 2018.

As noted in the presiding bishop’s letter to the parties and shared with the Church, “The Covenant has entirely resolved the Title III matter that involved Suffragan Bishop Beauvoir’s relationship with the Standing Committee of the Diocese.  Further, the Covenant, together with the Memorandum of Understanding [providing guidance for mission partnerships]…fully resolved the Title IV matter that has been pending against Bishop Duracin.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2017/04/24/presiding-bishop-announces-covenant-agreement-for-the-diocese-of-haiti/

Fourth Circuit Tells District Court Not to Abstain in False Ad Holy War

From South Carolina-

At the heart of this unique Lanham Act case is a dispute between the Episcopal Church (the “Church”) and one of its “disaffiliated” districts, the Diocese of South Carolina (“Diocese”).  In 2012, led by its Bishop Mark Lawrence, the Diocese withdrew from the Church, but the Church did not recognize the withdrawal, and appointed Bishop Charles vonRosenberg to replace Bishop Lawrence as the head of the Diocese.  Lawsuits ensued, and the dispute raised an interesting question:  when a federal court confronts false advertising claims that are related to issues of intellectual property ownership that are being litigated separately in state court, should the federal court abstain from hearing the false advertising claims?

The Diocese fired the opening salvo by suing the Church in state court, and seeking a judgment resolving the ownership of various property rights, including intellectual property rights.  The Episcopal Church counterclaimed for, among other things, trademark infringement and dilution.

Thereafter, the newly appointed Bishop vonRosenberg filed a federal lawsuit claiming that Bishop Lawrence falsely advertised himself as the Bishop of the Diocese despite having been removed from that post after the Diocese withdrew from the national church.  Bishop Lawrence maintained that he acted properly in continuing to represent himself as the Bishop of the Diocese  because the Diocese existed as an independent entity following its withdrawal from the Church.

More here-

http://www.proskaueronadvertising.com/2017/04/fourth-circuit-tells-district-court-not-to-abstain-in-false-ad-holy-war/?utm_source=Mondaq&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=View-Original

High-rise project planned for downtown Austin block

From Austin-

Another high-rise development is destined for yet another downtown Austin block.

The Episcopal Church has selected Austin-based Cielo Property Group to partner in developing a church-owned block, with plans calling for a large mixed-use project, along with a permanent home for the church’s historical archives.

Cielo Property Group, a commercial real estate investment and development firm, released conceptual renderings of what a mixed-use project might look like on the site, known as Block 87 and bounded by Seventh, Eighth, Trinity and Neches Streets.

A tower could rise somewhere in the 30-story range, with the mix of uses not yet determined, said Rev. Canon Lang Lowrey III, the asset manager for the property who is representing the church in its search for a development partner.

More here-

http://www.statesman.com/business/high-rise-project-planned-for-downtown-austin-block/uGk8FRZFOYZZL6gOK7tGnI/

GAFCON Bishop-U.K.?

From The Living Church-

Lambeth Palace has declined to comment on reports that GAFCON may appoint a bishop to work in England. GAFCON’s primates, who are meeting this week in Lagos, Nigeria, are considering appointing a bishop in response to developments in the Church of England on same-sex marriage.

“I would say there is now a 75 percent probability of the GAFCON archbishops voting to consecrate a new bishop for the UK,” an anonymous source told The Mail on Sunday.

Already there is speculation about the identity of the GAFCON bishop, including the Rt. Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of Rochester, and Canon Andy Lines, chairman of GAFCON-UK and general secretary of the Crosslinks mission agency.

Here-

http://livingchurch.org/gafcon-bishop-uk?platform=hootsuite

Want to solve the crisis facing England's cathedrals? Here is one answer

From Christian Today-

In terms of attendance, cathedrals are the modern success story of the Church of England. They seem immune from the savage decline that is decimating congregations, particularly outside London. Yet they are failing to monetise this success. And this is leading to a cash crisis in as many as half of them that could mean some even have to close.

There are 42 cathedrals in the Church of England, attended by up to 40,000 people a week – an increase of 18 per cent from a decade ago. Nearly all this is accounted for by midweek services. Festivals do exceptionally well. Easter worshippers rose by two per cent to 54,000 between 2014 and 2015 alone. Christmas attendance was 125,200 in 2015, the highest figure since 2011.  And while infant baptisms are falling, in common with the wider Church, baptisms of people over one year of age are increasingly steadily.

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/want.to.solve.the.crisis.facing.englands.cathedrals.here.is.one.answer/107818.htm

Sex offender’s fate in limbo: Judge receives report to determine classification for transgender, former youth pastor facing prison

From West Virginia-

A diagnostic evaluation was completed recently for a former youth pastor and admitted transgender sex offender who is facing a prison term after pleading guilty last year to sexual abuse first degree.

James Lilly, 25, of Bluefield pleaded guilty in August 2016 in Mercer County Circuit Court to three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree. Raleigh County Judge John A. Hutchinson, who was assigned to the case after Mercer County Judge Derek Swope recused himself, delayed Lilly’s sentencing on Dec. 21, 2016 and remanded him to the state Department of Corrections so a diagnostic study could be completed with regard to how he would be classified as an inmate.

Lilly was arrested Jan. 12, 2016 and indicted in February that same year on 28 counts of sexual abuse in the first degree as well as charges of sexual assault third degree and incest.

More here-

http://www.bdtonline.com/news/sex-offender-s-fate-in-limbo-judge-receives-report-to/article_633180d4-2896-11e7-b554-430d857153cf.html

AVOIDING BURNOUT IN MINISTRY

From The Living Church-

Shortly after being ordained, I found myself completely overwhelmed. I was then rector of the only Anglican church in a small city in northern Canada. My wife and I had just moved into the rectory beside the church, and we had a newborn. All these changes happened within a month. I felt ill-prepared to navigate the complex intersecting realities of parish ministry and family life.

A big factor was the scope of ministry in that parish. My time was spent not with only a growing number of church members, but also people in the community with minimal connection to the church. As well, my community being a hub, I was called upon by people outside the community who were in town for one reason or another (this broad scope of ministry is actually quite common in northern Canada). Additionally, there were many challenges in the community and limited resources to meet those challenges. I saw firsthand what Eugene Peterson describes as “the sheer quantity of wreckage around us — wrecked bodies, wrecked marriages, wrecked careers, wrecked plans, wrecked families.”


More here-

http://livingchurch.org/covenant/2017/04/24/avoiding-burnout-in-ministry/

Ethics, Mathematics and the Rosary: An Ex-Atheist Discusses Her Conversion

From National Catholic Register-

Leah Libresco Sargeant, once a prominent atheist blogger, converted in 2012 to Catholicism after engaging and challenging her readership to present an intellectually rigorous, spiritually rewarding response to her questions on life. Sargeant continues to blog, only now from a Catholic perspective, and also is a contributing editor at America magazine.

She is the author of "Arriving at Amen: Seven Catholic Prayers That Even I Can Offer."
Sargeant recently spoke with the Register about what motivated her conversion and the surprising changes she experienced in her life afterward, including how she learned to pray through the Rosary. The following conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

 More here-

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/ethics-mathematics-and-the-rosary-an-ex-atheist-discusses-her-conversion

A Reflection on Congregational Vitality

From Episcopal Cafe-

At the spring House of Bishops meeting, the Bishop of Washington, Marianne Budde spoke to the House.  According to Dan Martins, her colleague in Springfield, after a morning of reflection, prayer and an emphasis on personal growth, there seemed to be some dis-ease in the House.  Budde arose to address what was termed “the elephant in the room.”  She spoke of congregational vitality, saying in part,

"I can’t bring myself to count the number of congregations I cannot, in good conscience, recommend to those who are seeking a vibrant expression of Christian community. . . . Many of the issues holding us back in the Diocese of Washington are spiritual.  We, like Nicodemus, need to be born again.  Many of the congregations in the Diocese of Washington offer a tepid expression of Christian life, with almost nothing to offer the very people congregational leaders say they want to ‘attract.’"

More here-

https://www.episcopalcafe.com/a-reflection-on-congregational-vitality/

Statue Of A Homeless Jesus Startles A Wealthy Community

From NPR-

A new religious statue in the town of Davidson, N.C., is unlike anything you might see in church.

The statue depicts Jesus as a vagrant sleeping on a park bench. St. Alban's Episcopal Church installed the homeless Jesus statue on its property in the middle of an upscale neighborhood filled with well-kept townhomes.

Jesus is huddled under a blanket with his face and hands obscured; only the crucifixion wounds on his uncovered feet give him away.

The reaction was immediate. Some loved it; some didn't.

"One woman from the neighborhood actually called police the first time she drove by," says David Boraks, editor of DavidsonNews.net. "She thought it was an actual homeless person."

More here-

http://www.npr.org/2014/04/13/302019921/statue-of-a-homeless-jesus-startles-a-wealthy-community

St George’s Day 2017: Why England should celebrate their patron saint

From Metro UK-

All across Wales people get their daffs out for St David’s Day and in Scotland St Andrew’s Day is a national holiday.

But St George’s Day passes each year, unnoticed by many, and often completely unmarked or celebrated.

This year St George’s Day (today) could finally be time for people to redress the balance. Here’s everything you need to know about the date.


England celebrates St George’s Day each year on April 23, which is thought to be the date of St George’s death in 303 AD.

However, it is also celebrated by Eastern Orthodox Churches on May 6.

Read more:

http://metro.co.uk/2017/04/23/st-georges-day-2017-why-england-should-celebrate-their-patron-saint-6577725/#ixzz4f46pQKYU

African and Asian church leaders threaten to ‘plant’ a bishop in Britain to defy Welby on gay Christians

From The Daily Mail-

Conservative Anglican archbishops from Africa and Asia are plotting to create a new ‘missionary’ bishop to lead traditionalists in the UK – after warning that the Church of England is becoming too liberal on homosexuality.

The rebel archbishops are set to give the green light to the controversial plan at a crucial meeting in Africa this week in defiance of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
Insiders said the move was the ‘nuclear option’ as it would represent a highly provocative intervention into the Church of England by foreign archbishops and a direct challenge to the authority of Archbishop Welby, who is nominal head of Anglicans worldwide.

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4436436/African-Asian-church-leaders-threaten-defy-Welby.html#ixzz4f45iwXKt

The Crisis of Western Civ

From The New York Times-

Between 1935 and 1975, Will and Ariel Durant published a series of volumes that together were known as “The Story of Civilization.” They basically told human history (mostly Western history) as an accumulation of great ideas and innovations, from the Egyptians, through Athens, Magna Carta, the Age of Faith, the Renaissance and the Declaration of the Rights of Man. The series was phenomenally successful, selling over two million copies.

That series encapsulated the Western civilization narrative that people, at least in Europe and North America, used for most of the past few centuries to explain their place in the world and in time. This narrative was confidently progressive. There were certain great figures, like Socrates, Erasmus, Montesquieu and Rousseau, who helped fitfully propel the nations to higher reaches of the humanistic ideal.

This Western civ narrative came with certain values — about the importance of reasoned discourse, the importance of property rights, the need for a public square that was religiously informed but not theocratically dominated. It set a standard for what great statesmanship looked like. It gave diverse people a sense of shared mission and a common vocabulary, set a framework within which political argument could happen and most important provided a set of common goals.

More here-

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/opinion/the-crisis-of-western-civ.html?emc=edit_th_20170421&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=35897762&_r=0&referer

"We're glad you're our neighbor" signs in Arabic, Somali and other languages going up in Hampton Roads

From SW VA-

A group of faith leaders and community organizers are hoping to spread some neighborly compassion through colorful yard signs that will soon pop up around Hampton Roads.

The signs read "no matter where you are from, we're glad you're our neighbor" in six different languages: English, Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, French and Somali.

The campaign started with the Immanuel Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, which made the signs in three languages. But leaders here took it one step further and adapted it to be more reflective of the Hampton Roads community.

"The idea is to lead to people having dialogues and build understanding," said Teresa Stanley of the Interspiritual Empowerment Project, who has helped with the signs. The nonprofit group works on social justice.

More here-

http://pilotonline.com/news/local/we-re-glad-you-re-our-neighbor-signs-in-arabic/article_a591e46c-61b9-55a5-91e4-20891af75f26.html

Video Shows Judge on Hudson Shore Before Her Death

From The New York Times-

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the judge’s husband, the Rev. Canon Gregory A. Jacobs, an Episcopal priest in Newark, pushed back against the idea that his wife had committed suicide.

“Some media outlets and others have conjectured that Sheila was the victim of a ‘probable suicide,’” the statement said. “These reports have frequently included unsubstantiated comments concerning my wife’s possible mental and emotional state of mind at the time of her death. Those of us who loved Sheila and knew her well do not believe that these unfounded conclusions have any basis in reality.”

In the absence of any conclusive evidence, the statement said, the family believed “such speculations to be unwarranted and irresponsible.”

More here-

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/nyregion/appeals-court-judge-death-hudson-river.html?_r=0

Bishops Defend Immigration

From The Living Church-

Fourteen bishops of the Episcopal Church have filed an amici curiae brief that opposes President Trump’s executive order restricting immigration.

Attorneys for the bishops filed the brief April 21 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District in San Francisco.

The brief says at the beginning of the argument:

The Bishops earnestly believe the President’s recently revised executive order impedes the ability of Episcopalians to practice their faith and keep their baptismal covenant with God. This executive order has slammed the door on people who have suffered some of the greatest atrocities in recent times, and it does this solely on the basis of their religion. From its earliest inception, America has been a safe haven for victims of religious oppression in part because religious tolerance is a value enshrined in our Constitution through the Establishment Clause.

More here-

http://livingchurch.org/bishops-defend-immigration?platform=hootsuite

Task group developing deeper links and wider understanding

From Anglican News Service-

The Task Group set up by last year’s Primates’ gathering has been meeting in London this week with the emphasis on understanding diversity within the Anglican Communion – and recognising the many areas of unity.

The Archbishop of Armagh, Richard Clarke – who chaired the meeting – said it has been a positive and fruitful discussion.

“We have been developing a greater understanding between us of the diversity within the Communion,” he said. “But, significantly, we have been seeing the many, many areas of commonality.

“It has not been a theological discussion. Instead, we have been examining what differences mean at a practical level. In particular, we looked at marriage practices and relationships in different parts of the Communion. But we also looked at the spiritual dimensions of the idea of walking together.”

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2017/04/task-group-developing-deeper-links-and-wider-understanding.aspx

Pope Francis' message faces intensifying criticism

From National Catholic Reporter-

A parish priest in the Italian town of Montesilvano has criticized Pope Francis during Mass. Fr. Edward Pushparaj from India said that Francis has been only bad for the church, referring to Francis washing the feet of a Muslim woman during his 2013 Holy Thursday liturgy. Many angry parishioners walked out of the small church in Montesilvano.

It seems that criticism of Francis is increasing and becoming more overt and intense. What is it about Francis that is making him a more and more controversial figure? One reason, of course is that he has created a more open papacy in which dissent is tolerated and even encouraged. The opportunity to share one’s thoughts, however, should not include being disrespectful.

More here-

https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/pope-francis-message-faces-intensifying-criticism

How do you get an exorcism if there's a ghost in your house?

From Liverpool- (with video)

Granada Studios, the former home of Coronation Street, recently hired an exorcist to put a stop to persistent paranormal activity .

Apparently, performers there have been disturbed by spirits for more than a decade. The TV show Most Haunted visited the set in 2005 but failed to halt the spectral nuisance.

Actors are more given to superstition than most, but many of us believe we’ve been haunted.

So what happens if you start having ghostly happenings in your own home?

Exorcists aren’t something it’s easy to just hire off the web, and most people in need will use their local church as the first port of call.

We spoke to representatives of Liverpool’s Anglican and Catholic churches to ask for their advice.

More here-

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/tv/how-you-exorcism-theres-ghost-12921497

Mysterious death of New York judge was initially called a suicide. Now, police think it's suspicious

From The LA Times-

Gregory Jacobs, an Episcopal priest who become Abdus-Salaam’s third husband when they married last year, also challenged the portrayal of his wife as suicidal.

“Reports have frequently included unsubstantiated comments concerning my wife's possible mental and emotional state of mind at the time of her death. Those of us who loved Sheila and knew her well do not believe that these unfounded conclusions have any basis in reality,” read a statement Jacobs released Wednesday.

What looked like an open-and-shut case has been assigned a special team of investigators by the Police Department, which is now treating Abdus-Salaam’s death as suspicious. The police on Tuesday put out a poster asking for information, accompanied by a picture of the judge, photographed, as always, impeccably dressed, this time in a cream-colored jacket and pearls with wire-rimmed eyeglasses.

More here-

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-new-york-judge-20170420-story.html

Scottish Census finds ‘shoots of growth’ amid decline

From The Church Times-

CHURCH congregations in Scotland are vanishing at a rate equivalent to ten a month, the 2016 Church Census suggests.

It found that 7.2 per cent of the Scottish population — about 390,000 people — attended church regularly, compared with 17 per cent in 1984. If the downward trend continued, the numbers could fall to just under 300,000 by 2025, the report’s lead researcher, Dr Peter Brierley, said.

The decline in numbers covered all denominations except Pentecostals, where attendance has almost doubled since 2002 to 19,000, accounting for five per cent of all Scottish churchgoers in 2016. And in some areas — mainly immigrant and Messy Churches that have started in the past ten years — the figures have improved. Dr Brierley said that his report was not “a pessimistic story of inevitable decline”.

More here-

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2017/21-april/news/uk/scottish-census-finds-shoots-of-growth-amid-decline

Forgiveness: Muslims Moved as Coptic Christians Do the Unimaginable

From Christianity Today-

Twelve seconds of silence is an awkward eternity on television. Amr Adeeb, perhaps the most prominent talk show host in Egypt, leaned forward as he searched for a response.

“The Copts of Egypt … are made of … steel!” he finally uttered.

Moments earlier, Adeeb was watching a colleague in a simple home in Alexandria speak with the widow of Naseem Faheem, the guard at St. Mark’s Cathedral in the seaside Mediterranean city.

On Palm Sunday, the guard had redirected a suicide bomber through the perimeter metal detector, where the terrorist detonated. Likely the first to die in the blast, Faheem saved the lives of dozens inside the church.

“I’m not angry at the one who did this,” said his wife, children by her side. “I’m telling him, ‘May God forgive you, and we also forgive you. Believe me, we forgive you.’

More here-

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/april-web-only/forgiveness-muslims-moved-coptic-christians-egypt-isis.html

New Episcopal chaplain appointed at Harvard

From Massachusetts-

The Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Chaplaincy at Harvard has announced the appointment of the Rev. Margery Kennelly, currently the assistant rector at the Church of the Redeemer in Chestnut Hill, as Harvard's next Episcopal chaplain. She will begin her ministry at Harvard on June 1, and will serve a two-year appointment.

The Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Chaplaincy at Harvard has announced the appointment of the Rev. Margery Kennelly, currently the assistant rector at the Church of the Redeemer in Chestnut Hill, as Harvard's next Episcopal chaplain. She will begin her ministry at Harvard on June 1, and will serve a two-year appointment.

Kennelly succeeds the Rev. Luther Zeigler, who has been the Episcopal chaplain at Harvard for six years. During that time, Zeigler led the Harvard Chaplains as its president for two years and was the founding chair of the university's new Board of Religious, Spiritual and Ethical Life.


More here-

http://www.diomass.org/diocesan-news/new-episcopal-chaplain-appointed-harvard