328 Clergywomen Criticize Danforth Over a Kavanaugh Comment

From The New York Times-

To the Editor:

Re “Echoes of Anita Hill, but in a Different Era for Women” (front page, Sept. 18):

We, clergywomen in the Episcopal Church, object to the comments by John C. Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri and a priest in the Episcopal Church, regarding the accusation of sexual assault made by Christine Blasey Ford against Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.

In your article, Mr. Danforth said he feels “terribly sorry for Kavanaugh” and considers Dr. Blasey’s allegations against Judge Kavanaugh to be a tragic repeat of the damage to Justice Clarence Thomas’s reputation after Anita Hill’s allegations of sexual harassment against Mr. Thomas.

No one, not least a priest of the church, should publicly shame, blame or question the motives of women who step forward to report instances of sexual abuse; Mr. Danforth should instead be calling for an in-depth examination of Dr. Blasey’s allegations. 

More here-

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/opinion/letters/danforth-kavanaugh.html

Bishop announces retirement

From Minnesota-

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

With the beginning of my 10th year of serving as the Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota on the horizon, and after much prayer and conversations, the Spirit has led me to believe that it is time to begin the process of calling the 10th Bishop of Minnesota.

The question inevitably is, why now? ECMN is clear about its calling to engage God’s mission of becoming the Beloved Community. In every corner and in countless neighborhoods faithful Episcopalians are participating in the Jesus movement through building relationships and cultivating partnerships across the great state of Minnesota.

ECMN is incredibly healthy. We are blessed to have great clergy and lay leaders, a phenomenal Team of Missioners and very competent leaders at all our affiliates. Our Elected Bodies and our Mission Areas are functioning at a high level of collaborative leadership. We are, and have been for a number of years, very financially solid; including being debt free on all ECMN properties.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/An-Important-Announcement-From-Bishop-Prior.html?soid=1102000925595&aid=j1Ky9oaLixw

Vote taken over whether parishioners will stay

From New Zealand-

The majority of St Paul’s Anglican Church parishioners have voted to remain with the congregation, in spite of the church’s vicar resigning.

Reverend Andy Carley announced he would step down from his role at the Papanui church in November due to the Anglican synod’s decision to allow same-sex marriages to be blessed in Anglican churches.

Church member and Papanui-Innes Community Board member John Stringer said 75 per cent of parishioners voted to remain at the church.

“Only a small minority will go. Some may even decide to come back,” he said.

More here-

https://www.star.kiwi/2018/09/vote-taken-over-whether-parishioners-will-stay/

Congregants Leave Church That Becomes LGBT Inclusive After 14-Y-O Lesbian Girl's Suicide

From Christian Post-

An Anglican church in the U.K. has transformed itself to become LGBT inclusive following the suicide of a 14-year-old girl who feared the church would not accept her.

The church, St. James and Emmanuel in Didsbury, has been honoring the memory of Lizzie Lowe, the teenager who killed herself in 2014 over fears she wouldn't be accepted, by taking part in gay pride events and declaring that it welcomes all and accepts same-sex relationships.

This transformation has angered some parishioners, however, with 25 members so far having left in protest, Manchester Evening News reported.

Leaders at the church said that they received messages telling them that they will "go to Hell" for their decision.

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/congregants-leave-church-that-becomes-lgbt-inclusive-after-14-y-o-lesbian-girls-suicide-227555/

Cree priest made first suffragan bishop for northern Manitoba

From Anglican Journal-

Archdeacon Larry Beardy, a Cree priest, educator and former executive archdeacon of the diocese of Keewatin, was consecrated first Indigenous suffragan bishop of the Northern Manitoba Area Mission—a new grouping of parishes within the Indigenous Spiritual Ministry of Mishamikoweesh—at a ceremony at Sagkeeng First Nation, Man., September 23.

Beardy’s is one of two new Indigenous suffragan (assistant) bishop positions created by the synod of the ecclesiastical province of Rupert’s Land this May, meant to help in providing pastoral care and spiritual leadership to Indigenous people from northern Ontario to Saskatchewan. His area mission will span that part of Manitoba that lies within the Spiritual Ministry of Mishamikoweesh, but he will also assist the bishops of the dioceses of Brandon and Missinippi in the diocese of Saskatchewan, in providing ministry to Indigenous people in these areas.

More here-

https://www.anglicanjournal.com/cree-priest-made-first-suffragan-bishop-for-northern-manitoba/

Error ends UK priest's US life

From Ft. Wayne-

The Rev. David Boase has presided over enough baptisms and funerals in Alton, Illinois, that the town began to feel smaller than it really was, full of people the priest has watched grow up or grow old.

He has been a priest at two Episcopal churches for the past 14 years in Alton, a southern Illinois river town on the banks of the Mississippi, and when he arrived from England in 2004, he said he knew fairly quickly that he never intended to leave. It was, “as we say about priestly work,” his calling.

“It was a heartfelt sense of belonging, and that was a large part of the impetus of my seeking citizenship,” Boase, 69, told The Washington Post. “I just wanted to belong in the fullest possible way here in America, as a responsible citizen.”

But that's all scheduled to come crashing down Friday, when Boase, a legal permanent resident, expects to be removed from the country by an immigration judge because of a violation 12 years ago. At issue? A single vote cast in 2006.

Boase was placed in removal proceedings last month, roughly a year after he admitted during his citizenship interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that, yes, he once registered to vote, and yes, he once cast a vote.

More here-

http://www.journalgazette.net/news/world/20180925/error-ends-uk-priests-us-life 

also here-

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6202461/British-priest-lived-America-14-years-set-deported.html

Religion and politics; hopes and disappointments

From Japan-

Believe it or not, I have been writing columns for The Japan Times for more than 30 years. Often I have uttered quite controversial views about the world that a tolerant editor has kindly carried — my hope being to get some reaction from readers and provoke a good debate.

I have to confess almost total failure in this regard. Despite having seen around 500 articles published, the feedback has been minimal — except in one notable case.

This was when I rashly criticized bishops of the Anglican Church for treading too far into politics — I think it was in the early 1990s during a British general election. For some reason this sparked a real furor throughout Japan and a veritable flood of responses. I do not know how many Anglicans there are in Japan, but it seemed a great many, all of them writing to denounce my views and saying that, on the contrary, the views of religious leaders on political issues were most welcome, and a lot more valuable than those of many politicians.

Well, here we go again. The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, head of the Anglican Church of 100 million souls, has been plunging boldly into political issues recently, but this time I am going to take a different line. In this totally altered world in which we now live, and in times such as these when all the old verities are under attack, moral bearings have been lost, no one knows whether news is true or false, uncertainty prevails and ordered government almost everywhere is under challenge, I welcome the voices of all thoughtful people, whatever their status. And if they can couch those views in ways that get reported and spark intelligent debate, so much the better.

More here-

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2018/09/24/commentary/world-commentary/religion-politics-hopes-disappointments/#.W6jH5lJRdE4

Terry Gross's Anti-Christian Crusade

From Christian Examiner-

Terry Gross, the host of NPR's Fresh Air, has been taking advantage of the good weather during the summer months to wage a war on Christianity. We will see whether the assault slows down for winter, but I am writing just days before the official start of autumn and there is no sign of any change of tactics yet. Today (18 September) it was an interview with Linda Kay Klein, the author of Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Shamed a Generation of Women and How I Broke Free.

In truth, however, every time Gross addresses evangelicalism, the theme is: I once was a conservative Christian, realized the movement was sinister and oppressive, and now I'm an ex-evangelical who has broken free. I have a day job and do not listen to Fresh Air regularly, so I am not able to provide an exhaustive list. Highlights, however, include the episodes on The Miseducation of Cameron Post (18 and 25 July) which were about how evangelicalism is sinisterly wrong and oppressive. 

Michael Arceneaux's I Can't Date Jesus a few days earlier (23 July), on the other hand, was about how conservative Christianity is sinisterly wrong and oppressive. A week and a half before that it was another breaking free story: "An Evangelical Minister's Change of Heart on Abortion" (11 July). To come back closer to the present, 14 August was on Karen Piper's memoir, A Girl's Guide to Missiles. Gross found the escaping-evangelicalism part of her story particularly worth probing.

More here-

https://www.christianexaminer.com/article/terry-grosss-anti-christian-crusade/51980.htm

Columbia church members head to North Carolina to assist with hurricane relief efforts

From South Carolina with video-

Members from St. Martin’s In the Fields Episcopal church packed their bags Sunday afternoon to head over to New Burn, North Carolina to assist with hurricane relief efforts.

Ten members left Columbia with four packed trucks and a trailer with disaster relief items to help with a week’s worth of work.

Mitchell Smith, Rector St. Martins in the field Episcopal Church said, “We just have a community that is about serving people and as a church, we believe we are the hands and feet of Christ in the world and it’s our opportunity to live that out and serve.”

A family from the New Burn area contacted Rector Smith and asked for a place to stay during the hurricane.

After the devastation, some parts of New Bern faced, they decided it was their calling to help those in need.

More here-

http://www.wistv.com/2018/09/23/columbia-church-members-head-north-carolina-assist-with-hurricane-relief-efforts/

Honest, direct, yet gentle: Raleigh Episcopal priest pens picture book to explain death, grief to kids

From North Carolina-

The subject of death, dying and grief has intrigued Mary Davila since she was at least an undergraduate student at the University of Richmond, willingly getting up to take an early morning class on the topic during her senior year.

The lessons from the class intrigued Davila – and have served her well in her current career. Davila has been an Episcopal priest for 13 years and served as a children‘s minister before she went to seminary. Today, she‘s assistant rector at Christ Church in Raleigh and the co-author of a new picture book called “Grandpa‘s Tent” about grief.

Davila lives in Raleigh with her husband and two girls, ages 8 and 5.

I checked in with Davila to learn more about her book, her work and her advice for parents about how to talk to their young children about death. Here‘s a Q&A …

More here-

https://essexcaller.com/honest-direct-yet-gentle-raleigh-episcopal-priest-pens-picture-book-to-explain-death-grief-to-kids/11672/

Is Pacifism Enough?

From Plough-


Germany, 1934. Eighteen months after Hitler’s rise to power, Plough’s founding editor warned of the threat of a second major war – and foresaw that the international peace movement, which he had championed, would be powerless to stop it. His reflections remain unsettlingly relevant today.

Does pacifism suffice? I don’t think it is enough.When over a thousand people have been killed unjustly, without trial, under Hitler’s new government, isn’t that already war? When hundreds of thousands of people in concentration camps are robbed of their freedom and stripped of all dignity, isn’t that war? When in China and Russia millions starve to death while in other countries millions of tons of wheat are stockpiled, isn’t that war? When thousands of women prostitute their bodies and ruin their lives for the sake of money, isn’t that war? When millions of babies are murdered by abortion each year, isn’t that war? When people are forced to work like slaves because they cannot otherwise feed their children, isn’t that war? When the wealthy live in villas surrounded by parks while other families don’t even have a single room to themselves, isn’t that war? When some people build up enormous bank accounts while others earn scarcely enough for basic necessities, isn’t that war? When reckless drivers kill tens of thousands of people each year, isn’t that war?

More here-

https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/reconciliation/is-pacifism-enough

Funerals make me miss being a parish pastor

From Christian Century-

Over five years ago I came to work for Princeton Seminary after spending 32 years as a parish pastor. One of the questions I frequently receive is “Do you miss serving a congregation?”

I love serving our seminary and am absolutely devoted to its mission. But of course, there are some aspects of being a parish pastor that I miss. By far, what I miss most are the funerals.

It surprises people when I say that, and it’s actually been a surprise to me as well. But as much as I enjoyed my years as a parish pastor, the funerals are the only thing that have ever tempted me to look over my shoulder at the decision to leave congregational ministry.

I don’t miss the evening committee meetings that can last too long and accomplish too little. I don’t miss the small-time politics, the denominational bureaucracy, or the grumpy members who were never going to be happy but who just wouldn’t leave the church. But being with someone through the process of dying, offering compassion to the family as they place their loved one into God’s arms, conducting the funeral, and working through the grief—it’s the purest form of pastoral ministry I know.

More here-

https://www.christiancentury.org/article/faith-matters/funerals-make-me-miss-being-parish-pastor

Archbishop's views on Brexit and welfare are opposite to most Anglicans, poll suggests

From The Telegraph-

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s views on welfare and Brexit do not reflect those of ordinary Anglicans, research has found.

A study found that the majority of Church of England Christians supported Brexit, with 66 per cent of Anglicans voting Leave, compared to a national average of 53 per cent. 

The research, published in the journal Religion, State and Society, found that Church of England Christians were unpersuaded by their bishops, who were overwhelmingly Remain-leaning. 

Identifying as Anglican is "an important independent predictor of voting Leave even when other relevant factors like age and region are corrected for", the paper, by Greg Smith, of the William Temple Foundation and Linda Woodhead, professor of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University, concluded. 

More here-

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/21/archbishop-odds-anglicans-brexit-welfare/

Episcopal Diocese Hosts ‘Climate Action’ Multi-Faith Service, Procession With Circus ‘Tree Stilt Walkers’

From California-

The Episcopal Diocese of California recently held a multi-faith service in collaboration with the “Global Climate Action Summit,” beginning with a procession that included circus stilt men adorned with leaves.

According to reports, the event was held at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco on Sept. 12 and featured music, dancing, art, and a performance by the Tree Stilt Walkers of Cirque Berzerk, who also walked down the aisle alongside representatives of the Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist religions, among others.“The service includes … video greetings and words of encouragement from global faith leaders including His Holiness the Dalai Lama; His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople (via a representative); the Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church (via video); and members of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastic community,” the event website reads.

More here-

https://christiannews.net/2018/09/21/episcopal-diocese-hosts-climate-action-multi-faith-service-procession-with-circus-tree-stilt-walkers/

Episcopal bishop drawn by sense of new possibilities

From Reading Pa-

"I would say the diocese did a very bold thing."

That was the response of Bishop Kevin D. Nichols of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem when asked about the lengthy process by which he was elected to the post. Nichols was ordained and consecrated as the ninth bishop of the diocese last week in Allentown.

After the 2013 retirement of the previous bishop, Paul V. Marshall, the diocese elected not to immediately seek a successor. Instead, it named the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, already the bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania, to serve as provisional bishop of the Bethlehem diocese during a period of reorganization.

"They (the diocese) said they were going to pause for a season and re-evaluate and discover where God was calling them, saying in essence, 'We need to go on a pilgrimage,' " Nichols said in a telephone interview a few days before his ordination.

More here-

http://www.readingeagle.com/life/article/carol-balinski-episcopal-bishop-drawn-by-sense-of-new-possibilities

The Church of England’s views rankle with the laity

From The Economist-

“THE heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left,” according to the book of Ecclesiastes. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury (pictured), might not agree. As the head of the Church of England, the former oilman has championed several causes usually associated with the left. This week the Church held a series of meetings to discuss buying the loan book of Wonga, a lender that recently went into administration, in order to prevent the debts of its borrowers being sold to another high-interest loan firm. The previous week the archbishop had compared socialism to the Christian belief that all men and women are created equally in the image of God.

Archbishop Welby is not unusual among the clergy. If anything, he is seen as a conservative. Rowan Williams, his predecessor, was even more outspoken. Bishop Williams styles himself as a “hairy lefty” and as leader of the Church backed calls for a “Robin Hood tax” on financial transactions. In the 1980s he was marked out as “subversive” for his earlier campus activism as a student at Oxford. Those further down the pecking order also lean leftward. In 2015, 84 bishops signed a letter urging the prime minister to increase the number of refugees admitted to Britain.

More here-

https://www.economist.com/britain/2018/09/22/the-church-of-englands-views-rankle-with-the-laity

Retired bishop Philip Newell bids to stop church disciplinary action after child abuse inquiry

From Tasmania-

A former Tasmanian bishop who was being investigated by the Anglican Church following findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has made an 11th-hour application for proceedings to be permanently suspended.

In February last year, Anglican Bishop Richard Condie revealed he had started a church disciplinary process to investigate Philip Newell. 

That move came after a report released by the royal commission referred to evidence that bishop Newell had been made aware in 1987 that now-convicted paedophile Louis Daniels had sexually abused three boys.

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

The commission found:

More here-

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-21/bishop-philip-newell-in-bid-to-top-church-child-abuse-probe/10292212

Inmates Beat Guns Into Plowshares

From Connecticut-

Four New Haven Correctional Center inmates literally beat “swords into ploughshares” on Thursday as they forged new garden tools from donated and repurposed handguns, shotguns, and assault rifles.

Outside of the New Haven police headquarters at 1 Union Ave., the four current New Haven inmates worked with blacksmiths from the Colorado Springs-based RAWtools, Inc. to forge two-sided mattocks out of former handguns, shotguns, and assault rifles acquired by the city’s police department through its annual gun buyback program.

The mattocks, which are foot-long garden tools with a hoe on one side and a two-pronged fork on the other, will ultimately be donated to gardening programs at local high schools like Common Ground, Hillhouse High, and Wilbur Cross High, as well as to the New Haven Land Trust, which runs over 50 community gardens throughout the city.

“Today we raise up the symbol that we don’t have to be tied to instruments of death,” said Jim Curry, a New Haven resident and the recently retired former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. “We can be tied instruments of life and growing and partnership.”

He quoted the passage from the Book of Isaiah that provided the spiritual inspiration for the enterprise: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

More here-

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/local_sculptor_clergy_turn_guns_into_plowshares/

Cooking chicken wings with the Bishop: An ancient Mediterranean love feast

From North Carolina-

During my years as a Ford model in New York City, I met many celebrities but none as memorable as Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of the American Diocese of the Episcopal Church.

On May 19 he captured the attention of 2 billion people via worldwide satellite at the Royal wedding. However, he captured my heart and imagination much earlier as my passionate culinary student. We prepared an ancient Mediterranean meal together for a filming and interview for the N.C. Episcopalian Diocese magazine. 

Bishop Curry “took me to church” the first time I heard him preach at the rural St. Mary’s Chapel in Hillsborough where I grew up. I knew right away that he was not a traditional Episcopal priest. His delivery reminded me more of an evangelical preacher. Flashing his engaging smile, he confessed to me that his grandmother had been a Baptist! His joyous demeanor and contagious enthusiasm were harbingers of more divine appointments to come. 

More here-

 https://www.newsobserver.com/living/food-drink/article218720020.html

Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/living/food-drink/article218720020.html#storylink=cpy

Garrison Keillor: Old man in his pew among the Piskies

From Garrison Keillor-

A WHOLE STRING of perfect summery September days and we sit outdoors eating our broiled fish and cucumber salad and the last of the sweet corn crop while looking at news of people stranded in flooded towns in North Carolina, unable to evacuate because they are caring for an elderly bedridden relative.

They stand on their porch, surrounded by filthy floodwater, waiting for rescue, and meanwhile we pass a bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé and look forward to ice cream.

This is why a man goes to church, to give thanks for blessings and to pray for the afflicted, while contemplating the imbalance, us on the terrace, them on the porch. And to write out a check for flood relief.

I go to the church where my wife and I were married 23 years ago in New York City. She was raised Episcopalian so I became a Piskie too, out of pure gratitude. Had she been Quaker, I would’ve quaked; had she been Jewish, hand me the Torah, Laura. My evangelical family liked Jeremiah and Ezekiel a lot more than “Blessed are the meek” and if there had been a First Pharisee church in our town, we’d have been there.

More here-

http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20180919/OPINION02/180919476/-1

Anglican Church tasks FG on Leah Sharibu, Chibok girls’ release

From Nigeria-

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has urged the Federal government to ensure the immediate release of Leah Sharibu and the remaining Chibok schoolgirls, especially following the death of a humanitarian aid girl, Saifura Khorsa, who was kidnapped six months ago by the insurgents.

The Boko Haram insurgents issued a statement this week, threatened to harm Sharibu, the Chibok and Dapchi girls.

The Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of the church, the Most Reverend Nicholas D. Okoh, made the plea at the church’s Standing Committee meeting held at the St. Peter’s Cathedral Church in Minna, Niger State.

The Primate maintained that conscious and deliberate efforts should be made to end the ordeal of the captive girls, their parents and families by ensuring the freedom of the innocent girls.

More here-

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/anglican-church-tasks-fg-on-leah-sharibu-chibok-girls-release.html

Yonkers Oldest Church Celebrates 325 Years

From New York-

St. John’s Episcopal Church Getty Square will celebrate its 325th anniversary Sunday, Sept. 23. The public is invited to a Festival Holy Eucharist at 10:15 a.m., an historic tour of the church at noon and a gala luncheon at 1 p.m. at The Riverview. The luncheon will help support a fundraising effort to restore the Clerestory Windows in the church’s 1872 building.

The last opportunity to purchase tickets will be Sept. 17. Tickets can be obtained by calling 914-963-3033.

In September 1693, the church was included in an act during the first session of the Third Assembly, in the fifth year of the reign of King William III and Queen Mary II, joint monarchs of England, Scotland and Ireland, 83 years before the Declaration of Independence. Mentions of the Yonkers congregation, however, date as early as 1684.

More here-

http://yonkerstimes.com/yonkers-oldest-church-celebrates-325-years/

'All you need is love': Episcopal pastor in Covington to lead 'Beatles Mass' featuring Fab Four's songs

From Louisiana-

The Rev. Bill Miller, rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Covington, has made pilgrimages to Jerusalem and such sacred sites as Patrick Mountain in Ireland and the Scottish isle of Iona.

In the summer of 2017, he embarked on a religious journey of a different sort: to Liverpool, birthplace of the Beatles.

“I’d really call it a Beatles pilgrimage,” Miller said. “Some really extraordinary, creative things happened in that place that continue to shape the world. There really aren’t enough superlatives. I had the same feeling that day as when I go to Patrick Mountain or Iona or even Jerusalem.”

Thus inspired, Miller will preside over "All You Need Is Love," a “Beatles Mass” — a service using the songs of the Fab Four instead of hymns — on Sunday at Christ Church (120 S. New Hampshire St. near Bogue Falaya Park in Covington).

More here-

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/faith/article_610e9d70-bb6e-11e8-81dd-0788419d54df.html

Anglican Church Declares War on Climate Change Before It Becomes ‘Unstoppable’

From Breitbart-

The global Anglican Church is uniting in a common crusade against “climate change and biodiversity loss” with its “Letters for Creation” campaign that runs until October 4.

The initiative features a series of letters published Tuesday from different provinces of the Anglican communion around the world describing the alleged negative effects of global warming as well as a common effort to combat it.

The letters are meant to promote “the Season of Creation,” a campaign that runs from 1 September to 4 October, in response to an appeal by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to his fellow Primates to set out what “the care for God’s creation” means in their Province as well as what they wanted to say to the wider Anglican Communion about “the care for our common home.”

More here-

https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2018/09/19/anglican-church-declares-war-climate-change/

Presiding Bishop, church respond to further cuts to the US refugee resettlement program

From ENS-

The United States was a worldwide leader in refugee resettlement just two years ago, when more than 80,000 refugees were welcomed into the country with help from the nine agencies with federal contracts to do that work, including Episcopal Migration Ministries. That number has dwindled under the Trump administration, which announced Sept. 17 it would reduce resettlement further, to just 30,000 a year.

The Episcopal Church has a long history of standing with refugees, people who are fleeing violence, war and political and religious persecution, and on Sept. 18 the church expressed its disappointment at the reduced cap on the number of refugees.

“As followers of Jesus Christ, we are saddened by this decision,” Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry, said in a written statement. “Our hearts and our prayers are with those thousands of refugees who, due to this decision, will not be able to find new life in the United States. This decision by the government does not reflect the care and compassion of Americans who welcome refugees in their communities every day. Our faith calls us to love God and love our neighbor, so we stand ready to help all those we can in any way we can.”

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/09/18/presiding-bishop-church-respond-to-further-cuts-to-the-us-refugee-resettlement-program/

I blinked on LGBTQ issues in my church. And I regret it.

From North Carolina-

We fall short as a civil society in our ability to admit mistakes and apologize with the sincere intent to change our behavior. So here goes: I’ve been wrong. And in the reality of human fallibility, I know I’ll be wrong again. The best I can do is move forward, determined not to repeat that particular shortcoming.

The mistake I regret of longest standing dates back 15 years. The Episcopal Church was taking up issues related to our siblings who are lesbian and gay, specifically at that time the consecration of Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, as a bishop. I would consider myself, then and now, someone who believes that all of us are beloved children of God, created in God’s image, and worthy of serving God. 

But faced with division within the church, I blinked. While I wanted everyone to have a path to ordination, consecration, and marriage regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, if it was going to cause conflict, I thought that could wait. 

More here-

https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article218569415.html

Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article218569415.html#storylink=cpy

‘It is going to wreck my life’: Immigration judge may deport retired Alton priest

From Texas-

Supporters of a retired Alton priest are rallying to raise money for his legal fees as he faces likely deportation because of a mistake he made 12 years ago based on misinformation.

“My immigration lawyer tells me deportation is inevitable and that the position I might be granted is voluntary departure, but it is up to the decision of the immigration judge,” said the Rev. David Boase, 69, who retired in 2014 from St. Paul Episcopal Church, 10 E. Third St.

“Technically, I am not being deported, I will leave on my own account,” he said if the judge allows the voluntary departure for him to go back to England. “I have to leave America — my home, my church and my friends. I’ve been here 14 years. My life is here. It is going to wreck my life. I am so happy here, in the parish, in the community and the area. It is a mess.”

More here-

https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/8216-It-is-going-to-wreck-my-life-8217-13236413.php

Why Western Christianity has a death wish

From Australia-

There's nowhere more relevant to the modern world than Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. This Episcopal church advertises yoga and is totally non-judgmental (there's a photo on its website of a man dressed as a nun), and I bet a fun time was had by all at last week's Global Climate Action Summit Multi-Faith Service.

You can watch a video online: down the aisle come clerics, musicians and men on stilts dressed as trees. Notice though, as the camera pans out, that the congregation is a bit thin at the back. And old. It's in desperate need of some new sap.

The wider US Episcopal church is facing extinction: just 500,000 attend its services on a Sunday, which an internal report calls a "profound and shocking decline". Its sister church in England isn't doing much better.

The latest figures suggest that Church of England affiliation has halved since 2002 and that only 2 per cent of young people call themselves Anglican. This is despite the Church of England spending decades chasing cultural relevance. At the weekend, there was a discussion in this newspaper about whether or not God has a gender. "I don't want young girls or young boys to hear us constantly refer to God as he," said Rt Rev Rachel Treweek, the Bishop of Gloucester, because that might alienate people.

More here-

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/why-western-christianity-has-a-death-wish-20180918-p504df.html

Gonsalves Wants Clarity From Churches About Homosexual Acts Done In Private

From The Windward Islands-

Anglican Bishop of the Windward Islands, C Leopold Friday said that 'while rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture, calls on all our people to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals'. 

The above statement was quoted by the Bishop from a resolution of the church. 

An investigation has been launched into the physical and verbal assault of two 'openly gay' in Calliaqua and which was circulated via social media showing the men running from thugs in fear for their life. 

Police commissioner Colin John told News784 that the matter was reported to the Calliaqua police station by the two men. 

He said they were given medical forms by the police which was filled out and returned. 

More here-

https://menafn.com/1097443987/Gonsalves-Wants-Clarity-From-Churches-About-Homosexual-Acts-Done-In-Private?src=Rss

Church of England should avoid only calling God 'he', Bishop says

From the Telegraph-

The Church of England should avoid only calling God "he", a bishop has said, as a survey found that young Christians think God is male.

Research by YouGov found that almost half of 18-24 year-old Christians believed God to be male, with just one in three over-65s believing the same.

The Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, bishop of Gloucester, the Church of England's first female diocesan bishop, said: "I don't want young girls or young boys to hear us constantly refer to God as he," adding that it was important to be "mindful of our language".

She raised concerns that non-Christians could feel alienated from the Church if its public pronouncements used solely male language to describe God.

More here-

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/16/church-england-should-avoid-calling-god-bishop-says/