Eleven Archbishops to attend Kazimba Mugalu’s enthronement

From Uganda-

The Organizing Committee for the enthronement of Dr. Steven Kazimba Mugalu as the 9th Archbishop of the Church of Uganda has deficit of Shillings 350 million, URN has learnt.

The Committee Chairperson Ruth Nankabirwa, says that they so far realised Shillings 782 million of the estimated budget of Shillings 1.16 billion.

Part of the money according to the Committee will be used to purchase a vehicle for the Archbishop valued at Shillings 400 million, the renovation of the Archbishop’s residence in Namirembe Shillings 280 million, purchase of chairs for Archbishop, Bishop and retired Bishops Shillings 18 million and the beautification of cathedral gardens Shillings 23 million among other expenditures.

Asked why the Church is purchasing a new vehicle for the Archbishop instead of inheriting the one currently used by the outgoing Archbishop Stanley Ntagali, Sadiiki Adams, the Communications Officer at the CoU Provincial Secretariat told URN that the Archbishop Ntagali has two official cars and all these are to be retained by the church whose Provincial Assembly Standing Committee will determine their future use.

He defended the purchase of the new car, saying the old ones cannot effectively be used by the new Archbishop to carry out his pastoral work throughout the Province and that would be left for emergency purposes.  eanwhile 11 Archbishops from different countries have confirmed attendance of Kazimba’s enthronement scheduled for March 1, 2020 at St Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe.

More here-

https://www.independent.co.ug/eleven-archbishops-to-attend-kazimba-mugalus-enthronement/

Anglican reverend arraigned in court over faking kidnap

From Uganda-

An Anglican reverend who is accused of faking his own kidnap has been arraigned in court and charged.

Rev Isaac Mwesigwa appeared at Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s court on Friday and was charged with giving false information to a public officer.

He was arrested on Thursday by CID officers in Kampala after police obtained CCTV footage showing that he had exited his car without any attack from anyone, contrary to what he had told police earlier. 

Rev Mwesigwa was found in Soroti District on February 12, three days after he went missing. He told police that he had been kidnapped by armed men on his way to deliver his research work at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Mukono.

In court, Rev Mwesigwa denied the charges and asked to be released on bail.

More here-

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Anglican-reverend-arraigned-court-faking-kidnap/688334-5464108-1ix3tdz/index.html

Episcopal Church will cease to have Sunday worship attendance in 30 years, seminary pres. warns

From Christian Post-

A seminary president has warned The Episcopal Church's leadership that with the current rate of decline, they will cease to have any Sunday worship attendance in 30 years.

Kristine Stache, interim president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America-affiliated Wartburg Theological Seminary, gave a presentation Friday before the denomination's Executive Council.
Stache drew from the most recent parochial report data which found that, from 2008 to 2018, the denomination experienced a 24.9 percent decline in average Sunday attendance and a 17.5 percent decline in baptized members.

“It depicts a church that appears to be dying,” said Stache, as reported by Egan Millard of Episcopal News Service, labeling the statistics “very sobering.”

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/episcopal-church-cease-to-have-sunday-worship-attendance-in-30-years-seminary-president-warns.html

Your chance to find a Newman pew

From The Tablet

An Anglican church in Oxford is urgently looking for takers for Victorian pews installed by St John Henry Newman. Due to a major refurbishment of the church he founded, St Mary and St Nicholas in Littlemore, sixteen oak pews face the scrap heap unless a new home is found quickly.

The pews are being replaced by modern stackable seating.

Local historian Dr Philip Salmon, who is closely involved with the refurbishment, is charged with finding them new owners.

He said: “I have been trying to find suitable homes, ideally in a proper religious setting where Newman’s legacy and vision is appreciated. This has been complicated though by the fact that one end of each pew is roughly carved, where it used to butt up against a wall. So a little carpentry is required on each, but it’s not difficult to fix.”

More here-

https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/12496/your-chance-to-find-a-newman-pew

Archbishop Kaziimba faces uphill task to revamp Anglican church

From Uganda-


When the House of Bishops convened on August  28, 2019 to elect the ninth Archbishop of the Province of Church of the Uganda (COU), one indeed felt most happy that Bishop Kaziimba of Mityana diocese, had emerged best-suited for the role.

We trust that in Kazimba, the province has received a non-worldly chief shepherd equipped to offer the much-desired leadership, to inspire afresh the spirit of Anglicanism among its youth, especially to refocus the administration of both its affairs and programmes so as to inspire its holistic growth across the entire province, and not just some sections of it.

The archbishop-elect comes at a time when the COU lacks a sound political theology necessary to counter the intrigues of Uganda’s secular politics. In fact, his immediate predecessor has several times hushed critics who resolutely dared him to discharge his ‘political’ mandate.  

More here-

https://observer.ug/viewpoint/63575-archbishop-kaziimba-faces-an-uphill-task-to-revamp-anglican-church

Thousands flock to Mucwini to commemorate Luwum Day

From Uganda-

Thousands of Christians from across the country yesterday attended celebrations in memory of Church of Uganda’s first archbishop, the late Janani Luwum.

About 9:30am, bishops walked down from St Paul’s Church of Uganda in a procession to take their seats at the altar prepared on the ceremonial grounds in Mucwini Sub-county, Kitgum District.

The colourful function was animated by ululation and songs by Christians. A combination of members from St Janani Luwum Parish, Kitgum Town, Christ Church Gulu, and All Saints Church formed the choir.

February 16, is gazetted nationally to remember Luwum who was brutally murdered by Idi Amin’s regime in 1977.

More here-

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Thousands-flock-Mucwini-Luwum-Day-Kitgum-Ntagali/688334-5459078-3dyy5p/

Desmond Tutu’s long history of fighting for lesbian and gay rights

From The Conversation-

Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu is mostly known to the world for his highly prominent role in the campaign against apartheid in South Africa. This role was internationally recognised by the awarding of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize. 

Tutu continued his activism even after the country’s democratic transition in South Africa in the early 1990s. Among other things, he served as chair of the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission which sought to deal with the crimes and injustices under apartheid, and to bring about justice, healing and reconciliation in a wounded society. He retired as Archbishop of Cape Town in 1996.

In more recent years Tutu has become known for his strong advocacy on issues of sexuality, in particular the rights of lesbian and gay people. For instance, in 2013, he made global headlines with the clear and succinct statement, in typical Tutu fashion, that he:

"would rather go to hell than to a homophobic heaven."

More here-

https://theconversation.com/desmond-tutus-long-history-of-fighting-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights-131598

The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Diocese of Ogbaru, Anambra State, on Monday, described Nigeria as a country at a crossroads and in a reverse gear without a steering. Addressing newsmen at the Basilica of St. James Cathedral, Atani, Ogbaru Local Government, the Bishop, Diocese of Ogbaru, Rt. Rev. Prosper Amah, said what Nigeria needed now was divine and international intervention to save it from collapse.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/nigeria-at-crossroads-reverse-gear-anglican-communion/

The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Diocese of Ogbaru, Anambra State, on Monday, described Nigeria as a country at a crossroads and in a reverse gear without a steering. Addressing newsmen at the Basilica of St. James Cathedral, Atani, Ogbaru Local Government, the Bishop, Diocese of Ogbaru, Rt. Rev. Prosper Amah, said what Nigeria needed now was divine and international intervention to save it from collapse.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/nigeria-at-crossroads-reverse-gear-anglican-communion/

The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Diocese of Ogbaru, Anambra State, on Monday, described Nigeria as a country at a crossroads and in a reverse gear without a steering. Addressing newsmen at the Basilica of St. James Cathedral, Atani, Ogbaru Local Government, the Bishop, Diocese of Ogbaru, Rt. Rev. Prosper Amah, said what Nigeria needed now was divine and international intervention to save it from collapse.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/nigeria-at-crossroads-reverse-gear-anglican-communion/

South Sudan peace talks: Machar and Kiir in deadlock over states

From The BBC-

The two rivals are under increasing international pressure to meet a deadline of 22 February to implement a power-sharing deal.

The US last year warned that it would impose sanctions on anyone working against the peace process.

Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, have said they will visit South Sudan once a national unity government is formed.

Mr Machar has long demanded that President Kiir reverse his decision to increase the number of states to 32, seeing it as a way to give positions to presidential loyalists and boost his power base.

On Saturday, the president agreed to return to a system of 10 states and sacked all 32 state governors, raising hopes of an end to the deadlock.

More here-

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51521778

ACK Archbishop urges government not to relent in the fight against graft

From Kenya-

The  Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Archbishop Jackson ole Sapit has hailed the progress made in the fight against corruption and urged the head of state and investigation agencies not to relent in the fight against graft.

Speaking at ACK St Paul church in Lodwar on Sunday, ole Sapit said the war on corruption had reached unprecedented levels and urged the institutions mandated to fight the scourge to keep up the war.

“If you see a governor being locked in and hounded out of office because of corruption it means the country is headed in the right direction,” he said.

The clergyman said there should be no sacred cows and anyone found guilty of corruption should carry their own cross.

He said the corrupt must not be made heroes and the nation must guard against introducing language that normalises theft.

More here-

https://www.kenyanews.go.ke/ack-archbishop-urges-government-not-to-relent-in-the-fight-against-graft/

13 Christian leaders criticize Trump policies they fear will increase poverty

From Christian Post-

Thirteen Christian leaders have signed onto a letter speaking out against President Donald Trump’s budget proposal and other administration policies that they say will add to the nation’s poverty and hunger issues. 

The Circle of Protection, a coalition comprised of leaders from various Christian organizations, published an open letter Tuesday calling out “administration actions that affect people in poverty.”

“As leaders from all the families of U.S. Christianity, representing church bodies and networks serving more than 100 million Americans, we are concerned about administration action to cut safety net programs that help low-income people,” the letter reads. “The gospel of God’s love for all people moves us to speak together on this issue.”

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/13-christian-leaders-criticize-trump-policies-they-fear-will-increase-poverty-235180/?fbclid=IwAR3VgVV2TR3kVljoNgK8-v6s_aM9Lr5i5pcXr3na3bXMpMnFLmFNoZun8l4

Jefferson City church celebrates first black priest, former member

From Missouri-

Grace Episcopal Church on Sunday commemorated the lives of two African Americans whose contributions shaped both the Episcopal Church in general and Grace Episcopal specifically.

Sunday's special service honored Absalom Jones, the first black ordained priest of the Episcopal Church, and Julia Cooper, a former member of Grace Episcopal Church.

Jones, who was disappointed with racism/discrimination at Methodist Church in 1787, founded the Free African Society — a mutual aid society for blacks — with Richard Allen. Jones went on the found the first black Episcopal congregation in 1794, and in 1802, he became the first priest to become ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church.

More here-

https://www.newstribune.com/news/local/story/2020/feb/17/area-church-celebrates-first-black-priest-former-member/817017/

Mainline Protestant pastors driving support for same-sex marriage: LifeWay study

From Christian Post-

Last week, the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan consecrated its first openly lesbian bishop, the Rev. Bonnie A. Perry. Anna Stania, director of Communications for the diocese, told The Christian Post that Perry’s candidacy received no opposition because of her sexual orientation. “We have experienced an overwhelming outpouring of joy, grace and excitement since her election and consecration.”

The study also indicates that white pastors (27 percent) are more likely to see nothing wrong with same-sex marriage than African American pastors (15 percent) or pastors of other ethnicities (6 percent).

It further suggests that those with a doctorate (27 percent) or a master’s degree (32 percent) are more likely to support same-sex marriage than pastors with a bachelor’s degree (9 percent) or no college degree (6 percent).

The survey results also show that pastors of churches with fewer than 50 in attendance (33 percent) are more likely to support same-sex marriage than those at churches with 100 or more in attendance (19 percent).

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/lifeway-research-mainline-protestant-pastors-driving-support-for-same-sex-marriage.html

Father Josh: A married Catholic priest in a celibate world

From Dallas-

The priest wakes up at 4 a.m. on the days he celebrates the early Mass, sipping coffee and enjoying the quiet while his young children sleep in rooms awash in stuffed animals and Sesame Street dolls and pictures of saints. Then he kisses his wife goodbye and drives through the empty suburban streets of north Dallas to the church he oversees.

In a Catholic world where debates over clerical celibacy have flared from Brazil to the Vatican, Joshua Whitfield is that rarest of things: A married Catholic priest.

The Roman Catholic church has demanded celibacy of its priests since the Middle Ages, calling it a “spiritual gift” that enables men to devote themselves fully to the church. But as a shortage of priests becomes a crisis in parts of the world, liberal wings in the church have been arguing that it’s time to reassess that stance. On Wednesday, Pope Francis sidestepped the latest debate on celibacy, releasing an eagerly awaited document that avoided any mention of recommendations by Latin American bishops to consider ordaining married men in the Amazon, where believers can go months without seeing a priest.

Even the most liberal of popes have refused to change the tradition.

It is “the mark of a heroic soul and the imperative call to unique and total love for Christ and His Church,” Pope Paul VI wrote in 1967.

More here-

https://www.examiner.org/father-josh-a-married-catholic-priest-in-a-celibate-world/

Texas Episcopalians pledge $13M to ‘repair and commence racial healing’

 From Houston-

In what leaders say is an “unprecedented” move, the Episcopal Diocese of Texas this week pledged $13 million for programs aimed at reconciling the effects of slavery.

The new funding will go to “repair and commence racial healing,” leaders said. It will include scholarships focused on historically black churches, leaders said.

“The goal is to support the people of our communities who were actually injured by our past actions,” Rev. C Andrew Doyle, head of the Houston-based diocese, said in a statement.

More here-

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Texas-Episcopalians-pledge-13M-to-repair-and-15053645.php

Anglican cleric: ‘Safe, legal abortion’ respects a woman’s right to life

From Barbados-

The church must find ways to “facilitate a respectful and protected space for all members of the society in so far as they do not breach the rights of others in terms of liberty and justice”, and this includes women’s rights to abortion, a senior Anglican cleric in Jamaica said here last night. 

“To deny a woman access to safe and legal abortion is clearly an affront to ethical health practices; respect for self-determination; and most of all, the woman’s right to life,” said the Very Reverend Father Sean Major-Campbell, Dean of Kingston and Rector of Christ Church in Vineyard Town. 

“It seems most appropriate for the woman to be the final decision-maker in the matter since she is the greater burden bearer; since she really bears the challenge alone; since her physical, psychological, and emotional investments would far outweigh that of the father, doctor, pastor, and so on.”

More here-

https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/02/13/anglican-cleric-safe-legal-abortion-respects-a-womans-right-to-life/

Anglican leader admits Church of England's racism

From Daily Sabah-

The Archbishop of Canterbury has called the Church of England "deeply institutionally racist" and apologized for Britain's treatment of black people and other minorities since World War II.

Anglican clerics adopted a motion late Tuesday seeking forgiveness from the so-called Windrush generation that moved to Britain from former Caribbean colonies since 1948. The mass migration was promoted by the government to help rebuild the U.K. from the ruins of war. Yet none received documents confirming their U.K. citizenship and the Caribbean countries' subsequent independence saw many denied basic rights. Dozens were also wrongly deported in a scandal that rocked the government of former Prime Minister Theresa May.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the highest-ranking cleric in the Anglican communion, told the General Synod there was "no doubt" the Church of England was still "deeply institutionally racist." "We did not do justice in the past, we do not do justice now, and unless we are radical and decisive in this area in the future, we will still be having this conversation in 20 years' time," the archbishop said.

More here-

https://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2020/02/12/anglican-leader-admits-church-of-englands-racism

Episcopal Diocese of Michigan consecrates its first lesbian bishop

From Christian Post-

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan has consecrated its first openly lesbian bishop, in a move that the liberal mainline regional body is confident will not lead to further large-scale departures from the denomination.

The Rev. Bonnie A. Perry was consecrated as the eleventh bishop of the diocese at a ceremony held Saturday at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.

Perry had been elected bishop in June of last year on the fifth ballot of the Special Electing Convention held at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit. She got the votes of 64 clergy and 118 laity, which surpassed the minimum requirement of 55 clergy and 94 laity, according to Anna Stania, director of Communications for the diocese.

Stania also told The Christian Post that Perry did not experience any opposition to her candidacy because of her sexual orientation or that she is married to someone of the same-sex.

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/episcopal-diocese-of-michigan-consecrates-its-first-lesbian-bishop.html

ACK clergy boycott UK forum over presence of gay leaders

From Kenya-

Some Anglican clergy from Kenya have boycotted the Lambeth Conference in the UK protesting the presence of gay senior church leaders.

Anglican Archbishop Jackson ole Sapit says the Church is opposed to homosexuality.

“We are having the Lambeth Conference in the West this year, but some of us have boycotted because of the invitation of practising gay bishops. We can’t be mixed,” he told worshippers yesterday during the consecration of Kerugoya St Thomas Anglican Cathedral in Kirinyaga County.

DISCUSS ISSUES

The conference is usually held after 10 years to discuss theological and social issues that affect the Anglican communion worldwide.

More here-

https://www.nation.co.ke/news/ACK-clergy-boycott-UK-forum-over-gay-leaders/1056-5449996-oujyikz/index.html

Episcopal Diocese of Michigan ordains its first female and openly lesbian bishop

From Michigan-

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan on Saturday ordained and consecrated Dr. Bonnie Perry as its first female and openly lesbian bishop at a ceremony in Dearborn.

Perry said the ceremony was "one of the most intense experiences" of her life, as she was surrounded by clergy and community members who came to welcome her into the diocese.

She said she wants to help all communities and people feel at home.

"For me, it's about full inclusion for all people -- straight, gay, bi, trans, gender fluid -- this is about everyone, all are welcome," Perry said. "Every time you exclude someone you exclude the possibility of change and transformation."

Perry received 64 clergy votes and 118 lay votes to be elected bishop; she needed a minimum of 55 clergy votes and 94 lay votes. All the candidates up for the position of bishop were women, according to the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. The diocese was formed in 1836.

More here-

https://www.abc57.com/news/episcopal-diocese-of-michigan-ordains-its-first-female-and-openly-lesbian-bishop 

and here-

https://theunionjournal.com/metro-detroit-episcopal-church-elects-first-lesbian-bishop/

St. John's Episcopal Church begins allowing same-sex marriages

From Florida-

Gay couples attending St. John's Episcopal Church can now marry within the church after the local congregation's vestry released its decision recently allowing the change.

For the past year, a consultation group of nine long-time parishioners at St. John's met to discuss the change through a process of "prayerful discernment," explained rector Dave Killeen, who has been at St. John's for the past decade.

The consultation group then advised the vestry, which ultimately made the decision to allow same-sex marriages at the congregation.

"We want to do our very best to care for God's people at St. John's," Killeen told the Democrat. "All couples will be treated equally... We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable and has a place here at St. John's — that they know they are loved and valued."

At its 2015 general convention, the Episcopal Church approved same-sex marriage ceremonies in the church. It also redefined its canonical language for marriage to gender-neutral terms.

More here-

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2020/02/07/st-johns-episcopal-church-allows-same-sex-marriages-first-time-tallahassee/4644168002/

Episcopal Diocese of Michigan prepares to consecrate first woman, lesbian bishop

From Michigan-

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan will get a new leader this weekend, and it will be a historic event on two fronts.

The Reverend Bonnie Perry will be consecrated as bishop at a ceremony in Dearborn on Saturday. She will become the first woman and first openly-LGBTQ person to lead the diocese, which covers 77 Episcopal congregations in southeast Michigan.

Perry has been an ordained Episcopal priest and deacon since 1990. She comes to Michigan from Chicago, where she has led the All Saints’ congregation for 27 years. She was elected bishop of the Michigan diocese in June 2019.

“This was the diocese that I wanted to come to,” Perry said on Friday at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit, where she will be based. “There is a justice, social justice legacy here that I wanted to build on. I loved the interplay between suburbs and urban, and wealth and despair. All of that seemed completely compelling to me.”

More here-

https://www.michiganradio.org/post/episcopal-diocese-michigan-prepares-consecrate-first-woman-lesbian-bishop 

and here-

https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/652650

Stolen baby Jesus statue makes his valiant return to St. Paul's by-the-Sea

From Oregon-

It was a year ago in December that a mysterious person was caught on security footage stealing the baby Jesus figure from St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church’s annual Nativity installation.

But this past Sunday, Father Matthew D’Amario said before the service began, “I declare this baby Jesus statue restored to the use for which it has been dedicated and consecrated.”

The church, located on Third Street and Baltimore Avenue, puts up the manger scene around Christmas in tandem with the Ocean City light show. But goodwill apparently was in short supply in December 2018, as the infant went missing.

“We have plastic in front of the scene to protect the blow-up plastic figures in the manger,” D’Amario said. “We realized in late December, after Christmas, that the baby Jesus in the manger was gone.”

More here-

https://www.bluemountaineagle.com/life/national/stolen-baby-jesus-statue-makes-his-valiant-return-to-st/article_6ff6e75c-3016-561e-b1c6-a8da52a039a1.html

Gunmen attack Anambra church, bishop alleges threat to life

From Nigeria-

Gunmen, on Tuesday, attacked the Cathedral Church of St Michael’s, Umuikwu Anam, in the Anambra West Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The Anglican Bishop of the Mbamili Diocese, Rt. Rev. Henry Okeke, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday.

He also alleged threat to his life and those of other clerics in the diocese.

“There were shootings on Tuesday by the hoodlums, who stormed the church to pull down the ongoing cathedral building of the Diocese of Mbamili,” Okeke stated.

The bishop said he had sent a Save-our-Soul message to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on the development.

More here-

https://punchng.com/gunmen-attack-anambra-church-bishop-alleges-threat-to-life/

Sandy Springs worshipping community closes but church remains open

From Atlanta-

A Sandy Springs church has ceased services for its worshipping community, but the church itself has not closed yet.

Highpoint Episcopal Community Church hosted its last service Jan. 12, and though its membership had been on the rise, the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta decided to stop services there because the worship community was no longer financially viable.

Rev. Lang Lowery, the church’s canon, said Episcopal churches are categorized as a mission, parish or worshipping community, with the last designation meaning the congregation had relinquished self-governance to the diocese because of its finances.

More here-

https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/northside_sandy_springs/news/sandy-springs-worshipping-community-closes-but-church-remains-open/article_1bbd2870-4837-11ea-81a1-5369fa83e8da.html

Trinity Episcopal Church Gains National Recognition

From St. Louis-

Trinity Episcopal Church is receiving national recognition for its contributions to LGBTQ history in St. Louis. 

The Central West End church became the first and only site in Missouri and the Episcopal Church to be named on the National Register of Historic Places for its role in the LGBTQ community.

The church became an early supporter of gay rights and LGBTQ parishoners in 1960s and people living with AIDS in the 1980s. Trinity was ahead of the game, said the Rev. Jon Stratton, the rector at the church.

“We were inclusive far before the national church was,” Stratton said. “We have been a place of welcome for the LGBTQ community for well over 50 years. Which again was not a typical thing in churches and wasn’t really even typical within the Episcopal Church going that far back.”

More here-

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/trinity-episcopal-church-gains-national-recognition#stream/0

Should the United Methodist Church Split over Same-Sex Marriage?

From Anxious Bench-

I am not a Methodist—well, not anymore. I grew up in the United Methodist Church (UMC), but have been a member of various other denominations since my college years. So the current debates within the United Methodist Church are not my fight. But they do interest me, both because of my religious history and because I am a religious historian.

Most mainline American Protestant denominations have liberalized their stance on same-sex relationships in recent years. The Presbyterian Church, USA (PCUSA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the American Baptist Churches, USA (ABCUSA), and the Episcopal Church, USA (ECUSA), among others, now preside over same-sex marriages and ordain ministers in same-sex relationships. The United Methodist Church, by contrast, retained its traditional stance barring both of those practices longer than other mainline denominations.

More here-

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2020/02/should-the-united-methodist-church-split-over-same-sex-marriage/

Anglican bishop’s son denied asylum, deported back to El Salvador

From Christian Post-

The son of an Anglican bishop in El Salvador who fled his native country for the U.S. following death threats from a gang was recently deported, according to his father.

Josue Alvarado Guerra, the 34-year-old son of Bishop David Alvarado of the Diocese of El Salvador, was deported back home after being detained in Ohio by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last November. He had been in the U.S. since October 2016 and worked as an undocumented day laborer. 

Bishop Alvarado sent a letter to Ohio Bishop Mark Hollingsworth Jr. confirming that his son was back home, according to Episcopal News Service.

“We thank the God of life for allowing us to have Josue back in our house and share with him the difficult experiences he lived in detention,” wrote Alvarado, according to ENS.

More here-

 https://www.christianpost.com/news/anglican-bishops-son-deported-back-to-el-salvador-us-denies-asylum.html

Diocese of Chicago and Episcopal Church reach settlement with ACNA Diocese of Quincy

From ENS-

The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and The Episcopal Church have reached a settlement with the Diocese of Quincy in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and 15 parishes and missions in that diocese over real property, other assets and church records that were part of the former Episcopal Diocese of Quincy and The Episcopal Church in 2008.

The settlement, the terms of which are confidential, includes property at issue in a suit filed in 2013 in a circuit court in Peoria.

“I give thanks for your perseverance and courage through the past eleven years, and I am grateful that this settlement will benefit God’s mission in the Peoria Deanery for many years to come,” Bishop Jeffrey D. Lee of Chicago wrote in a letter to the people of the deanery. “Participating in your ministry has been one of the great joys of my time as bishop of Chicago, and I continue to rejoice at your commitment to our beloved Episcopal Church and the communities and people you serve,” added Lee, who will retire in August.

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/diocese-of-chicago-and-episcopal-church-reach-settlement-with-acna-diocese-of-quincy/

Church of England apologizes for saying only married straight people should have sex

From Christian Post-

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of York
John Sentamu have apologized for a decree issued by the Church of England which said that only heterosexual married couples should have sex and that sex in gay or straight civil partnerships “falls short of God’s purpose for human beings.”

“We as Archbishops, alongside the bishops of the Church of England, apologize and take responsibility for releasing a statement last week which we acknowledge has jeopardised trust,” the archbishops said in a statement, according to Belfast Telegraph. “We are very sorry and recognize the division and hurt this has caused.”

The House of Bishops of the Church of England last week issued a pastoral guidance, which said, “For Christians, marriage — that is, the lifelong union between a man and a woman, contracted with the making of vows — remains the proper context for sexual activity.”

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/church-of-england-apologizes-for-saying-only-married-straight-people-should-have-sex.html

Interfaith Partnership For Refugee Resettlement: Finding New Homes, Building Safer Lives

From Connecticut-

While IPRR was born by members of Trinity Episcopal Church and Newtown Congregational Church, it has since gained representatives from Al Hedaya Islamic Center, Baha’i Community, Congregation Adath Israel, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, among other local houses of worship.

The project is open, however, Mr Chamiec-Case told The Newtown Bee in August 2016, to “anyone who wants to participate. While we have been organized by faith communities, we are not restrictive.”

The first family settled by IPRR, a family of six, arrived in November 2017 from Tanzania. The second family — a mother and her two sons, who had spent 22 years in a Rwandan refugee camp — arrived in mid-2018.

IPRR arranged for housing for each family, and helped furnish each apartment. Volunteers also drove family members to school, or work, or appointments, until at least one member obtained a driver’s license.

More here-

https://www.newtownbee.com/02022020/interfaith-partnership-for-refugee-resettlement-finding-new-homes-building-safer-lives/