Study Tour

Well, this seems like a good time to take a couple of weeks and help to lead a study tour of Turkey and Israel. We'll see you all in November.

Episcopalians gather for consecration of new bishop

From The Post-Gazette-

One thousand Episcopalians packed Calvary Episcopal Church Shadyside to consecrate and welcome their new shepherd, Bishop Dorsey McConnell.

Bishop McConnell, 58, is the first tenured bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh since its last one led a schism over theology and sexual ethics in 2008. Pittsburgh is the first of four such split dioceses to elect a new bishop. A fifth diocese, South Carolina, announced this week that it also would leave the Episcopal Church.

But the theme of Bishop McConnell's consecration was unity and bridge building. At one point the Yale-educated former actor played the part of a bridge-builder in a surprise skit set amid the Flood of 1936.

At the end of the service he told local officials present that he was grateful for anything that raised consciousness of the need for bridges.

"I want to thank the government of Allegheny County for closing the Squirrel Hill Tunnel in honor of this day," he said to shrieks of laughter and applause from the congregation.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/episcopalians-gather-for-consecration-of-new-bishop-658396/#ixzz29t7M68Sv

Episcopalians install new bishop in tradition-bound ceremony

From The Pittsburgh Tribune-

A church rocked by divisions over beliefs came together in jubilation on Saturday as leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh consecrated the Rev. Dorsey McConnell as its first permanent bishop since 2008.

“The last four years have been trying, but it’s wonderful to have someone here now, especially a man like Bishop McConnell,” said Judith Waldorf, 62, of Shaler, who was among 400 people who filled Calvary Episcopal Church in East Liberty for the ceremony. “This is a wonderful day and I’m blessed to be here.”

Church leaders elected Mc-Connell, 58, to bishop in April. He previously served as rector of Church of the Redeemer in Chestnut Hill, Mass. He succeeds the Right Rev. Kenneth L. Price Jr., who served as provisional bishop since 2009.

“The people have chosen you and you have affirmed their trust in you,” the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop, told McConnell. “You are called to guard the faith, unity and discipline of the church; to celebrate and to provide for the administration of the sacraments of the New Covenant; and to be in all things a faithful pastor and wholesome example for the entire flock of Christ.”

Conservative congregations split from the diocese in 2008 and formed a rival denomination in response to the church’s stance on same-sex unions and the 2003 ratification of an openly gay man as bishop of New Hampshire.

Before the schism, the diocese had 66 parishes and 20,000 members. Today, the diocese includes 33 active congregations and 9,000 members in
11 counties.
Read more:

http://triblive.com/home/2754533-74/mcconnell-church-bishop-diocese-presented-rev-ceremony-episcopal-leaders-schori#ixzz29t6MWGAt

Episcopal bishop ready for life in Pittsburgh, post-schism

From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-

When Bishop-elect Dorsey McConnell was chosen to lead an Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh still deeply wounded from a 2008 schism, he prepared to face anger, resentment and grief. He wasn't prepared for the drivers.

"I had to get used to driving here because people are so polite," said the bishop-elect, who hails from Boston. "I've been unnerved by the kindness of people in traffic. They let you turn left in front of them. I love this city."

The question is whether the diocese will turn left. Pittsburgh has been among the most theologically conservative dioceses in an increasingly liberal denomination. That culminated in a 2008 split in which its last tenured bishop led a majority of parishes and clergy out of the Episcopal Church in a dispute over biblical theology and gay ordination. But some conservatives believed schism was wrong and remain in the Episcopal diocese, which is still fairly conservative by Episcopal standards. It has 9,000 members in 33 parishes.

In the interim it was led by provisional Bishop Kenneth Price Jr., who is credited with helping the shattered diocese to heal. It is the first of four split dioceses to elect a permanent bishop. Bishop-elect McConnell will be consecrated Saturday in Calvary Episcopal Church, Shadyside.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/episcopal-bishop-ready-for-life-in-pittsburgh-post-schism-658239/

Executive Council pledges to reconsider budget process for 2015

From ENS-

This may be the first meeting of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council since General Convention in July but, the members looked ahead to the 2015 convention and the 2016-2018 budget.

Diocese of Ohio Bishop Mark Hollingsworth, chair of council’s Joint Standing Committee on Finances for Mission told the council that FFM “discussed at length the budget-building process.”

During those discussions, the committee agreed that the process needs to be changed, even though a special task force on the structure of the church, that will begin meeting in 2013, will no doubt discuss budgeting issues. That task force is due to be named in early December. The task force will bring its recommendations to the 2015 meeting of General Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the 2016-2018 budget process must begin during this triennium.

The FFM budget-process subcommittee, Hollingsworth told the council, will include FFM members Susan Snook as chair, Tess Judge, Francisco Quinones, and the Rev. Canon John Floberg. They will also ask the chairs and vice chairs of council’s Joint Standing Committee on Governance and Mission and the convention’s Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance to join the subcommittee, Hollingsworth said.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/10/18/executive-council-pledges-to-reconsider-budget-process-for-2015/

SC diocese finally breaks with Episcopal Church

From San Francisco-

After years of controversy over ordination of gays and other issues, the conservative Diocese of South Carolina has finally split from the national Episcopal Church.

The split with one of the oldest dioceses in the nation came this week after the conservative leader of the diocese, Bishop Mark Lawrence, was notified by the national church's Disciplinary Board for Bishops that he is considered to have abandoned the national church. A board considered similar issues a year ago and concluded he had not.

But in an Oct. 15 letter from Katherine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the national church, Lawrence was informed that he is considered to have abandoned the church and is barred from performing any "Episcopal, ministerial or canonical arts" while the full House of Bishops investigates.


Read more:

 http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/SC-diocese-finally-breaks-with-Episcopal-Church-3961709.php#ixzz29kJkq3Kq

S.C. diocese defecting from the Episcopal Church

From The Washington Post-

The Diocese of South Carolina announced on Wednesday (Oct. 17) that it has disaffiliated from the Episcopal Church, escalating a long-running skirmish and setting the stage to become the fifth diocese to secede from the denomination.

South Carolina said the split was triggered by disciplinary action taken against Bishop Mark Lawrence, its conservative leader. The diocese passed a resolution on Oct. 2 stating that it would immediately secede should the Episcopal Church “discipline, impair, restrict, place on administrative leave, charge, derecognize” or otherwise inhibit the diocese or its leaders.

Twelve lay Episcopalians and two priests in South Carolina brought the charges against Lawrence. The denomination’s 18-member Disciplinary Board for Bishops found him guilty of abandoning the Episcopal Church and renouncing its rules in September.

Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori informed Lawrence of the guilty verdict on Monday, curtailing his ministry and prohibiting him from acting as an ordained Episcopal priest.

more here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/sc-diocese-defecting-from-the-episcopal-church/2012/10/18/c57b14e6-196c-11e2-ad4a-e5a958b60a1e_story.html

The Anglican Consultative Council meeting is vital for our whanau – NZ Maori archdeacon.

From ACC-

The upcoming meeting of Anglicans from around the world is important not only for those attending but also for the person in the pew, according to one of New Zealand’s Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) members.

The Revd Turi Hollis, an Archdeacon from the Maori Anglican diocese of Te Waipounamu, said the whanau or Anglican family could hardly exist without meeting together on occasion.

“In the New Zealand Prayer Book/He Karakia Mihinare one of the Eucharist services begins with the words: E te Wh?nau a te Karaiti, ko tatou nei tana tinana e mahi nei i te ao. (We are the family of Christ; we are his body at work in this world.) For me, then, the Anglican Consultative Council is a gathering of my Anglican brothers and sisters, and friends, from across the world. How can a whanau exist if it does not get together when it can?

“We live in a big world and it is not possible for all Anglicans to hui (gather, meet, conference) but the man and woman in the pews should not be forgotten. After all, they are also members of te Whanau a te Karaiti (the family of Christ) just as we are who have the privilege of being on the ACC. This is why, despite all the diverse theological, biblical and political views that can be found in any whanau, the ACC needs to maintain and sustain the bonds that tie our Anglican whanau together.”
Archdeacon Hollis is one of more than 80 ordained and lay delegates who are sent to the meeting by the 38 Provinces of the Anglican Communion. Along with the Lambeth Conference and Primates’ Meeting, the ACC is one of the Instruments of Communion. It convenes every two or three years as a key moment of reflection and fellowship for the Anglican Communion. It is an opportunity for representatives of all the Member Churches to reflect on the life and mission of the Anglican Communion, and consider future priorities and activities.

More here-

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2012/10/17/ACNS5208

‘Persecuted’ Anglican priest turns Pentecostal

From Uganda-

A senior West Ankole diocese priest, who recently crossed to the Pentecostal church, has been baptized.

Rev. Canon Benon Byamugisha was baptized in the Ekiyanja Ky’omugabe Lake in Mbarara district.

He and other 13 converts from Islam, Roman Catholic and Anglican faiths were baptized by Pastor Norman Mugarura of Daystar cathedral in the presence of the church’s bishop, Nathan Turyamureeba. 

Byamugisha, 54, served as the diocesan health coordinator in the diocese at Bweranyangi in Bushenyi district.

He accused fellow priests in the diocese of persecuting him.

He said he had suffered from a strange ailment that had blocked his digestive system, forcing him into a month of not being able to eat.

But when a Pentecostal pastor, Wilberforce Ssamanya, prayed for him, he “got well”.

More here-

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/636524--persecuted-anglican-priest-turns-pentecostal.html

Presiding officers to appoint structure committee on or about Dec. 1

From ENS-

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the Rev. Gay Jennings, president of the House of Deputies, said Oct. 17 that they expect to announce on or about Dec. 1 the names of the members who will make up a special task force to re-imagine the workings of the Episcopal Church in the 21st century.

General Convention called in July (via Resolution C095 for a group to research and present to the next meeting of convention in 2015 “a plan for reforming the church’s structures, governance, and administration.”

The task force will gather ideas from all levels of the church about possible reforms to its structures, governance and administration. Its work will culminate in a special gathering of people from every diocese to hear what recommendations the task force plans to make to the 78th meeting of General Convention. Its final report is due by November 2014.

Resolution C095 called for the presiding bishop and the president of the House of Deputies to appoint the task force, which can include as many as 24 people, by Sept. 30. However, the statement noted that more than 450 people were nominated for those seats and Jennings said Oct. 15 during the first day of the Episcopal Church Executive Council’s four day meeting here that the two of them have been working their way through those nominations since Jefferts Schori returned in early October from sabbatical.

More here-

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3781727046490408959#editor/target=post;postID=6333519163839858272

Bishop-elect to take reins of Pittsburgh's divided Episcopal diocese

From The Pittsburgh Tribune Review-

While the Rev. Dorsey McConnell is getting to know the windy roads and unusual landscape of Western Pennsylvania, he said he’s learned, “if you make a wrong turn, you don’t regret it.”

McConnell’s path to religion has had similar detours, all which led to his role as bishop-elect of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.

McConnell will be consecrated on Saturday in Calvary Episcopal Church in East Liberty. The diocese has 36 active congregations in 11 counties.

“The first thing is to get to know the people,” said McConnell, 58, who moved to Edgewood in August. “A lot of time will be spent the way I like it — getting out to meet people and listening to their stories.”

Church deputies, clergy and designated diocesan leaders elected McConnell, rector of Church of the Redeemer in Chestnut Hill, Mass., to the position in April. He succeeds the Right Rev. Kenneth L. Price Jr., who has served as provisional bishop since 2009.

Read more:

http://triblive.com/home/2760099-74/mcconnell-diocese-church-bishop-episcopal-pittsburgh-felt-god-seattle-dorsey#ixzz29eRWObaY

Disciplinary Board says South Carolina bishop has abandoned church

From ENS-

The Disciplinary Board for Bishops has certified to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori that Diocese of South Carolina Bishop Mark Lawrence has abandoned the Episcopal Church “by an open renunciation of the discipline of the church.”

The presiding bishop spoke by phone to Lawrence on Oct. 15 to inform him of the Disciplinary Board action and to tell him that, effective noon of that day, the exercise of his ministry was restricted, according to an Oct. 17 press release from the church’s Office of Public Affairs. He is not permitted to perform any acts as an ordained person.

Lawrence has 60 days to respond to the allegations in the certification, the release said.
“These actions make it clear the Episcopal Church no longer desires to be affiliated with the Diocese of South Carolina,” the diocese said in an Oct. 17 statement on its website.

The diocese said that the action “triggered two pre-existing corporate resolutions of the diocese, which simultaneously disaffiliated the diocese from the Episcopal Church and called a special convention.” That convention will be held Nov. 17 at St. Philip’s Church, Charleston.

more here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/10/17/disciplinary-board-says-south-carolina-bishop-has-abandoned-episcopal-church/

New York's Trinity Church forced to cancel Halloween fest over Occupy Wall Street camp

From Fox news NY-

Occupy Wall Street campers have made Halloween at a church in lower Manhattan simply too scary, church officials told FoxNews.com.

Citing an “abundance of caution,” the Rev. James Cooper of Trinity Church said the Episcopal parish at Broadway and Wall Street in Manhattan has canceled it popular Halloween activities due to safety issues arising from a sidewalk encampment in front of the place of worship.

“Canceling a beloved family event is not a decision taken lightly,” Cooper said in a statement issued Sunday. “Last year, more than 1,200 people took part. However, we are deeply concerned about the escalating illegal and abusive activity the camp presents.”

Linda Hanick, a spokeswoman for Trinity Church, said nine people have been arrested in connection to the encampment in the past two weeks, including a man who was arrested after he put an air horn to the ear of a longtime maintenance superintendent at the church on Oct. 11. The maintenance worker was “traumatized” by the incident, she said.


Read more:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/16/occupy-wall-street-camp-leads-to-cancellation-halloween-festivities-at-new-york/#ixzz29YUMvMvK

Executive Council gets glimpse of work done at church center

From ENS (What I'm doing)

The members of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council got a crash course on the work of the church-wide staff Oct. 16 during a visit to the Episcopal Church Center in New York.

During the morning, the council split into five groups and toured the building, meeting with members of the mission staff who work both in the New York location and across the church. They also heard from the mission support staff, including the Office of Communication, treasurer’s office, and human resources.

The visit to the church center was significant, in part, because General Convention said in July (via Resolution D016) that “it was the will of this Convention to move the church center headquarters away from the church center building.” That statement came after the House of Bishops rejected a call by the House of Deputies to sell the building at 815 Second Ave.

A comprehensive study of real estate owned by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church is being conducted by the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield and funded by Diocese of Los Angeles Bishop Jon Bruno. The study involves both the Episcopal Church Center at 815 Second Ave. in New York and a city block in Austin, Texas, that was purchased with the intent of constructing a new building for the Archives of the Episcopal Church. The study is also meant to explore the cost of relocating the church center and its impact on the staff.

more here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/10/16/executive-council-gets-glimpse-of-work-done-at-church-center/

Divided dioceses team to support ministry for homeless, hungry

From Pittsburgh-

Two factions that divided the Episcopal church in Pittsburgh four years ago as part of a national schism have agreed to work together to support a ministry for homeless veterans and others in need.
An accord between the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh clears the way for Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship to take title to all property at its Uptown location and to seek a more favorable financing of its debt.

The Episcopal Diocese considers the ministry of paramount importance, spokesman Rich Creehan said.

Attorney Andrew Fletcher, representing the Anglican Diocese, could not be reached for comment.
Shepherd’s Heart, which joined the Anglican Diocese, feeds the hungry, homeless, poor and addicted. The second floor of the church at Pride Street and Forbes Avenue includes 15 beds, a kitchen, living room, showers and a computer room. It provides transitional housing for homeless veterans.

An estimated 500 to 600 veterans are homeless on any given night in Allegheny County, said Michele Margittai, director of development and community relations at Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania, a South Side nonprofit that helps veterans and their families.

Read more:

 http://triblive.com/home/2766569-74/diocese-ministry-church-episcopal-homeless-anglican-heart-shepherd-veterans-property#ixzz29MiL2myC

Tales from the Vault: The battle of the bishops

From British Columbia-

Disputes in the Anglican Church tend to be quiet affairs. Strongly held views on various topics certainly exist, but debates mostly occur in hushed tones over teacups. This was certainly not the case in early Victoria.

Church membership was far more widespread than it is today, and opinions on church life and conduct were part of everyday life. So when the two most senior and respected clerics held different views on the conduct of church services, there was bound to be trouble. And in the early 1870s, trouble did erupt.

The man at the centre of this dispute was the Very Reverend Edward Cridge, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral. Cridge had come to Victoria in 1855, in response to a request from the Hudson's Bay Company. The company needed a clergyman for its Pacific Northwest base, Fort Victoria. Cridge and his wife Mary came, and quickly became essential members of the community.

They wound up doing several jobs simultaneously.
Read more:

http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Tales+from+Vault+battle+bishops/7388105/story.html#ixzz29Mh9ZLkt

Germanton church move stirs up conflict

From North Carolina-

More than 120 years ago, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church was built in Germanton, N.C.

Next month, the church will make the nearly 100-mile trek to its new home in Chapel Hill.

The building will be used by The Episcopal Church of the Advocate, which has been looking for a permanent location since 2003.

But Germanton residents who grew up in the church are opposing the relocation of what they call a historic landmark.

“The people who have cared for the church for the last 20 years had no idea it was going to be sold until after the decision was made,” said Caroline Armijo of Friends of St. Philip’s Church, a group created to protest the move.

A new place to worship

In 2011, the The Episcopal Church of the Advocate — which had previously rented several facilities — made plans to build a new place of worship near Homestead Road.
More here-

http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2012/10/church-move-stirs-up-conflict_1014

Old church records tell historic tale -- with rum

From New Jersey-

The year was 1769 and a group of Anglicans was forming its own church in the 14-year-old county of Sussex.

Their first purchase was to have tickets printed up for a lottery, their way of raising money to support the new church.

Their fourth purchase was 1 pound, 3 shillings paid to Henry Hairlocker for entertainment for a "frolic," the Colonial equivalent of a party. The notation doesn't specify what the entertainment was to be except to note "including one gallon and a half of rum."

The minutes of that first meeting were among a bundle of documents "lost" in plain sight at Christ Church on Main Street that were discovered by the Rev. Robert T. Griner, the church's rector, when he was looking for something else about two years ago.

In the church office is a large safe that held some of the older records of the church. The safe backs against a wall that had a counter with doors and drawers under it and several cabinets above them.

Griner re-created the discovery last week as he climbed onto a chair he had pulled from a nearby office, and opened the door.

More here-

http://www.njherald.com/story/19814207/old-church-records-tell-historic-tale-with-rum

Atlanta's Episcopal Church ordains new bishop

From Fox Atlanta-

The Episcopal Church and its 50,000 followers in north Georgia have a new leader this weekend.

Robert Wright became the first African American bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta in a ceremony Saturday on the Morehouse College campus.

Former United National Ambassador Andrew Young delivered the sermon during the ceremony.

Wright studied the Civil Rights Movement at Howard University. He spent the last ten years at Saint Paul's Church in southwest Atlanta.

He is the 10th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta.

A former Navy veteran, Wright is married with five children.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/19814484/atlantas-episcopal-church-ordains-new-bishop

The Episcopal Church, faith, and U.S. Politics, defying the defiers on “Pulpit Freedom Sunday”

From God Discussion-

According to the Episcopal News Service (ENS) over 1500 clergy defied Separation of Church and State on “Pulpit Freedom Sunday”, but ministers of the Episcopal Church allegedly defied the defiers by staying non-partisan and continuing to preach on non-partisan topics, encouraging their congregations to protest war, fight poverty, and support women’s health care, as well as LGBT issues.

Some of the ministers defying the IRS told their congregations that if they voted for a particular candidate, they would go to hell.  Others told their congregations if they support particular issues, they are going to hell or called sinful for voting for Obama.  The Alliance Defending Justice does so, in an effort to challenge the IRS, according ENS.

However, Rev. Ed Bacon, rector of All Saints Episcopal Church, did the opposite and even went as far as telling the story of the IRS attending church, in the second video, and accusing the church of practicing politics during an election season.  The IRS, after demanding the church admit to it, with the church refusing to do so, dropped the inquiry after two years.  The sermon in question dealt with peacekeeping, justice, inclusion, compassion, healing, and environmental justice, critiquing various politicians and government policies.  In the video below, the minister did state whom they endorsed, reminding people, “Faith without works is dead” and “spirituality without action is fruitless” and “social action without spirituality is heartless”, adding that they are political without being partisan, acting daringly.

More here-

http://www.goddiscussion.com/102331/the-episcopal-church-faith-and-u-s-politics-defying-the-defiers-on-pulpit-freedom-sunday/

Bolivian woman visits Beaches to thank those who changed her life

From Florida-

At an age when many children around the world are in kindergarten, 6-year-old Amalia Soliz ran away from home.

It hadn’t been her home for long, but it was unbearable. Her godfather, who was also her guardian, was violent and abusive. Her parents had recently divorced, and her mother had sent her to live with him. Soliz’s five older siblings stayed with their mother, and their father disappeared.

Feeling abandoned and filled with terror, Soliz chose to fend for herself in the streets, a common plight of many children in Bolivia, one of the world’s poorest nations. But police officers soon found her and took her to a state-run orphanage, one of many in the city of Cochabamba, where she lived. That, too, was a horror — an overcrowded place where many babies shared the same crib, with few adults to care for them.

Soliz was shy, and was picked on by the older children, who stole her food. She made one good friend, a girl her age named Claudia, who stuck up for her. Together, they fed the babies and changed their diapers, and were rewarded with crusts of bread.

More here-

http://jacksonville.com/community/shorelines/2012-10-12/story/bolivian-woman-visits-beaches-thank-those-who-changed-her-life

Presiding bishop writes to presidential candidates

From ENS-

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has written to the presidential candidates, urging President Barack Obama and the Hon. Mitt Romney “to use the debate forum to articulate strong support for a just and peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as a clear plan for how you would work to support that goal in the next four years.”

Dear Mr. President and Governor Romney,
As each of you prepares for the two remaining presidential debates, I write to urge you to use the debate forum to articulate strong support for a just and peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as a clear plan for how you would work to support that goal in the next four years.

While the volatile political nature across the Middle East has emerged as a key theme in this year’s campaign, I am concerned by the relative absence of discussion of a conflict that is central to that region’s future.  This week Palestinian leaders have signaled their willingness to consider a return to the negotiating table, and it will be vital for the next President to prioritize the re-launch of the peace process and to articulate a clear vision for how American diplomatic leadership can assist and encourage negotiations.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/10/12/presiding-bishop-writes-to-presidential-candidates/

140 years for the Episcopal Church in DL

From Minnesota-

It’s been 140 years since the Right Rev. Henry H. Whipple, Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota, established St. Luke’s Church in Detroit Lakes — and the congregation is getting ready to celebrate.

This Thursday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m., the church will host a special evening prayer service, followed by a reception where the 140th anniversary cake and refreshments will be served. The service is being held in conjunction with the Feast Day of St. Luke, the church’s namesake.

But Thursday’s celebration is just the culmination of months of preparation. New windows were created for the sanctuary and stairwell, courtesy of designer Stacy Asp from Michael Orchard Studios in Fargo.

A new Celtic Cross was also installed on the lawn of the church, recreated by Lund Signs from the original designs composed by members of the St. Luke’s church youth group back in 1996.

The dedication of the new cross and church windows took place in August.

According to Rev. Dana Emery, a member of the church’s Total Ministry Team, “there is an intimate connection between liturgical art and theology,” and the symbolism contained in the designs of the new windows and cross are no exception.

More here-

http://www.dl-online.com/event/article/id/70509/

Wright becomes first African-American Episcopal bishop for Atlanta diocese

From Atlanta-

The Rev. Robert C. Wright will be ordained as the 10th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta in a ceremony Saturday at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College.
The ceremony, which begins at 10:30 a.m., will be held at the chapel, 830 Westview Dr. S.W.

Wright, 48, a Howard University and Virginia Theological Seminary graduate, will become the first African-American bishop to lead the diocese, which is among the largest in the world. The Atlanta diocese, which covers middle and north Georgia, has 96 parishes and 56,000 members.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, will perform the ordination. Former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young will preach during the service, which is expected to draw more than 2,000 people.

“God’s invitation is to draw the circle wide and invite people to into that circle,” said Wright, who has led St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta. “I’m talking about a God that is big and loving and wise and I’m going to talk about that God as often as I can.”

The service is open to the public.

More here-

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/wright-becomes-first-african-american-episcopal-bi/nSb3P/

If not a woman Archbishop, at least an Archbishop for women, please

From The Telegraph-

These days, almost all executive teams or job shortlists will include at least one woman. Amongst the six Metropolitan police commissioners there is one woman; four out of 22 cabinet ministers are female; and even the committee tasked with selecting the new Anglican leader (the Crown Nominations Commission) has ensured that three of the 16 voting individuals are women. Let’s hope this is more than mere tokenism.

Yet the line-up of potential candidates to become the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury at the end of this year comprises of men, men and more men. Nor is this something that’s about to change either; without such thing as a female bishop (the rung below) there won’t be an Arch one any time soon.

The issue of whether to consecrate women bishops has dogged the beleaguered Rowan Williams throughout his tenure and will be lying in wait for his replacement: one of his very first tasks will be managing the fallout from the General Synod’s final vote on the matter in November.

With the reformers poised for victory, it’s fairly certain that the new Archbishop will sooner or later welcome the first lucky lady to join the 99 men in the House of Bishops. The candidate favoured by the progressive churchwoman then, is the one willing to make life as easy as possible for the said ‘bishopess’ when she arrives; the one prepared to overhaul an Episcopal system designed by men for men.

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/9598573/If-not-a-woman-Archbishop-at-least-an-Archbishop-for-women-please.html

‘Contemplation is the answer’ Dr Williams tells RC bishops

From The Church Times-

CONTEMPLATION is not "just one kind of thing that Christians do", the Archbishop of Canterbury said in Rome on Wednesday.

"To put it boldly, contemplation is the only ultimate answer to the unreal and insane world that our financial systems and our advertising culture and our chaotic and unexamined emotions encourage us to inhabit."

Dr Williams was addressing the Synod of Bishops in Rome, at the invitation of Pope Benedict XVI. The Synod's task is to examine a "new evangelisation" in response to the rise in secularism.

Dr Williams suggested that "to be converted to the faith does not mean simply acquiring a new set of beliefs, but becoming a new person - a person in communion with God, and with others, through Jesus Christ."

An intrinsic element in this process was contemplation, he said. "To learn to look to God without regard to my own instant satisfaction, to learn to scrutinise and to relativise the cravings and fantasies that arise in me - this is to allow God to be God, and thus to allow the prayer of Christ, God's own relation to God, to come alive in me."

Such prayer was not an alternative to what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called "righteous action", Dr Williams said; rather, it provided the clarity and energy needed in the pursuit of justice. "True prayer purifies the motive; true justice is the necessary work of sharing and liberating in others the humanity we have discovered in our contemplative encounter."

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2012/12-october/news/uk/‘contemplation-is-the-answer’-dr-williams-tells-rc-bishops

Episcopal diocese settlement gives Uptown parish full title to properties

From Pittsburgh-

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has reached a settlement with Shepherd's Heart Fellowship in Uptown, a parish of the rival Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh that functions primarily as a ministry to the homeless, especially homeless veterans.

The agreement, which must be approved by the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, gives Shepherd's Heart clear title to all of its property and assets.
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It is the first time since a 2008 schism that the Episcopal diocese has allowed a breakaway parish to keep all of its property as well as its affiliation with the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Half the property was titled to the Episcopal diocese, the other half deeded in the name of Shepherd's Heart.

A joint statement from the Episcopal diocese and Shepherd's Heart stressed that its ministry to the poor was unique and that "this agreement should not be interpreted as a model for resolving other property disputes."

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh split in 2008, with the majority of its parishes leaving the Episcopal Church for the theologically conservative Anglican Church in North America.
Read more:

http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/12285/1268470-53.stm#ixzz295MnnG7z

Atlanta Diocese of the Episcopal Church to have first black leader

From Atlanta-

For the first time ever, a man of color will take the reins of the Atlanta Diocese of the Episcopal Church.

Reverend Rob Wright will be ordained as Bishop in a ceremony at Morehouse College King Chapel Saturday.

In an interview with WSB’s Pete Combs, Wright said he is convinced the Episcopal Church is awakening, as if from a long sleep.

“An old theologian once said, ‘From time to time, the Church forgets who she is. But every once in a while, we remember and we begin to act like a church,” Wright said. Now, he continued, is such a time of remembrance.

As for being the first African-American to lead this Diocese, Wright called it “a sign of real hope.”
“People are finally moving into this notion of character content versus color,” he said.

More here-

http://www.wsbradio.com/news/news/atlanta-diocese-episcopal-church-have-first-black-/nSbXB/

Church bans funeral services for uncommitted Christians

From Uganda-

A  Church in Gulu town has announced that it will no longer conduct funeral services for uncommitted Christians and those who are not known by the churches in their respective areas.
   
The Vicar for Christ Church, Godfrey Luwum, made the announcement during the service on Sunday. He said the decision was arrived at during a meeting of the top management of the Church of Uganda.

“Top leaders of the Church of Uganda have come to a decision that the Church will no longer hold funerals or send-off prayers for unserious Christians. These are people who never attend church services and do not generally participate in church-related activities,” Luwum said.

However, the Archbishop- elect of the Church of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali said: “That is not true, it is not the position of the Church. Maybe, it is a statement from an individual.”

Luwum said the decision follows several disturbing incidences where funeral services have been conducted believing the deceased were followers of Jesus Christ, only to discover they practised witchcraft.

More here-

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/636286-church-bans-funerals-for-uncommitted-christians.html

Anglican head's speech on the New Evangelization to the Synod of Bishops

From Rome (with video)

Your Holiness,
Reverend Fathers,
brothers and sisters in Christ
dear Friends

I am deeply honoured by the Holy Father's invitation to speak in this gathering: as the Psalmist says, “Ecce quam bonum et quam jucundum habitare fratres in unum”. The gathering of bishops in Synod for the good of all Christ's people is one of those disciplines that sustain the health of Christ's Church. And today especially we cannot forget that great gathering of “fratres in unum” that was the Second Vatican Council, which did so much for the health of the Church and helped the Church to recover so much of the energy needed to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ effectively in our age. For so many of my own generation, even beyond the boundaries of the Roman Catholic Church, that Council was a sign of great promise, a sign that the Church was strong enough to ask itself some demanding questions about whether its culture and structures were adequate to the task of sharing the Gospel with the complex, often rebellious, always restless mind of the modern world.

The Council was, in so many ways, a rediscovery of evangelistic concern and passion, focused not only on the renewal of the Church's own life but on its credibility in the world. Texts such as Lumen gentium and Gaudium et spes laid out a fresh and joyful vision of how the unchanging reality of Christ living in his Body on earth through the gift of the Holy Spirit might speak in new words to the society of our age and even to those of other faiths. It is not surprising that we are still, fifty years later, struggling with many of the same questions and with the implications of the Council; and I take it that this Synod's concern with the new evangelization is part of that continuing exploration of the Council's legacy.

More here-

http://www.romereports.com/palio/anglican-heads-speech-on-the-new-evangelization-to-the-synod-of-bishops-english-7930.html#.UHaqikK-gTw