epiScope

Big doings in Binghamton

Episcopal Church sues Binghamton parish
The Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY
by Renee K. Gadoua
April 27, 2008

The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York has filed a lawsuit seeking the property of a Binghamton congregation that opposes the denomination's policy on homosexuality.

It's the second such lawsuit filed by the diocese and among dozens of similar cases across the country as the Episcopal Church faces ongoing opposition from congregations that disapprove of the 2003 consecration of New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson. Robinson has publicly acknowledged being in a committed gay relationship.

Read it all here...

San Joaquin moves on

San Joaquin diocese, Episcopal Church file suit to regain property
Bishop Lamb 'committed to reconciliation' with all congregations
Episcopal Life Online
By Pat McCaughan
April 25, 2008

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin and The Episcopal Church (TEC) filed a complaint in Fresno County Superior Court on April 24 "to reclaim possession of the real and personal property belonging to the diocese."

Bishop Jerry Lamb, who was affirmed as interim bishop of San Joaquin by a March 29 special convention of the diocese, said the diocese and TEC have a canonical, fiduciary and moral duty to protect the assets and property of the church for the church's mission.

"While it is regrettable that legal action is necessary, the diocese and the Episcopal Church have no other viable option but to seek the intervention of the court to recover the property and assets of the diocese," Lamb said.

He emphasized, however, in a letter sent to all congregations that "there are no legal actions underway at this time that involve individual church properties."

Read it all here...

And, here is the statement released by the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin

Diocese of San Joaquin, Stockton, California

April 25, 2008

Michael O. Glass, Esq., Chancellor to the Diocese of San Joaquin has provided notice that on April 24, 2008, the Diocese of San Joaquin and the Episcopal Church filed a Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief in Fresno County Superior Court to reclaim possession of the real and personal property belonging to the Diocese. Glass said, "The primary defendant is John-David Schofield, the former bishop of the Diocese who was recently deposed from the episcopate by the Episcopal Church on March 12, 2008 as a result of his attempts to remove the diocese from the Episcopal Church. Such actions are contrary to the Canons and Constitution of the Episcopal Church and the Diocese."

Mr. Glass added that prior to the filing of the Complaint, the current Bishop of the Diocese of San Joaquin, the Rt. Rev. Jerry A. Lamb, attempted to secure Mr. Schofield's timely turnover of Diocesan assets and property. "Mr. Schofield did not agree to this request," said Glass.

Bishop Lamb has emphasized that the Diocesan leadership and the Episcopal Church have a canonical, fiduciary and moral duty to protect the assets and property of the Church for the Church's mission. Lamb said, "While it is regrettable that legal action is necessary, the Diocese and the Episcopal Church have no other viable option but to seek the intervention of the Court to recover the property and assets of the Diocese." 

"Regardless of the necessity of proceeding with the litigation," Bishop Lamb continued, "the diocesan leadership and I remain committed to reconciliation with clergy and parishes that are still trying to understand their relationship with the Episcopal Church." The Bishop has recently sent letters to all clergy in the diocese inviting them to meet and enter into dialogue with him directly on these issues.  The Diocese is also preparing for a three day faith-based reconciliation seminar in June and further programming regarding rebuilding and reconciliation in its October diocesan convention.

For information about the Diocese of San Joaquin, see its website http://www.diosanjoaquin.org/news/index.html.

Isaiah 58:12

"Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell."

Loyal Bishop Named In Breakaway Diocese
Washington (DC) Post
March 30, 2008

LODI, Calif. -- A bishop loyal to the Episcopal Church leadership was elected Saturday to take over a California diocese that was the first to break away over the church's support for gay and women's rights.

At a special convention, local delegates voted Bishop Jerry Lamb, 67, head of the divided 47-church San Joaquin diocese, which stretches from Stockton to Bakersfield in California's central valley.

Lamb immediately named three women priests, the region's first, and called for "dialogue" with church members about including gay men and lesbians in local congregations as part of what he said would be his policy of "opening the doors wide."

It's all here ...

Episcopal diocese reorganizes in Lodi, might allow gay priests
By Ross Farrow
Lodi (CA) News-Sentinel
March 30, 2008

Pledging unity and inclusiveness to all of God's people, the Episcopal Church's San Joaquin Diocese elected Jerry Lamb as provisional bishop at a special convention Saturday before a crowd of about 300 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Lodi.

Lamb replaces John-David Schofield, the controversial conservative bishop who was deposed on March 12 by national church leaders, who ruled that he had "abandoned" his post as bishop. Due to a disagreement in biblical interpretation of homosexuality, Schofield took the diocese out of Episcopal Church USA and moved to the more conservative Southern Cone province of the Anglican Church based in Argentina.

The Episcopal Church is a branch of the Anglican Church based in England.

It's all here ...

Episcopal Diocese has new leader
In wake of secession, S.J. elects new bishop
By Christian Burkin
Stockton (CA) Record
March 30, 2008

A new bishop was elected Saturday to lead the beleaguered Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, split last year by disagreement over the ordination of women and gays.

Jerry Lamb, 67, was elected provisional bishop of the new Diocese of San Joaquin at a convention at Lodi's Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist.

Lamb, a retired bishop of the Northern California Diocese, leads a San Joaquin diocese that remains fractured.

It's all here ...

A Call for Healing
KFSN-TV

3/29/2008 Fresno (KFSN) -- Just weeks after the U.S. church stripped Bishop John-David Schofield of his title, the church elected a new bishop Saturday.

Never before has the Episcopal Church gathered for a meeting like the one held in Lodi. The head of the U.S. Church was on hand to oversee the reorganization of the San Joaquin Diocese torn apart by controversy.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said lots of faithful were here today rejoicing once again: "Rejoicing that they are once again clearly the Episcopal Diocese of the San Joaquin."

At the top of the agenda was replacing Bishop John David Schofield, who was stripped of his title after splitting from the U.S. church over the role of gays and lesbians. That's an important topic that should be debated in the months ahead according to Bishop Jerry Lamb who was elected Saturday.

It's all here ...

Opening the doors wide

Episcopal bishop elected in disputed California diocese
Reuters
29 Mar 2008

LODI, California (Reuters) - A bishop loyal to the U.S. Episcopal Church was elected on Saturday to replace the deposed leader of a California diocese that was the first to break away over the church's support for gay and women's rights.

At a special convention at St. John the Baptist Church in Lodi, local delegates voted Bishop Jerry Lamb, 67, head of the divided 47-church San Joaquin diocese, which stretches from Stockton to Bakersfield in California's central valley.

Lamb immediately named three women priests -- the region's first -- and called for "dialogue" with church members about including gay and lesbians in local congregations as part of what he said would be his policy of "opening the doors wide."

"I believe that this church needs to be an inclusive church, open to all people," Lamb told a news conference after the vote.

It’s all here …

Peace in the Valley

Episcopal Church reorganizes in Central Valley
Central Valley Business Times
March 29, 2008

The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, which covers much of California’s Central Valley from Lodi south to Bakersfield, was reconstituted Saturday with a provision bishop and governing board.

Jerry Lamb was named provisional bishop.

“There is new hope here for a church that can tolerate and even welcome diversity,” says Katherine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church USA in remarks at the Saturday convention in Lodi.

About 450 people representing 18 parishes attended the meeting.

It’s all here …

Beginning again in San Joaquin

Episcopal Church to install new Central Valley bishop
Central Valley Business Times
March 28, 2008

Jerry Lamb is scheduled to be installed as provisional bishop of the “new” San Joaquin Diocese of the Episcopal Church on Saturday.

He would replace John-David Schofield who earlier this year led a walkout of some Central Valley members of the church, re-aligning them with a South American Anglican diocese.

Mr. Lamb, 67, most recently served as interim bishop in the Diocese of Nevada. He retired as bishop of the Diocese of Northern California in 2007.

It’s the first time a full diocese has revolted from the national Episcopal Church.

It's all here ...

Episcopal leader to preside at Mass
By The Record (CA)
March 28, 2008 

SAN ANDREAS - The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, national leader of the Episcopal Church USA, will preside at a Solemn Evensong Mass at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 414 Oak St., San Andreas.

Jefferts Schori is in the region to assist 18 churches in the San Joaquin Valley and the Mother Lode in reorganizing the local diocese.

The San Joaquin Diocese until recently had 47 member churches. But 29 congregations in December seceded from the national church over issues that included the ordination of gay people and placing women in leadership roles.

It's all here ...

Confirmation

Episcopal bishop lauds church
By DAVID BERGENGREN
February 18, 2008

SPRINGFIELD - Brenda G. Tirado of Leyfred Terrace received her confirmation at Saint Peter's Episcopal Church yesterday at the hands of a special guest.

The Rev. Gordon P. Scruton, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, performed the ceremony for Tirado, 31, who works as a victim and witness advocate at the Hampden County district attorney's office.

"It was very inspiring. I had a chance to meet with the bishop (beforehand)," she said after her confirmation.

It’s all here …

Calm after the storm

Bishop sees unity among area Episcopal churches
Saturday, February 16, 2008
By KRISTEN CAMPBELL
Religion Editor

Since the election of an openly gay bishop in 2003 and a female presiding bishop in 2006, reports of dissension and division within the Episcopal Church and its parent body, the Anglican Communion, has been prevalent.

Such unrest isn't unfamiliar to Episcopalians along the Gulf Coast.

Several years ago, parishioners of a handful of congregations in the Pensacola, Fla.-based Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast -- including what's now Christ Church Cathedral in Mobile -- left the Episcopal Church. In 2006, Daphne's Church of the Apostles, started as an Episcopal mission congregation, dissolved its ties to the area diocese.

It’s all here …

Gathering, granting

Episcopal Diocese to hold convention in Palm Desert
Palm Desert (CA) Desert Sun
February 7, 2008

The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego will host its 34th Annual Convention in the Coachella Valley starting tomorrow.

At the convention, Episcopalians from San Diego, Riverside, Imperial and Yuma Counties will review church canons, elect new members and vote on resolutions, according to a press release.

The convention will be held Feb. 8-9 at St. Margaret's in Palm Desert.

It’s all here …

Episcopal bishop is set to visit, award grants
SUN HERALD (MS)
February 7, 2008

The Rt. Rev. Duncan Gray III, bishop of the Diocese of Mississippi, will be on the Coast on Sunday to present the second round of grants from Episcopal Relief and Development, each of them awarded to Coast congregations through the diocese.

The four grants to help in rebuilding efforts total $357,900 will be presented to the following congregational ministries in the following amounts.

It’s all here …

Episcopal center may relocate from Detroit

Diocese would gain more centralized offices, mission space, savings.
Gregg Krupa and Karen Bouffard
The Detroit News
January 30, 2008

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is considering moving its administrative offices, including 12 employees, from Detroit to an area more central to the sprawling diocese, which runs from Detroit to Lansing, Jackson and Hillsdale, officials said.

Bishop Wendell Gibbs said the primary reasons to move the Episcopal Church Center are to more centrally located functions, free space in Detroit for potential mission work in the impoverished city and to save money in tough economic times.

"The diocese isn't going anywhere," said Gibbs, who announced the initiative to members of the diocese in a pastoral letter, read to congregations on Jan. 20, after the Diocesan Council affirmed his plans. "I will maintain an office here in Detroit. It will continue to be the (center of authority) for the Diocese of Michigan. The only thing that will change is where the administrative function happens."

It’s all here …

Light in the Valley

Episcopal Church members struggle
Dozens gather in Hanford to discuss how to keep going amid religious dispute.
By Ron Orozco
The Fresno (CA) Bee
01/26/08

HANFORD -- Like other Episcopalians, Steve Bentley of Stockton has been struggling since most members of his diocese voted to leave the U.S. Episcopal Church.

On Saturday, he and dozens of others gathered at the Church of the Saviour here to discuss how to keep going amid a religious dispute that has gained attention nationwide.

"I'm beginning to hear there's hope," said Bentley, youth director at St. Anne in Stockton. "It's beginning to sound better than in the past."

About 250 people came to worship and to hear representatives of the U.S. Episcopal Church and the Fresno-based Remain Episcopal organization. The message was clear: Don't feel abandoned.

"You are not alone," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said in a video message shown during the gathering. "God is always with you."

It’s all here …

Valley Episcopalians Look to the Future for Their Church
By: Ariana Duarte & Charlene Lee
KMPH-TV
Jan 27, 2008

Episcopalians from across California met up at the Church of the Savior in Hanford to get information about the future of their diocese.

But those in attendance say it was also a chance to regain a sense of unity.

"To offer each other mutual support, to look for the future of the Valley and to plan how that future will happen," said Marshall Johnston, a member of the Holy Parish in Fresno.

It’s all here …

Valley Episcopalians Voice Concern Over Split
By John-Thomas Kobos
January 26, 2008

KFSN -- Valley Episcopalians who did not vote to leave the national church in December held a special service Saturday in Hanford to express their concerns over the recent separation.

National Episcopal church leaders meet every three years to review its canons, make resolutions and revise their constitution for the San Joaquin Diocese. But today the topic was about Bishop John-David Schofield and the future of the Episcopal church here in the valley.

After a service Saturday at the Church of the Savior in Hanford, congregation members expressed concern over the historic vote on December 8th to break away from the national church.

It’s all here …

To take a stand

Fresno Episcopal diocese splits from church
by Seth Hemmelgarn
The Bay Area Reporter
20 December 2007

Rebelling against the national Episcopal Church's support of gays, lesbians, and women, members of the Episcopalian Diocese of San Joaquin voted December 8 in Fresno to split from the national church.

The overwhelming 173-22 vote marks the first time an entire diocese has broken off from the national church. The results, by orders were: 70-12 clergy and 103-10 of laypersons. The diocese, which consists of about 9,000 members in 47 churches, encompasses a 14-county area in the Central Valley.

It’s all here …

One-sided reporting in Episcopal split
Opinion
Modesto (CA) Bee
December 20, 2007

Recent articles in The Bee discussed quite fully the views of those who have chosen to separate from the national Episcopal Church and align with the Southern Cone and, quite frankly, gave no account of the views and feelings of those in the Diocese of San Joaquin who disagree. I read the articles with sadness and chagrin, feeling the views presented were a distortion of the mission of the Episcopal Church in the United States and in this diocese. A number of us love the Episcopal Church and are proud of its 400-year heritage in America. Voice should be given to us, too.

It’s all here …

Katharine Jefferts Schori for President
She's among our most committed allies in the battle for LGBT inclusion and equality -- and she happens to wear a clerical collar.
By Teresa Morrison
The Advocate
December 19, 2007

It used to be that the gays merely caused popular disgust. Then in the Bush-Cheney era -- made possible by the Republicans’ ability to capitalize on our potential to incite the aforementioned popular disgust -- Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and their conservative Christian minions blamed us in quick succession for 9/11, the Southeast Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the U.S. military’s mounting death toll in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Accustomed as we are to being fingered by religious leaders for all manner of secular cataclysm, it seems an extraordinary turnabout that now, even as we figure prominently in an ecclesiastical crisis, Episcopal leaders, far from ringing us up for the damages, either downplay our role in the fight or stand up for our honor.

It’s all here …

Gay marriage panel hears from supporters
By DANIEL BARLOW
Rutland (VT) Herald
December 20, 2007

MONTPELIER — A packed room of eager gay marriage supporters came out to testify Tuesday night as a Vermont Legislature-backed commission considering expanding marriage rights held its first public hearing in the state capital.
…
[Rt.] Rev. Thomas Ely, the bishop of Episcopal Diocese in Burlington, talked about the disagreement within his church over same-sex rights, adding that "although we are not of one mind on this," he personally supports same-sex marriage.

It’s all here …

Faithful

Va. Diocese Shows Signs of Thriving Despite Rift
Largest Priest Class in Decades Ordained
By Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post
December 18, 2007; Page B03

The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia ordains this week its largest class of priests in decades -- 16 -- even as it remains in an intense legal battle with conservative congregations that voted one year ago to leave the church.

Eight Virginia congregations announced last Dec. 17 that they were leaving the Episcopal Church, which is part of the Anglican Communion, and aligning with more conservative parts of the Anglican world, in Africa. At least 15 Virginia congregations have left the diocese and are locked in a court battle over tens of millions of dollars in church property. A small number of Episcopalians in other parts of the country have since made similar moves, including in San Joaquin, Calif., where this month a diocese voted for the first time to leave the U.S. church.

Yet even as Anglicans continue to debate such issues as what scripture says about human sexuality and how their governance system works, both sides continue to develop.

It’s all here …

Defectors from Episcopal Church Revert to Ban on Women Priests
by Nicholas F. Benton   
Falls Church (VA) News-Press
20 December 2007

Not only does it denounce homosexuality, but it turns out the new, Nigerian-linked association of defectors from the Episcopal Church, U.S.A. also rejects the notion of women in the priesthood, at least for the time being. This is the group that a majority of parishioners at historic The Falls Church voted to align with a year ago.

But while this group, which currently occupies the facilities at The Falls Church pending the outcome of a lawsuit next month, has stepped back from gender and sexual equality, those who did not vote to defect, calling themselves “Continuing Episcopalians,” have become a thriving force in the City of Falls Church. Gathering to worship “off site” weekly, they’ve most recently struck a partnership with a local non-profit to help disadvantaged families over the holidays that has been hailed by Falls Church Mayor Robin Gardner. 

As for the defectors, the new so-called Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), described as a “mission” of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, held a ceremony in Herndon, Virginia, last week to consecrate four new bishops, all male and two from Nigeria. The ceremony was led by CANA head Rev. Martyn Minns of Fairfax’s Truro Church, another defecting congregation.

It’s all here …

Watching Chicago

Local Episcopal diocese could have second openly gay bishop
By Jaclyn Youhana
Daily-Journal
11/08/2007

When Gene Robinson was elected and approved as the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003, it ignited a forest fire in the Episcopal Church. Robinson is the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal diocese -- a big problem for many church conservatives.

The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, of which Kankakee is a part, will hold its election for bishop Saturday, and one of the candidates is an openly gay priest from Cleveland, the Rev. Tracey Lind.

The issue of ordaining gays and lesbians and electing them to positions of power in the church has been one of contention since before Robinson's election, and some Episcopal churches have left the denomination to join up with the more conservative Anglican branches, like the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, which is sponsored by the Church of Nigeria.

It’s all here …

Weekend update

Episcopalians to gather this weekend in Dayton
By Khalid Moss
Dayton (OH) Daily News
November 08, 2007

More than 500 Episcopalians from the Southern Ohio diocese will meet at the Dayton Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth St., for the 133rd Diocesan Convention beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday.

It will be Dayton's first Episcopal convention in five years and the first for the diocese's newly elected bishop, the Rev. Thomas E. Bridenthal, who was consecrated in April.

Members of the 80 Episcopal congregations of Southern Ohio will gather Friday and Saturday to discuss the work of the church and consider resolutions ranging from a call to end predatory lending to forming an interfaith utility coalition.

It’s all here … and that’s Breidenthal, y'all…

Lesbian among candidates in election for Episcopal bishop
Susan Hogan-Albach
Chicago Sun-Times
November 7, 2007

The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago will elect a new bishop on Saturday. The election is receiving international attention because the slate of eight candidates includes a lesbian priest.

The Rev. Tracey Lind is seeking to become the second openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church.

After Bishop V. Gene Robinson's 2003 election in New Hampshire, divisions over the issue escalated worldwide. The 2.2-million member Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Chicago Diocese has about 41,000 members.

It’s all here …

A Church Divided

Seven traditionalist congregation of the Episcopal Church have decided to leave the Central Florida Diocese and denomination.
04 Nov 2007

MAITLAND, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- The dispute over ordained homosexual clergy and same-sex unions is threatening to tear apart a number of Protestant denominations which have been grappling with these issues in recent years.

The 2.2 million-member Episcopal Church, USA, is still deeply divided over how to proceed after the 2003 consecration of Rev. V. Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. Robinson is openly gay.

Many had threatened to split from the church, and now, seven traditionalist congregations in the Diocese of Central Florida, together with two newly established congregations, are planning to leave the diocese and the denomination.

It’s all here …

Gay ban isn't from Bible, rabbi says
By Josh Jarman
The Columbus (OH) Dispatch
November 4, 2007

With a bit of characterization and Jewish witticism, Rabbi Steven Greenberg made his point clear: You shouldn't use the Bible to pass judgment on others.

Greenberg shared this belief during a sermon today at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on the campus of Ohio State University.

Greenberg, who was raised in Bexley and is in Columbus for five days, is America's first openly gay Orthodox rabbi. He spoke today about homosexuality in the context of traditional faith as part of a lecture series sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio. He will speak about same-sex marriage at 7p.m. today at the church, 30W. Woodruff Ave.

He wasn't saying that the Bible is not the revealed word of God. But according to Jewish tradition, he said, God gave that word to man and entrusted him to decipher it.

It’s all here …

Union

Episcopal meeting stresses unity
Columbia (SC) The State
Nov. 03, 2007

Episcopalians from South Carolina’s two dioceses are set to gather in Charleston today in an effort to strengthen connections with the national Episcopal Church.

The conference, sponsored by the nonprofit Episcopal Forum of South Carolina, will feature Bonnie Anderson, president of the church’s House of Deputies. Anderson holds the denomination’s highest lay office.

Lynn Pagliaro, a forum board member, hopes the meeting will ease conflicts, particularly in the more conservative Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, which represents 75 Lowcountry parishes.

That diocese, soon to be under the leadership of Bishop-elect Mark Lawrence, sought alternative leadership within the national denomination after the 2003 election of a practicing gay bishop.

It’s all here …

Quincy news

Quincy diocese still considering split
Insurance plan needs to be found before break from Episcopal Church
By MICHAEL MILLER
Peoria (IL) Journal Star
November 1, 2007

PEORIA - The Episcopal Diocese of Quincy is not backing away from the possibility of disassociating itself from the Episcopal Church, a diocesan spokesman said Wednesday.

A story appearing on the Religious Intelligence Web site on Monday said the west-central Illinois diocese's "enthusiasm for an immediate break" was "dampened by a report from a diocesan task force" on insurance concerns.

However, the Rev. John Spencer, diocesan press officer, said there was no task force. Rather, diocesan financial officers have been looking at health and liability insurance alternatives for more than a year for financial reasons, Spencer said. Their findings were discussed at the synod.

It’s all here …

Peoria mayor enlists religious leaders in fight on crime
By MICHAEL MILLER
GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
November 01, 2007

PEORIA — Jim Ardis wants to drive the city to its knees.

The mayor of Peoria has invited religious leaders to meet with him at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Riverside Community Church, 207 NE Monroe St., to discuss a citywide prayer effort he’s calling “Ready Set Pray” as part of the fight against crime.

“I think it’s going to energize the faith-based community more,” Ardis said Wednesday.

Prayer gatherings were the norm during a spate of slayings in Peoria earlier this year. Churches also have been involved in a recent gun buyback program.

It’s all here …

Epistle to the Floridians

Stitches In Time To Save a Church?
Cary McMullen
Lakeland (FL) Ledger
October 27, 2007

It has been an eventful two weeks in the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida. With a suddenness no one could have foreseen, the Orlando headquarters of the diocese has become ground zero for the latest phase of controversy in the Episcopal Church.

Last week, nine priests in the diocese - two of them from Polk County - met with Bishop John Howe to discuss ways they and parts of their congregations might "disaffiliate" with the Episcopal Church. The move was not exactly a surprise. It had been rumored that as many as 17 priests, disaffected by the liberal direction of the Episcopal Church, might seek to break away. But following the Oct. 18 meeting, the Archbishop of Canterbury weighed in, and the implications have reverberated around the Episcopal blogosphere. More on that momentarily.

It’s all here …

One move away from bishop

Local Episcopal priest in line for top position at Maine Diocese.
By KURT BRESSWEIN
Bethlehem (PA) Express-Times
October 25, 2007

BETHLEHEM | An Episcopal priest in the city is one of three candidates to become bishop of the Maine Diocese, marking a possible return to New England for the single mother.

The Rev. Debra Kissinger of the Episcopalian Diocese of Bethlehem is in line to become the second woman to lead the Maine Diocese.

Representatives of Maine's 17,000 Episcopalians will cast ballots Friday to choose among Kissinger, the Rev. Linda Grenz from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City and the Rev. Canon Stephen Lane from the Diocese of Rochester, N.Y.

It’s all here …

Local priest is finalist in bishop vote
Greg Livadas
Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle
October 25, 2007

A Rochester minister is one of three finalists to become Episcopal bishop for the state of Maine.

The Rev. Canon Stephen Lane is canon for deployment and ministry development in the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, where he has responsibilities for formation, ordination and deployment of clergy, as well as social justice issues and the Safe Church training program.

At the church's annual convention in Bangor starting Friday, representatives of the church's membership will choose a successor to the Right Rev. Chilton Knudsen, who will retire as bishop of the Maine diocese in July. Knudsen was the first female Episcopal bishop in Maine.

It’s all here …

Maine elects new bishop

Episcopal Church to elect Maine bishop Friday
AM New York
October 24, 2007

BANGOR, Maine - Representatives of Maine's 17,000 Episcopalians will elect a bishop on Friday from among three candidates for the post.

At the church's annual convention in Bangor, clergy and lay representatives of the church's membership will choose a successor to the Right Rev. Chilton Knudsen, who will retire as bishop of the Maine Diocese in July. Knudsen was the first female Episcopal bishop in Maine.

The three candidates include the Rev. Linda Grenz, assisting priest at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City; the Rev. Debra Kissinger, who oversees children's ministries for the Bethlehem, Pa., Diocese; and the Rev. Canon Stephen Lane, who is in charge of clerical assignments and social justice issues in the Diocese of Rochester, N.Y.

It’s all here …

Debates

Diocese to stay in U.S. church
Quincy Episcopals to remain as debate on gays continues
Associated Press
October 22, 2007

MOLINE, Ill. - While the Episcopal Church struggles with issues related to homosexuality, delegates of the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy have decided to remain part of the national church, at least for the immediate future.

The diocese's annual synod was supposed to be a forum on the possibility of leaving the national church but remaining part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

"We gather every year to assess the life, ministry and mission of the diocese," said Rev. John Spencer, a diocesan spokesman. "We are a diocese that's focused on mission and outreach, so that's always the primary focus when we come together. We didn't make any formal changes in our relationship with the [U.S.] Episcopal Church this weekend."

It’s all here …

One faith, two perspectives on Anglicanism
Dana Clark Felty
Savannah Morning News
October 21, 2007

Two long-time members of Christ Church explain how the recent decision to break ties with Episcopalians has caused them to take an honest look at what they believe.

Celia Dunn learned early on that the Episcopal Church serves a broad spectrum of Christians.

She grew up with the "low church" style of worship at Christ Church through the 1940s that mirrored its Protestant neighbors.

At age 15, she was introduced to the "high church" style of St. Mary's School, an Episcopal convent school in New York. The worship included daily Mass, incense and genuflecting that mirrored practices of the Roman Catholic Church.

There's room within the Episcopal Church for both, she said.

It’s all here …

Faith and love
By Lindsay Whitehurt
Farmingtn (NM) Daily Times
10/21/2007

FARMINGTON — Chris Carlson prayed every week for three months before choir practice, asking God what she should do about her homosexual daughter.

"I would be listening to people tune up instruments, and kind of humming, making sure they got the bars right ... and I would start praying. I would just go, God, is this a sin? What am I supposed to do here?'" said Chris, 53.

Her husband, John Carlson, 55, knows there are specific passages in the Bible that condemn homosexuality.

"I don't want to reject my daughter. I don't want to disown her. I don't want to lose her. So what's the best thing I can do?" he said.

Their church leadership at St. John's Episcopal Church would later vote to split from the Episcopal Church following the confirmation of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire.

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Church audit of leader completed
The Denver Post
10/22/2007

A breakaway Episcopal church said Sunday that its audit of allegations against its leader is complete.

Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish set a news conference for Tuesday to discuss it. A parish meeting was planned Tuesday night on the subject, spokesman Alan Crippen said. He declined to discuss the report and said it had not yet been formally released Sunday.

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A reason to unite

Amid division, Bethlehem Episcopalians are joining to help Sudanese diocese.
By Michael Duck
Bethlehem (PA) Morning Call
October 14, 2007

Most people don't even have shoes in Bishop Anthony Poggo's Anglican diocese in southern Sudan. His people in the Diocese of Kajo Keji struggle with hunger, malaria and the aftermath of a half-century of war.

And these same people are saving Episcopal Bishop Paul V. Marshall of Bethlehem, along with his 16,000-member diocese here in Pennsylvania.

''I don't know where our diocese would be without Kajo Keji._We have been changed and mobilized by that connection,'' Marshall said Friday to Poggo and representatives from the Diocese of Bethlehem's 66 churches.

The group gathered Friday and Saturday in south Bethlehem's Cathedral Church of the Nativity for the diocese's 136th annual convention.

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Discord

Bishop wants unity amid discord
Leader of Albany Episcopalians affirms opposition to same-sex unions and ordaining gay clergy
By MARC PARRY
October 11, 2007

ALBANY -- Bishop William Love has broken his public silence on the latest national Episcopal drama with both a call for unity and a strong reaffirmation of his conservative views.

Love, back from a high-stakes meeting of the country's Episcopal bishops, reiterated in a letter to local priests Tuesday that he won't allow the blessing of same-sex unions -- public or private -- in the 19-county Albany diocese. He also won't ordain gay deacons or priests.

And he argued that the church should keep its troubles from spilling out of the pews and into courtrooms, where several dioceses have found themselves in messy property disputes.

The Rochester Episcopal Diocese recently won its latest court fight against an Irondequoit church that, according to Episcopal News Service, "had been at odds with the diocese over the 2003 ordination of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire."

The church wouldn't pay its diocesan dues and kept using its building even after it formally split with the Episcopal Church. The diocese succeeded through the courts in getting the congregation to relinquish the property.

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Faith -- Episcopal Church 'breaking apart'
By Matt Russell
Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin
10/12/2007

Four years after it approved an openly gay bishop, the Episcopal Church is still dealing with the fallout.

Recent developments include a pledge last month by Episcopal bishops meeting in New Orleans to "exercise restraint" in approving another gay bishop. That move, plus a pledge not to authorize public blessings of same-sex unions, came amid pressure from conservative leaders in the worldwide Anglican Communion to which the Episcopal Church, the denomination's U.S. branch, belongs.

Last month's pledges won't change the fact that several churches across the nation likely will leave the Episcopal Church over the coming months, said the Rev. Michael P. Forbes, the chaplain of Grace Chapel, a small group of Rochester-area Episcopalians who have left local churches following the 2003 ordination of Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

"It's not going to be a pleasant sight," Forbes said. "Nationally, essentially the church is breaking apart."

There's no indication local parishes will do so, but Forbes estimates 800 parishes could leave the Episcopal Church nationwide. The Rev. Dr. Douglas Sparks of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Rochester puts the number much lower, citing an estimate of about 75 parishes that could leave the 7,600-parish Episcopal Church.

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Conservative Presbyterians leave church
By BRUCE SCHREINER
Associated Press
10/12/2007

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Episcopal Church isn't the only mainline Protestant group shaken by open conflict between theological liberals and conservatives.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is facing similar trials, with traditionalist congregations planning to bolt and a conservative denomination preparing to take them in.

About 30 of the nearly 11,000 Presbyterian congregations have voted to leave the national church since the denomination's national assembly session in 2006, according to The Layman, a conservative Presbyterian publication that has been tracking the breakaways. Denominational leaders say they could lose an additional 20 congregations as a result of this latest rupture.

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church, a conservative group separate from PCUSA, has voted to accept any of the departing congregations. Presbyterian conservatives are meanwhile organizing themselves through groups such as the Presbyterian Global Fellowship and the New Wineskins Association of Churches.

Presbyterian leaders emphasize that only a fraction of their congregations are leaving. But any litigation over church property could hurt the church's reputation and its bottom line. And the departures come after years of dwindling congregational membership and recent budget woes.

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More playing in Peoria

Local Episcopalians updated on possible split with main denomination over homosexuality
By Steve Eighinger
Peoria Herald-Whig
October 4, 2007

Local Episcopalians were briefed this week on where the long-simmering dispute involving the church's stance on homosexuality stands, specifically the ordination of homosexuals.

The Rev. Lewis Payne of Quincy, a retired Anglican priest, presided over a general information meeting.

"It was nothing major, there was nothing new," Payne said. "These kinds of meetings are always held a couple of weeks before the (state) convention in each of the deaneries, or regional units."

This year's convention is scheduled for Oct. 19-20 in Moline.

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Episcopal bishop finalists total 8

Chicago diocese lists 3 more nominees
Chicago Tribune
September 25, 2007

Three more priests are finalists to become the new bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, bringing the final slate of nominees to eight.

The three new nominees are Rev. Alvin Johnson Jr., rector of St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Barrington; Rev. Canon Robert Koomson, a native of Ghana and pastor-in-residence at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston; and Rev. Petero Sabune, a native of Uganda who serves as chaplain of Sing Sing Correctional Facility and as associate rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Ossining, N.Y.

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New bishop for OK

New Episcopal bishop consecrated at OKC ceremony Saturday
Norman (OK)Transcript
September 16, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY — Edward J. Konieczny was consecrated as the new bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma at a ceremony Saturday.

Konieczny is replacing the Rt. Rev. Robert Moody, who is retiring after 18 years as Oklahoma’s Episcopal bishop.

The ceremony lasted 2 1/2 hours at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Oklahoma City and included many traditions, said the Rev. Dwight Helt, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Norman. Helt attended the events surrounding the consecration this weekend.

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‘Father ... greet your new bishop in his house'
By Carla Hinton
The Oklahoman
September 16, 2007

The Rt. Rev. Edward J. Konieczny, a former police officer and Colorado rector, became the fifth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma during a ceremony Saturday at Oklahoma City University.

About 3,000 people attended Konieczny's consecration ceremony, which was presided over by the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church USA.

Konieczny's remarks immediately after the consecration were brief but appeared to make an impact on those in attendance. They applauded as Konieczny faced them dressed in his bishop vestment adorned with a colorful stole and wearing a miter — a ceremonial headdress.

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Olympia consecration

Big challenges ahead for new boss of Episcopal diocese
By Janet I. Tu
Seattle (WA) Times
September 15, 2007

It is likely to be a grand show.

More than 2,000 people, including a procession of 200 local clergy, are expected at Meydenbauer Center to attend the ordination and consecration of the Rev. Gregory Rickel as the eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia.

Rickel, 44, who was most recently rector of a church in Austin, Texas, succeeds Bishop Vincent Warner, who is retiring after 18 years as head of the Episcopal Church in Western Washington.

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Now playing in Peoria

Quincy diocese may move from Episcopal Church
The Quincy Herald-Whig
September 13, 2007

The Episcopal Diocese of Quincy said Tuesday it will consider proposals in October that would allow it to break away from the Episcopal Church, diocesan leaders say, so it can stay with the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The Peoria Journal-Star reported that Bishop Keith Ackerman and other leaders of the West-Central Illinois diocese discussed the resolutions with clergy members Tuesday at St. Paul Cathedral in Peoria. The proposals had to be filed one month in advance of the annual synod in October.

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Leaving

Quincy diocese may leave Episcopal Church
Consecration of actively gay bishops, blessings of same-sex unions at odds with local leadership
By MICHAEL MILLER
Peoria Journal Star
September 12, 2007

PEORIA - The Episcopal Diocese of Quincy said Tuesday it will consider proposals in October that would allow it to break away from The Episcopal Church in order to, diocesan leaders say, stay with the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Bishop Keith Ackerman and other leaders of the west-central Illinois diocese discussed the resolutions with clergy members Tuesday at St. Paul Cathedral. The proposals had to be filed one month in advance of the annual synod in October.

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City attorney: Church had right to remove trees

Consultant says trees not badly diseased
By Mike Hall
The Topeka Capital-Journal
September 05, 2007

After an hour of looking at leaves, bark and tree stumps, a professional arborist concluded the trees on the Grace Episcopal Cathedral grounds weren't seriously diseased.

But an attorney for the cathedral, 701 S.W. 8th, and for the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas said the health of the trees is irrelevant to the question of whether the church had the right to cut them down.

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Around the church

Tiny church steeped in tradition
By Lauren Wicks
Suffolk (VA) News Herald
August 31, 2007

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of four stories about North Suffolk churches.

Its history can be traced back three centuries.

But members of Glebe Episcopal Church do not buckle under the weight of their parish’s lineage. Instead, the congregation has spent its time of worship and fellowship working to solidify the church’s place in the North Suffolk community.

According to church publications, the Glebe Church was founded in 1642 for the Upper Norfolk County. The church building has been maintained and updated several times since it was first built in 1737.

Located at 4400 Nansemond Parkway, the church is on the outskirts of the growing Driver community. The Rev. Ross F. Keener, pastor of Glebe, says the church’s prime location brings in their membership, reflecting a shift in how people pick their churches.

“A lot of our people come from the Driver area,” said Keener. “It’s a modern day phenomenon.

“People use to look for the nearest Episcopal church, now they look for the closest building to them. They come, and if they don’t hear something that annoys them, they stay.”

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Episcopal church event gets down in the mud
By RHONDA REESE
Mandarin (FL) Sun
090107

Blue. That was the first thing visitors noticed at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour on Mandarin Road Aug. 26. As adults dined on shrimp and kids hopped on bouncy things, most every participant in the day's fun wore an indigo shirt sporting a "Come and See Sunday" logo.

The Rev. John Palarine, rector at Our Saviour, said the "muddy rally day" was a way to transition from summer to fall.

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Daughter Talks About Being Shot By Dad
By Tiffany Craig
WKRG-Pensacola (FL)
September 01 2007
…
Lacy Burch didn't have health insurance and is now stuck with more than 100-thousand dollars in medical bills. If you'd like to help, St. Mary's By-The-Sea Episcopal Church in Coden is taking donations.

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Judge grants restraining order on parking lot
Group hopes to get court to prevent construction of church parking lot
By Mike Hall
The Topeka Capital-Journal
August 31, 2007

Any further work to clear land for a new parking lot for Grace Episcopal Cathedral, S.W. 8th and Polk, is to stop until the validity of the project can be established in court, according to Pedro Irigonegaray, attorney for The Friends of Bethany Place.

The group is opposed to the construction of the parking lot, which will remove a 20 by 200 foot portion — 4 percent of the total space on the church's grounds — of the green space along the west side of Polk.

Irigonegaray said Shawnee County District Judge Franklin Theis signed the group's request for a temporary restraining order late Wednesday, not long after the paper work for the challenge was filed with the court.

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More on Chicago nominations

Cleveland woman nominated to be Episcopal bishop of Chicago
David Briggs
Cleveland (OH) Plain Dealer
August 29, 2007

A prominent Cleveland clergywoman is one of five candidates nominated to be the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.

The Rev. Tracey Lind, dean of Trinity Cathedral since 2000, is one of three women and the only openly gay candidate recommended by a search committee, the Chicago Diocese announced Tuesday.

In June 2006, Lind said she took herself out of the running to become bishop of the Diocese of Newark, N.J., saying she felt called to remain in Cleveland. She said then that her decision had nothing to do with her sexuality although the issue of gay bishops has engulfed the worldwide Anglican Communion in controversy.

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Lesbian could head Episcopal Diocese
Columbus native among finalists for Chicago post
BY SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH
Chicago (IL) Sun-Times
August 29, 2007

A lesbian priest has been named a finalist for bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.

The Rev. Tracey Lind's nomination comes as conservatives in the worldwide Anglican Communion are demanding that its U.S. branch no longer consecrate openly gay bishops.

"I believe that accepting this nomination is what God is asking of me," Lind said in a statement. She's dean of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland and author of Interrupted by God.

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Conflict

Stu Bykofsky | Minister still hitting the bricks to reclaim a long-lost trust
Philadelphia Daily News
Aug 30, 2007

THE REVEREND is walking.

The Reverend took his case to court and lost, but, like Hebrew National, he answers to a higher authority.

Since Dec. 14, 2006, the Rev. Charles Walker, longtime leader of South Philly's 19th Street Baptist Church, has been walking back and forth, picketing almost daily outside Wachovia Bank's headquarters at 123 S. Broad St.

He's seeking justice in the form of money he says was stolen from a trust held by Wachovia, set aside for his church.

Well, not actually Wachovia, he concedes, but a distant Wachovia predecessor bank, which conspired, he believes, with St. Peter's Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania to steal the money from poor black folks.

…
When I looked over the claims, and the facts, I asked why Rev. Walker wasn't picketing the Episcopal Diocese instead of Wachovia.

"That's coming," he says with a sly grin. He went after Wachovia first because "the bank has more of an interest in public opinion."

Rev. Walker says Long promised to meet with him again.

Long says Rev. Walker is wrong about that, too.

So the Reverend will keep walking.

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Episcopal Diocese wastes no time in felling trees for parking lot
Liz Zamora
49 News: ABC Topeka
August 29, 2007

The Episcopal Diocese wasted little time in bringing down trees after the City council gave it the go ahead to build a parking lot behind Grace Cathedral. Neighbor Maura Dingman got word the trees were coming down after seeing it on the 49 News Web site.

"I find it extremely uncaring and offensive that they would rush with chainsaws the morning after and start hacking away," Dingman said.

But a spokesperson for Episcopal Diocese said they waited until the Council's decision to bring down damaged and diseased trees.

…
The piece of property at the center of all the controversy is a parking lot for forty additional spaces for Grace Cathedral.

"They especially need parking for older and disabled people," said Melodie Woerman of the Kansas Episcopal Diocese.

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Lesbian priest makes list for Chicago bishop

Episcopalians have mixed opinions
By Manya A. Brachear
Chicago Tribune
August 29, 2007

Though global Anglican leaders have urged the U.S. church to unequivocally exclude gay bishops by next month, an openly lesbian Episcopal priest is among the five nominees for bishop of the Chicago diocese announced Tuesday.

Rev. Tracey Lind, who followed Chicago Bishop William Persell as dean of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, is one of three women named as finalists to replace Persell, who plans to resign after his successor is installed. It is the first slate of candidates in the diocese to include women.

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Sacerdote lesbiana es candidata a obispo episcopal de Chicago
HoustonChronicle.com en Español    
Aug. 28, 2007

La Diócesis Episcopal de Chicago incluyó el martes a una sacerdote lesbiana declarada en su lista de nominados a obispo mientras que los feligreses anglicanos exigen que la Iglesia prohíba los obispos homosexuales.

La reverendo Tracey Lind, rectora de la Catedral Trinity en Cleveland, quien tiene una pareja mujer, estará en la papeleta del 10 de noviembre.

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Illinois: Lesbian Is a Finalist for