epiScope

Gathered together

JACKIE JENNINGS: The seven faithful congregants
Small parish struggles to recruit new members as church populations decline
Salisbury (MD) Daily Press
February 10, 2008

George Washington never slept here, but had he traveled through Hebron at the time of the American Revolution, he could have stopped in to warm his hands or light a candle. Built in 1773, the white, wooden church that sits a stone's throw from Route 50 west is one of the oldest churches in the area. But the seven remaining parishioners who show up regularly for services at St. Paul's Episcopal Church are afraid that without some kind of miracle, the doors won't be open for much longer.

"We feel like we have a core of really good people who believe in this church, and that's a start," says Gary Lucks. "What we need to do next is have this group reach out and bring a friend or another person or two to start attending. Yes, churches are in decline, but they don't make buildings like this anymore."

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Meanwhile, back in the parish...

Four area clergymen select life's biggest imponderables
By Clint Cooper
Chattanooga (TN) Times Free Press
January 12, 2008

What are life’s toughest questions? The Times Free Press asked four area clergymen to consider, based on their experience and questions posed to them through the years, what those issues might be. The questions they offered centered around the origin and existence of humankind and interplay among human beings. The participants were the Rev. Hugh Jones, rector of St. Thaddaeus’ Episcopal Church; Dr. Dwight Kilbourne, senior pastor of First-Centenary United Methodist Church; Dr. Bernie Miller, senior pastor of New Covenant Church; and the Rev. Tony Walliser, senior pastor of Silverdale Baptist Church. The dilemma, Dr. Miller pointed out, is “there is no quick solution or an immediate remedy to any of these problems.” Below are the questions from each participant and why the question is on his list.

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Uganda Native Wears 4 Hats As An Episcopal Priest
By SARAH ROTHWELL
The Tampa (FL) Tribune
January 12, 2008

TAMPA PALMS - Growing up in Uganda, the Rev. Benjamin Twinamaani studied the Bible every day. He fell in love with the passages and despite opposition from some of his countrymen, made a commitment to Christianity. Walking to church, Twinamaani dreamed of one day preaching God's word to others.

In 1992, he traveled to the United States to study theology. In 2000, he graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary and took his place in the Episcopal Church.

Today, Twinamaani is the head priest at Grace Episcopal Church in Tampa Palms.

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Local voices raised in response to hold on domestic partnership law
Newport (OR) News Times
Jan 11, 2008

About 40 people were presnt at Tuesday night's panel discussion on the state's new anti-discrimination law and the current hold on the domestic partnership law.

The anti-discrimintation law went into effect Jan. 2, while the domestic partnership law was put on hold following a last-minute ruling by a federal judge.
...
Father Robert Morrison of St. James Episcopal Church said, “Life should be a celebration, not constantly looking over one's shoulder. People need a degree of security so they aren't constantly worrying.”

“It sad it has to be differentiated between gay and straight - people are people,” agreed Denker.

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Reclaiming the biblical stories of women
St. George's Episcopal Church offering lectures on women in the Bible
BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE
The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
1/12/2008

Women show up 250 times in the Bible.

They seduce kings, receive revelations, drive stakes through their enemies, lead armies, save their people and even give birth to God's son.

But women rarely show up in sermons, said the Rev. Gay Rahn, associate rector at St. George's Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg.

"If we fail to learn the stories of the women, we're failing to acknowledge their great presence and the impact they had not only on their communities but also the impact and the knowledge they can give to us," she said. "It's important work for the church to receive and reclaim the stories of the women."

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St. Peter's Episcopal celebrates 150 years
Nassau (FL) Sun
1/10/2008

St. Peter's Episcopal Church invites the community to share in the celebration of its Sesquicentennial Year by joining them on Wednesday and Jan. 23 for dinner and programs designed to share St. Peter's history.

On Wednesday, volunteers from the Amelia Island Museum of History will presents dramatic monologues as Mary Martha Reid and Sarah Delaney. Attendees will learn how these women were directly involved in the history of St. Peter's.

On Jan. 23, the history will be told by those who were actually there. A panel of past and present parishioners has been assembled to share stories of St. Peter's "way back when."

The Rev. Neil Gray will be the honored guest of the evening; he was the priest when St. Peter's was segregated, and then integrated with the members of Good Shepherd Church.

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Army's new home

Church Army USA sponsors cafe with a mission
by Kristina Serafini
Sewickley (PA) Herald
January 10, 2008

Finding a property in Pittsburgh was easier than expected for Church Army USA.

Steve Brightwell, national director of the organization, said "prayer walking" took them to two side-by-side row houses in the city's North Side. At the time, the properties weren't even for sale, but they knocked on the door and that's where they have been for the past 15 years.

However, at the end of the month, Church Army USA will settle into its new home in the Leetsdale Industrial Park to continue its mission of "raising up evangelists, to proclaim the Gospel to the least, the last and the lost, and to draw them into the life and mission of the church."

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Hospitality

Ready for the World
Egypt Today
December 2007

While hundreds of foreign students come to the American University in Cairo each year, Egyptian students have until recently had considerably fewer opportunities to study abroad. Now the university has started sending groups to Europe and the United States in an exchange that goes beyond academics. In an et exclusive, students from AUC’s first trip to the US share their experiences.
By Janet Key

I THOUGHT THIS WAS the city that never sleeps?” Yumna Kassim marveled. “Compared to Cairo, New York seems quiet and asleep in the middle of the afternoon!”

Hard to believe the Big Apple could come as a letdown, but for at least one of the six students enrolled in the American University in Cairo (AUC) course Writing on the Road: Discovering America, the Manhattan skyline apparently fell short of her expectations. The students were, in a sense, pioneers — not only was it their first visit to the United States, but the January 2007 Journalism 299 course was also AUC’s first effort to send Egyptians to study in a country that sends so many students to the Cairo campus.

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Pointing to God

Episcopalian sees need to adapt for minorities
By ERIN SMITH
The Pueblo Chieftain - Star Journal
November 17, 2007

DENVER - Antonito native Stan Perea is an evangelist in a church not much known for evangelism.

Perea is an Episcopalian, a member of a church often thought of as stuffy, with pews occupied by the privileged. But the Episcopal Church is changing.

Perea was born a Roman Catholic but later sought evangelical churches wherever he and his wife Glenda moved to follow his profession as a certified public accountant.

The 58-year-old Perea is the author of “The New America: The America of the Moo-shoo Burrito,” a book revealing the changing face of mainstream churches - churches that must change with the times and court immigrants and non-whites.

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Church revival: St. David's not only survives, it thrives
By Carrie A. Moore
Deseret Morning News
Nov. 17, 2007

PAGE, Ariz. — At Steve and Jean Keplinger's Thanksgiving table, there will be turkey, ham and sauerkraut, mixed with traditional foods reflecting a potpourri of cultures. Nearly 200 people have been invited, and if you happen to show up, they'll squeeze you in somehow.

That the rector of St. David's Episcopal Church has invited his entire congregation to dinner at home is not unusual in this tourist-trade-dependent, desert community. Thursday's modern-day re-creation of the first Thanksgiving will be complete with gratitude — served up in large portions — for the survival and growth of a tiny church some said had died a long death and would never be resurrected.

They were wrong. In fact, St. David's has become so vibrant and full of life that a new sanctuary is now under construction, destined to the be the newest of 12 churches that line Lake Powell Boulevard in what may be one of the most diverse small-town faith communities in America.

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St. Paul's Episcopal's new steeple rises high
By Gretchen Becker
Indianapolis (IN) Star
November 17, 2007

Pointing toward the heavens as a symbol of faith, a 60-foot copper steeple was hoisted atop a tower at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Friday afternoon.

"This means to us that we want to be more visible in the community," said the Rev. Rich Winters, St. Paul's rector.

A 5-foot brushed aluminum cross was placed at the steeple's peak, making it 125 feet in the air, Winters said.

"It's pointing to God, so to speak," Winters said.

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Stott's finale at Keswick

Preacher John’s last appearance
News & Star
21 July 2007

By Ross Brewster

VETERAN preacher John Stott has been making his final appearances to packed audiences at this year’s Keswick Christian Convention.

The talks by the 86-year-old, who has been preaching for the last time at a major event, have been one of the highlights of the opening week of the three-week gathering.

Up to 15,000 Christians from all over the world will have been in Keswick by the time the convention closes on August 3 and operations manager Simon Overend said: “The high spot has undoubtedly been the appearance of John Stott.”

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John Stott simply allows God’s Word to speak for itself in his commentaries
Mike Turner
Sun Journal
July 20, 2007

People ask me regularly to recommend Bible study commentaries. Sometimes it’s a Sunday School teacher. Others, a college student. Often just an individual trying to improve their knowledge of the Scriptures.

A Bible commentary is a book that goes through different portions of Scripture, detailing the historical background, explaining the theological teaching and making practical applications for everyday life. As you can imagine, commentaries are invaluable for any serious student of the Bible.

I’m always glad to talk with people about studying the Bible but recommending specific commentaries isn’t always as easy as some might think. For one thing, there are so many out there! It seems like everybody and his brother has published a book about one aspect of the Bible or another. How can you know which ones are good and which ones aren’t?

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Scrapbook evangelism?

Scrapbook Insider: Sharing the good news, one page at a time
By Linda Fantin
The Salt Lake Tribune
06/04/2007

   I couldn't help but chuckle when I first heard about "faithbooking," the so-called latest trend in scrapbooking.

…

    In "Pages of Faith," put out by the official publisher of worship materials for the Episcopal Church, author Sharon Sheridan explores the notion that scrapbooking is a divinely inspired pastime, and for the really righteous, a handy recruitment tool.

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