Every Voice Network ::

By smcginley

April 16, 2007 [Lambeth Palace] The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has announced that he intends to visit the United States this fall in response to the invitation from the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church.

Speaking in a press conference in Toronto April 16, Williams said he would undertake the visit together with members of the Standing Committee of the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council.

"I look forward to some sharing of our experiences as pastors as well as discussion of the business of the Communion," he said. "These are complicated days for our church internationally and its all the more important to keep up personal relationships and conversations ... My aim is to try and keep people around the table for as long as possible on this, to understand one another, and to encourage local churches."

Kids and the MDGs

The MDGs can sometimes be difficult to talk about with children.

This link offers four children's activities from Episcopal Relief and Development directly related to the MDGs. It includes developing a Hope Chest to which you give a donation when you do things such as eat out or turn on your water faucet.

It is an easy to read and printable document that is easy to adapt fo

From the Church

Bishops' 'Mind of the House' resolutions
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
[Episcopal News Service] The following resolutions were passed by the House of Bishops March 20 during its annual Spring retreat meeting in Navasota, Texas.

Mind of the House of Bishops Resolution Addressed to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church

Resolved, the House of Bishops affirms its desire that The Episcopal Church remain a part of the councils of the Anglican Communion; and

Resolved, the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution of The Episcopal Church is determined solely by the General Convention of The Episcopal Church; and

Resolved, the House of Bishops believes the proposed Pastoral Scheme of the Dar es Salaam Communiqué of February 19, 2007 would be injurious to The Episcopal Church and urges that the Executive Council decline to participate in it; and

Bishops request meeting with Archbishop of Canterbury, Primates' Standing Committee
Episcopal News Service
March 20, 2007

Three 'mind of the house' resolutions adopted

[ENS] Responding to the recent Anglican Primates' Communiqué, the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops, meeting March 20 in Navasota, Texas, expressed "an urgent need for us to meet face to face with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the members of the Primates' Standing Committee."

The request came as the second of three "mind of the house" resolutions adopted by the bishops on March 20. The resolutions were debated during the business session scheduled during the House of Bishops' annual spring retreat meeting.

In the afternoon's first resolution, addressed to the Episcopal Church's Executive Council, the House of Bishops "affirms its desire that The Episcopal Church remain a part of the councils of the Anglican Communion" and "pledges itself to continue to work to find ways of meeting the pastoral concerns of the Primates that are compatible with our own polity and canons."

Deputies from Hawai'i responds to Primates' Meeting Communique
To: The House of Bishops meeting on March 16, 2007
From: The Deputation of the Diocese of Hawai`i

At a March 6 meeting of the deputation of the Diocese of Hawai`i, the Deputies voted to request that the House of Bishops consider seriously taking the following actions as it responds to statements and communications coming out of the primates' meeting in Tanzania:

* Acknowledge receipt of communications from primates and other Communion-wide groups, but do not respond to any ultimatums or commands

* Do not violate the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church in spirit or in fact

Bloglines

Self Differentiation and Communion
From That We All May Be One by Bishop Epting

I have rarely been prouder to be a part of the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops than I was today. With care and sensitivity to one another, we found a way to be clear and self-differentiated as a House, provide leadership and yet seek consultation with the wider Church — clergy and laity — and re-affirm our desire to remain part of the Anglican communion: as an autonomous, yet interdependent reality.

We passed three resolutions:

1. Resolving that we wish to remain part of the Anglican Communion, but expressing our opinion that the proposed “pastoral scheme” of the Dar es Salaam Communique would be injurious to the Episcopal Church and urging the Executive Council to decline to participate in it, while pledging to continue to work to find ways of meeting the pastoral concerns of the Primates that are compatible with our own polity and canons.

House of Bishops reaffirms baptized, confronts violence, says "no" to ultimatums
From Anglican Resistance

"We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including gay and lesbian persons, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that stands against any violence, including violence done to women and children as well as those who are persecuted because of their differences, often in the name of God. The Dar es Salaam Communiqué is distressingly silent on this subject. And, contrary to the way the Anglican Communion Network and the American Anglican Council have represented us, we proclaim a Gospel that welcomes diversity of thought and encourages free and open theological debate as a way of seeking God's truth. If that means that others reject us and communion with us, as some have already done, we must with great regret and sorrow accept their decision."

Some Thoughts on the future of The Episcopal Church
From Entangled States
By Nick Knisely

March 12, 2007
Some thoughts on the future of the Episcopal Church

I’ve been doing a lot thinking about the present situation of the Episcopal Church. At the urging of some of my friends, I’ve tried to put these thoughts, incomplete and not fully formed as they might be, down in writing. I’m labeling them 1,2 and 3 but that’s just for my own convenience - each one follows from the one(s) that precede it.

Thought 1

The Bishops of the Episcopal Church will be soon meeting in Camp Allen TX to begin to consider their response to the recent Communique from the Primate’s Meeting in Tanzania. There is still some divergence on exactly what is being asked of the Episcopal Church - and what an acceptable response should look like.

In The News

Episcopal bishop has faith that controversy won't split church
By John Sullivan
Times Herald-Record
March 12, 2007

Goshen — Episcopalians should relax.

They need not worry about a break with their Anglican brethren, said the Rev. Don Taylor, bishop vicar of the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

Taylor said he had faith that American Episcopalians could reconcile gay and lesbian issues that threaten to split them from the larger Anglican body. As in all democratic decision-making processes, differences of opinion can look like division instead of a process toward consensus, he said.

"The (Episcopal Church) is not in a position of kicking people out, it's in a position of reconciliation," said Taylor, one of New York's highest-ranking Episcopal officials.

Millennium Development Goals

Kids and the MDGs
The MDGs can sometimes be difficult to talk about with children.

This link offers four children's activities from Episcopal Relief and Development directly related to the MDGs. It includes developing a Hope Chest to which you give a donation when you do things such as eat out or turn on your water faucet.

It is an easy to read and printable document that is easy to adapt for your own purposes.

Living Green

Its Easy to Be Green
From Newsweek

By Joan Raymod

Jan. 8, 2007 issue - You don't have to ditch leather or sell your car to help the environment. We've gathered 10 simple tips for living greener in 2007. Hey, it's a lot easier than losing those 15 pounds.

1. Feed the Bees Pesticides, pollution and habitat destruction are taking a toll on the birds and insects that pollinate about 80 percent of the world's food supply (or about one out of every three bites of food we eat), says Rose Getch of the National Gardening Association. To lend a helping hand, plant a pollinator garden. Yellow, blue and purple flowers will attract bees, while red and orange will attract hummingbirds. For more information, go to KidsGardening.com.

Episcopalian Jokes

Garrison Keillor on Episcopalians
(Adapted from an essay by Garrison Keillor)

We make fun of Episcopalians for their blandness, their excessive calm,
their fear of giving offense, their lack of speed and also for their secret
fondness for macaroni and cheese. But nobody sings like them. If you
were to ask an audience in Des Moines, a relatively Episcopalianless place, to sing along on the chorus of "Michael Row the Boat Ashore," they will look daggers at you as if you had asked them to strip to their underwear . But if you do this among Episcopalians, they'd smile and row that boat ashore and up on the beach!.....And down the road!

Environmental Issues

The Earth Charter
The Earth Charter

... is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society for the 21st century. Created by the largest global consultation process ever associated with an international declaration, endorsed by thousands of organizations representing millions of individuals, the Earth Charter seeks to inspire in all peoples a sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the human family and the larger living world. The Earth Charter is an expression of hope and a call to help create a global partnership at a critical juncture in history.