[Jeff] Fisher was elected to that position at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston on June 2.
He will be based in Tyler and will serve congregations in the Diocese of Texas, which covers the eastern and central portion of Texas, which includes an area that spreads from Waco to Austin to Galveston and east to Louisiana.
In his final service at Christ Church Cathedral, retiring Episcopal Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Gordon P. Scruton, told worshipers it had been a privilege to serve as their pastoral leader for the past 16 years.
Worshipers from Episcopal churches across the state gathered for Scruton’s last mass at the cathedral as the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, the bishop and his wife, Rebecca, greeted each member of the church for a heartfelt goodbye.
“It was a joy to share with people who we came to love and share our life and ministry,” Scruton said. “It was a joy to be able to say ”˜Thank you.’”
Earlier this year at its general convention, the national church authorized the provisional use of liturgy to bless same-sex couples. The liturgy can be used beginning in December if local diocese choose to allow it.
“The church says we can use it, but it is under the authority of the local bishops whether to use it,” said Bishop Russell Jacobus of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac, which heads Episcopal churches in Northeastern Wisconsin.
Jacobus said he plans to announce his decision of whether to allow clergy in the diocese to use the liturgy at the diocese’s annual convention Oct. 19-20 in Manitowoc.
That way forward must be deeply rooted in the evangelical imperative, and it must engage scripture, tradition and reason ”” both in the very pastoral and human dimensions that have challenged the church to address same-sex relationships and, more rigorously, in the theological dimensions that have given a moral grounding for the church over many centuries through the received tradition. Our task will be to help me articulate the boundaries within which we might live together that includes same-sex relationships and those who struggle with the church’s decisions with clarity and substance.
This will be hard work. But it will also be work with unexpected blessings….
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We announced last month on August 20th that the Standing Committee and I were in agreement on a course of action regarding the future of the Diocese of South Carolina and the challenges many of us face because of decisions by the recent General Convention of the Episcopal Church. However, for many reasons it was then and is now, imprudent to reveal that course of action. Things are progressing””we have not stopped or dropped the ball. Please know that I understand the level of anxiety and concern of many in the diocese. Nevertheless I must ask you all for your continued patience and prayers as we seek to deal wisely and carefully with a fluid situation that requires great discernment and sensitivity on a regular basis. I will communicate to you the details at the very earliest moment such a communication is prudent.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
–(The Rt. Rev.) Mark J. Lawrence is Bishop of South Carolina
Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith We give thee heartfelt thanks for the pioneering spirit of thy servant Philander Chase, and for his zeal in opening new frontiers for the ministry of thy Church. Grant us grace to minister in Christ’s name in every place, led by bold witnesses to the Gospel of the Prince of Peace, even Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Read it all (names on bottom right, click on them to get a lot more information).
Those eager to hear the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh can do so Sunday, Sept. 16, when Bishop-elect Dorsey McConnell preaches at an evensong in St. Andrew Episcopal Church, Highland Park.
The service begins at 4:30 p.m. and features the music of Ralph Vaughn Williams, Richard Runciman Terry and other composers associated with traditional British choral anthems and chant. St. Andrew’s Schola Cantorum, featuring members of the congregation and professional singers, will sing in the context of evening worship.
But the highlight is expected to be Bishop-elect McConnell’s sermon. There is more than the usual level of curiosity about the man from Massachusetts, who will be consecrated and installed Oct. 20 at 11 a.m. in Calvary Episcopal Church, Shadyside. The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh split in October 2008 when the majority of its members and clergy followed Bishop Robert Duncan out of the Episcopal Church into what eventually became the Anglican Church in North America. The remaining Episcopal diocese had to be restructured, and has been under the guidance of two different interim bishops. In April it became the first of four such split dioceses to elect a permanent bishop when Bishop-elect McConnell was chosen.
Bruce is an African American and came to us from the Lutheran Church after a long and successful career as an attorney in New York City. (Someone told me that his firm was counsel to the Harlem Globetrotters, but I have not checked this out with him). Ernie was raised Roman Catholic and even started seminary many years ago, but left to get married and became a leading public school administrator in Tucson.
There are three things about their ordinations which strike me as having important implications for the future of our Diocese and the Episcopal Church.
Revive thy Church, Lord God of hosts, whensoever it doth fall into complacency and sloth, by raising up devoted leaders, like thy servant John Henry Hobart whom we remember this day; and grant that their faith and vigor of mind may awaken thy people to thy message and their mission; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
For months and months this past spring and early summer we of the Episcopal Church heard much about what would happen at our General Convention which ended a couple of weeks ago. Some would have had us believe that the church would collapse. There were all sorts of dire predictions of this or that happening. In the end some of those issues and some of the well-publicized resolutions passed, and some didn’t. After the convention there were a couple of well-publicized articles pronouncing the death-knell of the Episcopal Church. And, in my opinion, the demise of the church is very much overstated. The problem with the church is not the church, but many within the church who see only things temporal, and lose touch with the things eternal.
What many in the church these days seem to overlook is that the church is not ultimately guided by the General Convention, the national staff or the Presiding Bishop. At its core the church is not guided by Bishops or laity. At its core the church is eternal and divine — the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ. The General Convention of the Episcopal Church is over. Some were happy with the results, some were not, and some were just confused. For the most part the Convention probably will not have all that much affect on you and me. So, as I say, the convention probably will not affect you or me all that much. So, let’s bring our discussion back down to our level….
Loving God, who didst call Charles Chapman Grafton to be a bishop in thy Church, endowing him with a burning zeal for souls: Grant that, following his example, we may ever live for the extension of thy kingdom, that thy glory may be the chief end of our lives, thy will the law of our conduct, thy love the motive of our actions, and Christ’s life the model and mold of our own; through the same Jesus Christ, who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, throughout all ages. Amen.
White nurtured interfaith relationships at home and abroad. He served as the Episcopal Church’s liaison with the Russian Orthodox Church in the years before and after the breakup of the Soviet Union. At home, he worked closely with fellow bishops Rogness of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Catholic Archbishop Rembert Weakland and Bishop Richard Sklba.
“The ecumenical and interfaith climate really blossomed in Milwaukee at the time,” Rogness said.
White worried and wrote about declining membership in the Episcopal Church and the waning influence of religion on American culture. His 1992 title, “New Millenium, New Church” co-written with the Rev. Richard Kew, was one of the church’s top-selling titles for a decade.
Christians who oppose gay marriage are sometimes described as “haters.” Is that characterization fair?
No. I’m concerned about the escalating violent language and overstatement. We can’t have a civil discussion about much of anything. I do not believe that everyone who opposes gay marriage hates gay people. There are many principled faithful people who oppose it based on what they have been taught to believe and do believe. We do not move forward by asserting that the other side is hating us.
I will take comments on this submitted by email only to at KSHarmon[at]mindspring[dot]com.
Bishop Lawrence Meets with Clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina Following General Convention may be found here.
Bishop Mark Lawrence’s Letter to the Diocese of S.C. to be read in all parishes Sunday morning may be found there.
South Carolina Differentiates Itself from Actions of 77th General Convention may be found at this spot.
In the 1960s, St. Andrew’s purchased the property where our church stands from the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee with its own money. St. Andrew’s also chose to have a relationship with the diocese. Because it is an Anglo-Catholic church, though, the relationship was never intended to be the same as other Episcopal churches. The diocese and its bishop at the time, John Vander Horst, not only knew this, they encouraged St. Andrew’s and its rector, Edwin Conly, to grow their unique church.
In exchange for the purchase price, Bishop Vander Horst gave us a warranty deed. The deed conveyed the property to St. Andrew’s free and clear, with no trust in favor of the diocese. The diocese also asked St. Andrew’s to formalize the parties’ special relationship through modified language in its corporate charter.
But the story does not end there. When St. Andrew’s arrived at the property, it found a dilapidated mansion and other poorly maintained buildings. St. Andrew’s parishioners built a new church building, later razed the mansion and built a new parish hall. Over the years, St. Andrew’s alone has paid to maintain its buildings and operate its church.
The Bishop of the Connecticut Episcopal Diocese said Tuesday he would meet with area clergy next week to discuss the future of the Bishop Seabury Church in Groton.
The building has functioned as a church since it as built more than 30 years ago, and was the subject of a lengthy court battle.
The congregation of 750 members, called Bishop Seabury Anglican Church, split with the Episcopal Church in 2007, then wound up in court over whether it could continue to use the building.
The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington on Saturday elected a Georgia native as its seventh bishop.
The Very Rev. Douglas Hahn, 60, received the majority of votes from clergy and lay delegates after two rounds of balloting at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Lexington. Hahn was selected from a field of six candidates chosen from among more than 30 applicants. One candidate withdrew before the tallying of the first round of votes.
As bishop, Hahn will oversee the diocese’s 35 congregations in Central and Eastern Kentucky.
Hunger, health care, and urban violence are the usual subjects of concern when the Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia gathers for its semiannual meetings.
But at the spring 2011 session, a new topic was cast into the mix: real estate.
A member noted that he was grappling with a growing stock of vacant churches. Hoping for a solution from his high-placed peers at the conference table, he got instead a chorus of me-toos.
You can read something about him here and you can see ballot results there. You may also find his profile page there.
The final choice, of course, rests with the Diocese (speaking through its convention).
And that, it turns out, is a very good place in which to start. Just what is the “Diocese of South Carolina”, and what abilities and powers does it have when it speaks through its convention?
Here we must be careful to distinguish the ecclesiastical realities from the legal realities. Dioceses of a Church have dual personalities: they are participants in the Church of which they are a constituent member, and at one and the same time, they are legal entities (“persons”) in the eyes of the State(s) in which they exist, and have their boundaries.
The Episcopal Church (USA), as has been discussed many times on this blog, is a rather unique entity in the eyes of the secular law. It formed itself in 1789, as an “unincorporated association.” But what do those legal terms actually mean?
Following the General Convention, most of you heard me read from the pulpit (or have had an opportunity to read) Bishop Lawrence’s letter to the Diocese. In that letter, he stated that The Episcopal Church had now “crossed a line” in terms of changing the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Episcopal Church in such a way that his own personal conscience could not go. Asking for a point of personal privilege, he addressed the House of Bishops, stating the issues on his heart, and then left the Convention floor, returning early with five of the seven Deputies from our Diocese (Fr. John Burwell and Mr. Lonnie Hamilton chose to stay.)
On Wednesday, the Bishop addressed his clergy for the first time directly. We were shown a film giving a pastoral rationale for the changes in Canon Law that allow transgendered persons (those who have been surgically altered from their birthassigned gender) to have full access to all positions in this Church, including ordination to the priesthood (and one would deduce, the episcopate). It seemed to me that this change was far more troubling to our bishop than the proposed rites for same-sex blessing. The same-sex blessing rites are proposed, provisional, and can only be used with the permission of the local diocesan. In other words, Bishop Lawrence is not in any way bound by them. But these canonical changes are permanent, and it was at this point that the bishop simply said to us, I think I have crossed a bridge.