[William] Franklin has maintained an office at the diocesan headquarters in the Town of Tonawanda since Feb. 15, and he estimates he already has visited in some form or another about half of the 63 congregations in the seven- county diocese.

He’s attended weekend worship, weekday dinners with clergy, deanery committee meetings and, of course, those Friday fish fries ”” all in an effort to meet people.

“With the clergy, I just want to know their own journey of their life, and then I want to know what people’s hopes and dreams are for the diocese and for the region,” he said.

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A slate of four nominees for 11th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama was released today by the Standing Committee of the diocese.

The nominees are: the Rev. Kenneth L. Chumbley, Rector, Christ Episcopal Church in Springfield, MO; the Rev. Clare Fischer-Davies, Rector, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Providence, RI; the Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan, Bishop Suffragan, Episcopal Diocese of Alabama; and the Rev. William C. Treadwell, III, Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Waco, TX.

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Dear Friends in Christ,

When Marjorie Goff closed the door of her apartment in 1949 she was 39 years old. For her the door stayed shut for the next 30 years. To be accurate there were a few exceptions. She went out in 1960 to visit her family, two years later for an operation, and once in 1976 because a friend came to her apartment to take her out for some ice cream.

Marjorie suffered from that metaphor of the human condition known as a phobia. The list of recognized human phobias is legion. There’s agoraphobia, aerophobia, acrophobia, claustrophobia, pyrophobia, thanatophobia-just to name a few. Robert L. DuPont a past director of the Washington Center of Behavioral Medicine called phobias, “The malignant diseases of the ‘what ifs.'”
“What ifs” add up to fears, and fears are right smack dab in the middle of the Easter story. Matthew’s gospel tells of the chief priests’ and the Pharisees’ fear of a hoax by the disciples. So they pressured Pilate to send a guard of soldiers to secure the world against a scheme (Matthew 27:62-66). I’m reminded of Houdini, that renowned magician of another era, who told his wife as he was dying that he would find a way back. His widow waited, but he never came. You can secure the world against a scheme or even a magician, but you can’t secure it against a miracle. Mary Magdalene however didn’t know this, so she was fearful for quite other reasons than the priests and Pharisees. When she returned a second time on Easter morning to the empty tomb and to face a fearful future without even the dead body of Jesus to console her, the “what ifs” got the better of her. The Gospel of John recounts how she mistook the risen Jesus for the gardener. “Sir,” she queried, “if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him…” Our fears and “what ifs” as did hers may well hide from us the presence of the risen Christ. No wonder in the Easter narratives the attending angels and the risen Jesus tell the disciples “Do not be afraid.” It is Christ’s victory on the cross and in the tomb over every mortal enemy of humankind that makes these words have substance and therein makes them liberating.

“Christ is risen-Jesus lives” that is the telling message of Easter: even in the face of Death, Sin, Hell, Judgment, the Devil, and all the “what ifs” of fear- Jesus lives! After all these enemies of mankind have done their worst, He still Lives-and He still delivers. This is what gives truth to those wonderful words of Julian of Norwich, “All is well, and all manner of things shall be well.” She too lived like Marjorie Goff in a room with a closed door. She was an anchoress. Her room was attached to a cathedral. She had only two windows in this room. One looked in towards the altar of the Norwich Cathedral. The other looked out to the world. Unlike Marjorie, however, it was not fear that kept Julian behind a closed door. It was love-love for Christ and love for a needy world. It was for this world that Jesus died, and for which He now lives to make intercession, and within His love and intercession she presented her intercessions and so can we.

C. S. Lewis once wrote of Christ’s resurrection: “He has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man.” It is this opened door that made Julian of Norwich free, free enough to be joyous in a single room, two windows and a closed door so she could live devotedly with an open door of abiding prayer (Revelation 3:20). It is the Gospel, the Good News of Christ’s death and resurrection that when rightly heard and understood will open the doors and lives of those like Marjorie Goff who have lived in the fear of “what ifs.” I encourage you to invite a friend or acquaintance to join you at church for the Easter Day Eucharist so they might hear this Good News and of the door that Christ has opened for you and keeps open for them as well.

Blessings in Christ our Savior and Lord,

–(The Rt. Rev.) Mark Lawrence is Bishop of South Carolina

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Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the Episcopal Church is making a Holy Week visit to Pittsburgh, where the Episcopal Diocese split in 2008.

She will answer questions from the public Tuesday evening at Trinity Cathedral, Downtown. She also will preach and preside earlier that day in Wilkinsburg as Episcopal clergy renew their ordination vows to Bishop Kenneth Price Jr., of Pittsburgh.

“I look forward to joining the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh as we gather to renew our ordination vows,” Bishop Jefferts Schori said. “There is a particular solemnity about celebrating this rite in a community which has experienced division over those very vows.

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Even so, let’s consider some of the specifics of these various identities as they relate to the mission of the Church. From the standpoint of numbers alone, international and ethnic ministries offer a tremendous opportunity for evangelism and inclusivity. We pay a lot of lip-service to the virtues of proper evangelism and the need for real inclusivity everywhere. Well, here is surely a focus of ministry where the abstract becomes quite concrete; the theoretical is truly a very personal reality. It is estimated that there are nearly 80,000 persons of Korean origin in the Northern Virginia area alone who do not have a faith community. This is roughly equal to the population of our entire diocese! I have not seen any recent
studies of Latino/Hispanic immigrants but I would readily and easily imagine that their numbers are considerably more than that, and spread more widely throughout the Diocese. My point, however, is not to play the numbers game. Yes, we certainly should be able to grow our international and ethnic-identity congregations. These are our communities that are ready and willing to embrace their neighbors. Within our own ranks right now, we have striking examples of burgeoning growth and inspiring potential for growth. If we could ensure adequate staffing and facilities it would seem that the sky is the limit (surely a pointed example of another of the five priorities”“strengthen our congregations). But there is even more
to it. Most importantly, this is about the opportunity we have to reach people with the Gospel”“actually, our joyous responsibility to do so. This is also about the opportunity we have to enrich and enliven our congregations through outreach ministries. And, let’s face it, this is about Anglo Christians broadening their horizons and therefore growing as disciples of the Lord Jesus.

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On Thursday afternoon, Council took up discussion of a diocesan statement concerning the Anglican Covenant. After several drafts, the current version of the Anglican Covenant is now being presented to the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church will no doubt discuss it at General Convention 2012. Although a diocese cannot make an official response to the Covenant, only a province of the Communion can do that, The Episcopal Church has invited dioceses to study and discuss the covenant and forward their comments to General Convention 2012.

In response to this invitation, in 2010, Lillibridge asked the diocese to read the Anglican Covenant, and during the past year, some discussion groups were held around the diocese. In November 2010, the elected leadership of diocesan clergy and lay leaders gathered to write a statement in response to the covenant. This statement was brought to the floor of Council this year for the delegates and clergy to discuss and affirm. After 30 minutes of discussion, the statement was adopted and will be sent forward to General Convention in 2012.

Go here for the [pdf]adode reader download, and it is pages 4 and following.

Bishop M. Thomas Shaw of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and several other clergy yesterday called on Massachusetts lawmakers to pass transgender-rights legislation and asked religious communities to throw their support behind the bill.

Shaw said that virtually all transgender people have experienced discrimination or harassment and about one-quarter have been fired from their jobs.

“Supporting this legislation, and supporting transgender people in the life of the church and in secular society really has to do with the living out of my baptismal covenant,’’ he said.

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I will take comments on this submitted by email only to at KSHarmon[at]mindspring[dot]com.

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The future leader of the Episcopal Diocese for the Buffalo region has been on a tour, visiting the many parishes under his watch, meeting with congregation leaders and taking a moment to play any nearby organ.

The Rev. Dr. R. William Franklin is the bishop elect for the Diocese of Western New York. In that role he will act as the chief clergy officer for the area, which covers seven counties and has 63 different parishes. He’ll provide oversight to those congregations and act as the main bridge between church and community.

Franklin’s tour recently took him to St. Matthias Episcopal Church in East Aurora, where he met with parish directors and examined the building’s architecture, showing his general appreciation of church history. During that time, Franklin spoke of his goals when he officially becomes bishop next month, including welcoming a younger generation and providing another supportive voice for the community.

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The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops concluded its six-day retreat meeting at the Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina, continuing the theme “selection, recruitment and formation of young leaders,” preparing the church for the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century.

“We talked about recruiting, forming and educating young leaders, and that has a great deal to do with inviting members of the church and leaders to get outside church buildings and structures to meet seekers,” said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori during a closing news conference on March 30. “That was a significant part of our conversation.”

During their March 25-30 meeting, the bishops addressed several themes, including the relationship between Christianity and Islam, how to reach young adults with the gospel, and the Anglican Covenant, a set of principles intended to bind the Anglican Communion in spite of cultural and theological differences.

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Bishop Dabney Smith of Southwest Florida introduced the topic for the evening: Selection Recruitment and Formation of Young Leadership. HOB discussed questions in table groups….

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Last week, the Rev Dr Christina Beardsley, vice-chair of Changing Attitude, a network of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual members of the Church of England, was one of the voices featured on 4Thought.tv’s week of short films featuring trans people and faith.

While the US Episcopal church developed a maverick reputation within the Anglican communion for blessing same sex marriages and ordaining gay and lesbian clergy, the House of Bishops of the General Synod of the Church of England’s report Some Issues in Human Sexuality, issued in 2003, contained a chapter titled “Transsexualism”. Currently, one can find about a half dozen trans clergy in the UK and US. These numbers are imprecise, as some clergy do not wish to go public beyond the scope of their individual parish or diocese ”“ a concern that’s understandable given that the trans community seldom receives even the legal protections afforded gays and lesbians .

Beardsley, who was ordained for 23 years prior to her transition in 2001, observes that “some within the Church of England feel the issue of trans clergy has been settled” by citing such cases as the Rev Carol Stone and the Rev Sarah Jones. However, she says: “Not all trans clergy have been supported by their bishop, as these two priests were, and some have been excluded from full-time ministry because of Church of England opt-outs from UK equality legislation.”

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Following Morning Prayer and Bible Study, the session was opened by emcee for the day Bishop Victor Scantlebury of Chicago. The readings for the day from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans continued the reflections on the Abrahamic families which carried over from yesterday’s topics.

The topic for the day was The Anglican Covenant: A New Perspective.

Bishop Neil Alexander of Atlanta introduced a conversation on the Anglican Covenant which included the three Anglican primates in attendance: Archbishop Fred Hiltz of Canada; Archbishop Henri Isingoma of the Congo; and Archbishop Paul Kim of South Korea.

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The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church is meeting at the Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina from March 25 to March 30. The following is an account of the activities for Monday, March 28.

Following Morning Prayer and Bible study, the session was opened by emcee for the day Bishop Julio Holguin of the Dominican Republic.

The topic for the day was: Who is my neighbor? Islam and Christianity….

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Given the collegial atmosphere and expectations, therefore, it comes as a bit of a shock to learn that the leadership of ECUSA has arranged a slightly different agenda for the 2011 spring meeting of the House of Bishops. That agenda includes an indoctrination of the attendees into what President Ronald Reagan once memorably called “the soft tyranny of low expectations” (and which George W. Bush changed into “the soft bigotry of low expectations”). Again, we have this eyewitness account (I have added the bold emphasis):

After a challenging address by the PB to “show up” in the various challenging venues of today’s world, we had a report from a committee on changes in governance of The Episcopal Church, concerns about the new Title IV Canon revisions (clergy discipline), a report from the committee on same gender blessings, and from a group looking at devising a process for the “reconciliation or dissolution of a pastoral relationship between a bishop and a diocese!”

Wow! For the new bishops: welcome to your new role!

“Welcome to your new role,” indeed. Bishop Epting (now retired, but attending in lieu of Bishop Scarfe of Iowa, who is on a sabbatical) may not realize how close he has come to hitting the nail on the head. While the number of new bishops in the House of Bishops not politically significant, and is at best a dozen or so among a total of about 130, it is essential that the new bishops be, in the words of Oscar Hammerstein, “carefully taught”.

And what better subject for the “teachers” than the newly created metropolitan authority of the Presiding Bishop herself?…

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The issue of a “just war” is rather simple when a nation is attacked and has to defend itself. Since the American intervention in Iraq, the question of preventive strikes has been widely discussed. The fact that Gadhafi has to use mercenaries to try to repress the uprising of his own people could be another case to consider: does the international community have the right to intervene in such a situation?

Yes, and for several reasons: the rebels have requested it; the Arab League and therefore the neighboring countries have asked for it, and our own awareness of the suffering of the Libyan people, and what awaits the insurgents if Gadhafi wins his war against his own people, requires it.

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The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church is meeting at the Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina from March 25 to March 30. The following is an account of the activities for Sunday, March 27.

Following a day of Sabbath, the House of Bishops gathered for a Moravian Service of Holy Communion in the Kanuga Chapel. .

The Liturgy for Christian Unity was taken from the Moravian Book of Worship.
The Bishops of the Moravian Church participating in the service were:
The Rt. Rev. Dr. D. Wayne Burkette, who welcomed HOB to the service, thanking HOB “for the invitation to be part of the meeting of HOB and for the opportunity to worship,” noting that he looks forward to “future times of worship and fellowship and common mission as expressions of our full communion.”

The Rt. Rev. Graham H. Rights, who provided the meditation. “I hope you will seek out Moravian partnership wherever you are,” he said, bringing greetings from the 17 Moravian bishops (10 bishops in the Northern Province and 7 in the Southern Province).

He continued, “The Eucharist is a service of thanksgiving and tonight our thanksgiving is for this coming together. We have taken a step to answer the Lord’s prayer that we all may be one.”

He talked about an early bishop of the Unitas Fractum, John Comenius, whose birthday was March 28, 1592. Comenius proposed a world assembly, and his early writings included those about the Anglican Church.

Bishop Rights pointed out that now, three different reformation churches are in communion with each other: the Episcopal Church, the Moravian Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. “It is an exciting time in the history of our communions,” he said. “It is an exciting time for the universal church.”

The Rt. Rev. Lane A. Sapp presided at the service.

Moravian Daily Text for March 27 was read:
Malachi 4:2: For you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.

Romans 13:12: The night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Readings were:
Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16: I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

John 15:12-17 ”˜This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

Music was prepared by the Director of Moravian Service Foundation Nola Knouse; organist was Paul F. Knouse.

Among the hymns and festive music at the Service were: The Church’s one foundation; Holy Spirit, still creating; Join we all with one accord; Is this our high calling; Highly favored congregation; Christ is our Master, Lord and God.

Note: Full communion between the Episcopal Church and the Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church in North America was celebrated in February. The relationship of full communion was approved by the Episcopal Church General Convention in 2009 and by the 2010 Provincial Synods of the Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church in North America.

The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church is meeting at the Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina from March 25 to March 30. The following is an account of the activities for Saturday, March 26.

The session was opened by Emcee of the Day Bishop Tom Shaw of Massachusetts.

Following Morning Prayer and Bible Study, the bishops surprised Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on her birthday with rousing singing.
The topics and focus for the day was Proclamation of the Gospel to/with Young Adults: How can we be church in the 21st Century. Presenters were Lisa Kimball of Virginia Theological Seminary, and the Rev. Arrington Chambliss and Jason Long from the Diocese of Massachusetts.

Lisa shared personal vignettes which illustrated work needed to be done with the Episcopal Church and young adults. Defining “young adults” is very complex and depends on context, but she focused on 19 -35 years old. She shared stats and facts about this age group.

Lisa presented discussion questions for the bishops: What are the challenges facing the young adults you know? What are their strengths? To what extent is the Church in your diocese reaching people like this? The bishops shared reactions and comments.

Lisa noted: there is a deep need in the church for faith formation in the home; “sadly” young adults are missing from our worship service; and those in 20s and 30s want to be in relation with the Episcopal Church.

Noon Eucharist was celebrated by Bishop Wendell Gibbs of Michigan. Preacher was the Rev. Stephanie Spellers of the Diocese of Massachusetts and one of the chaplains for HOB.

In the afternoon session, Jason spoke about the Episcopal Service Corps. He shared his story of being evangelized, which was a transformational experience that also transformed the worshiping community. In speaking about Episcopal Service Corps he identified programs that will exist in Massachusetts and 16 other dioceses by this fall.

Arrington spoke about evangelism, and believes that the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion are poised to be the most transformative institutions in the 21st century. Arrington stated that evangelism is not a program, it’s a spiritual practice; it’s not institutional but individual; it doesn’t start with telling but starts with listening.

She led a meditation on remembering a time when someone took you and your gifts seriously.

Small group discussions allowed bishops to explore themes and needs, and to brainstorm on what might occur in the next year to partner with young adults in creating fresh expressions of Church.

The bishops concluded the session with Evening Prayer.

Twenty bishops from such far-flung dioceses as Albany, Hawai”˜i, South Carolina, Utah, and Qu’Appelle participated in the consecration of Daniel H. Martins as the 11th Bishop of Springfield. The service, held March 19 at First United Methodist Church west of downtown Springfield, attracted about 800 people.

The Rev. Anthony F.M. Clavier, a fellow priest in the Diocese of Northern Indiana when Martins served there from May 2007 until December 2010, preached the consecration sermon. Clavier, onetime archbishop of what is now the Anglican Province of America, sometimes turned toward the gathered bishops when joking about the episcopate.

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Q: What made you come out of retirement to come here?A: I had only been retired for six months when the presiding bishop asked me to consider having my name go forward. There are only certain bishops who can serve as provisional bishops. You have to be either retired or a bishop of another diocese. It’s pretty difficult to find. And I was living in Pasadena, which was relatively close. There was a need here, so I did allow my name to go forward. I was elected at a special convention on March 5.

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During his visits to various synods and meetings, the Rev. Daniel H. Martins has encountered lots of “gray hair and bald scalps.”

His first tonsorial experience in the capital city? When he introduced himself as the bishop-elect for the Springfield Episcopal Diocese, the person cutting Martins’ hair “asked if Episcopal was Christian.”

“Years ago, there were assumptions you had about baseline knowledge of Christianity,” Martins says. “People don’t know that anymore, particularly younger people.”

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Austin Ihiekwe knows firsthand just how deadly malaria can be. He grew up in Nigeria and watched as his baby brother died from the mosquito-borne disease even though his parents could afford medicine and were diligent in treating their children.

“In the rainy season, all kids had malaria, every month or every other month,” said Ihiekwe, 67, of Cottage Grove. “But the availability of medicine is not universal. Some could afford it, some could not.” And the medicines didn’t always prevent the disease.

From Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday, Ihiekwe and members of Christ Episcopal Church in Woodbury are raising money to buy 364 insecticide-treated mosquito nets to be sent to Africa. The 364 nets represent one for each member of the congregation. The effort is part of a larger mission project during Lent involving Episcopal churches statewide and their nearly 20,000 members, said Brian Prior, bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota.

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The Rev. Steve Lawler should have just given up chocolate or television for Lent.

Instead, Lawler, of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Ferguson, decided to adopt the rituals of Islam for 40 days to gain a deeper understanding of the faith.

On Friday, he faced being defrocked if he continued in those endeavors.

“He can’t be both a Christian and a Muslim,” said Bishop George Wayne Smith of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. “If he chooses to practice as Muslim, then he would, by default, give up his Christian identity and priesthood in the church.”

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The Diocese of Lincoln failed to inform the Diocese of Massachusetts that one of its priests had been arrested for child abuse while serving as a vicar in Skegness.

The Rev. Franklin E. Huntress, Jr., relinquished his priestly orders rather than face a church trial last month after the Diocese of Massachusetts began an investigation into charges the 77 year old retired priest had molested a child in 1974.

During the course of its investigation, the diocese learned Mr. Huntress had been arrested by police for abusing a child in 1994 while service as vicar of St. Matthew’s Church in Skegness, Lincs. No charges were filed against the American vicar as the family did not want the child to testify in court. However, church investigators concluded the allegations were true after reading the police report and speaking to the officers involved, said Canon Mally Lloyd, the Bishop of Massachusetts’s assistant.

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