Episcopal Church Women

Summary

Eve – Rev Dr Emily Onyango appointed first woman bishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya – Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) finally appoints a female assistant bishop…

Booth Bay Register – St. Giles Jefferson welcoming new Rector Dana Stivers – The Rev. Dana Stivers is “thrilled to join such a loving and caring community where all are welcome.”

Episcopal News Service – Executive Council reflects on events in Washington, reaffirms church’s reconciliation work – Reactions to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and this week’s inauguration of President Joe Biden dominated the opening remarks of The Episcopal Church’s presiding officers on Jan. 22 as Executive Council gathered online for the start of a four-day meeting.

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Rev Dr Emily Onyango appointed first woman bishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya

Eve – Standard Media – Kenya

The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) finally appoints a female assistant bishop after decades of the church’s existence. Rev Dr Emily Onyango, ACK’s longest serving female clergy, becomes the first woman to hold such a senior position in the church.

Rev Dr Onyango was appointed during the Synod of the Diocese of Bondo, Siaya County, where she has been a priest and canon, and she will deputise Rt Rev Prof David Kodia. The Synod is the Supreme Council of the Anglican Church which meets once every three years. […]

St. Giles Jefferson welcoming new Rector Dana Stivers

Booth Bay Register – ME

After a year-long search, parishioners at St. Giles Episcopal Church Jefferson will meet their new rector in a Zoom service Sunday, Jan. 24. The Rev. Dana Stivers is “thrilled to join such a loving and caring community where all are welcome.”

Rev. Dana will be joining St. Giles after serving several parishes in Connecticut while simultaneously serving as the associate executive director and chaplain of Incarnation Center, America’s oldest Episcopal camp and conference center. Most recently she has been assistant rector at St. James Episcopal Church in New London. […]

Executive Council reflects on events in Washington, reaffirms church’s reconciliation work

Episcopal News Service – NY, NY

Reactions to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and this week’s inauguration of President Joe Biden dominated the opening remarks of The Episcopal Church’s presiding officers on Jan. 22 as Executive Council gathered online for the start of a four-day meeting.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies, both mixed expressions of hope for the future with acknowledgements that the church has much work to do in affirming Jesus’ way of love and rejecting the divisive threat of Christian nationalism. Curry quoted Biden’s inaugural address – “’we must end this uncivil war’” – and then connected that political imperative to the Christian call to love one’s enemy. […]

Christ Episcopal Church continues push to give back to those in need around Burlington County

CentralJersey.com – Bordentown City, NJ

“Take to the altar of God and bring that into the community and help our neighbor.”

Those have been the words that the members of Christ Episcopal Church in Bordentown City have gone by since the Rev. Matthew Tucker began his tenure at the parish in 2008.

Tucker and members of Christ Church continued their focus on giving back to the local community and Burlington County last weekend by donating items to organizations they have been involved with over the past few years.

The church supported Newborns in Need, the Burlington County Animal Shelter and Soles4Souls on Jan. 16. […]

Summary

The Living Church – Looking Ahead to the Biden Administration – People of every ideological persuasion are well aware that the political environment will shift dramatically on January 20…

AL.com – Bishop Glenda Curry installed as head of Episcopal Diocese of Alabama – Bishop Glenda Curry was installed Saturday, Jan. 10, as head of the Episcopal Diocese in Alabama…

Waco Tribune Herald – Waco’s church congregations seen as community mental health resource – Waco mental health advocate Meg Wallace believes an untapped community resource for people struggling with anxiety, isolation, depression and other mental health issues lies within the mini-communities of church congregations…

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Looking Ahead to the Biden Administration

The Living Church – Episcopal News

People of every ideological persuasion are well aware that the political environment will shift dramatically on January 20, as one American president gives way to a very different successor. After years of divisiveness, months of a global pandemic, and appalling revelations about a violent insurgency, the stakes are high — and the Church is not immune from the turmoil.

In that context, five department heads from the Episcopal Church gathered virtually on January 11 for a webinar sponsored by the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes, titled “Mr. Biden Goes to Washington: What a New Administration Means for the Church.” The short answer is that it means quite a lot. […]

Bishop Glenda Curry installed as head of Episcopal Diocese of Alabama

AL.com – Alabama Life

Bishop Glenda Curry was installed Saturday, Jan. 10, as head of the Episcopal Diocese in Alabama, the first woman out of the 12 bishops to hold that office.

She succeeds retiring Episcopal Bishop John McKee “Kee” Sloan.

The ceremony of investiture was held at Cathedral Church of the Advent, with limited attendance, social distancing and required face masks. Participants gave the sign of peace by bumping elbows.

Waco’s church congregations seen as community mental health resource

Waco Tribune Herald – Waco, TX

Summary

AFRO News – Exclusive: Women Clergy talk – Video: four clergywomen who spoke about COVID, coping in a crisis and Christ…

Associated Press – Faith leaders, including Trump allies, condemn Capitol riot – Religious leaders across the political spectrum, including several staunch supporters of President Donald Trump, strongly condemned the storming of the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters…

Religious News Service – Why Christianity remains an in-person religion, even in a pandemic – The COVID-19 pandemic has been a reminder for many Christians that their worship is an in-person experience at its core. For some churches, that's meant going to court to challenge restrictions on in-person gatherings. For others, it means doing the best they can and keeping the faith till they can all be together again.

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Exclusive: Women Clergy talk

AFRO News – National

Bishop-Elect Paula Clark, the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, and Managing Editor and Publisher the Rev. Dorothy Boulware and the Rev. Dr. Frances "Toni" Draper, spoke on " Live" about their personal faith journeys, the pandemic pivot and keeping God first despite challenges.

The year 2020 was tough, but God is tougher and stronger than any pandemic. To usher in 2021, "AFRO Live" featured four clergywomen who spoke about COVID, coping in a crisis and Christ.  In a robust hour-long conversation, Bishop-elect Paula Clark, Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, and AFRO Managing Editor Rev. Dorothy Boulware and AFRO Publisher and CEO Rev. Dr. Frances "Toni" Draper, spoke in detail about their personal faith journeys, the pandemic pivot and keeping God first despite challenges. […]

Faith leaders, including Trump allies, condemn Capitol riot

Associated – Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Religious leaders across the political spectrum, including several staunch supporters of President Donald Trump, strongly condemned the storming of the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters.

The violence "is an assault on democracy and representative government," tweeted Ralph Reed, a longtime political conservative strategist who heads the Faith and Freedom Coalition.

"Resort to mob violence has no place in the life of our nation," Reed added. "It does not represent our movement or the cause of Christ."

Several pro-Trump faith leaders, while condemning Wednesday's mob, attempted to draw a parallel between protests by anti-Trump activists earlier this year, which turned occasionally violent, and the harrowing riot at the Capitol.

"Violent, anarchist behavior emanating from the far left or the far right is immoral and criminal. It should be summarily condemned — beginning with the President of the United States," said a statement from two Trump supporters, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and the Rev. Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders. […]

Why Christianity remains an in-person religion, even in a pandemic

Religious News Service- New York, NY

On Christmas Eve, members of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Tallahassee, Florida, will gather in the parking lot for a service that's part tailgate, part worship and part family reunion.

Holy Comforter has been hosting indoor worship with strict limits on attendance since the beginning of the pandemic. But at this time in the liturgical calendar and this time in the pandemic, said the Rev. Jerry Smith, rector of Holy Comforter, people need to be together.

"We're now Zoomed out. That's part of the problem," said Smith. "We don't want to sit in front of the TV screen anymore. It's not the same as being in each other's presence." […]

Summary

The Philadelphia Inquirer – Philadelphia-area Latinos had significant achievements in 2020 – The list acknowledges the talent, effort, and impact of public servants, religious leaders, community journalists…

Cordele Dispatch – Christ Episcopal Church awards scholarships to Crisp County students – The committee studies the student’s grade point average, the presentation of the application package and their needs…

The Anglican Journal – Episcopal Church pushes triennial meeting to 2022 – The U.S.-based Episcopal Church has postponed its 80th General Convention by a year, the church’s presiding officers announced Nov. 20…

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Philadelphia-area Latinos had significant achievements in 2020

The Philadelphia Inquirer – Philadelphia, Pa

In 2020, we experienced the first pandemic in the last century. We saw a new social justice movement ignited. We heard loud calls for structural reform to achieve real equality.

In the Philadelphia region, Latinos, who make up 15 percent of the population, have suffered many losses: their jobs, economic stability, and their health and wellness.

But there have been prominent milestones and firsts as well.

After speaking with local community leaders and residents, The Inquirer created a list to highlight some significant accomplishments of 11 Latinos in 2020.

The list is by no means complete. But it acknowledges the talent, effort, and impact of public servants, religious leaders, community journalists, and others. Throughout 2021, The Inquirer will continue to report on the work of Latinos in the region. […]

Christ Episcopal Church awards scholarships to Crisp County students

Cordele Dispatch – Cordele, Ga

Senobia Sanchez, left, a UGA student majoring in criminal justice and pre-law, Gabe Sanchez, a Georgia Tech student majoring in chemistry and pre-med, Jordan Lawson, a Georgia Tech student majoring in business and Noah Mercer (not pictured), a Georgia Southern student majoring in construction management were the 2020 recipients of Christ Episcopal Church’s annual Reddick-Roche scholarships. Senobia and Gabe Sanchez and Lawson graduated from Crisp County High School and Mercer graduated from Crisp Academy.

“Dennis Reddick was a parole officer in Crisp County for years and he was a member of this church,” scholarship committee chair Skip Wright said. “Nancy Roche worked at the hospital for years. Their families started the scholarships but in 2006, they turned it over to the church where Dennis was a member.” […]

Episcopal church pushes triennial meeting to 2022

The Anglican Journal – New York, NY

The U.S.-based Episcopal Church has postponed its 80th General Convention by a year, the church’s presiding officers announced Nov. 20.

In a letter to bishops and deputies, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and president of the House of Deputies the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings wrote that they had “spent the last several months riding waves of pandemic news,” Episcopal News Service reported.

Despite the news that vaccines might be approved in the near future, “it is unlikely that even highly effective vaccines and robust federal intervention would permit us to gather as many as 10,000 people safely by next summer, as we had originally planned,” the letter stated. [...]

Commission awards seminary candidate status 

Arkansas Democrat Gazette – Little Rock, AR

Jackson Theological Seminary ) at North Little Rock was awarded candidate status as a Category III institution by the TRACS (Transnational Association of Christian Schools) Accreditation Commission.

The status is effective for five years, according to a news release from the Rev. Cecil L. Williams Jr., president and chief executive officer at Jackson seminary and pastor of St. John AME Church at Pine Bluff.

Jackson seminary received the recognition earlier this year. TRACS is recognized by the United States Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education, according to the release. […]

Summary

Bham Now – 15 local clergywomen: what they’re praying for now and where you can find them this Christmas – As Christmas 2020 draws near, we found ourselves wondering about senior clergywomen…

News Channel 6 – Augusta woman creates needlepoint kneelers for Washington National Cathedral – “We’re starting with a lovely project you might call “Stitches for God…”

Daily Commercial – Amid pandemic, church finds new ways to fundraise – “Some of us recalled how for many years parishioner Jody Stokes had a little gift shop at St. James on Sundays and thought it would be the perfect way to raise funds since we couldn’t have the bazaar,” Bonnie Binneveld, the Episcopal Church Women’s President, said…
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15 local clergywomen: what they’re praying for now and where you can find them this Christmas

Bham Now – USA

As Christmas 2020 draws near, we found ourselves wondering about senior clergywomen in Birmingham: who and where are they? What did it take for them to get to where they are now? What are they praying for this holiday season? If they’re having Christmas or Christmas Eve services this year, where can people find them?

We discovered more women clergy in the Greater Birmingham area than we could possibly include. So, we pulled together a group of 15 women leaders representing eight denominations. Keep reading to meet them and find out what they had to say. […]

Augusta woman creates needlepoint kneelers for Washington National Cathedral

News Channel 6 – Augusta, GA

Nancy Hussey is a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, on the riverfront in downtown Augusta. In the 1970’s she was a docent at the Washington National Cathedral, where she learned about the wonderful works of art housed there… and the magnificent needlepoint kneelers throughout the chapel.

She’s completed more than a dozen pieces for the WNC. During the quarantine she’s finished her most recent needlepoint, honoring the late President George H. W. Bush. Other note worthy kneelers she’s completed or repaired include those honoring Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, and founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton. […]

Amid pandemic, church finds new ways to fundraise

Daily Commercial – Leesburg, FL

 St. James Episcopal Church in Leesburg traditionally holds its annual bazaar in November, but it was cancelled this year due to COVID-19.

The funds from the event usually brings the church about $20,000, which is used to support local charities throughout the following year. With no bazaar, there would be no budget for good deeds next year.

But for a group of church members, this just wouldn’t do so they created a small holiday gift shop in a vacant church room to sell gift items through the holiday season. […]

“Jingle Bells Organ” at home in a Tallahassee church

WCTV – Tallahassee, FL

One of the world’s most famous Christmas carols was written more than 150 years ago on an organ that’s now tucked away in the chapel of a Tallahassee church.

It’s a quintessential Christmas carol. Jingle Bells was written way back in the 1850′s and is still a holiday staple.

“I think it sort of appeals to nostalgia about Christmases past about when there were actually horse drawn sleighs carrying people through the snow and the tune itself is very catchy, easy to sing and easy to remember,” said FSU Professor Emeritus Michael Corzine.

“I think it’s the carol that we all learn when we are little kids,” said St. John’s Episcopal Church Music Director Betsy Calhoun, “and we have a lot of fun when we do it.”

Just off the sanctuary at St. John’s Episcopal Church downtown, sits the pipe organ on which James Pierpont composed that Christmas classic. […]

Summary

AFRO News – D.C. priest to be 13th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago – She will be the first Black person and the first woman to hold the position.

The Mountaineer – Grace Episcopal group surrounds family with love – The group have been helping a single mother and her three children who are living in the church rectory…

Episcopal News Service – Katerina Whitley’s Latest Book Debuts –  Katerina Katsarka Whitley, acclaimed Episcopal author and speaker, recounts the dramatic days leading up to—and following—the Nazi occupation of Greece. She paints a colorful portrait of the small but thriving evangelical community…

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D.C. priest to be 13th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago

AFRO News – Washington D.C.

The Rev. Canon Paula E. Clark was elected, Dec. 12, to be the thirteenth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. She will be the first Black person and the first woman to hold the position.

Clark, who currently serves as canon to the ordinary and chief of staff in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, was chosen unanimously on the fourth ballot in an election conducted on Zoom from a slate originally composed of four candidates. She received 229 clergy votes and 284 lay votes. […]

Grace Episcopal group surrounds family with love

The Mountaineer – Waynesville, NC

On a cold, Wednesday evening, 10 members at Grace in the Mountains Episcopal Church gathered on the church deck warmed by portable heaters to discuss a subject near and dear to their hearts — the EACH family the group is mentoring.

All in the group have been helping a single mother and her three children who are living in the church rectory, a place that used to be rented to provide income to cover church outreach ministries. Now the house provides a safe place to live for a family that is part of the EACH (Ending Area Childhood Homelessness) Initiative. […]

Katerina Whitley’s Latest Book Debuts

Episcopal News Service

In her latest book, Myth and Memory: My Childhood in World War II Greece, Katerina Katsarka Whitley, acclaimed Episcopal author and speaker, recounts the dramatic days leading up to—and following—the Nazi occupation of Greece. She paints a colorful portrait of the small but thriving evangelical community in Thessaloniki, the Greek city Paul addresses in his New Testament epistle, as she follows the daily life of a prominent religious family navigating their way through the war and its aftermath.

Against this backdrop, the book examines the meaning of faith and documents Whitley’s journey to an expanded understanding of Christianity that she later found in the Episcopal Church. Illustrated with photographs, maps, and excerpts from her father’s journals, the book culminates with her arrival in the United States as a college student in the 1950s. […]

Redmond Christmas shop is a very merry, one-of-a-kind experience

King 5 NBC – Redmond, WA

The Daily Star – Former church nominated for historic registers – A former church in Otsego County is among 16 properties recommended for inclusion on state and national registers of historic places…

Napa Valley Register – St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Napa hosts Operation Christmas Child holiday drive – Volunteers at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Napa recently assembled more than 300 care packages…

13 News Now – Virginia church built in the 1800s gets 1st full-time pastor – Trinity Episcopal Church in Arlington, Va. now has a full-time pastor after having to rely on different priests sent by the diocese every week for many years. “Blessed are the flexible for they won’t be bent out of shape.”

Summary

Former church nominated for historic registers

The Daily Star – Oneonta, NY

A former church in Otsego County is among 16 properties recommended for inclusion on state and national registers of historic places.

St. Stephen’s Chapel, in the crossroads hamlet of Maple Grove in the town of Morris, was built as an Episcopal church but is now a private residence.

“The nominations reflect the incredible history found in our state and the stories forged by its people,” Erik Kulleseid, commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said in a media release. “Securing this recognition will help protect and preserve such places so this history can be carried safe and intact into the future.” […]

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Napa hosts Operation Christmas Child holiday drive

Napa Valley Register – Napa, CA

Volunteers at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Napa recently assembled more than 300 care packages as part of its annual Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child holiday drive.

“Last year, we filled 252 shoeboxes,” said St. Mary’s volunteer Mary Hamler. “Even though this year was quite challenging with COVID restrictions, we were still able to fill 323 shoeboxes with love, prayers, and of course, Christmas gifts.” […]

Virginia church built in the 1800s gets 1st full-time pastor

13 News Now – Arlington, VA

“Blessed are the flexible for they won’t be bent out of shape.”

Summary

Religion & Politics – Remembering the Right Rev. Barbara Harris, the First Female Bishop in the Anglican Communion

Washingtonian – For Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, gratitude means constantly “seeking out the good.” – Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, who publicly condemned President Trump for posing with a Bible in front of St. John’s Church in June

Sun North Port – COVID-19 can’t stop Christmas, North Port fundraiser returns, ‘we love it’ – The Port Charlotte woman was, in fact, the first Christmas tree buyer Friday at St. Nathaniel’s Episcopal Church. The North Port parish had sold them for years.

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Good Book Club – The Gospel Of Mark | Epiphany 2021

Begin 2021 with the Gospel of Mark! The Good Book Club returns to read the earliest and shortest of the four gospels, starting Friday, January 1, 2021, through Shrove Tuesday, February 16.

Mark opens with words from the prophet Isaiah: “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,” and indeed the gospel itself serves as a messenger for the life and ministry of Jesus. Written around 65-75 CE, Mark proclaims the good news that Jesus is the messiah and Son of God.

The full reading list for the Gospel of Mark is on the website.

Remembering the Right Rev. Barbara Harris, the First Female Bishop in the Anglican Communion

Religion & Politics

When President Trump had protesters cleared from Lafayette Square near the White House in June, so that he could stand on the steps of St. John’s Episcopal Church and display a Bible for the cameras, he did not give the church’s clergy the opportunity to speak. Given what happened next, however, he may as well have handed them a megaphone. The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, who as Episcopal bishop of Washington is the denomination’s leading cleric of the region, suddenly had a national platform to talk about racial justice. […]

For Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, gratitude means constantly “seeking out the good.”

Washingtonian

When President Trump cleared Lafayette Square to use St. John’s as a photo op, there was a lot of anger and pain. How did you find healing and gratitude after that?

That was a very troubling period, and we were trying to be a presence of calm and solidarity and love in the midst of all that. Where the gratitude came from, for me, was the overwhelming response from people all across the country. I have stacks of cards and letters from people who were grateful for a witness who spoke of a rightful use of our sacred texts, and [who had] a willingness to hold up a different vision of who we are as a country. […]

COVID-19 can’t stop Christmas, North Port fundraiser returns, ‘we love it’

Sun North Port – Port Charlotte, FL