Episcopal Church
The diocese of South Dakota was informed that Bishop-Elect Jonathan H. Folts has received the required majority of consents in the canonical consent process.
https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/diocese-of-south-dakota-notified-of-successful-canonical-consent-process/
I think of myself as being pretty involved in the church and reasonably knowledgeable, but undiscovered tidbits continually pop up, like this group All Our Children. I wish I’d known about them at my last parish where education was our primary outreach ministry; but alas now this ministry is at its end.
https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/all-our-children-ceasing-operations-and-announcing-new-grants-for-episcopal-affiliated-education-advocacy-programs/
CoE General Synod
The Church of England just met in General Synod. Some highlights were an announced expansion of Fresh Expression efforts, Official recognition of religious communities (think monks and nuns) largely prompted by Safeguarding concerns, a small change to how bishops are nominated, and the CoE/Methodist dialog hit some snags
It also made a splash with the introduction of collection plates with built in credit card readers
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/07/contactless-collection-plates-used-york-minster-first-time/
Daily Roundups from Thinking Anglicans
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Bishop of Coventry on the CoE/Methodist dialogue
https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/church-of-england-methodist-unite-16553604
And Meanwhile Elsewhere in the UK…
So, apparently the “spiritual abuse” Andy Lines, the ACNA/GAFCON bishop to the UK suffered was naked spanking by a priest named Jonathan Fletcher, who is a bigwig in English evangelical circles. Church Times has a good article but it’s behind a paywall
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/5-july/news/uk/fletcher-faces-allegations-of-naked-beatings
Thinking Anglicans though, has an excellent roundup of the various threads in this story
https://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/two-cases-of-abuse-involving-evangelical-anglicans/
Canada
General Synod in Canada is underway
https://www.anglicanjournal.com/we-are-called-to-something-greater/
Anglican Communion
A Nigerian archbishop has called on the president of that country to resign. Talk about getting political in the pulpit!
https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/just-in-why-president-buhari-must-resign-now-anglican-archbishop.html
LGBT+ inclusion in southern Africa at a conference in Durban, SA
https://city-press.news24.com/News/freedom-for-all-will-the-church-ever-accept-queers-20190711
Interesting Items from outside the Episco-Anglican world
A really interesting article on the low state of the sacraments in the evangelical world from an evangelical Anglican in Illinois
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/july-web-only/whatever-happened-to-communion-baptism.html
The RC Ordinariate (remember those?) in Australia has a new leader
https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/monsignor-carl-reid-to-be-installed-as-new-head-of-ordinariate/
image: church of England General Synod, held in York – photo from CoE website