The Durham News carries a story about the how divisive issues in the Episcopal Church show up in Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Duke University.
One vignette:
Director Jo Bailey Wells recalls a friendship between two students that highlights the conflict. Lauren Kilbourn and Andrew Rowell had sought each other out at AEHS, hoping to better understand each other’s opinions. Kilbourn, a lesbian in a committed relationship, supports the ordination of gay clergy. Rowell adheres to conservative views of homosexuality. For a year they met weekly for coffee and prayer.
“Each of them at times during the year shared with me how much it meant to them and how much they respected the other,” Wells said. “At the same time each of them during the year shared with me how completely painful it was and how they didn’t want the other to see how much they cried in light of some of their conversations.”One night, at a church service in Goodson Chapel, Rowell was serving as chalice bearer when Kilbourn approached him during communion. They had argued the night before, and Kilbourn wondered if Rowell would offer her the wine. Rowell confided to Wells that he had wondered as well.
“What do I do with this cup? And then I realized it’s not my cup; it’s not for me to choose who is fit to receive the blood of Christ, so I gave it to her,” Wells recalled Rowell telling her.
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