Bishop John Bryson Chane of the Diocese of Washington, which hosts Episcopal Café, recently sent the following letter to members of his diocese. The Café derives its very meager budget from the diocesan communications budget, which was significantly reduced this year. If you would like to support our work, please make an online donation here, and put the word Cafe in the box marked “dedication.”
You can read more about the Bishop’s Appeal in the Washington Window.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Times are hard. Money is tight. Yet the Bible teaches us that the Lord of loaves and fishes transforms scarcity to abundance. Your gift to the 2009 Bishop’s Appeal will allow us to bring Good News to an anxious world that has never needed to hear it more.
As William Temple, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, once observed, “The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.” Your donation helps ensure that God’s reconciling word is spoken to those who have been left discouraged and confused by the reversal in our nation’s economic fortunes.
Your gift also sustains the vigorous youth ministry that has been one of the proudest achievements of my episcopacy. Facing an uncertain future, our young people need to know that we love and value them as children of our church. The same is true for the Spanish-speaking immigrants who have become such an integral part of our community. The diocese cannot turn its back on their fledgling congregations. Nor can we retreat into silence until the time is more convenient for us to speak out. The disenfranchised everywhere need to know that they are welcome in our churches; and that we stand for justice and equality – in the Anglican Communion, in our country, and in our world.
With your help, we can do what we are called upon to do in times of crisis: reach out to others, sharing our faith, the strength of our tradition, and the reassurance of the God who clothes the lilies…and makes sidewalks bloom.
In Christ’s Peace, Power and Love,
Bishop John Bryson Chane