Historically we have been encouraged to think for ourselves. It was never required that our honestly-held beliefs comport with those of our priest, bishop, presiding bishop or even the archbishop of Canterbury.
Religion and Ethics Newsweekly visits St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Bethesda, Md.
Here is our weekly collection plate of a few of the good things that Episcopalians and their congregations have done that made the news this past week. And other news fit to print. There seems to be a lot of good stuff going on in Michigan.
There are 1.5 million pairs of shoes sitting idle in American closets. St. Mary’s Episcopal Church aims to put the ones in eastern North Carolina onto the feet of needy people.
This week the Alban Institute is featuring a resource and discussion on how clergy can effectively minister in congregations experiencing significant anxiety about their future.
If you’re a layperson in a congregation that’s experiencing decline, whether the congregation thrives is ultimately up to you and the other members. Your pastor can teach, guide, lead, support, inspire, even cajole. But in the end, congregational health is a function of how people in the congregation relate to one another, to God, and to their community.
Perhaps owing to its location, the church’s congregation is diverse. “It’s straight, gay, Republican, Democrat, rich, poor, homeless, Latino, Anglo and kind of everybody,” Knisely says. “And they’re very generous.” ~~Dean Knisely
Tough times call for creative solutions. A Texas congregation has responded to local needs by inviting people who need to do so, to help themselves to the offering plate as it passes by them.
Episcopal Life Online reports “..after meeting in a local community center for two and a half years, members of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Fallbrook
But both sides will be back in Judge Larry Schwartz’s courtroom today to argue when Grace Church & St. Stephen’s CANA should be off the premises. Martin Nussbaum, attorney for the diocese, wants CANA out by April 1, a date that Schwartz initially OK’d. Gregory Walta, attorney for the CANA congregation, filed a motion Tuesday asking it be given until at least April 7