Welcome to our weekend roundup of stories big and small from around the church, the Communion, and beyond
Episcopal Church
VTS is doing Shark Tank, but for church entrepreneurs
https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/vts-announces-pitchtank-encouraging-church-entrepreneurship/
New bishop of El Camino Real consecrated
https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2020/01/14/lucinda-ashby-consecrated-as-bishop-of-el-camino-real-in-california/
News story on a church hosting an artist’s gallery show
http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/lifestyle/st-david-s-episcopal-church-stages-susan-stefanski-art-gallery/article_2f40a8b8-315d-11ea-882f-bfef45c29fc0.html
Two stories on the heartbreaking choice to close a parish
Heartfelt story of church closing in Queens (NYC)
https://qns.com/story/2020/01/15/sunnysides-all-saints-episcopal-church-to-close-in-february/
and
Final service in a parish in Pittsburgh where a restart following an ACNA departure failed.
https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/st-andrews-church-in-new-kensington-holds-final-service-for-its-faithful/
My diocese has a companion relationship with El Salvador, so this has been “in the air” here, but ENS has a story on the asylum application of the Bishop of El Salvador’s son.
https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2020/01/10/son-of-el-salvador-bishop-detained-by-ice-in-ohio-denied-asylum/
Space Force
The Bishop for the Armed Forces was involved in a rite to bless a bible for the new Space Force that WaPo thought was worthy of two articles
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/local-digest-religious-leaders-bless-bible-for-us-space-force/2020/01/12/0fce6110-3562-11ea-bf30-ad313e4ec754_story.html
and
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/national-cathedral-dedicates-bible-for-newly-formed-us-space-force/2020/01/12/a18a3914-357e-11ea-9541-9107303481a4_story.html
Though, apparently not everyone is pleased with the recent Space Force Bible blessing
http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=796028336
And from the WaPo, more on those put out by the blessing of the Space Force Bible at the National Cathedral
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/01/15/religious-liberty-groups-protest-cathedral-blessing-official-bible-new-us-space-force/
Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion’s delegation to the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women calls for an end to gender based violence
https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2020/01/anglican-communion-pleads-to-united-nations-for-an-end-to-gender-based-violence.aspx
Megxit
A story about Mexit, but with the obligatory reference to Bp Curry
https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/meghan-harry-clues/
Gavin Ashenden, former Queen’s chaplain who became RC, sticks his nose in
https://www.thecatholicuniverse.com/queens-former-chaplain-urges-sussexes-to-choose-duty-over-celebrity-45501
Other Interesting Items
A great and thought-provoking interview with the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor exploring the decline of church
https://www.anglicanjournal.com/coming-to-god-without-freedom-is-not-coming-to-god-charles-taylor-on-seeing-god-in-church-decline/
A very interesting article on decline within predominantly black churches and how they are addressing the issue within the larger black church
https://www.ozy.com/the-new-and-the-next/the-answer-for-elders-in-a-dying-african-american-church-integration/253225/
image: The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, left, dean of Washington National Cathedral, and the Right Rev. Carl Wright, center, the Episcopal Church’s bishop suffragan for the Armed Forces and Federal Ministries, bless a King James Bible held by Maj. Gen. Steven A. Schaick, chief of chaplains for the U.S. Air Force. (Danielle E. Thomas/Washington National Cathedral)