wfn.org | Episcopalians: News Briefs

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

November 13, 2002

2002-261

Episcopalians: News Briefs

Casual dress plan for Anglican vicars thrown out 

(Reuters)  The Church of England's governing body on November 13 
threw out proposals to change its strict dress code for clergy 
that raised the possibility of clergy carrying out certain 
church duties in jeans and T-shirts. Modernizers felt ordained 
Anglican ministers would benefit by appearing less formal, 
without having to wear items like the surplice. But bishops and 
clergy on the church's General Synod gave a resounding thumbs 
down to proposals to amend church law to allow them to dress 
more casually. 

"It was thought to be a minority issue. Not many were in 
favor of it to start with," a Church of England spokesman told 
Reuters. The spokesman said that had the proposal been approved 
the "wonderful picture of vicars in jeans and T-shirts" would 
probably have been unlikely for 99 percent of the time. But he 
added, "There might well be special services for a particular 
group where the dress might have been more casual." 

The change to a vicar's outfit was the latest attempt by more 
liberal members to update what they see as the church's staid 
image, provoking a strong reaction from traditionalists. "There 
are fairly strong views on both sides. There are those who feel 
that wearing a special uniform, robes and so on, acts as a 
barrier between those exercising ministry and those to whom they 
wish to administer," the spokesman said. "The contrary view is 
that it's handy to have a uniform because it's actually quite 
useful to know who's doing what." 

Mayor says no to homeless camp at Episcopal church

(ENS) A California mayor has withdrawn support for a temporary 
homeless shelter at an Episcopal church and the City Council 
unanimously voted to ask the city of El Cajon, near San Diego, 
to pursue an injunction against the camp.

The camp began with three people in sleeping bags, but a growing 
number of homeless, including families with up to six children, 
have slept at the church. One homeless person said that the camp 
has grown to 33 tents. Others estimated that more than 100 
people can be found at the camp. 

City Attorney Morgan Foley said he would seek a preliminary 
court injunction for health, safety, noise and other municipal 
code violations at the St. Alban's Episcopal Church homeless 
camp. Three weeks ago, the City Council directed Foley to wait 
one week before taking action. On the day of the deadline, Mayor 
Mark Lewis said he supported plans for the church-run shelter. 

On November 12, Lewis opened discussion at a City Council 
meeting amid indications that he didn't have enough votes on the 
council to approve using 4,500 square feet of surplus portable 
classrooms for a 100-bed shelter at the church. 

Lewis, calling the camp "visual pollution" and a "business 
killer in any area," said he changed his mind because the 
shelter would help no more than 100 people and the city's 
approval process would take too long. Lewis said he would rather 
use motel vouchers immediately to house the city's homeless 
population. 

The Rev. John Conrad, rector of St. Alban's, said any voucher 
money would dry up quickly while housing 100 people per night. 
He said he could have the church-run shelter open in two weeks, 
and that if the council wouldn't approve a shelter at the 
church, it should provide other property in a more suitable 
area. Conrad said he would consult his own attorney before 
taking his next step at St. Alban's. He called the two-hour 
public hearing "a discussion that needed to be held," but added, 
"We are where we started."

Religious groups ask consumers and automakers 'What would 
Jesus drive?'

(Washington Post) The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), a 
"biblically orthodox" nonprofit, is launching ads urging 
consumers and automakers to start thinking of gas mileage as an 
ethical statement, noting that auto emissions are significantly 
contributing to climate change. The "What would Jesus drive?" ad 
campaign will target four states with a heavy evangelical 
presence: Iowa, Indiana, Missouri and North Carolina.

"Most people don't think the kind of car they drive has anything 
to do with their faith," said the Rev. Jim Ball, who directs the 
organization. "We want to show them it does."

EEN, formed in 1994, successfully demonstrated its clout back in 
1996 with a $1 million crusade to save the Endangered Species 
Act from an attempted rollback by Republican House members. The 
network took out TV, radio and print ads, mailed "Let the Earth 
Be Glad" kits to 33,000 evangelical churches, and led other 
religious and secular groups in the effort to rescue the law.

Ball anticipates spending up to $65,000 on the upcoming blitz, 
supported by the Energy Foundation, based in San Francisco. He 
is also planning events on college campuses and a "Creation 
Sunday" celebration in the spring with the same theme.

"Jesus wants his followers to drive the least-polluting, most 
efficient vehicle that truly meets their needs--though first he 
might look at other ways to get around." Ball said. "He'd 
definitely be in favor of us taking public transportation."

The national campaign may be going against the consumer tide 
because gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks and 
minivans outsold cars for the first time in the United States 
last year. But the endeavor is part of a broader effort by some 
religious leaders in recent years to make ethical stands on 
environmental issues. Now the climate campaign is turning its 
attention to transportation. On November 17, congregations in 15 
states plan to coordinate events including press conferences 
with elected officials, sermons on fuel efficiency and displays 
of hybrid electric autos in their parking lots.

Later this month, the campaign will send mailings to 100,000 
Jewish and Christian congregations and synagogues, discussing 
the relationship of fuel economy to religious teachings about 
stewardship and justice. Additionally, some 50,000 e-mails will 
be sent to individual churchgoers, giving them an opportunity to 
send a message to automobile manufacturers.

The pressure on automakers is intended to culminate on November 
20, when mainline Christian and Jewish groups and the 
evangelical environmentalists hold their joint press conference 
in Detroit. National Council of Churches General Secretary Bob 
Edgar has asked chief executives of the "Big Three" automakers 
for a meeting that day to begin "a new conversation about cars 
and their impact on global sustainability, security, health, and 
justice."

Moravian-Episcopal dialogue discusses ministry at Wisconsin 
meeting

(ENS) In its fifth meeting in the triennium, the 
Moravian-Episcopal dialogue continued its discussion on how the 
three-fold ministry of bishops, presbyters and deacons functions 
in each church. The Moravian Church, part of the worldwide 
community known as the Unitas Fratrum (Unity of the Brethren), 
traces an episcopal succession to 1467 and has maintained the 
three-fold ministry. Moravians history goes back to the 
pre-Reformation faith of Jan Hus and their first missionaries to 
America came to Georgia in 1735.

The dialogue received reports from the semi-autonomous 
Northern and Southern Provincial Synods of the Moravian Church 
in America which met last summer and approved a resolution on 
Interim Eucharistic Sharing with the Episcopal Church. In 
response, the Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations of the 
Episcopal Church approved a similar resolution and will take it 
to the General Convention next summer.

The dialogue participants also focused on areas of 
cooperation and joint witness where the two churches are already 
engaged. Next February a major meeting in North Carolina will 
bring together Episcopalians, Lutherans and Moravians to look at 
ways to facilitate joint mission and witness in the future and 
take stock of what is already happening. Future meetings will 
look at how the two churches develop and implement their global 
mission strategies. Bishop Gary Gloster of North Carolina, 
Episcopal co-chair of the dialogue, is coordinating areas of 
joint social witness.

The major focus for the dialogue in coming months, leading up 
to the General Convention, will be to disseminate information 
about the Moravian Church to Episcopalians. A comprehensive 
resource packet, for example, is being assembled for bishops and 
deputies.

"The dialogue is heading towards a second phase," said Dr. 
Thomas Ferguson, associate deputy for the Episcopal Church's 
office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. "We have done a 
lot of the introductory theological work in the last three years 
and now look forward to a period of Interim Eucharistic Sharing 
as we begin to live into a new relationship. It's an exciting 
time, especially for these two churches that express themselves 
largely in terms of how we worship. We have so much to learn 
from one another."

Lutherans seeking advice on authorizing lay ministry

(ELCA) The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran 
Church in America (ELCA) has asked its ministry and worship 
staff for a process to study and discuss issues related to 
authorized lay ministry and ordained ministry.

The discussion was prompted by resolutions from the church's 
Southwestern Synod and Allegheny Synod, asking the church for 
guidance on "lay presidency," allowing laity to preside at Holy 
Communion, especially in light of growing needs for alternative 
leadership in worship. The church's constitution allows laity to 
perform official church functions as long as a bishop authorizes 
them but practices vary among the 65 synods. There are 575 
synodically authorized lay ministers in addition to the church's 
17,425 active and retired pastors, according to ELCA Secretary 
Lowell Almen.

Bishop Donald McCoid of Pittsburgh, who chairs the Conference 
of Bishops, said that the bishops "needed to find a time to look 
at what our practices are, what our questions are and how we can 
address this issue that's really important to the ministry of 
the whole church. "The matter before us is not only who presides 
at the table, but who stands in the pulpit and who stands at the 
font," added the Rev. Craig Settlage, associate executive 
director of the church's Division for Ministry. 

The issue is important for churches with small membership and 
few finances for ordained clergy. The number of congregations in 
the ELCA with fewer than 50 at worship each week rose from 1,935 
in 1988 to 2,339 in 2001, Settlage said. Similar numbers were 
reported for congregations without a called pastor. In 1988, 
when the ELCA was formed, there were 1,153 congregations without 
a pastor, compared with 2,456 in 2001. 

Bishop Philip Hougen of the Southeastern Iowa Synod said that 
a churchwide policy on lay presidency has ecumenical 
implications. "The Episcopal Church is looking for us to be an 
ally in limiting lay presidency," he said. "It is problematic 
for the Episcopal Church." Bishop Steven Ullestad of the 
Northeastern Iowa Synod said, "This is not a congregational 
issue, it's a church issue. The office of ministry is given to 
the church, not to an individual." He said that the church needs 
flexible guidelines for authorized lay ministers that uphold the 
policies of the church.

Pioneering ecumenical declaration serving as benchmark for 
other churches

(ENI) After 10 years, a landmark declaration adopted by British 
and Irish Anglicans and Nordic and Baltic Lutheran churches is 
continuing to influence ecumenical development in other parts of 
the world, according to one of its authors, Dean John Arnold of 
Durham Cathedral in England.

Arnold said that the Porvoo Statement, named for the city in 
Finland where it was adopted in 1992 and inaugurated in 1996, 
has stimulated similar agreements in North America and also a 
unity covenant currently being considered in England by the 
Anglicans and the Methodists. The Porvoo statement provides for 
full intercommunion among the churches, including the acceptance 
of one another's bishops, priest and deacons without 
reordination. The signatories also pledged to "regard baptized 
members of all our churches as members of our own."

"Methodists in England observed Porvoo and were encouraged to 
try again to resume links with the Church of England," Arnold 
said. "Porvoo has influenced similar agreements in the United 
States and Canada, and at the international level helped to 
promote links between the Lutheran World Federation and the 
Anglican Communion." He predicted that the next breakthrough in 
relations between Anglicans and Lutherans would be in Africa.

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