wfn.org | ACNS DIGEST 06 May 2005

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

The following is a roundup of the recent ACNS Digest stories, with
reports from ACO, the US and Lambeth Palace. The ACNS Digest can be
found here:

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm

(368) 06-May-2005 - New Cathedral in Diocese of Central Gulf Coast - USA

(Episcopal News Service) A service of Holy Eucharist was held at Christ
Church Cathedral, Mobile, Alabama April 23 to celebrate the seating of
Bishop Philip M. Duncan, II, of the Central Gulf Coast and the
installation of the Rev. Johnny Cook as first dean of the Cathedral.

More than 50 clergy participated in the service, including a delegation
representing the Downtown Mobile Ecumenical Council. Following the
Bishop's sermon, Dr. James F. Walters, pastor of First Baptist Church
and senior member of the Downtown Ecumenical Council, and the Most Rev.
Oscar Lipscomb, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile,
addressed a congregation of about 725. A reception and luncheon on the
grounds followed the service.

Established in 1822, Christ Church is the oldest Episcopal church in the
Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast and the oldest in the State of
Alabama. In 1830, Christ Church hosted the organising of the Diocese of
Alabama. Located within a few blocks of the riverfront, the rebuilt
historic Fort Conde, the central business district and the Mobile
City/County Government Plaza, Christ Church has an active ministry in
the community and hosts various events throughout the year for those
working and/or living downtown.

At its 34th annual convention February 17-19, the diocese had approved,
with the agreement of the bishop, the rector and vestry of Christ Church
and the standing committee of the diocese, a resolution and subsequent
canon that established the first cathedral for the diocese.

Web site: http://www.stpaulsdaphne.org/diocesetrialsite/index2.html

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(367) 06-May-2005 - Archbishop's Christian-Muslim initiative continues
in Sarajevo - Lambeth

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is to convene the
fourth 'Building Bridges' seminar in Sarajevo later this month.

The conference will run from May 16th-18th and is being co-hosted by the
Rais al-Ulama Dr Mustafa Ceric, Metropolitan Nikolaj, and Cardinal Vinko
Puljic. The meeting will be chaired by Dr Williams.

As previously, Christian and Muslim scholars from across the world will
hold detailed discussions over three days. This year speakers will focus
on Christians, Muslims and the Common Good, seeking to understand how
their traditions and beliefs inform their approach to public life.

Dr Williams said that he hoped the conference would build on the work of
previous gatherings:

'Muslims and Christians share space with each other, literally and in
the more extended sense that they seek to understand the world in the
context of Gods purpose. We need to share with each other how we
approach this challenge, so that we can find what our shared hopes and
goals might be.'

As with the previous three gatherings, it is hoped that an account of
the deliberations will be published in book form.

Notes for editors:

A full list of participants and further details of the programme will be
published next week.

The first Building Bridges seminar was hosted at Lambeth Palace by Dr
George Carey when Archbishop of Canterbury in January 2002. The
proceedings of this seminar, for which Muslim and Christian scholars
gathered for a wide-ranging theological dialogue, were published as The
Road Ahead (Church House Publishing, ISBN 0-7151-5002-2).

The second seminar was convened by Dr Rowan Williams and hosted by the
Amir of Qatar and held in Doha in April 2003. These proceedings were
published as Scriptures in Dialogue (Church House Publishing, ISBN
0-7151-4012-4).

The third seminar in the series took place last March in Washington DC,
convened by Dr Williams and hosted by Dr John J DeGioia, the President
of Georgetown University. These proceedings were published as Bearing
the Word (Church House Publishing, ISBN 0-7151-4050-7).

ENDS

Lambeth Palace press office:
Tel: 0207 898 1280 / 1200
Fax: 0207 261 1765
www.archbishopofcanterbury.org

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(366) 29-April-2005 - Episcopal Peace Group Expands Program and Outreach
- USA

Citing the initial success of its 65th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign,
the Episcopal Peace Fellowship is expanding peace training and outreach
to young people. The EPF's governing national executive council voted to
offer more Creative Peacemaking training sessions for Episcopal teens
and adults by adding staff.

'Our fund raising effort begun last November on our 65th anniversary has
made it possible for us to hire someone to coordinate our training
program,' said Ms. Janet Chisholm, chair of EPF's executive council. 'We
have received 144 pledges totaling $136,000 that we were excited to be
able to make this leap of faith,' said the Rev. Gary Commins, vice-chair
of the executive council. 'We will also be adding staff to coordinate
EPF regional gatherings, peace events, and participation in delegations
to areas of conflict.'

The 'Passion for Peace' pledge campaign was launched last Nov. 11, in an
effort to further the mission of EPF. Its main goals are to make peace
training available to more groups and to reach out to younger members of
the church and offer them a chance to experience the Creative
Peacemaking training.

'The training is not only about protesting against war,' said Chisholm.
'It is about changing our culture from its addiction to violence to
living into the active peacemaking that Jesus modeled in his life,' she
said.

The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church USA at its February
meeting threw its support behind the peace training. The council passed
a resolution commending to the whole church EPF's Creative Peacemaking
urging dioceses and congregations to consider 'how such training might
help Episcopalians address the culture of violence in their homes, their
workplaces, their congregations and our society at large.'

The EPF was founded by Bishop Paul Jones, other Episcopal clergy and lay
people, on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1939. It has 45 chapters in 32
Episcopal dioceses. Part of the EPF's mission is to 'encourage all
Episcopalians to strive for justice and peace among all people and to
bear nonviolent witness to Christ's call to peace. As a community we are
dedicated to discovering and practicing the biblical concept of peace.'

More information about EPF and its Creative Peacemaking is available on
the web at

www.episcopalpeacefellowship.org

Media contact: Jackie Lynn
Episcopal Peace Fellowship
637 S. Dearborn St.
Chicago, IL 60605
312-922-8628/ Fax 312-922-8637
epfnational@ameritech.net

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(365) 27-April-2005 - Note from the editor - ACO
Michael Craske will be leaving his post at the Anglican Communion
Secretariat as of 27 April 2005. He will be greatly missed and his work
has been much appreciated by many in the office and around our
Communion. We wish him well in his new post.

NB: Starting from 29 April 2005, ACNS will be updated each Friday and
the digest will continue to meet the needs for special or urgent
releases. We urge you to visit our website daily.  I ask you to watch
for the announcement of press registration for ACC in Nottingham in June
and the launch of the ARCIC document on Mary in mid-May.

Eastertide greetings to you all

Jim Rosenthal
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(364) 27-April-2005 - The Anglican Communion's Environmental Network -
USA

World Wide Anglican Green Force

Rising sea levels, droughts and climate changes were among the issues
considered by delegates at the inaugural meeting of the Anglican
Communion's Environmental Network in Canberra, Australia, last week.

The Network, which currently includes representatives of over 20 of the
Communion's 38, provinces has been established at the instigation of the
Anglican Consultative Council (ACC).

The meeting hosted by Rt Revd George Browning, Bishop of Canberra and
organised in association with the Communion's UN Observer's Office,
enabled delegates to report on issues affecting their individual
provinces, report on local initiatives both underway and planned, and
included presentations by leading Australian experts including Professor
Ian Lowe and Professor Peter Cullen.

The Anglican Environmental Network aims to provide the Anglican
Communion with support, encouragement and expertise to enable churches
and church organisations to take positive action including auditing,
training and theological education to ensure all levels of the Church
follow good environmental practice and awareness.

Organisers are anxious that the Network will eventually represent all
provinces of the Communion to ensure that the Church, both in developing
and developed countries, takes its environmental responsibilities to new
levels of understanding and action to help fulfill the Communion's fifth
Mark of Mission.

For Further information:

Anglican Communion Environmental Network Communications:
David Shreeve: davidshreeve@conservationfoundation.co.uk; tel: +44
(0)207 591 3111
The Revd Ken Gray: adventpr@telus.net tel: + 1 250 474 3031
The Rt Revd George Browning: george.browning@anglican.org.au

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