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Daybook -- Today is Monday, November 13, 2006.
* Today in Scripture: Daily Office meditation: http://www.forwardmovement.org/todaysreading.cfm * Today in Prayer: Anglican Cycle of Prayer: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm * Today in History: On this day in 354, Augustine of Hippo, author of Confessions and City of God, was born in Thagaste -- modern Souq Ahras, Algeria. http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/50.html
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Diocesan Digest
HAWAI'I: Outgoing bishop calls for continued transformation http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_79632_ENG_HTM.htm
OHIO: 'Grow, give, and serve,' bishop tells diocese http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_79629_ENG_HTM.htm
PENNSYLVANIA: Standing Committee files complaint against Bennison http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_79573_ENG_HTM.htm
VIRGINIA: Diocese, All Saints' Church agree on disposition of property http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_79576_ENG_HTM.htm
WEST VIRGINIA: Bishop calls for attention to Gospel, not conflict http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_79626_ENG_HTM.htm
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People
Bethlehem priest Patrick Malloy to participate in National Clergy Renewal Program http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_79579_ENG_HTM.htm
Ohio Communicator R. Stephen Gracey to join Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_79581_ENG_HTM.htm
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Mission: Building 'Green,' building community in two California dioceses
By Phina Borgeson
[ENS] The William and Mary Swing Hospitality Pavilion will be a welcome addition to the Diocese of California's retreat and conference center, Bishop's Ranch in Healdsburg, California, for a host of reasons.
"When people come here," said Sean Swift, executive director of the Bishop's Ranch, "they view proximity with nature as our greatest resource. We need to honor that. We need to minimize the impact of the building on our immediate environment and on fossil fuel consumption, as well as maximize the asset that is our natural setting."
The Ranch can accommodate 112 people, "but the largest gathering room holds 65 shoe-horned in," he added.
The pavilion design committee reviewed present and possible users, such as choir camps, a Scottish dance group, lecture series, and conferences with lots of break-out groups. This review led to plans that include flexible space with a sprung dance floor, a stage space, and good acoustics for music.
"It needs to function like a community center, and support positive interaction among those who use it," said Swift.
Architect Bob Theis, who consulted with Knight Wagner Architecture on the design, agreed. Theis, who will be addressing Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers (http://www.ecandcc.org/) at its annual meeting January 20-25, helps conference centers "organize their spaces so they function better as neighborhoods."
One part of his organizing principles is the notion of being "green."
Full story and photographs: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_79637_ENG_HTM.htm
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Catalyst: "The Epidemic: A Global History of AIDS" from HarperCollins Publishers, by Jonathan Engel, 388 pages, hardcover, c. 2006, $28.95
[Source: HarperCollins Publishers] -- From the Castro bathhouses to AZT and the denial of AIDS in South Africa, this sweeping look at AIDS covers the epidemic from all angles and across the world. Engel seamlessly weaves together science, politics, and culture, writing with an even hand, noting the excesses of the more radical edges of the ACT UP movement as well as the conservative religious leaders who thought AIDS victims deserved what they got.
The story of AIDS is one of the most compelling human dramas of our time, both in its profound tragedy and in the extraordinary scientific efforts impelled on its behalf. For gay Americans, it has been the story of the past generation, redefining the community and the community's sexuality. For the Third World, AIDS has created endless devastation, toppling economies, social structures, and whole villages and regions. And the worst may yet be to come: AIDS is expanding quickly into India, Russia, China, and elsewhere, while still raging in sub-Saharan Africa.
A distinguished medical historian, Engel lets his characters speak for themselves. Whether gay activists, government officials, public health professionals, scientists, or frightened parents of schoolchildren, they responded as best they could to tragic happenstance that emerged seemingly from nowhere.
To order: Episcopal Books and Resources online at http://www.episcopalbookstore.org or call 800-903-5544.
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