Episcopal Life Daily January 9, 2008
Episcopal Life Online is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.
Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:
* TOP STORY - 'A home where God is': San Juan Capistrano church offers do-it-yourself blessing kits * TOP STORY - Dan Edwards consecrated as 10th bishop of Nevada * DIOCESAN DIGEST - SOUTHERN VIRGINIA: Church doubles in size after members raise nearly $600,000 * DIOCESAN DIGEST - VIRGINIA: Diocese increases credit line to protect Church's property for mission * WORLD REPORT - CANADA: Archbishop Hiltz clarifies Canadian situation for fellow Primates * WORLD REPORT - INDIA: Churches say they can't get access to Orissa violence victims * PEOPLE - British queen honors Anglican theologian and ecumenical leader Mary Tanner * PEOPLE - In Philadelphia, Carol Moseley Braun to speak at St. Thomas' King Celebration * PEOPLE - Joseph Constant to head Ethnic Ministries at Virginia Theological Seminary * SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS - First Sunday After the Epiphany/Baptism of Our Lord - Year A [RCL] * DAYBOOK - Thursday, January 10, 2008: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History * CATALYST - What We Do in Lent: A Child's Activity Book
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TOP STORIES
'A home where God is': San Juan Capistrano church offers do-it-yourself blessing kits
By Pat McCaughan
[Episcopal News Service] Jason and Tracy Engel's San Juan Capistrano home hadn't been blessed before Epiphany Sunday but on January 6 they moved from room to room with a do-it-yourself kit from their church.
For 10-year-old Sarah, who lingered a few additional seconds over Sparkle Jr., Marie and Martha, her fish, taking charge of the bright blue vial of holy water was especially fun but also very serious. "Fr. Rob talked about the difference between believing and beholding in his sermon today," she recalled.
"He said this is a time we could bless our home, so in the next year before we do it again, we remember that this is a home where God is."
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_93425_ENG_HTM.htm
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Dan Edwards consecrated as 10th bishop of Nevada
[Episcopal Diocese of Nevada] Episcopal bishops, local interfaith leaders, native American "smudgers" and drummers, choirs and churchgoers from throughout Nevada gathered January 5 to participate in the consecration of Dan Thomas Edwards as the 10th bishop of Nevada. The celebration at the Henderson Convention Center was led by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori who served as Nevada's ninth bishop.
The celebration began with a litany, written by Edwards, which recalled the visionary leadership of the late bishop Wesley Frensdorff, seventh bishop of Nevada, who "planted the seeds for the vibrant, diverse and life affirming ministries that can be found in Episcopal congregations large and small around the state," a diocesan news release said.
Bishops participating in Edwards' consecration were: Kirk Smith of Arizona; Neil Alexander of Atlanta; Jerry Lamb, retired of Northern California, who has been assisting in Nevada for the past year; Robert M. Anderson, Assistant of Los Angeles; Harry B. Bainbridge, III, of Idaho; Barry L. Beisner of Northern California; Michael Garrison of Western New York, a former priest in Las Vegas; Carolyn T. Irish of Utah; Bavi (Nedi) E. Rivera, Suffragan of Olympia; and James E. Waggoner, Jr., of Spokane.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_93427_ENG_HTM.htm
More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife
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DIOCESAN DIGEST
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA: Church doubles in size after members raise nearly $600,000 http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_93483_ENG_HTM.htm
VIRGINIA: Diocese increases credit line to protect Church's property for mission http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_93486_ENG_HTM.htm
More Diocesan news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_ENG_HTM.htm
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WORLD REPORT
CANADA: Archbishop Hiltz clarifies Canadian situation for fellow Primates http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_93491_ENG_HTM.htm
INDIA: Churches say they can't get access to Orissa violence victims http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_93424_ENG_HTM.htm
More World news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_ENG_HTM.htm
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PEOPLE
British queen honors Anglican theologian and ecumenical leader Mary Tanner
[Ecumenical News International, London] Mary Tanner, one of the eight presidents of the World Council of Churches, is to receive one of the highest honors given by the British monarch in the Queen's New Year's honors list.
Tanner, an Anglican theologian, is to be created a Dame of the Order of the British Empire, or DBE, for "services to the worldwide Anglican church." The title will be formally conferred by Queen Elizabeth II or the Prince of Wales at a Buckingham Palace investiture later in the year.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_93430_ENG_HTM.htm
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In Philadelphia, Carol Moseley Braun to speak at St. Thomas' King Celebration
[Episcopal News Service] The Honorable Carol Moseley Braun, former United States Senator from Illinois and 2004 democratic candidate for president of the United States, will be the guest speaker for the annual Martin L. King Celebration on Sunday, January 13 at 10 a.m. at the historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, Philadelphia.
An Episcopalian, Moseley Braun was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand from 1999-2001. She was the first African American female to serve in the United States Senate.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_93422_ENG_HTM.htm
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Joseph Constant to head Ethnic Ministries at Virginia Theological Seminary
[Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia] The Rev. Joseph Constant has been named director of Ethnic Ministries and Student Life at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS). Since beginning at VTS in January of 2005, Constant has proven a key leader in building up and advancing the Seminary's Racial and Ethnic Diversity Initiative that began in 2002. Constant's tireless work has ensured the commitment to racial and ethnic diversity is now firmly established in the academic, communal and spiritual life of the Seminary, a VTS news release said.
"Joseph is a dedicated leader and a fine pastor," said the Rev. Dr. Margaret McNaughton-Ayers, associate dean for Admissions and Community Life at VTS. "He is gifted in the ministries of reconciliation, pastoral care, and in developing new relationships throughout the church. His initiatives in creating conferences and events have advanced the mission for racial and ethnic diversity at VTS on every level."
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_93420_ENG_HTM.htm
More People: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_ENG_HTM.htm
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SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS
First Sunday After the Epiphany/Baptism of Our Lord - Year A [RCL] Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
By Anthony F.M. Clavier
[Sermons That Work] "Covenant" is an interesting word. Mind you Episcopalians hear so much about the "Baptismal Covenant" nowadays that it is in danger of becoming one of those pious slogans often used and seldom contemplated.
When The Book of Common Prayer was revised in the 1970s, some of the leading thinkers in our church were developing a new emphasis on baptism and its place in our faith. A new emphasis doesn't mean something newly invented. In the sixteenth century some of our Anglican reformers who had spent time in exile in Switzerland eating chocolate and cheese and listening to a preacher called John Calvin came home and talked and preached a lot about Covenant. Anglicans were reminded that all are called into God's new world.
Even then there was nothing new about it all. The Old and New Testaments are full of language about God's agreement with human beings. Of course the word "testament" means "covenant" and the word "covenant" is something like our word "will." The only difference is that God isn't dead, and we still get to inherit. In a manner we can't fathom, a manner that makes us gasp with mental pain, we know that Jesus sealed this covenant when he died on the cross "for our sins and for the sins of the whole world."
Full reflection: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_93478_ENG_HTM.htm
More Spiritual Reflections:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm
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DAYBOOK
On Thursday, January 10, 2008, the Church calendar remembers William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury (1573-1645).
* Today in Scripture: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm * Today in Prayer: Anglican Cycle of Prayer: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm * Today in History: On January 10, 1739, George Whitefield, preacher credited with starting America's first Great Awakening, was ordained an Anglican priest.
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CATALYST
"What We Do in Lent: A Child's Activity Book" from Church Publishing, Inc., by Anne E. Kitch, 48 pages, paperback, c. 2007, $8
[Source: Church Publishing, Inc.] Filled with interactive puzzles, color-by-number pages, word finds, mazes, and more, this fun-filled activity book can help children ages 4 to 7 grow to a deeper understanding of the true meaning of the holy season of Lent. Draw the loaves and fishes Jesus used to feed the multitude, help Jesus find his way through the desert, and follow Jesus on the way of the cross -- this book is a treasure trove for children and their families.
With more than 40 activities, a glossary, and a guide filled with tips and suggestions, What We Do in Lent is a great resource for parenting in the pews.
To order: Episcopal Books and Resources, online at http://www.episcopalbookstore.org, or call 800-903-5544 -- or visit your local Episcopal bookseller, http://www.episcopalbooksellers.org
More Catalyst: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/83842_ENG_HTM.htm