Episcopal Life Daily March 12, 2008
Episcopal Life Online is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.
Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:
* TOP STORY - House of Bishops deposes Schofield; San Joaquin special convention set for March 29 * TOP STORY - San Joaquin diocese asked to consider Jerry Lamb as provisional bishop * TOP STORY - House of Bishops issues statements, resolution * PEOPLE - 'Great Debater' Henrietta Bell Wells dies at 96 * TEACHING - Washington National Cathedral to celebrate week of racial reconciliation and justice * SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS - Palm Sunday - Year A [RCL] * DAYBOOK - March 13, 2008: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History * CATALYST - Climate Change Begins at Home: Life on the Two-Way Street of Global Warming
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TOP STORIES
House of Bishops deposes Schofield; San Joaquin special convention set for March 29
By Pat McCaughan
[Episcopal News Service] The House of Bishops on March 12 officially deposed Bishop John-David Schofield of San Joaquin, sparking a range of emotions and long-awaited relief and a renewed commitment to rebuilding a strong and vital Episcopal Church in California's Central Valley.
"I am very pleased that the House of Bishops has acted with integrity, following the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church (TEC)," said the Rev. Mark Hall, rector of St. Anne's Church in Stockton, where a new diocesan headquarters has been established. "We recognize that we've had some people not following the Constitution and Canons and that's not been helpful for the diocese and the church," he added.
For Nancy Key, co-founder of Remain Episcopal, an organization of continuing Episcopalians, the news, though expected, brought both relief and sadness.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_95624_ENG_HTM.htm
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San Joaquin diocese asked to consider Jerry Lamb as provisional bishop
Retired bishop of Northern California brings experience from neighboring diocese
By staff
[Episcopal News Service] Bishop Jerry A. Lamb -- retired bishop of Northern California and most recently interim bishop of Nevada -- has been recommended by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to serve as provisional bishop of the Central California Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin.
Lamb can begin work in this capacity after ratification by the diocese's convention, set to meet March 29 in Lodi, California.
The convention follows the House of Bishops' March 12 vote consenting to the deposition of San Joaquin's previous bishop, John-David Schofield, who is confirmed by the church-wide Title IV Review Committee to have abandoned communion of The Episcopal Church.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_95616_ENG_HTM.htm
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House of Bishops issues statements, resolution
[Episcopal News Service] The House of Bishops, during its business session on Wednesday afternoon, March 12, approved a statement concerning the upcoming Lambeth Conference and a resolution calling for an end to "waterboarding" torture. The bishops, meeting at Camp Allen in Texas, also issued a statement concerning the House's morning actions of consenting to the deposition of John-David Schofield and William Cox.
The House of Bishops statement on Schofield, Cox is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_95615_ENG_HTM.htm
The House of Bishops statement on the Lambeth Conference is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_95614_ENG_HTM.htm
The House of Bishops resolution on 'waterboarding' is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_95613_ENG_HTM.htm
More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife
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PEOPLE
'Great Debater' Henrietta Bell Wells dies at 96
[Episcopal News Service] Henrietta Pauline Bell Wells, the last surviving member of the 1930 Wiley College debate team that participated in the first interracial collegiate debate in the United States, died on February 27 in Baytown, Texas. She was 96.
Wells, a longtime member of St. James' Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas, was the only woman and freshmen of the Wiley College debate team coached by Melvin B. Tolson. Wiley College was a small liberal arts college in Marshall, Texas, founded a half century earlier by the Methodist Episcopal Church to educate "newly freed men." The team's story was portrayed in the 2007 movie "The Great Debaters."
In a recent Episcopal Life Online interview, Wells said she urged Academy-award winning actor Denzel Washington to star as Tolson in the movie. "He [Washington] just wanted to direct the movie," Wells said. "But I told him he was perfect for the part of Mr. Tolson -- and if he wasn't the star, he would lose a lot of people."
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_95612_ENG_HTM.htm
More People: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_ENG_HTM.htm
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TEACHING
Washington National Cathedral to celebrate week of racial reconciliation and justice
[Episcopal News Service] On March 30, nearly 40-years to the day that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his last Sunday sermon at the Washington National Cathedral, a week of free public events celebrating King's ministry and legacy will begin at the cathedral.
King preached his sermon "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution," to an overflow crowd of more than 3,000 people at the cathedral on March 31, 1968. In it he recalled the story of Rip Van Winkle and his misfortune of sleeping through a period of great social change and compared his obliviousness to changes occurring in 1968, and the failure of people to develop new awareness and attitudes that "current" situations demand.
He also said that a triple revolution of technology, nuclear weaponry and human rights faced the nation and world. He was assassinated four days later on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/78650_95619_ENG_HTM.htm
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SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS
Palm Sunday - Year A [RCL]
Psalm 31:9-16; Isaiah 50:4-9a ; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 26:14- 27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54
By Amy Richter
[Sermons That Work] Today's gospel story, at the heart of the Church's faith, should be at the heart of our faith: that Jesus would live and die for us.
That Jesus would say to our heavenly Father, "Thy will be done," even though his commitment would lead to his death.
That Jesus would have compassion on the crowds, whether they shouted praise or condemnation, whether they welcomed him as a hero or rejected him as a criminal.
Full reflection: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82478_95617_ENG_HTM.htm
More Spiritual Reflections: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm
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DAYBOOK
On March 13, 2008...
* 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 March 13, 1456, Johann Gutenberg first published the Bible on his printing press with movable type.
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CATALYST
"Climate Change Begins at Home: Life on the Two-Way Street of Global Warming" from Macmillan, by Dave Reay, 203 pages, paperback, c. 2006, $14.95 [Source: Macmillan] Climate change is one of the greatest threats that humankind faces in the 21st century. But while government and industry fail to act, this book argues, we could all work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60%, the level necessary to halt the current trend according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Packed with provocative case studies, calculations, and lifestyle comparisons, this entertaining and authoritative book makes the complexities of climatology tractable and challenges readers to rethink their notions of "doing their part."
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