Episcopal Life Daily May 2, 2008
Episcopal Life Online is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.
Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:
* TOP STORY - In Florence, St. James Church celebrates 100 years of ministry * WORLD REPORT - ENGLAND: Archbishop of Canterbury lectures on 'Religious Faith and Human Rights' * WORLD REPORT - ITALY: Canterbury to meet with Pope, convene 7th Building Bridges Seminar in Rome * OPINION - Mirrors and nails and spiritual tales: Church members create personal books of uncommon prayer * ARTS - Why he stays: London cleric shares what he's learned about faith and the church * DAYBOOK - May 5, 2008: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History * CATALYST - Noah's Ark
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TOP STORIES
In Florence, St. James Church celebrates 100 years of ministry
By Christina N. Caughlan
[Episcopal News Service] On April 23, 1908, the cornerstone was laid of what would become the sanctuary of St. James, la chiesa americana (or "American Church") in Florence, Italy. Last week, in friendly cooperation with the City of Florence and the U.S. Consulate, the parish hosted a series of events to commemorate its first 100 years of ministry in Via Rucellai.
The festivities culminated on Sunday, April 27 with the Centennial Rededication Ceremony and Holy Eucharist. In recognition of the role that St. James has played in the life of the broader community, the Gonfalone, heraldic flag of the City of Florence, arrived well before the service began, accompanied by the chiarine, gaily-clad traditional standard bearers and trumpets.
More than 350 parishioners and friends gathered to witness the proceedings, and the event drew considerable attention from the local media.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_96838_ENG_HTM.htm
More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife
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WORLD REPORT
ENGLAND: Archbishop of Canterbury lectures on 'Religious Faith and Human Rights' http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_96855_ENG_HTM.htm
ITALY: Canterbury to meet with Pope, convene 7th Building Bridges Seminar in Rome http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_96854_ENG_HTM.htm
More World news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_ENG_HTM.htm
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OPINION
Mirrors and nails and spiritual tales
Church members create personal books of uncommon prayer
By Lucy Chumbley
[Episcopal Life] What are prayer books made of? For some members of St. George's Episcopal Church, Glenn Dale, Maryland, prayer books include fabric from a favorite dress, fragments of stained glass from a church destroyed by a hurricane, bumper stickers, song lyrics, prayer cards and postcards, crosses, newspaper clippings, photos of friends and other treasures that evoke joy, gratitude, comfort and closeness to God.
Bearing boxes and binders, plastic bags and notebooks, seven parishioners gathered on a recent rainy Saturday to weave the threads of their spiritual lives together.
The gathering followed an earlier session at which group members discussed how they accessed God and identified "things that resonate for us," said Terry Doyle.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81840_96856_ENG_HTM.htm
More Opinion: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80050_ENG_HTM.htm
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ARTS
Why he stays
London cleric shares what he's learned about faith and the church
[Episcopal Life]
THE LIVING CHURCH Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor By John Stott IVP, 180 pp., $17
In The Living Church John Stott shares with his readers what he has learned. After serving as longtime rector of All Souls, London, Stott is both influential and well-known far beyond the Church of England. His many books, preaching and teaching and 60 years in urban ministry, as well as traveling and speaking throughout the world, have made that a certainty. In 2005, he was honored by Time as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."
As the subtitle claims, these are the "convictions of a lifelong pastor." Turning 87 in April, Stott, an inveterate list-maker, has had plenty of time to develop his convictions. He is not shy about sharing them.
For example, he is short on patience with those who would say and do nothing about obvious false teaching, saying "It is our plain duty to protect God's flock from error and to establish it in the truth." And he is long on understanding "this Trinitarian truth about the church: it belongs to God the Father, has been redeemed by the blood of Christ his Son, and has overseers appointed by God the Holy Spirit." This, he writes, should humble us, inspire us and motivate us in the loving care of God's people.
Full review: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81827_96843_ENG_HTM.htm
More Arts: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81827_ENG_HTM.htm
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DAYBOOK
On May 5, 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 May 5, 553, the Second Council of Constantinople convened under the city's new patriarch Eutychius.
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CATALYST
"Noah's Ark" from Random House, Inc., winner of the Caldecott Medal, illustrated by Peter Spier, 48 pages, paperback, c. 1978, $7.99
[Random House, Inc.] The story of Noah and his ark, his family, and all their many guests is here retold almost entirely in pictures of great charm and intricate detail. The bee and the fox, the sheep and the ox -- two of each kind trudged aboard Noah's famous vessel. Peter Spier uses his own translation of a seventeenth-century Dutch poem about this most famous menagerie.
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