wfn.org | News Briefs complied by Episcopal News Service

[Daphne Mack <dmack@dfms.org>]

99-009
Bishops meet in Washington to work on world debt issue
(ENS) At the invitation of Bishops Ron Haines and Jane 
Holmes Dixon, a group of bishops met in Washington, D.C., in 
January to follow up on the Lambeth Conference's action on world 
debt and the alleviation of poverty. "We pledged ourselves to be 
in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world 
regarding debt and economic justice, and committed to continue the 
work begun at Lambeth," said Dixon. Bishops Frank Allan of 
Atlanta, Charles Bennison, Jr. of Pennsylvania, Peter James Lee of 
Virginia, John Rabb of Maryland and Orris Walker, Jr. of Long 
Island attended the meeting at the College of Preachers, planned 
by lay and clergy leaders from the diocese and the church's Office 
of Government Relations. The group met with key government and 
nonprofit partners, including officials of the Department of the 
Treasury, the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International 
Development, the General Accounting Office, the U.S. Catholic 
Conference of Bishops, Oxfam, 50 Years is Enough, and Accion 
International. The meeting discussed the next steps needed to 
raise awareness of the issues and the bishops agreed to raise the 
issue at the next House of Bishops meeting. 

Study compares attitudes of Lutherans and Episcopalians
(ENS-Metro Lutheran) According to a study by a political 
scientist at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, the majority 
of clergy in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) 
think the denomination should enter a full communion agreement 
with the Episcopal Church. Prof. Chris Gilbert is using a National 
Science Foundation grant to compare attitudes of Lutheran and 
Episcopal clergy and his initial results indicate that 58 percent 
of ELCA clergy and 66 percent of Episcopal clergy are in favor of 
full communion. When asked about the attitudes of their 
congregations, 48 percent of the Episcopal clergy but only 36 
percent of the ELCA clergy think their parishioners favor full 
communion. The survey revealed strong support for women in the 
ministry, with 94 percent of the Lutherans and 90 percent of the 
Episcopalians responding favorably. Twice as many Episcopal clergy 
as ELCA describe themselves as "high church," (26.6 to 13.8 
percent) and twice as many ELCA call themselves "evangelical" 
(42.6 to 21.5 percent). Clergy of both churches describe 
themselves as politically liberal, with almost 70 percent voting 
for President Bill Clinton. But 70 percent of ELCA clergy, and 63 
percent of Episcopal clergy, said they believe their members voted 
for Bob Dole. Gilbert said that he hopes to explore the 
differences between clergy and their congregations.

Chinnis is doctored-again
(ENS) Pamela Chinnis, president of the House of Deputies, 
was honored by her alma mater, the College of William and Mary, 
with an honorary doctorate of humane letters at ceremonies on 
February 6. The citation commended her for having "served your 
church, this college, higher education, and our society with 
boundless energy, quiet wisdom, and subtle wit, and have earned 
both respect and affection from all who know you." The citation 
pointed out that Chinnis was the first woman to serve as senior 
warden of her parish in Washington, D.C., president of the 
diocesan and national Episcopal Church Women, first woman to 
preside over the House of Deputies, member of the church's 
Executive Council, delegate to the Anglican Consultative Council, 
chair of the Presiding Bishop's Committee for the Full 
Participation of Women in the Church, and numerous councils and 
commissions. At a meeting of the Executive Council in Denver, a 
few days later, Chinnis said that she also preached at historic 
Bruton Parish in Williamsburg, where she was confirmed while a 
student at William and Mary. "Standing there in the pulpit, I 
remembered myself as an eager young coed being drawn deeper into 
the power of the Gospel and the life of the church. It was an 
extraordinary experience. I am so deeply grateful to have found my 
way into the Episcopal Church," she said. 

Archbishop mourns death of King Hussein
(ACNS) The Archbishop of Canterbury issued the following 
statement after being informed of the death of King Hussein of 
Jordan:

"For five decades King Hussein has been one of the most 
significant leaders in a region of the world where leadership has 
so often made the difference between war and peace. His compassion 
for all people, reflected in his concern for Christian minorities, 
has endeared him to millions, not only in his own country but 
across the globe. Anglicans world-wide will join the people of 
Jordan in mourning a man whose absence will be felt deeply 
whenever men and women of goodwill are to be found. With them we 
pray that the goal for which he worked so tirelessly, peace with 
justice in the Middle East, may be finally achieved. He could have 
no more fitting epitaph." 

Russian Orthodox setting the record straight
(WCC) At a recent meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian 
Orthodox Church (ROC) in Moscow a report was heard on the World 
Council of Churches (WCC) Eighth Assembly that included details of 
the assembly's decision to set up a special commission to examine 
Orthodox concerns with and participation in the WCC. This followed 
media speculation that the ROC had suspended its membership in the 
WCC.

The Holy Synod agreed that, until the results of the special 
commission were known, the Russian Orthodox Church would suspend 
its active participation in the regular work of the WCC. In 
practice, this means elected Russian Orthodox Church members of 
the WCC executive committee and central committee would attend 
meetings but would not actively participate in general discussion 
or voting.

The Holy Synod agreed that the church would fully 
participate in the work of the special commission.

Death penalty opposed for two charged in Shepard killing
(ENS) Integrity, Inc., the national organization of lesbian 
and gay Episcopalians, recently criticized a decision by the 
prosecutors in the murder of Matthew Shepard to seek the death 
penalty.

Shepard was the 21-year-old gay Wyoming college student who 
was beaten, tied to a fence in near-freezing temperatures and left 
to die. His death was given widespread coverage 
and drew messages of sympathy and concern from several church 
leaders and President Bill Clinton.

"Matthew Shepard's murder in October, 1998 was a tragedy 
that deeply affected millions of people all over the world," 
Integrity said in a statement. "In particular it resonated with 
gay and lesbian people because many, if not most of us, have lived 
in fear of violent acts against us and repeatedly been the victims 
of prejudicial speech containing suggestions of violence."

The statement continued, "Now, with sadness, we understand 
that the prosecutors of Matthew Shepard's [alleged] killers seek 
the death penalty against them. We oppose this further act of 
violence and ask them to reconsider their decision and not apply 
the capital punishment statute in this case. We do so informed by 
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the long-held belief of our 
Episcopal Church that the death penalty is simply and completely 
wrong. Violence only begets violence. Lesbian and gay people have 
known violence in all its insidious forms. It is not the death of 
his killers that will bring about justice for Matthew Shepard. It 
is the conversion of all our hearts from the ways of violence and 
hate."

Conference on inclusion of gays and lesbians in the church
(ENS) A one-day conference on "Building An Inclusive 
Church," has been planned for April 17 in Minneapolis to address 
the issue of full inclusion in the church of gays and lesbians.

The planning committee for this event consisted of both 
homosexual and heterosexual members of the Episcopal, 
Presbyterian, and American Baptist (USA) Churches; the United 
Church of Christ and Religious Society of Friends (Quakers.

The gathering will feature as keynote speaker the Rev. Paul 
W. Egertson, bishop of the Southern California West Synod of the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Egertson, who has 
taught theology courses on "Homosexuality: Taking A Second Look" 
and received the Voice of Faithfulness award from the Lutheran 
Lesbian and Gay Ministry in San Francisco, will speak on "The 
Stranger in Our Midst."

The dozen workshop topics include "Discovering the Bible As 
Our Friend, Not Our Enemy," "Getting Beyond Stereotypes," "Why 
Must We Be Intentionally Inclusive?" "Defining and Overcoming 
Obstacles to Inclusion" and "Defining GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, 
Bisexual and Transgender) Ministry."

"None of us officially represents our denomination and we 
aren't planning discussion specifically on the sticky question of 
ordination," said Howard Johnson, retired United Methodist 
clergyman and chair of the planning committee. "But we are united 
in our concern about continuing misinformation regarding those in 
our communities of faith who are GLBT."

"We believe that when we are not inclusive and loving to 
one another within the church, we, as the body of Christ, have no 
clear witness of healing and reconciliation for a troubled world. 
This event was planned with the deep conviction that we must be an 
inclusive church in order to be a faithful witness to the God 
whose love embraces us all," Johnson concluded.

To register or obtain further information visit the 
conference web site at: http://www.winternet.com/~rwhenn/inclusive.htm
or call (612) 729-7457.

Episcopal Black Ministries and Church Publishing offer music
(ENS) The National Office of Black Ministries of the 
Episcopal Church and Church Publishing Company recently announced 
the availability of "It Is Well With My Soul" selections from 
Lift Every Voice and Sing II.

This compilation features 21 selections sung by the Adult 
Choir of Grace Church of Norfolk, Virginia, under the direction of 
Carl W. Haywood, organist and Terry Butler, assistant organist. 

To order a compact disc (#290-3 - $16.95) or cassette (#289-X - $11.95)
call 800/242-1918 or email: churchpublishing@cpg.org

NCC joins letter campaign opposing Israeli government policy
(NCC) The National Council of Churches has announced that 
Joan B. Campbell, general secretary, has joined with 26 other 
church leaders in letters protesting the Israeli government policy 
of confiscating identification cards from East Jerusalem 
Palestinians, with the consequent loss of right of residency in 
Jerusalem.

Last October Patriarch Diodoros I, Patriarch Michel Sabbah 
and Patriarch Torkom Manoogian, three principal heads of churches 
in Jerusalem, had written to the Israeli Minister of the Interior, 
expressing deep concern about the 600 percent increase over two 
years in the number of cards being confiscated.

They called on the State of Israel particularly to safeguard 
the rights of the Christian communities, halt future confiscations 
and rescind recent changes in its policies. There have been no 
changes.

Carey dismisses reports that he is thinking of retirement
Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has dismissed reports 
in the British press that he is "emotionally and physically 
exhausted" and considering retirement when he reaches the age of 
65 in two years. The London Sunday Times carried a story quoting 
Bishop Graham Jones, a former member of the archbishop's staff, as 
saying that Carey lacked the "enormous amount of stamina" 
required. Carey said that he was "fed up with this kind of 
mischievous rumor-mongering" and said, "I am very vigorous and in 
very good form." He even suggested that he might continue in 
office until 2005. "There is a lot of life left in me yet," he 
said. Carey has not openly discussed his plans before. During a 
trip to Rome, to meet with the Pope and to open the new Anglican 
Centre, he "kept up a tremendous dawn-to-midnight pace during his 
three-day visit," said Canon Richard Marsh, Carey's secretary for 
ecumenical affairs. "He is in fighting form," he said.

People

Scott T. Evans has become the first lay person to serve as 
president of Province IV of the Episcopal Church. She's a member 
of St. Stephen's Church in Durham, North Carolina, and seven times 
has been a deputy to General Convention from the Diocese of North 
Carolina. Evans was elected to a three-year term as vice-president 
of Province IV in 1997 when Bishop Edward L. Salmon of South 
Carolina was elected president. 

Due to health issues, Salmon recently resigned. Evans will 
fill his unexpired term until June 2000.

Her vice-president post will be filled by election at the 
summer meeting of the Province IV Synod at Kanuga. According to 
national canons, because the president is a lay person, the vice-
president must be a bishop and will serve on the Presiding 
Bishop's Council of Advice.

James Kelsey was elected bishop of Northern Michigan on the 
first ballot during the diocesan convention February 6. The two 
other candidates, who finished far behind in the voting, were 
Katherine Glenn, vicar of the Episcopal Mission in San Luis Valley 
in the Diocese of Colorado, and Meredith Hunt, canon at the 
cathedral in the Diocese of Michigan.

Kelsey, who is ministry development coordinator for the 
Diocese of Northern Michigan, is a graduate of theGeneral 
Theological Seminary. He served in the Dioceses of Vermont and 
Oklahoma before arriving in 1989 in Northern Michigan, where he 
established a diocesan-wide strategy for cluster ministries.

He will succeed retiring Bishop Tom Ray. Kelsey and his 
wife, Mary, have three children ranging in age from 16 to 20.

Kelsey will be consecrated July 24 in Marquette.

The Episcopal Church Foundation has announced that Fred 
Osborn has joined the Foundation as its director of gift planning. 
He will be responsible for providing leadership in the 
Foundation's program of philanthropic services for all churches 
and Episcopal entites. Osborn's previous position was as director 
of development for the Nature Conservancy of New York.

He is a seasoned lay professional having worked in financial 
administration for the Dioceses of Massachusetts, Maine and 
Connecticut and as director of the former Office of Planned Giving 
at the Church Center. He was the first director of the 
Foundation's national support program for planned giving.

http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/ens