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99-176

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Episcopal News Briefs

Society for Ministry on Aging to close office

     (ENS) Bowing to the realities of declining support and 
membership, the board of the Episcopal Society for Ministry on 
Aging, Inc., (ESMA) voted in October to close its office and 
release Joan Lukens as executive director effective November 30.  
Mail will continue to be received at the present address until 
December 31.  As of January l, the new address for minimal 
ongoing operations will be: ESMA, P.O. Box 3065, Meridian MS 
39303; phone number (601) 485-0311; e-mail: info@esmanet.com
     Since 1995, the first year ESMA was excluded from the budget 
of the national church, costs of operation have exceeded income, 
said ESMA President Barbara Dobrosky. In spite of the 
extraordinary success achieved with the web site   
(www.esmanet.com) established in 1997, the work of providing "Age 
in Action" as a church-wide resource and an ongoing ministry 
focusing on the ever-increasing aging population has proved too 
large a task in the face of diminishing support from throughout 
the Episcopal Church.
      Plans call for the board of directors to continue the goals 
of the society, maintain the web site and provide advocacy, 
within the church, for ministry to, with, for and by our elder 
population. Dobrosky affirmed, "The society continues to be 
committed to a ministry that calls forth the talents, wisdom and 
valued experiences of our senior members as gifts to our Lord and 
his church."
     During the current ongoing revisioning process, the board 
invites inquiries by dioceses, institutions and individuals 
seeking membership as a way to continue working with the aging. 

ELCA council requests data for study on gay ordination

     (ELCA) At its November 12-14 meeting, the Church Council of 
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) asked its 
Department for Research and Evaluation to prepare a "feasibility 
report" on the ordination of non-celibate gay and lesbian people. 
     Currently, non-celibate gay and lesbian people are precluded 
from the ordained ministry in the ELCA. The council's action is 
in response to a motion considered by the 1999 Churchwide 
Assembly which resulted in the assembly's reference and counsel 
committee referring the matter to the Church Council, asking that 
the council determine whether to initiate the study based on the 
department's evaluation.
     Kenneth W. Inskeep, director of the Department for Research 
and Evaluation, told the council the costs of a study regarding 
the ordination of non-celibate gay and lesbian people would vary 
depending on the type and degrees of study the council wants to 
do.
     "It's going to have costs," Inskeep said. "The question for 
us is what's adequate to gather this information." The 
feasibility report is expected to be presented at the April 2000 
council meeting.
     If the council chooses to approve a formal study, it would 
be one piece of data the council could use to confront the entire 
question of possibly ordaining non-celibate gay and lesbian 
people, said the Rev. Robert L. Dasher, council member, from 
South Carolina.
     This year the ELCA completed a hospitality study entitled, 
"Congregational Ministry with Gay and Lesbian People," under its 
Division for Outreach. It was provided to congregations with 
which the division works and as information for the Churchwide 
Assembly in Denver.
     In addition, this past summer, a print and videotape 
resource, "Talking Together as Christians about Homosexuality," 
was made available by the ELCA Division for Church in Society 
through Augsburg Fortress Publishers in Minneapolis. Some 2,000 
sets have been distributed.

St. Olaf Choir will tour the United States

     (ENS) The St. Olaf Choir, a widely acclaimed ensemble and 
longtime creative influence behind the a cappella choral 
tradition, will make a millennium tour of 20 cities throughout 
the United States from January 21 to February 14, 2000. This tour 
will revisit sites from their groundbreaking 1920 tour of Eastern 
cultural centers that first catapulted the choir to international 
status.
     Under the direction of Dr. Anton Armstrong, the St. Olaf 
Choir will present a program of Copland, Billings and Bach along 
with recent compositions by American composers Kenneth Jennings 
and Peter Hamlin.
     Founded in 1912, the 75 voice St. Olaf Choir is the premier 
choral ensemble of the Minnesota college, best known for its 
annual Christmas Festival broadcast. The Choir has sung for 
numerous presidents and foreign heads of state and appeared by 
invitation at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Arts Festival in South Korea 
as the only student choir.
     The St. Olaf Choir has recorded 14 CDs, including their most 
recent releases, Advance Australia Fair, and The Spirituals of 
William L. Dawson.
     For tour dates and locations email www.stolaf.edu/depts/music/stolaf_
choir/ or call 507/646-3179.

Proselytism challenges Christian-Muslim consultation

     (WCC) The search for common principles and definitions 
highlighted the World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation on 
"Religious Freedom, Community Rights and Individual Rights: A 
Christian-Muslim Perspective," held in Hartford, Connecticut, 
October 14-16, 1999.
     Thirty-five international participants gathered to address 
the issue of religious freedom from a regional perspective as 
well as in relation to existing universal standards such as 
international law regarding human rights and the issue of 
proselytism.
     It was reported that both Christians and Muslims expressed 
appreciation for the WCC's historical distinction between 
proselytism and witness. Yet, as noted by Dr. Robert Traer of the 
International Association for Religious Freedom, there is no such 
distinction in international law. The need to build a common 
understanding of such concepts as proselytism, mission, 
tolerance, respect, citizenship, and freedom was identified as a 
key goal for further dialogue.
     The political use and misuse of the issue of religious 
freedom was also identified through discussion of regional 
contexts involving the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia. 
The Rev. Elga Sarapung noted that only five religions are 
officially recognized in Indonesia, although other religious 
traditions are practiced in the country, leading her to ask, "Who 
says what is a religion?" Religious pluralism, especially as 
experienced in the African context within families, however, was 
seen as a source of hope.
     "While we discuss this at the political level," said Dr. 
Anne Kubai, from Kenya, "families continue to live together. We 
need to close the gap between the community and family levels."
     Some of the other issues discussed in the consultation and 
identified for further work include:
     *The relationship of religion and culture
     *Education and religious illiteracy
     *Religious freedom issues arising from migration
     *The need to develop theological resources and language 
       which convey respect for others.
     The participants noted that the question of religious 
freedom is not simply an academic issue. As one participant 
emphasized, "The starting point for this discussion and the need 
for common action is very real human suffering."

Australians ponder the appointment of women bishops

     (ENI) According to supporters of women's ordination, the 
Anglican Church in Australia could be five years away from voting 
to allow the appointment of its first woman bishop.
     Australia would become the fourth country in the world to 
have Anglican women bishops. There are 11 women bishops in the 
world-wide Anglican Communion - one in Aotearoa/New Zealand and 
10 in the United States and Canada. Australia has 70 ordained 
women, about 50 priests and 20 deacons.
     Dr. Muriel Porter, a lay member of the church's standing 
committee and chair of the national working group examining this 
issue, said the church hopes to introduce women bishops without 
any of the controversy of 10 years ago.
     "It was terrible, just hideous," she said of the arguments 
about women priests, which led some in the church take court 
action to block the ordinations. Porter said that when the church 
began discussing the issue of women priests, it did not consider 
that they might oneday want to be bishops. She believes all three 
ministries in the Anglican church - deacon, priest and bishop - 
should be open to women.
     The working group recently released a report canvassing a 
number of ways to allow women bishops. The group hopes that 
Anglicans will discuss these options, and that a motion will be 
put to the next general synod in July 2001. A two-thirds majority 
vote from clergy and laity would make the motion a provisional 
canon, or law. A further vote, this time requiring a three-
quarters majority, at the General Synod in 2004, would make the 
motion a full canon of the church.
     "By then," Porter said, "there will have been women priests 
in Australia for 12 years. Some of them, however, although they 
were ordained as priests in 1992, were ordained deacons in 1986. 
Normally there is only a one-year gap between being a deacon and 
being a priest, but that wasn't possible for these women. Some 
spent six years as deacons, and some were in charge of parishes. 
So in fact we've got some women who are well and truly 
experienced."
     Porter stressed the need for consensus, saying the big 
concern for many people was whether women bishops would divide 
the church. "Our group is very hopeful that we just might find a 
way through this that is quite unique to the Anglican Communion. 
We are hoping we might be able to show that by really sitting 
down together and talking about it ... we might be able to find a 
middle road of allowing women bishops but still providing some 
means of caring for those who are opposed."

Israeli Government ruling angers Christians and Muslims

     (ENI) The Israeli Government has angered church leaders and 
Muslims by announcing approval for the construction of a new 
mosque next to the town where Christians believe Jesus spent his 
childhood.
     According to a report, the new mosque is to face the 
Basilica of the Annunciation a church built on the site where, 
according to Christian tradition, the Angel Gabriel told Mary she 
would give birth to Jesus. The plan is strongly opposed by some 
Christian leaders in the Holy Land, who have privately threatened 
to close churches at Christmas this year and force the 
cancellation of the Pope's proposed visit during the year 2000.
     The ruling follows a dispute over a plot of land, formerly 
the site of a school near the basilica, being designated by the 
Nazareth municipality to serve as a plaza for the large numbers 
of pilgrims expected to arrive in the Holy Land for celebrations 
to mark the new millennium.
     Israel's Public Security Minister, Shlomo Ben-Ami, released 
details of the new plan after meeting with Christian and Muslim 
groups from Nazareth. Ben-Ami said the mosque must be limited to 
700 square meters. A large barrier would be built between the 
mosque and the church, a Muslim protest tent currently on the 
site would be removed next month.
     He also said a police station would be established in the 
location to provide security for tourists and pilgrims attending 
the mosque or the basilica. "This is the basis of our resolution 
and we expect the two parties to accept them. If they do not 
accept them, we will have to take unilateral steps."
     In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, the Greek 
Orthodox Patriarch Diodoros; the Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah; 
the Armenian Patriarch, Torkom Manogian; and the Custos (Roman 
Catholic Custodian) of the Holy Land, Giovanni Batistelli said, 
"We believe that the place currently proposed for the building of 
a mosque-besides being government-owned property-is not 
compatible with the larger vision of peace and harmony amongst 
all the faith communities in Nazareth, and will remain an 
unfortunate source of friction and dispute in the future." The 
letter continues, "With the upsurge of Christian pilgrimages and 
tourism only a few short months away, we believe that Israel 
should act decisively in order to resolve once and for all this 
dispute so that Nazareth can regain its authentic character as 
the City of the Annunciation an open and welcoming city for all."
     A Muslim leader from Nazareth, Aziz Shehadeh, predicts, 
"There will be bloodshed. There will be something which people 
will remember for the coming 50 years. There will be tension in 
the city, and there will be tension with Israeli authorities, and 
this will create tension in the city among all the citizens."

UMC donates $1.5 million to ecumenical institute

     (ENI) The United Methodist Church, (UMC) one of the largest 
churches in the United States, has announced an endowment of $1.5 
million to fund a faculty chair in mission at the World Council 
of Churches (WCC) Bossy Ecumenical Institute near Geneva.
     Commenting after the October 26 announcement, the 
institute's director, Dr. Heidi Hadsell, a Presbyterian from the 
United States, said that Bossey's main goal was the formation of 
future leaders of churches and the ecumenical movement at the 
graduate school. She enthusiastically welcomed the endowment and 
praised the UMC for its "vision" of the future of the church, 
demonstrated by the gift.
     Asked why the UMC, other churches and individuals were 
prepared to fund the institute at a time when many churches and 
ecumenical organizations were facing major financial 
difficulties, Hadsell said, "Bossey is a place of ecumenical and 
international encounter, and it provides training in leadership 
for the future generation. Unless you have new leadership coming 
up, you don't have an ecumenical movement."
     The UMC endowment, which is one of the largest gifts 
received by the WCC in its 50-year history, will be managed by 
the Ecumenical Trust in the United States, which invests funds 
for various ecumenical organization, including the WCC and the 
United States National Council of Churches. The trust will pay 
the income from the endowment to Bossey to fund the new academic 
chair.
     The UMC endowment supports a five-year redevelopment plan 
for Bossey-academic and financial-launched early this year. 

India's Christian women told to "break culture of silence"

     (ENI) With over 2,000 women leaders and workers in 
attendance at the Ecumenical Women's Millennium Celebration, held 
in Secunderabad, India, October 14-17, an appeal was made to all 
29 church affiliates of the National Council of Churches in India 
(NCCI) to approve the ordination of women.
     Susy Matthew, president of All India Council of Christian 
Women (AICCW), said the aim (of the event) was "to gather and 
present before the churches the expectations of the women as we 
enter the third millennium." She said that the convention had 
decided to put pressure on the church leadership by setting up 
"regional ecumenical pressure groups" to pursue the convention's 
demands with local church leaders. "We cannot take any drastic 
steps to implement our demands. "Women alone cannot do much in 
the church. So we need to create a mass movement in the churches 
with these pressure groups."
     There were also appeals made for "equal" representation of 
women in the churches' decision-making bodies, and putting women 
theologians "on par" with male theologians. They also called for 
inclusive liturgy, which ensures that discriminatory and sexist 
language is removed from church services.
     The demands would be sent to heads and leaders of NCCI 
member churches in the form of a "declaration of women's aspirations" 
for follow-up action.
     While 200 Catholic women attended as observers, almost 50 speakers, 
including NCCI officials, church experts and social activists, addressed the 
convention on themes related to the life of Christian women.
     During the convention, Prasanna Kumari, executive secretary of the United 
Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India, urged women to come out of their shells 
and "to break the culture of silence."
     "Women do not speak out in the presence of men," said Kumari. "They 
[women] only speak to women."
     However, Metropolitan Philipose Mar Chrisostam, of the 800,000 member 
Mar Thoma Church, (one of the few churches with which the Episcopal Church 
is in full communion now) said that "women's ordination is not a question of justice, 
but a question of social thinking."
     In a telephone interview from the state of Kerala in southern India, Chrisostam
said "We do not accept it. In our socio-cultural tradition, women do not play such 
roles," It was for the same reason, he said, that the central Kerala diocese of the 
Church of South India (CSI) had not ordained women, though the CSI at national 
level had formally approved it.

Christian gays and Falwell try to build bridges
     (ENI) On October 23, Jerry Falwell, a conservative Baptist clergyman and 
one of the most outspoken critics of the gay rights movement, met with Mel White, 
a clergyman and an openly gay Christian activist, to take the first step in a process
 to build bridges.
     The gathering of what some described as "unprecedented" took place at Falwell's
 Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, with nearly 400 supporters of 
Falwell and White condemning violence against both gays and Christians and addressing 
the recent violence against gays and Christians in Texas and Colorado.
     White, who heads a gay rights group promoting non-violent activism in the tradition 
of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., hailed the meeting as the first step in reconciling 
two sides that had often exchanged bitter words. "Jerry Falwell is our brother, a child of 
the same Creator. Jerry is not evil, stupid nor insane. He is a member of our human family
who is a victim of the same misinformation that once kept us in our closets. Our job is not 
to humiliate him but to bring him truth, in love, relentlessly until he, too, is set free."
     However, Falwell reportly told reporters immediately following the meeting that
 he still believed homosexuality was a sin. Declaring that he and his evangelical 
supporters could act as a "bridge of friendship," Falwell compared the status 
of gays and lesbians to alcoholics and unwed mothers.
     Perhaps the most serious sign of how far apart the two sides remained was
 the cancellation, reported by the Associated Press (AP), of plans to share a 
meal after Falwell's supporters expressed fears that they would be violating 
what they said was a biblical dictum not to eat with sinners.
     Nancy Wilson, vice moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan 
Community Churches, a predominantly gay and lesbian denomination, said good 
could come out of the meeting between Falwell and White. 
     "We must move from debate to dialogue," she said. "We believe this event 
will create a reduction in religious hate rhetoric."
     Daniel Spencer, a professor of religion at Drake University in Des Moines, 
Iowa, added that the meeting was perhaps evidence that some on the Christian 
right realized that the condemnation of gays and lesbians had become a losing
 issue for them "and that they have a vested self-interest in lowering the rhetoric."

New wineskins for Global Mission 2000
     (ENS) At least a thousand Episcopalians are expected to attend the third 
New Wineskins for Global Mission conference, April 26-30, 2000, in Ridgecrest, 
North Carolina. Speakers from around the world and Episcopal missionaries from
 many different agencies are expected to come together to inspire, equip and give 
practical how-to's to Episcopalians for fulfilling their mission to make disciples of 
all nations.
     The Rt. Rev. Ben Kwashi of Jos, Nigeria will give the keynote address, on 
God's heart for the world and how the Jos Diocese is growing.
     Other participants include Fran Blanchard, who has worked in the Middle 
East since 1980; the Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, bishop of Honduras; the Rev. James 
Wong, a church planter from Singapore; the Very Rev. Dr. Peter Moore, Dean 
of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, in Pennsylvania; the Rev. Mike Wurschmidt
 and a team from Shepherd's Heart ministry to the homeless in Pittsburgh; Dr. Paul 
Marshall, author of Their Blood Cries Out; Lisa Chinn, speaking on ministry to 
internationals; the Rev. Paul Borthwick, author; The Rev. Tad de Bordenave, 
Director of Anglican Frontier Missions, and the Rev. Dr. Samuel Kamaleson, a 
former Vice President of World Vision. 
     The Rt. Rev. Joseph Wasonga will celebrate Communion using a liturgy from 
Kenya, giving Episcopalians a taste of the rich cultures represented in the church.
     Wellspring will be leading worship throughout the conference, using a variety 
of music including Israeli, African, Pakistani, and Latin rhythms, as well as classic 
hymns and contemporary songs. The Revs. Walter Hannum and Alison Barfoot 
will lead Bible studies daily.
     Fifty workshops--from helping Sunday school kids be world Christians, to
 fostering community development and evangelism, to using retirement for mission--
will be offered. Forty exhibitors from major Episcopal and interdenominational 
agencies will be available to talk with participants.
     For more information, contact the Episcopal Church Missionary Community, 
P.O. Box 278, Ambridge, PA, 15003, tel: (724) 266-2810, e-mail: ecmc@usaornet, 
www.episcopalian.orglecmc

Episcopal priest to initiate World Sabbath for all religions
 
     (ENI) On January 22, 2000, many different faiths of the world will be demanding 
an end to violence done in the name of God, calling for greater respect between 
the world's religions and ethnic groups, and praying for healing of past atrocities, 
during World Sabbath of Religious Reconciliation.
     According to its creator Rod Reinhart, an Episcopal priest and interim pastor of
Trinity Church in Farmington Hills, Michigan, The Sabbath, is an inter-faith holy day 
with two goals:
     *create the first holy day to be shared by all religions of the world and,
     *teach religious leaders how to publicly oppose hate campaigns and religious wars.
     Reinhart agreed that the idea of a millennial peace event is not new. From Rome to 
Geneva, from Tibet and Bosnia to East Timor and Rwanda, religious groups are 
cooperating to close what some describe as the bloodiest century in human history 
and to welcome the new millennium with prayers for peace. Still, he said his 
proposal is different from others because it creates a holy day that he hopes will 
eventually be embraced by all ethnic and religious groups on the planet.
     "We would do this whether there was a millennium or not. We see the 
millennium as a good symbol for us because we are trying to begin a whole 
new thing."
     He said this initiative has been endorsed by the Diocese of Michigan; 
Temple Israel of Ann Arbor; the Detroit Muslim Center; the United Religions 
Initiative; the Parliament of the World's Religions and the National Council for 
Community and Justice (formerly known as the National Conference of 
Christians and Jews). 
     Reinhart said his worship service has been designed to acknowledge the 
world's religious diversity, to pray for those who were victimizing others, to 
seek forgiveness and reconciliation and to honor those who had died in violent 
attacks.
     "We are also going to be remembering the children in the Baptist Church in 
Texas who were murdered, the children in the Jewish Center in California and
the American school students targeted because of their religious faith. We are 
saying to the wide world that it is no longer acceptable for Christians or any 
other religious person to give into the demands of a ruler who calls on them to 
destroy other people ultimately because the ruler wants land and power."
     For more information visit: http://members.aol.com/revrodrev/index.html
     
Nashotah House creates Boone Porter Institute 

     (ENS) At a recent meeting of the Board of Trustees of Nashotah House, 
a theological seminary of the Episcopal Church, the use of a $10,000 gift in 
memory of Canon Boone Porter was approved as seed money to create the 
Boone Porter Institute.
     The purpose of the institute will be to broaden the seminary's educational 
offerings for leadership and to train persons, whether lay or ordained, for specific 
ministries in such areas as parish development, church growth, small group 
facilitation, mentoring skills, workplace spirituality and servant leadership. 
     "The donor asked that we use the money in the furtherance of the aims of the 
'Living the Covenant' conference, which was the last project Dr. Porter worked 
on," said Dean Gary W. Kriss, president of Nashotah House. "His very last project, 
which came to its fulfillment in the week after he died, was a conference focused on 
local ministry and its corollary, 'local training.' Dr. Porter had been a champion of 
this concept for many years. The seeds that he helped to plant are now bearing fruit 
all over the church."
     Approximately 450 people attended the "Living the Covenant" conference, 
held in June 1999 at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Nashotah's 
Professor of Parish Ministry, the Rev. Dr. Michael Tessman, attended the 
conference and will be the director of the institute.
     "We recognize that the church needs to recover a sense of the mission and 
ministry of every mature Christian, moving from a primary focus upon 'membership' 
to one of 'discipleship,'" Tessman said. "Nashotah House is well poised to offer 
such a new program. Our School of Evangelization already has demonstrated an 
interest in such training. The addition of courses in spirituality, missiology, and the 
practice of ministry, will be integrated during the summer term."
     Specific course offerings and tuition will be announced in January 2000 and
the Institute will open in June. More information is available at www.nashotah.edu

Author of gay play about Christ receives death threat

     (ENI) A London-based Muslim group has issued a death threat to the 
author of a play depicting Jesus as a homosexual.
     Terrence McNally's play, "Corpus Christi," sets the gospel story in modern 
Texas. It shows Jesus, who is crucified as "King of the Queers," being betrayed
 by his gay lover, Judas.
     The group, Al-Muhajiroun, which describes itself as the Defenders of the 
Messenger Jesus, said Jesus was an important prophet in Islam and that classical 
and modern Islamic authorities agreed that capital punishment was the prescribed
penalty for insulting a messenger of God. 
     Since its premiere last year, the play has provoked controversy. When it 
opened in New York, hundreds of police were deployed to protect the audience 
from protesters, most of who were Christian.
     However, McNally, who resides in New York, is not considered to be under 
the same risk as Salman Rushdie, the author who received death threats from Iran 
and went into hiding for several years for fear of attack.
     Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, judge of the UK Shari'ah Court, has warned 
individuals not to try to carry out the sentence. He said it should only be carried 
out by an Islamic state.
     "Carrying out the penalty has to be left to an Islamic state because in this 
society [the UK] if individual Muslims acted, it would lead to anarchy," said 
Sulayman Keeler, Sheikh Omar's spokesman.
     Nonetheless, Bishop Richard Holloway, primus of the Scottish Episcopal 
Church and supporter of gay rights, defended the play in a review published 
in the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement's magazine. Holloway said the 
Crucifixion "encompasses all pain and persecution, including the persecution 
of the homosexual community throughout history." The bishop commented: "If 
Christ is, as the church claims, universal in his significance, then everyone must 
be able to identify with him."
     Holloway acknowledged that "religious communities are always extremely 
protective of their sacred figures, and they have a right to expect the rest of the 
community to refrain from insulting them. But that is hardly the issue here.
     "The gayness of the Christ figure is almost incidental to the plot of "Corpus 
Christi," he said. "Any victim of a hate crime could have been transposed into 
the role."