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2001-15

Episcopal Relief and Development awards grants

(ENS) Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) provided emergency grants totaling $120,000 in 
December 2000 to help provide relief in the wake of several disasters.

The Diocese of Alabama was given $20,000 to assist people in Tuscaloosa affected by a 
December 16 tornado that killed 12 people and injured 50. The grant will assist with clean-
up, construction of shelters for the displaced and pay for a caseworker to provide 
counseling to victims.

Grants of $25,000 each were awarded to the following:

Diocese of Kigali-to provide food and seeds for future planting for those suffering the 
effects of a drought in the Bugesera region of Rwanda. No rain has fallen there since 1998.

Church World Service-to provide shelter to people in Vietnam and Cambodia who are homeless 
because of floods. At least 31 people were killed in November 2000 when rainfall swelled 
rivers already overflowing from a season of heavy rains.

Diocese of Montana-to provide counseling, and funds for moving, shelter, and rehabilitation 
for those affected by the summer fires in the Bitterroot Valley area. This grant is part of 
a joint effort by the Lutherans, Mennonites, Salvation Army and the American Red Cross.

Diocese of Los Angeles-to purchase clothing and help find new housing for approximately 140 
people who were left homeless on December 8, 2000, after an apartment building collapsed in 
Echo Park

For more information about grant recipients, visit http://www.er-d.org

Church of Pakistan ordains first two women deacons

(ENI) The Church of Pakistan made history on November 21, 2000, by ordaining its first two 
women deacons, despite civil court action by another church opposing the ordination based 
on its belief that the Bible bans women from the clergy.

The church is the first in Pakistan to open its ranks of clergy to women. It has about 
800,000 members, and is a united church inaugurated in 1970 that brings together Anglicans, 
Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans and other Protestants.

"We have gone ahead with what we believe is right. We have made our commitment to it," said 
Bishop Samuel Azariahs, moderator of the Church of Pakistan, whose wife is one of the new 
deacons. "None of the mainline churches have opposed this though officially they may not 
agree with me 100% on this." He added that no one "can expect unanimity on progressive 
steps," and that he was "sad that a McIntire [breakaway] church has gone to the court 
against it."

The civil court action to try to block the ordinations was initiated by Timotheus Nasir, 
moderator-secretary of the United Presbyterian Church of Pakistan (UPCP). Nasir said, 
"Women's ordination is not authorized by the Bible."

He also said that the UPCP "believes in biblical theology, and we do not go along with 
modern theology." The UPCP "will keep the fight on till the bishop repents and the court 
gives him due punishment under the law."

Azariahs said that Nasir and his "fringe group of Christians" were "trying to mislead the 
court. We have committed no contempt of court as the ordination took place before the court 
intervened."

He added, "The court has no jurisdiction on the interpretation of the Scripture. The court 
is not the authority to tell the church who is to be ordained and who is not to be 
ordained. There is a clear mandate in the Bible for including women in the ministry of the 
church."

Lutheran churches in Scandinavia want to cut ties with state

(ENI) Many people within Lutheran churches in Scandinavia are seeking ways to cut all 
formal ties linking the state with the church.

"There is growing impatience in ecclesiastical circles, while the general population is 
more conservative and reserved when it comes to changing the relationship between state and 
church," said Erling Pettersen, head of the national council of the (Lutheran) Church of 
Norway.

A recent opinion poll showed that 40 percent of Norwegians were in favor of cutting all 
ties between the state and the Lutheran church. However, 50 percent of the population still 
wants to keep the status quo, and about 10 percent of the public is undecided.

While there is full freedom of religion across Scandinavia, the dominant Lutheran churches 
in Sweden, Norway and Denmark have long been connected to-and hold special status with-the 
state. Lutheran priests have their salary and pension guaranteed by the state, the head of 
state is a member of the Lutheran church, and Lutheran bishops are formally appointed by 
the state after nomination by the church, although in the past this recommendation has not 
always been respected.

Nonetheless, these traditional relationships are becoming more problematic in a society 
where a growing percentage of Scandinavians are not Lutherans or Christians.

The church has set up a committee to study the matter. It has already published several 
reports and is expected to finalize its work this year when the situation will be brought 
before the Storting (parliament).

In Sweden, all legal ties between the state and the Church of Sweden (Lutheran) were cut on 
January 1 with little opposition.

"The ordinary churchgoer has hardly noticed the difference, and theologically, nothing has 
been changed," said Lars Friedner, head of the Church of Sweden's legal department. "Of 
course we had a lot of practical problems to solve, but the transition has been very 
smooth, and we are seeing no signs of any dramatic changes in the attitude toward the 
church or any slip in the support for the church."

Guidelines set for exchange of Lutheran and Episcopal clergy

(Episcopal Life) The presiding bishops of the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran 
Church in America have approved a set of guidelines for the exchange of clergy, one of the 
major provisions of "Called to Common Mission," the full communion agreement between the 
two churches.

"The exchange of pastors and priests can be an important sign of our unity," said the Rev. 
Lynne Griffo of the Episcopal Church's Office of Ministry Development. She said that it not 
only encourages more effect use and deployment of clergy "in order to enhance our shared 
ministry and mission, but also encourages those who are responsible for deployment to draw 
on available ministers in both churches to meet mission needs."

Clergy exchanges are subject to several conditions. They occur at the discretion of the 
inviting church after consultation and approval of the sending body-an Episcopal diocese or 
Lutheran synod. Extended service requires a contract, Griffo pointed out. 

Experience and grounding in one's own denominational tradition is regarded as essential 
prior to serving in another tradition-including the ministry practices and discipline of 
that church. Clergy are also expected to preach, teach, administer the sacraments and 
participate in church governance "in a manner consistent with that knowledge and 
appreciation," according to the guidelines.