Episcopal Life Online Daybook -- Today is Monday, May 14, 2007, in Easter. The Church calendar remembers Rogation Day.
* 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 this day in 1759, Anglican evangelical and hymnist John Berridge preached his first outdoor sermon.
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MISSION
'Shoestring' evangelism: new Reno congregation taps unchurched
By Pat McCaughan
[ENS] The Rev. Laurie Chappelle was newly ordained with no church planting experience, but none of that fazed her last year when she recognized "that God was doing a new thing" and was beckoning her to do likewise in suburban south Reno, Nevada.
She was serving as a pastoral associate at Trinity Church in Reno, one of the fastest growing areas of the country. "There are 35,000 people in the two zip codes parallel to the area we're in," said Chappelle, who was ordained a priest July 31, 2006. Of those, "43 percent are unchurched, and 65 percent of those who are unchurched say they prefer a traditional Christian worship environment."
With diocesan support, assistance from Trinity and two other Episcopal congregations -- St. Paul's Church in Sparks, and St. Stephen's Church in Reno -- a $20,500 grant from the Domestic Missionary Partnership, her own business savvy and a lot of faith, St. Catherine of Siena became a reality in early Lent.
"We began meeting on February 4, which makes this whole conversation feel scarily premature," Chappelle says, adding: "But, we've done all this in faith so, why not?"
The Diocese of Nevada has long viewed suburban south Reno as prime church planting territory, but start-ups were complicated because of limited resources, said the Rev. Robert Nelson, canon to the ordinary.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_85890_ENG_HTM.htm
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Earth Keeper Clean Sweep yields more than a ton of drugs
By Phina Borgeson
[ENS] People of all faiths from around Michigan's Upper Peninsula turned in tens of thousands of pills, liquids and personal care products including narcotics with an estimated street value of half a million dollars during the third annual Clean Sweep.
"This was a wonderful event - a perfect marriage of two concerns -- care of the environment and the need to remove drugs that might otherwise be abused from the community," said Pastor Jonathan Schmidt of the First Lutheran Church in Gladstone, Michigan.
Assistance was provided by the Michigan Pharmacists Association and numerous law enforcement agencies including the DEA and Michigan Sheriff's Association.
Bishop James A. Kelsey said the support of so many faith traditions shows "a kind of spiritual leadership that connects our faith with the material world."
"It's amazing what impact a few dedicated people can have," Kelsey said. "We have become a catalyst for a movement much bigger than our demographics, and more far reaching than we might have imagined possible."
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_85893_ENG_HTM.htm
Editor's note: Many questions and comments were received regarding the April 11 story on Earth Keepers' Clean Sweep (http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_84803_ENG_HTM.htm). Those who would like to mount a similar effort are urged to work with the EPA, environmental organizations, pharmacists, law enforcement and interfaith groups in their own communities.
Individuals concerned about proper disposal of pharmaceuticals should check with their local waste management agency. Most provide drop-off times and locations; some offer pick-up, often at a reduced rate for the elderly and homebound.
U.S. Federal Guidelines for Proper Disposal of Prescription Drugs may be found here: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press07/022007.html
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Catalyst: "Make Us One With Christ - The Study Guide Version" from the Office of Ecumenical Relations of The Episcopal Church and the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns of The United Methodist Church, 43 pages, paperback, c. 2007, $2.95
[Source: Episcopal Church's Office of Ecumenical Relations] The Episcopal Church and The United Methodist Church have been in dialogue since the 1960s in the context of the Consultation on Church Union (COCU). Methodists and Anglicans engaged in an important international dialogue from 1992-1996, and the Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church have been in a one-on-one dialogue since 2002. In 2006, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church voted to enter into a relationship of Interim Eucharistic Sharing (a step on the way to full communion in which the two communions gather to share in the Eucharist while growing into and studying their relationship) with the United Methodist Church, similar to that with the Lutheran Churches from 1982-2001.
This study guide, co-produced by the Office of Ecumenical Relations of The Episcopal Church and the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns of The United Methodist Church, was drafted by the dialogue team in consultation with scholars and leaders in both traditions. It is designed for congregational use and consists of seven sessions which introduce members to one another's history and traditions. The Study Guide process also includes practical brainstorming sessions to identify common mission projects and concludes with a joint celebration of the Eucharist by the participating congregations.
"This extremely useable study guide for local congregations and other communities will help people in the pews understand how much our two churches have in common and prepare the way for the eventual restoration of full communion among us" -- The Rt. Rev. Christopher Epting, Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations
To order: Episcopal Books and Resources, online at http://www.episcopalbookstore.org or call 800-903-5544.
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